The Sword Saint’s Second Life As a Fox Girl
6-13 The capital

The capital was, in the truest sense, different from all the other cities and towns Erin had been to. Despite the walls, rising higher than the tallest structures in the city itself, that surrounded the mainlands of the capital, it did not feel suffocating or restricted. The capital behind the walls was simply a whole other world with its own environment and habits, or at least that was Erin’s first impression upon entering the capital’s inlands.

There were many gates along the walls that completely surrounded and encircled the capital but only four were opened to the public. The rest were designated only to specific individuals, ones with special privileges. The Valdruns were one of these individuals. They entered through a gate that was much smaller than the ones Erin saw from afar. Despite its smaller size and traffic, the paths and the gate itself were in pristine condition. The gate was also well-stationed and well-guarded. The guards were no simple soldiers, Erin noticed. Their gazes were akin to hawks and they moved like snakes.

Once they were through the gate, Erin couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Is this the usual?” she asked.

“Quality or quantity?” Aedan asked in return to clarify her question. Aside from him, there were only two others from their party in the same carriage as them, Siv and Lyra. Amyra was not in another carriage but riding behind them on their own mounts. 

And of course, they were flanked on all sides by knights. They were their escorts but Erin felt that they were there to keep them from veering off course.

“One’s the usual and the other’s not?” Erin inferred from Aedan’s response.

“These special gates are always guarded by elite soldiers but I don’t recall being that many of them guarding one gate. Perhaps times have changed or the situation within the capital is dire enough for them to warrant more guards at the gates.”

“Which is likelier the real reason you would reckon?”

“Both. Not that it matters much.”

“Not much has changed…” Siv muttered sullenly but there was a faint hint of an ever present awe in her tone.

“Damn…” Lyra was equally awestruck. “If I woke up in the capital out of a sudden, I wouldn’t think I’m being fenced in by walls as high as small mountains.”

The outer layer of the capital was a vast plain that stretched on further than the eye could see. In the distance, there were houses and buildings gathered closely together, similar to a small town or a village. There was also what appears to be woodland near the town. Erin had to keep reminding herself that they were in the capital, not out in the wild. 

“Are those supposed to be the slums?” Erin asked. 

“Of course not,” Aedan answered. “We won’t be seeing any slums along our journey. This is the path that individuals of significance travel. They won’t build it in the slums.”

Though they were travelling in a carriage, they moved at an incredible pace. Moreover, they didn’t feel any discomfort. The roads were well-paved and maintained. The carriage itself was of the finest quality. The journey was swift and smooth. They travelled through many places that appeared to be villages and towns of their own, with sparse lands of trees in between. The deeper they travelled, the more the walls resembled mountain ranges in the distance.

The capital was truly large. They even travelled through a street that spanned for more than a few miles that ended at a river. Erin had presumed it to be a lake but once they were close enough, she realised that it was indeed a river. There were roughly two miles in width. There were many boats traveling on the water, most of them were fishermen or naval patrols.

As Erin wondered how they would traverse across the river, the carriage began ascending a hill that went higher than the nearby trees. Atop the hill was a bridge that was connected to another hillcrest across the river. The bridge was built high enough to let even the biggest ships sail through unimpeded. 

“This is all a bit much,” Erin mused as the carriage moved across the bridge.

“Not that they had any choice. They wanted to expand. The river was in the way.”

“Shouldn’t they have foresight for hindrances such as this?” Lyra asked.

Aedan shrugged. “I won’t know. They didn’t elaborate on this in the history texts.”

“You really do read a lot, don’t you?”

“I suppose I do.”

“Why?”

“...Old habit,” Aedan answered after a brief contemplation.

“From when?”

He cast Lyra a glance. “From when I was nothing but a dreg that no one would have noticed or cared if I died or disappeared.”

“Oh… and how long ago was this?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Siv looked like she was about to give her opinion but after Aedan’s retort, she refrained from remarking.

After the bridge, they passed through a dense forest with multiple narrow roads splitting from the main road. What piqued Erin’s interest was that these roads were barely roads. To the untrained eyes, there would appear to be no roads at all but just unkempt natural paths that looped within the forest. Erin took note of these small and vague roads that led seemingly to nothing. 

There was another note of interest. Spirits were scarce in this area. They weren’t frightened but they seemed reluctant to linger around. Many Spirits converged on Erin as she passed by.

“The kingdom is aware,” Aedan said. He hadn’t even spared Erin a glance but he knew she longed for an answer.

“Where do these roads lead to?”

“Unsavoury places. The court knows and allows it.”

“Why?” Lyra asked.

“There’s money to be made?” Erin ventured a guess.

Aedan nodded.

Lyra frowned. “How could they?”

Aedan smiled wryly. “Such is the temptation of money.”

“Could this be related to Rylan Grid?”

“I’m sure a guy like him would have a hand in these kinds of things. But no, he’s not part of the source if that’s your meaning. He’s the customer, not the supplier.”

“Might we be walking into a trap?” Siv asked, keeping her voice as low as she could. “What are the chances that the knights aren’t who they claimed to be?”

Aedan snickered. “It’s a tad too late to be asking that, don’t you think?”

“It’s never too late to be cautious,” Siv said.

“Not very likely,” Erin answered. “The Spirits are not averse to the knights’ presence. They have not dabbled in any foul affairs at least.”

After the forest, the group came upon what looked to be a proper city with even encircling walls of its own but much smaller than the mountain ranges in the far distance.

“This is the heart of the capital,” Aedan said as the carriage entered through a gate that was designated for individuals of significance, much like the ones before.

The city was bustling with activity and noises of all sorts clamoured throughout the entire area. Although the city exuded luxury and opulence, it was less impressive to Erin as she had already seen this manner of scenery one too many times before.

After another hour of travel, the carriage left the bustling streets and entered the hills, where there were fewer structures and activities, but everything was more opulent. There few structures on the hills that were not houses but production buildings, each meant for a specific purpose. Most of them were foreign to Erin but she recognised a few, such as the mills and smitheries. 

As they neared the top, she also noticed a building that stood only two storey high but stretched out longer than even a barnhouse. When she saw the yard beside the building, she realised the elongated barnhouse-like building was a barrack for the soldiers, Valdrun’s soldiers.

Finally, they reached the top. There no were no high fences circling the estate like Erin had expected. Instead, there was a hedge, no taller than a child. It looked simple but it was definitely not. Erin could sense the immense Mana flowing in and out of the hedge that surrounded the estate.

“Huh… this looks… vulnerable,” Lyra mused as she laid eyes on the estate of House Valdrun. “Where are the fences and walls?”

“Those hedges are more effective than fences and walls,” Aedan answered.

“What can it do?”

“Paralyse intruders and that’s the least it could do. It could also—”

“I think you said enough.” She had heard enough. Anymore than this, she feared she would be too uneasy to act appropriately as long as they remained inside the estate.

There were no gates but there was an opening in the hedge, adorned with an arch. It was the entrance of the estate. No guards stood vigil where Erin expected them to.

“No guards?” Lyra voiced out Erin’s inquiry.

“They don’t need them. This entire hill is the property of the Valdruns. High Houses like the Valdruns have their own court mage, the Grand Mages. They are mostly responsible for the security of the estate.”

“Security?”

“Safety and vulnerability.”

“Oh.”

“Moreover, they actually do have a fence but it can’t be seen with the simple eyes.”

As the carriage passed through the arch, Erin felt a jolt that made her jump slightly from her seat.

“What’s wrong?” Lyra immediately asked. “Are you alright? Are we under attack?” Her hands were already on her bow.

“N-no…” Erin said. “It’s just—”

Aedan giggled. “And that’s the fence I’m referring to. If you weren’t invited, you would have been repelled forcefully away by the fence.”

“Repelled forcefully?” Lyra blurted out in surprise. “How would the fence know we were invited?”

Aedan shrugged. “There are many ways. As for which specific one they used, that’s up to the Valdruns’ discretion.”

The carriage came to a slow halt as it finally reached its destination. It stopped right in front of the main house where a grand perron greeted their presence along with a few other inhabitants of the estate. Erin was the first to disembark from the carriage as soon as a servant opened the door for them and gestured for them to egress.

“Lady Erynthea, it’s so good to see you again,” greeted a beautiful woman in a tight-fitting dress that showed off her wonderful curves and plump humps. Despite her apparent age, the woman had the body of a young lady.

“Lady Melissa, likewise,” Erin greeted back with a bow and a foot arched backwards.

“I’m so glad you can make the trip on such short notice.” Melissa took Erin’s hands and shook it firmly and fervently. “Are these all your companions?”

“Yes, these are my companions and friends,” Erin answered. She snuck a glance behind the High Lady, taking a quick peek at her servants. It was just a swift observation but she saw plenty. The servants standing behind Melissa were no mere servants. Each of them was capable of fighting.

“Argh… Finally,” Amyra groaned as she climbed off the horse. She then quickly joined Aedan and the others standing behind Erin.

“My good ladies, I trust the journey has been fair and kind?”

“Very fair and kind, Lady Melissa,” Amyra responded first with a smile and a bow with her hand on her chest.

Siv merely nodded and bowed in a similar manner.

Lyra quickly followed suit but she did so clumsily, earning a titter from the High Lady.

Aedan did something different. He bowed but only slightly.

Erin glanced at Aedan, chiding him with a frowning gaze.

The knights surrounding them and the servants behind Melissa seemed to be offended by Aedan’s lack of respect but they did their best in hiding their discontentment.

“You’re Aedan, am I right?” Melissa asked.

Aedan nodded.

“I’m dreadfully sorry, Lady Melissa. My companion can be a tad rude towards people at times. He doesn’t seem to understand boundaries.”

“It’s fine, Lady Erynthea,” Melissa said with a genuine smile. “I don’t expect the Grand Apostle of Aeryo to kneel or bow so easily before a follower of another Divine.”