About the escorts from the Kingdom of Aetherion, the Queen duly refused to allow them to tag along. Her reason being that, them tagging along would make this tour rigidly formal. As she didn’t get many chances to tour foreign cities like this, she wanted to experience everything that the city had without being only shown the good side.
Reinhardt, of course, followed her wish. As he was escorting her by her side, he doubted that she would be in any real danger.
On the deck of a large gondola.
"G-Greetings to Your M-Majestttyy" Kevin tried to greet; however, he was so nervous that he ended up slurring.
"Heh, so even an idiot can bee nervous, huh?" Vangeance grinned, then showed the boy how one should greet royalty.
"What are you laughing at? His current attitude is the spitting scene from a year ago, when you met her majesty the first time, too" Silvia made fun of the ex thug and greeted the Queen. Her manners, perfect.
As for Gwen, Rolan and Delicia, they also greeted the queen with some nervousness in their posture. If there are any normal people in this group, then it would be these three.
"Fufu", the queen stifled her laughter and looked at the group that was quite unique and lively. From their manner of speaking to how they dress and their aura, she could tell that all of them came from different walks of life.
Seeing such a motley bunch that was quite unlike any knight order she had seen before made her feel at ease.
"It’s alright, you don’t have to be nervous. Just call me Her Majesty".
"Y-Yes. Please leave it to me, I will protect you with my life on the line" Kevin thumped his chest and stood straight, his cheek a little red.
The queen was extremely beautiful, though her face was covered with a veil; every little gesture or motion she made tugged at one’s heart. It was only natural for a pure boy like him to be enamoured by her beauty.
It was not only him, the other were too. They all swore to protect her to the best of their ability.
"My, you all are such valiant knights. Having you all around me makes me feel safe".
The Queen’s words only seemed to have bolstered their determination further. Seeing this lively and merry group, Reinhardt smiled.
And so, with the gondolas leading all around, they toured the city. It must be said that the capital of Aetherion was quite unique. They relied on waterways more instead of roads, connecting all the districts and areas of the city with another.
The populace was vibrant, and the market was booming. Furthermore, they were also more technologically advanced. Of course, they cannot be pared to the kingdom of Lunaris. Nevertheless, being the nation closest to Lunaris, they were able to leverage that advantage and develop their nation.
"Is that..." Reinahrdt questioned. While heading towards the next district, they saw the construction of a waterway; no, it would be wrong to say that it was a waterway, as it had what looked like rail tracks.
"Ah, that is a rail track for a new vehicle of transport that will connect the nation of Aetherion to Lunaris. Although it is still in production, rumour is that it is an extremely long iron car that can carry thousands of people at once."
The guide who was showing them around explained. He then pointed at an iron vehicle moving around on four circular tyres.
"Ah, by the way, the car is that iron vehicle you can see running around the roads of Aetherion every now and then. Although they are few in numbers and only nobles have access to them right now, the king has guaranteed that they will soon be all around the city".
The thing that the guide was pointing at was none other than a vehicle that looked like the 1900s’ first mass produced car.
This world had cars and trains!! Wel,l given that the humans of the ancient era were at the peak of civilisation, it wasn’t surprising. Still, it was a little shocking for Rienahrdt to see a car when all along he had been using carriages and horses.
"Ah, that’s the iron horse I was talking about to you. Our Solaris has also placed an order for a large number of them and a deal to set up a manufacturing factory in the capital. However, it would seem a little far-fetched now, given that our relationship with Lunaris is a little strained after the incident of the demi human laws."
The Queen explained, grabbing Reinhardt’s clothes. In her excitement, she even forgot that she had been trying to evade meeting the knight’s gaze after what happened last night.
Though the next second, when realisation dawned on her again, she hurriedly released his clothes and blushed slightly. That said, Reinhardt’s attention was more on the words that she said than anything else.
The kingdom of Lunaris, other than being a leader in technology among the Seven Great Kingdoms, was also known for one other thing.
Their strict judicial laws and hierarchy. The country of Lunairs has set social structures and a chain of mand. Anyone who falls below a certain class or breaks law, they are demoted to the lowest class of all, the slaves.
In that place, there were no laws for the slaves, and their living conditions were inhumane. However, it is by using these very slaves that the kingdom of Lunaris was able to rise to the level that it was.
The slaves there are not only a deterrent for the people there to constantly make progress, but also an efficient system that gives the country free labourers that can be exploited for the benefit of the higher classes.
In short, the kingdom of Lunaris is a most prolific user of the slave system. What’s more, among the slaves that they have there working for them, demi humans made up a large percentage of that number.
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