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Radis thought that they would go to a theater somewhere in the south for the play.
But that wasn’t it.
The marquis’ carriage headed towards the highlands of Larrings.
That’s where the ‘gate’ was.
“Wait, we’re passing through a gate?”
“Yes. Is there a problem? Do you get motion sickness from teleporting through a gate?”
“That’s… I don’t know. I’ve never gone through one.”
The moment Radis said so, Marquis Russell took out a paper bag from under his carriage seat and puffed it up.
After that, he politely handed it to her.
With a tight grip on the paper bag, Radis asked.
“Are we going through a gate just to watch a play?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The gate fee, it’s really expensive! And not just anyone can use it.”
There were only a few gates across the empire. It was an ancient magical relic that warped space by engraving runes on the ground.
In addition, a staggering number of magic stones was needed for teleportation.
But Marquis Russell answered.
“The Larrings gate belongs to House Russell.”
Radis was speechless. She just followed after him.
The gate was mysterious.
Its flat surface was made of white marble and numerous pillars stood around it.
All over the surface and the pillars, ancient runes that glowed subtly appeared as a complex pattern.
In the middle of it, Yves and Radis stood side by side.
The gatekeeper even kindly tied a large handkerchief over Radis’ neck when they saw her holding a paper bag.
When the preparations were over, the gatekeeper placed a handful of magic stones on the altar.
‘Ah…!’
At that moment, the surface beneath her feet shone starkly.
‘…Bright!’
And the next moment, they were standing at the Dvirath gate, located in a city near the capital—in the northern region of the empire.
Yves, whose lips had turned slightly pale, looked at Radis and asked.
“Are you alright?”
Radis removed the handkerchief around her neck and placed it inside the paper bag.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. People who get motion sickness through the gate sometimes throw up.”
Radis hesitated and shuffled away from Yves. Then, she asked.
“Marquis, are… are you alright?”
“I’m used to it because I pass through gates often. Anyway, this is interesting. It’s your first time using a gate, but you’re fine. Your stomach must be like steel.”
Near the gate, there was a carriage with the marquisate’s coat of arms.
As soon as she was about to get on the carriage, Radis stumbled and felt a little nauseous.
“Here.”
Yves Russell smiled and reached out a hand to her.
“I guess it’s not so much like steel. Take my hand.”
It felt really strange.
Perhaps because of the gate’s side effects, Radis felt like she was dreaming.
After passing through the highlands, the carriage headed to the center of Dvirath.
A city built around the gate closest to the capital, Dvirath was the most spectacular city in the empire.
Most of the largest banks and many guild branches were here.
Apart from that, the most famous shopping district of the empire called the ‘Golden Road’ was right here, complete with casinos and other entertainment establishments.
In other words, Dvirath was a place that all of the empire’s citizens would want to visit at least once in their lives.
Yves Russell chuckled as he watched Radis, who was busy admiring the Dvirath cityscape through the carriage’s window.
“Having fun?”
Radis nodded vigorously as she looked back at Yves Russell.
“How could I not! Everyone says that it’s their lifelong dream to go to Dvirath!”
“Really? Is it the same for you, too?”
Radis looked around.
She was curious as well.
However, she didn’t particularly dream of it.
She had never even been to a theater down south.
She was someone who ate only oat porridge every day. Just as he couldn’t imagine what kind of exquisite delicacies the emperor would have stacked on his dinner table, she never even thought that she wished to go to Dvirath.
But of course, it was great to be here.
“I never thought about it, but anyway, I like it!”
Yves Russell nodded.
“If you like it that much, then next time we go here, let’s plan a longer itinerary and stay for a few days.”
“Huh?”
“My family has a townhouse in Dvirath, so you can come here anytime.”
Radis watched the people walking on both sides of the boulevard where the carriage passed through.
They were all dressed to the nines in colorful clothes, smiling happily as they looked through shop windows.
There were also children dressed in pretty clothes, their arms full of gifts as they skipped lightly.
There was another child blowing bubbles, and so large bubbles fluttered all over the street.
Looking intently at the round bubbles, Radis took in the wonderful, brilliant sight before her.
Everything was shining more beautifully than a rainbow.
It felt like she was dreaming.
She had never experienced having such a happy dream.