Chapter 228 - Departure and Arrival

I rode in a carriage flying through the sky, heading for the Karvan Kingdom. Glenn poked his head out from inside the carriage, his eyes sparkling as he watched the ground flow beneath them.

"Ooh ho ho! Amazing! When Aoi-kun gets serious, she moves this fast!"

Glenn raised a cheer. I smiled at that and increased our speed even further.

"Not at all, I can still go much faster. Though my control would become somewhat imprecise."

"O-oh... That is a bit frightening. In fact, I think we are already moving at an unbelievable speed! Wait, unless I am mistaken, are you not accelerating even more? This is plenty fast enough! Hey, Aoi-kun?"

"No, I will accelerate a bit more to save time."

No matter how efficient the flight magic might be, increasing speed too much would raise mana consumption. Glenn must have been worried about fuel efficiency.

However, time was money. I judged that there was no need to conserve mana and doubled our speed as we headed for the Karvan Kingdom's capital.

Thanks to that, we managed to reach the outskirts of our destination before nightfall.

"Oh... Those distinctive spires in great numbers are unmistakably the Karvan Kingdom's capital... I never imagined we would arrive in nearly a single day..."

Glenn muttered that in a somewhat exhausted manner. Hearing his words, I took another look at the city before us.

Indeed, although dusk was falling and the city was becoming little more than a silhouette, it resembled the night view of Manhattan Island in New York. Instead of skyscrapers, numerous tall spires stood side by side, with lights glowing in various places along them. It was a beautifully fantastical sight, yet one that inspired a certain sense of dread.

Perhaps the high city walls surrounding it gave it that rugged, fortress-like atmosphere.

I happened to look up at the sky and noticed that stars were already beginning to appear. The color of the sky was also shifting from orange to a mixture of purple and blue.

"For now, let us enter the capital and find an inn."

When I made that suggestion, Glenn looked at me with a troubled expression.

"We cannot simply enter the capital, I am afraid. This is the Karvan Kingdom's capital—the city that houses the castle of King Raid, who is wary of people... no, who acts with extreme caution. I doubt the defenses here are anything trivial."

The moment Glenn finished speaking, as if on cue, a man's voice echoed from somewhere. It seemed they were using wind magic to project their voice like a long-distance call.

"This is the capital of the Karvan Kingdom. Who are you?"

It was a stern middle-aged man's voice. When I traced the residual mana to locate the direction, it appeared to come from one of the spires.

"May I answer?"

"Oh, is Aoi-kun actually trying to defer to me for once? That said, I would be at a loss if you tried to save face in a situation like this, so feel free to do the talking, Aoi-kun."

Glenn said that with his brows furrowed in a figure-eight shape, so I decided to speak on our behalf.

"We have come from Fiddiq Academy in the Verted Kingdom. This is Glenn, the headmaster, and I am Aoi, a faculty member. Would you permit us to enter the capital?"

When I asked that, a silence followed.

"...You employ flight magic through wind magic and are even capable of long-distance communication. I take you to be magicians on par with or above court magicians. I cannot simply allow such individuals into this capital..."

It seemed they were about to refuse, but the voice cut off. After another short wait, a different voice came through.

"...My apologies. I believe I heard the name Aoi-*dono earlier—are you the senior faculty member Aoi-dono of Fiddiq Academy?"

[*suffix -dono (殿), which translates to "lord" or "master".]

"Yes? Yes, I am the only Aoi at Fiddiq Academy."

When I answered, the man fell silent.

"...What could be the matter?"

As the silence stretched on for too long, I sought Glenn's opinion. Glenn poked his head out from the carriage and hummed thoughtfully.

"I wonder... Perhaps rumors have spread in the Karvan Kingdom in an unfavorable way. Something like 'the witch of the academy who subjugated Maple Leaf and the Elven Kingdom.'"

"You mean me?"

"Who else could it be?"

When I asked back at that outrageous remark, Glenn blinked and stated it as if it were obvious.

"...I find that highly objectionable, but if such rumors have indeed spread, we might even face an attack."

I said that with a bit of tension, but Glenn waved one hand in denial.

"Quite the opposite. If an unknown magician suddenly appeared at the capital, they would be turned away or suppressed by force, but if it was Aoi-kun, they would be too terrified to do such a thing."

"Terrified?"

"Oh dear...! No, no, I meant it would be too presumptuous. After all, one rarely hears of a magician who has been recognized by the Elven King."

Glenn quickly corrected himself in a strangely flustered manner.

I sighed at his reaction and shook my head.

"I am aware that some people fear me. That said, as Ardbeg also mentioned, a great power like the Karvan Kingdom would have no reason to fear a single individual."

As I told Glenn that, before he could respond, a voice came from the capital again. This time, it was a woman's voice, somewhat assertive in tone.

"...His Majesty is not currently granting audiences. However, given the circumstances, he has agreed to set aside time for an audience. You will be required to wait at a location we designate during that time. I trust that is not a problem."

Though her words were polite, I could feel thorns in every phrase.

Without answering immediately, I turned to Glenn.

"...I do not recall requesting an audience with the king."

When I confirmed that, Glenn nodded with a serious expression.

"Perhaps King Raid himself wishes to meet you. Or perhaps he has heard from Prince Jameson and Head Court Magician Ardbeg and saw through the fact that an audience was your true aim."

Hearing Glenn's reasoning, I understood.

"I see. In that case, it is better to wait until tomorrow regardless. Whatever the reason, if an audience is available, that is exactly what we wanted."

"Indeed... Though I am not entirely sure whether our wishes will come true..."

After that exchange, I projected my voice to the magician in the spire.

"Yes. That is not a problem."

When I answered, a few seconds passed before the woman's voice returned.

"...Then we will open the main gate, so descend there. Please note that the Court Magician Corps will accompany you from our side. Understood?"

"Yes, that is fine. Then, I will head for the large castle gate visible below."

With that, I descended the carriage. As the ground drew nearer, I noticed the city walls were far taller than I had imagined. Though the streets were wide and well-maintained, there was not a soul in sight, likely due to the night. As I looked up at the massive walls from below, the sound of some mechanism operating echoed from beyond them. With a low rumble like an earthquake, the castle gate began to slowly open.