Chapter 5 – City of Distrust

The next day, from the carriage, we could finally see a big city before our eyes .

It is likely Norcheim .

“Is that Norcheim? those are quite the high walls”

Cecil, who is also sitting on the platform, said so .

I also look closely, but the whole city is indeed surrounded by a stone wall that is nearly 10 meters high .

It’s better to call it a citadel rather than just a city .

“That’s quite a heavy atmosphere it is giving . Brace yourselves guys . ”

Cecil nodded to my words .

I already know that people of Norcheim hold grudges towards other races, but I didn’t think it’s enough to create a city so fortified like this .

They might be even more obstinate than we expected .

Thinking about what we’ll do from hereafter, I could only give a sigh .

“If they don’t let us in, we have no choice but to break in by force”

“Ah, Allan-sama! You can’t do that!”

Did she hear my mutter? Cecil immediately detained me in panic .

“But I must meet the King of Norcheim by all means . You know that, right?”

As I put emphasis on my mission, Cecil gave a frown .

This is also for Algarde . And half of my purpose .

I can’t go back to my country until I finished my mission .

“Well, that was the last resort anyway . Let’s try going straight to the front first”

“That’s right, Allan-sama . Who knows, they might surprisingly let us pa.s.s through”

Nodding to Cecil’s words, I advanced the carriage .

We approached the front in a dignified manner .

Then, some people came out from a checlpoint-like place next to the gate .

“That carriage over there, stop it next to the gate!”

A man of age, who is probably the leader, came out and incited us .  

However, though it was lightly armored, he approached us with insecurity .  

Some of the men in his back are armed with spears .

For the time being, I stopped the carriage next to the gate as instructed by them .  

“All of you get off!”

“Yeah, I got it”

I also told Fran and the others in the carriage, and they all got off, one after the other .

“You, aren’t you an elf?” Morever, a fairy…… . What do you want with this town?”

Perhaps I should have expected this, as the leading figure gaze at us with a suspicious look .

“This is not like Bivnaheim, and unless you have a good reason, all non-human races are banned from entry . I’m sure you have already heard it from them”

He said, and made a signal to his men to surround us .

It already became a pretty dangerous situation, and it’s not just from the arms they are carrying .

I really want to settle this with talks as much as possible .

That’s why – I removed the sword with the scabbard in my waist and presented it to the leader .

“Well now . I know you are all cautious, but they don’t have any weapons, so you don’t have to aim at them either”

“……Fine . Just hand yours over”

I handed the sword over as he said .

It’s good that the other party has opened to talks . If we were attacked in this time, we won’t be able to retaliate immediately .

Once they also sheathed their weapons, I began to tell our mission .

“Though I’m an ordinary elf to you, I am the prince of Arinheim . I want to have an audience with the king of this country”

To a suspecting party like him, I should not use such petty tricks .

Besides, I’m not good at lying anyway .

“A prince you say? And where is your proof?”

The leader frowned in displeasure .

“Alright . Is this enough for you?”

I who have been expecting those words, pulled out the branch of the King Tree in my bosom .

The leader who saw it almost popped his eyes in surprise .

“That is, it’s the King Tree’s-“

“Of course it is . Now do you understand the importance of this?”

And just like that, the leader, with a difficult-to-describe expression, said unto me .

“Wait here . I will call the person in charge”

Then he ran to the checkpoint .

“Now then, I wonder what kind of guy will come next . I hope he or she could be reasoned with”

“I hope so too, Allan-sama……”

Cecil agreed, while brus.h.i.+ng Helena’s hair .

Maybe because of being surrounded by men, she felt uneasy .

In the meantime, the leader came back from the checkpoint .

Behind him was a woman .

“These are the guys that have the branch of the King Tree”

The woman is not wearing any armor, but you can tell that she is a fighter .

Perhaps, she’s the superior of these guards .

“Greetings . I am Allan, Prince of Alinheim . I came here to Norcheim to discuss a very important issue with His Majesty the King”

“The Prince of Elves want to discuss something with the King? I see……”

She nodded a few times as she appraised us with her gaze up and down .

Meanwhile, I am also observing the other party .

Her gait is tight, and her height is a bit higher for a woman . Though she’s still a bit shorter than me .

Provoking from the side of her navy blue hairs is a side ponytail .

Her eyes also gave a sharp glint, just like what you feel on a warrior or a knight .

And, the most noticeable part is that chest .

It is too big, even for my hands . It’s almost as big as Effie’s .

If our talks go well, I would like to invite her for a drink sometime .

“You are the group that gathers branches of the King Trees of the other nations, am I right?”

“What, you know it already? If so, then we can skip the details then”

“Yes, we heard these rumors just recently”

She replied, along with an introduction .

“I go by the name of Erune Nyx . I am the commander of the Knight Brigade guarding this city”

“Thank you very much for your courteousness . I’d appreciate it if you’d let us through . ”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot do that”

I thought our talks will go smoothly with this, but Erune shook her head .

“I have certainly confirmed the branch of the King Tree is genuine, but we have no guarantee if you are really a prince . We still need confirmation . ”

“Confirmation? Then what will you do?”

“Send a messenger to Alinheim . That will be our confirmation”

“Oh come on! Don’t you know how long will it take?”

“Everything is for the safety of our city”

I tried to persuade Erune, but she won’t give in no matter what I do .

This woman is too hard to crack .

“And just a warning . Don’t even think of breaking in by force”

Erune puts her hand to her sword in her waist, threatening us .

“I see . You are saying that you won’t hesitate to kill even the defenseless me when things get awry . Is that right?”

“Even if you are a prince, it is better than letting suspicious people enter our city”

Apparently, their vigilance against other races seems to be more than I expected .

However, I cannot wait that long .

As my companions have increased, my desire to return to my home country also increased .

It is fine with just me and Cecil, but it is bad even for me to have the others accompany me for who knows how many months and years .

If it comes to this, I have no choice but to rely on magic .

“Erune, can I have a moment? Just you and I”

While approaching her, I secretly invoked my temptation magic .

I haven’t made any big spells recently, so I still have enough magic power in stock .

“What, jus the two…of……us, you say?”

I can already see Erune feeling a bit dizzy from taking a direct hit as she looked at me .

Though Temptation Magic is strong, it was a spell that cannot be seen from the outside .

“I have no other intentions . I just want to speak with you, just the two of us”

I stood before her, giving her a good smile as I said that .

Usually, a smile like this is already enough to make any woman fall for me……

“Wh-what are you talking about? J-just the two of us is……”

She refused me, taking a step back .

By that action, I stepped forward, gradually approaching Erune little by little .

The magic spell has an effect that can make anyone aroused as long as they are nearby .

Anyway, I narrowed down the distance between the two of us, as I talked to her .

“I only want to have a good small talk with you . Can we settle this down with just the two of us? You don’t want this to escalate to a national issue, don’t you? 

In reality, my father does not really know what I’m doing, what I have done, and what I’m about to do .

However, Erune is not supposed to know that .

“……I understand . But it will just be a small talk, you and I . Nothing beyond that, you hear?”

She’s still stubborn, but she accepted my offer .

Alright, now we can be alone with this!

After that, I will ask Erune for some help, as usual .

From there, we walked towards the checkpoint with just the two of us .