The Price Of Justice

Traveling from the Royal Capital to the City of Adventurers would take about three days if we maintained a constant, steady pace. That meant we would be subject to the rhythmic swaying of the carriage for quite a significant chunk of time.

“Well now, I am entirely out of things to do.”

From here on out, it was a battle against pure boredom. I calculated this every single time I traveled, but it was safe to say that there was almost absolutely nothing to occupy one’s mind while riding inside a carriage.

“I suppose I should deploy it, just in case.”

Vim cast and expanded his detection magic. Since the roads in this sector were thoroughly well-maintained, the threat of magical beasts or bandits was likely low, but one could never be too cautious.

Hana and Misa were completely absorbed in their casual chatter, their conversation blooming happily. Seeing that they had entirely closed the boundary of awkwardness and bonded so quickly brought immense joy to my heart.

He spent some time absentmindedly gazing out the glass window, allowing his thoughts to drift into memories of the past.

It had been roughly two years since Vim was effectively exiled and imprisoned by the Cyrus Empire. Meanwhile, a full year was right on the verge of passing since he arrived in the Kingdom of Leoria. This single year had blessed him with a barrage of diverse encounters.

“My surroundings have certainly become remarkably lively.”

Situations that would have been entirely unimaginable back when he resided in the Empire were now part of his daily routine. Vim possessed a core disposition that made it utterly impossible for him to stay silent when a wrong needed to be called out; he simply had to state that a wrong was a wrong. Consequently, friction between him and the Empire’s high command had been far from rare.

However, the previous Emperor had always bent a willing ear to listen closely to Vim’s counsel. The Duke, too, had consistently acted as his powerful institutional shield to guard him from political fallout.

All of that had dissolved in a single split second with the succession of the new sovereign. The regime shifted toward an absolute classist system, accompanied by a ruthless barrage of repeated tax hikes. It became blindingly obvious, even to a total amateur, that if left on this current trajectory, the Empire would spiral into absolute decay.

“Lord Vim, you look remarkably happy about something,” Hana noted, tracking the expression on Vim’s face.

“Yeah. I am happy. Leaving the Empire behind has blessed me with some truly magnificent encounters.”

“I am incredibly glad I crossed paths with you too, Lord Vim. Before you found me, I felt my only remaining choice in life was to sit tight and wait for death to claim me, after all.”

It was a concrete fact that if Vim hadn’t stepped in to treat her condition when he did, she wouldn’t have survived much longer. One could declare with absolute certainty that theirs was a truly fated encounter.

“The exact same applies to me,” Misa chimed in. “Operating alongside a master like you, Lord Vim, is the absolute pinnacle of pride for any knight.”

“Thank you. I hold immense expectations for your combat prowess as well, Misa.”

“Leave it entirely to me!!”

Granted, since I hadn’t personally witnessed the full scope of Misa’s raw capabilities with my own eyes yet, I couldn’t gauge her exact limits—but considering she carried the King’s personal stamp of absolute approval, her strength was bound to be formidable.

Leoria operated as a strict meritocracy. The Sovereign standing at the absolute apex of such a nation was undeniably a powerhouse in his own right. Word around the Capital claimed that while the King of Leoria was usually perfectly mild-mannered, triggering his genuine wrath was a terrifying prospect. On top of his martial prowess, his academic intellect was supposedly top-tier as well.

“We are right on the verge of bypassing our first transit town.”

Rolf’s voice drifted through clearly from the driver’s box. It appeared we had reached our first milestone roughly four hours and change after executing our departure from the Capital. However, since we possessed absolutely zero errands to run in this particular town, we cruised straight through the perimeter without stopping.

From there, the carriage accelerated further, pressing down the road as the rhythmic, orderly clatter of horseshoes striking the earth echoed through the compartment.