Chapter 95: Luden (2)

Due to the impact of a letter from Luden, we decided to head to Luden earlier than we had initially planned.

At most, this meant moving up our trip, previously set three weeks in advance, by just a week. However, had I not been occupied with my duties as a family head, perhaps we would have left even sooner.

Who would have thought I’d be grateful for the burden of my responsibilities? Indeed, the course of human life is unpredictable.

As the time to depart for Luden neared, my mind was considerably more at ease compared to when I first received the letter. Perhaps seeing Elena’s joyous reaction to the letter played a part in this change of heart.

Not that this lessened my nervousness entirely, but there was no need to weigh my heart down with too much consciousness of it.

One of my chronic problems has always been to first consider the negative aspects of any new endeavor. While this can be my greatest strength, in situations like these, a different approach was necessary. Easing my mind and shifting my thoughts in a positive direction seemed like a viable strategy.

Dwelling too much on the negative could lead to unnecessary mistakes when it finally comes to facing the situation.

In that sense, wrapping up tasks before leaving was a useful time to collect my thoughts.

The tasks were not particularly thought-provoking, and all I had to do was summarize the work for my father, who would take over in my absence. A little diversion like this was within the bounds of permissible.

“Brother! Umm... may I come with you?”

“What?”

“No, it’s not anything else... I’ll eventually attend the academy when I’m older, so I thought it might be good to get a head start! Plus, our family’s home in Luden has been vacant for a long time. It wouldn’t be bad for someone from the family to visit.”

If there was a minor incident worth mentioning in that short period, it was Alphonse expressing his wish to come along when we were close to departing for Luden.

I understood Alphonse’s reasons for saying this without needing him to explain further.

Although I’ve often been told that I’m insensitive, it doesn’t mean I’m completely oblivious. For the upcoming trip to Luden, not only Elena and I, but Hailey would be joining us as well.

In the original story, as far as I remember, Hailey followed Elena to the academy. However, now things are slightly different from the source material, as Hailey has chosen to pursue the Knight’s Department instead of the ordinary division. Thanks to Elena’s help in improving her core and awakening her aura, Hailey no longer had any reason to give up on her dreams.

Hailey, who had served as Elena’s maid for a long time, naturally had to train her body before enrolling in the academy. During this process, the person she spent the most time with was Alphonse.

I knew that the two of them met at dawn for training, but gradually they also began to train together at the practice field after sunrise.

Considering Alphonse was the first to discover Hailey’s secret, their relationship appeared particularly close. So much so that Alphonse, who always sought my guidance, even reduced his training time with me to practice with Hailey.

I felt a bit neglected at the time, but now I understand it wasn’t something incomprehensible.

After all, if one had to choose between playing with a beloved Noona or their own brother, the outcome is quite predictable.

Considering that Alphonse, who only ever approached me with requests related to swordsmanship, had all his other requests tied to Hailey, it was clear how much he liked her.

Unfortunately, this time I couldn’t fulfill his request.

Ultimately, Alphonse couldn’t join us on our trip to Luden, as our family’s ultimate decision-maker, my father, had forbidden it.

And he had his reasons.

“There are three reasons why Alphonse cannot go to Luden.”

“Three reasons?”

“Yes. First, Alphonse is too young to go to Luden. It’s unreasonable to send a child, who has just started exploring beyond the walls of the lord’s estate, to such a distant place. I know Alphonse is smarter and quicker to learn than other children his age, but the fact that he’s not even ten years old yet remains. He still has a lot to learn, and it’s time for him to be protected and grow within, rather than gaining experience from the outside world.”

“But it seems safer than sending him out for monster hunting in the winter...”

“Is Alphonse like you? Even this winter, we only let him watch from a distance, not actively participate in the hunting. More importantly, it’s too risky to send the heirs of our family out at the same time. Remember the last hunting tournament? We nearly lost two heirs of the royal family. Although it ended well, the unease was the same. I don’t want to take such risks or even think about such scenarios.”

His points were all valid.

Despite Alphonse being exceptionally bright and talented, it doesn’t change the most fundamental fact – he’s still a young child who needs his parents’ protection.

Sure, there might be a bigger reason, but...

“So, what’s the third reason?”

“The third reason is if Alphonse goes to Luden, then I’ll be left here alone. Do you intend to leave your father here by himself? At least one of you should stay. Besides, if Elena also leaves the castle to follow you, it will be quiet for a while. How could I bear such loneliness?”

“Wow, all your points are so valid that I can’t argue. I’ll tell Alphonse that he can’t come.”

“Don’t just say that. Tell him the house in Luden is currently under renovation, and it would be rude to burden your in-laws with both of you. Alphonse knows this, so that should be enough for him to give up the idea. And tell him to come to the main house’s training ground after dinner. I’m not sure how much you’ve taught him, but it might be better to give him a proper lesson now.”

“...Please tell him the last part yourself after dinner.”

My father can be surprisingly shy.

Despite my father’s prediction, Alphonse was quite upset when he learned he couldn’t go to Luden. It wasn’t until after he spoke with Hailey that he accepted it, a fact I didn’t share with my father until the day I left Sarham.

***

Luden, known as the safest city in the world, lives up to its reputation with a very powerful barrier of sacred magic encompassing the entire imperial capital. It has never allowed any external invasion. This is partly due to its central location in the empire, but mainly because there’s no known way to breach the sacred barrier.

After all, the barrier protecting Luden was created by the main God, Altair himself. It’s no wonder Luden, along with the imperial capital, is considered a holy site. It’s a place personally touched by a god.

Because of this divine barrier covering the entire capital, Luden, unlike other territories, doesn’t have a teleportation gate within it.

Although it appears to be in the same location, Luden is essentially a space completely isolated from the outside, making teleportation within Luden possible, but travel to and from the outside impossible. This is the same for external attempts to teleport into Luden. I’ve never heard of a successful case of such an attempt.

This is why Luden, arguably the most prosperous place on the continent, doesn’t have a teleportation gate, which is commonly found in major cities.

However, it’s not entirely isolated as one might think. At the edge of the barrier, there are priests who manage entry into Luden, so as long as one’s identity is clear, access is relatively free.

Knowing the transportation challenges, the territories around Luden have installed teleportation gates for convenience. Elena and I also used one of these gates for our journey to Luden.

Even with the most determined effort from the outside, there’s no way to penetrate such a defense...

Given that divine power isn’t something that can be wielded simply by having faith in a God, it’s not entirely incorrect to say that Luden, protected by this formidable sacred barrier, is a place guarded by a god.

It does make me wonder why, if such protection was available, the gods didn’t simply eliminate all elements of danger in this world from the start.

“Certainly, it feels different from other cities, probably because it’s where His Majesty the Emperor resides. Everything here seems so grand, doesn’t it? Elena, look at that clock tower over there – it must be half as tall as a mage tower, don’t you think?”

“Indeed. Maybe they built it so high because the surrounding buildings are tall, to make it easier to see the time. And with all the shops around the clock tower, we should definitely explore it later.”

“Sounds great!”

Hailey, having returned to being the eldest daughter of the Hartman family from being Elena’s maid, no longer uses formal speech in their conversations. This friendlier interaction feels more intimate than before, so I discreetly turn my face towards the window, smiling to myself.

The buildings of Luden, as Hailey mentioned, are incomparably grander in size than anything I’ve seen in other territories. The city looks like it’s entirely made up of bustling areas.

The architecture from the city’s entrance along the main streets, while reminiscent of medieval Europe on the outside, exudes a very modern atmosphere. It’s almost as if this place alone is set in a different time.

Another curious aspect is the apparent absence of an impoverished class, which is usually inevitable in any city.

At least from the entrance to my exploration of the city’s interior, I haven’t seen any signs of poverty. Even the less frequented alleys seemed well-maintained and clean, and I occasionally spotted people in uniform patrolling the area.

In such a large city, it’s possible that the less visible, possibly more troubled areas are concentrated elsewhere, but at least in the residential areas frequented by the general populace, security doesn’t seem to be a concern.

As a city embellished with all sorts of praises, it certainly lives up to its name. No wonder Orcus was so confident about it.

‘It’s ironic that such a place is the center of so many events.’

Though it’s a pity to say this to Orcus, even if the city isn’t exactly as I know it, I suspect that with Elena’s arrival, the probability of incidents occurring is much higher. Even if she doesn’t intend to, protagonists in novels, as always, seem to unwittingly attract trouble wherever they go.

Even in the original story, take for instance the clock tower that Hailey and Elena just talked about.

That place, being the largest workshop of the Alchemy Society and one of the most fortified in Luden, collapsing is a statement in itself.

Who would have thought that in such a well-guarded place, events like an assassination attempt on the princess or the invasion of heretics could happen at the academy, located right in the heart of Luden, within the imperial palace? Thanks to the events that preceded, a major cleanup has occurred, but if it hadn’t, I might have had more work to do here.

Thinking about it, maybe it’s because I am Damian.

Reflecting on past events, it feels like something significant started unfolding when Elena and I met. Life had been relatively quiet until then, but after meeting Elena, there’s been a considerable amount of change.

It’s not just because Elena is the protagonist, but it’s clear that a lot of turmoil began in this seemingly peaceful world after our meeting. The introduction might have changed, but the pages of the story continue to turn regardless.

In such circumstances, with more foreknowledge than others, perhaps my role is to work towards changing the outcomes of future events from bad to good, as I did before.

The letters exchanged with Orcus were also part of such efforts.

Our correspondence wasn’t just for inquiring about each other’s wellbeing.

Personally, I’m confident that the current Luden has excluded many of the events Elena was originally supposed to experience.

If one knows what’s going to happen and has about a year to prepare, it’s not too difficult to prevent some of the more troublesome incidents from occurring, even if not all of them.

Especially since I have a useful ally in the prince. Any mishaps in Luden are also unfavorable from the royal family’s perspective, so there’s a need to actively resolve such issues. The content I’ve sent Orcus makes sense, so there’s no need for him to hesitate when taking action.

‘I hope we don’t have the same kind of accidents as last time.’

Being by Elena’s side, it seems almost fated that I’ll get entangled in various incidents with her, but even so, I hope that such events don’t occur.

I wish the efforts I’ve made would at least yield some reward, but the true outcome can only be known as time passes – a fact that is frustratingly inevitable.

The sounds of Hailey and Elena’s conversation fill the carriage.

In the days leading up to our arrival in Luden, everyone seemed quite excited. Thinking about it, even though I’m living a second life, for both of them, this trip to Luden marks the beginning of their academy life, a significant first step. While I haven’t lived a very long life, I’m well aware of how much one’s school days can influence their life.

Watching them converse so joyfully, filled with anticipation, I felt a sense of duty to protect this moment, rather than worry about what the future might hold.

“It looks like we’ve arrived.”

Just as I was steeling myself with this resolve, Elena’s voice from beside me brought me back to reality.

Her words, followed by the slowing down of the carriage, signaled that we were almost at our destination.

Seeing the Edelweiss family crest engraved on the gate of the mansion felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over my head, washing away all my previous thoughts. The considerations I had just a moment ago crumbled and washed away like a sandcastle built on the shore.

Oh, goodness me.

Had I let my guard down too much?

Focusing on this made me tense up, contrary to my intention of staying relaxed. When faced with reality, my body froze. I was somewhat tense when I first boarded the carriage, but letting my mind wander was probably a mistake, causing me to forget an important fact.

I’m on my way to meet my mother-in-law, aren’t I?

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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