Chapter 37: Hi, did you miss me?

Time passed quickly on the train.

At least, that was the case for Roland. After finishing dinner and conducting a simple experiment with the runestone skill on Kalia, he had retreated to his room. Following Flam's advice, he decided to keep an ace up his sleeve and avoid revealing the "Shelter of the World Tree" spell too easily.

A simple nullification spell might not draw much attention, but a spell that could nullify magic while simultaneously silencing the caster—rendering them unable to cast the nullified spell again for a short time—was a skill on an entirely different level. It would inevitably invite prying eyes from far too many people.

Furthermore, he had yet to uncover the true origin of the Primordial Runestone; it was possible that the object held far more value than he had initially presumed. However, judging by Flam's reaction, it was clear that even she did not recognize his technique as stemming from a Primordial Runestone. Roland never doubted the knowledge and perspective of a millennium-old entity like her. When he first activated the runestone, Flam had sensed the aura of the World Tree, which perhaps indicated a strong connection between the World Tree Runestone and the World Tree itself. Yet, just moments ago, she had failed to recognize the spell cast by the runestone, suggesting that the skills inherent to the Primordial Runestone might belong to an even more ancient, forgotten era—so ancient that even a thousand-year-old mage like Flam could no longer identify them.

This was perhaps good news for Roland. With this thought in mind, he drifted off to sleep, and by the time he opened his eyes, the distant Royal Capital was already looming in and out of sight.

Looking at this massive metropolis, which he had visited only a few months prior, Roland could not help but feel a sense of awe. It was, after all, a world where magic existed; such a grand and colossal citadel remained breathtaking even if it wasn't his first time seeing it. Having lived in the capital for a while during his assessment, Roland knew very well that in terms of size alone, the Royal Capital was three times as large as Riscant. And one had to remember, Riscant was already considered an ultra-large city by continental standards. Yet, even so, it seemed minuscule compared to this Royal Capital, crowned as the City of Eternal Day.

However, the moment he thought of the task assigned by the system, his sense of wonder turned into melancholy.

"The Fall of the Eternal Silence... the Royal Capital..."

It seemed the future of this City of Eternal Day would not be a pleasant one.

The magitech train soon passed through the giant gates specifically designed for its passage and came to a halt at the station on the eastern edge of the city. As the doors opened, passengers began to disembark. Roland and his two companions followed suit, carrying their bags; at a glance, they looked no different from any other traveler.

Yet, the atmosphere on the platform gave Roland an ominous feeling, and he subconsciously drifted closer to Flam. There was no other reason for this than the fact that the platform appeared to be under martial law. Everywhere he looked, there were Imperial Guards, fully armed and clad in armor.

The atmosphere was stiflingly grim. If there was any good news, it was that these soldiers were not restricting the freedom of movement for the passengers. People came and went as they pleased, as if the guards were merely standing there as decorations. Flam’s expression remained unchanged, as if she were accustomed to such sights. Only Kalia, failing to grasp the situation, looked around with a hint of excitement.

Flam turned to Roland. "Unlike you, Lia’s enrollment process is a bit complicated. I need to find some old friends to ask for a favor. You should head to the academy first. You passed the assessment, and you know the address, so just go directly to handle the enrollment paperwork. Once I’m finished here, I’ll bring Lia to find you."

Roland nodded. "Understood."

Although he was now separated from his "safety net," and the atmosphere in the capital was clearly wrong, Roland trusted his own judgment. Besides, someone like Kalia, who was entering through the back door, could not possibly process her enrollment alongside someone like him, who had followed the standard procedure. Kalia looked at Roland with visible reluctance before being pulled away by Flam.

After stretching, Roland walked toward the station exit, relying on the memories of his last visit. He hadn't gone far, however, when he heard someone calling him.

"Hey! Roland!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Roland had no intention of stopping; he quickened his pace, hurrying toward the exit. Unfortunately, his plan failed. The Imperial Guards, who had been acting like wooden stakes, immediately formed a human wall in front of him upon seeing him try to push past. While they showed no intent to use force, their posture clearly suggested: "If you have the guts, try running into us."

Helpless, Roland stopped and turned around.

A girl with chestnut-brown hair, dressed in a black gown, stood behind him with her hands behind her back, watching him with a playful glint in her violet eyes.

*Not all women are as easy to handle as Kalia.*

Roland was once again convinced of this truth.

"It's been a few months; aren't you going to greet me?"

The girl skipped over to Roland and stopped five steps away. She tilted her head, leaning forward as if to observe every expression on his face in detail. She was a very lively and beautiful girl. This was a fact that anyone would have to admit. But if he had the choice, he would have preferred her to be as cold, taciturn, and averse to human contact as she had been when they first met.

"Long time no see, Your... High... ness..."

The words "Your Highness" were almost bitten out by Roland. Although he knew that coming to the capital meant he would inevitably run into her, he hadn't expected her to "camp" at his spawn point.

Hearing Roland’s less-than-enthusiastic greeting, the Princess did not seem displeased at all.

"Why aren't you calling me by my name? You did it quite naturally before."

"That’s because I didn't know you were a princess during the assessment," Roland replied, keeping a straight face and acting as indifferent as possible.

"Oh, come on, you're not the type to care about status or hierarchy, are you? Just call me like you did during the assessment!" The Princess beamed, appearing truly delighted.

Roland sighed. "If I had known you were a princess back then, I wouldn't have teamed up with you. I would have preferred to take the assessment alone. Because of you, the difficulty of the assessment skyrocketed. It never had to be that complicated."

"Tsk, are you still dwelling on that?" The Princess looked slightly annoyed.

"Being dragged into a political struggle for no reason and nearly dying in the assessment isn't exactly a fond memory, Miss Iluvia."

"Hehe, so you finally decided to use my name?" The displeasure on Iluvia’s face quickly vanished. "Don't worry, I’ve already cleaned up all those people who were meddling in the assessment. They won't come to trouble you again. Unless something unexpected happens, no one will dare to trouble you anymore. So rest assured, you won't encounter any problems while you're studying at the academy. By the way, have you missed me since we last saw each other?"

"What if I say no?" Roland’s mouth twitched slightly.

"Impossible! You must have been thinking about me constantly!" Iluvia beckoned to him with a crook of her finger. "Come with me. You left right after the assessment last time, and I haven't had the chance to show you around the Royal Capital properly! It’s time for me to fulfill my promise. We already agreed to it, didn't we?"

"But I still need to handle my enrollment."

"I'll have someone take care of that for you! Don't worry about your luggage either; someone will take it over for you!"

With that, Iluvia turned and walked toward the station exit. Under the gaze of the burly Imperial Guards, Roland felt he didn't have much of a choice. He silently set down his luggage and followed the inscrutable Princess, beginning his tour of the Royal Capital.