Midway through the third month of summer.

I was flying the 【Floating Orb】 smoothly by myself, heading toward Zelkis’ domain capital.

After the dungeon in Riana was reopened, surrounding territories began mobilizing their troops to prepare for any unexpected incidents. I was informed of this as well.
Apparently, my father is the one coordinating those efforts.

The “unexpected incident” in question refers to a Demon King-type monster that only appears once in a dungeon.

However, since we had already defeated it, the troops they had gone through the trouble of mobilizing would no longer be necessary.
To avoid wasting the territory’s forces unnecessarily, I was sent to inform the Müller family, who are the coordinators in this region.

…Though I’m not entirely sure what the next incident might be, I also wanted to express my gratitude for the trouble caused by the adoption issue. It worked out perfectly.

It’s been a while since my last visit, and I’ve been entrusted with a stack of letters addressed to Zelkis.
Some matters can be handled on the spot. It would have been great if Teresa could come along, but she had a backlog of noble duties to handle, so she stayed behind in the territory.

Also, I’m only planning to stay overnight this time.

At the end of the month, Alec, Zighart, and August will be spending a few days in the dungeon. During that period, the territory’s combat strength will drop significantly.
That’s why I was asked to stay in the capital to cover for them.

Well… I doubt I could truly cover for those three, but since it was a request from the commander, I obediently accepted.

If I had a full week to stay, I could have visited the dungeon or enjoyed the city of Zelkis a bit.
Unfortunately, if I wait for them to return, it’ll already be the first month of autumn.

Considering the troops transporting holy coins from the royal capital, it’s better to move soldiers at a time that won’t overlap with their arrival.
The current schedule is set for the second month of autumn, and things are already cutting it close.

Now then, it’s my first time flying at high speed with 【Wind Cloak】 activated… and wow, it’s incredible.

When I was flying normally, there wasn’t much difference from before. However, once I hit a certain speed threshold—likely when the wind pressure started becoming harmful—it began deflecting the wind.

I tried accelerating to see how far I could push it… but no matter how fast I went, there was no resistance.
The wind pressure issue, which was the biggest drawback of the 【Floating Orb】, was now completely resolved.

I’m pretty sure I’m flying at nearly 200 kilometers per hour right now, yet the wind on my body feels like a gentle breeze.
There’s little risk of colliding with birds or insects in midair, since I have both 【Wind Cloak】 and 【Amber Shield】 activated.

The only real concern is that the speed is a bit frightening.
Still, with this much protection, I should be fine at this level of speed.

That said… it seems the 【Floating Orb】 hasn’t reached its limit yet.
I’m not planning to push it any further, though… this orb is full of mysteries.

“…Wow.”

While pondering over the limits of the 【Floating Orb】, I spotted a familiar man-made structure through a gap in the forest.

It was the city walls of Zelkis’ domain capital.

Looking up at the sky, the sun was beginning to set, turning red, but it wasn’t late enough to call it evening just yet.
I left the Riana capital after midday and took a short break along the way. It took me about three hours.

When Teresa had rushed over last time, it took her even longer. This speed was beyond my expectations.

Since both Riana and Zelkis are essentially my hometowns, flying any faster might cause unnecessary alarm for those who see me. I should probably hold back.

I had taken a route slightly off the main road to avoid being seen, and I don’t think anyone spotted me along the way. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

I hid in a nearby forest, scanning the surroundings and the entrance to the capital.
No beasts or monsters were in sight.
No suspicious people, either.
There were just travelers waiting in line at the city entrance.

Once I confirmed it was safe, I deactivated 【Fairy Eyes】 and had the snakes slither back under my clothes.

Now, I looked just like an ordinary lady.
No one should be surprised to see me.

“Alright then… time to head to the capital.”

I stepped out from my hiding spot and made my way toward the city entrance.

◇

Ignoring the line of people at the entrance, I exchanged a few words with the familiar checkpoint guards and entered the city.

They offered to escort me to the estate, but I politely declined.

My destination was indeed the estate, but I wanted to take a quick look around the city.

The layout of the city was already complete, so there shouldn’t have been any drastic changes in the past few months. Still, I was curious to compare it with the Riana capital.

Riana’s city was young and still evolving.
I thought I might find something useful to take back as inspiration.

However, after walking around for a bit, I realized there wasn’t much difference between the two cities.

As expected, Zelkis’ population was larger, and the streets were busier.
There were more shops along the streets, but there wasn’t a drastic difference in quality.

Maybe the real differences could be found in the lower town or areas more rooted in daily life.
Since both cities originated from the same territory, their culture and customs likely weren’t too different.

I didn’t feel out of place moving through the streets.

…If there was one thing, it would be the curious gazes people gave me as I passed by.
I hadn’t spent much time in this city before, and I rarely wandered the streets.

…Perhaps I shouldn’t linger for too long.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloak】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy Eyes】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・11 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・8 cards