At the same time.
Soma Alliance, Faro.
This city, whose pronunciation differed only slightly from a place somewhere in the Southern Free Federation, lay quietly upon the earth like a sleeping child—peaceful and serene.
"Rumble, rumble..."
The sound of carriage wheels rolling over the road echoed out. On a main road outside Faro City, a Four-Wheeled Carriage was speeding along.
Driving it was a seasoned groom in his sixties. With practiced skill, he held the reins in both hands and guided the carriage forward steadily.
Inside the carriage, two people sat leaning against the walls. One was Sherlock, who came from a mysterious family background, and the other was Lucia, Sherlock's little maid.
Looking through the carriage window at the outline of a city appearing in the distance, Lucia turned back and asked Sherlock curiously, "Young Master, what place is that?"
"That place... should be Faro, a medium-sized city in the Soma Alliance. It isn't far from Xia Ya, the South Capital of the Soma Alliance," Sherlock answered softly after taking a few looks, as if he knew the place well.
"Then where are we running away to this time... uh, no, where are we going?" Little maid Lucia blinked and asked. "Are we going to that South Capital, Xia Ya, you mentioned? It should be an even bigger city than this, right? There must be lots of fun things there. It must suit you perfectly, Young Master."
"This..." Sherlock suddenly bared his teeth as though his tooth hurt.
"What's wrong, Young Master?" the little maid asked worriedly. "Don't you want to go to Xia Ya?"
"No, I really want to go." Sherlock shook his head and answered seriously with a pained expression. "But after hearing what you said, I suddenly thought of a serious problem."
"What?"
"Look, even you