19

The driver at the front of the carriage called out to Ains and the others through the viewing window.

“We will arrive at the Kirk gate shortly.”

After that, the conversation continued to expand—from magic to sorcery, and then further into casual chatter.

The topic that excited them the most was food.

Up until now, Ains had lived in a small hut deep in the forest. His meals had consisted mainly of wild plants, animal meat, and river fish caught from the stream. The cooking methods were simple—grilling, boiling, or stewing—so he had never experienced a wide range of flavors or seasonings.

To Ains, who had always prioritized sorcery over meals, Laika’s stories about cooking made him swallow the saliva that kept welling up in his mouth. He even regretted not having researched cooking as well.

“Both of you, show me your identification.”

Laika held out both palms, one toward Ains and one toward Sophia.

“Here is my identification. Please.”

Sophia took a thin card from the pouch she was wearing and placed it on Laika’s palm.

“Identification? I don’t have one. …Is that bad?”

“That’s right. Ains-sama does not possess identification. Laika-sama, what should we do?”

Looking slightly uneasy, Ains stared with curiosity at the identification card resting on Laika’s hand.

“Come to think of it, you were living deep in the forest, weren’t you? It’s like you alone were left behind by the times.”

“Well, I am just a country bumpkin.”

“Ains-sama is not a country bumpkin! And I am not a country swordswoman either!”

“…Sophia, that ‘country bumpkin’ thing Corbelli said earlier—did you really hate it that much?”

“I am not bothered in the slightest by the words of such a rude man!”

Sophia replied with an exaggerated snort. Watching her from the side, Ains gave her a suspicious look, feeling that her words lacked credibility.

“Well, it’s fine. Let’s say it was burned up by Corbelli’s fire spear during the fight with the bandits. Reissuing it is a hassle, but if we report that the circumstances were extraordinary, it should work. Besides, we have a nice offering.”

“Corbelli really is useful, huh. But if identification was required, what would Sophia have done if we hadn’t met you?”

By meeting Laika, they had confronted Corbelli. And because they had captured him, obtaining new identification would likely be easy.

Ains wondered what Sophia would have done if they had not encountered Laika at all—or if they had, but lacked a suitable offering.

“Of course, I would have persuaded the gate guards! Please leave it to me next time as well!”

Sophia puffed out her chest.

Ains imagined Sophia trying to persuade them, failing completely, and then immediately drawing her sword and causing a major scene.

In Ains’s mind, Sophia had already solidified into the image of an emotionally unstable swordswoman who could do nothing but swing a blade.

Or perhaps a wallet that would cover his travel expenses.

“Then explain it that way.”

Laika conveyed this to the driver, who had leaned toward the viewing window.

“Understood.”

The driver spoke with the gate guards.

After a short while, permission to enter was granted.

Other carriages, such as those belonging to merchants, took time to pass inspection, but this one bore the Brandy family crest, so the process ended quickly.

‘So this is noble privilege in every sense…’

Even Ains, who had had little interaction with the outside world, had seen and heard enough to understand the special privileges unique to nobles.

The carriage began moving again and passed through the gate.

For a moment, the sunlight was blocked as they went through, dimming the interior. When the light streamed back in, the liveliness and clamor of the city—good or bad—flooded Ains’s ears.

Until now, the sound of hooves and rolling wheels had formed a pleasant rhythm, but inside Kirk, those sounds were completely drowned out.

Ains peered outside through the window.

The ground was paved as neatly as, or even better than, the Autonomous City of the Ains Domain. Rows of buildings stretched three or four stories high, partially obscuring the sky that was beginning to glow orange.

The streetlamps were lined up at regular intervals, though they had not yet been lit.

Above all, what shocked Ains most was the sheer number of people.

“O-oh…”

Ains was overwhelmed—far more overwhelmed than he had been by Corbelli.

Having lived in a quiet forest for so long, even the Autonomous City of the Ains Domain had surprised him when he first saw it, but Kirk felt like stepping into another world. The chaotic sounds pouring into his ears were formed from countless voices, innumerable words spoken by innumerable people.

For Ains, who had never heard such an overwhelming mass of sound blending into a single indistinguishable roar, it was enough to give him a mild headache.

“For now, we’ll head to the Brandy family’s town residence. I need to report to my father.”

Used to the royal capital’s bustle, Laika spoke as if it were nothing. Ains, still unaccustomed to the noise, struggled to catch her words and nodded in response. Sophia followed his lead and nodded as well.

The carriage carrying the three of them, the carriage loaded with Corbelli, and the carriage carrying the knights moved forward in a line, pushing through the crowds.

The driver rang a bell repeatedly to warn pedestrians as they proceeded slowly. After leaving the bustling central district, they entered a quiet residential area lined with large estates.

Well-maintained flowerbeds and trees decorated both sides of the road.

Above the low-built mansions, the sky had already begun to show the moon.

“We have arrived.”

At the driver’s words, Laika looked outside.

The carriage passed through an iron gate and stopped in front of the estate’s large entrance.

Several maids were already standing near the entrance, waiting for the return of the Brandy family’s young lady.

“It seems we’ve arrived. Ains, Sophia-san, follow me. I’ll explain everything to my father.”

With Laika in the lead, they disembarked from the carriage.

Ains followed her down.

As he stepped down, the driver quietly murmured a “thank you” to Ains. The earlier battle had put not only his lord’s life but his own in danger as well. Raising his voice loudly at the Brandy estate without permission was unthinkable, so he kept it to a volume only Ains could hear.

Ains simply nodded back in response.