Following the incident in the city of Bretan, where enemy attacks had summoned a millennia-old demon—a creature whose allegiance was unknown, even to Adam, who had traveled back in ti.
That detail shattered any attempt to reconcile the events with what he rembered, leaving an unsettling gap in his understanding of the present.
And that was sothing that troubled him... but not too much, because from the very beginning he never used his mories as an all-powerful weapon, and events—both past and present—are a clear example of that.
He had learned early on that relying completely on sothing like that only led to mistakes when reality didn’t follow the sa path.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that so events didn’t change much; for example, the monster tide unfolded exactly as it had in his first life, albeit with slight variations; the essence remained the sa.
That ant the world hadn’t been completely altered... just diverted.
For that very reason, from day one, from her rebirth, she had prioritized her life experience over her knowledge of the future... while that gave Adam an advantage in specific situations, it didn’t an she was all-powerful.
His decisions didn’t depend on rembering... but on understanding.
Adam let out a sigh, closed his eyes for a brief mont before opening them again; it wouldn’t be long before they reached their next destination.
The carriage’s motion felt constant, almost monotonous, in contrast to the weight of his thoughts.
...And, of course, sitting across from him were Princess Alexandra and her maid, while beside him sat the demon Synes.
A combination that, under any other circumstances, would have been impossible.
"It’s been a pretty smooth ride, don’t you think?"
Princess Alexandra spoke suddenly, her gaze fixed on the window.
Her tone was light, almost casual, but there was sothing deliberate about the way she chose to break the silence.
It certainly had been a fairly uneventful journey... Adam was very pleased with that; they’d been traveling for several hours, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The absence of problems, in his case, was never sothing he took for granted.
They’d only encountered a few Rank I and II monsters, which Synes—who stood silently by his side—had dispatched with ease. They hadn’t co across any bandits or other dangers.
That calm... was due more to the person accompanying him than to the journey itself.
In short, he was indeed having a peaceful trip.
Too peaceful, perhaps.
Adam pushed his thoughts aside and replied:
There was no point in overanalyzing it.
"I hope the whole trip goes like this."
Princess Alexandra nodded. Her expression didn’t change much, but her eyes remained alert.
"Traveling like this lets you enjoy the scenery; it’s pleasant, don’t you think, son of the Blood Knight?"
The way she said that title... wasn’t accidental.
Adam glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and a small smile touched his lips:
He already understood where the conversation was headed.
"So you know everything, huh?"
"It’s not like you tried to hide it, is it? I just had to ask the baron, and they’d tell ."
Her response was natural, almost carefree.
She shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and continued:
But she didn’t stop watching his reaction.
"Besides, I’m one of the princesses of this kingdom, so finding out about you isn’t that hard. What surprises is that you’re already a mid-ranking knight at such a young age; not even among our ancestors did anything like that happen."
"I was just lucky, that’s all."
The answer ca effortlessly, as if he’d given it many tis before.
Princess Alexandra snorted.
"Ha, luck? If everything were just luck, things would be easier. Don’t tell you found sothing in a dungeon that improved your talent; I think people are talking about it at the castle."
There was a hint of mockery... but also genuine interest.
"..."
Adam paused for a brief mont before bursting out laughing:
The silence was brief, but long enough to think.
"Princess, aren’t you a little too old for that? How does a dungeon improve one’s talent? It sounds like you’re reading a fantasy novel."
Alexandra didn’t respond imdiately, as if she were weighing sothing more than just his words.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"That’s curious."
Her voice dropped just a little.
"Because stories like that... tend to be made up when soone needs to hide how they got sothing they shouldn’t have."
The atmosphere shifted.
"And yet... You don’t seem surprised that sothing like this exists."
Hmm~ how perceptive these princesses are...
The thought arose with a hint of interest rather than annoyance, as if he had just confird sothing he already suspected.
Adam understood more or less why he wanted her dead: despite the short ti he’d spent with her, and despite her friendly appearance, she was actually the complete opposite, for her eyes remained as cold as ice.
That contradiction... was what made her dangerous.
"What an interesting princess!"
His curiosity piqued a little; he had beco interested in the princess... of course, not in a romantic way. With his fiancée Selene and her heroic spirit, Asterin had more than enough.
It wasn’t an attraction... it was an assessnt.
...He was evaluating her as a future ally who could expand his influence and take advantage of all the contacts she would have. Now he wasn’t so regretful about changing course to help the rchants.
The decision, which had been circumstantial at the ti, was now beginning to show its true value.
Adam was clear on this: thanks to the help he provided, he has contact with those rchants... and, most importantly, he has contact with the rather unique princess.
A connection he hadn’t anticipated... but one he knew how to take advantage of.
He let out a sigh as he raised his hands and said:
"It seems the princess has completely cornered; I have no choice but to tell the truth, right? Yes, my talent has grown thanks to a very special dungeon I stumbled upon by chance, which belonged to a mad wizard obsessed with the stars nad Mauricio Door."
The princess looked away and pouted, puffing out her cheeks in an adorable, cute way... but Adam just stared out the window, humming so tune with an incredibly unique and revolutionary rhythm.
Her gesture seed lighthearted, almost childish, but it didn’t quite fit with the coldness he had sensed earlier; that contradiction did not go unnoticed.
Maybe I should stop being a noble and beco a bard.
The thought arose with irony, but also with a touch of deliberate distraction.
...
Risthon.
The na alone carried a certain weight, known even beyond its borders for its constant influence and activity.
It was an extrely large city, with a population several tis that of Arkham... perhaps even three tis as large in both number and size. It was located between the cities of Vitam and Taurin, which were also as large as Risthon, but not quite on the sa level.
Its location made it a key hub for transit, trade, and movent, which was reflected in the constant flow of people and goods.
However, what made this city unique was not its size, but its diversity of cultures and races, though there weren’t many of them. In the streets, one could see half-humans with chains around their necks, dwarves, and, among the most aggressive and uncontrollable, elves, most of whom were wanderers.
That mix was not harmonious. It was functional... but tense.
From the carriage, Adam looked out at the streets, filled with stalls, adventurers from various guilds, and rcenaries... Though what stood out most were the nobles’ luxurious carriages, escorted by several knights.
The movent was constant, but not chaotic; each group occupied its place within a hierarchy that seed clear even without explanation.
That revealed the level of wealth possessed by the person in the carriage, because everyone knows how expensive and valuable knights are.
And in a city like that... power was not hidden.
Not long after, the carriage he was riding in stopped in front of a large inn, where Adam got out first and helped the princess; with that, his "job" was done.
The inn stood out among the nearby buildings, not only because of its size, but also because of the constant stream of people coming and going, many of whom were clearly ard or belonged to so guild.
Now he had to hire that rcenary guild so he could quickly return to Hall’s territory and bolster his ranks as much as possible.
And in a city like Risthon, the quality of a group could an the difference between bolstering a defense... or bringing additional problems.
Ti was working against him, and every minute that passed without him moving was another opportunity for the enemy to reorganize its forces or launch a new attack.
Taking a deep breath, Adam walked into the inn, then set about his original plan.
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