What Eliza revealed shocked Jane. A princess? So what was she doing in such a remote village? Shouldn’t she be in her castle or at least in the capital?

Actually, it didn’t really matter for the redhead. So what if she was someone with a status like that? It didn’t change the fact that they both had something to do.

- I didn’t expect that. Should I call you "Your Highness" from now on? Or Lady Havenflow?

{ - Maybe later she will call yo- }

[{ - Continue that sentence and see what I'll do to you! }]

Anna just laughed at that but didn't add more comments. Even after knowing Eliza’s birth status, it didn't change her plans. If anything, it even made her want to move ahead more than before.

Eliza panicked a bit when Jane asked how she should call her; she lifted her hands and waved them.

- No, no, no! Please don't do that. I don't like being called that way. It's too formal. I already had to fight hard so my attendants don't call me like that. Well, anyway, if you are okay with forming a party with me, I think we should go to the Guild then.

- Wait, I didn't ask before but… We aren't in Vanel anymore, right? I didn't go out, but I heard more sounds coming from the streets than in Vanel.

- Yes, we are in Havenflow, the capital.

Jane's eyes opened wide when she heard that. If what she read back in her village was true, they had made a trip of more than two thousand miles in less than two days. Even with her gift, it was impossible for her, no matter how much she pushed herself. She never tried, of course, no occasion to do it, but it was still baffling.

- Just… How?

- There is an artifact with space magic in it. It's not available to the public and very expensive to use. But it was an emergency this time… Your injuries were too serious to ignore, so I had to go back to the capital and ask a friend of mine to heal you.

Even if Jane could guess Eliza did that to secure a Denki on her side, she still felt touched by it. She could hear in Eliza's voice that "expensive" was a weak word to explain how much that instant movement cost.

- Sooo… The capital, huh? Why didn't you say so earlier?! I want to visit it!

Without even waiting for an answer, Jane opened the door and bolted out of the room with excitement. In less than a minute, she was already outside with a big smile on her face.

Meanwhile, in the office, Eliza was stunned speechless by the redhead's antics. A voice came from the shadows, doubt could be heard in it.

- My Lady? Are you sure she's the real deal…? I'm having second thoughts right now.

- You saw the fight with Regg. And you saw the state of Ouroboros forces back in her village. So yes, she is the real deal. I guess she's just happy to discover new things. Let her have that at least, even more so after what she just had to undergo at such a young age. I'll accompany her; I doubt she'll get lost, but having someone who knows the town is better.

Eliza sighed a little while getting up, a smile on her face. The excitement Jane displayed and the way her eyes shined when she learned they were in the capital was entertaining. Her smile didn’t last long when she heard the next words the shadow said.

- My Lady. Speaking of age… Count Krej sent a message the moment you came back in the capital. I didn’t want to bother you with it at first, but he is insisting on meeting you to discuss marriage. He said it's time for you to settle and get a husband, especially considering your family's state.

- No. I won't meet that pig. There is no way I'm marrying him or his son. Or even any man he sends me. They are all disgusting. I saw their eyes when looking at me. Tell him I have more important things to do and more interesting people to spend my time with.

A brief image of a feisty and sometimes serious redhead crossed her mind. She had to admit her heart skipped a beat in pain when she saw her digging up those tombs. The white-haired woman shook her head to clear her thoughts before finishing what she had to say.

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- Or at least present me with a beautiful gi— I mean, a handsome man! One that doesn't look at me for my body but for who I am inside!

She didn’t let the shadow answer before storming out of the room. She regained her calm by the time she reached the front door, where Jane was waiting for her. The young Mercenary turned her head to look at Eliza and frowned a bit. When she looked in her new friend's eyes, she could see something was bothering her. She reached to touch her shoulder with her hand, a worried expression on her face.

- Everything all right, Eliza? You don’t need to accompany me if there’s something you need to do.

Eliza turned her head and smiled at Jane, shaking her head before grabbing the redhead's wrist and walking toward the busy streets. Jane let herself be dragged, stunned by the move. Her new friend didn’t notice it and started to explain the structure of the capital.

- There are four districts here: the royal district, with the castle and the various mansions for nobles; the merchants’ district, with all kinds of shops; the artisans’ district, with all the crafters of various manufacturing types; and finally the commoners’ district. Yes, that name is a bit degrading, but it's just where all non-nobles live. Which one do you want to look at first?

As they walked, Jane was looking left and right to take in all the sights. There were brick houses everywhere, but the streets were still quite wide. The young woman looked at Eliza and thought for a few seconds before answering her question.

- I'd like to see the merchant district, please. I'm interested in what they have. Which district are we in, by the way? The noble one, right? Since you're the princess and all that.

- Yes, but my mansion is on the edge of it. I don’t really like being in the middle of all the turmoil in the court. It’s… well, too pressuring.

At that, the hand holding Jane's wrist tightened for a second before relaxing. The redhead could understand that being in the center of attention isn't an easy thing to do, or to bear. She just nodded her head, and they made their way out of the noble district.

Once they were out, the atmosphere changed a lot. What had been busy but still a bit quiet now became streets filled with boisterous discussions from everywhere. Jane was a bit confused by that, and Eliza could feel it when she looked at her face the moment they changed districts.

- You must be wondering why you can now hear all the noise? Well, nobles hired a powerful mage to erect a barrier all around their district. It blocks out sounds coming from the others so they can have peace. The only sounds that can go through the barrier are from the huge bell towers we have at each gate.

While explaining, Eliza pointed to a tall tower they could see in the far back of the town. On top of it was a bell that was probably the size of a shed.

- Those serve to warn the town in case of an attack or invasion. And that's the only outside sound you can hear from the noble district. Even riots aren't heard… Anyway. We are now in the merchant district!

Jane nodded at these explanations about the barrier. She didn’t expect the nobles to go that far to avoid hearing commoners. But maybe it was expected? She knew nobles could be nasty pieces of work. She could hear a bit of frustration in Eliza's voice, as if she didn't agree with such a barrier.

{ - Yeah, it doesn't surprise me much, Jane. Nobles often have their noses up their own asses. But Eliza seems pretty okay, you know? You gotta keep her close! }

[{ - Anna… }]

{ - No, no! This time it's genuine! Well, other times too, but this one was pure! Yeah, that's the word, pure! }

Jane decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. But she still agreed on that with her. Eliza seemed genuine and way nicer than the description her father had given her of nobles. While the redhead and her friend were talking, Eliza continued her explanations.

- Here you can find almost anything sold in the kingdom. There’s even some imported goods, but not that much. Sadly, a lot of nobles want to keep the country "pure" and independent. But they can't filter everything coming in, so there are still foreign goods—mostly weapons or materials we don't have at all here.

While walking, they could hear merchants shouting the names of their goods, hoping to attract customers. There were a lot of different shops selling various merchandise from all over the kingdom. Some products seemed interesting, but she didn’t go to see them. Jane still wanted to see the other districts; yes, she could see them another day. But why delay? Nobody could know what would happen later.

- There is also a market where Mercenaries can set up stalls and sell what they find, whether materials from monsters and beasts or even artifacts. I think most of those are fake, but who knows? Maybe there’s something real in them. It’s mostly luck or insight.

- Are there some rules in that market? I can’t imagine an open area full of Mercenaries without some problems.

- Yes, there are. No weapons allowed. No fighting either. We have guards on all sides, and if you still get into a fight, you will be banned from the market.

Those were some useful rules. Even if the no-weapon rule wasn't really effective for her and her gift. They spent almost an hour walking in the district, with Eliza pointing out some of her favorite shops and restaurants. Some of them smelled amazing, and Jane couldn’t wait to try them. After that, they approached the gate leading into the artisan district. This time, the redhead tried to see if she could spot a barrier between the two.

{ - Wait, Jane, let me take control. I think I can see it if I do. }

[{ - Go ahead, I'm pretty curious about the changes, actually. The times we did switch are blurry. }]

After all, each time they changed control of their body was when Jane wasn’t really herself.

But now she was fully conscious and focused on the switch. It was fast but at the same time slow. She could feel herself falling gently into some sort of void. It wasn’t scary, but she could feel herself being restricted. She lost control of her limbs and her head, but she could still see, hear, and smell everything. Even her sense of touch was still there.

The changes weren’t only inside her body; her eyes changed color to a shiny red, just like fresh rubies. Even her aura changed a little, but Anna controlled it so nobody could feel it. She did something that Jane didn't expect, though: she suddenly slid her hand into Eliza's and interlocked their fingers while smiling.

The white-haired woman was stunned by the sudden movement, her head jerking toward the young woman. She noticed the changed eyes and was even more confused. But Anna didn't pay attention to that, turning her focus to the boundary between the merchant and artisan districts. Her eyes started to shine just a little, and in her vision, a fine membrane appeared.

{[ - So, there is a barrier here too. I wonder why this time? ]}

[{ - Anna! What are you doing with your hand?! Party member or not, she's still a princess! }]

{[ - Bah! Don't be like that! She didn’t release us at all the whole way, if I must remind you! ]}

Anna could feel Jane's embarrassment, and it made her chuckle a bit. She turned her head toward the stunned and confused princess, sending her a wink before starting to walk once again. This time, she was the one dragging the woman by their interlocked hands.

[ - Come on! Show me that artisan district! I'm sure it will be an interesting walk with such good company! ]

Eliza had no choice but to follow her friend, passing the barrier that separated the two districts.