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THE next day, a carriage came to their lodging to pick up Lushera and Timm and take them to the castle.
The muscled white horses pulling the carriage wore decorative helmets like a knight’s, and the carriage itself seemed as sturdy and imposing as a stronghold. Despite that, the seats inside were so comfortable that you sank in the moment you touched them, nearly becoming one with the cushion.
“So, what I’m saying is, the court’s got all these annoying customs and ways of doing things. It’s made it inflexible. They have no clue what to do about a dragon,” said Timm.
“Hm… Which is why they want to talk to me first. They’re going to secretly try and figure out how to handle Mom.”
Timm nearly looked like a different person without his armor on, instead wearing some navy-blue formalwear he must have borrowed from somewhere. Blue hues were valued in Setrayu since it was a country of water and was blessed by the Hurricane of Insight dracovitae.
Lushera, on the other hand, was dressed in normal clothing. She wore a shirt, skirt, and leather vest that Viola brought from somewhere. It was an entirely normal outfit for a girl, though there was something that seemed similar to Kaphal’s new outfit in terms of color combos and general make.
Lushera’s formalwear was in the works. Viola had Midum, the craftswoman who made Lushera’s armor, send Lushera’s measurements to a tailor in Alhyura so they could get to work. Viola was thorough, if nothing else.
Later, Kaphal would be meeting with the King of Setrayu. What would that meeting look like? That was a problem to be figured out even before “what” they’d be talking about. Lushera needed to work it out.
“Well, Mom only just became able to make a human form. She has no idea how to conduct herself while in it,” said Lushera.
“I know. Which is why I was talking to Viola about it, and we decided going for ‘dignified’ rather than ‘polite’ would be best. You know, be just a bit commanding.”
“I think that’s probably good. Though, it won’t be any good if she makes the King lose face.”
“That’s true too. Which is why we need to figure out what the King is thinking and what he has planned.”
It was a real hassle to deal with, but Lushera understood that hassle was the price she paid in order to operate in the world of the elite. Besides, this too was part of the fight to protect Mount Kugus. Not all battles were hacking, shoving, and burning.
“The other thing is checking out your ring,” said Timm. “The King’ll be wearing it during the audience with Kaphal, and they can’t exactly have the King wearing some questionable magic item. They need to check it all out, make sure it’s not cursed or anything. Which means you’ll need to leave it with them until then.”
“They will give back, won’t they?” Lushera asked, concerned.
“Probably. The officials of the court aren’t that stupid. Probably.”
“Probably…”
While they discussed a variety of things, the carriage traveled at a leisurely pace to the front gate of the castle. It stopped there and the two stepped out.
“We have to check your things. Stand over there,” said a gate guard. One of the two guards went through Lushera and Timm’s belongings while the other squinted at them through an extravagantly decorated magnifying glass-like object.
His eyes immediately went wide. “Wh-What in the…? Is your entire body a magic item?”
“Oh, is that just a magic measuring glass? Lushera’s magic’s so strong you’re not gonna see anything else looking at her through that. ’Cause the magic in her body is so highly concentrated,” said Timm with a crooked grin.
It was very important for anywhere with high security, like a king’s castle, to prevent dangerous magic items from being brought in. The gate guards used an item that let them detect magic, allowing them to make sure someone didn’t have any magic items on their person, but this magic meter was made with the intent of using it for normal people. It was responding to the dragon energy Lushera was overflowing with.
“Hm… I guess we have no choice. We’ll have to settle for a self-declaration on whether or not you have any magic items. Do you?”
“Um, just this ring… I was told to bring it by someone in the court,” Lushera answered.
“Mm-hm, we were informed of that.”
After magic items, they underwent a pat down to make sure they weren’t hiding any weapons anywhere.
Though, when it came to trained warriors, their bodies (including the magic inside) were weapons deserving fear, so it really wasn’t that big of a problem if you were carrying a weapon.
It was more important to control the person.
“All right, you may enter.”
After that easy security check, the two passed through the gate, listening to the sound of falling water.