After a long and arduous journey, the travel-worn carriage finally arrived at the capital of the Kingdom.
Because of the upcoming Swordsmanship Tournament, the atmosphere in the Royal Capital was very lively.
After paying the entry fee,
the carriage slowly drove into the Kingdom's capital.
Many patrolling guards could be seen on the streets.
At times like this, many people from out of town, and even foreigners, would come to visit. Even the Noble Faction didn't want outsiders to see the bad side of the Kingdom. Moreover, this country inherently had a rather distorted external etiquette; they would try their best to display their elegant and noble side to outside visitors.
The soldiers' armor looked very nice, making them seem like sons of noble families. They certainly looked impressive on the surface, but it was hard to say how much strength they actually possessed.
Tsukasa opened the window to look at these soldiers outside.
Her evaluation was just one word: Weak!
These people were simply too weak.
They weren't even as good as Goblins.
Hanta spoke to the personage inside the carriage: "My Lord, we have arrived at the Kingdom's capital."
"Understood. Let's find an inn to book rooms first. Can you find one?" Tsukasa looked at the bustling city and thought of her experiences in modern society where she couldn't book a room when traveling during holidays. Even modern society occasionally encountered such situations, let alone this backward society. Back then, she could at least run to a high-end hotel to book a room, but now she highly doubted if there were any inns in this Royal Capital with vacant rooms left.
Don't ask her why she didn't go with a tour group or why she didn't book a hotel in advance back then; everyone has their moments of stupidity. The price was that she, who originally intended to save money, paid exorbitant accommodation fees at the time. Since then, she never went traveling during holidays again, mostly looking for off-peak periods when hotels and local prices were having low-price promotions before she would consider going.
"I can. I've already made arrangements in advance."
As an experienced driver, Hanta indicated this was all a small matter. He had already written to a friend who ran an inn here, asking him to reserve three vacant rooms.
"Then I'll leave everything to you."
Tsukasa was very satisfied with Hanta's service. All matters along the way were arranged neatly and without a single flaw. Although traveling by carriage was a bit boring, the journey was quite comfortable, and they passed through many places.
"Please rest assured and leave it to me!"
The carriage arrived in front of a well-decorated inn. From the outside, one could see that business was very good. As soon as they arrived, a staff member responsible for receiving guests immediately walked over and said to them, "I'm very sorry, but our inn is currently full."
Hanta noticed the two gazes behind him and quickly said, "I booked three spots in advance. Didn't your boss tell you about it?"
The staff member remembered that there was indeed such a thing and asked, "May I ask for the name you registered under?"
"Hanta the Coachman."
Perhaps there were many people with the same name as him, but there certainly wasn't anyone with the same name, also a coachman, and who booked the same inn. Even if there was, his old friend wouldn't mistake him, unless that person looked exactly like him.
"Yes, there is such a booking. Please come in, esteemed guests. The boss is inside. Please leave the carriage to me." The staff member pulled
the carriage towards the back of the inn.
There was a place to park carriages behind this inn.
However, only distinguished guests received such treatment.
Ordinary guests had to find places that charged for parking themselves. These places were usually near horse vendors, and the fees weren't particularly expensive.
But this was, after all, the capital of the Kingdom, so the prices were definitely much higher than elsewhere.
However, it was definitely more affordable than the inn, because the inn's prices were based on the consumption level.
If you weren't spending a lot, it really wasn't recommended to let the inn help look after these things.
They walked into the inn, and the aroma of roasted meat and baked bread was immediately very tempting. The boss, who was recording accounts at the counter, looked up and, upon seeing Hanta, walked over with a big smile. The two grown men, who hadn't seen each other for years, excitedly hugged and patted each other's backs.
"Hanta, it's really been a long time. I can't believe you're still working as a coachman."
"Hey, I'm also an Adventurer!"
The two laughed and playfully punched each other.
Hanta introduced his current passengers to the boss: "These two are important figures from our side."
"You wrote about it in your letter. I've heard much about you."
"Hello."
Tsukasa and Alice didn't appear very affectionate.
However, the boss found this normal. After all, the person in front of him was an important figure from the Empire. It was already a great honor for his shop to be able to host them, and he didn't dare to dream of having the opportunity to forge any connections with such a prominent person.
"I'll take you to see your rooms."
The boss led them to the third floor.
This entire floor had the best rooms in the inn.
However, his inn was only small to medium-sized, so rooms of presidential suite caliber were basically out of the question, but overall, it was still quite satisfactory.
Seeing that Tsukasa and Alice had both gone in to check their rooms.
Only then did the boss pull Hanta aside at the door and ask, "Do you want to take a hot shower first, then eat something?"
"Sure, old pal, remember to bring out your best dishes," Hanta said with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll cook myself."
"Then I'm in for a treat today."
"Are there any preferred or disliked flavors?"
"Hmm, I don't think so. Don't assume that esteemed adult is as unreasonable as a pampered young lady. If I had to say, the adult probably prefers meat dishes."
"That's quite a surprise, but if you hadn't told me in advance, I really wouldn't have imagined that the Empire's famous Sword Saint would be such an exquisite beauty."
The boss went downstairs to prepare hot water and food.
Hanta walked towards his room.
He had a clear understanding of his role.
He was just a coachman and helper; he shouldn't disturb the esteemed adult without reason. When something came up, the esteemed adult would naturally call for him.
In Tsukasa's room.
Alice meticulously checked it from top to bottom.
Only then did she allow Tsukasa to sit down.
"Master, there are no problems here."
"…"
Tsukasa had told Alice several times at first that she didn't need to be so suspicious, but seeing her persist, she stopped saying anything later.
Seeing her silent, Alice asked again, "Master, do you need me to go out and gather information?"
Tsukasa's action of pouring water stopped.
She sighed.
"Alice, you don't need to do this. Get some good rest and treat it as a trip. Just leave these matters to Hanta. He's more convenient than us for this kind of thing. You don't need to feel bad."
Hanta was, after all, an experienced Adventurer.
His experience in this area would definitely surpass theirs.
Moreover, her and Alice's appearance was not suitable for such tasks, as they would attract too much attention.
Alice was a bit displeased upon hearing her words.
She felt that her job had been taken by Hanta.
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