With nothing left to do but train his Mana manipulation, Nova lay atop the carriage's roof, eyes closed as the wind gently brushed against his face.

It had been three days since he last moved from that spot, his body still but his mind adrift, ever since a conversation sparked by a simple question, posed the morning after they'd left Myra.

He had turned to Veliora then, seated across from her in the swaying carriage, his expression calm.

"Miss Veliora," he began, his voice steady, "now that we're on our way to meet your family, may I ask about their situation? It doesn't feel right to face them knowing nothing."

Veliora gave a slight nod.

"You're right, Sir," she replied. "It's best you know in advance. My family… can be difficult. Especially my brothers. If you're not careful, they might cause trouble for you."

'Brothers? Are they the jealous type?' thought Nova, a bit perplexed, but he chose not to interrupt.

"I'm Princess Veliora Varr, daughter of King Varr of the Lotra Kingdom," Veliora said, her voice clear. Even the pride she rarely showed bled into her words.

Meanwhile, Nova's mind went into overdrive.

'Shit. She's bringing me into the royal palace. I'm literally walking into a tiger's den full of knights and mages. If they so much as suspect me of anything, I doubt I'll be able to get away...To top it all I haven't even encountered a proper mage yet, I don't know what they're capable of.'

'Should I leave now? She probably wouldn't stop me, not after I saved her life... but if she tells her dad about me, about how I left so abruptly...'

'He'll definitely be suspicious and might even try to capture me.'

Slightly shaking his head, he continued his thoughts under Veliora's puzzled gaze. It's been seconds already that she introduced herself but Nova hadn't said anything at all.

'No. I can't run now, that'd be the same as admitting I was plotting something. Looking at the bright side, I'm not meeting just some high-ranking noble... I'm meeting the ruler of this entire kingdom.'

'If I play this right, I could skip several steps in my plan and gain the support of the royal family in the process.'

'But I can't meet the king unprepared.'

'Assuming I'll be weaker than any knight in that palace, should I come clean and tell him about my mission here? It might save time and prevent unnecessary complications... but if the king's not trustworthy, it could backfire completely.'

Seeing Nova finally snap out of his thoughts, Veliora asked with a hint of worry, "Sir, are you angry at me for keeping my identity a secret? I was—"

"No, I'm not angry," Nova interrupted gently. "I was just thinking about what I should do when I meet your family, that's all."

He offered a small, reassuring smile before continuing, "Can you tell me more about the king?"

Relieved by his response, Veliora let out a soft sigh. Her eyes lit up with warmth as she said, "Of course I can! Let me tell you…"

And just like that, Veliora launched into a long, heartfelt monologue about her father—how kind he was to her, how justly he ruled, how deeply he cared for both his family and the people of the kingdom.

As Nova listened, he grimaced, a thought crept into his mind.

'If she keeps glorifying her dad like this, I doubt I'll be able to trust him at all. At this point, the less I know, the more I'd probably believe in him.'

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, Nova finally spoke up.

"Stop, stop. Miss, please just stop for a second."

He pointed out the window toward the darkening sky. "Look, it's already getting late."

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"You're right, Sir. Time flies when I talk about my father," she replied with a wry smile.

"It's fine, Miss. You don't need to feel bad about it," Nova said. "How about we call it a day and pick this up tomorrow?"

Before Veliora could even respond, he had already stepped out of the carriage and stretched out on its roof.

He must be nervous about meeting Father... thought Veliora, her gaze drifting upward to the wooden roof above her as if she could see through it, staring at Nova.

From that moment on, Nova didn't move an inch, immersing himself entirely in Mana training and crafting a plan for the unexpected situation he now found himself in.

Veliora had tried to speak with him over the past few days, but each time he gave her only a few minutes of conversation before retreating back into his thoughts.

She didn't take it to heart, quite the opposite. To her, Nova's distant behavior was simply a sign of nervousness over the upcoming meeting with her father. The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became at the idea of Nova standing before her father. Slowly, wild ideas began to take shape in her mind.

Meanwhile, Letto had been all but forgotten by both of them, reduced to little more than a servant whose only role was guiding the horse. Not that he would dare complain, he was far too afraid of Nova to even consider it.

At present time, three days after Nova had learned of Veliora's identity, the carriage finally arrived at the capital city: Larmida.

Gazing at the towering city walls, Nova steeled himself.

'As much as I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly, I can't afford to waste more time. It's already been a month, and I'm nowhere near toppling a single kingdom—let alone two, plus an empire. At this point, maybe it's better to throw caution aside... and just wing it.'

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he'd steadied himself, Veliora's voice floated out from inside the carriage.

"Sir, we can skip the line if I reveal myself."

Nova opened his eyes to see they were already near the city, stuck in a queue behind dozens of carriages and at least a few hundred people.

"Letto, skip the line. Let Miss Veliora handle the guards," Nova ordered without hesitation.

"Yes, Sir."

Under the gaze of countless irritated onlookers, their carriage pulled out of the line and made a beeline toward the city gates. Murmurs spread like wildfire through the crowd, growing increasingly louder.

'Upset? Go save a princess.' Nova thought dryly, casting a glance at the growing number of glares.

"Halt!" barked a guard at the gate.

When he saw the carriage come to a stop, the guard stepped forward and halted a few meters away, calling out, "Identify yourself."

The carriage door creaked open, and Veliora stepped out with graceful ease. "I'm Veliora Varr. Apologies for skipping the line, but we're in a hurry to meet my father."

Who in the kingdom didn't recognize the only princess?

The guard's jaw slackened for a moment. Of all things, he hadn't expected the royal princess to be riding in a plain carriage with no guards escorting her. And worse yet, his first encounter with her was marked by him barking a command in her direction.

Flustered, he quickly bowed and stammered, "Y-Your Highness, there's no need to apologize. I was the one out of line. Please forgive me and enter whenever you're ready."

Veliora offered him a small, polite smile. "Thank you."

Then she stepped back into the carriage, and without another word, they passed through the gate and into the city.

Moments after the princess disappeared through the gate, the guard finally turned away and muttered under his breath, "Her Highness… she actually thanked me."

//////////

The city was as grand as one would expect from the capital of an established kingdom. The main street was wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side, with ample space along the edges for pedestrians to pass comfortably.

Near the entrance, most of the buildings were hotels, followed by shops, and then residential areas further in. Being the city's gateway, this district was bustling with activity, but the broad street managed to keep the flow smooth enough that the busy scene felt natural, not chaotic.

"Follow this street to head toward the inner city," Veliora's melodic voice rang out.

Letto, still unsure how to act after kidnapping her, let out an awkward grunt in response.

Perched on the roof, Nova gazed down at the city's bustling life, his mind working.

'This city clearly separates its citizens from the nobles. Whoever designed wanted to use the citizens to delay the enemy while the nobles escaped.'

'They never considered the possibility of the citizens siding with the enemy instead, effectively trapping the nobles inside. Shortsighted or confident?'

It didn't take long before they reached the inner city's gate, if it could even be called that. More a simple checkpoint manned by a handful of soldiers than a proper gate.

When the guards spotted the carriage, they shot a curious glance at Nova perched on the roof, but as soon as their eyes caught sight of Veliora's face from the carriage's window, they cleared the passage and dropped into deep, respectful bows, not rising until she was out of sight.

Not too long after entering the inner city, the carriage came to a halt a few meters in front of the gate of a majestic building, large enough to compete with the biggest villas on Earth, the royal palace.

The guards at the gate, seeing a carriage stopping by, raised their vigilance but since it had stopped meters away, they didn't do anything else other than stare at it, waiting to confirm the identity of the ones inside. Although Nova, standing on the rooftop, didn't give them a good impression at all.

Jumping down from the roof, Nova turned to Veliora as she stepped out of the carriage and asked, "Any advice on how I should present myself to your dad?"

Dad? The casual way Sir speaks is such a refreshing change. Veliora's face brightened.

"Sir, you just need to be yourself. I'm sure Father will like you."

Nova's lips twitched. 'I don't want to die a meaningless death.'

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