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  Chapter 24 - Kongenssoevn

  The Isdalen plains is a vast glacial valley that begins deeper in the Kongensgrad, somewhere to the south of The Maw. It reaches all the way down to the Gletsjersoen, the massive lake at the edge of which Kongenssoevn was built. There are no remains of the glacier to be seen, meaning that the lake most likely formed when it melted. Many rivers flow down from the mountains and feed it with fresh water.

  The sheer size of the Gletjersoen has given rise to some people claiming that it's an inland sea, even though the water is fresh and various river fish are living in it. Due to its natural connection to the capital, many cities have been built around it, and a fleet of trade ships are sailing the gentle waters at all times.

  We walk down the flank of the mountain, which leads down towards Kongenssoevn in an almost perfectly straight descent. The glacier has flattened the landscape, although it left behind many rocks and boulders that used to be trapped in the ice, scattering pieces of the mountains across the plains. Some have runic carvings on them, and others were sculpted into faces of prominent figures - according to the bard's explanations as we pass them.

  The sun reaches its zenith when we're on the final stretch of our journey right before the city walls. And what magnificent walls they are. Even from a distance, I can tell that they are well-maintained and manned with attentive patrols. The east-facing main gate, which we're approaching right now, is open and guarded by a group of half a dozen soldiers on either side. They're watching the people entering and leaving, sometimes inspecting those that travel by carriage, have a lot of merchandise, or carry weapons.

  The surrounding landscape has made way for fields, which lie barren due to the season; the harvest has already been completed, and the plain dwellers are waiting for winter to come down from the mountains, where it has already fully covered the summits in snow. The days have been growing noticeably shorter, too.

  When we approach the gate, the guards obviously stop us to ask for our reason to enter the city. Rolan has a sword at his hip, and Gram's large shield can't be missed either. While Luna's staff is less conspicuous, the fact that it's a mage's catalyst is evident due to the gems embedded in its tip.

  The biggest problem is Kamii. While her cursed arm hasn't barred us from any of the smaller cities and villages, the capital might have different rules regarding the handling of demonic corruption. And due to the still mild temperatures around here, she's not wearing her heavy cloak, which puts her right arm on full display.

  When she steps forward from behind me, the guard who first sees her draws his breath sharply. The expression on his face is a mix of surprise and mild disgust, but since he doesn't look alarmed, he most likely won't refuse us entry. He comes over to check on Kamii's arm, puts a hand on the top of his helmet, as if to keep it from flying off, before waving at a bearded man surveying everything from a small elevated platform.

  "Captain, you might wanna see this." He calls out to him. The captain wears the exact same suit of armor as all the other soldiers, except for a bronze embellishment on his right pauldron, which signifies his rank.

  "What is- oh." When the captain sees Kamii, his words get stuck in his throat. An expression of pity fills his face as he looks into the little dark elf's eyes. "Poor thing."

  "Is this going to be a problem?" Stepping between the man and Kamii, I ask in a defiant tone. I don't like the fact that he seems to be looking at her like one would regard a lame pet.

  "Ah, no." My attitude actually intimidates him a little, as he averts his eyes in embarrassment. I guess he noticed that his show of pity was out of line, considering the little dark elf appears to be doing quite well.

  "Can we pass then?" Taking a step forward and asking in a forceful tone, I try to cut this inspection short. "We're tired from our journey through the mountain and would like to rest."

  "Through the mountain?" Raising an eyebrow, the guard captain gives me a skeptical look, before shifting his gaze towards my companions.

  "That is right." The bard comes forward and speaks in a calming tone meant to ease the tension in the air. "We went through the former dwarven kingdom, and I need to inform you that the Bridge of Enleith has been destroyed."

  "The Graebern did that?" The captain turns to the bard and scratches his rugged beard with a troubled expression. "We'll have to notify the other side, lest there are others who try to go through that route and find themselves at a dead end. Could I ask you to come with me to file a report?"

  "Yes, if you let my friends pass, I'd be glad to accompany you right away." With a nod and a sly smile, the bard implies his compliance comes with the aforementioned cost. The guards exchange glances with each other, but ultimately it's their leader who decides.

  "Alright, you may pass." He furrows his brows but judges that getting the information right now is more important than checking a group of obvious adventurers. Still, he turns to Daica, whom he most likely identifies as Kamii's mother due to her mature appearance - even though she's actually the little sister - and adds a condition. "But please make sure that the young lady doesn't wander off on her own. In the capital, cursed people without their guardians will be taken into custody."

  I don't intend to leave Kamii alone in either case, but the fact that cursed people are being discriminated against like this doesn't sit well with me. But to expedite our entry into the city, I remain quiet about it and watch as Daica demonstratively puts an arm around the little dark elf's shoulder with a thoughtful gaze that tells me she understands the situation.

  Thus, with the bard staying behind to report at the guard post, we enter the capital. The bustling main street is wide enough to accommodate six carriages at once and leads all the way through the city, across a large square, to the bridge connecting to the island on which the citadel stands tall.

  At one glance I can tell that this place was built to last; all the houses are made of stone, unlike in the cities we passed on our journey. The streets are paved and clean, and most of all, I can see that they have a sewage system judging by grates covering holes in the ground. The only other city I've seen this in so far was Hovsgaerden - leaving aside the seemingly technologically superior Dominion, that is.

  Even though I thought that many things in this world were too much like in a fantasy story the architecture looks quite normal. Especially the palace, which I expected to have an obscene amount of impossibly tall towers that nobody would want to climb in real life, appears incredibly practical in design, with only one tower that juts out at more than twice the height of the second tallest one.

  Our final destination for the day is the adventurer guild, to deliver the package from Ingrid and register our relocation from Hovsgaerden. I doubt we'll do anything else after that for today or just go to sleep after that marathon through the mountain.

  As we walk down the main road, I notice that the people are staring at us unabashedly. We do make for a colorful procession, with Gram towering above most people by a head drawing the first looks. But after that, their eyes naturally stick onto Kamii and her right arm, as well as on the beautiful Daica. Some also notice Senka, whom I'm carrying in my arms, and give me unpleasant glances.

  While she has gotten used to crowded places, the little dark elf is clinging to me and seems intimidated by the sheer number of people. Judging by the size of this city when viewed from afar, it should have several times Hovsgaerden's number of inhabitants.

  "Kongenssoevn has a population of over eight hundred thousand people." Gram explains when I ask him. It's really little, compared to what I'm used to from my previous life, but for this world, it's a considerable number. Hovsgaerden is considered a capital on the other side of the mountains separating the Slaettermark and the Isdalen plains, but it only had one eight of that.


  When I remember the report about the Alliance Army losing six hundred thousand soldiers, I'm awed by how significant of a blow that must have been to the humans. It was a number close to this entire kingdom's capital city's population.

  Also, the whole nation has about fourteen million inhabitants.

  I don't know how big the kingdom is, but fourteen million is quite a small number when compared to Japan. Judging by the living standards outside of big cities and the fact that large-scale wars against the demons must happen frequently, I guess mortality rates are still pretty high. There don't seem to be that many old people, so the average age is much lower than that of modern-day nations.

  Overall, they don't have a proper healthcare system even when there's magic that can heal many wounds almost instantly. The main reason must be that light affinity is rare, and the church is keeping a monopoly on it. Our party is quite privileged to have me, then.

  The adventurer guild is located on the main city square just like the one in Hovsgaerden. It's much larger and looks much more impressive than any I've seen before, owing to the fact that this must be the central office of the entire guild network. The structure itself has all the makings of an official government building, with a set of marble stairs leading up to its two-winged mahogany door.

  However, the most remarkable feature is that to the right of the guild stands a large mausoleum seemingly cut from granite itself. All the other buildings around it were constructed at a respectful distance from its overbearingly monolithic shape as if fearing that its contents may spill out at any moment. But the entrance is open, and I see people going in and out wearing adventurer gear.

  "That must be the entrance to the Lost Tombs." Rolan comments in an awestruck tone. He mentioned it before when we were discussing our relocation to the capital, and it struck me as a name fitting for a dungeon. Now that I see it for myself, it's evident that it's exactly what it sounded like.

  Somehow I feel like I could clear it all with a single Libera Animar.

  "We are not going there right now. Come on." Luna nudges the leader with her elbow and walks ahead. He exchanges a glance with the big man and shrugs with a resigned smile.

  The inside of the guild hall is more lavishly decorated than the one in Hovsgaerden, with a hotel-like reception area and a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On the right-hand side stands a gallery of statues, most likely featuring famous people from both past and present. To our left is the actual gathering hall, where long dining tables and couches arranged in circles provide a communal space.

  Rolan and Luna head over to the receptionist to fulfill Ingrid's request, while I follow Gram towards the dining hall. It's past lunchtime, so there aren't many people lounging around in there, but the smell of food still lingers.

  "Let's get something to eat." I look at Daica and Kamii, and they both agree with nods of varying enthusiasm. The former, despite her appearance, eats as little as any normal dark elf. The latter is a prime adult specimen of her kind - except for the fact that she has a giant crab pincer in place of her right forearm - but she easily consumes as much as Gram does, if not more.

  "Shouldn't we wait for Sigurd?" The big man scratches the back of his head and gestures behind himself in the general direction of the gate we just entered the city through. Then his stomach grumbles and he covers it with one hand while looking at me with surprised round eyes.

  "He won't fault us for starting without him, especially since we only had a quite meager breakfast after we came out from The Maw." I grin at Gram and walk ahead. Since the path from the exit of the mountain to the capital takes only half a day, we decided to carry on so that we could rest in actual beds. That's why we ate a few dried rations on the move and skipped lunch to eat a proper big meal a couple of hours later.

  Needless to say, everyone is incredibly tired and hungry at this point, and even with a tireless body, I'm feeling mental exhaustion from staying up so long without rest. But for now, the smell of grilled meat is making my mouth water, and all thoughts about sleep are blown away by the prospect of finally getting some good food again - not to discredit the big man's home cooking skills.

  The two lovers join us shortly before the waitress brings the drinks and food we ordered. This establishment is on a different level compared to any we've been to before, featuring a large variety of dishes and quick service.

  Not long after we begin, the bard enters the guild hall, and Gram waves him over. He filled an extra plate in case the big eaters - Kamii and I - didn't leave anything before he arrived, and pushes it over to him.

  "Alright, it's official now." Rolan lifts his ale for a toast. "We're in Kongenssoevn, and we're here to stay!"

  We clink jugs and take big thirsty gulps. As always, the dark elves don't drink any alcohol, and the same is true for the half-elf Luna. It must be a physiological thing for them after all.

  In turn, I drink enough on my own to cover their share, even though I'm technically still three years from legal drinking age in Japan. I died and reincarnated into the body of a demon, so there's no point in worrying about conventions from my previous life anymore. After all, I've killed humans, too.

  "So, when do you want to go to the academy?" Rolan asks during the meal, directed at either Luna or me.

  "We still need to visit the Cathedral of Light and meet Arcelia Crux. I doubt that we will be able to enter the citadel without her written recommendation." Luna is the one who answers since I'm having a mouthful of the roast potato. I didn't know the academy was located within the citadel, but maybe the castle I saw was actually it. "But I believe we should rest for today and go tomorrow."

  "I agree." Swallowing the food in my mouth, I quickly add with a glance at Daica and Kamii. The latter doesn't show it as she chows down on her food, but they're both exhausted after the forced march through the entire night. Everybody hasn't slept for over thirty hours now, and it's becoming visible in how sluggish they move despite their seemingly high spirits.

  "Alright, we'll get rooms in the guild lodgings and take a good long rest today, before going to the Cathedral of Light first thing tomorrow." The leader makes the final decision on the matter.

  After dinner, we get our room keys and quickly separate into our groups. As always, Kamii and Daica are staying with me, while the two lovebirds get one room and the two men get another. Tonight nobody is thinking about doing anything steamy, and after taking baths in turn - with the two sisters going in together and then me cleaning myself and Senka - everybody heads to bed immediately.

  As I look up at the unfamiliar ceiling thinking about the events since the last time I slept, excitement wells up inside me. The encounter with the Graebern was quite dangerous for my companions, so I shouldn't look back at it as some light-hearted fun. But if I hadn't died and come to this world, I would have never experienced something like this.

  Turning my head, I gaze upon Daica in the bed next to the one I share with Kamii. Both dark elves have fallen asleep already and are breathing rhythmically. I'm sure they both could have done without this excitement, but it'll be an event the bard can spin a legend around. And to me at least, being part of something like that does sound quite enticing.

  I find myself drifting into sleep, as I stroke Kamii's hair and listen to her soft breaths.

  The next morning we leave the room and go to the guild hall for breakfast. The two dark elves look well-rested, and the fatigue from the all-nighter marathon has disappeared after sleeping for more than half a day. But now Daica is complaining about sore muscles and back pains. I have an idea about where the latter is coming from when I glance at her chest, which can easily rival Maou-mama's.

  "Do you want a massage?" I wiggle my fingers at the big dark elf suggestively and grin.

  "N-no, it's alright." With a blush, she refuses my offer and quickly walks ahead of me. She's easily embarrassed and will make decisions unfavorable to her when pressed even slightly. From the tips of her ears, which are turn
ing reddish-purple, I can tell that she actually wanted to receive a massage from me.

  "I want one." Kamii tugs on my arm with her normal left hand and looks up at me with a straightforward gaze. She has been quite outspoken about receiving favors and coddling from me and is becoming increasingly proactive in bed as well.

  "I'll give you one later then." Although I meant it as a joke when I offered it to Daica, now that her older sister has asked me for it I can only comply. I have a sweet spot for her after all.

  When we arrive at the bottom of the stairs, the first person I notice is Rolan. He's standing at the notice board, already looking for jobs. I'm sure seeing the entrance to the Lost Tombs has ignited the adventurer flame in his heart.

  "Hey leader, don't forget our goals for today." I say as I walk past him. He spins around in surprise and blinks at me.

  "A-ah yeah." Scratching the back of his head, he follows me to the table where Gram and the bard are already sitting with Luna. It seems that they have already finished their meals and were waiting for me and the others.

  We quickly begin with our breakfast, consisting of eggs sunny-side up, sweet bread and jam, and a guild special yogurt. I'm impressed at the quality and can't help but wonder just how much all this costs. The leader is taking care of the party funds after all.

  Then it dawns on me: He was looking at the quest board because he understands that if we stay here without finding work, we'll run out of money quickly. I guess we do need to stock up a little before I can go off to the academy with Luna - this party would lose both their main damage dealer and their healer.

  "After we get the letter of recommendation from Lady Crux, we can take a look into the Lost Tombs. I'm quite interested in it, too." I make sure not to show that I've seen through his troubles and casually remark while eating.

  "Oh, that would be great!" But Rolan's almost desperate quickness in replying ruins my attempt at tact. Acting like I didn't notice it, I smile at him while thinking that Luna must have it pretty hard with his sometimes thickheaded behavior.