# Chapter 98
Arden looked up at Eden’s suggestion. Eden seemed to understand what Arden was worrying about.
“If you take my carriage, you won’t need to go through separate inspections.”
“Are you sure that’s okay? If we’re discovered by any chance…”
“You’re stuck in Rosmunt because of my request. Of course I should help.”
There was no hesitation in Eden’s expression. Arden wasn’t comfortable receiving help from others, but he had no choice.
Arden glanced at Rite. Their eyes met—Rite had been watching Arden. The yellow irises were still unfamiliar. Rite turned his gaze to Eden.
“You remember what I said about our plans being different, Eden.”
“I remember.”
“You said you have no intention of bringing down the Emperor, but we’re different. I came all this way aiming for the Emperor’s neck.”
Eden’s eyes wavered. Rite, who had been watching that reaction without blinking, continued.
“Will you still let us ride in your carriage?”
Perhaps it wasn’t entirely unexpected, as Eden’s confusion quickly subsided. Eden slowly nodded.
“…Then I’ll have to change the plan a bit.”
“…”
“Getting in the carriage isn’t a problem. Let’s talk about the details when we get to Moran.”
It meant he was willing to join Rite and Arden’s plan. With Eden’s answer, Rite and Arden stood up.
I sincerely hope we meet again, Arden. At Suos’s farewell, Arden awkwardly bowed his head. Arden still found it difficult to meet his eyes.
Outside, rain was pouring down. It was well past evening and dark outside, but the city—washed clean by the rain—appeared clearer and more distinct than before.
“The carriage is just outside the alley. We’ll be there quickly if we run.”
“Lead the way.”
Arden said, pulling his hood over his head. Rite quietly extended his hand to feel the falling rain. The raindrops touching his palm felt exactly like the rain in the Winter Forest.
Is this real rain? While lost in thought, Arden suddenly approached and put Rite’s hat on him.
“You’ll catch a cold.”
“…”
“Let’s go.”
Each step splashed water in small droplets. The sound of three pairs of feet sloshing through water filled the quiet alley. As Eden had said, a carriage was waiting at the end of the alley. Arden briefly examined the carriage’s rather luxurious exterior.
“Arden.”
Rite, who had climbed in first, reached out his hand to Arden. Arden took his eyes off the carriage and grabbed Rite’s hand, who pulled him up with strength.
“It would be better to keep all the window curtains closed.”
Eden said, looking back from the driver’s seat. Arden double-checked the already closed curtains. The prepared carriage began to move smoothly.
“Thanks for the ride, Eden. You can drop us off at the plaza.”
“Are you planning to find separate lodging?”
“That’s the plan.”
“If… you don’t have a place to stay, I could offer you a room.”
“…Did you buy a house in Moran?”
A hint of surprise crept into his otherwise flat tone. Engineers made good money, but even for them, buying a house in Moran wasn’t easy.
“It’s not my house… it belongs to my fiancée.”
“…Fiancée?”
That was even more surprising than buying a house in Moran. Eden gave a small cough.
“It wouldn’t look strange for me to be coming and going to meet Arden, and you could save on lodging expenses, so I thought it might be better… Just a moment.”
The carriage came to a halt. Eden turned the window crank, and with the cold air, the sound of rain became clearer. Suddenly, someone appeared.
“There will be a brief inspection. May I see inside?”
Though wearing a raincoat, it was clear he was from the Knights. Arden unconsciously held his breath. Rite squeezed Arden’s hand tightly. Glancing sideways at the warmth, Arden could see Rite’s thin pupils in the darkness.
“I am Eden, an engineer from the Imperial Palace.”
“My apologies. You may proceed.”
When Eden took something from his pocket and showed it, the knight immediately withdrew. The window closed, and soon the carriage started moving again. A sigh of relief escaped belatedly.
Though they couldn’t see outside to view the passing scenery, they could tell. They were leaving Rosmunt and crossing the bridge. Once across this bridge, they would be in Moran. They were getting closer to the Emperor’s residence.
“We’re almost there. Look, you can see Noah’s Gate too.”
After traveling for over an hour, Eden spoke as he opened the window. When Arden pulled back the curtain, he could indeed see Noah’s Gate as Eden had said. It was Moran’s representative monument. Above the massive gate was a sculpture of Noah, with outstretched black wings as if about to take flight. The sculpture was placed so high on the gate that Noah seemed to be looking down at them. The elaborate gold leaf decorating the wings symbolized Artalis.
“…Finally.”
Rite murmured softly. As they got closer to the gate, its size became increasingly impressive. Rite stared at the grand Noah sculpture for a long time.
* * *
The mansion that Eden had called his fiancée’s home was practically Eden’s own. Everyone in the mansion treated Eden as if he were the owner. Eden also acted with familiarity, but even by the second day, Arden still hadn’t seen the face of the real owner, the fiancée. Moreover…
‘…’
‘Feel free to use it whenever you want.’
Eden said, awkwardly rubbing the nape of his neck. It was no wonder, as the room looked exactly like a workshop environment from the palace. In fact, the equipment was far better than what Arden remembered. Of course, the equipment at the palace would have all been replaced by now, but Arden had no idea how to use any of this. He had worked on restoring the magical device here, using the equipment Eden said he had specially prepared.
I’ve really fallen behind.
Arden was quite shocked.
It wasn’t the main family residence, not the mansion of the family Arden knew. Originally, Arden wasn’t someone who cared much about politics or worldly affairs. Even during his time in Moran, he had gotten into trouble several times for not knowing how prestigious the families of newly arrived engineers were.
He was alone, retracing the shock he felt on his first day in Moran. Until now, they had slept at inns, sharing a room, but there was no need for that anymore. After being assigned separate rooms, they spent the night apart.
“…rden.”
Sitting alone in the quiet room, Arden flinched at the sudden sound and the hand on his shoulder. Belatedly putting in the hearing aid he had removed, he turned around to see Rite looking down at him with a frown.
“When did you come in?”
“Just now. More importantly, why didn’t you answer? I thought you weren’t here since you didn’t respond to my knocking.”
“Ah… I didn’t hear. Maybe the soundproofing is good…”
“I called your name repeatedly. Even opened the door.”
Arden had no choice but to continue pretending not to know. He wasn’t intentionally trying to hide it. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Rite, of all people. It was just a habit. A habit of not revealing information that brought no benefit when shared.
Before Eden arrived, after being served breakfast and lunch, they had taken a short break and walked around the mansion. It wasn’t grand enough to be called a great mansion, but there were quite a few interesting things to see. For example, the automatic piano now before them.
“Have you ever seen a piano before?”
“…No.”
Rite shook his head, watching the piano keys pressing down without a performer. Arden had seen one during his time at the palace. But this wasn’t just an ordinary automatic piano.
“That’s a violin.”
When Arden opened the cabinet door above the piano, five violins could be seen rotating in a circle. Under the violins, sheets of paper with codes were winding according to the tempo. It was a device for automatic play of both violin and piano.
“Normally, a piano has a bench where you sit to play. A violin is held like this… resting on your shoulder and played with a bow.”
“…”
Rite was silent. When they were in Rosmunt, he had looked around curiously, but now he wasn’t showing as much interest as before.
Encountering so many new sights at once made everything feel more unfamiliar than fascinating. Moreover, spending the night alone in someone else’s house rather than an inn made it hard to sleep. He missed the cabin where he had stayed with Arden and longed for the snow he had seen until it became tiresome.
In contrast, Arden didn’t seem troubled at all. For someone who had wanted to stay quietly at home, he showed no attachment to their previous home and adapted quickly. Rite frowned deeply as he looked at Arden.
“This is a bit strange.”
“What is?”
A piano and violin he’s seeing for the first time—what could be strange about that? Arden, who had been looking at the piano, opened his eyes wide and met Rite’s gaze.
“It’s kind of… sad, I guess.”
“In what way?”
“Originally, these are meant to be played by people, but now there are no people involved. Instruments meant to be handled by humans function without them.”
“I see.”
The integration of engineering with art wasn’t a recent development. Automatic musical instruments were quite common, found in most bars in Moran.
“It’s just the advancement of technology.”
“I don’t like it.”
Rite casually turned his gaze to the window. It wasn’t a particularly meaningful action. He had just turned to look at something that caught his eye in his peripheral vision, but when he confirmed what it was, his gaze remained fixed.
Noah’s Gate was clearly visible from here. That alone wouldn’t have been novel anymore, but today was a bit different. Large flags were hanging on both sides of the gate.
Black backgrounds with golden emblems. The national flag of Artalis.
“Arden, what day is it today?”
“What day?”
“Look there.”
Rite pointed outside the window. I don’t think those were there this morning. At Rite’s murmur, Arden narrowed his eyes. Though blurry to Arden’s eyes, he could identify what they were.
“I wonder… Those are usually only hung during the Founding Festival…”
Come to think of it, the Founding Festival was approaching. The Founding Festival was Artalis’s biggest celebration and holiday. When the Founding Festival came, the country would naturally become chaotic. Whether this would be an opportunity or a trap, Arden couldn’t judge.
