The village appeared quiet. Richard only saw a few servants sweeping dry leaves.

However, it was clearly not a place where just anyone could enter.

Richard noticed several birds perched on the rooftops of the castles. They seemed ordinary, but he knew they were High-Ranked Primordial Beasts that had transformed into smaller forms.

He didn't observe the village for too long, worried that his gaze might make the powerful people there uncomfortable.

If he stared too long, they would likely sense it.

But just as he averted his eyes, a woman's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

(Richard, why don't you stop by?)

It was unmistakably the Empress's voice, which made Richard realize that she must have seen him and used her Sixth Sense to speak directly to him.

She was actually inviting him to stop by.

Of course, he was a little nervous. After all, even though the Empress appeared kind, he couldn't be certain what she would do if he entered her private domain.

She could practically do anything she wished there.

Still, refusing her wasn't appropriate.

(Your Majesty, is it really alright?) Richard asked in response.

(What's the problem? You can come whenever you wish…) the Empress replied.

At that point, Richard couldn't refuse anymore.

He steered his flying vessel toward the village.

In the worst-case scenario, he could simply unleash all his trump cards.

He lowered his vessel over the village, choosing the largest castle, assuming that was where the Empress lived.

After landing, he stored the vessel inside his Storage Artifact.

"Sir Richard, please come in. Her Majesty is waiting for you!"

A young maid suddenly appeared from the castle, inviting him inside.

Richard followed her, mesmerized by the luxurious interior of the guest hall, which displayed enormous paintings of various giant beasts.

He even saw several paintings of the Empress herself, elegantly attending gatherings of nobles.

However, he didn't see her in the hall.

The maid led him through a door, and once he stepped inside, he found a large swimming pool under a glass dome. Surrounding it was a vineyard filled with grapes of various colors that looked ready for harvest — each fruit much larger than an ordinary grape.

By one of the grapevines, Richard spotted a bed — and on it, the Empress lay wearing only a short gown.

She wasn't just lying there idly; two female masseuses were kneading her legs with fragrant oils that immediately reached Richard's nose.

Richard thought to himself, Her power really is something else. She instantly knew I was flying nearby even while she's relaxing here.

"Richard…" The Empress waved her hand at him.

Richard walked toward her, stopping about a meter away from the bed, feeling a bit nervous. Staring at a beautiful, mature woman lying down in a short gown — it was truly an indescribable sight.

If he weren't still a boy, the Empress probably wouldn't have allowed him to come this close unless she had a specific intention toward him.

"Your Majesty…" he greeted respectfully.

"What are you doing out here in this forest? Wandering around on your own? You know many people are after you for entering the Dragon Knight's secret grounds. If anyone discovers you're alone in the forest, you could be in danger. You may have decent power, but you must remember the capital is filled with old Magi who are extremely dangerous," said the Empress.

Richard couldn't help but feel awkward hearing that.

The Empress truly seemed worried that he might get robbed — but how could he explain that he had suddenly appeared in the forest out of nowhere?

"I thought no one would notice since no one's watching me anymore. Besides, I left my horse in the city," said Richard.

"It's still dangerous. The distance between the capital and this village is not as close as you think — it's over 4,000 kilometers."

Richard: "…"

He had seen the capital from above and guessed it was only a few hundred kilometers away, but the Empress said it was over 4,000 kilometers.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

How could he have been that mistaken?

Just how far was 4,000 kilometers?

On Earth, that was nearly the distance between Europe and America across the ocean.

At that distance, the capital shouldn't even be visible!

Richard had forgotten that this world was several times larger than Earth. Naturally, such a distance was still considered short enough for the ground to appear flat.

"Tonight, I'll be returning to the capital. If you want to stay safe, you can come with my entourage," said the Empress again.

That surprised Richard — was she really going back to the palace?

Didn't she just leave the palace today after arguing with the king?

Of course, it wasn't proper for him to ask.

While he remained silent, the Empress suddenly sat up and stood from her bed.

"You can relax here or have the masseuses give you a massage. You can also eat the grapes if you like. I need to do some training," she said before suddenly leaping into the middle of the pool.

Splash!

She dove in with considerable force.

A moment later, Richard saw the pool water turn reddish from below, as if glowing with red light.

It was clearly very deep.

After several minutes, the Empress still hadn't resurfaced. She was apparently training at the bottom of the pool.

"Sir Richard, would you like a massage?"

One of the masseuses suddenly offered.

At least in this world, Richard hadn't developed the habit of getting massages yet. After all, he was still a boy — though he used to enjoy them back on Earth, so he was somewhat tempted.

However, after thinking about it, he shook his head.

As a guest, he felt it would be somewhat inappropriate.

"I'll just take a walk," he said.

He approached one of the grapevines full of large black grapes — each nearly the size of an adult's fist.

Curious about their taste, he plucked one and took a bite, only to find an incredibly refreshing sweetness.

It was even cool, as if it had just come out of a refrigerator.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.