Editor: Tseirp
“This is an incredibly massive suspension bridge…”
“The river is wide, but maybe it’s built like this so any kind of ship can pass? Amazing.”
The great bridge spanning the western outskirts of the imperial capital, Hanlin, was visible even from far down the river.
Near the capital, the South River was said to be nearly two kiloters wide, making the bridge spanning it almost unbelievably large.
After a while, the boat carrying the two approached the bridge.
“It’s quite high, even from the river surface…”
“Yeah, it’s a massive structure.”
“Abel, perhaps for national prestige, we should also…”
“No need!”
“Why not?!”
“Because our kingdom doesn’t have a river this big.”
Ryo had no rebuttal for Abel’s perfectly reasonable response.
Instead, he decided to propose sothing else.
“In that case. Let’s build a 100-ter-tall statue of you!”
“…Huh?”
“So that the citizens of the kingdom can feel pride!”
“No need…”
“Why not?!”
“…It’s way too embarrassing.”
Abel wasn’t fond of such things.
“In many countries, great leaders often have grand statues built in their honor. It would be fitting to have a statue of Abel, the Liberator and Hero!”
“I…really don’t need that…”
“As a king, you should be able to endure such minor humiliation!”
“See! So you admit it’s humiliating!”
“Ah! I fell into Abel’s trap!”
“You totally did that on purpose…”
It seed even a king had to deal with a lot.
Their boat arrived at a massive dock that resembled a port.
There was a designated area for mooring.
The ten or so soldiers who had accompanied them disembarked first and quickly walked ahead.
As soon as Abel and Ryo stepped off the boat, an official-looking inspector approached them.
It appeared they were being treated differently from the soldiers.
“There’s a chance our wanted posters have been distributed without us knowing…”
“And if they have?”
“Of course…”
“Yeah, I’m not sacrificing myself.”
“You got ahead of !”
“Please proceed with the disembarkation process. May I see your identification?”
The inspector asked politely.
He didn’t seem to consider them dangerous individuals.
“Great choice, Inspector!”
“You were actually ready to fight?!”
Ryo and Abel had an ominous conversation…
Both of them presented their adventurer cards.
In Fenmu, Ryo had revealed his title as Duke of Rondo to keep Andalusia out of battle, but he didn’t want to do that here.
After all, their top priority in the imperial capital was acquiring the ‘Flying Bracelet’.
Until then, they wanted to avoid anything that might restrict their freedom.
“Alright, Level 6 Adventurer Abel-dono and Ryo-dono. Confird. Welco to the imperial capital.”
The inspector smiled warmly.
The disembarkation process seed to be just routine.
Ryo exaggeratedly patted his chest in relief.
Abel shot him a sharp glare.
Regardless, they had successfully arrived in Hanlin, the imperial capital.
“It’s 10 a.m. now. A bit early for lunch.”
“Obviously. We just ate breakfast on the boat.”
“It was grilled river fish, right? That was quite delicious.”
“Before lunch, we’re buying the bracelet!”
“You’re really eager, aren’t you, Abel…”
Ryo shook his head slightly.
Abel walked over to the inspector and started asking sothing.
It wasn’t hard to guess what.
He was undoubtedly asking where they could find the bracelet.
More specifically, the location of the Imperial Central Workshop that manufactured them.
Soon, Abel returned.
“They sell them at a shop inside the Imperial Central Workshop compound.”
“And you got the directions, right?”
“Of course. Let’s go!”
Abel started walking.
Due to the crowded streets, both he and Ryo dismounted and led their horses on foot.
Ryo shook his head again with a resigned expression.
But deep down, he was happy.
Abel wasn’t usually interested in material things.
Seeing him so excited made Ryo, as his companion, feel the sa way.
“Abel, be careful or you’ll bump into people.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got—”
Thud.
A man erged from a side street and bumped into Abel.
“I told you so.”
Ryo murmured.
“Oh, my bad.”
Abel gave a light apology.
In truth, their shoulders had barely brushed. It was actually the other guy’s fault for looking in the wrong direction…
However…
“Hey! Stop right there!”
The man’s voice was low and threatening.
He wore a traditional Darwei-style robe, crossed over the front and fastened with a sash rather than buttons.
These were known as Eastern-style clothes.
He wore pants, a reddish upper robe that extended to his knees, and a sword hung at his left hip.
He didn’t look like an adventurer or a thug—more like soone from the military wing of the governnt.
At least, that’s what Ryo assud.
“Huh?”
Abel turned back, completely unconcerned.
“You dare bump into the blade that carries my soul and show no respect?!”
“If it’s your soul, maybe you should hold it with both hands?”
Abel replied nonchalantly, annoyed by the red-clad man’s words.
“You bastard!”
“Look, I’m in a hurry. If you want to fight, do it so other ti!”
“Don’t screw with ! But fine, I have no ti now either. Noon!”
“Huh?”
“Noon at the Holy Emperor Plaza! I’ll settle this with you there!”
“Uh… yeah, sure, whatever.”
“You better show up!”
The red-clad man shouted.
Abel casually waved and walked away.
Ryo, beside him, was practically bouncing with excitent.
“Congratulations, Abel!”
“For what?”
Ryo praised him and Abel frowned and asked.
“You’ve completed the Classic Light Novel Trope: A Sudden Run-in that Leads to a Fight!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ryo, clearly thrilled, was t with Abel’s unimpressed response.
“After you beat that red-clad guy at the plaza, it’ll turn out he’s the subordinate of so bigshot, and then you’ll get ambushed later! I can already see the plot!”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Besides, that won’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not going to the plaza.”
“Huh…?”
Ryo’s face froze in shock.
Even as his face went stiff, his feet kept walking beside Abel. The image was bizarre.
“But… if you don’t go, he might be waiting for you there the whole ti…”
“Not my problem. He set the place without asking . I never said I’d go.”
“Abel… that’s so cowardly…”
“Like I’ve got ti to entertain guys like that.”
Ryo mourned the story’s collapse, while Abel said sothing entirely reasonable.
And he was right— who has ti for that?
And so, the two continued toward the Imperial Central Workshop.
Cutting across a large plaza.
“Right, we were told to cross the plaza with the big clock tower on the left.”
“Yep, there it is— that’s a huge clock.”
The clock face was probably as wide as three of Ryo put together.
Mounted on a building about twenty ters tall, it was quite an imposing sight.
“There are a lot of people too…”
Abel began to say when…
“Outta the way, outta the way!”
A man holding a box about the size of his head ca running toward them, shouting…
Whoosh…CRASH CLANG SMASH.
He slightly bumped into Abel and fell dramatically.
The box’s contents were scattered everywhere.
Apparently, it had been full of eggs.
“Yikes…”
Ryo muttered in disappointnt.
Naturally, many of the eggs were broken.
Of course, Abel rely glanced briefly at the man and started to walk away with Feiwan.
“Hey, you! Stop right there!”
The fallen man shouted.
Abel and Ryo continued walking.
“I said wait, dammit!”
The man ran ahead of Abel and blocked his path.
“What? ?”
“You bumped into and ruined my eggs. Of course I an you!”
“You were the one running with a box of eggs. Besides, we barely even touched.”
“What did you say?!”
“I’m in a hurry right now.”
“Don’t ss with !”
Abel waved the man off dismissively, and the man beca furious.
The man wore a type of robe commonly seen in Darwei, overlapped in front and tied with a sash instead of buttons.
What’s commonly called Eastern clothing.
He wore pants, a yellowish upper robe that extended to his knees, and a sword hung at his left hip.
He didn’t look like an adventurer or a thug—more like soone from the military wing of the governnt.
“Ah, whatever. If you wanna fight, co later.”
“Hey!”
“Yeah, that’s right! Co to Holy Emperor Square at noon. I’ll take you on then.”
“…Huh?”
Abel’s words left the yellow-clothed man stunned.
“What? You don’t want to? If not, that’s fine too.”
“No…ah, okay…fine.”
The man accepted Abel’s words, albeit with a puzzled look.
And then, the two horses and two people left the scene behind.
Abel noticed sothing.
Ryo, walking beside him, was staring at him with sparkling eyes.
“What is it, Ryo?”
“I’m just… deeply moved!”
Abel asked suspiciously, and Ryo responded with sparkling eyes and a radiant smile.
“…Huh?”
“This is the classic light novel developnt: A sudden run-in that leads to a fight—twice in a row! I’ve only ever read about it in books! Abel, you’re amazing!”
“Yeah… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve never had that happen even once in my life, and yet you’ve had it happen twice in such a short ti! You’re clearly one of the chosen ones!”
“Uh…huh…”
Ryo was moved. Abel didn’t understand a word of it.
Ever since reincarnating, Ryo had hoped to experience one of those classic light novel tropes, but it had never happened.
That’s why he was so impressed with Abel, who effortlessly triggered them.
“I must apologize to you, Abel.”
“What’s this about now?”
“When you avoided that red-clothed guy’s challenge earlier, I said it was cowardly. But now, with the yellow-clothed guy, you told him to co to Holy Emperor Square— so you plan to take them all down at once, don’t you? That’s so like you, Abel!”
“No, I’m not going.”
“What…?”
Ryo froze again at Abel’s words.
Still, he kept walking calmly.
Perhaps his body was on autopilot.
“You should at least go to the square… they might be waiting there all day, you know?”
“Doesn’t matter. They’re the ones who ran into , and I was the one inconvenienced. Feiwan was surprised too, right?”
Abel said this as he stroked his horse’s neck, and Feiwan happily licked Abel’s cheek.
“Abel… you coward…”
“I’m not gonna waste ti with guys like that.”
Ryo, disillusioned, shook his head slightly, and Abel shrugged.
“I think it should be around here…”
“There’s a lot of people here too.”
Abel and Ryo, with their two beloved horses, were looking for a specific shop.
“Oh, there it is.”
Abel found it and raised his voice.
Ryo looked in the sa direction.
There was a rather grand-looking gate ahead.
And then—
A man ca flying out of a shop next to it…
Thud.
He fell.
He didn’t touch Abel at all.
When the man nearly fell, he tried to grab Abel— but Abel dodged effortlessly.
No contact whatsoever.
Naturally, Abel kept walking, heading straight for his goal: the Imperial Capital’s Central Workshop.
The store that sold the long-dread-of flying bracelets was finally within reach.
There was no ti to get distracted by trivial matters.
Even if he didn’t show it, his heart was racing.
So…
When the fallen man shouted—
“Hey! You! Hold it right there!”
“Co to Holy Emperor Square at noon!”
That’s all Abel said before walking through the workshop gates without even looking back…
The man wore a type of robe commonly seen in Darwei, overlapped in front and tied with a sash instead of buttons.
What’s commonly called Eastern clothing.
He wore pants, a blue-ish upper robe that extended to his knees, and a sword hung at his left hip.
Like the others, he looked like a military official rather than an adventurer or thug… he was left speechless and stood there alone.
Abel and Ryo passed through the gates of the Central Workshop safely.
They imdiately noticed the sign.
‘Sales Counter This Way’
Even as he read the big sign, Ryo turned to Abel and said:
“Abel… three tis in a row is insane.”
“What now?”
“The classic light novel trope—random run-in escalating to a fight—happening three tis… I fear you may be reaching the end of your lifespan or sothing.”
“I don’t care, as long as I get that bracelet.”
“Ah…right…”
Ryo understood.
There was no point saying anything more.
Abel was replying, but clearly, his mind was elsewhere.
They tied their horses in front of the store and went inside.
“Welco.”
Three elegant-looking young won bowed in unison.
That alone told them that the shop catered to high-end clientele.
“Sorry, I’m looking for a bracelet… one that lets you fly.”
“Yes, you an the ‘Flight Ring’, correct?”
When Abel asked, one of the ladies smiled and pointed to a display of flying bracelets on the wall.
They were all a pale green color.
Apparently, they only ca in one color.
“Yeah, that’s the one!”
Abel answered happily.
“There’s only one color available, but you may choose from 24 different designs. Please, co this way.”
And so, Abel and Ryo began selecting their flying bracelets.
TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.
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