At the knight's sudden shout, attention briefly converged.
Despite the surrounding gazes, the knight quickly dismounted and approached Lucian.
"Why are you standing in line here? If you'd gone ahead, I could have let you pass through immediately…!"
"Pardon me, but who are you? I don't believe I know you, sir."
"I took part in the previous suppression of the rebellion alongside Commander Yurgen. We never spoke, so Lord Lucian likely wouldn't recognize me."
I see—so he was one of the other knights at Yurgen's side.
Then he must have witnessed firsthand the feats Lucian displayed when he rushed in to rescue the First Prince.
It was understandable, then, why he showed such respect not to the family, but to Lucian himself.
Sensing the number of eyes continuing to gather, Lucian lowered his voice as much as possible.
"In truth, this isn't an official visit on behalf of my family, but a personal one. I didn't wish to make a scene. I also heard rumors that if I waited a bit, I'd be able to enter soon, so I was standing here."
"Ah… you chose an unfortunate time to visit."
Clicking his tongue briefly, the knight glanced around.
Fortunately, although attention had been drawn, Lucian's identity had not yet been exposed.
After a moment of consideration, the knight leaned close and whispered into Lucian's ear.
"Please follow me. I'll let you in first."
"I would prefer to avoid drawing attention from those around us, if possible…"
"There's a separate gate used in urgent situations. If you enter through there, you won't have anyone tailing you."
Lucian's eyes flashed open.
If there truly was a separate gate like that, then even if it briefly drew attention, no one would be able to follow him afterward.
Those who might have chased after him out of curiosity would fail to find Lucian and quickly lose interest.
"But would it really be acceptable for me to use such a gate? From what I hear, it sounds like a hidden entrance unknown to most."
"It's not exactly a secret passage. Access is simply forbidden to anyone not involved. Still, for someone of your standing, Lord Lucian, permission will be easily granted."
"Are you certain? If permission isn't granted and I'm sent back, that would be a laughingstock in its own way."
"The person in charge is Commander Yurgen."
Ah, then that settles it.
Yurgen was someone who owed Lucian quite a bit from their time in the allied forces.
Lucian had left a good impression until the very end, so if he asked, he would surely be waved through immediately.
"Very well. Then I'll trouble you."
***
Lucian and Raymond left the line under the knight's guidance.
The gazes that had followed them gradually subsided as the distance increased.
Once they were far enough away, Lucian glanced back to confirm the spot where he had originally been standing.
Just as the merchant had said, it was a location that made entering within a single day utterly impossible.
"What? It'll shorten soon? I nearly fell asleep staring at the stars."
"How was I supposed to know the procedures would suddenly become so strict? Before, it really did move quickly!"
Raymond protested fervently, wearing an expression full of grievance.
The knight, who had been listening to the two of them talk, gave a wry smile.
"You're not wrong. If it were before, you really would have been able to get in quickly. Your timing was unfortunate."
"The tightening of identity checks—is it because Krepfeld broke the Grand Pact?"
"Yes. Now that the Grand Pact has been broken, there's no telling what methods those bastards might resort to."
The Grand Pact was, strictly speaking, an unwritten rule to be upheld on the battlefield, but the fact that it had been honored across the entire continent for hundreds of years gave it immense weight.
To break such a pact meant that Krepfeld had thrown away both honor and dignity.
"Assassination attempts would be the least of it. Even acts too vile to put into words wouldn't be surprising. In the worst case, even the innocent citizens of the capital could be dragged down with them. To prevent that, we're in a situation where thorough identity verification is necessary."
Lucian nodded quietly.
To think that someone who broke the Grand Pact wouldn't send assassins?
That was like believing a black mage who used humans as sacrifices would refrain from violence.
"A properly trained assassin would breeze through identity checks, but the more filters we have to catch impurities, the better. If we manage to catch even one by chance, strengthening inspections will have been worth it."
"Just as you say. With security being so critical right now, it's a natural measure."
"Thank you for your understanding. Ah—we're here."
The knight stopped at a section of the city wall.
At the sight of the smooth stone wall, seemingly devoid of anything, Lucian blinked.
Was there really supposed to be an entrance here?
At that moment, the knight firmly pressed one of the patterns carved into the wall.
Clatter. Click.
"Do not mock the dragon's wing just because it is thin."
Along with the sound of a mechanism activating, a voice came from within the wall.
Lucian had been wondering how a voice could possibly be heard through such thick stone—only to realize that a small opening had formed before his eyes.
Shouting through the opening—so small that not even a forearm could pass through—the knight called out.
"With those thin wings, the dragon surveys every mountain in the world."
"State your affiliation."
Once the passphrase was accepted, another round of identity verification followed from beyond the opening.
Seemingly accustomed to this, the knight replied in a light tone.
"I am Glenio of the Black Scale Knight Order. While on patrol, I encountered an honored guest and came this way instead of using the main gate."
"An honored guest? You brought an outsider here knowing full well that entry is forbidden to anyone not authorized?"
The voice that came back was steeped in irritation.
It sounded ready to shut everything down at a moment's notice, but Knight Glen didn't so much as blink.
"That's correct."
"And just who is this 'honored guest' that you'd break even basic regulations for?"
"Lord Lucian. You must have seen him yourself on the battlefield."
Clank. Click. Clack.
Instead of a reply, the sound of machinery echoed.
As the small opening closed, the individual bricks of the city wall began to part.
Moments later, once it was fully open, a gap wide enough for five mounted riders appeared.
"Please, go on in."
Lucian and Raymond exchanged a brief glance before stepping inside.
Taking in the thickness of the wall and the intricacy of the mechanisms, Lucian couldn't help but feel impressed.
I thought that since there was a mechanism, it would be a weak point against impact—but like this, unless they open it from the other side, there's no way anyone's getting in.
"Lord Lucian!"
As soon as he entered through the city wall, the knights waiting on the other side swiftly removed their helmets and bowed deeply.
Faced with such utmost courtesy, Lucian hurriedly dismounted and tried to stop them.
"Please, that's enough. Such excessive treatment only puts me in an awkward position."
"How could this be excessive? Even now, the day you came to rescue His Highness the First Prince—and us—remains vividly etched in our minds."
Seeing the knights' bright, shining eyes, Lucian gave a wry smile.
To them, it seemed Lucian looked like a budding hero.
With them like this, no amount of protest would change anything.
Lucian gave up and decided to lean on their goodwill.
"If that's how you feel, then please help me finish my business quietly and return. This isn't an official visit, so I'd rather not cause a commotion if possible."
"Of course. We'll take care of your horses, so please take your time looking around the capital. Ah—this as well."
The knight pulled something from his chest and held it out to Lucian.
When Lucian accepted it, he saw a bronze token engraved with a black dragon's claw.
"With the recent war, the atmosphere in the capital has been unsettled. Inspections have been tightened considerably, so if you wish to avoid unnecessary trouble, please present this token. In most cases, they'll let you pass without issue."
"Thank you for your kindness."
After taking a token for Raymond as well, Lucian entered the capital under the knights' guidance.
The inside of the wall connected to a training ground outside the quarters of the Black Scale Knight Order.
If someone wandered in here without knowing any better, they'd be discovered by knights in the middle of training and cut down in no time.
"So it really is a secret passage. Are you sure this is a publicly known place?"
"To be precise, it's been public for about fifty years. There's no reason to advertise it, so we keep people quiet about it—but those who need to know, know."
In other words, it hadn't been intentionally revealed—rather, it had been exposed, and they'd had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to go to such lengths to hide an entrance in the city wall for hundreds of years.
If they revealed it the moment it was discovered, then there must be other passages like this as well.
If it had been a single, precious route, they would have sealed people's mouths and kept it hidden at all costs.
Realizing this, Lucian felt a chill run down his spine at the depth of the imperial family's power.
With strength like this, why had they collapsed so helplessly during the age of chaos?
"This passage connects to the outer perimeter of the knight order's buildings. It's a secluded area with little foot traffic, so it's perfect if you wish to take care of your business quietly and leave."
"Thank you. I won't forget today's help."
"By the way, what will you do for lodging? We could arrange accommodations for you, if you like…"
"I'll take care of it myself, so that won't be necessary. The kindness I've already received is more than enough."
Lucian quickly excused himself before the knight order could press him further.
No matter what, sleeping in the imperial knight order's quarters felt awkward.
More importantly, I'm planning to recruit the developer of Nektar starting now. There's no need to stay somewhere that draws too much attention.
Although it had been revealed that Haide's reputation was exaggerated, Lucian wasn't disappointed.
He still had a way to find the real thing.
***
"Truly a city worthy of being called the Empire's jewel. Magnificent."
After touring the capital, Tibrone, Lucian murmured with a hint of regret.
Kelheim had been a sizable metropolis in its own right, but Tibrone, befitting the imperial capital, surpassed it by far.
"It would've been perfect if not for the gloomy atmosphere left by the failed suppression of the rebellion."
"There's nothing to be done. The imperial family hasn't made any official announcement, and only vague rumors are going around."
"True. When people don't know the real situation, their imaginations tend to run in an even darker direction."
"By the way, why aren't you heading to the guild and instead just wandering around? You said you came to find an alchemist."
As they talked, Raymond looked at Lucian with a puzzled expression.
At Raymond's question, Lucian gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"He's not someone you can find by going to a guild. There's barely any information on him."
"What? Then how are you planning to find him?"
"There's a way. As I've been walking around, I noticed that the northern slums have fewer security forces compared to other areas."
No matter how much security was reinforced, there were always places that ended up neglected.
The reasons varied from city to city, but in Tibrone, that area was the slums near the northern gate.
"I'm planning to roam around the area near the north gate now—looking around as conspicuously as possible, like some clueless country bumpkin."
"What? If you act like that, the underworld types will latch onto you. No matter how noble you are, a country noble without even a title is something they'll look down on."
Not all nobles were treated the same.
Those who were nobles in blood alone, without a single title to their name, were looked down on even by commoners.
They lacked the authority to punish insolence directly, and other nobles regarded such a state as pathetic.
Because of this, it wasn't uncommon in cities for rural nobles to be overpowered by thugs and robbed of their valuables.
"They're sensible enough not to go as far as killing a noble, but you could still get dragged into something troublesome."
"That's exactly what I want."
"If you want to gather information without revealing your identity, asking people from that side of town is the best way."
At Lucian's words, Raymond's eyes lit up as he realized what he meant.
Only then did Raymond seem to roughly grasp what Lucian was thinking.
"It's certainly rough, but it is the fastest method. Even if security's been tightened lately, they won't give up their 'business' so easily, so they should show themselves soon enough."
"Good. I like that we're on the same wavelength. You've done this before?"
"Not often, but a few times. You can look forward to it."
"That's good to hear."
The two exchanged grins as they looked at each other.
It was time to cast the fishing line—to hook a fool willing to provide information.
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