21 – City of Affection
The road to Wangdo was not particularly boring.
Turning the sky into a canvas and painting on it was quite an enjoyable activity.
“If Lucia knew there was a profession called a magician, would she like it?”
Lucia repeatedly drew and erased pictures in the sky. Meanwhile, Lucion passed the time imagining the future after conquering the Demon King.
Occasionally, carriages passed by, but the atmosphere on the road was not friendly.
It wasn’t hard to understand.
“All those guys riding carriages around here are nobles.”
Lucion, who had once been in charge of carriage protection, knew how exposed the nobles’ carriages were to danger.
As a traveler, getting on a carriage was not something to expect, and it was fortunate if you weren’t mistaken for bandits.
Of course, there was plenty to say on this side as well.
Lucia’s dazzling appearance was not just a passing element in the eyes of the nobles. Sometimes, there were cases where rascals’ children were riding, so it was advantageous for Lucia’s appearance to be concealed.
When carriages passed by, she wore a robe, bowed her head, and let them pass.
They were cautious of each other. Truly.
“In fact, the problem is the reckless nobles.”
There were nobles who had lost their inheritance rights. They were only nobles in name, no different from wealthy commoners.
Nobles who actually held inheritance rights, on the other hand, feared travelers.
There was nothing good about meeting them. If treated well, you would be taken advantage of. To get a little more profit, people would loiter around, and rumors spread quickly. It was a natural course of action for those who tried to raid the nobles’ warehouses, saying, “Give and take, right?”
However, if you treated them rudely, your reputation would suffer.
Anyway, not caring in the first place is advantageous.
While glancing at the passing carriage without any particular interest, Lucia complained.
“Should I steal it?”
Are you serious?
The sharp gaze that briefly appeared was one hundred percent sincere.
Sia, who is usually kind-hearted, wouldn’t allow such a thing.
“Don’t even joke about it.”
As if surprised, Lucion might even be shocked enough to flee.
“But those people, they treat us like ghosts while they go about comfortably.”
The coachmen seemed to intentionally make louder noises as they passed by them. They would just ignore and pass by even if their eyes met, no matter how noisy it was.
“You explained it to them.”
“Still.”
Lucia pursed her lips.
“If it were me… I would… give them a ride.”
Lucia, you can say that because you are strong. But in reality, the people riding on that carriage are not strong enough to be safe no matter who gives them a ride.
Lucion playfully replied.
“Should I give them a ride? Even if I can’t let them ride the carriage, I can lift them up.”
Lucia stood firmly in her place. It was not visible what kind of expression she had under her inverted robe, but her slightly visible lips twitched strangely.
“Hmm… what?”
It seems like something is broken, after all.
Lucion continued walking down the road, laughing quietly as if nothing happened.
#
It took almost two weeks from the orphanage, walking on the road for nearly a week, to reach the capital city of Oslan.
“There is the royal road.”
The kingdom is located in a high place with a majestic view.
From the entrance road, you can see several towers and the appearance of the royal palace at a glance.
“It’s even more impressive than I heard…”
Oslan is a kingdom that has developed greatly unlike any other in the world, and at the same time, it is the city with the most inhabitants. Within the city, there are six towers, seven academies, two grand libraries, and thousands of cafes.
The population alone reaches tens of millions.
However, the majority of people live outside the walls, and only a few reside within the outer walls and inner fortresses, which are built in tiers.
The number of residents in the top-tier inner fortresses is approximately ten thousand.
You have to enter there to be considered as an upper-class member. You also become a true citizen with the power to make decisions in the council.
It may seem like an irrational structure, but considering the work, wealth, and social reputation of the upper class, it’s not that surprising.
There are 100 members of the royal family, almost 300 including relatives.
Including the three top-tier aristocrats, their direct family, and the higher-ranking officials leading their subordinates, there are 3,000 of them.
Including the relationship between the Knight Commander and the towers.
The number of the highest-ranking monsters alone easily exceeds ten thousand.
That’s where those monsters gather.
Oslan.
#
Naturally, Lucion also starts from the outskirts. In my previous life, I also started from the outskirts.
However, thanks to the scarcity of priests, Lucion was able to enter the outer city faster than others.
The place where Sia was executed was inside the outer city. It was a square known as the center.
Lucion felt uneasy. It was land he didn’t want to step on.
Did he betray someone? Lucion, who remembered people’s faces well, even remembered the faces of the street vendors.
“Let’s gather our thoughts.”
It’s not easy to calm down.
Lucia, sensing something unusual from Lucion, held his hand tightly.
“Lucion?”
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“Yeah?”
“Why are you like this? You’re trembling. Your hand is so cold.”
“Ah.”
Is that so?
Lucion stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes tightly.
#
Oslaan was a city of love and sorrow.
When I first left the orphanage and came to Oslaan, I was an ignorant youth, accepting the world as a good place.
Reality was not like that.
There was no beautiful labor like in fairy tales, but rather cleaning sewage, occasionally seeing corpses, slaughtering animals, and doing all sorts of things to survive.
However, I remember sending Sia to the convent because I didn’t want her to do such things.
When it came together, due to Lucia’s beautiful appearance. Thanks to Lucia’s own strength, he could become a knight.
His innate talent was exceptional.
Thriving was a given.
People regarded them as siblings.
From elsewhere, a special gem from beyond.
When they met, they smiled and tried to become friendly.
There was plenty of jealousy. However, for Lucion, who had done menial work over several months and received all sorts of trashy treatment, it all felt the same.
In truth, the way people live isn’t all that different wherever you go.
It’s a simple reason.
Those who stay in hellish places, complaining about their situation yet making no effort to escape, continue living there. Hence, there’s no progress.
But once they struggle and break free, they end up in a place where they must engage in a mental battle with those who have already escaped. It’s called the middle-lower class. They live a life of comparison, of acquiring what belongs to others. That’s the price of their success, which leads to their failure.
And those who truly believe that where they live isn’t hell, who manage to bloom flowers right where they stand.
“They had finally aimed for the top.”
I’ve seen quite a few successful ones like that.
Of course, I’ve also seen countless flowers that didn’t bloom.
At least, they can dare say they’ve lived a beautiful life rather than slowly aging without even trying.
For such reasons, Oslan is a city of cherished memories for Lucion.
Because the peak reached wasn’t heaven.
#
The most representative figure who bloomed flowers was none other than Lucia. He had, indeed, risen to the highest position from his own place.
The priesthood wasn’t exactly a favorable occupation. It lacked the financial clout to wield any societal influence. However, everything shifted with Lucia’s emergence.
The rumors spread to the extent of claiming that a goddess had descended upon this land. Recreating Lucia’s popularity from that time would prove challenging.
But this time around.
“I’m not striving for the summit.”
This might just be the reward for the second round.
Understanding the meaning of reaching the peak after having stood atop it.
One doesn’t necessarily have to reach the summit. Not if they don’t derive enjoyment from it. Not if they don’t consider it valuable in itself.
For Lucia, who had experienced death, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
It’s all an illusion. That’s what one might say.
For Lucia, happiness is…
“Lucia, let’s take a break. Look, there’s an adventurer’s inn over there.”
Lucia was by my side.
#
We were almost out of money.
The outskirts were a slum where one could reside without verifying their status beyond the outer ring of the city.
There was a semblance of security, but it wasn’t a hospitable place for the frail.
It was the kind of place where getting pickpocketed wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
Even if you sought help from the security forces, claiming injustice, you’d only be treated like a mark and shooed away—that was the outskirts beyond the city.
To live here, making connections with those around you was deemed most effective.
“But there’s no time to build connections.”
There’s a faster way.
It’s to demonstrate formidable power yourself.
Lucion advised Lucia.
“Absolutely, don’t take off the robe.”
“Huh? Okay.”
Lucia felt that Lucion was being overly protective.
To her eyes, everyone here seemed like good people.
“Oh my. Are you a married couple?”
“Yes… No!?”
Startled by the innkeeper’s question, Lucia nearly had her robe removed.