Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139844749354720
The carriage swayed heavily and slowly reduced its speed.
“—We’ve arrived, young master.”
The coachman’s voice came from outside. The next moment, as if the wheels had climbed onto cobblestones, the vibrations transmitted through the carriage changed to smaller, harder ones. The sound of horses’ hooves from outside also echoed clearly.
“Wow…!”
Yu leaned out the window and exclaimed in awe.
His gaze fell upon the city walls encircling the town. The enormous white walls towered skyward, as if cutting through the sky itself. Their height was so immense that neither Yu nor Ciel could even see the top, leaving them both gaping in astonishment.
“What… is this? It’s more like a fortress than a town.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded at Ciel’s words.
“Guess it’s a fortress city. Built to intercept monsters spilling out of the labyrinth.”
The walls encircling the city were thick enough to be several houses wide. Ballistae were mounted atop the towers, and fully armed sentry soldiers kept watch around the clock. Given the location, it was essentially under constant high alert.
“I thought the royal capital would be more… glittering…”
“Unfortunately, this is reality. Well, once we get to the middle levels, I think the view will be what you expected. Just hang in there until then.”
Even as we talked, the carriage arrived at the gate. But—.
“Whoa, so many people…!”
Yu couldn’t help but gasp.
A long line snaked before the castle gate. Merchant carts. Caravans laden with materials. Groups of adventurers, and even boys and girls who looked like students, just like us.
It must be the entrance screening. Soldiers stopped each person and inspected their belongings.
“How long do we have to wait for this…?”
“Looks like it’ll be sunset…”
Yu and Ciel muttered, looking utterly disheartened, when suddenly—
One of the soldiers standing before the gate noticed us and approached.
His gaze fixed on the side of the carriage. The moment he recognized the engraved crest—the Duke of Arkberg’s family emblem, resembling a sword and wings combined—his posture snapped straight.
“——!! Let them through! It’s the Duke of Arkberg’s carriage!”
He saluted hurriedly, then immediately began giving orders.
Naturally, the surrounding crowd murmured in surprise, but they began moving according to the soldier’s instructions. The long line split wide to the left and right, instantly creating a dedicated path just for us.
The gate guards gave a slight nod and allowed us to pass through without further ado.
No checkpoint, no luggage inspection. Pure face pass.
“…………”
“…………”
I felt piercing stares from the seats across from me.
The culprits, of course, were Yuu and Ciel.
“Rai-san?”
“Hm?”
“You… no, Your Highness?”
“Could it be… you’re from some incredibly important family?”
At their questions, I let out a soft chuckle.
Crossing my legs, I rested my elbows on the window frame and propped my cheek up with a clenched fist. The pose was something a pompous villain’s son might strike.
It suited me perfectly, didn’t it? I looked every bit the villain.
“—If that’s the case, what are you going to do?”
I said it on a whim, just for fun, and the life drained right out of their faces.
They turned ashen, looking like they were about to bow their heads any second.
“Pfft, ahahahaha!! You don’t need to worry that much. Sure, I was born into a duke’s family, but the important ones are my father and mother. And the many ancestors before me. I’m just a spoiled brat riding on their coattails.”
Their reactions were so amusing that my act fell apart instantly.
Laughing heartily, I explained this to them. Their eyes immediately shifted to Leine. Their silent question seemed to say, ‘Is that really true?’ Since we’d mentioned being commoners during the journey, they probably trusted her more than me.
Under their combined gaze, Linee gave a wry smile and shook her head.
“Lord Rai says so, but he’s a distinguished figure, the confirmed next head of the Arkberg family. Besides, the Arkberg ducal house itself is one of the kingdom’s foremost noble families, isn’t it?”
“Lienee? I won’t deny my family’s noble status, but I’m not that distinguished, am I?”
“That’s not true at all! Everyone in the mansion, from the servants to the lady and master of the house, said there’s no one as admirable as you, Lord Rai!”
The fact that the investigation was limited to the mansion itself made it feel rather unreliable.
Still, betrayed even by their last hope, Line, the two turned even paler. They seemed to be holding their breath, but that was probably just their imagination, right?
“Wh-why… why are you talking normally with people like us…?”
“Was it bad that I’ve been using informal speech until now…?”
“Hey, stop it. Don’t suddenly put distance between us.”
They hurriedly returned to their original posture.
“I told you already. I’m just a student like you two. My family background has nothing to do with my abilities. I just happened to be born into it.”
“…But—”
“You don’t need to use honorifics either. Just keep talking like before. Otherwise, it’s hard for me to speak.”
That was my true feeling. I didn’t like people being overly considerate.
Besides, if ‘these two’ put distance between us, it would be lonely. Even if it’s through a screen, they’re like allies who’ve saved the world together countless times. It’s only natural to want to be friends normally.
“…………”
“…………”
After several seconds of silence.
“…Then let’s keep things as they were. Rai.”
Yu scratched his cheek and smiled.
“I’ll drop the honorifics too.”
Ciel smiled and said the same.
“Yeah. Please.”
Just as the usual atmosphere finally returned, the carriage slowly passed through the castle gates.
The moment they stepped inside the heavy iron doors—the air changed completely.
“…Whoa.”
Ciel was the first to let out a gasp.
The townscape spread out before them, filling their vision. Stone buildings stood packed tightly together, every single street filled with people.
“Welcome! Buy healing potions in bulk and get 10G off!”
“Three skewers for 5G! Student discounts too!”
“Weapon repairs done today!”
The cacophony of every conceivable sound of daily life, even through the window barrier, assaulted our ears with its sheer intensity. The game had depicted it as a noisy place, but experiencing it firsthand was entirely different from seeing it on screen.
Beyond that, bloodstained armor and what appeared to be a monster’s massive horn caught my eye.
Glowing ore and figures resembling adventurers being carried on stretchers also came into view.
(This feels less like a royal capital and more like a battlefield supply hub…)
Though this city, Astraea, is known to the world as the royal capital, its reality is closer to a frontline base.
The royal castle and the academy certainly exist, but the stronger impression is that of a city coexisting with the labyrinth.
Since ancient times, an abnormal number of labyrinths have appeared around this city.
The reason remains unexplained, and the game itself offers no hint of an answer.
It just suddenly appears, gaping open.
The adventurers’ job is to delve into such labyrinths and defeat the ‘Core’ awaiting at their deepest depths. Once the Core is slain, the labyrinth naturally vanishes.
Along the way, they bring back magic stones and ores born within, medicinal herbs, and monster materials.
That is the adventurers’ work—and it is also the very foundation of this nation’s economy.
Resources from the labyrinth are used to forge weapons, brew potions, and build the city.
It’s an ironic symbiosis: fighting the labyrinth while living off its bounty. That’s precisely why this city is overflowing with adventurers.
It’s dangerous, but the work never ends. Put simply, it’s a ‘city where you can make money’.
“More like a giant adventurer’s guild than a royal capital,”
Yu muttered quietly.
“The entrance is pretty much like this. It’s basically a market.”
Stall vendors, blacksmiths, butchers, buying houses. It’s a motley mix, to say the least.
But as you pass through this market and venture deeper, the clamor gradually fades, and the scenery changes considerably.
“Somehow, it suddenly feels like a royal capital, doesn’t it?”
“It feels like we’ve entered a different city…”
“Yeah, exactly…”
As the three commoners each voiced their impressions, the coachman’s words, “We’ve arrived,” signaled the carriage coming to a complete stop. The coachman opened the door, and we stepped outside.
The ground beneath our feet was polished white stone pavement.
Street trees stood in even rows, and seasonal flowers bloomed in the flowerbeds.
The people walking the streets were like another world. Not a single adventurer in armor was in sight. Instead, we saw boys and girls dressed in well-tailored clothes, dresses, and uniforms.
“…When I heard ‘royal capital,’ this is probably what I imagined.”
“The entrance was practically a battlefield. That’d give you the worst impression of the royal capital, wouldn’t it?”
Ciel shrugged her shoulders.
I get it. I felt the same way when I first played the game. I was all excited, wondering, ‘What’s the royal capital like?’ But the moment I entered, I was hit with a scene straight out of a fantasy tavern, and I remember feeling utterly deflated.
(Well, once you get used to it, that atmosphere isn’t so bad, though.)
As I was thinking about this, the coachman called out, ‘Young Master.’
Turning around, I saw him holding his hat to his chest, his expression unusually serious.
“I have a message from your father.”
“From Father?”
“Yes.”
For just an instant, the surrounding clamor seemed to fade away.
“He said… ‘Take care of your fiancée.’”
A few short words. Yet the instant I heard that message, her image flashed through my mind. She had become a solitary figure precisely because of her brilliance… but in truth, she was the most delicate and vulnerable girl of all.
I let out a soft chuckle and smiled back at the coachman.
“I understand. I’ll survive this year alongside her.”
“… Please take care of yourself.”
Turning my back on the bowing coachman, I started walking.
Before me stood a colossal white structure.
Numerous spires pierced the sky, and the pure white walls shone beautifully in the sunlight, reminiscent of a temple. With its manicured gardens and what appeared to be a training ground, it resembled a castle more than an academy.
(Well, here we are…)
A slight flutter stirred deep within his chest.
A mix of nostalgia and tension. A premonition of the story about to begin. Feeling this strange, tangled sensation, he stepped into the stage of the game ‘CHOICE//MAZE’—the Royal Arcadian Academy of Magic.
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