"Hey, who's that knight ?" someone nearby whispered, their voice trembling.
"Which one ?" another man asked.
"The one in the front."
"You don't know ?! Are you really a human of this city ?" another man hissed back.
"Just shut up! And tell me! I wasn't present last year"
"Alright, alright jeez! So feisty! That man is Royal guard captain George!"
"George ? You mean the strongest knight of Humanity?!"
"Is there any other royal guard captain that you know of ?"
So that's George Gard ? One of the few SSS rank humans ?
I looked at the tall, strong man riding on the horse.
He was like a mountain. An immovable mountain.
I don't think I will ever reach that level as an adventurer But...
There's no shame in trying, I thought, my hand tightening on the railing. Even a mountain can be climbed, if you have enough time.
The ground continued to Vibrate as the line of carriages followed the King's wake. Each one was a moving fortress of gold-leafed wood. My eyes darted to the doors of the carriages, looking for the insignias that Dad had told me about
To my knowledge, the three well decorated carriages should belong to the queens.
Each of those carriages had insignia of different flowers at the entrance.
The first carriage rolled past, bearing the sigil of a Rose. It was regal, sharp, and thorns-deep in tradition—the First Queen's mark.
I tried to squint through the see-through glass, but the reflections of the crowd were too thick.
Next came the Bluebell, the second carriage, carrying the scent of perfume and the weight of the Second Queen's influence.
Again, I saw nothing but my own wide-eyed reflection.
But then, the third royal carriage approached. It bore the insignia of the Arbutus—the strawberry tree. This was the one that the men behind me had been pitying. The carriage of the so-called 'forgotten' Prince.
I leaned over the railing, my knuckles white. The Arbutus carriage seemed slightly more understated than the others, but as it drew level with my position, a stray breeze or perhaps a shift in the carriage's movement caused the heavy silk curtain to flutter aside.
And I saw it. I saw him.
A boy, clearly younger than me, with the same amethyst purple eyes as His Majesty's, looking outside the window with a bored expression.
Our eyes met for fraction of a second..
So that's the so-called Pitiful third prince huh.... but...
He doesn't look pitiful at all, though.
***
Boring....
There was no other word for it, that comes to my mind, at this moment. I had spent months anticipating this excursion, To see this fantasy world close up, but a setting where every single person is frozen in a gesture of respect or busy pelted us with petals isn't really a 'world'—it's a stage.
I wanted to see people living, haggling, and working. Instead, I got a slow-motion loop of adoration.
a setting like this, where all people are focused on us and are busy in showing respect and throwing flowers, instead of being busy in their own thing is no fun. nope. not at all.
If there is one thing that interests me, that would be the fact that each and every one of these people are good looking.
If someone were to ask me 'Are you a sucker for looks ?'
My reply would be 'yes! Kind of. And who isn't?! Who doesn't like beauty. whether its nature, things or even a person's visuals. Seeing something or someone beautiful can always feel good'.
the sheer aesthetic quality of the crowd. Even the commoners—the laborers, the bakers, the street sweepers—possessed a level of physical symmetry and clarity that would have made them supermodels on Earth.
Why is that ? I have a guess.
In cultivation stories, when one cultivates spiritual energy, that spiritual energy acts as a biological filter, flushing out impurities and reconstructing the body's scaffolding.
In terms of this world ? Mana is the equivalent of spiritual energy. Everyone here has mana. In this world, mana is atmospheric. It's in the water, the food, and the very air they breathe.
Not to mention, Combine that benefit of Mana with The medieval lifestyle and healthy food of this world. It is something that Earth cannot even compare to.
Even the least good looking among these people can still be considered to be above average on earth.
And Just then, my gaze drifted to a boy standing near the iron railings. He looked to be about ten or eleven, jumping with a frantic, wide-eyed energy to catch a glimpse of Sir George's armor.
Ah.. our eyes made contact.
Hmm.. should I test it ?
I normally do not use it on other people, because I want to respect other people's privacy but...
Just a tini-tiny exception is acceptable, right ?
Inspection
[[LEVEL: 2
NAME: JIMMY
RACE: HUMAN
IDENTITY: COMMONER]
TITLE: NONE
TRAIT: NONE
SKILLS: [WOOD CUTTING (BEGINNER)] [COOKING (BEGINNER)] [SWORDSMANSHIP (BEGINNER)] [HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (BEGINNER)] [READ AND WRITE]]
Level 2 huh...
For a commoner his age, that's actually impressive. Most people don't even touch a sword until they're nearly adults, let alone develop four distinct beginner skills.
He is like a 'protagonist' in his own story in his own small world.
And just like that our journey towards the central church went on.
The distance between the two is about ten kilometers.
So, it might even take us two hours, thanks to our slow speed to let the public see us.
"Feeling excited for your first time outside the Arbutus, Ty?"
I blinked and looked at my mother. She was sitting opposite me, her hands folded gracefully in her lap, looking every bit the regal Queen.
"....Yes," I lied, though I probably didn't even bother to put effort into the tone.
"Heh. You don't have to lie" she let out a light, melodious giggle that cut through the stuffy air of the carriage. "boredom is literally dripping from your face"
"Is it that obvious?" I sighed
"To me? Always," she said, her eyes softening. She leaned forward slightly, the silver ornaments in her hair chiming. "If you're feeling so bored, How about we talk about something ?"