Chapter 1-27 : The Girl And The Gentleman Have Arrived At The Royal Capital (part 2)
「Little Missy, welcome to Porcelain Blue.」(Gilbert)
「Whoaa…!」(Elle)
As soon as the stagecoach passed through the gate, the scenery of the royal capital came into view.
When Elle disembarked from the ship, she thought that the port town was huge, but now she realized how small it was compared to the royal capital.
She was stunned by how majestic the city was. The people, the buildings, the stores, the stalls, and the streetsー everything fascinated her.
However, there was something that fascinated her the most. Something that she had never seen before even in books.
「What is that? A carriage? But, it doesn’t have a horse. I’ve never seen anything like that before!」(Elle)
It had the shape of a horse-drawn carriage, but it had no horse. There was a man sitting on the driver’s seat, but instead of reins, he was holding something round that looked like a wheel.
「Haha! You’ve never been in this city before, so it’s only natural you’ve never seen a magic stone vehicle.」(Gilbert)
「A magic stone vehicle…?」(Elle)
「As the name suggests, it’s a magic-stone-powered vehicle. There are so many of them here in the royal capital, but it’s still forbidden to ride them outside this city.」(Gilbert)
「So you can only ride them in this city?」(Elle)
「Yes. They were discovered several years ago, but I heard that they would become more and more popular and would be booming in ten years or so. Perhaps we will be able to ride them outside this city by then.」(Gilbert)
「Does that mean they will replace horse-drawn carriages in the future?」(Elle)
「Who knows? Well, I don’t really like magic stone vehicles, to be honest.」(Gilbert)
「Why?」(Elle)
「I’m old, and elderly people like me hardly accept new things such as those vehicles.」(Gilbert)
「Is that so?」(Elle)
「Besides… the people who mass-produce them are anti-royalists.」(Gilbert)
「Anti-royalists… Is that why the king forbade people from riding those vehicles outside this city?」(Elle)
「Most likely. Another reason why I don’t like those vehicles is because the exhaust gas emitted from them has polluted the air. A number of people have reportedly experienced respiratory problems ever since those vehicles became popular in this city.」(Gilbert)
「That sounds really bad.」(Elle)
「In addition, those vehicles caused a shortage of magic stones in this city.」(Gilbert)
「They need magic stones as fuel after all.」(Elle)
「Yeah, but the main problem is those hoarders.」(Gilbert)
「Hoarders?」(Elle)
「Magic stone vehicles are very popular, especially among nobles and rich people. Those people buy up most of the magic stones in this region without thinking. They don’t care that other people need them too.」(Gilbert)
「I see. Are there not many people making magic stones in this city?」(Elle)
「Do you mean magic stone enchanters? Yeah, compared to the past, there are indeed fewer enchanters here. That’s one of the reasons for the magic stone shortage. On the contrary, the number of magic tool engineers keeps increasing.」(Gilbert)
「Magic tool engineers?」(Elle)
「Simply put, they are people who invent magic-stone-powered tools, such as those problematic vehicles.」(Gilbert)
Elle was an enchanter, and so was her late master, Moritz. At least that’s what she thought at first.
However, Moritz also invented many magic tools in the past. Elle’s magic bag and the magic pot she used to make tea when Charlotte visited her cabin on the ship were his creations.
She just learned that her master was not only an enchanter, but also a magic tool engineer.
「Magic tools can be sold at high prices to nobles and rich people. That’s why the number of magic tool engineers kept growing. Some of them are even wealthier than nobles. See the street over there? That’s their district. It’s called Magic Workshop Street.」(Gilbert)
Elle looked in the direction Gilbert was pointing and saw many two- and three-story buildings with storefront signs. They seemed to be magic tool engineers’ stores and workshops.
She also saw many well-dressed people who seemed to be nobles and wealthy people. Some of them were walking down the street, and some others were riding magic stone vehicles.
Other than them, there were also people in cloaks who seemed to be magicians talking with each other by the street.
Judging by the number of customers who visited the workshops, being a magic tool engineer seemed to be quite a lucrative job.
「Little Lady, you look interested, but let me warn you. You better not go there. I would stay away from this district if I were you.」(Gilbert)
「But, why?」(Elle)
「Because magic tool engineers are nothing but a bunch of sly money-grubbers.」(Gilbert)
「… I’ll keep that in mind…」(Elle)
After passing the Magic Workshop Street and continuing running down the main street for a while, Elle’s stagecoach finally arrived at the central district which was the last stop.
The coachman parked the stagecoach by the road, got off the driver’s seat, and opened the door.
「Dear passengers, this is where we stop. I hope you enjoy the trip.」(coachman)
He then greeted Elle and Gilbert with a bow.
「You drove well, thank you.」(Gilbert)
「Thank you very much.」(Elle)
「It was my pleasure.」(coachman)
Elle, Yoyo, and Gilbert then got off the stagecoach.
Looking around, Elle saw a large clock tower rise up in the middle of the area. It was so tall that she had to turn her head ninety degrees to see the top.
When she turned her gaze to the side, she could see a beautiful white castle in the distance. It seemed to be the royal castle. It was as beautiful as the castle she saw in a fairy tale book.
「*Cough cough*!」(Gilbert)
While Elle was admiring the view of the city, Gilbert suddenly started coughing.
「Mr. Forster, are you okay?」(Elle)
「I’m fine. Thanks for the concern. It’s the air pollution.」(Gilbert)
There were hundreds of magic stone vehicles running around the city that had caused air pollution. Elle had noticed the somewhat weird smell in the air since she got off the stagecoach.
「Little Missy, wait here. I’ll be right back.」(Gilbert)
Saying that, Gilbert entered the nearby general store and returned while holding two small steel cans.
He then handed one of them to Elle.
「What is this? A can of candies?」(Elle)
「Throat lozenges. You will need them if you’re staying in this city. I bought two cans. This one’s for you. Of course, you don’t need to pay.」(Gilbert)
「I see. Thank you, Mr. Forster.」(Elle)
「You’re welcome.」(Gilbert)
Elle grew up in a forest that always had clean and fresh air, so the polluted air in the city was harsh for her.
She gratefully accepted the can of throat lozenges, opened it, and put one into her mouth.
「So, Little Missy, do you mind telling me your destination? I still have time, so I can show you around.」(Gilbert)
「Umm…」(Elle)
The royal capital was huge and had so many branching roads. It was like a giant labyrinth for someone who had never been there like Elle.
She glanced at Yoyo, and then Yoyo nodded at her. He could sense people’s malice but he couldn’t find one in Gilbert.
Thinking she should accept Gilbert’s kindness, Elle turned to him and asked.
「Do you know where Long Tail Factory is?」(Elle)
「Ah, of course. It’s a well-known toy factory in this city after all. Actually, it’s not far from my mansion. Grab my hand. I’ll take you there.」(Gilbert)
He reached out his hand toward Elle.
「U, umm…」(Elle)
「Come on. Don’t be shy. It’s easy to get lost in a big city like this.」(Gilbert)
「Alright…」(Elle)
She was hesitant at first but in the end, she held his hand and walked alongside him.
It reminded her of when Moritz took her strolling around the forest long ago.
「You know, Long Tail Factory sometimes makes custom-order toys, and only certain people can place orders. Back when my daughter was little, I ordered a stuffed animal from them, but it took five years to complete. My daughter was five when I placed the order, and she turned ten when the stuffed animal was finished. Sadly, she didn’t want it because it was too childish for her… If only they could finish it faster…」(Gilbert)
「Poor Mr. Forster…」(Elle)
「Haha… Yeah, poor me.」(Gilbert)
「And poor Mr. Stuffed Animal…」(Elle)
「Well, about the stuffed animal, my daughter kept it safe in a box for years until she turned into an adult and had a daughterー my granddaughter. She told me that she gave it to her daughter as a birthday present and told me that she really liked it. It made me so happy.」(Gilbert)
「I see. That’s great! I’m happy for you.」(Elle)
Seeing Elle’s bright smile, Gilbert couldn’t help but smile too.
Feeling nostalgic when he saw Elle’s smile, he muttered.
「…Little Missy. You really remind me of my daughter…」(Gilbert)
「Hm? Did you say something?」(Elle)
「…No. Nothing.」(Gilbert)
He shook his head and continued walking down the busy street while holding Elle’s hand.
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