Chapter 61 - Volume 4 (1/2)
Rivelia muttered as she looked around her. She remembered touring Port City when she was a child. Although the memory was somewhat biased because of nostalgia, the Port City she remembered was a peaceful city, its clean streets populated with friendly smiles.
But the Port City standing in front of her was not the one she remembered. The smiles had disappeared from its citizens, replaced by an air of suffocating sadness and gloom throughout the entire city. Meanwhile, the slums of New Port City that had shocked her young mind in the past had transformed into a sprawling city which surpa.s.sed even Port City in her memories.
“Wow! The city has become so much grander since the last time I was here!”
“… It’s changed a lot.”
Reisha couldn’t hold her excitement as she crossed the Sky Bridge, and even Kunette seemed to agree with Reisha, nodding along with her. As for Rivelia, she had to acknowledge Isaac’s accomplishments, although she hated to admit it. Methodology aside, Isaac did achieve impossible results.
But Rivelia’s approval of Isaac lasted only until she finished crossing the Sky Bridge. The moment she came down from the bridge and entered the Ceta District, her anger obliterated any shreds of approval she had about Isaac.
“What is this?”
Everyone who was involved with the city’s management had gathered to greet her, some familiar to Rivelia as her hubaes. It would have been fine if this was everything, since she could have simply given a warning that this was too grand of a welcoming party. But Rivelia could not condone the crowd that lined the streets behind them and the palanquins mixed in the crowd.
“C, congratulations on becoming the mayor.”
“You are… Selia if I remember correctly?”
“You remember me? It is such an honour!”
Selia handed Rivelia a bundle of flowers, her eyes welling up with tears. Rivelia accepted the flowers out of reflex, but her expression quickly turned cold as she asked her question.
“Who are they behind you? And… Reisha, Kunette, don’t ride it!”
Reisha and Kunette ran over to the palanquin and hopped onto it before Rivelia could finish grilling Selia. Rivelia could feel her head ache watching the two. She ma.s.saged her temples and sighed as she shook her head.
“We’ll go to the City Hall for now. Is the Administrator there now?”
“Huh? Yes. And um…”
Selia quickly stopped Rivelia when it seemed like Rivelia was going to walk to the City Hall. That act spent all of Selia’s courage, and her face turned bright red, fl.u.s.tered. Kalden reluctantly stepped forward in her stead.
“Nice to meet you, sunbaenim. My name is Kalden.”
“I’ve heard of your name before. You had quite a good reputation back in Campus, correct?”
“Thank you for remembering me.”
“I never thought you’d end up working under the Administrator.”
Kalden could only smile bitterly at the jab Rivelia made at him.
“We shall lead the way for you. Please, take a seat.”
“Take a seat? On what? That palanquin? I’ll walk to the City Hall instead.”
Rivelia tried to pa.s.s Kalden and march forward, but Kalden quickly spoke with a troubled tone.
“I understand what you’re trying to say but… with Reisha-nim and Kunette-nim on the palanquin… it won’t look nice for the public…”
Rivelia’s feet stopped with that explanation. What Kalden said was true. It wasn’t going to make a good impression if Rivelia walked alongside Kunette and Reisha, who were being carried on a palanquin. Rivelia was somewhat aware of what her position was after graduating from College. She had to consider the authority and honour of the Pendleton family when she acted. If she stubbornly refused and walked to the City Hall, it was going to give the impression that the Pendletons were inferior to the elves and North Bears.
On the other hand, those two didn’t seem like they were going to listen even if Rivelia ordered them to get off the palanquin. Rivelia became quite fond of them during the trip together. Rivelia could get them to walk if she forced them to, but doing so would jeopardise the relations.h.i.+p she managed to cultivate after an arduous struggle. There were too many things at risk by doing so.
“Uuuh, you guys are just too wild!”
“Kyahaha! What about it? It seems fun.”
“… I don’t see Isaac.”
Rivelia reluctantly got on the palanquin. Reisha giggled at the sight while Kunette seemed mad that Isaac hadn’t come to greet them at the bridge.
Soon, the men lifted the palanquin onto their shoulders with an ‘oomf.’ The palanquin moved on, carrying an entertained Reisha, a furious Kunette, and Rivelia, who was forcing herself to stay composed while struggling to figure out how she should react to all this. Kalden tried to follow them, but a confused voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Wait! What about us?”
One of the police members shouted out to Kalden. They had been left behind like baggage. Kalden simply sold out Isaac in this unfortunate situation.
“Our Administrator has stated that you grunts, who should be maintaining public order in this city on your feet, shouldn’t even think of moving around with a palanquin. The idea had been rejected. Plus, it would seem that you are all equal to the mayor if all of you were on palanquins too.”
“…”
Some of the police force tried to argue back, but their companions stopped them from doing so since what Kalden said was true. Kalden also didn’t have any intentions of providing any services to this new rival faction entering the city. So the police force had to follow Rivelia on foot.
“Look! It’s Rivelia-nim!”
“Wow! So it’s true that she was the greatest beauty in the Empire!”
“That elf, Reisha doesn’t seem like she’d lose to her though?”
“Kyaa! Cute! Kunette! Look over here!”
As the group moved down the main street toward the city hall, they were received by the giant crowd which lined up on both sides of the street. While receiving the warm welcome from the crowd, Rivelia’s head ached at what was supposed to be a simple arrival turned parade. She turned to Kalden
“What is all this? I thought the date of my arrival was kept a secret?”
Kalden could only smile bitterly and sell out Isaac when Rivelia interrogated him.
“The Administrator said that he couldn’t miss such a wonderful opportunity to gather a crowd. Thankfully, he only released the news this morning, so the crowd isn’t as big as it could have been.”
“An opportunity you say? Are those flags being flown by the crowd the result of that? It has the faces of Reisha, Kunette, and I on it.”
“It’s a product being produced and sold by the city. It has become quite profitable.”
“He sold my face to make money?”
Crack!
Rivelia couldn’t help but gnash her teeth, feeling that she had been used by Isaac again. Kalden hurriedly gave the prepared excuse.
“All of the profits will be used to develop the city further. The Administrator forced the project through despite our opposition, claiming that you would be happy to help if it was for the development of this city.”
“…”
Nothing had changed about him. That cunning method of proclaiming a n.o.ble justification whenever using someone, denying any right for objection. The past Rivelia in the College would have paced around in anger, but she now had enough experience to not overreact about such minor things.
“Ah! It’s Isaac!”
Reisha shouted out in excitement. Rivelia raised her head in response and saw Isaac leisurely smoking at the front gate of the City Hall.
“Yaho! I’m here, sunbaenim! Now give me that ‘never-before-seen-experience’ that you promised me!”
“… Isaac, you didn’t come out to greet me. Bad. I’m going to hit Rizzly.”
“Kuhuk! Why me, Kunette-nim?”
Reisha jumped off the palanquin and grabbed Isaac by the shoulders, shaking his upper body around. Kunette also jumped off the palanquin and began to kick Rizzly to relieve her anger, whose only crime was to be around Isaac. While all that was happening, Rivelia quietly got off the palanquin and approached Isaac.
“It’s been a while, Sir Isaac.”
“Yeah. Hm…”
“What is it?”
Isaac stared into Rivelia, and in response, Rivelia frowned.
“It’s nothing.”
Isaac smirked and shook his head. Rivelia’s beautiful eyes shone just as brightly as in the past, but Isaac knew instinctively from his past experience. One who has killed another human being has their nature changed ever so slightly. It was unsure whether this was in their aura or their disposition, but the change could be felt. It didn’t matter for her, since the people of this world could use that aura as a weapon itself. Rivelia wasn’t a delicate flower raised in the gardens after all. She was a protagonist who had risen to become a sword master, which Isaac had failed to do so miserably.
It seemed her stay was going to be more difficult than expected, since she wasn’t the young brat he knew and now had the experience to sidestep the traps Isaac was going to place.
“Before all that, what is this palanquin?”
“It’s a form of public transport run by the city.”
“Is that so?”
“Hm?”
Isaac’s eyes widened when Rivelia accepted Isaac’s response so easily.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. It’s just your response was so casual. I thought you’d at least tell me to show some respect.”
“Hmph! I am not the same as back when we were students, Sir Isaac. As a knight of the Empire, I will prioritise our ranks over the difference in our birth.”
“Well, all I’ll say is thanks for going over it so easily.”
“I must introduce someone to you first. He is the captain of the police force who will a.s.sist us from now on. Sir Helvent?”
A kind-looking elderly knight stepped out in response to Rivelia, who had a warm smile as he approached Isaac.
“Huhuhu. Nice to meet you. I am Helvent Sterron.”
All of Isaac’s administrative body screamed in astonishment at his greeting.
“Ueek! C, Count Helvent!”
“Is he famous?”