When we passed through the gate, the first thing I saw was a large road stretching straight ahead.
It was wide enough for about ten carriages to run side by side…
And in reality, countless carriages were coming and going.
On both sides of it, there were buildings as numerous as the stars.
They continued endlessly, to the point of hiding the horizon.
At the far end of the great road, I could see a castle.
Even though it should have been quite far away, its size and splendor still came across—it was built on a truly grand scale.
"Wow… so this is the royal capital."
Sitting beside Sofia, who was handling the horse, I looked around.
I was acting like a complete country bumpkin, but it couldn’t be helped, right?
"Wow!"
"On!"
Aisha and Snow leaned out of the window, their faces sparkling with excitement.
Seeing their tails wagging wildly, they were clearly thrilled.
"Huh…"
Licorice, sitting on my shoulder, was also gazing at the royal capital with interest.
However, Sofia was the same as always.
Watching us get excited, she wore an amused smile.
"You’re not surprised, Sofia?"
"I’ve come here a few times because of my parents’ work. But when I first came, I reacted just like you all did, Fate."
Knowing that Sofia had been the same somehow made me feel relieved.
"...Somewhere in this vast royal capital, the Alliance of Dawn is hiding."
We weren’t here for sightseeing.
We had to stop them somehow.
Naturally, my expression tightened.
"Fate, I understand how you feel, but you mustn’t rush."
"But…"
"Rushing narrows your thinking. What we need to do first is to properly establish a base for our activities here in the royal capital."
"...Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Sofia."
Thanks to her, I was able to calm down a little.
About the Alliance of Dawn.
About Rena.
There were things on my mind, but panicking wouldn’t help.
For now, just as Sofia said, we needed to prepare properly.
"Alright then, let’s start by finding an inn. Sofia, do you happen to know a good place?"
"Um… I’m sorry. I’ve been here a few times, but I’ve never used an inn when I visited…"
"I see, that makes sense. You’d be staying at a lord’s mansion or a noble’s residence."
In that case, we’d have to start by gathering information about inns.
We would probably be staying in the royal capital for quite a while.
It would be best to find a place where we could properly rest and recover, and that was reasonably priced.
Also, since we would almost certainly end up clashing with the Alliance of Dawn, it would be good if the place had solid security.
"If it’s information gathering, it might be best to use the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital. They don’t just handle job requests—they also deal in information trading."
"Yeah, good idea."
"I’ll look for a place that can take care of the carriage, so could I leave that to you?"
"Got it."
"Then I’ll stay here."
Licorice returned to the carriage.
She was probably too lazy to help look for an inn.
"Alright, see you later."
After deciding on a meeting place and time, I parted ways with Sofia and the others.
Before long, I arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
As expected of the royal capital, the guild building was huge—almost like a noble’s mansion.
Feeling a bit nervous, I stepped inside…
"Huh!?"
"Oh?"
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