Read Novel Full Chapter 809: Ruins City
Chapter 809: Ruins City
"So, why did my father summon Elina as well? Was she given some kind of mission?" Nolan asked curiously.
Rafine took a sip of her tea before shaking her head.
"I don’t know. His Majesty personally ordered me to accompany you and Princess Seira to the Falling Star Academy, so I have no information about why he summoned Elina."
"Huh..." Nolan nodded and said nothing more.
Still, he suspected his father’s summons of Elina was related to the situation in the northern region. It was only a hunch, but he was fairly certain of it.
"Rafine, your skin is so fair. What beauty products do you use?" Seira asked curiously.
Rafine smiled.
"I’ve been using a new product released by the Blue Moon Trading House. It’s called..."
The two women soon became engrossed in a discussion about beauty products.
Nolan paid them no attention. He gently stroked Eira’s hair as she slept peacefully in his lap.
His gaze drifted toward the window.
"The Falling Star Academy, huh?" he muttered. "I wonder if Chloe will get her memories back or not. Since she has spatial powers just like me, it’s definitely possible."
The thought of meeting Chloe again stirred something inside him.
It felt like anticipation and... excitement.
...
Three days passed quickly. The horse-drawn carriage carrying Nolan, Seira, Eira, and Rafine finally arrived at its destination.
However, the place wasn’t the Falling Star Academy but a city called Ruins.
"Ruins, huh?" Nolan muttered as he stepped down from the carriage and gazed curiously at the city before him.
Ruins was a city located one thousand five hundred kilometers from the capital. Its unusual name wasn’t without reason.
The city had once been called Trias, but after it was destroyed during the war against the Demon Emperor, its name was changed to Ruins as a reminder of that tragic event.
Ruins City was fairly large, though it was still much smaller than the empire’s major cities.
"Ruins City... So this is the only city connected to the Falling Star Academy through a teleportation portal, huh?"
Seira stepped out of the carriage, carrying Eira in her arms.
"I never thought I’d visit a place like this one day."
Rafine stepped down as well and stared at the city before her in amazement.
"I never expected to come here either, Your Highness," Rafine replied with a smile.
Seira smiled back.
Nolan glanced at the two of them but didn’t say anything. Lately, they had been getting along much better.
Well, that was a good thing. At least they weren’t bickering and causing trouble during the trip.
"Let’s go."
Nolan took the lead, with Seira and Rafine following behind.
Along the way, many people glanced at them curiously.
Their appearance stood out, so it was only natural that they attracted a lot of attention.
"What a beautiful city," Rafine murmured.
Ruins City had an architectural style unlike most cities in the empire. None of the buildings were taller than five meters, not even the inns and lodgings.
Instead, every building had a spacious courtyard. The distance between them was also quite wide, allowing people to move freely between the streets and open spaces.
"By the way, have you informed the mayor about our arrival, Sister?" Nolan asked.
"I have. He should be here to greet us soon," Seira replied casually.
Sure enough, not long after she spoke, a man accompanied by several soldiers approached them.
The man was short and elderly. He was the mayor of Ruins City, Robert.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Prince, Your Highness the Princess, and Young Lady Rafine," he greeted respectfully.
The soldiers behind him bowed as well.
Seira nodded. Handing Eira to Nolan, she asked, "What about the portal? Is it ready?"
Robert raised his head, his expression turning awkward.
"Regarding that..." He scratched the side of his face. "There’s a slight problem, Your Highness."
***
Nolan, Seira, Eira, and Rafine stood before a three-meter-tall portal shaped like a giant door.
The portal appeared completely dead and inactive.
"So, the portal has run out of magic power?" Seira asked calmly.
"That’s right." Robert nodded with a long sigh. "The portal has been inactive for three days. We requested a metric ton of magic stones from the Falling Star Academy to use as fuel, but they still haven’t responded. It seems they’re having trouble obtaining magic stones themselves. At least, that’s my guess."
Seira, Nolan, and Rafine fell silent.
Magic stones were the lifeblood of a portal.
Without them, a portal would become inactive and unusable, just like the one standing before them.
"Then how are we supposed to get to the Falling Star Academy?" Seira asked coldly.
The competition was scheduled to begin tomorrow. They had no choice but to arrive today.
"I’m sorry, Your Highness. At the moment, we haven’t found a solution yet. B-But please don’t worry. I’ll find a way and make sure you reach the Falling Star Academy tonight," he assured her, though he sounded far from confident.
Seira took a deep breath.
"I’ll wait for the results."
Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Nolan cast Robert a meaningful glance before following after her.
***
"This really doesn’t make any sense, does it? I mean, they were notified of our arrival three days ago. They should’ve been prepared by now. Besides, there are only three of us. We don’t need that many magic stones, do we?" Rafine protested, folding her arms across her chest.
Nolan sat across from her, calmly sipping his coffee.
"Why haven’t you figured it out yet?"
Rafine was startled. She looked at him curiously.
"What do you mean?"
Nolan set his coffee cup on the table and glanced at her indifferently.
"Robert did it on purpose."
"On purpose? Why would he do that?"
"To delay our departure—or even stop us from reaching the Falling Star Academy altogether."
Rafine’s expression turned serious.
"Why would he do that? Does he have a grudge against us?"
They had only just met. Moreover, His Majesty the Emperor had ensured that their departure remained a secret. No one should have known about their trip to the Falling Star Academy.
Nolan didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"I looked into Robert," he said calmly. "And it turns out he’s one of Prime Minister Roswell’s closest associates."
Rafine’s eyes widened in shock.
"Don’t tell me—"
Before she could finish, Nolan cut her off.
"Yes. It’s all because of that bespectacled man. He’s the one behind the portal being inactive."