Walking through the grand marble halls, I follow a pathway that is now familiar to me. Crystal pillars line the halls, stretching on for what seems like miles. The sheer beauty of this place takes my breath away. Though I had seen glimpses of the castle through Lucina's memories, being here in person is truly breathtaking.
The maids and guards pay me no mind, which I find fitting. After all, I am a princess. I make my way to the end of the hall, navigating through countless turns, and finally reach my room.
As I enter and lock the door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief. Moving to the mirror on the vanity, I study my reflection. I still look like the 16-year-old version of myself.
So, the goddess held her end of the bargain.
This world is filled with magicians, swordsmen, elves, dwarves, and faeries—a world straight out of a novel I once discarded. It was about some loser guy from Earth who transmigrates into a third prince, gaining strength and fighting for the throne. I remember disliking it because the male lead had no redeeming qualities. The author had given him major buffs and a harem collection of women that made little sense, ranging from foreign princesses to noble ladies.
But then again, who am I to judge? After all, I've always been fond of reverse harem books myself.
The reason I agreed to the goddess's deal was clear to me: the laws of this world revolve around strength, power, and wealth. In this world, I can finally achieve my dream of owning a harem! Ha! Slavery is legal here too! I'm not some saint who felt pity for the other Lucina. This world is the perfect place for someone of my character.
Looking at the 16-year-old Lucina reflected in the mirror, I smile. If there's one thing Zira was, it's beautiful, and I'm grateful to have inherited her looks.
I quickly grab a cloak and slip out through the window. Fortunately for me, my wing of the palace is only guarded by 2-star swordsmen. If they were higher-ranked guards, I might not have been able to sneak out so easily.
In this world, the strength of swordsmen is measured by stars, with 2-star swordsmen just slightly stronger than normal men. A 1-star swordsman is considered average. The strongest swordsmen are 9 stars, although it's not easy to reach that level. Even the emperor himself is only a 7-star swordsman. These stars are a symbol of the mana circles a person possesses. This world draws power from two sources: divine power and mana. The religion of the moon goddess Luna is the predominant faith on the continent, with their pope being the strongest swordsman at 8 stars.
Navigating through the overgrown flower garden maze, I move with ease until I find a small opening that leads to the outer wall of the palace. Scaling the wall with the help of a large tree, I carefully make my way along the branches towards the outer perimeter of the palace.
Once I reach the ground, I find myself surrounded by trees, the area deserted. I pull the cloak tighter around me for concealment.
The sun is beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the landscape as I head towards the town center. The palace is situated to the north of Lumine, the capital city of the Empire of Salona.
Exiting the mini forest, I make my way towards the bustling city. Upon reaching the city streets, I pause and wait for an express carriage. Despite my initial concerns about hygiene standards in this world, I quickly realize that magic is highly advanced here. Golems are responsible for keeping the streets clean, and I watch as an earth golem efficiently drags a large bowl of food waste away.
"Where to? My lady," a somewhat sketchy-looking, skinny man approaches me.
"The cathedral, and make it fast," I reply, my eagerness evident. The man's eyes light up, and he lets out a whistle, summoning a large winged lizard creature known as a Gilcha lizard. These creatures were bred by a mage named Gilcha, who was known for his talent in summoning and breeding various animals.
Lumine city sprawls across thousands of kilometers, and teleportation is forbidden within the empire's cities. So, traditional modes of transportation like these Gilcha lizards are the norm.
A normal horse carriage would take a laborious 2 days to reach the main cathedral, but on a Gilcha lizard, the journey is significantly shortened to just 4 hours. I assume they must move at an incredible speed, I was never particularly skilled at math in my previous life.
I climb onto the small boxed compartment on the lizard's back, surprised by how much larger it is on the inside. It's reminiscent of those fancy VIP train compartments. I settle into a seat and allow myself to relax. Honestly, I still feel like I'm dreaming—I can't quite believe that I'm actually in a world like this.
*
"My lady, we've arrived," the sketchy man informs me. I glance at him and reach for a bag of about 200 gold coins, tossing it to him. He catches it eagerly.
"This is too much, my lady!" he exclaims, already stowing the coins away in his cloak. I remove my cloak and settle back into the seat.
"What's your name?" I inquire, curious to learn more about the man.
His eyes light up with excitement until he notices my ashy white hair, a mark of the royal family. He begins to tremble slightly.
"M..mm.. Maverick, your highness," he stammers out, attempting a clumsy bow.
"Don't bother with the formalities, just call me Maverick," I reply casually. "So, Maverick, how long have you been in the capital?"
"I was born in the slums here, my lady. I've spent my entire life in the capital, and there's nothing I don't know about these parts. Anything you need, I'm your guy," he boasts, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Interesting," I remark. "How did you come to possess this Gilcha lizard? They're known to be quite expensive." I wait for his answer, genuinely curious about Maverick's story, as he seems to have seen better days.
"She was due to be discarded, the sickly one of the batch of eggs a Gilcha breeder I used to work for had," Maverick explains, a mix of sadness and pride in his voice. "I asked to take her off him. Honestly, no one expected my girl to survive. It's just been me and her for 8 years now."
His eyes betray a depth of emotion as he speaks. Gilcha lizards are notoriously expensive to raise, which means Maverick must have resorted to questionable actions to keep her alive this long.
Moved by his story, I retrieve a communication crystal from my mini space pack in my cloak and toss it to him.
"I'll contact you soon, Maverick," I say as I leave the compartment, making my way towards the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is bustling with activity, despite the late hour nearing 9 pm. It seems fitting for a religion that worships the moon goddess to be active during the night.
Keeping my head down, I navigate through the crowd and ascend the many stairs leading to the main building. Suddenly, a voice calls out to me.
"Your Highness, follow me," a young priest says, swiftly maneuvering through the people. I hasten to follow him, not wanting to lose sight of him in the bustling crowd.
The crystal pillars lining the cathedral are stunning, casting an ethereal glow in the moonlight. It's truly breathtaking.
"Please, head in. He's waiting for you," the priest gestures towards a seemingly inconspicuous door along the long corridor of the cathedral. I enter, and the priest follows behind me, closing the door behind us. The door seamlessly blends back into the cathedral wall, concealing our entry.
Inside, it's dark and I let the priest take the lead. He expertly guides me through numerous turns and flights of stairs. Just when I'm certain I'll collapse from exhaustion after walking for a good 20 minutes, he opens a door and the blinding light floods in.
As my eyes adjust, I find myself in a large room with towering windows. In the center, there's a magnificent crystal sculpture of a feminine figure with its arms outstretched towards the sky. The space between the arms aligns perfectly with the position of the moon from the main window. Light shines through the arms, reflecting off the sculpture and onto a small fountain at its feet.
Kneeling before the statue, there's a figure awaiting my arrival.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. I've been awaiting your arrival," the voice says as the figure stands up. He appears to be a man in his 60s. I walk towards him as he gestures for me to join him at his side.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he remarks, looking towards the magnificent sculpture. I remove the cloak covering my face.
"It seems you were expecting me," I say, looking at the pope before me. He is the strongest person on the continent, the leader of the Church of Moonlight.
"The mother informed me," he replies. "Daryl I will not be receiving any visitors for the next few days. NO ONE is allowed into the prayer room until I'm out."
"As you wish," Daryl, the priest who guided me here, nods and then exits the room.