Chapter 41 (2/2)

The population of the Imperial Capital was about three million people. The center of all main roads, of culture, of military affairs, and of magic.

Vanished.

She couldn’t understand.

Ria looked behind her. Her comrades were looking around uneasily. Around them, the other guests looked similarly uneasy.

They probably didn’t want to go outside. They wanted to gather where other people were.

She couldn’t understand.

“For now…”

Ria turned around.

“Take a bath, eat, sleep. But first is the bath!”

She announced toward her comrades with a triumphant look.

While she entered the bath, Ria thought.

The bath at this inn was meant for one person. Though she didn’t want to not enter with Maal unless it were impossible, as expected, this time neither of them were lively enough to frolic around.

It’s said that the Imperial Capital disappeared. It physically disappeared.

Physically. For example, something like a nuclear weapon.

Still, she thought it wasn’t possible. Naturally, the Imperial Capital was given impregnable magical defenses. Using Casalia’s royal castle’s magical defenses as a reference, it probably wouldn’t be affected even at the level of nuclear weapons.

It was attacked by a G.o.d Dragon. That was hard to believe. In the first place, under the ground near the Imperial Capital was the strongest Dragon named Dark Dragon Valis, along with the sleeping Golden Dragon.

Then did the Golden Dragon destroy the Imperial Capital from the inside?

Other than that, could the Imperial Capital have been annihilated like that?

To begin with, no one understood the extent of the G.o.d Dragons’ powers. The Golden Dragon had a contract with the Saint Emperor, it should have been protecting the Imperial Capital. Because of that, the Imperial Capital was able to avoid being overrun even during millenniums and had become the base for humanity.

The Imperial Capital disappeared.

Where did the Golden Dragon go?

For this millennium, the Imperial Capital disappeared?

There wasn’t enough information. Not enough by far.

Even if everyone was resting, she herself had recovered her endurance and magical power. She wanted to gather information.

Even if it was said to have disappeared, there were three million people living there. Some among those must have been a mage of Rufus’ caliber. The royal family should have been protected by unbelievable talismans. There must be survivors.

Where to start? She hadn’t asked who brought the information.

When Ria left the bathtub, she dried herself off quickly.

She produced clothes using genesis magic and quickly changed into them before leaving the bathroom.

As for Maal and Lulu, they had already collapsed on their beds and were fast asleep. They probably fell asleep before bathing.

Affixing only Nagasone Kotetsu at her waist this time, Ria left the room.

She went down the stairs and went to the table where a man who had become an acquaintance sat.

While drinking milk she requested, she heard his story. However, Ria didn’t get any of the information she was hoping for.

Still, she now knew that a caravan arrived from the Casalia area three days before bringing the news.

Obtaining news from Anise in Casalia that the Imperial Capital disappeared, the caravan came here.

Afterwards, caravans similarly came bearing the news. They didn’t have any detailed information, but it was a fact that the Imperial Capital had vanished.

So it was the truth.

If Anise was the source of the information, there was probably no mistaking the origin of the information. There was a means of communication by magic between the Royal Capital and the Imperial Capital.

There was no contact with the Imperial Capital. To confirm what happened, they dispatched Dragon Knights. With the speed of Dragons, a round trip… no, with a mage recovering it, it would arrive after no later than three days. From there the report would be sent by way of magic.

Confirming the current situation with the Royal Palace, the information became common talk between merchants and didn’t take much time to spread.

If you considered a merchant’s network, excluding the details, the most important parts will spread instantly.

… It might be best to return to Anise to find out the details.

However, what could she do even if she returned?

Ria pondered.

She was thinking about what she could do.

Thinking while laying down on the bed, she fell asleep.

It was just before sunrise when she awoke.

That was much later than she usually got up. Though she wasn’t tired, she was probably mentally fatigued.

With Nagasone Kotetsu in hand, she went out to the inn’s garden. Easily unsheathing the katana, the blade s.h.i.+ned by the light of daybreak.

She brandished the katana and held that stance, unmoving.

Unmoving.

Ever unmoving.

Her heart moved. Her blood moved. Her lungs moved.

The surrounding air moved.

Air that touched the katana was sliced through.

Even so, she remained unmoving.

She moved.

The blade of her katana stopped just before the ground in front of her.

“Alright!”

She cut away her hesitation.

Right now, she could do something here. It was something only she could do.

She would meet with Dark Dragon Valis. She would calm down after that.

In the morning sun, Ria began to carefully practice her forms.

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