Arthur had never been to the royal capital his whole life. Growing up as a peasant, such places were not suitable for someone like him--and he could only dream of coming here with his mother someday. Sadly, she hadn't made it but he was glad he was here in both their places.
Rivia was the largest and most populated area of the Valron kingdom, that alone made it home to the rich and powerful nobles, successful traders, and even lesser-known people who could afford the standards of this place. It was the center of attention with night festivals, clubs, and fancy shops to keep the rich entertained everyday.
The streets were always clean, and crimes were rare because of the number of dark knights and adventures who kept on wandering around the capital, hindering most criminal activities. It was indeed the peaceful home of the rich.
Outside the academy, almost everywhere he looked appeared to be packed with all kinds of people. The streets and sidewalks were filled with civilians and horses pulling carriages of different shapes and sizes. And from afar, you could see the smoke shooting out of the trains that carried those who couldn't afford carriages or horses for travel. But that was a small number—because most trains were used to transport products from and to the different kingdoms of the Southlands.
All this was amusing to Arthur since it was all a first-time experience. His excitement measured to that of a child going to a circus for the first time and seeing something they've always wanted to see their entire lives. At least that's how he felt in this case as he followed Elizabeth.
They had been walking for a while now since they left the dormitories, and she had promised that they weren't heading anywhere that far so their was no need to call for a carriage. She had also mentioned something about the best blacksmith in the kingdom, and they were currently on their way to meet with him and chose a sword that he would use in the upcoming exam.
But Arthur was unsure about his sword skills because he had never held a sword in his past life; and to be realistic, how will he learn sword fighting in two days?
"Nervous?" Elizabeth opened the conversation. She hadn't said anything to him since they left the school grounds. Though Arthur was still getting over the fact that she looked like a normal cute girl in her lemon dress with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Yes," he answered while rolling his eyes to see every unique thing that crossed him. "I've never been in the royal capital."
He waited for her to look surprised, but she didn't. "One thing you should know is that the place we're heading into is dangerous. The next time we come here, you must have a weapon to defend yourself just in case," she was straightforward with each word and wasn't going to sugarcoat anything she said.
"Where are we going?" he asked nervously.
"The iron division of this capital; it is where we can find high-quality swordsmiths who are cheap enough to fit your price range."
"Huh…Okay, but you'll be disappointed when you find out I can't use a sword or any weapon."
"I don't care," she frowned. "I need you for this test because of your unique incantationless spell-casting ability. Many may not see it, but having someone who can cast magic instantly means that it's quicker to take out monsters within dungeons."
"But I have like a one-day regeneration speed. Once I run out of mana, I faint."
She rasped, "Of course you do. It happens to every young magic user. We just have to find a way for you to cast magic spells without needing to use a large amount of your mana."
The confidence in her words made him curious about what she was planning in the first place.
"How is that possible?"
"That's why we're going to the iron division. You can use magic items, so we need to get you a weapon that can conduct and store mana for some time, and since you don't need to speak out incantations like the rest of us—you will be able to use that temporarily stored mana and convert it into magic with ease."
His whole face brightened up at her simple explanation. The thought of him doing magic without fainting hadn't crossed his mind yet until now. However, that meant he had two days to learn how to use a sword and the very least, simple spells. It was going to be rough, but it would all be worth it if it meant keeping this new life.
"I see."
.
.
.
As they continued, Arthur noticed that the capital's noise was reducing the closer they approached a part of it that had fewer people around. The alleys were dark and spooky even on a sunny day like this. The air reeked of pure iron and burned copper; and there was also abnormal presence of mana in the atmosphere. They were already in the iron district.
'Wow.' He drew in a sharp breath after feeling like they had just stepped into another world that had less color than the one they were from.
While walking through this new environment, they suddenly heard a child cry at its peak a distance from them. Arthur glanced around and spotted a brown-haired boy of about three years old dressed in nothing but a brown tunic that could be compared to rugs.
He felt the need to walk up to the boy and help, but that only brought back memories of the boy who led to his death in the first place. Instantly, he felt hatred towards the boy and his empathetic eyes turned vengeful as he watched him cry. The truth is that Arthur disliked humanity, it was a feeling he had buried deep within his heart. And he knew that if he were still a half-demon, he would—
"Arthur!" Elizabeth called.
And suddenly, all the hate he felt towards the boy disappeared once Elizabeth's voice touched his ears.
"Yes," he responded.
"Your hands are shaking. Is something wrong?"
"My hands?" He was surprised by question and rushed to check his hands, and she was right…they were both trembling uncontrollably as if they were still responding to his feelings, currently.
Quickly. The expression on his face dulled, and he squeezed his hands to stop the uncontrollable quivering. "I think it's the aura of this place."
"They sell a lot of illegal stuff here…you just have to control what you sense. Multiple presences can affect your senses."
"By the way, shouldn't we help that child?" He suggested, gazing back at the crying boy.
"No. This part of the capital has a lot of robbers that don't hold back when robbing a person. Many are killed during raids at night, and that child might be an accomplice of theirs. They use people's kindness against them, though I wouldn't call most people in this capital 'Kind'" she scoffed.
The deeper they went, the more he got to people, unlike when they first stepped into this district. But what shocked him the most was that the residents of this part of the capital didn't look human; some were short with pointed ears and big hairy beards that made them look like tiny mean creatures that quickly lose their temper, while others were stupendously tall with pale skin and muscles on their arms that were the size of his head alone.
But even though all this was new to his eyes, Elizabeth treated all these different creatures normally to the point where she even waved at some.
"Are we there yet?" he asked.
"Yes, we are. The iron smith is an elf, so he picks the fanciest shop in the city."
He wanted to ask what on earth was an "elf"—but that would only show that he didn't belong in this era. So he played a safe bet and assumed that elves were like humans.
"Fanciest! Why didn't he pick a place in the center if he wanted the fanciest?" He picked another question in his head.
"Because that's where all the royal smiths handle their businesses from, so the competition there is pointless if you're not a royal smith. That, and he doesn't have a license," she responded before stopping next to what seemed like the entrance of a wooden house on an empty street. The house had a hanging sign on the roof that read: THE REAL MAGIC SWORD SHOP.
'Are you kidding me…?' He thought after reading the ridiculous sign.
"Silly name, right?" She patted his shoulder, knowing that what was going on his mind after reading the shop's name.
"Yep."
She chuckled. 'Dummy, he can't even sense the presence coming from inside.'