Yonin No Ikemen Ni Kyuuai Sarete Ore Wa Namidamedesu

Chapter 64: The Royal Capital

When we handed over our guild card to the gatekeeper in the royal capital, we were welcomed wholeheartedly. He kept talking on and on while wearing a creepy smile.

[A-rank and S-rank!? This is great! You guys are lucky, it's currently an unprecedented time to earn some money. The King is inviting mercenaries and I heard that if you raise your contribution during the war then a great number of rewards will be received. Well, that's only if you manage to stay alive, though, keshishishi.]
(TN: Last part is the laughter.)

The Royal Capital Valhalla is right next to the underwater passage after passing through it. It's positioned a little to the north of the east-west road and is around 4 days worth of travel on horses from the border.

I don't know what kind of magic it was, but we managed to travel between the Sacred City Ruphia and Royal Capital Valhalla in just a few hours when we passed through the passage.

'Did you say it's a passage connected to the main city?' Alf's eyes became even sterner and Ciel wanted to elucidate the device, but Dy who understood him laughed,

[We made this place as something like a hidden base. It's a secret so I won't tell you.]

and left a mysterious speech. What the heck is with a secret structure that's connected to the city and the capital?

Ruffians were frequenting the bars and beastmen slaves can be seen being put to work everywhere.

I also saw a girl who looked like a magician with a magic-sealing bracelet attached to her being dragged away.

How pitiful. I want to do something, but I can't cause a disturbance here.

The residents have uneasy expressions and not knowing when the war will start, they're whispering 'what on earth is the King thinking?' in places where soldiers can not see.

[This is worse than we anticipated.]

[It looks like the information just got complicated, we need to investigate closely.]

Alf who knows the castle previously looks around with a face that says he can't believe it.

[It used to be a nice metropolis full of vibrancy that made you want to visit it. I must learn why it has turned into this.]

[Yeah, let's split up and gather some information.]

Just like that time we arrived at the Sacred City, Ragna goes to the guild and Ciel proceeds to the streets.

Saying that it should be better to bundle my personal belongings because the security has worsened, this time I go with Alf and Ciel to gather information and the two were clinging to me as if guarding me.

As a result of our inquiry, we found out that King Egrald plans to invade Sacred Country one month later and is continuing on increasing his forces.

He's gathering beastmen as slaves, charges humans with high magic power with false crimes and seizes them, and then sending them to war as slaves.

He's also actively recruiting mercenaries, and perhaps because he recruits them regardless of their birthplace, even bandit-like fellows are brazenly welcomed in the capital.

The Second Prince who was against the then First Prince Egrald's government was executed and the Third Prince has gone missing. The unmarried Second Princess and the rest are apparently being confined in the palace.

Things like execution and confinement, he's more dangerous than I thought, Alf's Nii-san.

[It's gotten worse, there's also an order given to attack us. Moreover, this was handed down in the Adventurer's Guild as a Royal Edict, those who go against it will be punished, it said.]

Ragna came back from the Adventurer's Guild and groaned with his hands plunged into his red hair.

[You said a Royal Edict has been handed down to the guild? Isn't the guild supposed to be its own self-governed organization and doesn't belong to any country?

[How can they do such a thing?]

Ciel rebutted with wide eyes. Dy who was listening to the conversation pointed at Aleph a sympathizing yet ridiculing look.

[It's hard having a brother that's crazy in the head, huh.]

[...Just why, Aniue, what has happened to you...]

Ragna who patted the shoulder of Alf, who received a shock and didn't even have the time to pick up Dy's sarcasm, as if to cheer him, added more information. (TN: Too much comma... My poor sentence structuring... T_T)

[The guild is also probing into the King's movement individually, and it has been confirmed that the royal palace's magic research establishment has recently developed a new technique.]

[A new technique?]

[Tell me that in detail.]

The elf and demon react. The dragonian shook his head.

[If we want to know the whole story, we can only infiltrate the Royal Palace.]

[Infiltration, huh... I don't have any confidence but it's worth the shot.]

Alf uttered a mutter hesitantly.

[Isn't it better than nothing? Let's try going to that guard's place.]

The discussion ended after my comment, and with Alf's guidance, we proceeded to the downtown area which is close to the slums even in the castle town.