25-154

EP.154 [Entering the Capital Helios! Meeting Victoria von Bayern.] 

"Marie, this is your first time in Helios too, right?" 

"Yes, Captain~ I had a few chances to come, but each time the travel costs were too high so I gave up in the end~" 

Eugene looked down at the excited Marie and spoke. 

By Pangaea standards, Helios isn’t as far as Alexandria, but it’s a 1-night, 2-day ride by horse or a 2-night, 3-day trip by carriage. This time, the Red Fox Mercenary Band representatives rented a carriage to come to Helios. Since there was no rush, they chose the more comfortable option. Arriving near the Helios gate, they got off the carriage and hurried on foot toward their destination, the Imperial Knights’ Arena. 

"There sure are a lot of people. Pangaea is a huge city, but it never had this much foot traffic." 

The elf Priscilla, seeing the massive crowds at the gate, already looked exhausted. 

Unlike Marie, Priscilla had been to Helios once before. But that time, she didn’t enter through the main gate-she snuck in through a back way, quickly looked around at what she wanted, and left when it didn’t suit her taste. 

"Since it’s the capital and, unlike Alexandria with its strong external commerce, Helios has a powerful internal market. The floating population can’t compare to Pangaea’s." 

Thomas, the group’s walking encyclopedia, kindly explained Helios’s features. As the capital, Helios boasts the largest population of any city, with most residents being middle class and commerce more active than anywhere else. 

"Whew... It’s taking a long time..." 

Marie, who had been so excited, now looked visibly tired. 

With so many people, it took a long time just to get through the gate. At the checkpoint, thorough inspections were being carried out, especially since Helios is the capital and has many important facilities-every single person was checked carefully. 

‘Hmm... This’ll take over two hours.’ 

Eugene crossed his arms and watched the checkpoint with a slightly frustrated look. 

"Excuse me," 

Just then, a voice called from behind. 

"Hm?" 

Sss...! 

Eugene slowly turned his head in response. 

"Are you the Red Fox Mercenary Band representatives from Pangaea?" 

The speaker was a blonde woman in uniform, her face partially covered by a mask. 

"Who are you?" 

Surprised that someone knew their identity, Eugene asked in a low, wary tone. 

"Oh? Are you from the Imperial Knights?" 

At that, Thomas quietly asked if the masked woman was with the Imperial Knights. 

"Yes, I am. You recognized the standard uniform, I see." 

"Yes, that’s part of my job in our mercenary band." 

The masked woman nodded at Thomas’s reply. 

The Imperial Knights have several uniforms: one to clearly show outsiders who they are, a formal uniform for important institutions or the imperial palace, and a standard uniform recognizable only to those in the know. Thomas, who had even been involved in large-scale smuggling, knew about the standard uniform. 

‘Hmm... Imperial Knights?’ 

Hearing the woman was with the Imperial Knights, Eugene’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at her. 

After being adopted into the Oblaing Ducal House, Eugene had rarely left home or Pangaea, so he’d only seen Imperial Knights a few times-mostly when Antoine received reports at the ducal estate. Seeing one up close like this was a first. 

‘They really do look different. Even the noble knights were well-dressed and high-quality, but this is another level-the aura is different.’ 

Thanks to Thomas’s intervention, Eugene’s wariness toward the masked woman eased. Her Imperial Knight aura was truly impressive. Even noble knights looked plain by comparison; Eugene could fully appreciate the visual presence of the Elysium Empire’s top-tier group. As a direct extension of the imperial authority, their distinctiveness was obvious, even in their standard uniforms. 

"Oh, I see? So there’s a merchant festival going on?" 

Thomas perked up and confirmed the blonde woman’s words. 

"The merchant festival is held twice a year, in early summer and early winter. That’s why even more people are coming in than usual, and the checkpoint is being extra thorough." 

The blonde woman explained the background for the long lines at the checkpoint. 

Helios usually has a high influx of people, but this was exceptional. The reason so many were entering-enough that Eugene estimated a two-hour wait-was because the Helios Merchants’ Association was holding a massive festival. When the festival is on, various goods are sold at low prices, so merchants and buyers flock to the city. Eugene and his group had arrived right in the middle of the busiest season. 

"Our Imperial Knights have also strengthened security in our own way." 

With such a big festival, the regular administrative knights couldn’t handle security alone. So the Imperial Knights also wore their standard uniforms and supported security as a kind of “shadow defense.” The blonde woman had spotted the Red Fox representatives and approached them. 

"And then I saw the elf here. That’s when I realized you must be the Red Fox Mercenary Band here to discuss the special quest collaboration with the Imperial Knights. I’m part of that team myself." 

In reality, there was nothing about the Red Fox delegation’s appearance that should have made them stand out. The only reason the woman could recognize them was, of course, the elf Priscilla. 

"Ooh... Looks like we’re getting a free pass, thanks to Priscilla!" 

"Ugh... I just want to get out of this crowd already." 

After a brief conversation, the blonde woman approached the checkpoint guards and spoke to them, using her Imperial Knight privileges to get Eugene’s group a free pass. 

"Wow... The atmosphere inside Helios is completely different from Pangaea." 

Thanks to the blonde woman, Eugene and his group entered the city, and he was amazed by what he saw. There were many tall buildings and several with relatively modern architecture. 

"Strictly speaking, Helios is a young city. Compared to Pangaea and Alexandria, which have deep traditions and entrenched nobility, Helios is more like the holy land of alchemy and magic." 

Thomas, the group’s most experienced Helios visitor, again showed off his encyclopedic knowledge. 

Helios has been the capital since the beginning, but in terms of scale and tradition, Pangaea, Alexandria, and Cleopatra were once larger. But as peace settled and alchemy and magic were encouraged, Helios overtook them. 

"That’s right. The Helios Merchants’ Union festival is meant to commemorate that. That’s why our Imperial Knights also support it." 

The blonde woman, leading the Red Fox representatives to the Imperial Knights’ Arena, agreed with Thomas and added further explanation. 

"I didn’t like the vibe here. I tried it once and left right away." 

"Haha! Really, Priscilla?" 

Unlike Marie, who was fascinated by the buildings, Priscilla shook her head as if drained. As an elf who comes alive in nature, Helios, full of civilization’s trappings, just didn’t suit her. 

"What about you, Captain Eugene?" 

"I’m not picky. I don’t really like big crowds like Priscilla, though." 

After comforting Priscilla, Marie asked Eugene for his impression as well. 

‘Eugene...?’ 

Sss...! 

At that moment, the blonde woman walking ahead turned back slightly when Eugene’s name was mentioned. 

"Here, show this artifact to the arena guards. You’ll have no trouble getting in and being guided." 

Stopping where the arena building came into view, the blonde woman handed Thomas a dazzling Imperial Knights artifact. She had to return to her duties. 

"Thank you! Since you’re on duty, I guess we can’t ask your name." 

"You’ll probably see me again while you’re at the arena for a few days. We can introduce ourselves properly then." 

"Haha! I see!" 

Though Thomas handled most of the talking, Eugene was the leader, so he gave a polite farewell to the departing blonde woman. 

Startled! 

The blonde woman left, and Eugene’s group was immediately stopped at the arena checkpoint. Thomas announced they were from the Red Fox Mercenary Band and presented the artifact the blonde woman had given them. 

The guard’s expression instantly became much more serious. 

‘Huh? What’s with that reaction?’ 

Eugene was puzzled. He’d expected the artifact to simply let them skip the usual ID checks, but the guard’s reaction was even more intense. 

After that, the group was guided by an administrative officer from inside the Imperial Knights’ Arena to the central building. 

"Thank you for coming, everyone. I am Victoria von Bayern, the chief commander of the special quest team who requested your collaboration." 

There, they finally met Victoria von Bayern, the Imperial Knights’ representative-and were shocked. 

‘Wait, wasn’t that the blonde woman with the mask from earlier?????’ 

The person who had guided them here-the masked blonde-was none other than Victoria von Bayern herself.