Chapter 415: Off to the Capital

A few moments later, the four of them managed to find a decent carriage, climbed aboard, and set off from Valcavein City.

Silvena’s new guild headquarters had been relocated to Averiona, the capital of Averenthia, so that was where they were heading now.

Fortunately, it was only a few hours’ journey, much closer than Natoris Town, so it shouldn’t take even half as long as their previous trip.

As the carriage drew closer to the gates of the city, more and more wagons and carriages appeared on the street, making it very crowded. There were several guards at the gate, examining the passing vehicles and controlling the traffic.

Once the vehicle was inspected, the coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage drove through the huge gate.

With Valcavein City now behind them, Ruvian leaned back against his seat and stretched his legs a little. For a while, he simply watched the scenery outside before turning his attention to his companions.

Remembering that Lovia and Zian had gone off on their own yesterday, Ruvian decided to make some conversation. "So, how did it go with your side quest in Valcavein? Did you get to do what you wanted?"

Hearing his question, Lovia immediately turned toward him, the black mask still covering her face.

"Oh, you have no idea how much fun I had yesterday! We went to so many places that I almost lost track of time!"

Excitedly, she began telling him everything they had done, starting with the restaurants they had visited.

"First, we found this little restaurant near the market, and their grilled meat was absolutely delicious. Then, just a few streets away, there was another place selling these sweet pastries, so of course I had to try those too."

"Oh, and there was this one restaurant that looked really expensive, but the food wasn’t even that good! Honestly, I think the little shops near the market had much better food."

From there, her story moved on to the shops they had visited, the things she had bought, and even a few merchants she had argued with over their prices.

Apparently, she had spent most of the day going from one place to another, dragging Zian along wherever she went.

Throughout her explanation, Ruvian maintained a perfect poker face, occasionally nodding to show that he was listening.

However, somewhere along the way, he began to regret asking her about it in the first place.

’Damn it, she’s such a chatterbox, when is she going to stop?’

But luckily, Lovia finally finished telling him about her little side quest trip.

Taking the chance, Ruvian turned toward Zian, wondering if he had anything to add to the conversation. But the protagonist was already looking out the window, doing his best to avoid getting involved.

There was nothing particularly interesting to see outside the window, only endless stretches of green fields passing by. Nevertheless, Zian continued staring at them, his eyelids half-closed and his shoulders slightly slumped.

’Poor guy, he probably hadn’t gotten enough sleep before Duchess dragged him around the entire city.’

Deciding to leave him alone, Ruvian turned back toward Lovia with a faint smile.

"Well, it sounds like you had a pretty good time yesterday, then. I’m surprised you managed to visit so many places in just one day."

"Of course I did!" Lovia replied proudly, puffing out her chest. "We only had one day to explore the city, so I wasn’t going to waste it sitting around doing nothing."

"I see," he glanced at Zian once more. "Though, judging by his condition, I think you might have enjoyed yourself a little too much, Duchess."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" Lovia tilted her head before following his gaze toward Zian.

Seeing him resting against the window, she let out a small laugh. "Oh... him. Don’t mind him. I even offered to let him rest a few times yesterday, but he kept insisting that he was fine!"

"That’s... because I thought each place would be our last stop," Zian muttered with a slight yawn. "I didn’t know you were planning to visit so many more."

"Erm... well, you should’ve said that then."

Ruvian slightly shook his head, deciding not to interfere with their conversation.

After a while, Lovia went back to him.

"Oh, right, speaking of yesterday, how did things go when you asked Calyra’s parents for permission?" Lovia asked curiously. "I mean, considering she’s sitting right here with us, I guess everything went well, but I’m still curious about what happened."

Ruvian briefly glanced toward Calyra, who had been quietly listening to their conversation all this time.

The white-haired girl turned her blue eyes toward him, seemingly leaving it to him to explain what had happened.

"Well, it went pretty smoothly, actually. Though I did end up fighting her father at one point."

"Huh, you actually fought Lord Evrard?"

"I mean... almost."

Lovia heard him and she started laughing. She was obviously amused by his answer.

"You really can’t break that habit of yours, can you?" She smiled and shook her head. "Honestly, Spicy, how do you always manage to get into trouble with people wherever you go?"

"Hey, I wasn’t trying to make him angry or anything," Ruvian said with a helpless shrug. "I just figured the best way to convince him was to show him I was strong enough to protect Calyra in the dungeon."

He smiled a little.

"Either way, it worked out in the end somehow."

"Wow, what a gentleman~"

Turning to Calyra, Lovia’s eyes narrowed in a playful manner, a mischievous smile hidden beneath her mask.

"You heard that, Calyra? He was even ready to fight your own father just to ensure he could stay by your side."

She leaned forward a bit, her voice turning teasing.

"You are lucky to have such a reliable man looking out for you."

’Hey, why do you have to say it like that?’

Ruvian’s lips twitched a little, but before he could say anything, Calyra tilted her head.

"I’m sorry Princess Lovia but I don’t know what you mean."

Lovia stared at her for a moment before giving an awkward laugh.

"Ahaha... well, never mind." She waved her off, not wanting to say anything else. "But more to the point, will you mind being a little careful about that name? I’m supposed to be in disguise, remember?"

"I see," Calyra replied with a slight nod, her expression remaining unchanged. "Of course, Princess Lovia. I’ll be careful."

"..."

Ruvian looked away quickly, and he did his best to keep a laugh from escaping him as he saw Lovia’s expression tighten behind her mask.

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[Chapter 415: Off to the Capital]