“Your highness, we’ve arrived at the Imperial Capital.” As shad was taking a small nap within the carriage, the female imperial knight’s voice suddenly rang out in his ears.
Startled, Shad lazily titled his head out of the window.” I'm back.” He mumbled with a slight smile on his face as he stared at the grand sight ahead of him − the behemoth city gate and the colossal walls of the Imperial capital that seemed to reach the cloud.
Anyone who saw the majestic and impregnable city walls would be shaken by Its grandeur.
At the same time, Shad couldn't help but become a bit emotional. Who would have thought someone like him would one day have a place to call home?
Sometimes he felt as though his previous life wasn't real but a long nightmare. The difference in status and his way of life between his previous and current life was like heaven and earth.
As Shad was still lost in thought, the imperial knight continued to steer the carriage towards the city gate.
However, she didn't go towards the giant main gate which had a long queue of people but a smaller one that was located a few hundred meters away from the main one without attracting any attention.
This was a private gate used by the Avalon imperial family, powerful noble families, and Important foreign diplomats.
Meanwhile, seeing the ancient and luxurious carriage coming toward them as well as the imperial knights, the two city guards on duty didn't dare stop them as they hurriedly opened the gate before respectfully bowing their heads as the carriage passed by.
“Stop, I will continue on foot. You guys may go without me.” Ordered Shad as soon as the carriage passed through the gate and officially entered the imperial capital.
Listening to Shad’s order, the female didn't dare to refuse as she immediately stopped the carriage before another imperial knight respectfully opened the door.
As soon as Shad got off the carriage, he was met by a comforting and familiar air.”Sweet home.” He murmured with a relaxing smile on his face.
“Your Highness, please reconsider! It's a little dangerous now in the imperial capital and also his Majesty the Emperor strictly ordered me to bring you to the Imperial Palace as soon as we entered the imperial capital.” Said the female imperial knight as she was trying to change Shad’s mind.
She was very anxious and unsure of what to do. If the 4th Prince wanted to continue on foot, there's no way she could stop him. She only hope that he would listen to reason.
The Avalon Empire was currently at war with the Nicholas Empire over a small kingdom that bordered the two. As such, It was a little dangerous for the prince to walk in the streets without any guards, even in the imperial capital.
Any spies or assassins that the Nicholas Empire had inside the city wouldn't miss the chance to capture or even assassinated the prince if they saw him walking in the city alone.
“It’s been two years since I left the capital and I’ve missed it a lot. I want to walk home and look at the changes in the city.”
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“During the two years of training, I lost touch with society. Except for you, there wasn't a single human around. If you are that worried, then you can just follow behind me,” Explained Shad before walking out without giving the female imperial Knight the chance to say anything.
The female knight could not do anything else except following Shad. At the same time, a trace of surprise couldn't help but appear on her face after hearing the 4th Prince's second sentence.
She couldn't believe that she had been discovered by the 4th prince. She was assigned to this mission not only because of her strength but because of her powerful stealth ability.
Right now, what she wanted to know the most was where his concealment went wrong, to make improvements after today’s mission. However, she didn't dare ask Shad about it.
Meanwhile, even though it was very brief, the sudden change of expression of the imperial knight didn't escape Shad’s sight who only smile at her he was moving forward.
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Grandis, the imperial capital of the Avalon Empire was created and named after the first emperor and founder of the Avalon Empire, Grandis Garcia Avalon.
It was one of the largest cities in the Eidrin world and served as the ancestral ground of the Avalon Imperial family.
Grandis was protected by a massive powerful magical barrier. It enveloped the entire city like a giant dome. Because of this, Grandis seemed to be the safest area in the entire Avalon Empire - capable of stopping all foreign invaders.
The residents found unprecedented peace and comfort in the city regardless of their power. Even the weakest living beings no longer had fear in this place.
That’s why numerous inhabitants of the empire and the colonized kingdoms traveled to Grandis City, hoping to make a home here. The charm of the city turned it into one of the largest on the continent.
Its flourishing prosperity couldn’t be overstated. After entering the city, a bustling scene and exciting atmosphere greeted newcomers.
The City was divided into three main sectors: the populace sector, the noble sector, and the Imperial sector.
The populace sector was the largest and most populated of the three sectors, consisting of more than half the population of the city.
This was the sector where all the commoners lived. Due to its size and loosen restrictions, this sector was the most bustling place throughout the whole imperial capital.
As for the noble sector, it was inhabited primarily by the nobles and the rich families. It was also the home of Grandis Magic Academy, the Mercenaries Guild.
Lastly, the Imperial sector which like the name suggested was inhabited by mostly the members of the imperial family. It was located at the very heart of the city.
At this moment, Shad was making his way to the noble sector through the Silver Lane, one of the main roads of Grandis.
As one of the main roads of the Imperial Capital, Silver Lane was constructed with large symmetrical limestone tiles.
It was very wide and had enough space for multiple carriages to travel down it side by side. On each side of the road, there were many shops, inns, taverns, and weapons stores. The entire area was full of people going about their daily business.
Numerous majestic buildings, mansions, and stores could be seen on both sides of the roads. The noble sector was the stark contrast to the populace sector or the outer sector.
Not only it was less crowded and busy, but it was also so more sophisticated and elegant. One could occasionally see a majestic carriage being escorted by a powerful cavalry.
Of course, the citizens here didn’t find this surprising as all the big shots of the empire and the surrounding colonized kingdoms have regularly visited the imperial capital.
Aside from that, one could also see numerous beautiful and young noble ladies chatting and smiling as they walked down the streets.
As Shad was walking through the street of the Noble Sector, some of the nearby noble ladies began to titter quietly amongst themselves while they pointed at him
He couldn’t blame them, as he resembled a commoner due to the plain way he was dressed. To make matters worse, he was chewing on a piece of meat he bought in the populace sector as he was leisurely strolling the streets.
Even the female knight was slightly uncomfortable with his actions, but she was unable to say or do anything.
Everyone knew that the 4th Prince did not care about etiquette. However, none of the nobles here knew that he was the 4th Prince.
It had been two years since he has disappeared from the capital and he has changed greatly. First of all, his original hair color was black, but after two years of training within the mountain range, his hair had mysteriously turned a dark purple.
He was also now taller and more muscular, and even the aura around him had changed. Not to mention that he barely went to any social gathering even when he was in the capital. As such, not many knew what he looked like.
As for Shad, he wasn't the least bit affected by the nobles’ reactions as he continued to enjoy his meat while humming a song.
After walking for about an hour, Shad finally stopped in front of an immense gate shaped like an arch. The other side of the gate was incredibly spacious, and the Imperial Palace could be seen further down Silver Lane.
There were fewer people here than in the previous sectors, and no carriages. This place was forbidden for ordinary people and lesser nobles, so it was much less crowded.
At the entrance of the arch-shaped gateway stood two powerful Imperial Knights. As they watched the female Imperial knight proceed to the gate, they did not dare stop her.
As for the commoner youth who was with her, they looked at him questioningly as they did not know who he was or his background. Nonetheless, they also did not dare to stop him either. Not many people could enter the Imperial sector, so this youth was not as simple as he looked.
“Sweet home,” Shad whispered as he looked at the Imperial Palace with a joyful smile on his face.