Chapter 264
Chapter 264
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 264
Chapter Title: One Empire, Three Legends (23)
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“Whoa... We’re already at the capital?”
Having worked up a sweat since morning, the Professor expressed his surprise at the forest outside the carriage parting wide open to reveal a changed road.
The sound of the horses’ hooves was different right away. While traveling through the forest paths, they had made a soft thud-thud on the fallen leaves and dirt, but now they clattered with the typical tack-tack of iron shoes on hard pavement.
[Didn’t it say three days from Haunu Man to the Valtin Empire’s capital? It’s only been one day?]
‘The maps from this era aren’t always reliable. Unless it’s a map personally verified and drawn by players, there’s always a chance it’s wrong. The mapmaker traveling on foot might misjudge distances, or take a wrong turn on a trail and end up looping around. It happens sometimes.’
Entering a new region always came with anticipation.
Of course, the capital ahead was currently swept by a ferocious storm of imperial throne struggles—not just any storm, but one laced with the toxic fog of witches.
Even so, the imperial-style buildings emerging as the forest path cleared away naturally evoked an exclamation of “Now that’s an empire!”
“They’ve paved the roads even before the walls come into view. A four-horse carriage could pass side by side with no issue. Doesn’t Lordric do anything like this? Paving straight paths between cities would make travel so much easier.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think solid roads just appear out of thin air? You dig deep into the earth, sprinkle it with salt, pack it down hard, lay slate slabs as the foundation, cover them with soil and pack again, then a layer of cobblestones, another of soil. Only then do you build the surface road we’re traveling on now. And finally, you call in earth mages to refine the entire structure without a single inch of error. That’s an imperial paved road. It’s a path literally paved with silver coins.”
“Really? How does Ottman know so much about it when he’s not even imperial?”
“Hmm... Truth be told, the obscenely wealthy Lord Tobrun once tried building one. He hired folks from our mage tower to dry and harden the ground instead of using salt. I was there and picked up a lot. Besides construction costs, the expenses pile up. Maintenance gets harder the farther from the city, and since the well-laid slate is valuable, you have to guard against thieves digging it up at night. It’s not just money—there’s endless labor involved. Only an empire can afford to use such roads.”
“Oh ho.”
The Professor, taking in Ottman’s words as if the road itself were a grand treasure, experimentally stomped his foot. Sure enough, it absorbed the solid impact without a vibration—sturdy enough to last a century barring disaster.
Crack!
“Eek!”
So solid that a casual stomp split a slate slab. The Professor hurriedly climbed back into the carriage as Lucilla shook her head with a sigh.
“You all have so much free time. I’m swamped just sorting the morning mail.”
“Oh, right. There was a ton. Anything for me?”
“I’m looking for letters that aren’t from suitors to the Hero. Oh, Notum. For the tea party invitations from ladies sixteen and under, sort them next to the ball invitations. You know—dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons in that order? From dukes down, family invitations before personal ones. Balls, social gatherings, tea parties in sequence. Personal invites go separately. She’s not ready for those yet.”
“Uuuu, redhead. I say it ‘cause you sometimes forget. Notum is a troll. Dumb troll doesn’t know this stuff. Leave me out.”
“A troll with a suuuper sharp mind. I saw you sorting them perfectly before I even said anything, so no escaping!”
“Groooo...”
“Oh my, an invitation from Lady Cannelli too? How sweet.”
Flutter flutter flutter flutter—
The carriage interior buzzed with a second wave of letter assaults. They’d forgotten about it while in Haunu Man outside imperial territory, but even then, the “letter dragons” shooting down our airship had kept flying in steadily. No wonder the public post office clerk looked like he was dying while burning pipes as we left Haunu Man. They must have poured in every morning during the tournament.
And now, leaving Haunu Man, the fan letters’ fierce offensive targeted our carriage next.
That’s why the Professor and Ottman were outside the carriage since morning. They couldn’t lose another vehicle to a letter ambush. Thanks to a sleepless night, the half-dazed party jolted awake at the familiar [flap-flap-] sound and braced for the white onslaught.
Having safely repelled the great archmage’s unintended assault from a century ago and calmed the spooked horses rearing in panic at the bizarre sight...
Seeing shredded envelopes with names like some marquis or other count fluttering about, a horrified Lucilla gathered and sorted every last letter inside the carriage—
That was what had happened in the thirty minutes since waking that morning.
“...Need help?”
“No thanks. You’d just crowd the carriage. We’ve got it. Oh, Yggdrasil! Burn that one in your hand right now.”
“...Keldan Bietum III. I know him as a son of a count, quite the power player.”
“He’s a pervert. His wandering hands are infamous even in Tel Drat high society. It’s obvious from the letter—personal time with a face he doesn’t even know? With ten bodies I wouldn’t have time for creeps like that. Not even a glance. And if they whine about being ignored or their house insulted, it gives us clean grounds to cut them.”
Lucilla smiled contentedly at the stack of luxurious letters before her. She could cull the small fry ruthlessly. If they pushed back, she’d just say, “Such-and-such lords invited at the same time. Surely you don’t think your house takes priority over theirs?” They’d slink away without a peep.
“Oh, Hero. I set aside the higher-class ones from your suitors! The regular mail’s shoved to the back cart—check it out!”
“Whew. We’ll enter the capital before I get through that pile.”
“Won’t happen. This isn’t the capital.”
“Hm? It’s not?”
The Professor climbed onto the cart he’d personally built before entering Haunu Man—now connected behind—and skimmed letters while surveying the surroundings.
A beautiful wall in the distance. Stout at a glance, it was a magnificent structure blending function and artistry, with towering buildings visible beyond even from the outskirts, and that paved road Ottman raved about stretching from the forest edge.
If that wasn’t the capital, what was?
“That’s the capital outskirts, the servants’ city. Hate to say it, but you can’t act like this from here on. I’ve got three imperial invitations myself, and if you all—who’ll join me—behave that way, the nobles glaring like rabid dogs will swarm.”
In short: You’re country bumpkins, so shut up.
According to Aldrich’s explanation, it wasn’t originally a city.
“Simple story. The empire spans vast territory, but doesn’t have nobles to match. Plenty of high nobles earned titles in expansion wars.”
“Right.”
“The issue is, the empire didn’t start that huge, so the capital’s small by comparison.”
The capital wasn’t exactly tiny. Valtin’s imperial city, All Amperia—the emperor’s city—was about thirty percent larger than Lordric’s Kingsland, from what I’d seen.
But what did size matter? The empire’s lands were over eight times Lordric’s.
With strong central rule from the emperor, the capital naturally became the political and cultural heart. Every noble strained to enter it.
“Owning a capital mansion alone elevates a house’s status. It determines real access to power.”
The capital overflowed with eager nobles. Land was scarce, and with the emperor’s eyes on it—no room for fountains, markets, or colossal statues of past emperors marring the views.
The result: the empire capital All Amperia’s famous triple walls.
“The inner city’s packed with grand noble mansions even in the outer fringes. Lower-status nobles built in the outer wall—an auxiliary defense from past sieges. Cruder and poorly equipped than the capital, but high nobles moved in and tidied it up. Desperate to claim ‘capital residency,’ the nobles unanimously built a new wall around that ‘outer city.’ At least enough to say they were within the emperor’s embrace.”
Noble estates clustered so densely that butlers, maids, drivers, servants—all had to stay in the capital too. But with noble housing short, where for the help?
Thus, beneath the outer ‘outer city’ encircling the capital sprang the ‘servants’ city.’
Capital (emperor, elite nobles) – Outer City (high nobles) – Servants’ City (where all nobles’ staff live and commute)
This concentric trio formed the current imperial capital.
‘Like satellite cities around Seoul?’
[Structurally... yeah?]
The Professor ambiguously nodded at Hyde’s recalled memory. As if he’d seen such a warped city before to compare.
“So three walls. The outermost was originally a palisade, but dwarves allied with the empire during the undead uprising seventy years ago ‘hastily’ built the servants’ city wall. The next is nominal—more art than utility—for the outer city. Deeper in lies the true capital: All Amperia.”
“Good lord. If that’s hasty—with curves and all—what do dwarves build with care?”
“You’ll see. All Amperia’s walls were raised over ten years by two dwarf clans together. The empire and dwarves still exchange visits, but dwarves enter blindfolded. Can’t bear their ancestors’ shame: the servants’ wall.”
“Now you see why I called you ‘bumpkins’? Don’t gush about ‘grand, beautiful walls’ even politely once inside. Capital nobles think that dwarven flop suits the help perfectly. Though it’s actually better than the human second wall, dwarves react that way, so nobles do too.”
“Hurdles from the gate...”
The Professor nodded at the approaching, undeniably majestic wall.
The map wasn’t wrong. It was just copied from an outdated one.
Two days from here to the capital proper.
A straight day-and-a-half from servants’ city to outer city’s second wall.
Three hours by carriage from outer city to All Amperia, excluding checks—an immense urban sprawl.
“Damn. No wonder they call other nations small fry.”
Gazing at the outskirts so vast it’d take a week to tour, the Professor felt his 3rd-world player confidence shrink a bit.
They were plunging into the intrigue over this colossal empire’s throne.
“Eyes glazing again! Don’t make that dopey face!”
“Let him. Better to get the shock now; less inside.”
Aldrich gripped his soul jar tight, watching the group’s usual antics.
A city the size of a small nation. Capital All Amperia.
The witch lurked somewhere within.
『Give it back.』
『Give it back.』
“...Right. No more running away.”
His hand stroking the soul jar held newfound resolve.
****
“Cleared! Welcome to the capital, Lady Lucilla!”
Rumble rumble rumble—
The servants’ city—conveniently dubbed the ‘Housekeeper Line’—had a long queue at the gate like any town, but this time, no wait needed.
One subtly gleaming golden imperial invitation granted free pass, no questions.
“Wow. They open those massive gates just for us.”
“Gives that real ‘entering in triumph’ vibe, right? Built for noble vanity, so they nail the details.”
“Ah, ninety percent of residents are noble staff.”
Made instant sense. Other nobles passed through here too. No wonder the gates looked thinner than the walls—frequent use.
“FYI, those imperial guards? Actually noble house guards.”
“Huh? All guards? Shouldn’t they be arrested?”
“It’s a tangled web of political norms... I don’t know the details. Outer and servants’ cities sit on imperial land but aren’t official capital. Tacit tolerance, permission without action? They’ve woven imperial laws to make it legal-ish. But essentially private noble estates outside the capital, so no capital guard support. Hence, noble guards play the role.”
“Whoa...”
“Fun part: those guard rotations cycle by house. Like we just saw—guard mood sets inspections. A-house guard day? A-house caravans breeze through lax checks. B-house day? B’s allies smuggle unchecked goods. They coordinate with distributors. Wild, right? Intrigue to the sky.”
“Whoa...”
“That’s the imperial capital.”
Pure mud pit. And this was just the servants’ tier—not even noble outer city or true capital.
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- Deer Drug Please: All-in eloquence/social playstyles are guaranteed endgame perverts Buddha himself would abandon.
- professor: Fully agree. Ugh, so twisted from the jump—spicy as hell.
- Take a Look: ...What percentage of Park Professor’s playstyle is eloquence?
- Number Three: 70%?
- Take a Look: About that.
- Deer Drug Please: Mmm... self-admittedly...
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As usual, talk veered uncomfortable midway. Still, all agreed: imperial capital was a fiendish labyrinth.
“So, what now? Push to outer city?”
“What?! In this state? Boutique first, spruce the carriage, ditch that saint-made cart! Prep fully here before going.”
“...Here? Not All Amperia?”
“Yes, here! That goblin burial cost a fortune in silver—can’t go all-top-tier. Dress and jewels I’ll splurge on, but rest needs value.”
Lucilla neatly tied the sorted letters with soft cord, then lit a fire under Ottman in the driver’s seat.
“Let’s go, Ottman! Your battles till now—mine from here! Money, honor, a groom so prime our house runs barefoot to claim him! All mine!”
Tel Drat’s suitor buzz.
Irreversible now. Denying it would be laughable.
Worse, the top groom rumor was shockingly ‘Saint Professor.’
Lucilla shook her head fiercely at the capital-gawking Professor.
[Lady Aedran. If not rude, after long travels, what’s your relation to the Saint?]
[Fame of the Saint of Light reaches our house. Presumptuous, but this pilgrimage—choosing him?]
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Heart nearly burst reading noble ladies probing the rumor. Hero as my mate? Hero and I, like thaaat...!
“N-No! Not Prince Charming, but better than a saint on a junk cart! Ladies... don’t know the real him!”
Of course, the Professor was peerlessly great, and she admitted it... but no.
Knowing his exploits, she couldn’t see him as sane.
Rumors harden into truth, though.
With this one solidifying, Lucilla burned with will.
Capital of empire’s elite. Here, she’d find her match.
[Saint of Light’s no bad pick. House commits full support. To that oddball you brought—and your pilgrimage.]
“Ughhh! Uw啊啊啊!!!”
Even the house letter demanded quashing that rumor at all costs.
‘...Worst case, find the Hero a match first! If he’s taken, rumor dies naturally!’
Glancing and hair-pulling at the Professor repeated as the clueless man tilted his head.
Before their usual chaos, the tidy servants’ city appeared.
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