A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 23: My Fate (Part 3)

The next few days on the ship were strained. The soldiers were responsible for guiding us and it was clear that's all they'd be doing. They sat together lazily drinking and taking our supplies, even gambling amongst themselves. At the beginning they had messed with one of the sailors to which Earnest made clear how we felt about. Since then they refrained but it didn't stop them from causing a fuss whenever possible. It was almost like a bad joke. Sure we weren't the Hero or as important as Ronalt and Ardent, but we still took down the Demon Lord.

The Imperial City came into sight the morning after our seventh day on the ship. The scope of the city made the Kingdom's Capital seem small. Past the first checkpoint there were still many others as the ship continued through the river that split the city. There was probably twice the amount of districts here than the Kingdom had. Warehouses lined the banks of the river, with trade coming to and fro. As we progressed, the warehouses decreased opening up to markets and fisheries. Past the fifth checkpoint and beautiful mansions lined the coast. Men and women in refined clothing stared at his with haughty eyes.

Taylor pointed to a particularly big building not far off, "See that, I stole treasure from there. Also that one over there. Oh and that smaller looking place too. The people here had a lot of good stuff."

"Must have been fun," I replied.

"It had its moments. If you want we can always take a peek."

"Let's leave that for later," I laughed at what I was suspiciously suspecting wasn't a joke, or at least not entirely. A dark mass of buildings caught my eye quite far from the city. From here it could be barely seen but unlike the city's regulated streets, it looked like a pile of haphazardly placed shacks. "That's the slums isn't it?" I pointed in the direction. The space it occupied wasn't small.

"Bingo," Taylor nodded. "It's both not as bad and worse than it seems. I was born there, or at least I think so."

I pulled her in closer as her voice grew quiet, "You're here with me now."

After one final checkpoint we were taken to the heart of the Imperial City. Even from outside we could see it, the white metallic towers that rose into the sky marking the Palace. Now we were inside its grandeur wasn't lacking. Perfectly trimmed grass lawns that stretched smoothly across the ground, paths made of paved stone that were polished enough to reflect like mirrors and each tree looked like a meticulously made work of art. Even more so the buildings and structures fit together perfectly rounding out what looked like the pinnacle representation of power and wealth melded with tranquillity. The sheer amount of work put into it and the effort to maintain it sent a shiver down my spine. Yes, it truly was a beautiful sight but also caused a pit opened in my stomach. You couldn't reach wealth like that in ordinary ways.

We landed at the private pier of the Palace. A procession of uniformed men and armoured knights waited for us on shore. The soldiers who had been guiding us were dismissed quickly, much to their disappointment.

"Welcome to the Imperial City," a tall man in an elegant suit greeted us. "I am minister Palor one of the Emperor's hands."

"I am Rain Axel of Axel, these are my companions and friends of the Hero Lara, Taylor Tiana and Master Swordsman Earnest," I spoke on behalf of the others pointing them in turn.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the minister bowed. It seemed like he and those behind him had better attitudes than the soldiers from before. It could also mean that they were better actors.

"Likewise," I made a slight bow in return.

"Please follow me into the Palace interior. Your companions and friends are already waiting inside."