Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Royal Capital
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"Ah, ah..."
I lost consciousness after seeing the message about becoming a Heavenly Martial Body, and when I woke up, it was already morning.
"Hmm."
My body felt so light that I could sit up with just a slight bend of my waist.
"So this is what it feels like to have a body as light as a feather."
But it wasn't just about feeling light. After learning martial arts, I'd become extremely sensitive to distance, and my field of vision was markedly different from yesterday.
Have I gotten taller?
My line of sight had changed enough to notice a difference in eye level. I was sure I had grown taller.
Activating the Creator's Eye.
Name: Yuren Lox
Traits: Creator's Eye, Sichuan Tang Clan, Immunity to a Hundred Poisons, Heavenly Martial Body
Peculiarities:
Synchronization Rate: 89.01
Looking at my status window for the first time in a while, I saw quite a few things had changed. But my gaze was fixed on one thing.
"A Heavenly Martial Body... is this for real?"
The Heavenly Martial Body is the strongest physique in the novel, something the protagonist obtains only after the story is more than halfway through. It's a vessel for martial arts blessed by the heavens, capable of mimicking any stance or technique after seeing it just once.
On top of that, it had the characteristic of continuously growing and adapting.
With a Heavenly Martial Body, I should be able to master the forms of all swordsmanship. This means I could learn the sword or the fist.
"The real fortuitous encounter I've had since coming here wasn't Agnes, but the Heavenly Martial Body."
What? You were just bad-mouthing me, weren't you?
"Wow, look how sharp you are."
You brat! I've never had such an ill-mannered master!
Agnes, in her bracelet form, buzzed and shook my arm.
Knock, knock.
"Grand Prince."
"Come in."
Giranox entered the room, his face still damp as if he had already washed up.
"If you want to reach Asse Castle by tomorrow, we must leave now."
"I'm coming."
"Then I'll order breakfast."
"Alright."
After sending Giranox out, I quickly washed up and went downstairs. I had a simple meal of bread and soup and then set off.
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
Giranox seemed to be pondering something, fidgeting restlessly beside me.
"Huh?"
"I asked what's wrong with you."
"You might think I'm crazy for saying this, but... I think you've gotten quite a bit taller, my lord."
"No, I feel it too."
For Giranox to say something like this meant the change was noticeable.
"Since I'm a blacksmith, I have a good eye for length and weight. And I think you've grown about 6cm since yesterday, my lord."
Giranox kept looking me up and down as he spoke. He must have found it truly strange.
"But you don't just think I've grown, you know the exact measurement?"
"Yesterday, you were 176cm, but now you're about 182cm."
"Whoa, so it wasn't just an estimate."
"No, sir. All blacksmiths can probably do it. It's a sort of occupational hazard."
What a strange occupational hazard. In any case, thanks to Giranox, I now knew my exact height, so I guess that was a good thing.
Making light small talk with Giranox about a man's height, we headed for Asse Castle.
After spending a night on the road, we finally arrived at Asse Castle around noon the next day.
"Still, we got here quickly since we managed to hitch a ride on a carriage."
"You're right. We were expecting to arrive after evening."
"This sweltering scent of a furnace. The heat... Asse Castle really is the best."
When I visited Asse Castle before, it was just as Giranox saidhot and stuffy, like a sauna. But now, I didn't feel any of that.
The effect of the Heavenly Martial Body.
The Heavenly Martial Body had the effect of being impervious to water and fire. Perhaps that's why, unlike my last visit to Asse Castle, I didn't feel hot or sticky at all, remaining perfectly comfortable.
"Let's go straight to the Magic Tower."
"Yes, sir!"
When we arrived at the Magic Tower, the man I had seen before was gone, and a young girl in a blue robe was at the counter. She looked too young to be a mage.
"Welcome!"
"Where is the mage?"
Before I could speak, Giranox addressed the girl.
"Huh? I'm right here. Right here!"
The girl thumped her chest. The sight was so cute I had to suppress a laugh.
In this world, there are many who are young but powerful. They might look young, or they might actually be young, but if you judge them by appearances alone, you never know when you might lose your head.
"We'd like to use the warp."
"Where to?"
"To the Royal Capital."
The mage girl went to the table, fiddled around, and came back with a small rod.
"To warp to the Royal Capital, we need to verify your identity. This is to prevent any potential harm to the royal family, so we ask for your understanding."
"We're going to the Royal Capital, not the Royal Castle."
"That's right. You still need to be identified even to go to the capital. It's a hassle for me too, but it's a necessary procedure."
They weren't asking for my name for mileage points, but for an identity check. I never made a setting like this.
This was like needing an ID check just to enter the district where the royal palace was located. It was absurd.
"Can't be helped. I am Yuren Lox of the Marquis Lox House, and this is my blacksmith, Giranox."
"Yuren Lox... Yuren Lox?"
The girl, who had been absentmindedly pointing the rod at me, snapped her head up. Her eyes were filled with a sparkling curiosity.
"Haaah, are you really Yuren Lox? The Steel Mage?"
Perhaps because the Magic Tower had confirmed the orc warrior incident, my name was widely known here.
"What?"
"The Steel Mage?"
"Yuren Lox?"
The mages around us, who had been minding their own business, came rushing over, knocking things over in their haste.
"Sir Yuren, what kind of magic do you use?"
"But I don't sense any mana from you."
"But the soldiers weren't lying. The wounds on the orc warrior couldn't have been made by a sword."
"They say daggers appeared endlessly. How did you do that?"
"How on earth do you designate targets with the daggers? Can you tell us the formula?"
This was beyond what I could possibly answer. On top of that, the number of mages was growing. The young mage girl who had been next to me was now squeezed between them and out of sight.
Thud!
After the sound of something striking the ground, all sound in the place vanished. Even when I tried to speak, no sound came out.
Silence! A silence spell!
"You all still don't know the meaning of moderation."
A handsome middle-aged man walked toward me from among the mages, a smile on his face. The others were still unable to speak, their mouths gaping silently, while only the middle-aged man could make a sound.
"My apologies, Lord Yuren. These fellows are just a bit too curious..."
I wanted to reply, but no sound came from my mouth either.
"Let's move elsewhere for now."
Vwoom.
The moment the middle-aged man finished speaking, Giranox and I were transported to another space. He had moved the two of us in an instant, without any incantation or formula.
"You may speak now."
"Where are we?"
"My laboratory. It seemed things would never end back there, so I took the liberty of moving us. My apologies."
"Not at all. Thank you."
Even without using the Creator's Eye, I knew who this mage was. He currently wore the gentle smile of a kindly neighborhood elder, but he was a butcher who could slaughter thousands without ever losing that smile.
Activating the Creator's Eye.
Name: Yubion
Traits: Mana Affinity lv4, Spatial Control lv4, High-Speed Calculation
Affection: 0 (Neutral)
Just as I thought. This insidious bastard.
"I am Yubion, the head of the Asse Castle branch."
"I am Yuren Lox."
"I know. Lord Yuren Lox, the Steel Mage."
Yubion kept smiling, but knowing what he was truly like, I could almost see the darkness flickering within that smile.
"What brings you to the tower?"
"We wish to teleport to the Royal Capital."
"Ah, in that case, I will send you myself."
Yubion clapped his hands as if this was wonderful news.
"There is a magic circle for teleportation installed here as well, so I can send you right away."
"It's my principle not to accept baseless favors. We will pay the proper price."
"Haha, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Of course you have to pay. I simply meant that it would be complicated downstairs, so I would send you from here."
This is bothering me, but do I have any choice but to accept?
I was hesitant to accept a teleport from this man and wanted to refuse, but I felt that refusing any further would only draw more attention.
"Understood."
Giranox and I paid him the warp fee to the Royal Capital and stepped onto the magic circle.
"Unlike the other mages, you haven't asked me anything, Sir Yubion."
"Haha, I have many questions for you as well, Sir Yuren, but..."
Yubion, who had been speaking with a smile, suddenly looked at me with a serious expression.
"I have a feeling we will meet again."
Fwoosh.
As soon as he finished speaking, we were in a different space. Yubion was gone, and there was a door in front of us.
"Welcome to the Royal Capital!"
When we opened the door and stepped out, a female mage with a cheerful voice greeted us.
"Enjoy your time in the Royal Capital, and please visit again!"
Leaving her greeting behind, we immediately exited the Magic Tower.
"I really didn't feel a thing. Are we actually in the Royal Capital? Magic is truly amazing."
Listening to Giranox, I checked my body, wondering if Yubion had pulled some trick on me, but I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
Was it really a coincidence? Why have I been running into so many terrifying people these past few days...
"Wow, why are the buildings so magnificent?"
The Royal Capital was neatly divided into districts, like a redeveloped city. The buildings were mostly three stories or more with clean exteriors, making me feel like I was back in the modern world for the first time in a while.
"Are we even in the same country? Asse Castle is a pretty decent place, but this is a whole new world."
Giranox couldn't take his eyes off the buildings.
"It's not just the buildings. The people's clothes, status, and even their appearances are on a different level. This is the heart of the kingdom, after all."
"You're right. Everyone here seems to have an air of nobility."
Giranox sighed as he looked at his own shabby clothes and then at a nobleman in a gentleman's suit across the way.
"If you're that envious, use the money I gave you to buy some clothes."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly..."
We made our way to the Royal Knights Academy while looking around the capital. The districts were well-defined and there were signs, so we had no trouble finding our way.
"This is it. The Royal Knights Academy. This place is even more incredible."
"It looks like a university."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
The Knights Academy had various buildings of different shapes towering over the grounds, much like a university. It seemed students took classes in different places depending on their curriculum.
I hadn't set any of this upnot the curriculum, not the buildingsso it was fascinating to see these settings operating on their own.
"Welcome."
As we entered the largest building at the very front, a receptionist greeted us.
"How may I help you?"
"I'd like to request a visit."
"May I have your name and the name of the student you wish to see?"
"I am Yuren Lox, and I'm here to see my younger brother, Collin Lox."
"Ah!"
Upon hearing my name, the receptionist let out a gasp.
"You must be the Sir Yuren Lox who caught the orc warrior!"
The rumor has already spread this far?
"Yuren Lox?"
As the receptionist was speaking, someone behind me called my name. Standing there was a person with silver hair that flowed down to their waist and silver eyes that seemed to glow. In this kingdom, only one family possessed such striking features.
"The House of Duke Elion..."