The teleportation circle flared with light, then went dark.
By the time Hilde came to her senses, she had arrived at her residence in Ars City, the capital of the Asura Kingdom.
Compared with the Northern Continent's year-round cold, the Asura Kingdom enjoyed a truly blessed climate. The sky outside was clear, without heavy snow clouds or snow-covered streets in sight. It lifted her spirits.
Isolte should still be on duty at this hour, right? Even if I go to the training hall, I probably won't find her.
Maybe I should wander around the city, or go to the Knight Order's base. I should be able to find her there...
With that thought, Hilde left the residence and headed toward the city's outer ring.
The moment she stepped onto the street, she noticed that the atmosphere was completely different from usual.
Royal flags of the Asura Kingdom hung along both sides of the street, and elaborate garlands adorned the buildings' walls. The aroma of roast meat and sweet wine filled the air. All sorts of people streamed through the streets: adventurers from around the world in a variety of outfits, merchants who had traveled from elsewhere, and tourists dressed in fine clothes.
As the largest, most prosperous, and oldest human city, Ars City normally had plenty of visitors from around the world, but a scene like today's was rare indeed.
The streets were packed with people coming and going.
Hilde followed the crowd, noticing that besides the tourists from around the world, there were also far more guards and knights standing watch and patrolling the streets.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from beside her.
"Miss, would you like an apple?"
"Hm?"
Hilde turned to see a smiling middle-aged vendor behind a roadside stall, waving her over.
Fresh,