Author: Sociable Hermit
Category: Reincarnation
Go to read content：https://thereadnovel.com/enlightened-empire/chapter-3
The honored, free city of Etra was a stinking mess. Now that they were out in the open and saw the streets in the morning light, the thought returned to Corco once again. The warming sunshine did nothing to brighten up the alleys sprayed in gray and brown, which gave an accurate representation of the unspeakable smells around them. With every step he took, Corco’s boots got sucked into the deep mixture of mud and stars knew what else which covered the main roads. No surprise, as Etra wasn’t any worse than all the other so-called cities Corco had seen on the Arcavus continent. Their dirt roads, narrow and flanked by stone houses, couldn’t hold a candle to the wide, plastered streets of Arguna. Not to mention that in terms of size, this place was only barely the size of some towns within the Medala Empire, let alone the major cities.
As always when the crown prince of Medala walked around the smelly towns of Arcavia, he could feel the hostile stares of the hemp-clothed commoners around him, wary of the ’otherness’ he and his men represented.
If it had been before, Corco would have shown nothing but disdain for them, simple minds incapable of understanding just who stood before them. After all, he, the crown prince of the powerful Medala Empire wouldn’t sink so low as to compare himself to those heretic Arcavians, people who would throw their own filth out onto the street without shame. Even at his lowest point, forced to become a merchant’s apprentice, his pride had still been intact. In many ways, it had limited their options and made the last two years far more arduous.
After last night, he could now understand what the people around him saw, as if he was looking in from the outside. Their group was much too unusual. The three foreign warriors, with long hair and strange, dark skin, two of them massive in size, plus a young borna boy. To further contrast their foreign nature, they would wear expensive, multi-layered shirts, like well to-do men of Arcavia. It would have been surprising if they didn’t attract suspicion. It would complicate their every move. Yesterday, Corco might have still been belligerent about this, but by now, his perspective had changed. He still wasn’t sure just what had happened to him right as he tried to drink that deadly cup of wine. For now however, he would just accept the gifts he had been given, and use the wisdom to the best of his abilities. He could still consider his future or his sanity once they had time to calm down.
"The hyenas are still on our heels," Atau said from his left. Unlike Corco, the large warrior didn’t care about any of the stares around himself. He had inherited his father’s swagger, though not his candor.
"Let them," Corco answered without looking back. Over the past three days, since Duke Herak had seized the entire estate of Gerrit Fastgrade, the duke’s men had followed them step by step, ever closer. It was obvious that after he had taken the old Fastgrade’s company, the duke was determined to swallow every last bite.
"It’s better if we see them. At least this way we know exactly where they are." For Corco, there was nothing new to see even if he looked. Instead, he peeked down a side street to orient himself. They would need to do some shopping, but he had to find the market first.
"This is the greatest shame House Pluritac has ever suffered," his personal attendant, and good friend, Fadelio insisted again in a voice steeped in wrath, "If only we still had our warriors we would crush them like bugs. I tell you, if I ever see that shameless snake Quirinu again I’ll bury him in salt until it burns right through his eyes."