Roa City resembled a fortress in its overall layout.
In fact, not just Roa—the entire northern region of the Asura Kingdom, including even the royal capital, had adopted a fortress-like city design. It was a lingering "scar" from the long-ago Human-Demon War.
Four hundred years ago, when the demons invaded from the north of the Central Continent, the Asura Kingdom became humanity's first line of defense.
Though the architecture remained, the military strongholds of old had long since transformed into trade-centric transportation hubs.
Even at nine in the morning—
The city gate was bustling with people.
Three carriages slowly passed through. The armored gate guards, seeing they belonged to the lord's estate, allowed them to pass without inspection.
These were peaceful times. No one dared impersonate a noble to sneak into a city just to commit something as insane as an assassination.
"What the heck!! Is that guy in the royal capital taller than Allen?! Are his hands as calloused as Allen's?!"
That was Eris's voice, her shrill tone leaping out the carriage window.
"About the same."
Ghyslaine's voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as ever.
"What? Are you lying to me, Ghyslaine?"
"No."
"You're lying!"
"It's true, Eris."
"What?! Sylphy, do you think so too?! Didn't you say Allen was the strongest?!"
"…"
Ever since learning that she had a cousin in the royal capital who not only shared Allen's name but also had similar sword skills, Eris had been referring to him only as "that guy."
And she had tried hard to get Ghyslaine to praise this Allen so she could talk down "that guy."
It was very real.
And very much like a wild dog.
Allen couldn't help but smile wryly.
But this was exactly part of her charm.
Once she recognized you, you were "good" in her eyes. Though limited by vocabulary and education, the "good" came from deep inside and was expressed bluntly in her words and actions.
Even if her mouth didn't always admit it.
A little tsundere lioness.
Eris's bickering and Allen's helpless consolations drifted out the window and through the bustling air, past rows of open-air vendors, and the stunned faces of passersby.
Then, the sound drifted into the front carriage and tickled the corners of Philip's smiling lips.
Rudy, meanwhile, had been glued to the window, eyes filled with curiosity—it was his first time in a large city of this world.
Sylphy, who had been watching Allen, couldn't resist any longer and soon joined Rudy, peering out the window with equal fascination.
The two knelt on the carriage seat, sticking out their little heads like excited puppies.
"Eh? What's that? Sylphy, do you know?"
"Nope."
Allen leaned over their heads to look outside too.
Eris raised an eyebrow and leaned in as well.
"What? Let me see!"
One adult and three kids, hair of various colors flapping in the wind.
What they saw—
Was a public carriage terminal, where many people stood with massive luggage waiting to board.
It reminded Allen of Roxy's oversized luggage case that could almost hold Bluemama. Public carriages had been her primary way of traveling during her journeys.
He blinked.
'Roxy… by the way, tonight the 7-day map scan cooldown ends. I'll be able to see her again.'
[Didn't you say you don't check at night?]
'Lately her teaching shifts have been busy. She usually doesn't bathe until late. If I peek during the first half of the night, I can see her writing letters.'
[…You're shameless.]
[What's the point of reading the same letter twice?]
Allen smiled at the cityscape passing by.
'Carriages are slow, letters are far… That makes a message that takes two months to exchange all the more meaningful.'
'And also—'
'I never said I only read it twice.'
Rudy waited a while for Allen to reply but noticed he had that spaced-out look again.
He turned to Ghyslaine inside the carriage.
"Ghyslaine, do you know what that was?"
She glanced outside, hand resting on her sword, Heizong.
"…Are you mocking me?"
Rudy flinched. "No! I really don't know! I was just asking!"
"Oh, sorry. Back when Paul first recruited me, he'd always point at random things I didn't know and mock me. Later, Zenith joined in too… That's a public carriage terminal. People use those to travel between towns."
At that, Rudy and Sylphy both turned to Allen—realizing this likely reminded him of Roxy.
Rudy curled his lip, then smiled helplessly.
'At first, I thought I could catch some crumbs from Allen. But I got nothing. Dammit, maybe I made a bad call… When will I meet a girl who likes me?'
Fiery red hair flapped above him.
Rudy looked up.
Eris.
He chuckled awkwardly.
'Allen's little sister… wild, reckless brat. Did I mess up from the start? Maybe instead of trying to raise a girl from scratch, I should've gone for a kind older one… Ugh, not even scraps left for me.'
'Even the gods have been taken.'
'Allen, you bastard…'
'Thank god I'm not a girl.'
Sylphy looked up at Allen.
In her reddish-brown eyes—
Was Allen's smile.
He was gazing at the fading terminal in the distance.
A turn came.
The terminal vanished from view. The atmosphere changed.
The stalls were gone. Grand buildings sprang up on both sides.
There were weapon and armor shops, clothing and boot stores, food and potion vendors. All catered more toward everyday life than fantasy adventuring.
Weapons hung outside shopfronts: "Swords for sale! Blades that slice iron like tofu!"
Food carts displayed exquisite pastries: "Royal Capital Exclusive Sweets! Try a sample~"
Potion stores stacked ornate bottles: "Love potions! Premium noble stock! Works all night long~!"
As for a few lavish multi-story buildings—
No vendors. No signs.
…?
Allen looked up.
The "products" were in the windows.
Beautiful girls in see-through silk outfits leaned out, brushing their wet hair lazily…
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!"
"Allen? What's wrong?"
Allen choked and immediately looked down. When he'd glanced up, several girls had caught his gaze—and waved with sultry smiles. Open for business, apparently.
He turned quickly to Sylphy… only to realize she hadn't been looking outside at all.
Their eyes met.
She started to glance away, but instead held his gaze.
In that silence—
The street calls continued.
"New dresses just in from the royal capital! Gorgeous fabrics~"
Allen blinked.
"Sorry, Sylphy. We've got to go to the lord's estate today. I'll buy you a dress another day, okay?"
Sylphy froze, flustered.
"I—I wasn't thinking that!"
Allen chuckled, the images from earlier completely replaced by the red-eyed girl before him.
"I know. But I was thinking that."
"…Okay."
Across the carriage, Ghyslaine frowned. Rudy had half his body hanging out the window, peering back nervously.
——
As the carriage continued toward the city center, the buildings grew grander and more spacious.
This was mostly a residential zone, with the stores gradually shifting toward luxury goods.
Still vibrant.
But no longer noisy.
Finally, the carriage turned a corner.
Ahead was the heart of the city—the grandest building in Roa.
The lord's mansion, like a castle.
The driver gave a small nod to the gate guards.
The doors opened.
The three carriages entered.
A massive fountain greeted them, flanked by white stone flooring and green lawns—very European castle plaza in feel.
The servants tending the area saw Philip return and hurried into the estate.
At Philip's signal, everyone disembarked.
Allen admired the fountain with a smile, then leaned in to whisper something to Ghyslaine.
The splash of the fountain muffled the words.
Just then, a burly man with streaked white hair, looking aged yet powerful, strode out from the mansion. Behind him followed rows of servants and beastkin.
Sauros Boreas Greyrat.
A tiger's gaze, a lion's gait.
An upper-ranked swordsman.
Even before his body arrived—
His voice struck first!
"Philip!! I heard you took Eris to the countryside for a tutor and didn't come back all night!!"
Before Philip could reply, Eris leapt forward.
"Grandpa! I'm back!"
"Father, we—"
Sauros scooped Eris into a hug, marched forward, and—without waiting for a word—kicked Philip flat onto the ground!
Rudy, about to greet him, jumped in terror.
"You went to the countryside to find a tutor?! Stayed out all night?! Philip, you're the mayor of Roa, not some leisure traveler! What the hell were you doing?!"
Then, like a lion, he turned his eyes to Rudy and Allen.
His gaze passed over Rudy, but paused briefly on Allen.
Rudy stepped back in panic. Seeing Allen unmoved, he bowed instantly.
"Hello! First time meeting you. I'm Rudeus Greyrat."
Allen pulled his eyes from Thomas, glanced at Rudy, and bowed as well.
"Hello, I'm Allen."
"I'm Sylphyette."
At the name "Allen," Sauros blinked. He scrutinized Allen closely, pausing on his posture, then his glasses. Something crossed his mind.
A moment passed before he spoke.
"Hmph. Did Paul not teach you even the basics of manners?"
Philip had risen and now knelt on one knee.
"My apologies, Father. These are the young prodigies I mentioned—one is Paul's son, one is an adventurer tutor he hired, and the other is the student of a Water King-class magician. They're all highly talented and very young—ideal for recruitment."
"Eris has recently grown disinterested in her studies. Bringing in capable peers as her tutors might motivate her. Since Paul recommended them, it's safer than hiring strangers. There's also the blood connection to ease Eris's acceptance. If they prove themselves over the years, they can serve Roa."
His tone was sincere and straightforward.
Unlike his usual evasiveness.
Sauros looked down at Eris in his arms.
"Eris, are you willing to have them as your tutors?"
"I permit Allen and Sylphy to be my tutors!"
Rudy twitched.
Sauros didn't care one bit that someone had been left out—nor who. His knife-sharp gaze turned back to Philip.
"Why were you late? Stayed the night at Paul's? Why are your clothes so filthy?"
Philip glanced toward Thomas, who had remained expressionless from the moment they arrived.
As the steward, his kindly face remained calm. His posture respectful. Even as an upper-ranked swordsman, he had no presence beside Sauros.
His clenched fists looked no different than usual.
Perfectly natural.
Amid the splash of the fountain—
Philip's voice matched it in calm.
"Father, on the way back—"
"We were ambushed."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]