Chapter 417

Old Royal Capital, Vinraud
Our carriage arrived at the old royal capital as scheduled.
The city, formerly known simply as the old capital, had since come under proper governance and was now called Vinraud.
I’d heard about it beforehand, but there really was a slum formed outside the city limits.

“Marquis Vardmoi, are we going to enter Vinraud just like this?”

“It would be dangerous to go in as we are. I’ll send a messenger to request an escort from inside the city.”

I see, even if they don’t know who we are, the soldiers from Vinraud should recognize their own.
Apparently, the messenger had already been dispatched, as soldiers soon arrived to greet us.
They were likely from the noble household currently stationed in Vinraud, judging by the crest they carried.
Still, as expected, they looked visibly shaken when they saw the frozen soldiers.
Well, that couldn’t be helped.

“Marquis Vardmoi, the escorting soldiers have arrived.”

“Good work. Let them guide us in. As for the captured soldiers, follow the monitoring plan as previously discussed.”

“Understood.”

Most of the soldiers we brought along would be staying behind to guard the captured invaders.
It seemed almost all of the Kiblinki Saltas group would remain too, as previously arranged.
Leaving them behind, the rest of us headed into Vinraud.

Vinraud seemed a little more settled compared to when I visited last winter.
According to Marquis Vardmoi, it wasn’t just my imagination—it was a fact.
Apparently, the number of crimes had dropped significantly since the previous king’s time.
Criminals were thrown in prison, and if evidence was found, swift judgment followed. Crimes that had once been overlooked were now strictly punished.
It bordered on authoritarian rule, but I guess that level of severity was necessary to restore public order.
There’s no easy fix for things like that.

We were escorted to a mansion in the noble district.
There, we received a typically extravagant noble welcome, and were then shown to a reception room.
Once inside, Marquis Vardmoi and I went over the upcoming plans.
Apparently, one reason for discussing things here was to exert some political pressure on the master of the house.
Since we’d been riding in the same carriage, there wasn’t much need to talk about it here otherwise.

“Lily, we’ll be staying at this mansion for a while. I’ve already given up my own estate here.”

“Understood. How long will we be staying?”

“That depends on when the mansion’s master establishes contact with the Prince. If the Prince delays his response, we might be here for a while.”

“Is that going to be alright?”

“There are several concerns, but it can’t be helped. I plan to borrow two of the Kiblinki Saltas as escorts—are you okay with that?”

“Yes. As long as they’re fine with it.”

“I’ve already spoken with them. You be careful too.”

Just as our conversation wrapped up, the mansion’s master arrived.
The man who entered was about a decade older than Marquis Vardmoi.
Despite his age, he still had a commanding presence—an archetypal noble.

“Welcome, Marquis Vardmoi. And you must be Miss Lily. I am Galliasty Roberaud. In the former kingdom, I held the rank of Duke.”

So this is the noble currently governing Vinraud.
Let’s try to keep things amicable.

What do you think about this chapter?