Once we reached the Teleportation Gate, we will soon be in Hydra Kingdom. Since today wasnāt a season brimming with events, the gate wasnāt so crowded, and we were able to teleport without much waiting time.
As soon as we arrived at Hydra Kingdom, I could smell the unique seaside scent and feel the hustle and bustle of the place.
[No matter how many times I visit this place, Hydra Kingdom really is always bustling.]
[Itās probably more accurate to call this place a huge port city. In fact, the markets near the sea are always quite lively. Hydra Kingdom has various innovative systems in place, particularly with their lower tax rate compared to others. The conditions are conducive for individuals to easily open shops, making it much easier for one to start a business. However, due to this nature of the Kingdom, there tends to be a large number of small to medium-sized shops and not many large commercial establishments.]
[I see, it certainly has that kind of atmosphere.]
Hydra Kingdom is a place where the authority held by the citizens is strong, while the nobles are almost all in name only and their authority isnāt much greater than the others. I even heard some saying that nobility in itself may eventually disappear in the country. I guess that country really seemed to be the most ahead of its time in the Human Realm.
As someone from a different world, I find this characteristic of Hydra Kingdomās culture relatively easier to get used to compared to the other countries.
As we were walking down the street while I had such a thought in mind, a familiar old man walked up to me from the other side. It was Laguna-san, wearing the disguise she had when we first met.
[Fors-san, it looks like sheās come to pick you up.]
[Yeah, that indeed seems to be the case. She sure is as unskillful at Transformation Magic as usualā¦ā¦ Those well-versed in magic would notice the discrepancies fairly quickly. Well, sheās a staunch front-line type, so I suppose itās inevitableā¦ā¦]
[Neun-san also mentioned how sheās not very good at Recognition Inhibition Magic either.]
[Well, magic is something that some are good while others arenāt. I might be referred to as a Sage, but it doesnāt mean I can use all sorts of magic. One could say Iām more specialized in Nature Magic and Earth Magic. On the other hand, Iām not very skilled in Fire and other such magic.]
Fors-san also seemed to notice Laguna-san immediately as she wryly smiled. Thereupon, Laguna-san seemed to know that we had noticed her, as she lightly signaled to us with a finger.
She was probably signaling us to go to an unpopulated area in the direction her finger was pointing to. Laguna-san is a King with a tremendous approval rating and is quite popular within Hydra Kingdom.
In fact, when I first met her, she was also using Transformation Magic, so I imagine it would be difficult for her to walk around in the street without a disguise.
We followed the disguised Laguna-san through several alleys until we came to an unpopulated seaside area, where Laguna-san took off her disguise.
[C- Calm down, Lagunaā¦ā¦ F- For the time being, put down that fist youāre raising. Listen here, itās the behavior of savage beasts to immediately resort to violence. We are rational creaturesā¦ā¦ We must not let our anger get the better of us.]
[Even though Iāve kept on warning you about this repeatedly beforehand, for you to still get lost like that, Iād obviously get mad. In the first placeā¦ā¦ Unnn? Houā¦ā¦ fumuā¦ā¦]
[What is it? Laguna, thatās an unpleasant look you have thereā¦ā¦ Those eyes, donāt you have those when youāre teasing me? Iām now inclined to ask for an explanation for why those eyes are directed towards me at a time like thisā¦ā¦ but unfortunately, I do have a slight inkling as to why, so I also feel like not wanting to delve into it too much. If youāre gonna touch upon this matter, Iād appreciate holding onto some resolve to a certain extent.]
They had some sort of exchange that I didnāt quite understand, and Laguna-san, who should have been angry just now, is now grinning like a cheshire cat.
Then, as if to mock Fors-sanās attempt to somehow get the topic back to before, Laguna-san spoke.
[ā¦ā¦Fors, arenāt you being unusually shy over there? Oh my, is that a faint blush on your cheeks I see? Hohou, who would have thought Iād get to see you looking like thatā¦ā¦ The cause must be Kaito huh. Hahaha, I must say, as to be expected of him! For that Fors to be making such a face- Whoa!? Hey, wait!?]
[I did warn youā¦ā¦]
Laguna-san was happily teasing Fors-san, but the ground beneath her feet suddenly turned into something like a swamp and her body sank, and even though she tried to resist, she was dragged into the ground.
Then, Fors-san, who was holding a wooden staff before I knew it, imbued it with magic power and tapped its base on the ground.
[ā¦ā¦Earth Shaker.]
Thereupon, a big tremorā¦ā¦ an earthquake occurred, and considering we were on the seaside, I looked around in panic, but then I noticed that the sea wasnāt rippling at allā¦ā¦ It seemed that it was only the location we were in that were shaking.
Itās quite a mysterious situation, but most likely, to prevent any damage to the vicinity, a counteracting magic is being employed to induce an ultra-localized earthquake.
And then, a little later, when the shaking stoppedā¦ā¦ the ground on which Laguna-san had sunk became as hard as steel.
[ā¦ā¦Well then, since weāve come all the way to Hydra Kingdom, letās have a light lunch before we head to the royal castle. As thanks for this matter, allow me to treat you.]
[ā¦ā¦Ah, no, what about Laguna-san?]
[ā¦ā¦If she were to die from something like this, she would have died on that journey a thousand years ago. Iāve seriously solidified and reinforced that ground, but Iām sure sheāll be out in a few minutes. Well, just leave her be. Letās go.]
[Ah, yes.]
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