VIP Chapter 235: Infiltrating the Capital
As the carriage slowly entered the capital, Will couldn’t help but recall his first time here three years ago. On the carriage from the Hysterm Family’s residence to the capital, Iaar had, for the first time, displayed combat power capable of defeating someone of a witch’s level. He had also seen witch Liya for the first time—though only from afar.
Sitting in the carriage, he could again see the tallest bell tower of the school, and the Entak Royal Family’s castle on the mountain behind the capital—the place where he often met Treya. One fortunate thing was that in Entak, entering and leaving the capital wasn’t troublesome. They didn’t scrutinize every passenger on the carriage; as long as the carriage itself had permission to enter and exit, it could move freely. This left room for bribery with “money.”
“Huu… take it, this money.”
“Young Master is truly generous, giving so much for just a day’s journey.”
Hearing the coachman’s praise, Will pulled his hat down lower, preventing his face from being fully seen. “I’m not short on cash, hurry up.”
“No, no, I’m just surprised that Adventurers still travel to the capital. Even if you are the young master of a certain—”
“Hmm? Why are you surprised by this? Isn’t the capital the center of the country?”
“But there aren’t any Dungeons nearby, and even the Adventurer’s Guild is restricted. Plus…”
The coachman lowered his voice, his demeanor and tone like someone on the street revealing a secret not to be spoken.
“The Royal Family has been in turmoil recently. Everyone knows, the atmosphere in the capital is very bad.”
“Mm. I know. I… I’m here to resolve this.”
Will smiled under the brim of his hat. A Royal Family in turmoil only needed one person to temporarily suppress the others to become exceptionally “stable.” He wanted to make the sensitive and burdened Treya, who was searching for him, that person.
“Young Master, Young Master, please don’t say that, it’s not good to get involved.”
“I won’t.”
He said this with confidence.
*I understand the Royal Family very well.*
He didn’t finish the second half of the sentence. Will said goodbye to the coachman and looked again at the city he hadn’t seen for two months. Thinking about it, he hadn’t been away for long, but the place felt quite unfamiliar.
It was already evening when Will arrived in the capital. Tsimat Town, being a “neighboring” city that supplied fruit to the capital, meant that even the simplest carriage only took less than a day to reach the capital. Perhaps this was why… Carver had restricted the Tenth Demon City. Having a Dungeon that was not actually weak and could provide many rare resources so close to the Royal Family was indeed a threat. Moreover, this Dungeon, sounded like it was the most closely related “Demon-type” Dungeon to the Entak Royal Family…
According to the Original Work, Carver, hiding behind the “Revolutionary Army,” would promote the rebellion against the Entak Royal Family a year and a half from now. But his dissatisfaction with the Royal Family, and his suppression from his own perspective, seemed to have started much earlier. If, as Lucifer had revealed, the deeper one dug into a Dungeon, the more and better resources could be found, the threat would be even greater.
“Huu… I wonder if that coachman had some misunderstanding about my identity as an Adventurer.”
Will turned around and found that the carriage driver had naturally stopped… in front of the Adventurer’s Guild in the capital. Under the dark sky, the entrance to this Adventurer’s Guild was as dilapidated as it was when he first arrived three years ago. However, there were lights inside, though it wasn’t lively. Unlike other Adventurer’s Guilds, where one could often hear the sounds of noisy eating and drinking, the most popular Adventurer’s Guild elsewhere looked like a nearly bankrupt, rundown tavern in the capital.
It wasn’t that Carver was unilaterally targeting the Royal Family. The Entak Royal Family had already been very wary of Adventurers and Dungeons even before Carver made his fortune. This was because the things dug out from Dungeons were very “uncontrollable.” They had also climbed to power by obtaining the “Vessel of Demons” from a Dungeon.
“But…”
“Although I was mentally prepared because the capital is her territory…”
“Why are there so many wanted posters with my face plastered everywhere?!”
Looking at these, Will dared not even take off his hat. He felt as if walking on the street, there were a hundred “Wills” staring at him. He had never liked looking at his own face in a mirror, partly because it wasn’t attractive, and partly because looking for too long would remind him of the comical expression he made when he was almost smashed to death by a Slime. But these “Wanted Posters” completely filled in the face he hadn’t seen for over a decade.
“Is this what you want?”
Walking through the streets plastered with his “Wanted Posters,” Will looked up again at the Royal Family’s castle looming overhead.
“…Treya.”
However, since he landed, Will had felt a bit strange… Why… Why was he feeling uneasy even though he had already arrived here?
Was it because in the capital, in Treya’s territory, there were more wanted posters, giving him a feeling of being surrounded?
Or because… this city as a whole had an ominous atmosphere, making him uncomfortable with the feeling of being watched by various informants everywhere?
Drip—
Will, already uncomfortable due to the capital’s atmosphere, found that it had started raining. He tilted his head up, unable to distinguish the sky clearly, and raindrops slowly fell, shining with the surrounding lights as if emerging from the darkness, landing on his nose.
“I need an umbrella…”
As Will said this, he suddenly remembered that when it rained in the past, Iaar always held an umbrella for him. Now that she wasn’t by his side, he even forgot to bring an umbrella.
“Forget it. I might need to stay here for a few days. I need to find a reliable blacksmith to forge the Things I have.”
Will caressed the Ring Liya had given him as a birthday gift. It not only stored various Items Lucifer had given him but also the materials he obtained from Moonlit Ice Extreme to craft a shield for Iaar.
Snow Song Holy Shield (Beginner).
Shadow Nightmare Sword (Beginner).
At least these two pieces of equipment needed to be forged in a smithy—he had even been recommended one previously. During this time, he would also gather information about the Royal Family in the city, prepare thoroughly, and then go find Treya.
“Huu… the rain has gotten heavier.”
“So… where should I stay?”
Small inns would likely require identity verification. The weather had turned cold, not suitable for camping on the streets with those people. The best option would be…
“Oh right, I own a house in the capital!”
“Someone who owns a house in the capital!”
“Someone who owns a house!”
“In the capital!”
He stamped his foot in excitement, then realized his voice was a bit loud and quickly restrained himself, squeezing through the crowd and entering a small alley.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Crrk.*
The door, unopened for two months, was opened by him. It was as if the memory box of his three years in the capital had been reopened. Although he disliked Carver a lot, he had to admit that sometimes, his rich father was indeed very useful. This house, left to him for school, had allowed him to spend three years filled with what could be called happiness. This small three-story residence, when he and Iaar first arrived, was covered in dust and lacked any living utensils, just an empty house. But now, behind every piece of furniture were full memories—
On the table facing the door, they had eaten meals together and chatted about the real “Adventures” they would begin once they formed an Adventuring Team. In the kitchen were the “affordable and practical” pots and pans carefully selected by Iaar—even though Will had repeatedly told her that funds were ample and there was no need to economize. At the turn of the stairs was a small Bookshelf filled with rare magic books Liya had obtained with school funds, one book brought over every few months, filling an entire shelf. In his room, on top of a Cabinet, were various rare and precious trinkets from the Royal Family given to him by Treya, some golden and shining, others inlaid with beautiful Gems.
“It’s a bit regrettable, if I had the chance, I would have wanted to go on more real Adventures with you guys…”
“Just like we imagined here.”
Will sighed and wiped the dust off the table in his room with his hand. During those days, he had repeatedly read through the “Quest System” here, filling in and modifying things. Speaking of which, after that, he didn’t keep that book within reach… He had spent a long period of time drifting with the flow, without any “Assignments.”
Will sat down, lit the lamp he hadn’t lit in a long time with his finger’s flame magic, and then pulled out a Notebook that looked like it hadn’t been written in much from the stack next to him.
“Oh… this one seems to be… Magic Calculation…”
Will chuckled awkwardly. This notebook, apart from the first two pages which contained some theories, was completely new from the middle to the end, with nothing written on it. He sighed and flipped to the last page of the notebook. It was a habit from his previous life as a student; if he still wanted to use a notebook that had a few pages written in it, he would start writing from the last page backward.
“Let me think… hmmm…”
“I’ll just write it like this—”
He began to write. Just as resolutely and rapidly as he had personally written the “Quest System,” which recorded everything about the “Original Work,” seven years ago. Just like how he modified Quests based on what he saw over the past three years in the “Quest System.” Now, he wanted everything to return to the “Story” under his control.
[Quest 1000: Prepare the weapon for Treya, Shadow Nightmare Sword.]
[Quest 1001: Investigate the current situation of the Royal Family thoroughly.]
[Quest 1002: Go to the Royal Palace alone to see her.]
“And, the final one—”
[Quest 1003: Sincerely move her.]
[Reward: Princess – Treya.]
The Quests written down were very important things, both for a former game designer and for a Player. They would establish the logic of the story and lead to its outcome through “completion.” It was such a simple matter. Every time it had been like this… This time, it should be too… right?
