There was nothing noteworthy about the ruined town. However, the imposing medieval castle, Stormveil Castle, was far more massive than its portrayal in the game.
Undoubtedly, the walls before them were high and extensive.
The most prominent structure was the Divine Tower, visible even from a great distance.
Even standing outside, one could see the town's scale.
Well, it was the real world after all!
But even so, it was about the size of those medieval walled towns. Its area and population were roughly equivalent to a town.
At the lower end, a few thousand households; at the higher end, tens of thousands, definitely not exceeding a hundred thousand.
As this was a quintessential medieval-style Western world, its town culture was no different.
Nobles in the towns were like kings.
No matter how pathetic or cruel Godrick was, he was still a bona fide royal noble. Claiming kingship meant his subjects could not resist.
That was medieval civilization. Subjects lived under his rule without the power to resist, living in servitude.
They had long grown accustomed to this life; the nobles were the ultimate authority.
"My Lord, should we disguise ourselves to enter the town?"
The gate of Stormveil Castle was already heavily guarded by soldiers.
Those passing through were either merchants or farmers heading to the fields.
Soldiers patrolled every entry and exit. Within the gate, an enormous giant stood guard.
If they charged in recklessly, they would undoubtedly make enemies of the entire Stormveil Castle, even some civilians might turn hostile.
Even if you were a Tarnished, these people lived here.
"Let me think. Tonight, we'll camp in the forest north of Lake Agheel."
With Kaito's strength, fighting his way in was certainly possible, even if Morgott, the Omen King, showed up. He had that confidence.
But,
his stamina was limited. Fighting all the way in would pose more potential danger.
Besides...
If he could enter the town easily, why fight his way in?
The soldiers aside, many civilians were innocent.
Even though Kaito wasn't from this world, he would eventually rule it.
They would all be subjects of his future dynasty; every person was productive labor!
"Sigh, blame me for not being ruthless enough~"
Kaito chuckled inwardly.
Having Torrent take them to a suitable spot, the three set up a small tent in a grove of trees.
The Fire Keeper skillfully started a campfire. Melina, somewhat wooden, knew what to do and gathered more wood nearby.
The Fire Keeper used magic for water.
Soon, the two Maidens, Fire Keeper and Melina, worked together to set up the simple camp.
Kaito didn't need to do anything, though he did use his ability to create some stools and a stone pot for the fire.
"My Lord, dinner is ready."
The Fire Keeper served dinner and invited Kaito to sit. Melina sat silently beside him.
After spending time together, Melina had grown accustomed to being with Kaito and the Fire Keeper, though she still felt a little out of place.
But since she had become Kaito's Maiden, and Kaito was her Lord, she would obey him unconditionally on the path to becoming Lord, until the moment her own mission was fulfilled.
"My Lord, do you require my service tonight?"
"Of course. You can never have too much magical power. Tomorrow, I plan to disguise myself as an ordinary person to enter the town. Ideally, I'll meet Godrick with minimal cost and kill him quickly to obtain his Great Rune."
"I understand."
The Fire Keeper nodded. However, she was surprised when Kaito didn't head into the tent.
"My Lord?"
"Right here. It's not like there are any outsiders!"
"But..."
The Fire Keeper glanced at Melina beside her and, for some reason, her cheeks flushed slightly.
But her Lord's command was absolute. Unable to refuse, she sat cross-legged before Kaito and reached out to unclothe him, beginning to replenish his magical power.
Throughout this, Melina silently observed from start to finish.
As a Maiden, she knew this method—not exactly heretical, but certainly one of the fastest ways to restore magical power.
Wasn't this not taking her seriously at all?
She was also a Maiden!!!
But since Kaito gave no other instructions, Melina felt awkward leaving and simply stared blankly.
Even if she didn't want to watch, the increasingly rapid pace of replenishment and the resulting sounds made it impossible to ignore.
And so, she watched the entire process of magical power replenishment.
She had learned the theory, but never witnessed it firsthand.
…
In the morning,
Kaito felt revitalized, his mana overflowing.
The Fire Keeper emerged from the tent to attend to his morning ablutions.
Melina also slowly walked out of the tent, her steps a little stiff.
Nothing had happened; she had simply been forced to sleep in Kaito's arms.
Sigh!!
"My Lord, how should we disguise ourselves to enter the city? The soldiers won't be easy to fool."
"That's simple. First, money makes the world go round. Second, I'll pose as a noble descendant from afar, claiming my destination is the Royal Capital, just passing through Stormveil Castle."
"My Lord, will that really work?"
Melina found it a bit absurd, wondering if that would actually work.
"In fact, it will."
Kaito smiled, reassuring the two Maidens.
After careful observation nearby yesterday, he had noticed a few things.
As long as you didn't display obvious Tarnished characteristics—like appearing as an obvious combatant—and handled bribes for the merchants, it was fine.
Soldiers were human too. Humans have desires, want a better life.
Plus, they had blind confidence in their king. Godrick had undoubtedly killed many arrogant Tarnished. They knew ordinary soldiers couldn't stop a Tarnished's attack.
So, the gate was somewhat meaningless.
Thus, Kaito changed into clothes he had bought with gold in the previous town. The Fire Keeper and Melina became his handmaidens, following behind.
But they didn't approach the gate immediately. They waited on the main road for the right opportunity.
Soon, it came.
In the morning, merchants were busy doing business.
When Kaito saw a merchant caravan approaching, he used a large amount of gold to buy their slaves, their carriage, and their goods.
He then used his ability to fill the carriage with beautifully crafted clay dolls formed from earth. He would claim to be entering the town to sell these exquisite dolls.
The slaves wouldn't speak out of turn; Kaito was their new master!
That was the cruel reality of this world; slaves had no rights.
Thus, Kaito sat in the carriage, a slave leading the horse slowly down the main road.
Upon reaching the somewhat dilapidated gate, soldiers stopped them.
"You look unfamiliar. Where are you from?"
The soldier looked disheveled, perhaps sleep-deprived, his speech casual.
Or perhaps, having done this many times, he lacked the initial diligence and rigor.
"Greetings, sir. We are merchants from the town of XXX, passing through Stormveil Castle on our way to the Royal Capital to sell these dolls."
"Dolls?"
The soldier scrutinized Kaito. The sword at his side was normal, his attire suggested a noble's son.
He looked like he could fight, but probably not too strong?
After other soldiers checked the goods in the carriage, aside from common items, they indeed found many exquisite dolls.
Though he didn't know how much they'd sell for or who would buy them, the craftsman who made them was certainly a master; they were exceptionally detailed and beautiful.
Buying them as ornaments would be reasonable.
"I understand. But to be safe, I need to register your details."
"Of course."
First-time visitors always needed registration, especially unfamiliar ones.
Kaito fabricated some details. They couldn't verify them anyway; they just recorded what he said.
After finishing, Kaito subtly slipped the soldiers a few gold coins.
Not too many, not too few.
The soldiers' eyes lit up.
If Kaito had given them a bag of gold, they might have taken it but become suspicious.
Merchants were greedy; they were here to do business, not throw money away. Why would they give so much?
This amount was just right, within the reasonable range for a merchant.
Sure enough, they smiled, quickly let Kaito through, and didn't ask further questions.
The world was vast; unfamiliar merchants or travelers appeared often.
They had even seen Tarnished before, fought them.
Some had tried to break in, others had found different ways inside.
But ultimately, they were killed by knights inside, or by their king Godrick, who would then dismember their bodies...
Sigh!!
"See, we made it in, didn't we?"
Kaito smiled, then tossed a few gold coins to the slaves, saying he no longer needed them.
Though they were still slaves, with this money, they could go to the relevant authorities in town to buy proof of commoner status.
Then, they would no longer be slaves.