Simon bent down, gripping the carriage doorframe. The scene before him left him momentarily entranced.

First to catch his eye was a massive archway carved from white stone. Beyond it stretched a bustling street blending Renaissance-inspired architecture with magitech, vanishing into the horizon.

People flowed like a living river. Confident strides echoed softly against gray cobblestones. Exotic merchant caravans led strange beasts unfamiliar to Simon, ambling leisurely down the center. Beyond them, elf maidens—ears distinctly pointed—chatted and laughed with companions along the roadside. Colorful awnings stretched between buildings, casting fleeting shade for passersby.

Further off, rising behind the left-side streets, stood the sacred white spire of the Cathedral of Saint Sara—said to brush the very toes of the Goddess of Light.

This was the Royal Capital: Palisia, the crown jewel of the Frank Kingdom.

For the first time in this world, Simon felt stirred by something beyond cards. He’d passed through the Royal Capital once before heading to the academy, but that visit had been too rushed to truly see the kingdom’s greatest city.

“Shopkeeper! Hurry down!”

Nearby, Tidelys—dressed in a crisp white dress, one hand steadying her wide-brimmed hat—waved eagerly at him.

Simon leaped lightly from the carriage and strode to Tidris. She seized his arm, voice bubbling with joy.

“No time to waste, Shopkeeper! Shopping! Shopping!”

They’d secured a carriage shortly after noon. From arrival to inn booking? Under two hours. With sunset still distant, Tidelys suggested exploring the Royal Capital’s shopping district.

“Thank you. That’ll be 300 gold coins.”

Tidelys pushed open a card shop door. Inside, the shopkeeper was just wrapping up a sale.

“Why bring me to a card shop in the Royal Capital?” Simon sighed inwardly. *Like a breakfast chef going out to eat someone else’s breakfast.*

Tidelys leaned in conspiratorially. “I heard students say this place sells high-tier cards you can’t find anywhere else.”

“Really?” Simon frowned. *Students at the academy gossiping about a shop all the way in the Royal Capital? Sounds like an ad.*

To prove it, Tidelys scanned the shelves—then froze. Pointing through a glass case:

“Wow! Shopkeeper! Your [Counter Spell] is already selling here!”

The shopkeeper, catching only “shopkeeper,” ambled over with a ingratiating smile.

“Young lady, I see you’re a Duelist. Care to buy one? Crafted by a rising genius Cardmaker.”

Tidelys feigned curiosity. “Genius Cardmaker? Who?”

He cleared his throat. “Simon Drait. He hated nobles bullying commoner Duelists with high-tier magic cards, so he gathered materials tirelessly for mass production… Unfortunately…”

A tragic hero bloomed in his words: a Cardmaker who defied aristocracy, aided the common folk, and was crushed by oppression. The card? A discontinued, tear-stained relic destined to vanish.

Tidelys whispered, “Shopkeeper… that whole story’s fake, right?”

“Well… the start’s true. Simon Drait *is* a genius.”

“Shopkeeper, you’re so full of yourself.”

“Ahem! Anyway—this card’s *the* trend among young Duelists. No card? You get mocked. And with future value? Strongly recommend buying one.” He’d noticed their drifting attention and pivoted hard to sales mode.

Simon had to admit *that* part rang true. *If everyone’s got the card and you don’t… yeah, they’ll laugh.*

Hearing the pitch, Tidelys whipped out her [Counter Spell] from her thigh holster, beaming.

“Hehe! I *know* Simon Drait. He gave me this personally.”

*(She conveniently omitted the “one year of free labor” detail. That wasn’t a condition—it was devotion! Hadn’t the Shopkeeper been so moved he offered to cover meals?)*

The shopkeeper blinked, flustered. “A-ah… my apologies, miss. I misjudged…” He recovered fast. “But with your status, you *must* have this!” He pulled a card framed in tarnished “gold.”

“Also by Simon Drait?”

“No! Used by founding King Frank I in his final duel before kingdom’s founding! Legend says—”

Simon snorted. *Grand backstory. Too bad that “gold” frame’s clearly copper.* One glance: counterfeit.

“If you believe this was used by Frank I, might as well believe *I’m* Frank I.”

*If it were real, the king’d be clawing out of his tomb right now.*

“Th-this is genuine!” the shady shopkeeper stammered.

Simon turned away. “Anywhere else worth visiting? Let’s go.”

Tidelys, snapped from her daze, instantly ignored him. “I know! I know!” She grabbed Simon’s hand and dashed out, leaving the shopkeeper yelling, “Wait!”

Back on the street, Tidris checked her bearings, pointing while glancing back.

“There’s a vendor district with all sorts of weird wonders—let’s go th—eep!”

Too focused on explaining, she bumped squarely into a robed figure.

“Ah! Sorry!” Tidris bowed hastily.

The figure swayed slightly but walked on without a word. Two others in dark robes followed—no anger, only strange smiles visible as Tidris bowed.

“Are you hurt?” Simon steadied her.

“No…” Tidris shook her head, then stiffened. “That robed person… gave me a chillingly familiar feeling.”

“Shopkeeper… I’m certain I’ve seen them before.”