Read Novel Full Vol 5 Chapter 1 Part 2
Vol 5 Chapter 1 Part 2
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Enjoy~
Part 2
The group was taken in a carriage to the capital of the Rastel Kingdom.
As soon as they got out of the carriage in front of the castle, Tito’s tail stood up in surprise.
“Wow, there’s a huge pile of stones behind the castle…!”
Behind the castle was a huge ruin.
It was made of rocks and was even bigger than the castle, with stone steps leading up to the top.
“This… looks like it’s from a very ancient time. Could it be an altar from the Nayuta Empire?”
“It’s amazing that they could make such a huge altar out of stone! As expected from the ‘Land Where Ancient Civilizations Sleep’!”
As they were overwhelmed by the sight of the “Eternal Empire,” the castle gate opened with a heavy clang, and a man appeared with his guards.
As soon as he saw Luna, he spread his arms in excitement.
“Oh, my! Silver hair like moonlight, blue eyes like a clear lake… Your appearance is truly that of Princess Diana!”
He has piercing eyes like a hawk and a dark beard.
The long toga he wears is made of fine silk, and you can tell at a glance that he is a noble person.
The middle-aged man bowed to Luna.
“It has been a long time, Princess Diana. Do you remember me? I’m Douglas, your father’s younger brother, King Farouk.”
Luna lowers her bushy eyebrows in confusion at Douglas, who shows no sign of doubting that she is a princess.
“I told the soldiers before I came here that I was an orphan. There must be some mistake…”
But Douglas shakes his head in a gesture of certainty.
“No, my eyes do not deceive me. Perhaps your memory is clouded by the pain of being kidnapped by the bandits… It’s a shame. But don’t worry, when you see your father and live in the familiar castle, you’ll remember at once.”
Lexia’s cheeks flushed with excitement when she heard that.
“You’re amazing, Luna! You really are a princess! And to have ancient imperial blood, that’s too amazing!”
“W-wow, I traveled with two princesses!”
“You know, I think there must be some kind of mistake with you two…”
Lexia whirled around happily, ignoring Luna, who pressed her forehead.
“Fufu, this is getting more and more fun! A princess needs a dress, right? I’ll have to find a dress that fits Luna right away… Ara? I smell something good.”
Lexia looked back down the main street, and her face lit up when she saw the sweets being sold at the stalls.
“What is it? It looks really delicious! I’ve never seen food like this before, it must be a specialty of this country! Hey Tito, Luna seems to be having an important conversation with the man with the beard, so why don’t we try some first?”
“Uh, y-yes!”
“Wait, Lexia…”!
Douglas doesn’t seem to pay any attention to their exchange and urges Luna to go into the castle.
“Come, Diana-sama. Please come this way.”
“N-no, but like I said, I’m not a princess…”
Douglas lowered his voice as he spoke to Luna.
“Actually, the king’s health is not good…”
“!”
Luna gasped at the meaning in his serious tone.
“His Majesty would like to see you, if only for a moment. There is no time left, so please hurry.”
“Wait, I have an escort mission…”
She turned around impatiently.
However, the person she was supposed to be protecting was beaming with joy as she stuffed her mouth full of sweets she had bought from a street stall.
“Hey Luna, this is so delicious, you know?!”
“Lexia…!”
“Oh, Luna, go ahead and reassure the king! I’ll have some more before I join you! I’m curious about the souvenirs, too!”
“What about your bodyguard?”
“Don’t worry, I have Tito with me. Right, Tito!”
“Munch, munch… whoa? Fwa, fwa, I-I’m doing my best!”
“What’s Tito eating too?!”
Lexia waves happily at Luna.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon! I’ll buy you a souvenir too, so don’t worry!”
“N-no, if you don’t mind, that’s fine… but are you sure?”
Luna was so distraught that she couldn’t keep up with the retort, so Douglas urged her on.
“Now, Diana-sama, please go to His Majesty’s side as soon as possible!”
“I-I’m telling you, I’m not Diana───!”
The castle gate closed, separating Luna from Lexia and Tito.
And so Luna went to the castle, while Lexia and Tito went to the royal capital.
＊＊＊
“Mmm, it’s delicious!”
Lexia took a bite of the food sold at the stall and held her cheeks.
“The seasoning is just right! I can keep eating more!”
“Mine is a little sweet! It’s wrapped in skin, so it’s nice and easy to eat!”
“I’m curious about the other flavors too! Tito, can we swap halves?”
“Yes! Here you go, Lexia-san!”
“Mmm, it’s delicious! I can really taste the difference!”
What they were eating was a speciality of the Rastel Kingdom: thinly wrapped meat and vegetables with a special sauce.
They exchanged their food and browsed the stalls.
“All these souvenirs I’ve never seen before are so exciting!”
“Yes! There are many amulets and sculptures here!”
“Ah! Tito, look at this!”
Lexia pointed to a row of unusual necklaces.
There was a small skull attached to the end of a chain, emitting rainbow-colored light.
“That skull is really cool, it would look great on Yuuya-sama!”
“A crystal skull…? And it glows in rainbow colors…?”
The elderly shopkeeper called out to the surprised two.
“You have good taste, young lady! This was dug up from an ancient ruin. It’s said to be the skull of a dwarf who lives underground!”
“Huh? S-scary!”
“But how does this thing glow? It doesn’t seem to be magic…”
“A mystery!”
“Eehh?!” “
The shopkeeper looks at them in amazement and laughs happily.
“Many of the relics from the Nayuta Empire period use special techniques that have yet to be fully understood.”
“Um, this stone toy bird moves just like a real bird. Could it be…?”
“Yes, it’s a mystery!”
“This is amazing, a grand banquet of mysteries!”
“Is it really okay to sell such amazing things as souvenirs?”
“Well, they’re being dug up all the time. Besides, there are tons of fake relics being sold as real ones, so be careful.”
“F-fake ones…?”
The shopkeeper points at the items with a smug smile on his lips.
“Yes. For example, this stone is said to be a large rock that was once smashed by the legendary God of Thunder, and if you hit it hard, it will release a bolt of lightning. And this ball is said to have been used at the Feast of the Gods, and if you throw it in the air, it will cover the area with colorful clouds. This jewel is the hair ornament of the Water God, and if you put it in your mouth, you can breathe underwater!”
“Ugh, is that really true? Such amazing things being sold in a souvenir shop…!”
“That’s amazing! I’ll take them all!”
“Eeeh? Lexia-san, if you buy so much, Luna-san will get angry! Besides, it looks a little suspicious…”
“Hahaha, well, being tricked is part of the experience! Thanks for your patronage!”
Lexia bought some of the suspicious-looking souvenirs and left the main street beaming with happiness.
“Well, that was fun! Now let’s go meet Luna!”
“Yes!”
When they returned to the castle gate, it was firmly closed, and the gatekeeper was standing there with a blank expression on his face.
Lexia called cheerfully to the gatekeeper.
“Hello! We’re friends of Luna… I mean, Princess Diana. Please let us in.”
But the gatekeeper shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but Douglas-sama has ordered us not to let anyone through.”
“Huh? W-what does that mean?!”
“We’re here with Luna──I mean, Princess Diana. You saw us earlier, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. But Douglas-sama has already ordered that you are not allowed in.”
“W-what? How could that be…!”
Next to Tito, Lexia angrily thrusts the skull necklace at the gatekeeper.
“All right, then! I’ll give you this shiny skull, so open the gate!”
“I-I don’t want it! I don’t want any suspicious souvenirs… Stop it, don’t force it on me!”
The gatekeeper pushed the glowing skull back at her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“No matter what you say, I can’t disobey Douglas-sama’s orders. I’m sorry, but please leave.”
Lexia and Tito were ushered away from the gate.
“What the──! You’re separating us from Luna, we won’t allow it──”
“Awawawa! What are we going to do? We’ve been separated from Luna-san…!”
Lexia sulked for a while but then suddenly looked serious and started to think.
“Still, they must know that Luna and we are friends, so it’s strange that they would forcefully separate us like this… That younger brother of the king, Douglas, must be up to no good!”
“It’s definitely strange. I have a feeling that something bad is happening in the castle!”
“We have to help Luna! We have to find a way to get into the castle, Tito!”
“Yes!”
So Lexia and Tito began scouring the area, trying to infiltrate the royal castle.
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