Chapter 34: Chapter 33 – Homeland I

The Human Kingdom does not stay idle while the Princess is missing — although, for most citizens, life is hardly different on a personal level.

On a typical mid-day, two months after her departure, the crowds of well-to-do merchants and artisans do their best looking busy while waiting for the guards to check their papers before letting them through into the inner city. The armed men take their time, causing an occasional snarky remark.

A particularly heavyset merchant, donning an opulent silk suit, starts pushing himself through. Right by him, almost invisible among the crowded adults, a young blonde boy tries getting through, shouldering a bag almost as big as his body. The merchant barely notices when he pushes the youngster aside.

Tripping and falling, the boy lets go of the bag, spilling countless envelopes containing very important-looking, sealed letters all over the colored tiles of the pavement.

Without uttering a word, he scrambles back on his feet, excusing himself while rushing to collect the pieces of paper, checking under everyone's feet, trying to avoid being stepped on. Carefully, he reaches out for an envelope lying just to the right of one artisan's feet — just when he's about to snatch it, the man's soft leather shoe steps on it and his hand.

「Come on, your captain knows me!」 the boy hears the beret-donning artist shout to a guard. 「I demand to do business in there! These paintings are worthy of a nobleman's mansion!」 the artist flails wildly. Trying to hold in the yelp of pain, the errand boy feels the weight lifting off his hand while the picture maker is being dragged off, with canvases under his arms.

「I'm sorry sir, only the most distinguished are allowed to reside inside the inner city now,」 the guard replies.

「You cannot do this to me! Call Lord Westenhouse! He knows me! I was given a permit to work in the inner city!」

The boy turns his attention back to the crumpled letter, wondering whether it's still salvageable before stuffing it back into the bag. The guards know him well enough to let him into the inner city, where he goes hurrying down the street, hand throbbing from dull pain.

Already late, he runs down the main street, passing through the wide-open space decorated with well-tended cypress trees in the middle, then continuing down narrower pathways, until merging with the crowd filling one of the main streets encircling the castle hill, as they join the thousands more in the prestigious inner market, out in a grand square with an imposing column in the middle. Unlike the markets in the outer city, brick-and-mortar buildings abound here instead of stalls — some decorated with porcelain tiles, others springing decorative eaves well away from their walls.

In the middle the hustle and bustle mixes with the smell of incense, saffron, stryherb, and a dozen or so other imported spices. Two cooks and their servants rush to take up the space on a long table set up between two houses. The plates carry foods calculated to the local clientele's tastes, and the morsels — all fresh out the oven, smelling of vanilla, nutmeg and pepper — are snatched up by cotton and fur-clad families of nobles and the newly rich sitting by, almost as soon as they appear.

Out the passageway leading to the governor's house and the seat of the Royal Senate walks an important-looking bearded man, flanked by guards. Walking around, he raises his brows upon witnessing the banquet.

「What is the commotion? House Caidriss and Telias, what in the Goddess are you having me witness? Did you set this table up here?」 he shouts.

A plump, middle-aged woman in a striped hat quickly chomps down on the last bit of a parfait before whispering to a servant standing by. The lanky, tall attendant quickly approaches the big-bearded guest.

「Governor Arrind, what an honor to have you here,」 he bows and continues, making sure to keep his eyes below the governor's level, 「We are in the middle of a competition, a friendly sparing between the finest chefs of the Kingdom, good misters Hanlin and Meritor, for a chance to deliver their produce to the inner city, sir!」

The governor examines the scene for a while, scratching his beard.

「I see...」 a sly glint shines in his eyes, 「where is my seat then?」

The guards assisting him know that while a spot for their employer will quickly be made, they, like the well-paid and highly skilled guards standing out day and night by the royal mint farther down the street, will have to do with only imagining the taste, waiting for the shift change.

Up high above everyone's heads, a clattering sound breaks the silence in one of the side alleys. The house servant of one of the families living in the inner city opens the upper windows of their four-story dwelling in order to let in fresh air during her daily cleaning duty.

She, like many others, would never get to visit much of the inner city, aside from the errands she has to run. Occasionally, she would glance at the far towers of the Royal University, wondering what could have become of her if she was there. The tall structures, covered with gilding and pearly white tiles, shine like two beacons off to the east, flanking the inner city wall. Just behind them are the spires of the royal guards' hall, which appear to pierce the heavens like halberds. Beyond, the lush gardens stretching around the innermost perimeter of the castle and decorating every loop with ancient maples, figs and dragonfirs.

Finally, she casts her glance at the giant walls of the Royal Quarters, the tallest point in the entire landscape — its courtyard is spacious enough to contain an entire district of its own, complete with royal houses, apart from the Royal Palace, as well as the Church's main cathedral.

She knows she will likely never set foot there either. Reaching up to dizzying heights, the walls surrounding that area completely cut it off from the world. So tall, they have become as much a part of the scenery as the sky — they go almost unnoticed by people who live in their shadow for a long time.

Gazing in the other direction, she would see the tall inner city wall. Although fitting in with the grandiose style of the ancient architecture near it, the border wall itself was newly-built, repaired from the old one used to protect against the defeated Demon King before the expansion of the city.

On a fine day like this, looking past it, she can catch the top of one of the statues of the Goddess, which remained as part of the outer city when the center claimed its new territory by walling itself off. Having spotted the weathered giant piece of marble, she puts her hands together in a prayer.

「Dinal!」 a voice of a young boy with blonde hair she knows all too well interrupts her, its timbre — stuck between childhood and pubescence — scaring away the birds perched on nearby rooftops.

She looks to her left and down, noticing him standing on an aerial passageway connecting two buildings on a level below her.

「Good day for a walk,」 she says.

「Aren't you gonna join me?」 he jests, resting his hands on the stone railing next to a gargoyle.

「Come on, Movry,」 she responds, 「I'm not going to be done with the rounds on the upper floor until at least dinner time. Lady Westenhouse wants her windows squeaky clean and bedsheets pure white for the new guests!」

「Guests? Who?」 he inquires, but the servant girl simply shrugs.

The two exchange pleasantries and the young boy moves on to descend an exterior staircase that will take him down to a vast series of interconnected inner gardens and entranceways, where dozens like him hurry to deliver the most important mail in the Kingdom.

In just a short moment, he'll be free to grab a meal - nowhere fancy, and quite far from the large market square, but nevertheless an area that seems to shine and show its riches off, a part of the inner city reserved as quarters for all the servants, cooks, cleaners, and everyone else who - without much recognition - takes part in making the machinery of the city run.

The birds the boy had scared off join a larger flock, which flies over the cityscape Dinal was pondering, makes a circle over the multi-layered roofs of the headquarters of the adventurers' guild, and heads straight for the stark white towers of the Royal Quarters' cathedral.

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Inside, under the alabaster ceilings supported by columns taller than the length of some residences, Hero is kneeling at a confession stand. It is a three-meters-tall, lacquered wooden box with blue triangular markings and a small alcove outside with a cushion for the knees.

He's wearing a part of his gold-plated armor, omitting the heavier pauldrons, large chestplate and unwieldy tassets.

「Oh, Goddess, grant me your knowledge in my hour of struggle. The wrongs of those going against your divine plans are threatening the world again with chaos,」 he says, 「but I shall not let them.」

The archbishop behind the stand answers, 「O child of Goddess, you shall be given the knowledge and the blessings of the divine, if you choose to partake in the sacred light and listen to her words.」

Hero pauses for a brief moment, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, and looks as if enduring pain.

「Has my Princess Rosaria... been tainted?」 Hero asks, shifting slightly on the cushion.

The archbishop stays silent for a moment. A high-ranking church official like him would be expected to respond in shock or anger, but his face is stoic.

He leans in and speaks a bit more quietly than usual, 「... do you mean to ask if Princess Rosaria has had sexual intercourse with Xalvari?」

「I will not have it!」 Hero bursts out, causing a few dignitaries standing in the naves nearby to turn their heads, then move further ahead. 「That filthy rabid dog, obsessed with lust and revenge! She's everything to me,」 he begins rattling off, 「we met a decade ago first, back when I was told about the prophecy by Goddess, and then five years ago when setting out for our conquest. Our fates have been written already, but this backstabbing snake has turned on us! We should have already been united! On the throne! Bringing a new peace to the Kingdom, and rekindling the Royal bloodline!」

He takes a break, panting heavily.

The archbishop sighs.

「Woeful are the worries of the mortal coil. This would be the third time in the past four weeks you've come to beseech the Goddess about these matters, child.」

Hearing Hero's angry breathing from the other side of the small window, seeing his head bowed and face scowling, he adds, 「Fret not child, the Goddess has shared her wisdom and through her grace I tell you thus: Princess Rosaria is unquestionably still pure.」

「But... how do you explain their intimacy two months ago!? I saw it with my own eyes!」 Hero fires up again, 「he was looking at and touching her with his lizard-like hands as if she was his! The way he put his arm around her waist and forced her up against him! Vile!」 Hero yells, taking deep breaths, face redder every second.

After forcing himself to relax, he asks quietly with meager voice, 「I ask thee to make sure, has my Rosaria been defiled by the corrupting hands of that lowly savage, yet?」

「Child, Princess Rosaria is under the Goddess's auspices. There is no way her chastity would be infringed upon by a despicably lost lamb like Xalvari. Put your faith in the Goddess's ability to protect her faithful flock.」

Hero's face relaxes and he bows back and forward to catch a deeper breath.

Footsteps approach him from behind, along with a clanking sound of worn armor. Soon, a female voice announces, 「Hero, Sir, good to have found you.」

Wearing a bulky, polished, silver set of armor with gold markings, and a red cape on her shoulders, just like Hero, she kneels, shuffling behind him on a nearby carpet. Her hair is light purple, medium-length, and reaches her neck. She has a youthful face with a slender nose and bright blue eyes.

In a hushed voice, she says, 「Sir, I'm here on the request of the Crown. Prince Rowan demands to see you at the Vestili Palace.」

Hero raises his head and slowly turns his gaze towards her. The archbishop sees a glint in his eye as he asks with a harsh tone, 「Palace? Elena! Is there still no news about the whereabouts of Princess Rosaria and that wretched fool, it has been two months!」

「M-my apologies, Hero... sir... no news as of yet, they are still searching,」 Elena says and lowers her head a bit more while biting her lip.

Hero clenches his fists. From behind, Elena can see his back tremble while he grits his teeth. He takes a long pause, long enough for the archbishop to feel like interrupting, but before the clergyman raises his voice, Hero asks,

「... Vestili Palace?」

「Y-yes, Hero, Sir」 Elena confirms, scuttling a little closer to him, 「His Highness claims it's an urgent matter...」

Hero rests his hands on the stand in front of the confession box's window and rises.

「Those are all my worries for this time,」 he says. 「I came humble before the Goddess, and leave renewed, my fate in her hands.」

The archbishop nods him away, and, once he and Elena quickly depart, a long exhale escapes him.

Walking out the large, arched door of the cathedral made out of carved marble, and big enough to contain a small watchtower, the two pass by priests and priestesses who bow when passing Hero.

「Dearest Heavens, he's so perfect,」 one of them murmurs to another, loudly enough for all to hear. They blush and bow slightly to offer their prayers as the two walk away.

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