SWNOVELXO Chapter 12: The City Lord
Chapter 12: The City Lord
Once Yake finished breakfast, the two of them followed Silver towards the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Oh! A horse-drawn carriage! It’s my first time riding in one!”
As an envoy sent by the City Lord, it was only natural for him to be provided with transport, and this chariot was something Aierjisi could only dream of seeing on television.
“I never expected to have the fortune to ride in a horse-drawn carriage…”
In the game, such carriages were sold as mounts for players. A single one wasn’t cheap, and she had to muster a lot of determination to buy one just to move around the town faster. Relying solely on her character’s legs was just too slow. However, one could say that being able to ride in that woman’s carriage didn’t mean she would forgive Silver for touching Yake without her permission with her filthy hands.
“What’s wrong, Aier? You look really unhappy. Plus, you’ve been staring at Miss Silver since earlier. Did she do something to upset you?”
Noticing the Little Princess’s foul mood and her glaring at Silver, who was driving the carriage, Yake felt a bit confused.
“Of course she did! She didn’t ask for my permission and touched you! Just this alone is enough to make me unhappy!”
“What? Is that all? Aier, aren’t you being a bit petty? She just touched my shoulder; it’s not a big deal!”
Yake found himself laughing helplessly at the Little Princess’s explanation. It seemed her mindset was still that of a child, getting upset over something so trivial.
“What do you mean it’s not a big deal? To me, it’s very important! You’re my servant, my personal property! But she touched my property without my permission. How would I not be upset?”
Aierjisi’s face showed a small pout. To Yake, it might not be a big deal, but to her, it felt like a provocation!
“So, if someone wants to touch me in the future, they’ll need your approval first, right?”
“Of course! You’re my property. Everything about you belongs to me, got it?”
“Yes, yes. I understand. I’ll try my best to avoid contact with others from now on.”
Yake nodded, trying to placate the Little Princess so she wouldn’t stay angry. Otherwise, he might end up taking the brunt of her frustration.
“Alright, we’ve arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. Please alight.”
Silver stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and let the two guests down to enter the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Oh. So this is Pield’s City Lord’s Mansion! It looks quite impressive!”
Yake exclaimed, staring at the magnificent structure before them. Its scale was almost unbelievable, even larger than the mercenary guild in Chester Town.
But upon reflection, Pield was a commercial metropolis; naturally, the residence of its City Lord couldn’t be shabby.
“Please follow me.”
Silver greeted the guards at the entrance and walked the two of them into the City Lord’s Mansion.
“The interior decor is quite nice. Seems like this City Lord is pretty wealthy.”
Aierjisi observed the decorations lining the hallway. Judging by the exquisite level of these ornaments, this City Lord was undoubtedly quite rich—he probably embezzled a good amount of funds.
“The City Lord is in here. I can’t accompany you further; goodbye.”
After leading them to the door of the City Lord’s chamber, Silver bowed to them and left.
“Hmm… So behind this door is where the City Lord is.”
Aierjisi stared at the door, hesitating to push it open.
“What’s wrong? Aier, aren’t you going in? We’re already at the door.”
“Hold on. Don’t you find this situation a bit strange?”
“Strange? How so?”
Yake tilted his head, puzzled, as he looked at the Little Princess, trying to grasp what she found suspicious.
“We just arrived in this city yesterday, and the City Lord personally summoned us today. Don’t you think that’s odd? Our identities weren’t shared with anyone else. The only ones who could know are your family and Teacher Aisi, or the enemy Chaos Clan.”
“So you’re implying…?”
Aierjisi had made her point clear; even someone like Yake could figure out that the City Lord probably had an unusual background.
“Anyway, get ready for a fight. Let’s see what tricks this City Lord is up to. We might fall into a trap the moment we enter this room. Don’t let your guard down until we figure out his true intentions.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Yake placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Should something seem off upon entering, he would draw his sword immediately.
“Ha… Ha… Ha…”
After taking three deep breaths, the Little Princess finally reached out and pushed the door open.
Inside sat a corpulent middle-aged man, lounging in a chair as he perused some documents. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he finally looked up at the newcomers.
“Oh, it’s Miss Aierjisi and Mr. Yake! I’ve been waiting for you two, quickly come in and sit! I’ve even prepared some fine tea for you.”
Seeing the two outside, the City Lord cheerfully set aside his papers, stepped to the door, and welcomed them.
“Aier, what should we do? This City Lord doesn’t seem hostile at all.”
Given the City Lord’s warm welcome, Yake felt an absence of malice from him and was suddenly unsure of how to proceed.
“Don’t let your guard down. I said not to relax until we figure out this guy’s true nature.”
Aierjisi continued to frown as she scrutinized the City Lord.
“What’s wrong? You came all the way to the City Lord’s Mansion and aren’t going to come in and rest? As a fellow townsman, I’m eager to chat with you about life back on Earth.”
Seeing the Little Princess still suspicious of him, the City Lord readily revealed he, too, was from Earth.
“Uh? Earth? What’s that? Aier, do you know?”
Hearing a name she’d never heard before left Yake looking bewildered at the Little Princess, who mirrored his confusion.
“Are you also from Earth?”
Aierjisi had considered the possibility that others might have crossed into this world besides herself, but she never expected to encounter another fellow Earthling so quickly.
“Of course! As a fellow Earthling, you needn’t be so guarded against me. I won’t harm you. Come on, let’s have a cup of tea and chat about this world!”
Since the City Lord volunteered his Earth background first, the Little Princess naturally let down her guard and walked in with him. Seeing her relax, Yake also released his grip on the sword hilt and followed them inside.