The large metal gates with knights stationed by the side, behind them towers the capital of Yorland, the heart of the country, Verbeau. For generations the country’s founding family of Yorliss has reigned on their throne.

With impressive military might and innovative policies, as well as being all-inclusive in accepting different races, Yorland has flourished with ease. It seemed almost like a fairy tale, how this capital sprung up and united the regions into one country, with nary any opposition.

I can only assume they had a strong backing to begin with, perhaps this Grand High Priestess Dionyss. It’s certainly possible if she is at the same level of being as the Dragon God.

The stern guards straighten their backs to attention as Abaleyn and my carriage push to the front. We carry ourselves with confidence such that although others in line hold dissatisfaction they hold back their tongue.

The guard, assuming us to be at least some notable entourage, cautiously studies us and asks for verification and ID. I have my Keeper’s guild card and so should Cheshyr and her sister Alice, and Adder as well, as for the rest I’ll just cast an invisibility barrier to hide them.

The middle aged butler on standby with Granny Abaleyn goes forward and presents a letter and some papers to the guard. He glances over it and almost dismisses it before his face darkens and he brings the paper back up re-examining it.

He must have a hard time believing the contents or comprehending it as his eyes dart over the paper again and again. What exactly is written on it?

I focus psychic energy to my eyes using a trick Maeve likes to use herself, causing my vision to distort and gain X-ray properties as I focus on the paper. Unfortunately this means the letters appear in reverse but this isn’t a problem for me either.

The letter is written in the language of this country but me and the girls have skills and accessory effects to translate languages. The reverse scribbles are automatically rearranged before me to be words I can recognize, at the same time reversing them so I can read it.

The letter is actually an invitation to Madam Abaleyn to attend a tea party, nothing out of the ordinary there. This is probably what the guard glanced over before, but upon reaching the sender’s signature is when his visible shock showed up.

The sender is signed Grand High Priestess Dionyss of the Goddess’s Church of Eternal Light, and Great Aunt of the Yorliss Family. Her title sounds impressive enough without considering that she has a relation to the Yorliss royal family.

I’ve heard somewhere before that the Goddess has a church that worships her. I wonder how high a position like Grand High Priestess in reality is. The title sounds too grandiose that I suspect it’s a newly minted title meant for only one person.

The guard’s face loses all blood and his skin breaks out in sweat due to the writer’s status. I wonder which of her affiliations he is more scared of, to the church or to the royal family?

The guard runs off with buckling knees and soon a more impressive looking soldier, likely his superior, offers to guide us personally to Dionyss. Abaleyn accepts and we tag along for the ride.

I notice the guard captain giving me the stink eye, likely wondering who I am and why I’m so shamelessly following. At least he has the sense not to voice his objections out loud so the trip is peaceful.

Our traipse through the royal capital shows us such sights as the royal library, the royal food-court, and the royal marketplace. I mean, that’s quite the liberal use of royalty. What next, the royal toiletries?

Escort Knight「 And here is the royal sundries store. 」

… Whoever names these streets and stores needs to be tried for lèse-majesté, or possibly lose their head.

It’s possible that all those stores are endorsed by the royal family but I think it’s more likely that there’s no restrictions on the royalty moniker. Perhaps the king and his retinue are a nice and reasonable bunch.

To be honest my image of nobles is quite lacking. The only encounters I’ve had were with the baroness of Realight City and the Lord of Frosthill. They were reasonable folks in my eyes.

Well there was that one weird lizard-man in fancy clothes, he was the leader of the Exile Guild that I encountered in Frosthill. The menu’s notepad lists him as Sir Dunfer, so I’m assuming he was also a noble? For now it’s an unconfirmed noble.

Here’s hoping I don’t have to face the ugly side of nobility like that lizard any time soon.

「 … eyesore… this noble personage… ingrate… 」

… I hear words from a distance away like a murmur, almost to prove my point wrong. If there is a Goddess of chaos, she is definitely doing this on purpose. Her name is Eon, if anyone was asking.

Although I doubt Eon is doing this on purpose, but the timing is uncanny. Just when I feel I’ve avoided the stereotypical snobbish noble, a disturbance reaches my ears.

I use Clairvoyance to reach a distant view of a street obscured by tall shadows. There, a skinny man in old clothes with holes all over, is hunched on the dirt ground. Looming over him and spouting some drivel is a man in vibrant clothes with plenty of gold chains and frills.

I could best describe this scene as, a poor man at the mercy of an overbearing noble. The situation I pick up from their words is that the noble’s shoe got dirt on it and he is taking it out on a nearby peasant.

I can’t even fathom how a noble can be like this in public. Isn’t it embarrassing, being so insufferable and stuck-up?

I could deal with this noble in a heartbeat but that would interrupt the tour and inconvenience Granny Abaleyn. Best to deal with this in quiet and as discreetly as possible so I won’t invite any trouble.

An idea strikes me when I think of the pranks that Maeve often pulls. I create the skill Hexcraft, a type of witchery that involves hexes, or curses you could say.

I place a hex spell on that noble, one to cause him to lose his fortune the more he abuses others. That includes not only any future conduct but also any past transgressions.

The literal karma of his actions will stir up the misfortune hex and it’s not long before the effects manifest.

An entourage of knights escorting an important looking man passes by and catches the act of that noble. I’m guessing he’s possibly a minister or someone involved in politics that even nobles can’t ignore, because that noble’s face shows despair.

The minister has his knights surround and detain that noble. At a guess, that noble will most likely lose his peerage and be reduced to a peasant like the one he was abusing.

The power of curses is pretty handy, especially since it’s a nonexistent kind of magic not used in Yorland. No one will find the traces of the hex or comprehend it.

This is practically the perfect crime. I’d better make sure not to mention this skill to others, especially Maeve.