Chapter 30: Entering the Capital
Thud!
The man’s body crashed to the ground, and he instantly lost consciousness.
"She has improved. At the very least, she has already passed through her first Trait evolution," Selak said with a smile.
Bama noticed the curiosity in the Maiden’s eyes and stepped forward.
"Maiden, don’t be surprised. The people in the capital are already used to seeing her. Her name is Hesa, and she’s the daughter of a Count. She worked her way up from an academy in a Zone Two city before eventually making her way to the capital. Her talent was obvious, and she has now joined the army. In fact, she is directly under the branch of the army that our family controls."
Bama spoke proudly, clearly expecting the Maiden’s eyes to light up.
Instead, Ronan merely nodded.
"Ah..." Bama’s expression became slightly awkward.
’What am I even being proud of?’
’I should probably learn from her. She isn’t particularly interested in showing off, nor does she constantly brag about herself.’
He sighed.
’I’ve been doing that this entire time.’
Still, he quickly smiled again.
"She’s said to become the next ’Jani.’"
Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Jani.
That was the name of Bama’s second sister, the one bama briefly mentioned when he bragged about his father.
"They say that, in the future, the three of them will lead the Destal Kingdom to greatness," Bama said, his voice filled with admiration.
Three?
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
Who was the third person?
Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask.
"Well, the third person is also my blood relation..." Bama laughed. "My eldest brother."
As they left the military base, Ronan’s heart skipped a beat.
His mind immediately began sorting through everything he had just learned.
First... The Duke family controls a portion of the army.
Second... Bama has two siblings.
Ronan still didn’t know what positions they held or where they currently were, but judging from everything Bama had said, neither of them could possibly be insignificant.
Damn. Isn’t this a jackpot?
This family was ridiculously powerful.
If Ronan were still human, he would probably have jumped for joy.
Didn’t this mean he had found himself an enormous backing?
But then reality struck him.
He was an undead.
And that made everything different.
The stronger Bama’s family became, the more dangerous his situation became.
If they ever discovered what he truly was...
Ronan didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.
What could he do about it?
Nothing.
For now, he could only follow along.
---
"So, here is the capital," Bama said with a smile as they left the military base with the guards.
Wow.
Truly...
Wow.
Ronan was completely stunned by what stood before him.
The first thing he noticed was the sheer size.
The capital was enormous.
Massive walls surrounded the city, but unlike the defensive walls of Sanju City, these were covered in beautiful carvings, golden runes, and enormous statues of powerful warriors and mythical creatures.
They didn’t merely protect the city.
They seemed to proclaim its greatness.
Beyond the walls stretched a city so vast that Ronan couldn’t see where it ended.
Towering buildings rose into the sky, some reaching hundreds of meters high.
Grand residences with enormous gardens stood alongside luxurious commercial districts, while countless streets stretched throughout the city like veins.
Floating platforms moved slowly between the taller buildings.
Some carried carriages, while others transported groups of awakened humans.
There were even enormous magical beasts flying along designated pathways through the sky.
Ronan’s crimson eyes moved constantly.
There was simply too much to take in.
On one side stood a massive building covered in golden symbols.
On the other stood an enormous arena surrounded by thousands of seats.
Farther away, Ronan could see what appeared to be a gigantic academy. Its buildings were so enormous that it almost looked like an entire city within the city.
And then there were the noble residences.
They weren’t ordinary houses.
They were gigantic estates, some larger than entire villages, surrounded by walls, gardens, training grounds, artificial lakes, and private roads.
Everywhere Ronan looked, he saw people.
Merchants conducting their businesses.
Adventurers carrying weapons and returning from expeditions.
Healers dressed in distinctive robes.
Alchemists transporting sealed containers.
Awakened creatures being led through the streets.
Nobles traveling in luxurious carriages surrounded by guards.
And above them all...
Powerful auras filled the capital.
Transcendent Realm.
Sovereign Realm.
And, for the first time, Ronan sensed more than twenty King Realm auras in one place.
He couldn’t help but swallow.
Was this the human world?
Ronan lowered his gaze toward his feet.
His eyes fell upon the simple boots he was wearing and the clean silver pavement beneath them.
Everything around him was a reminder of the wealth and power concentrated within this city.
This was the capital.
The heart of the Destal Kingdom.
The place where the kingdom’s wealth, military, nobles, academies, guilds, and most influential families gathered.
Compared to this place, Sanju City suddenly felt like a small village.
Ronan’s eyes slowly moved toward the center of the capital.
There, rising above everything else, stood an enormous structure.
A colossal palace dominated the center of the city, dwarfing everything around it.
Its towers pierced the clouds, while countless formations covered its surface.
Golden light flowed through the ancient runes carved into its walls.
Even from this distance, Ronan could feel an oppressive aura radiating from it.
The Royal Palace.
The home of the Royal Family of the Destal Kingdom.
And beside it stood another enormous structure.
The Duke’s Mansion.
The two buildings stood like twin peaks rising from two different mountains, each representing one of the two greatest powers in the kingdom.
Ronan suddenly felt a strange sensation.
Not long ago, he had been running from the Abyss, dressing like a woman, and desperately trying to gather information from a small inn.
Now...
He had entered the capital without even realizing it.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Ronan felt as though he had truly stepped into the human world.
Unfortunately, he had no idea that before this day was over, he would discover that the capital was nowhere near as peaceful as it appeared.
Because while this was the magnificent heart of the Destal Kingdom...
It was also the dwelling place of countless old foxes.
And beneath the calm surface of the capital, a fierce power struggle was already unfolding.
The storm surrounding the Duke’s Mansion had already begun.