Chapter 443: 414 Family Banquet? A Trap!
At this time, the carriage carrying Reiger and his companions had already arrived at the gates of Besare, preparing to enter the city.
Toward the evening, when it was time to enter the city, more people were coming in than going out, as few people wished to travel at night.
For this reason, those entering the city had already formed a queue, undergoing the guards’ inspection and scrutiny as they entered in sequence.
The queue was not long, yet Liz had to wait a long time before it was her turn to enter the city.
This was because, as a military base, Besare required a far more stringent check for both entry and exit than other cities.
The area nearby had no clusterings of refugees, either because it was too close to the frontier battlefield or perhaps due to the daunting presence of Besare’s military base which discouraged people from gathering.
Thanks to this, the gatekeepers of Besare did not have to divide their attention between clearing the roads and managing order like those in Karudi, allowing them to focus on inspections, which slowed the entry process.
Fortunately, there were not many people entering the city at this time, and Reiger and his companions managed to enter the city before sunset.
However...
"...that’s the Fransel family’s crest, isn’t it?"
"...indeed, it’s unmistakably the crest of the Marquis of Fransel."
"Riding in the carriage of the Marquis of Fransel, and the driver is an exceptionally beautiful young lady..."
"There’s no mistake, it’s them."
As Liz drove the carriage to the city gate to undergo the guards’ inspection, the guards whispered such a conversation amongst themselves.
"Is there any problem?"
Nipede, representing the group, showed his face to the guards but did not receive the answer he was seeking.
"No issues, it’s just some idle chat among ourselves."
"Please, do not mind us."
"You are Master Nipede, aren’t you?"
"Welcome to Besare, Master Nipede. The lord has already instructed us that you should be allowed to pass immediately if you arrive."
"Please proceed."
The guards saluted Nipede, saying so.
Left with no choice, Nipede had to return to the carriage, letting Liz continue to steer the horses into Besare.
Reiger, leaning against the carriage wall, with a transparent gleam in his eyes, gazed in the direction of the city gates.
There, the guards continued to check the luggage of those entering the city and scrutinized their identities. It all seemed quite ordinary, with nothing unusual.
Yet, Reiger noticed that one of the guards had left the gate and entered a nearby ready room, though it was unclear what for.
Reiger steadily watched this scene before finally diverting his gaze as the gleam in his eyes dimmed.
In such a state, the carriage carrying the group moved forward and soon entered a major street.
This was a street filled with restaurants, taverns, and inns.
Located on the eastern side of Besare, it was the only place in the city that accommodated foreign visitors, hence known as Visitor’s Street.
All sorts of outsiders lodged here, and both dining and accommodation were concentrated on this one street.
In the midst of Visitor’s Street, the most luxurious inn was situated right in the center, with a grander design and more elegant decor than the surrounding buildings, clearly indicating its upscale status.
This inn also bore a quite unusual name for such a place—Peace Town.
It was evident that the owner of the inn was someone who greatly cherished and longed for peace, hoping for peace to prevail; otherwise, he would not have chosen such a name for his establisment in a war-torn borderland.
"Let’s settle down here."
Nipede said so.
This seemed to be his predetermined lodging choice when he decided to visit Besare, apparently having investigated beforehand and discovered the existence of Peace Town.
"Here, this place?"
"...it feels like somewhere we shouldn’t be."
Fannie and Gel both seemed a bit daunted.
Though they were from a Viscount family, a Viscount is only a rank higher than a Baron, which on the continent of Akasha made them minor nobility, not significant high nobility.
As minor nobility, the Alisier family naturally wasn’t very wealthy, certainly not as rich as the newly wealthy Hadi family.
Especially since Fannie and Gel had sneaked out this time, carrying hardly any money, staying at such an apparently upscale inn naturally made them hesitant.
"Don’t worry, you won’t have to pay," Nipede said, stroking his long beard with a smile. "I brought you here, so the costs are naturally on me. Just comfortably settle in."
Indeed, Nipede was not a nobleman, but that didn’t mean he was without funds.
As a highly esteemed magician in the magic community, Nipede had been invited more than once to the royal palace by the King himself, offering him the position of court magician.
Unfortunately, Nipede declined, otherwise the Chief Court Magician of the Ginas Kingdom might not have been Yuri, but this master.
In this way, Nipede indeed had a legitimate source of income.