We ate our breakfast shortly after waking, and departed immediately afterward. From what I could make out, our arrival in the city would have alerted anyone paying attention to Corinn’s imminent return, and we wanted to reach the capitol before those people could make any additional preparations. The prince did seem to be riding his horse a bit harder.

The highway we traveled along was wide and paved, and the river alongside it, the Yrmor River, hosted a proliferation of barges, with the loaded ones headed mostly south. We passed a few more towns, but for the most part, the terrain around us was open farmland. From the sound of things, the Yrmanni Imperium had a lot of that.

We stopped to eat around noon, and continued onward as soon as we finished. The highway always remained in sight of the Yrmor, even as the river twisted and turned. We were moving a bit slower than a car, but still fast enough to speed past other travelers, whether mounted or on foot. Twice, a mounted rider did manage to blur past. Mounted Couriers, apparently, a class focused on making horses move quickly.

They were a reminder that news of our imminent arrival had likely reached Almandir already, and that even now people were preparing to turn it to their advantage. And I still didn’t know the social rules of this place! That was something I needed to rectify as soon as I could. From the sound of it, Corinn wasn’t familiar with those rules either, so I would need to find someone else to teach me. And, with the number of powerful people who were now hostile to me by association, I would need to hurry.

I could start by making goals. I needed to get that Ring of Invisibility, I needed to find out more about Almandir and which locations were useful to me, then I needed to find someone who could improve my social knowledge. In the meantime, I needed to get more Courtesan levels to improve my social options, and perhaps get a third class too? How did extra classes work? I’d never thought to ask about that. And in the same vein, would it be better to get a third class oriented towards combat instead? Right now my concerns were social in nature, but from the sound of things, there was eventually going to be a massive war…

I asked Corinn about the nature of additional classes, and found out that there was no direct limit on how many you could have, but each class after your highest was harder and harder to advance in: your second-highest class advanced at about two-thirds the rate of your highest, your third-highest class advanced at about half the rate, and so on in a similar vein. Given that the strength of a Class and its Abilities was exponentially proportional to its level, this meant that having an additional class with similar attributes to an existing one was rarely an effective choice. If I did choose a third class, I would want it to do things that my existing classes couldn’t. Since nothing came to mind, I returned to watching fields of grain blur by.

We reached Almandir in late afternoon. A short wall stretched out from both sides of the river, with buildings rising behind it. Rising high. Some of the buildings on our side of the Yrmor were as tall as skyscrapers. Magic? The exteriors of sculpted glass certainly looked as though physics alone could not explain how they remained in one piece.

Mixed in with those gleaming towers were facades of white and grey stone, some of them blocky, others exhibiting smooth edges and colored decorations. Purple seemed to be prevalent. Near the center, I could make out a strange spiral of twisting crystal, and a taller spire of grey stone, with golden inlays twisting around it as they ascended toward a gold-tipped peak at the top.

It was quite impressive, I had to admit. Architecture had never been an interest of mine, but I could appreciate the results when it was done well. People like the ones who had built this place would clearly be useful to have around. Right now I had more urgent concerns, but perhaps at some point I could start looking into the things such individuals could do for me.

As the city drew closer, Corinn turned to address the rest of our party. “As soon as we enter Almandir, we’ll be travelling directly to the palace. Once we reach the building, Shira will accompany me for my report, and the rest of you will take our horses back to my city residence nearby. We will return after the report is concluded, and then we can decide our next actions with the rest of my staff.”

Simple enough. Part of me was disappointed to be left out, but I didn’t really want to put up with a bunch of sneering, dismissive nobles. I would join the others back at his house, and hopefully use the opportunity to learn more about the city.

The guards at the gate didn’t bother to question anyone, they just observed as traffic flowed past. Flags hung from either side of the gatehouse, a background of purple featuring a golden snake devouring a silver one, head-first. It seemed the Yrmanni Imperium was quite proud of being ruthlessly competitive.

Beyond the walls were densely packed tenements, well-maintained. Side roads hinted that the high concentration of housing was standard throughout the city. As we continued inward, the quality of the apartments on display improved moderately, then began to transition into many-leveled shops, featuring a range of items both mundane and magical.

Just passing through, there was a lot to see. Contraptions of gears and pulleys on display in shop windows. Illusionary projections creating all sorts of flashy effects. Swords and axes, shields and plate armor, ranging from basic to ornate, some featured prominently while others were only visible by looking closely through the windows of the shops that featured them.

It was all interesting enough that I was able to distract myself from the attention people were paying to me. As before, my awkwardly high-cut robe made me stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the party. At least in Almandir, things were more crowded, so people had other places to look, but I was on a horse, and when people spotted me, dressed as I was and riding behind a public figure, they were going to make… assumptions. Hopefully, some of Corinn’s political foes would assume I was an easy target. It would be so satisfying to beat them into a pulp…

We passed by one of the glass-shelled spires to our left. Inside, dozens of levels of steel-wrought floors stacked atop each other, and I could glimpse something like workstations inside. I would have to find out what they were for sometime. For now, we were focused on reaching our destination.

The district halted abruptly, and we looked upon rows of trapezoidal buildings, constructed of gray stone. Wide avenues connected them, interspersed with Yrmanni flags and various greenery. It seemed we had reached the center of government.

We increased our pace, pedestrians moving aside to accommodate us. Ahead, I could now clearly see the building with the gold tipped spire, obviously the palace. Now that it was almost fully in view, I could see how the massive spire emerged from a circle of eight ridged outcroppings, each with an entrance at the base.

“The Imperial Palace,” announced Corinn to me. “Built seven hundred years ago by Imperator Guyver Tyldroq, in the wake of the final expulsion of the Tribes of Ursalla from the western plains. He contracted the finest magical talent of the era for nearly a decade, to ensure that the structure would endure as long as the Imperium itself. It houses the Ministry of Records, and serves as the central gathering point for myself and other royalty.”

“In times when there is an Imperator, the upper chambers provide them with tools to scry and interpret information from across the Imperium. Others can be granted temporary access to those tools by a majority vote of all royals.”

We passed by numerous other buildings on our way there, all at least four stories tall, and some over eight. Inside the slanted windows, I could spot people working at desks, poring over stacks of paperwork. It was hard to get a feel for how advanced this world was, but they clearly didn’t have anything like computers… but then I glimpsed some bureaucrat picking up an object and seeming to push some buttons on it. Yet another thing I would need to look into some other time.

We arrived at the palace gates. The guards here were clearly higher quality than any we had seen before: their equipment was more intricate, interlaced with gold, and decorated with sashes of purple, and the individuals themselves looked extremely attentive and responsive. Hmm… could I have picked out a detail like that before I had Courtesan levels? I had feeling the answer was no.

We all dismounted, and Renfry took the reins of Corinn and Shira’s horses while Veers took the reins of Renfry’s own. There was no need for discussion. I heard Corinn announce himself to the palace guards as I followed Renfry toward what I presumed to be the Prince of Illorum’s residence. What was I feeling right now? Loneliness? Anticipation? It was hard to say. Feelings were so complicated!

*****************************************************

Corinn’s city residence was a sizeable mansion built primarily from white stone, with accents of grey, and golden-brown roof tiles. The building reached three stories in sections, but was considerably wider than it was tall. It was well inside the government district, less than half a mile from the palace, and numerous trapezoidal government buildings were visible from its walls, though lines of trees and shrubs provided significant separation. The horses were brought into the attached stable, where multiple attendants arrived to care for them. As we turned toward the main entrance, an elderly man passed through it to greet us.

“Ah, Renfry, Veers, welcome back! Is Trevor with Shira and the young Prince? And who is this?”

My companions’ faces turned grim. It was Renfry who spoke up. “We were ambushed by a team of assassins while we were searching the woods. High level, and prepared for us specifically. Trevor was taken out early on. If this woman, Talia Shimada, hadn’t shown up and intervened, they would have killed the rest of us as well.”

Shock and sadness appeared on the old man’s face as he heard of the guard’s death. When Renfry finished, he spoke: “More assassins… it seems House Illorum has a powerful foe. Perhaps this time we will finally locate evidence of the perpetrator. I have nothing to report on my previous tasks, but I have identified a few people who could prove useful in obtaining hard to find information.”

“For now though, come inside! Refreshments have been prepared, and if you seek rest while we await the Prince’s return, there are rooms ready.”

We followed him through the front door, and past an open atrium with a second-floor balcony overhead, into a sitting area with windows to an interior garden. Plates had been set out, containing what appeared to be marinated pork slices, deviled eggs, and some kind of bread stick. I followed Renfry and Veers in serving myself, and found the appetizers to be extraordinarily delicious. Clearly fighters weren’t the only people in this world with superhuman abilities.

The old man turned to me. “Forgive me, amidst the pain of another loss, it seems I forgot to introduce myself! I am Merigar Erris, the steward of House Illorum. Tending to Prince Corinn’s affairs is my primary responsibility: I manage all of this household’s staff, and make sure his lands back home are in good hands. The job has been quite demanding since assassins murdered his parents two years back, but I will not fail my responsibility. And though it appears the assassins have not given up, it gives me hope that this time, they failed. Tell me, how did you come to enter my Prince’s orbit?”

So, he thought it was I who had been drawn in by the prince? No need to correct him just now. “I found myself stranded in a forest, alone, after some kind of magical accident. My memories from before than are… vague. I had to fight to survive, and gained a number of levels in the Nude Berserker class. I came across Prince Corinn’s group by chance, and when he offered me a position as a bodyguard after I helped against the assassins, I decided to accept. Trying to survive alone in the wilderness leaves too much to chance.”

I’d been putting together this story for a while. It was truthful where the truth conveyed what I wanted, or where there was no reason to lie, omitted what I did not need to include, and the only real falsehood couldn’t be verified unless there was a magical way to detect lies. That last concern was something I definitely needed to look into.

“You survived in that forest alone? And you had no levels in a fighting class to start with? You must be an impressive warrior! A Nude Berserker though… might that explain your choice of clothing?” His expression became slightly pained.

“Yes, the class restriction has been an impediment. Cor- Prince Corinn did promise to get a Ring of Invisibility to resolve that issue.” The man had winced slightly at my brief lapse in protocol, and was now struggling not to look aghast at the though of me using an enchantment to travel around the city naked without anyone noticing.

“Well,” he said, regaining control of his expression. “I’m sure Prince Corinn will make good use of your abilities. If there is anything you need, the staff are prepared to serve.”

In fact, there was something I was interested in. “If you’re not too busy, I’ve never seen a mansion like this before. I was wondering if someone could show me the important parts; it would be useful to know where to find things, since it looks like we’re going to have challenging times ahead.”

His face brightened. “I do happen to have some time to spare right now, and I would be happy to give you a tour. Illorum may not be the wealthiest House, but we have ample resources to accomplish our goals!”

He began with a brief overview of the first floor. Most of it was reserved for entertaining guests, but there was a small locked armory for use by the household guards. I might have been issued keys at some point, if not for the fact that I didn’t have anywhere to put them.

Next, I was led downstairs. He pressed his hand against what appeared to be some kind of magical lock, and the door opened. Inside, glowing runes lit up, providing dim illumination to a long, rectangular room of stone, with miscellaneous devices, boxes, barrels, and chests scattered along its length. The steward’s eyes narrowed toward a collection of large, nondescript boxes near the far end.

“Now… who delivered those? I keep careful track of incoming purchases, and those were never ordered…”

Wait a moment… assassins, lots of large boxes in the basement of a building… I still wasn’t sure about this world’s technology level, but if my suspicion was correct…

“Mister Erris, could those boxes be explosives?”

He froze, then after a moment, turned decisive and spoke. “We must evacuate the building.”

By the time we reached the top of the stairs, it appeared that all the servants had already gathered. Merigar must have been fairly high level to get their attention like that. “Exit the building!” he declared. “Hurry!”

Refry and Veers followed the rest of us outside, nobody speaking until we were amidst the hedges surrounding the mansion. Merigar beckoned the two of them closer, and spoke softly. I found a large number of unidentified boxes in the basement while showing Talia around the estate. If they are indeed explosives, as Talia pointed out, they could be powerful enough to kill any occupants when they go off. If we hadn’t-”

A muffled explosion interrupted him. The ground shook slightly, and many of the mansion’s windows shattered. I could see dust rising from inside. Everyone turned to stare, although Renfry and Veers soon looked elsewhere in case there were other threats approaching. But there was only silence.

Veers was the first to speak. “Wouldn’t that many explosives have caused a bigger blast? Maybe they were a dud?”

Maybe. But these assassins had to have realized that their plan could not succeed at this point. Right now, completely blowing up Corinn’s house would hurt him significantly, but it would also draw attention to themselves, something they’d been trying to avoid. More likely…

“Or maybe they just wanted to destroy the evidence.” Merigar and Renfry nodded at my explanation. Yes, I naturally had good ideas. All I’d needed to do was think things through from the perspective of the assassins. I’d previously disregarded such consideration as worthless, but that had clearly been incorrect. Looking back, I had probably just avoided that methodology because it meant… treating someone else’s considerations as important. Of course, the goals of the assassins were not important, quite the opposite! But making that separation would have been hard back when I thought emotions were things that only weaker people had. Funny, how that perspective had actually been the thing holding me back.

But now I was stronger! As soon as I figured out how this place worked, I was going to use my new understanding to get the respect I deserved, and be able to keep having the best emotions as much as I wanted! I would just have to deal with these assassins first, and the other royals who were making trouble, and eventually I would probably have to deal with this Olgierian invasion problem. Frustrating. But I would find a way. I had a goal now, and it was my goal! It was a goal that I had reached by thinking clearly, without my previous ignorance! And I was going to achieve it!

We remained outside for the next several hours. Though the threat had likely passed, the structural integrity of the building was unknown. Merigar had sent someone to find a trustworthy mage to assess that, but in the meantime… waiting.

I passed the time asking questions about Almandir, and learned that beyond the government district were two areas of industrial and magical innovation, one of which we had passed through, along with a large trade district to the east, on both sides of the river. Corinn had a number of connections in the crafting districts, mostly makers of magical tools. Merigar had also begun seeking out people who specialized in gathering information, although such people were hard to find, and often of questionable allegiance. Nonetheless, his Abilities had led him to a few whose interests were in alignment with the Prince’s.

When Corinn returned with Shira, the sun was setting below the taller spires. His expression was grim, and it turned darker as Merigar explained what had happened. “So, with the boxes destroyed, they left behind no other evidence?”

“Unless I learn anything of how they breached our basement security, I’m afraid so, my Prince,” the steward replied.

“These threats cannot be allowed to stand. The matter of the Royal Council is serious, but this business is a priority. Tomorrow, I will make it known that any usable information about these assassins will be richly rewarded, and we will plan our next moves. For now though, we will have to settle for securing the premises and getting some rest.”

The mage Merigar had requested arrived less than half an hour later, and though he determined some areas to be in need of structural reinforcement before being completely safe, most of the bedrooms were clear for habitation. I ended up taking a room for myself this time. It was a shame I couldn’t indulge right now, but tonight… the mood was just wrong. I would have to kill some assassins first.