Chapter 38
Lucas, Gate Guard.
He had guarded the Castle Gate of Arden Castle for quite a long time.
Over the years, he had learned a few 'must-follow' rules.
For instance, a group of mercenaries with fierce demeanor required a strict luggage inspection. Even if the inspector accepted a bribe, he shouldn’t have done it too openly and had to play dumb.
And.
Never talk back to those of high status.
Things like that.
As long as he followed those few essential rules, this position wasn’t half bad.
The salary came in regularly, and if he was lucky, he could pocket some tolls. As long as it wasn’t a night shift, it was a leisurely job where he could pass the time basking in the Sunlight.
He was working as usual today when it happened.
A short girl, wearing a lavish and high-quality black silk dress and hiding her face with a parasol, was walking toward the Main Gate.
Furthermore, three women who looked like maids were following behind her, and all of them exuded an extraordinary aura.
A Maid with black hair mixed with pink, tied in a ponytail.
An expressionless woman with ebony bobbed hair.
And a red-haired girl with a peculiar air.
All of them were beauties whose beauty would stand out anywhere.
To employ such people as servants.
At a glance, she seemed to be a child of a very wealthy family, or a person of high lineage with blue blood flowing in her veins.
“What is this…?”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed.
It was definitely attire he had never seen before.
Moreover, the faces of the servants were not those of an ordinary family.
Certainly, it was not among the high-ranking people he knew.
Therefore, he decided to stop her for now.
“Halt. What brings you here? Present your identity, name, and Purpose of Visit.”
He asked politely yet firmly, according to the manual.
However,
Instead of answering the question, the girl slightly lifted her parasol.
Skin so white it was pale, as if it had never seen the Sunlight.
A doll-like appearance that didn’t seem to exist in this World.
Red eyes like ruby crystals were staring straight at him.
'…!'
In that instant, cold sweat ran down Lucas’s back.
Even at a glance, she was an extraordinary figure.
Moreover, the most decisive thing was…
“That is not something the likes of you need to know. Step aside.”
That tone of voice.
Lucas hadn’t seen that many high-ranking people in his life, but he had occasionally seen passing nobles or high officials visiting from the outside.
An unforgettable, lofty elegance that a simple commoner or a child of a wealthy family could never imitate.
It was oozing out so naturally from the girl’s tone, voice, and demeanor.
As if she were someone who naturally reigned over others from the moment she was born.
'Gulp!'
This is definitely a high-ranking person!
And not just a somewhat high-ranking person…!
She was definitely royalty from another country, or a figure of equivalent status!
Convinced by his experience as a Guard, Lucas immediately bent his waist 90 degrees and bowed.
And he shouted first so that the other guards wouldn’t accidentally commit a discourtesy and bring a great disaster upon themselves.
“What are you doing? Open it immediately!”
“Yes!”
Fortunately, everyone seemed to have some tact, as they bowed without a word and threw the Castle Gate wide open.
The massive Castle Gate spread open to both sides.
Click, clack.
The girl covered her face with the parasol again as if it were only natural and walked inside.
The three servants quietly followed behind her.
Only after the group completely disappeared from sight could Lucas finally exhale the breath he had been holding.
“Haa…”
Just who was she, and where did she come from?
If she had been a person of that caliber, there should have been at least a prior notice, but there was definitely no schedule for an external distinguished guest visit today.
She wasn’t even part of an envoy delegation. If it were an envoy delegation, there would be separate Escort knights attached, and flags or crests would be visible somewhere. There was absolutely none of that.
“…Perhaps she is traveling incognito, hiding her identity.”
He had heard that among high-ranking nobles or royalty, there were those who occasionally toured the city in such a manner.
If so, he had done an even better job.
If he had needlessly pried into her identity and offended her, he wouldn’t have known what would have happened to his own neck.
“Phew. Consider yourselves lucky today, you punks.”
Lucas patted the shoulders of his Subordinate guards who had bowed alongside him.
It was also a remark directed at him.
* * *
'Eh?'
What is this.
I passed through the Castle Gate way too easily?!
According to the official guide, I was supposed to act like a merchant or an adventurer from the outside and create a justification to enter.
If not that, I was supposed to break through with Force by clashing with the guards like Cheonma.
But they just opened it for me even though I only told them to open it.
“Is it okay for it to be this easy…?”
I tilted my head.
The bewilderment was brief.
Anyway, it was a good thing in the end, so I decided to go inside for now.
The internal scenery of Arden Castle here on the 5th Floor was truly the picture of a typical Medieval City.
Horse-drawn carriages rattled past on the cobblestone main roads, and the bustling sounds of the market could be heard between the rows of wooden buildings lined up on both sides.
A shop baking and selling bread, a weapon store, a clothing shop, and even an inn.
People who mostly looked like commoners were passing by on the streets, and for some reason, they were glancing our way and casting curious gazes.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a place like this! It’s amazing!”
Riri looked around in all directions with sparkling eyes.
“Riri, keep your wits about you. We are on a mission.”
“Yeah! Got it!”
Katarina gave a light warning, and Si-Yeon was silently keeping an eye on the surroundings as usual.
“Then I should head to the Inner Castle and Meet the Lord now.”
According to Sol-Peul-Jeon-Sa’s guide, Arden Castle was divided into two sections.
The first was the Outer Castle, where ordinary commoners and merchants resided.
The second was the Inner Castle, where the Lord, the knights who followed him, and administrative officials resided.
Naturally, the Lord lived in the Inner Castle, specifically in the Lord’s Manor located at the innermost part.
To clear the first quest of meeting the Lord, I had to go straight to that Lord’s Manor.
It was easy to roughly figure out where it was, but it was said that people who were bad with directions could get confused on the way.
Since I had no sense of direction, it was certain that I would get lost inevitably.
In that case, the guide said to ask or to be guided by one of the resident NPCs in the castle.
Of course, if you just ask for directions, you might be treated as a suspicious person or get rejected, so it is advisable to clearly state that you are an outsider and offer money.
What was needed here was the 'gold' I had earned while climbing the Tower so far.
It couldn’t be taken outside, but inside the Tower, the gold in the Inventory could be taken out in physical form, and it was said to be treated like currency circulated within the Tower.
Now then, I’ll take out 1 gold.
With this, if I just ask someone around who looks like they would know…
“You there. Halt for a moment.”
I called out and stopped a young man who happened to be passing by on the street.
Based on his attire, he looked to be about an ordinary merchant.
“Yes?”
“Guide me on the way.”
Of course, I was going to add that I was an outsider and would give him a reasonable reward.
This was the moment I was about to hold out the 1 gold coin gripped tightly in my hand.
“Yes, yes! Of course, my liege!”
The man immediately bowed his head deeply and groveled.
…?
“W-where should I Escort you?”
He even asked while trembling.
I subtly put the 1 gold coin I was about to hand over back in.
It seemed like there was no need to give this to him anyway.
“To the Lord’s Manor in the Inner Castle.”
“T-the Lord’s Manor! Understood. I will Escort you!”
The man hurriedly took the lead as if someone were coming to catch him.
And not long after,
We were able to arrive safely at the entrance.
“W-will this be far enough? T-then, may I take my leave now…”
“Yes.”
As soon as permission was granted, the man disappeared, practically running away.
'???'
What is this?
Why is everyone in the World so kind?
When I thought about it carefully, it seemed this was all Thanks to the outfit Riri had made for me.
After all, in the medieval era, precious clothing must have been a sort of token indicating one’s status.
Actually, the guide also mentioned that what clothes you wore was somewhat important.
I was honestly a bit worried because it said you could be suspected if you wore clothes that stood out too much. It’s surprising to think this would actually be helpful.
Wow. Even the people in the Climber Community wouldn’t have thought of this, right?
Wearing a luxurious medieval-style outfit and acting like a high-ranking person wasn’t an idea anyone but a total lunatic would come up with.
…Though I ended up doing it by chance.
Anyway, finding the way was a simple success.
Now I just have to enter the Lord’s Manor and Meet the Lord.
However, meeting the Lord is not an easy task.
Because it was said that the Lord didn’t just carelessly meet outsiders, you had to make an appointment in advance or request an audience through the Lord’s aides.
To do that, many annoying processes were required.
That was the standard route.
However,
I decided to take the Cheonma route here as well.
“In the middle Ages, status was status, but showing off martial prowess seemed to act as a token in itself.”
According to the additional reply Cheonma left on Sol-Peul-Jeon-Sa’s guide, he said that they actually treated him with courtesy afterward, after he slashed all the guards and continued to slash them as they came.
So now I was planning to show some real martial prowess.
No matter how high they think my status is, if I act insolently even at the Lord’s Manor, they’ll stop me this time, right?
Then the real guards will come, and I can just Subdue them and confidently go Meet the Lord.
Like that, we arrived in front of the Main Gate of the Lord’s Manor.
The armored Guard who had been guarding both sides of the door approached us.
“Halt. This is the Residence of the Lord-nim. What business do you…”
“Step aside.”
I spoke in an arrogant tone.
Now, then, this time for real - !
“…!”
The Guard’s expression stiffened.
And then
“P-please come inside and wait for a moment! I will immediately report to my superior!”
The Guard dashed, guided me, and immediately ran further inside.
'…'
And a moment later.
What the Guard brought back was not another group of guards.
It was a neatly dressed elderly gentleman.
Judging by his appearance and clothing, he looked to be the Steward of the Lord’s Manor.
Well… let’s say it makes sense up to here.
A lowly Guard not being able to handle it on his own and bringing a higher-up is understandable.
But what if I act completely insolent even to this grandpa who clearly looks high-ranking?
This will definitely cause friction.
Since we had come inside, I folded my parasol, looked him straight in the eye, and spoke.
“I have come to meet your Lord.”
This was an arrogant and presumptuous attitude that not only looked down on the other Party but also treated the Lord with disrespect.
The Steward’s eyes widened as large as saucers.
Hmm. Was this a bit too harsh?
Just as I was feeling slightly sorry.
“M-my goodness… Those eyes…! That appearance…! Y-you really came to keep the 'promise'…!”
The Steward bowed so deeply he looked like he was going to prostrate himself.
And he urgently called a Servant next to him and relayed something to the Servant.
Hearing those words, the Servant hurriedly ran toward the inside.
“…?”
“Promise? What promise?”
I haven’t promised anything, though?
Well, could this also be possible up to here…?
Did they mistake me for another noble?
Question marks kept pinging in my head, but for now, [Exalted Dignity] was managing my facial expressions perfectly.
“I will Escort the Distinguished One.”
The Steward guided us while sweating profusely.
Like that, we went straight to the Lord’s Reception room.
Inside the spacious Reception room covered with a luxurious carpet, a middle-aged man with a dignified impression was waiting for us.
He had a long black beard and wore a high-quality dark blue cape over his shoulders.
At a glance, it was clear he was the Lord.
But.
“W-welcome!”
As soon as the Lord saw us, he jumped up from his seat and bowed while fidgeting restlessly.
'No, no, this can’t be right.'
No matter how much I look like a high-ranking person.
It makes no sense for even the Lord, the ruler of this castle, to be nervous!
Just as I was wondering what on Earth this situation was.
“B-by any chance… is the Distinguished One a Vampire?”
The Lord asked carefully with a trembling voice.
'Vampire?'
I flinched for a moment.
I mean, it’s true, but…
But aren’t vampires treated like persecuted monsters in the middle Ages?
They aren’t going to bring out garlic juice and spray it all over me, right?
That tastes bad.
I wondered if it would be okay, but I had no choice but to speak confidently because of passivity, with my chest puffed out and my hands on my hips.
“That is correct. I am the Great Source of Blood, a True Ancestor.”
“A-ah! Has The Esteemed One from the legends truly appeared!”
The Lord suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion and tightly clasped his hands together.
'…I don’t even know anymore.'
I just decided to give up thinking.