“Achoo!”

Merlin suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and looked outside suspiciously.

“Someone’s talking about me,” he muttered softly.

“Talking about you?” Luna blinked curiously. “Why are you so sure? Doesn’t anyone know you in this world?”

Her words were reasonable, and Merlin had no argument to refute them.

“Forget it,” he said, waving his right hand. “By the way, do you remember the capital of the Kingdom of Avernia?”

“The capital of the Kingdom of Avernia?” Luna rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s the city of Dralmor.”

Upon hearing this, Merlin looked slightly surprised.

“The city of Dralmor, you say? Are you sure? Isn’t the city of Caldris the capital?”

In the historical records he had read, the city of Caldris was listed as the capital of the Kingdom of Avernia.

However, after the collapse of the kingdom, it had been downgraded to an ordinary city and became one of the two important cities in the western region along with Dralmor.

“You’re not wrong, but the historical records you read—no, the historical records everyone knows—are slightly incorrect.” Luna shook her head. “Caldris was indeed the capital of the Kingdom of Avernia, but that changed ten years before the war began.”

She turned to the window beside her, gazing at the beautiful expanse of grass outside.

“If you look at the Tharot family mansion in the city of Dralmor, it looks like a castle, right? Actually, it used to be a very large and magnificent palace. However, after the defeat of the Kingdom of Avernia and the Tharot family, the palace collapsed and was destroyed.”

“It was rebuilt during the generation of the first Duke Tharot, but only on a smaller scale so it would be comfortable to live in.”

Every time she read about her family’s history, Luna felt sad and depressed.

If only the Kingdom of Avernia had not collapsed, her family would still be royalty.

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that made her sad. Many innocent people had lost their lives in vain because of the war.

That was why she sometimes hated the Royal Family of Aldoria so much.

Yet she knew she shouldn’t hold such resentment.

It had been hundreds of years since that incident, and she couldn’t dwell on the past.

Merlin was lost in thought as he listened to her explanation. Now, he finally understood why the Tharot family chose to live in the city of Dralmor.

From the beginning, it was the former capital of the Kingdom of Avernia. But one question arose—why was its history obscured?

Could there be a reason behind it?

He wanted to find out, but he realized now was not the right time.

He had to finish his business in this world first. Only then could he focus on that matter.

Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the horse-drawn carriage had been traveling for four days.

Of course, they didn’t travel for four full days without stopping. They rested in several cities they passed through.

With Merlin’s hypnotic ability, he could easily obtain enough money to buy various necessities.

Moreover, he had a system on his side, so there were no significant problems that bothered them.

“Woaa! Is that the city of Dralmor hundreds of years ago? It’s bigger and more magnificent than I remember.”

Merlin stuck his head out the window and looked at the city of Dralmor from a distance with admiration.

The city looked about twice as large as it would be in the future. The towering walls that surrounded the entire city were clearly visible.

‘Even in the future, the city walls still stand strong. Could it be that the fall of the Avernia Kingdom wasn’t actually a crushing defeat, but rather a surrender?’ Merlin wondered to himself.

Although the city of Dralmor in the distance was larger than the one in the future, Merlin was sure the massive walls surrounding it were the same as the ones he saw in the future.

So, it was certain that the city would remain standing even after their defeat at the hands of the Kingdom of Aldoria.

‘But that seems unreasonable. Luna said the royal palace was destroyed, which means the city of Dralmor did suffer a great loss,’ he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

Meanwhile, Luna also peeked from behind the window and was just as amazed as Merlin.

The city of Dralmor was her birthplace, and she naturally loved it.

Seeing the city standing so majestically—even in an era hundreds of years ago—filled her with pride and happiness.

The horse-drawn carriage continued moving until it finally arrived at the gates of the city of Dralmor.

Since the war was raging, the guard posts were naturally very strict.

Dozens of horse-drawn carriages were waiting to enter, and Merlin and Luna had no choice but to wait.

Fifteen minutes later, it was their turn to have their carriage checked by the guards.

Four soldiers were on duty, wearing silver armor just like the ones in the city where they had been suspected of being spies.

“Those inside, come out,” one of the soldiers ordered.

Merlin and Luna immediately got off the carriage.

“Oh?” The soldier who gave the order looked surprised. “Two children? What are you doing here? And what is your purpose for coming to the capital?”

The other three soldiers watched them closely with cautious and suspicious eyes.

Merlin stepped forward and replied politely, “My sister and I came here to make a living, soldiers. Our parents died, and we…”

He told the same story he had used in the previous city.

Upon hearing his story, the four soldiers immediately felt pity.

Their cold expressions softened.

“So that’s how it is,” the soldier said with a long sigh. “I feel sorry for you, kid. All right, I understand your situation.”

Upon hearing this, Merlin smiled quietly. He had expected this kind of interrogation, and he was confident he could get through it easily.

But suddenly…

“Hahaha! Do you think we’re stupid?” The soldier laughed coldly as he drew his sword and pointed it at Merlin’s neck. “You’re a spy sent by the Kingdom of Aldoria, aren’t you? You bastard! How dare you lie to us!?”

The other three soldiers immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at Merlin and Luna’s necks.

Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Merlin and Luna were clearly stunned.

“W-Wait a minute! What’s going on? Why are you pointing your weapons at us?” Merlin asked in a panic.

Even with his sometimes indifferent demeanor, he couldn’t stay calm in a situation like this.

Luna behind him also looked panicked and frightened. She clung to the right sleeve of Merlin’s robe, her body trembling.

“Hahaha! Stop pretending, kid. That doesn’t work on us!” the soldier said coldly.

He looked at his three companions and ordered, “Capture them, and let Her Majesty decide what punishment they deserve.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep