overwhelmingly huge
　That was what Ray was feeling before he saw the scene ahead of his eyes.
　It is even bigger than 10 or 20 of the largest cities Ray knows, such as Gilm, the only remote city, Emocion, one of the largest port cities in the kingdom of Milliana, and Egzil, the labyrinthine city. It was the capital of the Empire of Bestia.
　The huge city is surrounded by... even heavy walls, and Ray can't imagine how much effort it would take to build them.
　Even though it is still a long way to the imperial capital, it looks as if the horizon is full.
　I felt for the first time that my mouth was full.

"It's -- it's amazing,"

　Next to Ray, the knight guarding Dusker muttered the same way.
　Some of the knights had been to the royal capital of the kingdom of Milliana as Dusker's companion, but this knight apparently had no experience.

"Well, it's the capital of the Empire of Bestia," It's the only capital, and it's so thorough that it doesn't give a name other than the imperial capital. That's how confident you are you?"

　The other knights around him nodded convincingly to the murmur.
　Many of them knew the royal capital of the kingdom of Milliana, but they were nothing but huge.
　If you look at this scene, you can understand that the imperial capital is the only capital, and you don't have to name it anything other than the imperial capital.
　Other horse-drawn cars, merchants, and adventurers pass by, staring at the imperial capital like that.
　I'm not stopping, but I'm sure many would like to rush into the imperial capital.
　The reason was immediately understood by the proximity of the imperial capital.
　There is a large line in front of the main gate.
　That's what a procession of 1,000 people is all about.

"... well, I don't want to hear it, but let me hear it just in case. Is that line waiting in line to enter the imperial capital?"

　I don't want to hear it. But I have to ask. The knight nods with a wry smile at Ray's words.

"Yes. It's my first time to visit the capital of the Empire of Bestia, so I can't say for sure, but there are probably a lot of visitors to the competition."
"Well, it's like a festival with the whole of the Empire of Bestia. Naturally, tourists come from all over the Bestian Empire looking forward to it, and there are also many other guests who are invited from neighboring countries like Dusker."
"No, but... it's impossible to judge this number today alone, isn't it?"

　As Ray muttered, there are still more than a thousand people waiting in line, but one after the other.
　This is the capital of the Empire, let alone a village in the countryside. Of course, it's natural that the checks when you go inside will be strict, and the process will take time naturally.
　With that in mind, Ray didn't expect all the people in the line to be able to complete the process by the end of the day.
　However, the knight nods easily to Ray's words.

"That's true, isn't it? So, you know, some people have those things."

　Beyond the knight's gaze, there was a man preparing a tent.

"I mean, wait in line here till tomorrow." It's a very, very impossible way to do it in the frontier."

　In the middle of the night, a large number of monsters will probably lose their lives if they behave like this around Gilm., where a wide variety of monsters are rampant.
　It was a sight only because it was secure around the imperial capital.
　It's not always safe, though. Some people are sometimes attacked by monsters like goblins.
　The Knight's explanation goes on to Ray, who looks half-impressed and half-dumbfounded.

"And, as is the case with the royal capital of the Kingdom of Milliana, the screening is conducted by several guards, so there are quite a few people who can handle it at once. There are also rows of adventurers, merchants, and travelers."
"... in our case?"

　Words spoken by the knight were divided into adventurers, merchants, travelers, and so on, but there were no nobles among them.
　When asked what they would do, led by Dusker, the knight smiled.

"Not the nobility at all." Here, there."

　Beyond the sight of the knight who told him so was a gate about one size larger than the one lined up with visitors to the imperial capital.
　There was a man there who seemed to be a security guard, but after a few seconds of conversation with the coachman, he let him pass.
　Since it is a gate for nobles, the number of people going there is overwhelmingly small compared to other places, and perhaps because they don't check their belongings, they pass by the gate very smoothly.

"...there's a great deal of difference. No, I knew it."

　If you're not good at it, you'll have to sleep in the open for a few days, and it's close to the street.
　Ray muttered, dumbfounded at the difference in treatment, but the knight nodded as if it were only natural.

"They are nobles and commoners." That's natural, isn't it? Besides, if they make the nobles they invite wait outside the imperial capital for days, they will surely ruin the face of the Westian Empire."
"Well, so is it. -- well, it would be false to see such a sight."

　He muttered so without thinking of the sight of a splendidly dressed nobleman sleeping in a tent.
　The knight probably had the same imagination as Ray. His cheeks were twitching as if to hold back his smile.
　One of the leading knights calls out to such laymen.

"Here we go! I want to get into the imperial capital as soon as possible, even if I still have time!"
"Oh, oh. All right... I'll be right there..."

　a knight who stifles a fit of laughter
　Ray thought it was meaningless to hold his stomach over his armor, but he must have had a fit of laughter.

"... Set, shall we go?"
"Glu?"

　When I say that, patting the head of Seto on which I was riding, Seto bends his head slightly.
　Ray had a lot of thoughts on him, but if he continues to be late, he may not be warned later be warned.
　so that he could easily bear the fit of laughter and abandon the distressed knight, and catch up with the Daskers in front of him.

"What's wrong with him?"

　As Ray catches up with him, the knight who just called to him asks.
　His gaze was directed at the knights, who were acting like strange dances behind themselves.
　Of course I'm not dancing, I'm barely holding back the fit of laughter.

"There are a lot of things that are accumulated."
"…I see. but when we enter the imperial capital, we shall be seen as representatives of the kingdom of Mileana, and we ought not to go to the brothels."
"Do you have time like that in the first place? Isn't it a bodyguard?"
"Not everyone else must always be on guard." I think it will probably be about three shifts. and there's Elk in the sense of escort."

　There's Elk At that point, the knight says he has little to worry about when it comes to bodyguards.
　In fact, a Rank A adventurer has that much ability and reputation.
　In this case, Elk, who is also the representative of the axe of the god of thunder, is also a wizard of the Rank A adventurer, so it is no wonder that he feels reassured in many ways.

(I hope you don't get caught off guard.)

　Thinking like that, Ray says something completely different.

"And what are your plans after you enter the imperial capital?""First of all, it's an inn. "For a while to come, I will stay in the imperial capital until the end of the competition, so the inn is important."
"...can we stay in this crowd now?"

　At the far end of my eyes are countless people who are going through the procedures to enter the imperial capital.
　Today, as long as there are not so many people all of a sudden, it is only natural that there are already many tourists, merchants and adventurers in the imperial capital, and unless there are special circumstances such as those who know each other, they have to stay at an inn.
　I think the inn has already been completely filled. With this in mind, Ray opens his eyes for a moment, but immediately nods and opens his mouth as if he were convinced.

"Don't worry," In the first place, we... Mr. Dusker has received an invitation from this country. That being the case, they have prepared accommodations for us."
"...is that so?"
"That's natural, isn't it? Why don't you invite them to stay at your own expense? The dignity of the empire will be completely ruined. And..."

　Ray nods his head slightly at the equivocal knight.
　At the same time, Sett was also leaning his head as if he had imitated Ray, who had tilted his head on his back.
　But the knight shakes his head without answering it.

(If you imitate Mr. Dusker, who is also a guest of honor from the victorious kingdom of Milliana, that would be a diplomatic issue. ...but Ray, let alone Mr. Dusker. There's no doubt that there's someone who's going to poke his nose into it. especially Ray and Sett, who had looked at them quite a long time before they came here, and they had been teased.)

"Anyway, first of all, when we enter the imperial capital, we'll get a guide from the castle. follow the directions to one's "Well, don't worry, I'm sure it'll be a high-class inn." for it is very unlikely that the stables are so empty that Seto can't enter, as in the village I used to drop by when I was out in the rain."
"Gruly!"

　The knight's words make me cry joyfully.
　Fortunately, it was away from the procession of ordinary people, so it didn't attract much attention, but if it was close enough, it would have attracted countless attention.
　...well, when I was riding on the Gryphon, I had already seen a lot of attention.
　But Ray was already accustomed to this kind of gaze after entering the Vestian Empire.
　If you're going to come in, it's a different story, but there's also a reason why you can't do anything about the person you're just looking at.
　So, with some discomfort, Ray heads with the knight to the aristocratic gate.
　In addition, the knight, who had been dancing strangely while enduring a fit of laughter, might have finally recovered from the attack, but he hurriedly ran his horse and caught up with the laymen.
　From then on, they arrive at the gate without any problems, and the guards immediately walk up to the horse-drawn carriage at the head.

"Excuse me, but which noble is he?"

　Naturally, the tone he asked was polite.
　As long as the opponent was a nobleman, if he behaved rudely, he might be slashed on the spot, so he had to deal with it that way.
　However, the general expectation was that the guards had Ray and Sett in sight before they opened their mouths.

"He is the Larkes frontier of the Kingdom of Milliana." I was invited to a competition and came to a competition."

　A coachman in a carriage returns words to the guard and hands over some papers he had.
　It bears an invitation from the Vestian Empire, and the name of the horse-drawn carriage belonging to the Count of L'Arcus, which is common among aristocrats of other countries entering the imperial capital at this time.
　a guard who glances over the papers
　If you keep the aristocrats waiting here, you won't know what they'll say to you, but you'll have to check your invitations and documents carefully, because there may be no criminal like you who will forge documents.
　He was a security guard who needed contradictory ability to check closely and rush, but fortunately, he was excellent in ability and saw the most prominent combination like Ray and Sett, so he finished checking in about a minute.

"Yes, let me confirm," He seems to be accompanied by a demon, so please hang him up."

　Such a guard pulled out the necklace of the devil.
　Ray gets off the set and approaches the guard and receives it.

"Do you need an explanation about this?"
"No, it doesn't depend on the country, does it?"
"Yes, it is," "Well, now, there seems to be a guide, and ask him what has happened since he entered the imperial capital."

　Behind the guard's gaze was an elderly man in his fifties bowing politely inside the gate.

"Well, L'Arcus and his party, welcome to the capital of the Empire of Bestia." I hope you have a good time."

　Thus the Daskers finally set foot in the capital of the Vestian Empire.