A luxurious carriage traveled on the main road of the royal capital, its wheels rolling and creating slight vibrations against the stone pavement.
Having left the area where "Free Will" was stationed, which lacked paved roads, and arriving on the main road.
The young man driving the carriage felt his tense nerves relax slightly.
The medium-sized carriage, pulled by two sturdy horses, was spacious enough to comfortably seat four people, which also meant it wasn't easy to handle.
The young man gripped the reins tightly, controlling the speed and direction of the two horses. He could feel that the horses were unusually well-behaved today.
Was it because of that monster?
The young man cautiously glanced out of the corner of his eye at the hellhound, over two meters tall, that was closely following the left side of the carriage. The sturdy horses seemed petite in comparison to the hellhound's size.
The young man had neat, short golden hair, and thick, heavy eyebrows. Although he looked about the same age as Enri, he possessed a composure far beyond his years.
Inside the carriage.
The Verdant Witch and Enri sat on opposite sides, one expressionless and devoid of emotion, the other somewhat excited and restless.
"Climb."
Minori saw the loyal dog pulling the carriage and a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
Climb's luxurious carriage was sent by the Golden Princess. It was complicated for outsiders to enter the royal palace normally.
Moreover, the terrain inside the royal palace was complex, and without a familiar guide, it was easy to get lost and cause unnecessary trouble. After all, this was just a private invitation from the Golden Princess.
"Climb was rescued by the Golden Princess so early," Minori thought.
He only remembered that the Golden Princess had mental problems due to the lack of "equal people" thinking, and then suffered from anorexia, even slowly moving towards death.
If she hadn't accidentally picked up the loyal dog and found comfort and satisfaction in her heart, she might have starved herself to death.
Of course, this was unlikely to happen.
The royal family wouldn't let the Golden Princess starve herself to death.
"The two of them are not very old at the moment. According to the timeline, they should only be 12 years old, the same as Anri. Climb should be a little younger."
"No, it's Year 0 of the New Calendar now, so he should be 13. If the other world doesn't have the concept of counting age by solar or lunar years."
Minori tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.
They didn't look old in age, but their appearance didn't look like it should be at that age at all. People in the other world were indeed more mature in appearance.
The luxurious carriage quickly drove into the royal city.
Because they had been notified in advance, they didn't encounter any obstacles, but they were stopped when they approached the interior of the royal city.
The problem was with the hellhound, but in the end, with the proof of the Golden Princess's letter, the group completely passed.
Palace corridor.
Climb stood up straight, leading the way with a serious face. The chainmail lining on his body rubbed together, making a light metallic clanging sound.
"Thank you for the trouble with Little Kuro just now," Minori said with a smile, following behind him at a leisurely pace.
When they were intercepted just now, Climb argued for them, but the result was not as effective as the letter written by the Golden Princess herself.
Climb slowed down briefly, his voice stiff: "I'm just following Princess Renner's orders to bring you to Princess Renner. This is what I should do!"
"Okay." Minori shrugged his shoulders.
The current Climb was still too inexperienced. Even if he tried to make his expression and tone formulaic, he still couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with them.
As for why?
It wasn't hard to guess.
Minori was relaxed and didn't care. He looked around, appreciating the beautiful environment of the royal capital.
Climb walked forward with his head down.
He really didn't like the people behind him. They didn't even wear formal dresses when meeting the princess, which was very rude. Also, that large monster, the hellhound, was actually brought into the royal palace.
Climb thought this was a kind of contempt for Princess Renner.
However, "Free Will" were the master's guests.
Climb felt that if it were Miss Lakyus, she would probably prohibit such behavior without hesitation, but…
He simply didn't have the qualifications to make decisions for his master, and he also didn't have the strength. The hellhound monster was an existence that he couldn't stop even if he risked his life.
If he rashly expressed his inner thoughts.
Not only might it cause trouble for the master, but it might also cause the other party to despise him.
In any case, he couldn't let the master lose face.
Climb straightened his back again, and even the steps he took changed a little, forcibly walking out of a unique aura.
In this strange atmosphere.
The group arrived at the palace where Princess Renner lived.
The elite soldiers and knights who were originally guarding both sides of the corridor gradually disappeared, and the number of maids obviously increased.
Faced with the arrival of Minori and his party.
These maids all showed the dignified royal etiquette. Each of them had a smile on their face. Even when a terrifying monster like the hellhound passed by, their bodies only trembled slightly, and the expressions on their faces did not change.
Enri's eyes were already dazzled at this moment. She subconsciously greeted these maids with kind smiles in a flustered manner.
This would definitely cause a joke in other places.
Climb thought to himself, but no one laughed at the scene. His serious eyes swept over the maids, and he couldn't help but snort coldly in his heart.
The maids always had a straight face when they saw him, and even harbored hostility.
Climb naturally knew the reason. Due to the princess's relationship, his status in the royal palace was actually somewhat special.
These maids were different from him. They were all born into noble families. The thought of bending their knees to him, a man even lower than a commoner, meant that not showing anger on their faces was already considered cultured.
He knew these maids too well, so he could naturally see that the smiles on these maids' faces were not formulaic, but from the heart.
It was for the group of "Free Will"… to be precise, it should be for the leader named Minori.
Whether it was the expensive "Regeneration Potion" with excellent treatment effects that was snapped up by the major nobles, or the various attacks encountered, easily solving a large number of evil adventurers and mercenaries.
The degree of popularity among the people was extremely high.
The other party seemed to be of commoner origin. At least, in the rumors he heard, there was no noble background or status. In short, he was a quite remarkable person.
This point.
Even if Climb's favorability towards the "Free Will" group had dropped a lot due to formal dresses and other reasons, he had to admit it.
Without the status of a noble, one could still be respected by relying on one's own strength and reputation, just like Mr. Gazef.
Climb sincerely wanted to become such a person.
While thinking.
The group had arrived at the entrance of the hall.
The two wide doors with a silver metallic luster were heavily closed. In addition to the exquisite patterns, the most eye-catching thing was a huge tapestry hanging on the door frame.
Embroidered on it was the royal emblem, a black background with a white pattern similar to a bull. This was also the national flag of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Dang! Dang!
Climb gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," a lively voice, like the dripping of morning dew, came from inside the hall.
Climb then gently pushed the door open.
Minori's usual calmness showed a rare change at this moment.
What he had to deal with next was not only Princess Renner, but also the "Blue Rose" group. Perhaps there was no danger, but it was a scene worth taking seriously.
Good!
It always felt like a challenging thing.
With a "click" sound.
A luxurious but not ostentatious hall came into view. The ground was paved with pure white stone slabs, and only the central area was covered with thick, exquisite carpets.
A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the surrounding walls were covered with a layer of silk wallpaper priced in gold coins.
Several sofas were simply placed on the carpet, and in the center was a somewhat small tea table.
The first thing that came into view were the figures of three blonde ladies. Two of them were wearing gorgeous dresses and complemented each other while sitting on the sofa, and one was standing behind the sofa, wearing simple soft armor.
Climb only glanced at them before quickly lowering his head, completely opening the door, and then actively stepping aside, giving space to the "Free Will" group.
The two women sitting on the sofa, who seemed to be chatting lightly, raised their heads at the same time.
Princess Renner's golden hair was full of luster, and she wore a bright yellow gemstone ornament on her forehead. Her smile was full of gentleness, and her deep blue pupils looked over with curiosity.
Lakyus also had golden hair, but compared to Princess Renner's smooth hair, it was wavy and curly. The color of her pupils was emerald green, and her gaze was full of scrutiny as she looked at Minori and his party.
The brightness of the entire room seemed to dim when the two of them turned their heads at the same time.
Even though he had expected it, Minori couldn't help but be stunned when he really saw the appearance of the two.
The white priest's robe swayed.
Minori walked forward with a peaceful expression and unhurried steps. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the other members of Blue Rose sitting on the sofa near Lakyus.
"Awoo."
Kuro shook its neck, closely following Minori. Its black fur and huge size did not cause much movement when it moved its feet, but instead had a sense of lightness.
Only the bone chains wrapped around its body, like swimming snakes moving on its body, exuded a terrifying aura like a jungle beast.
Such a ferocious monster did not cause any changes in the expressions of the people in the room. Even Princess Renner simply raised her hand to cover her delicate lips.
Lakyus took the lead in standing up. She was wearing a complicated dress, but her movements were not affected at all. A hint of surprise flashed in her emerald green pupils.
She had heard Gagaran mention that the leader of "Free Will" was very young, but she didn't expect him to look about the same age as her.
Black hair and black pupils, it didn't look like it was dyed.
He was indeed a bit handsome and looked like a gentle person.
Lakyus thought to herself and introduced herself, without the arrogance of a noble or the gentleness of a normal woman, but rather in a brisk tone: "'Blue Rose' Captain, Lakyus."
This sentence, when it sounded in the hall, in a sense, also set a tone for inviting Minori and others to come, not as a noble, but as an invitation as an adventurer.
Princess Renner did not continue to speak. Her white and tender palms were still covering her lips, seemingly still surprised by the hellhound. Her other hand was placed on the long skirt between her legs.
"'Free Will' Captain, Minori."
Minori heard the other party's introduction and naturally introduced himself as well, then a gentle smile appeared on his face:
"I have always heard that the princess's beauty is like 'the brilliance of a gemstone', and Captain Lakyus's beauty is like 'the light of life'. Now that I have truly seen you, I understand that the rumors are not exaggerated at all."
Speaking of which.
Minori bowed slightly to Princess Renner: "May your Highness's beauty be as dazzling as the morning star."
As soon as these words came out.
Lakyus's eyebrows twitched.
Climb's expression at the door became even stiffer.
This was not considered etiquette at all, nor did it have the restraint of a noble. The words were too straightforward.
However.
It was not considered a big problem for adventurers. The adventurers in the Adventurer's Guild and the country were originally under different affiliations.
Climb took a deep breath.
Not every adventurer had this qualification. Ordinary adventurers had better honestly abide by etiquette, unless they were powerful adventurers like the one in front of them, who could ignore some rules.
"Morning star? Thank you."
Princess Renner didn't seem to care, but instead looked happy. She carefully glanced at the hellhound, then stood up, holding the skirts on both sides.
At this moment, a voice also sounded from the side.
"Oh dear, I've long heard that Sir Minori is followed by a powerful monster. Judging by its size, it should far exceed ordinary Hellhounds, right?"
"It's well-trained. Is it the superior species of Hellhound, a Hellhound lord?" Gagaran's rough, hearty voice came.
"Sure enough, men are all the same," Tia said lightly.
"There are only two gentlemen present, tsk, I'm very curious, do you two think our leader is beautiful, or do you think Her Highness the Princess is beautiful?"
Tina deliberately dragged out her tone, and her sinister voice sounded.
The room fell silent again.
"Tina!" Lakyus glared at Tina, but her emerald green pupils looked at Minori.
Climb was a little stunned. The answer in his heart was naturally only one, but looking at the situation in the field, it seemed that no one cared about his answer.
Was it because they already knew his answer?
Faced with the gaze of one eye after another.
Minori just shook his head helplessly, then raised his head to look at Lakyus standing behind Princess Renner: "Long time no see, Miss Leinas."
Ah?
Leinas was stunned. She originally thought that her master would pretend not to know her, but she did not expect to suddenly speak like this.
However, after a brief moment of shock, she quickly suppressed the emotions in her heart.
"Long time no see, Sir Minori." Leinas was very smart and realized that Minori might have other ideas for the first time.
The people in the room were a little surprised.
Only Princess Renner's eyes flashed, and the fingers holding the skirt were a little stronger.
This feeling was like a main course laid out on the table, suddenly being unveiled to someone else's gaze.