Chapter 22: The City Lord’s Hospitality
Ronan followed the two back toward the city lord’s mansion as they left the suburbs and entered the inner city.
The guards became more frequent.
The houses also changed, becoming more exquisite and grander as they increased in size.
Back in the outer city, the guards stationed around the gates had been at the peak of the Mortal Realm.
These guards, however, were One-Star and Two-Star Transcendent experts.
Even their armor had changed, from bronze to silver.
The heavy pressure radiating from their bodies made it obvious that they were fundamentally different from the guards in the outer city.
Ronan couldn’t help but tense up again.
It felt as though he were walking straight into a lion’s den.
Selak was a Peak Sovereign Realm expert, and Ronan was certain that there would be at least one or two other Sovereign Realm experts stationed at the city lord’s mansion.
"Greetings, Young Master."
"Greetings, Sir Selak."
As they approached the city lord’s mansion, the guards they passed greeted them one after another.
Selak merely nodded in response.
Bama, however, was completely different.
He walked beside Ronan, enthusiastically introducing everything around them.
He talked about the small nobles’ district, the ongoing construction of an Adventurer’s Guild, and various other things.
Slowly, the human world was being introduced to Ronan.
But it wasn’t enough.
At the very least, the city couldn’t answer some of the questions Ronan wanted answers to.
However, Bama noticed that the Maiden was actually listening to him.
He smiled.
For the first time, he had genuinely noticed something that seemed to interest her.
Could it be that she came from a distant kingdom and had traveled all the way to the Destal Kingdom just to see how things were here?
"I have to tell her more... especially about all the beautiful things in our kingdom."
Bama couldn’t help but think excitedly.
But before he could say anything else, they had already arrived.
The city lord’s mansion soon came into view.
It was a large, elegant compound surrounded by tall stone walls, with several buildings arranged around a spacious courtyard. The main residence stood at the center, its broad entrance guarded by silver-armored soldiers.
It was far more luxurious than the surrounding buildings, but it lacked the overwhelming grandeur of a truly powerful noble family’s estate.
It wasn’t merely a mansion.
It was the seat of the city’s authority.
Just as they arrived, a chubby middle-aged man hurried over with several guards trailing behind him.
"Young Master..."
The city lord bowed deeply.
Bama didn’t seem surprised.
If not for the fact that he had wanted to accompany Selak personally, and the fact that this city required a Peak Sovereign Realm expert to guard the gateway, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.
Besides, the Duke had interacted with the city lord once or twice before and was willing to assist him when necessary.
"Young Master, you don’t have to worry. The entire city has been locked down. No one is allowed to leave or enter."
"By tomorrow at the latest, her head will be before you," the city lord hurriedly promised, seemingly unconcerned about how desperate he sounded.
He simply wanted everything to go smoothly.
Only he knew what would happen to him if the Duke’s son lost his life in his city.
It would be a miracle if the Duke’s family merely punished him.
If the worst happened, his entire city could be wiped from the surface of the earth.
"We don’t want her dead," Selak said coldly. "By tomorrow, bring her here alive and restrained."
Hearing this. The city lord was surprised but he still nodded, if that was what he had to do to survive this crisis then it was the least he could do.
"Yes, yes, Sir Selak!"
The city lord nodded repeatedly before forcing a smile.
"Please, I invite Young Master and Sir Selak to rest here for the night. I promise that by morning, I will have the assassin brought before you."
He struck his chest as he made the promise.
Selak merely nodded.
The group then entered the mansion.
Guards were stationed at every corner.
Ronan’s eyes swept across the surroundings.
As expected, there were several Transcendent experts.
And then...
His tiny heart nearly jumped.
He faintly sensed two powerful auras.
They were both weaker than Selak’s, but there was no doubt about it.
They were Sovereign Realm experts.
Ronan was far from calm.
He only wanted to leave this place.
And stay as far away from Bama as possible.
It seemed that having Bama around was constantly disrupting his plans.
But when Ronan thought about it...
"I was even far away from him, yet I was still dragged into this mess."
It seemed that whenever he saw Bama, he had to run as far away as his legs could carry him.
That day, Ronan made a daring realization.
Unfortunately, he had no idea that in the distant future, he would try exactly that...
And fail miserably.
---
"Please, Maiden. This is your room."
A young woman dressed in a standard maid’s uniform introduced the room with a respectful bow.
To the servants of the mansion, this was a guest of the Duke’s son.
Naturally, she had to be treated with the utmost respect.
Even though they couldn’t give her the best room—that was reserved for Bama—they had still prepared one of the finest guest rooms in the mansion.
It was a room that even the city lord himself cherished.
Ronan looked at the maid calmly.
If he could speak, he might have actually asked for her name.
And perhaps...
Her number.
...
Since arriving in this world, this was probably the first woman Ronan had genuinely considered worthy of being added to his har—
Cough.
His goddess list.
She possessed smooth, fair skin that looked almost flawless beneath the soft light.
Her delicate eyebrows framed a pair of dark eyes that were calm yet captivating, while her small, rosy lips added a subtle charm to her already beautiful features.
Her long eyelashes made her eyes even more striking, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.
She was undeniably beautiful.
But what truly caught Ronan’s attention was her figure.
She possessed a graceful, well-proportioned body, with gentle curves that gave her an elegance that was difficult to overlook.
Even beneath her modest maid’s uniform, it was obvious that she had been blessed with an exceptionally attractive figure.
Ronan glanced at the maid several times, causing her cheeks to gradually redden.
There was something about Ronan that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Perhaps it was the mystery surrounding the Crimson-Eyed Maiden.
Or perhaps it was simply those captivating crimson eyes.
"Ah..."
The maid’s breath became slightly warmer as her imagination began to wander.
But... we’re both women.
She quickly tried to suppress the strange thoughts that had suddenly appeared in her mind.
Meanwhile, Ronan simply walked into the room, completely unaware of what was going through her head.
Once inside, however, his tiny heart suddenly jumped.
His crimson eyes widened.
"What is this?"