The carriage gave a heavy jolt as it began to slow.
"—We have arrived, Young Master."
The coachman’s voice drifted in from outside. A moment later, the vibrations changed, growing sharper and more rhythmic as the wheels transitioned onto cobblestones. The clatter of the horses' hooves echoed more clearly now.
"Whoa...!"
Yuu let out a breath of pure awe as he stuck his head out the window.
Ahead of him stood the city’s perimeter wall. The massive, chalk-white rampart towered so high it seemed to slice through the very sky. It was so tall that the top edge was a blur against the blue; both Yuu and Ciel stared up at it, their mouths hanging open.
"What is this...? It’s more of a fortress than a city."
"You could say that."
I nodded in agreement with Ciel’s assessment.
"It’s a citadel city. It was built specifically to intercept monsters overflowing from the labyrinths."
The walls surrounding the city were thick enough to fit several houses deep. Ballistae were mounted atop the towers, and fully armed sentries kept watch around the clock. Given its location, the city lived in a state of perpetual high alert.
"I thought the Royal Capital would be more... sparkling..."
"Unfortunately, this is the reality. But don't worry, once we reach the Middle District, you’ll see the kind of scenery you’re expecting. You just have to bear with this for a bit."
As we talked, the carriage pulled up to the main gate. However—
"Whoa, look at all those people...!" Yuu blurted out.
A massive line had formed before the gates. There were merchant wagons, caravans loaded with monster parts, groups of adventurers, and even boys and girls who appeared to be students like us.
They were likely waiting for entry inspections. Soldiers were stopping everyone one by one to examine their cargo.
"How long is this going to take...?"
"The sun will be down before we get through," Ciel muttered, looking dejected.
But right then, one of the soldiers at the gate noticed us and approached.
His eyes fell upon the side of the carriage. The moment he saw the engraved emblem—the Crest of House Arkberg, a design combining a sword and wings—his posture went rigid.
"—!! Make way! This is the carriage of House Arkberg!"
After a frantic salute, he immediately began barking orders.
The crowd erupted into a confused murmur, but they moved quickly under the soldier’s direction. The long line split down the middle, and in an instant, a private path opened up just for us.
The gate guards bowed their heads as they let us pass through without a second thought.
No inspection, no cargo check. We were waved through purely on the family name alone.
"............"
"............"
I felt a pair of intensely heavy gazes coming from the seats opposite me.
The culprits were, of course, Yuu and Ciel.
"Rai... san?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you... I mean, are you actually..."
"You aren’t just 'from a good family,' are you? You're from an insanely powerful one!"
In response to their questions, I allowed a small, knowing smirk to play on my lips.
I crossed my legs, rested my elbow on the window frame, and propped my cheek against my fist. It was the quintessential pose of an arrogant villain heir. Since I already had the face of a villain, I figured I might as well lean into the role.
"—And if I am, what will you do about it?"
I said it with a bit of a mischievous streak, but the life immediately drained from their faces.
They turned pale, looking as though they were about to drop their heads and start apologizing.
"Pfft, ahahaha!! Relax, I’m just kidding. You don't need to look so worried. It’s true I was born into a ducal house, but the important ones are my father, my mother, and the ancestors before them. I’m just a silver-spooned brat basking in their reflected glory."
Their reactions were so priceless that my facade crumbled instantly.
As I laughed and explained myself, they both turned their eyes toward Lene. It was a silent plea for confirmation: Is he telling the truth? Since she’d mentioned being a commoner earlier, they clearly found her more trustworthy than me.
Under their scrutiny, Lene gave a wry smile and shook her head.
"Rai-sama says that, but he is most certainly an important person. He is the confirmed Next Head of House Arkberg. Besides, House Arkberg itself is one of the most prominent high-noble families in the entire kingdom."
"Lene? I’m not denying the family name is a big deal, but I’m really not that important yet."
"That is not true! The servants at the mansion, not to mention the Master and Madam, all say there is no one as splendid as you, Rai-sama!"
I had a feeling her survey sample was a bit biased since it was limited to the people who worked for me.
Regardless, Yuu and Ciel, having been betrayed by their last hope, Lene, turned an even deeper shade of white. It almost looked like they’d stopped breathing.
"W-W-W-Why is someone like that talking to people like us so normally...?"
"The way I’ve been talking to you... was it really bad...?"
"Hey, stop that. Don't go pulling away from me now."
I quickly fixed my posture.
"I told you before, didn't I? I’m a student just like you. My family status isn't my own achievement; I just got lucky and happened to be born into it."
"……But..."
"No honorifics, no formal speech. Just keep things the way they were. Otherwise, it’s going to be awkward for me to talk to you."
I meant it. I’ve never been one for being treated with kid gloves.
Besides, I would be genuinely lonely if these two—the protagonist and heroine—distanced themselves from me. Even if it was through a game screen, I’d spent countless hours saving the world alongside them. They were like my old comrades-in-arms. It was only natural I’d want us to be friends.
"…………"
"…………"
After a few seconds of silence, Yuu scratched his cheek and grinned.
"……Alright. I’ll keep things the way they were then, Rai."
"I'll drop the formal stuff too," Ciel added with a smile.
"Good. Glad to hear it."
With the usual atmosphere finally restored, the carriage rolled slowly through the city gates.
The moment we passed through the heavy iron doors, the air itself seemed to change.
"……Wow."
Ciel was the first to gasp.
The cityscape stretched out as far as the eye could see. Stone buildings were packed tightly together, and every street was teeming with people.
"Step right up! Ten percent off recovery potions if you buy in bulk!"
"Grilled skewers, three for five gold! We’ve got student discounts too!"
"Armor repairs! Done by the end of the day!"
The roar of daily life, a cacophony of voices and clattering tools, was so intense that it vibrated through the carriage windows. I knew this place was noisy from the game, but the physical sensation of it was entirely different from seeing it on a screen.
I saw bloodstained armor, massive horns that clearly belonged to monsters, glowing ores, and even adventurers being carried past on stretchers.
(Calling this a capital is a stretch—it’s more like a massive supply base for a war zone...)
Astrea was known to the world as the Royal Capital, but its true nature was that of a front-line base.
The royal castle and the academy were there, yes, but the overwhelming impression was of a city that existed solely to facilitate the struggle against the labyrinths.
For as long as anyone could remember, labyrinths appeared around this city with alarming frequency. The cause had never been discovered, and even the game never fully explained it. They simply appeared, opening their maws to the world before anyone realized it.
An adventurer’s job was to dive into those labyrinths and slay the Core—the Dungeon Boss—waiting in the depths. Once the Core was destroyed, the labyrinth would naturally vanish.
In the process, they would bring back magic stones, ores, medicinal herbs, and monster parts. That was their trade, and it was also the lifeblood of the country’s economy.
They crafted weapons from labyrinth resources, brewed medicine from them, and built cities with them. It was an ironic, symbiotic relationship—living off the very thing they fought against. That was why this city was so packed with adventurers.
It was dangerous, but there was always work. To put it simply, it was a city where one could get rich.
"It’s less like a capital and more like one giant Adventurer's Guild," Yuu muttered.
"This is just the entrance. It's mostly markets here."
Stalls, blacksmiths, butchers, and trade-in shops—it was a chaotic mess.
However, as we moved deeper into the city and past the markets, the noise began to fade, and the scenery underwent a dramatic transformation.
"Oh, it suddenly feels like a proper capital now."
"It’s like we’ve entered a different city entirely..."
"Y-Yeah..."
As the three commoners shared their impressions, the coachman called out that we had arrived, and the carriage came to a full stop. The coachman opened the door, and we stepped out.
Beneath our feet were polished white cobblestones.
Trees lined the streets in perfect intervals, and the flowerbeds were bursting with seasonal blooms. The people walking by were from a different world entirely. Not a single person in armor was in sight; instead, we saw boys and girls in fine tailored clothes, elegant dresses, and crisp school uniforms.
"……Yeah, when I thought of the capital, this is more what I had in mind."
"That entrance was basically a battlefield. It would have left me with a pretty bad impression of the city if we'd stayed there," Ciel said, shrugging her shoulders.
I knew exactly what she meant. I’d felt the same way when I first played the game. I’d been so excited to see the Royal Capital, only to be hit with a scene straight out of a gritty fantasy tavern the second I arrived.
(Though, once you get used to it, that gritty atmosphere isn't so bad either.)
As I was lost in thought, the coachman called out, "Young Master."
I turned to find him holding his hat to his chest, his expression unusually solemn.
"I have a message from the Master."
"From my father?"
"Yes."
For a split second, the surrounding noise seemed to fade into the background.
"—'Do not forget to look after your Fiancée.' Those were his words."
It was a short message. But the moment I heard it, the image of "her" flashed through my mind. Because of her immense talent, she had become a lonely, isolated figure... but beneath that excellence was a girl more delicate and easily hurt than anyone else.
I let out a soft, confident smile and looked back at the coachman.
"I know. I'll make sure we both survive this year together."
"……Please, take care of yourself, sir."
I turned my back on the bowing coachman and began to walk.
Before me stood a massive, chalk-white structure.
Its numerous spires pierced the sky, and its pure white walls shimmered beautifully in the sunlight, reminiscent of a grand temple. With its meticulously manicured gardens and vast training grounds, it looked more like a castle than a school.
(Alright, here we go...)
A small tremor of excitement stirred in my chest.
A mix of nostalgia, nervous energy, and the heavy weight of the story about to unfold. Carrying that strange, swirling sensation, I took my first steps into the setting of the game CHOICE // MAZE—the Royal Arcadia Academy of Magic.