Rumbling—
The luxurious carriage drove along the main road of the Royal Capital, the rolling wheels and the stone pavement creating a slight vibration.
After moving away from the area where Free Will was stationed, which lacked paved stone roads, and arriving on the main road.
The youth driving the carriage felt his tense nerves relax slightly.
This was a medium-sized carriage pulled by two sturdy horses; it was exceptionally spacious for four people, which also meant that such a carriage was not easy to handle.
The youth gripped the reins tightly, controlling the speed and direction of the two horses, and he could feel that the horses were exceptionally easy to control today.
Was it because of that monster?
The youth carefully glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Ghost Hound, which was over two meters tall and following closely on the left side of the carriage; even the sturdy horses seemed petite in front of a Ghost Hound of this size.
The youth had neat, short golden hair, and above his curved sanpaku eyes were thick, bushy eyebrows; although he looked about the same age as Enri, he possessed a composure far beyond his years.
Inside the carriage.
The Emerald Leaf Witch and Enri sat on either side; one was expressionless with no emotional changes, while the other was somewhat excited and restless.
"Climb."
Lyle thought about how the one pulling the carriage was a loyal dog, and a look of amusement flashed in his eyes.
Climb's luxurious carriage had been sent by the Golden Princess; for an outsider, entering the Royal Palace normally was a complicated matter.
Moreover, the terrain inside the Royal Palace was complex, and without someone familiar leading the way, it was easy to get lost and cause unnecessary trouble. After all, this was merely a private invitation from the Golden Princess.
"So Climb was saved by the Golden Princess this early on." This thought flashed through Lyle's mind.
He only remembered that due to the lack of "equals," the Golden Princess's mental state had deteriorated, leading to anorexia and even a slow march toward death.
If she hadn't accidentally found her loyal dog and received comfort and satisfaction in her heart, she might very well have starved herself to death.
Of course, such a situation probably wouldn't happen.
The Royal Family would not let the Golden Princess starve herself.
"The two are currently not very old; according to the timeline, they should only be 12, the same as Enri, though Climb should be a bit younger."
"No, it's three years before the New Calendar, so they should be 13. Assuming this different world doesn't distinguish between nominal and actual age."
Lyle tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.
They didn't look old, but their appearances were nothing like what one would expect for that age; people in this different world were indeed more mature in their looks.
The luxurious carriage soon drove into the Royal City.
Because they had given notice beforehand, they didn't encounter any obstruction, but they were stopped when they approached the interior of the Royal City.
The problem lay with the Ghost Hound, but eventually, with the proof of the Golden Princess's letter, the group was allowed to pass.
Palace corridor.
Climb straightened his back and led the way with a serious expression, the lining of his chainmail rubbing together to make a soft metallic clinking sound.
"Sorry for the trouble earlier regarding Blackie." Lyle followed behind him at a leisurely pace, smiling.
When they were intercepted earlier, Climb had argued on their behalf, but the result wasn't as effective as the letter written by the Golden Princess herself.
Climb slowed his steps briefly, his voice stiff: "I am merely following the instructions of Your Highness to bring you to Your Highness; this is what I ought to do!"
"Fine." Lyle shrugged his shoulders.
The Climb before him was still too green; even if he forced his expression and tone to be formulaic, he still couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with them.
As for why?
It wasn't hard to guess.
Lyle was relaxed and didn't care, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, appreciating the beautiful environment of the Royal Capital.
Climb walked forward with his head down.
He indeed did not like the people behind him; not wearing formal attire to meet the Princess was a very rude act, and that large monster, the Ghost Hound, had actually been brought into the Royal Palace.
Climb believed this was a sign of disrespect toward Renner.
However, "Free Will" was his master's guest.
Climb felt that if it were Leinas, she would probably have forbidden such behavior without hesitation, but...
He had no qualifications to make decisions for his master, nor did he have the strength; that Ghost Hound monster was an existence he couldn't block even if he risked his life.
If he voiced his inner thoughts without permission.
Not only might it bring trouble to his master, but it might also invite the other party's contempt.
No matter what, he could not make his master lose face.
Climb straightened his back again, his very steps changing slightly, forcing out a unique Aura.
In this strange atmosphere.
The group arrived at the palace where Renner resided.
The elite soldiers and knights who had originally guarded the sides of the corridor gradually disappeared, and the number of maids increased significantly.
Facing the arrival of Lyle and his party.
These maids displayed grand royal etiquette, each wearing a smile; even when the terrifying monster, the Ghost Hound, passed by, they only trembled slightly, but the expressions on their faces remained unchanged.
Enri was already dazzled at this moment, and she subconsciously greeted the maids in a flustered manner in response to their kind smiles.
If this were anywhere else, it would definitely have caused laughter.
Climb thought to himself, but no one on the scene laughed. He swept his serious sanpaku eyes over the maids, unable to help but snort inwardly.
When the maids usually saw him, they always kept straight faces and even harbored hostility.
Climb naturally knew the reason; because of the Princess, his status in the Royal Palace was actually somewhat special.
These maids were different from him; they were all of noble birth. Just thinking about bowing and scraping to a man even lower than a commoner—if they didn't show their anger on their faces, it was already considered well-bred.
He knew these maids too well and could naturally tell that the smiles on their faces were not formulaic, but from the heart.
It was toward the group from "Free Will"... or to be precise, toward the leader named Tang.
Whether it was the expensive "Regeneration Potion" with excellent healing effects that was snatched up by major nobles, or the incidents where they easily dealt with large numbers of evil adventurers and mercenaries after encountering various attacks.
They were highly talked about among the common people.
The other party also seemed to be of commoner origin; at least in the rumors he had heard, there was no noble background. In short, he was quite an extraordinary person.
On this point.
Even though Climb had lowered his favorable impression of the "Free Will" group due to the formal attire and other reasons, he had to admit this.
Without a noble status, relying on one's own strength and reputation, one could still be respected, just like Gazef.
Climb wanted to become such a person from the bottom of his heart.
While pondering.
The group had arrived at the entrance of the hall.
The two wide doors with a silver metallic luster were closed heavily. Besides the exquisite patterns, the most eye-catching thing was a huge tapestry hanging on the door frame.
It was embroidered with the royal emblem: a black background with a white pattern resembling a cow. This was also the national flag of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Clang! Clang!
Climb knocked gently on the door.
"Come in." A lively voice, like morning dew dripping, came from inside the hall.
Climb then gently pushed the door open and entered.
The calmness Lyle had maintained until now rarely showed a slight change at this moment.
The situation he had to deal with next was not just Renner, but also that group from "Blue Rose." Perhaps there was no danger, but it was a scene worth him taking seriously.
Good!
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