"What a joke. Outside, the Andia Kingdom is praised as a land of safety, yet this is what it really looks like." Rosen muttered coldly as he walked through the outer city. The outer district was nothing less than a purgatory, and it had taken him only half an hour on foot to see it clearly.
Though carriages and rental rides were available, Rosen had chosen to walk.
If it had only been dirt and squalor, he wouldn't have spoken that way. But here, death was everywhere—the mortality rate among the outer city's people was shockingly high, and the desperation of the poor was painfully obvious.
There were some who resented the guards and nobles, but any attempt at resistance was instantly crushed. According to Xia, they would be forced to labor at the wall until they dropped dead.
The inner city was ringed by a second wall—not as tall as the outer one, but still over twenty meters high, its surface poured with molten iron, gleaming in the sun. Workers toiled busily even here.
Because the inner wall was smaller, it completely cut off the inner city residents from the outer district, and its defenses were even stronger.
Beyond that was the high city, reserved only for the Duke and a handful of noble estates. Its walls soared even higher than the outer defenses, built with the finest materials.
Rosen and his companions entered the inner city without trouble. It was cleaner, filled with bustling trade and crowds of people. Unlike the outer city, it almost seemed like a normal, thriving metropolis—a starkly different world.
No sooner had they entered than Rosen overheard a storm of gossip.
"Hey, did you hear? The Duke's granddaughter—the King's daughter—took down a group of rampaging residents in the inner city."
"That's nothing. Last time I heard she went outside the walls and single-handedly slew the Lord of the Forest. With just a sword! Incredible—truly the King's bloodline."
"By the way, has anyone actually seen the Princess? Not even her name seems to be known."
"I haven't, but they say she's a great beauty."
"Of course she must be—she's a princess."
"No way, I heard she's a five-meter-tall brute of a woman!"
True or false, mysterious or not, people had begun to gossip about someone who might not even exist.
Exactly as Rosen had hoped.
"Shall we head straight to the high city?" Xia asked.
"Yes. Present it as a visit. The Duke of Valos will surely be curious about you, as the new president of the guild," Rosen replied. In truth, he had little faith in this meeting.
The behavior of the guards and the structure of this place left him doubtful that any real cooperation with the Duke was possible.
"Alright."
"According to what we know, the Duke commands about thirty thousand troops and recruits skilled refugees each year. That suggests he's plotting something," Robin murmured.
"Or he's simply afraid to die. Either way, we'll know soon enough. If he agrees to cooperate, things will move quickly. If not, it'll get troublesome."
Rosen preferred the simplest path. With Xia's position granting access, he could meet the Duke directly. And if that failed—his own strength would decide the rest.
The Ironclad Fortress was a bastion of legend. It was said that in the days of endless wars, a mere five hundred soldiers had held off an army of eight thousand here.
Stories claimed that in the final assault, over a hundred cannons had pounded it day and night, yet the fortress never fell. The Valos Dukes had lived here ever since.
Now, in the vast golden-lit hall of the Duke's mansion, the upper echelon was gathered: three generals of the guard, two chief stewards, and representatives of the noble factions.
The Duke of Valos looked aged, but his eyes still burned with sharpness and killing intent—the gaze of a lion that once roared across battlefields. Holding a wine glass, he swirled it lightly before draining it in one gulp.
"Have you traced the source yet? Who dares spread rumors about me having a granddaughter?"
"N-no, not yet. The men we caught only admitted they were paid to spread it. None knew the mastermind," one steward stammered, drenched in sweat.
"Useless." With a flick of his hand, the Duke smashed the glass against the steward's head, drawing blood.
"How goes the effort to quash the rumors?" he demanded of the other steward.
"We've begun, but it's spreading too fast. It's not just here at Valos Fortress—the same rumor has appeared in other fortress-cities as well." The man trembled, knowing well his master's infamous temper.
"Do you think His Majesty ordered this?" the Duke asked the assembled nobles.
"It's possible. With the prince dead, the King has no heir. Perhaps he's preparing the ground for another successor. But since there's no blood relation, how could he ever allow such a person to ascend? It doesn't add up," one noble mused.
"It's unlikely the King himself. But I've heard that Count Master has already arrived at the high city—likely sent by the King to investigate."
"Could it be the King has an illegitimate child outside the palace?"
"Fools. Even you are thinking it now. That's the very goal of whoever spread this. Using the Duke of Valos's name ensures someone will eventually reach out to 'verify.' Without that, the rumor is meaningless—it can't harm the King or our interests."
Just then, a soldier entered and knelt.
"Your Grace, the new president of the AKS Merchant Guild requests an audience."
"So she's here. Ready the guards. Keep her waiting outside the castle. Better safe than sorry." The Duke frowned and gave the order.
"Yes, sir."
At the gates of the Ironclad Fortress, Rosen and Robin stood just behind Xia, blending into the background as bodyguards. It was better to appear unassuming until they saw the Duke himself.
A guard jogged over. "The Duke will come to meet you shortly. Please wait here."
"So, he suspects something. Not as smooth as expected," Rosen murmured, realizing instantly.
"Do we still meet with him?" Xia frowned. Normally, as head of the AKS Guild, her request would never be refused—the guild had close ties with the fortress.
But now, being stopped outside meant suspicion. Unexpected, but not unreasonable—the timing of their arrival was far too coincidental.
"Meet him. Since we're here, we won't leave empty-handed. If it fails…" Rosen's tone was casual, almost indifferent. "Then we'll just kill him. He's only one duke. There are always others."
(End of Chapter)