It was really dark.
I sat in the carriage alongside my mother. We had departed around 1 PM, and now it must have been somewhere between 9 and 10 PM.
However, for us, the capital wasn't that far away.
Then finally, we arrived.
The carriage was stopped at the gates. Even with the Astrea insignia clearly displayed on the doors, the guards thoroughly checked us.
Every corner. Every compartment. Every document.
After that, with our invitation letter verified, they respectfully escorted us to our assigned mansion.
On the way there, I was completely lost.
Lost in awe.
This late at night, and the whole city was shining with light.
Lanterns. Crystals. Some kind of magical illumination that made everything glow like it was noon.
It felt so lively. So luxurious. So utterly different from the backwater town I had grown up in.
I was cursing my father internally.
'Why didn't he ever bring us here before?'
I had been living in a delusion. Believing this world was some low medieval fantasy. Mud roads. Wooden buildings. Primitive technology.
But looking at it now?
The lavish buildings were made of concrete. Beautifully designed with intricate patterns carved into their facades. Some shops or whatever they were had glass walls. Actual transparent glass displaying their wares to passersby.
There was a large building in the distance. A crowd gathered around it even at this hour. Maybe a mall of some sort.
And there were so many other shops. Not just stalls like back in my town. Proper establishments with multiple floors and elegant signage.
'This is a fucking mid to high level fantasy world.'
After reaching our assigned mansion which was more of a guest house where several other nobles were also staying and we were given a separate room.
It was already 11:30 PM.
Mother turned to me as we entered.
"Eren, don't think your punishment is over."
Her voice was firm.
"I'm only leaving you tonight because I can't afford to be late tomorrow."
She sighed.
"I have to greet the clan heads in the morning itself. And it's already too late for proper rest."
She came close. Patted my hair gently.
"Just remember the promise."
I understood exactly what she meant.
The whole month. Fucking only her. Not even touching any other woman.
It was a frustrating promise. A complete hiatus on my growing power.
I sighed internally and laid down on the bed. I was too exhausted from the long travel anyway.
Before sleep claimed me, a thought crossed my mind.
'If I can't gain Gooning Points... then why not focus on active quests?'
I scrolled through my ongoing quests.
════════════════════════
[ ONGOING QUESTS ]
════════════════════════
│
│ 1. Help Celestine di Zylindra
│ Reward: 600 EXP
│
│ 2. Enroll In Grand Ascendant Academy
│ Reward: 1000 EXP + Gacha Spin (Legendary)
│
│ 3. Rank Top 10 in The Ascension Double Duel
│ Reward: 1300 EXP + QUOR Purchase
│ Discount Coupon (50% off)
│
════════════════════════
I looked at the two new quests.
Good rewards on both.
The first one seemed simple. Help a girl. Get 600 EXP. That would level me up and give me the Appraisal Skill I had been eyeing.
But then I noticed the name.
Zylindra.
That surname belonged to only one family. The royal family ruling the Aetherion Kingdom.
With that name, this Celestine could be a princess. Or even the queen. Or some old hag mother of the king.
I knew the king's name from the books I had read. But I had no knowledge about the other members of the royal family.
So in short, this first quest which looked simple on the surface would be a massive pain in the ass.
Then there was the second quest. Enrolling in the academy.
That was directly connected to quest number three.
The Ascension Double Duel was a trial. People under a certain age group competed in it. The top winners were selected for admission into the Grand Ascendant Academy.
It was called a "double duel" because you were paired with an allocated partner. Two versus two combat.
So these two quests were interlinked. Difficult, yes. But achievable.
Quest one, however, remained a mystery.
'Let's sleep for now. Explore the city in the morning. Planning can wait.'
And with that thought, I drifted off.
---
[ In The Morning ]
Mother had already left for her official meetings.
Which meant I was alone.
Free to do anything. Roam anywhere.
And I even had a bag of gold coins to spend.
I could make good use of this opportunity.
I left the mansion and wandered into the city's market district.
There were so many unique food shops. The aromas mixing together into something intoxicating. Then clothing stores with fabrics I had never seen before. Jewelry shops displaying gems that seemed to glow with inner light.
And then my eyes fell on the most important shop of all.
The Apotheion.
The legendary establishment where every type of magical item could be found. Potions. Artifacts. Or whatever thing I wasn't aware of.
I was about to enter when something caught my attention.
A woman.
Jiggling her ass. Deliberately. Showing it off to a man standing nearby.
The man smiled appreciatively. Then handed her a silver coin.
She took it. Smiled back. And led the way deeper into a side alley.
'Some kind of prostitute?'
I looked around more carefully.
There were many other women doing the same thing. Displaying themselves. Attracting customers.
A brothel. Right in the alley of the main city.
'But how the fuck can they have such a thing in a sexless world?'
I was too curious.
What would they even do? Without functional equipment, what service could these women possibly provide?
That curiosity made me change my path.
I followed them.
They were going deeper into the alley. Darker. More secluded.
'Oh come on, just do it right here. I want to see—'
But then I heard something on my right.
A girl crying.
I turned.
In a side alley to my left, one I hadn't noticed before; a girl was cornered against the wall.
Two boys stood before her. Blocking her escape.
Seeing the girl, I felt a strange sense of recognition.
'I've seen her before.'
'But where?'
I couldn't place her face immediately.
Then I looked at the boys.
And instantly recognized them.
A grin spread across my face.
Revenge bloomed in my mind.