A month after Flèche visited with his request, Thibault, Char, the twins, and I teleported over to Hanche. Flèche had forged our identity papers and had taken care of all the procedures for us: We were now “officially” commoners from Hanche. Fortunately, the people of the island had no distinct features separating them from those of the mainland, and they spoke the same language as well. No one should suspect us of being outsiders.
We landed in a deserted corner of the capital, Oval, and walked for a bit until we reached the main street, where we mingled with the bustling crowd.
“The capital seems to be doing well,” I noted, taking in the sights like I was a tourist on a trip. “There are far more people here than in Tête.”
Thibault, who was leading us, glanced back at me and explained. “There isn’t much habitable land, so people tend to cluster in the capital. The kingdom could technically develop new areas, but since most of the island consists of mountains and valleys, there aren’t many people who want to live there.”
“I see. People can’t use magic in this day and age, after all.”
“I’m not familiar with magic, so I don’t know how that would work, but developing land is certainly tricky. Since the capital is on a plain with a nearby river, they’ve managed to make it work. Most of the kingdom’s population lives either in the city or on the outskirts of it.”
Thibault’s words explained why the capital was so busy. Behind me, I heard the twins complain that the crowd was making them feel nauseated.
“It seems like a lively city,” I remarked.
Though the stone paving under our feet had a few cracks and the buildings around us seemed rather old, the people traversing the street had some pep in their step. From behind the counters of the stalls randomly dotted along the path, the owners were animated as well, calling out to passersby with enthusiasm. While most people here believed anything their ruling class told them, it didn’t seem like they were behind as a civilization.
“Ah! Durians! They’re so big, they look delicious,” I exclaimed when I caught sight of my favorite delicacy.
“Lam, we won’t make it to the entrance exam if we don’t hurry. We’ll buy some later,” Char said.
I kept goggling at my surroundings as we progressed. Soon, below a towering, beautiful cathedral, a large plaza came into sight.
It’s still active.
One by one, devout believers of the Motar Faith entered the building, as if being sucked in. None of them seemed to suspect anything was amiss. As Thibault said, they truly had no idea that the faith had been dissolved.
I suppose Lance hasn’t been here yet.
He must’ve still been spreading the news around the mainland. Perhaps this was why the former members of the Faith had chosen Hanche as their refuge.
“All right, everyone, we’ve almost reached the examination grounds. Before we get there, I want to quickly go over our roles,” Thibault said, doing one last check to make sure we were all on the same page. “As we decided in Lèvres, Miss Lam and Mr. Char, you will act as total strangers during this mission. Mr. Fouet and Mr. Barre, you won’t be Mr. Char’s subordinates either, just twins of commoner origins, since you look too similar to pretend not to be related. Is everyone clear on their roles?”
“Yeees!” I replied enthusiastically.
“I have prepared all the documents you will need for the examination—your papers, an overview of your finances, and proof that you’re members of the Faith, among other things,” Thibault continued. “Oh, and try to hide the fact that you’re mana wielders if possible. The people in Hanche aren’t kind to mages.”
“Yeees!” I repeated.
I would refrain from using magic as much as possible...unless one of us was at risk of getting hurt, that was.
“As I told you before, the test often features a sword, spear, or horse-riding portion. Do you have a strategy in place for that?”
The Mercures all turned to stare at me.
“Wh-What is it?” I stammered.
“I’m against putting a sword or a spear into my wife’s hands,” Char told Thibault, a grave look on his face. “We tried to have her practice in the garden, and the weapons kept slipping out of her grip and flying in all directions.”
“Yeah, and they’re too heavy for her to wield without magic,” Barre added. “She has no stamina, so she gets exhausted right away.”
Even Fouet chimed in. “She didn’t fare much better at horse riding. When she tried, the horse refused to take even a single step forward.”
The three of them had exposed all of my struggles.
“I can just use magic to hide my shortcomings,” I grumbled.