The faint light of dawn fell upon the Green Shade Territory, awakening the city.
As its Lord, Lian was inspecting his territory for the first time.
Accompanied by Minister of Internal Affairs Karel Dennis, he rode in a luxurious eight-horse carriage with Sophie, appearing on the main street of the city. His personal maids, Anna and Annie, were also with them.
Both sides of the main street were lined with evergreen trees—the iconic flora of the Green Shade Territory. Green year-round, they represented vitality and hope.
A flag-bearing honor guard cleared the way ahead while a contingent of Guards flanked the carriage.
Splendidly dressed citizens packed both sides of the street, cheering enthusiastically.
They were genuinely overjoyed to learn that Sophie hadn't acquired the "Bordering on Loss of Control" trait.
Vibrantly colored, pointed-roof buildings lined the streets in dense rows. As the carriage moved, they blurred into colorful silhouettes, fading from view like wisps of smoke to be replaced by new clusters of buildings and unfamiliar faces.
"Lord Lian, you should wave to your people. It will show them your goodwill."
The heavily made-up and splendidly dressed Minister of Internal Affairs, Karel Dennis, suggested.
"Of course."
Lian raised his hand and gave a stiff wave, immediately eliciting even more enthusiastic cheers.
It was Lian's first time acting as a Lord, so he was inevitably a little awkward.
But his wave grew smoother with practice, and he started to feel like he had it down.
His status as a One-star Knight meant he wouldn't get tired even if he waved for half an hour.
'Of course, I'm not actually going to do that. That would be too foolish.'
'Just interact occasionally to keep things from getting too awkward.'
Amidst the cheers and shouts, the luxurious carriage bearing the new Lord of the Green Shade Territory and its Guardian Witch passed through the inner wall, traveling from the inner city to the outer city.
Karel Dennis explained,
"The nobles live in the inner city and the commoners in the outer city. The inner wall is 15 meters high and 3 meters thick. If the outer city falls, the inner wall is the last line of defense."
Compared to the inner city, the buildings of the outer city were much more subdued in color, predominantly black, blue, and gray. The people's clothing was also plainer, mostly made of linen.
The women, fond of adornment, decorated themselves with fresh flowers rather than jewels.
But their enthusiasm was even greater than that of the inner-city nobles.
"Lord! Lord!"
"It's the Ice Witch! The Ice Witch is here!"
"Lady Ice Witch, will you continue to protect us?"
A group of innocent children rushed forward, only to be blocked by the Guards in front of the carriage.
Only at a signal from Lian did the Guards lower the weapons they had placed in the children's path.
Sophie looked at them and nodded slightly.
An excited little girl offered the wildflowers in her hand to Sophie.
"Lady Ice Witch, please keep protecting us."
Sophie accepted the wildflowers and nodded again.
The carriage continued on. Lian saw Sophie carefully tuck the wildflowers into her pocket and said with a smile,
"You'll crush them like that."
Heeding his advice, Sophie took the wildflowers from her pocket and handed them to Lian.
Lian wove the wildflowers into a crown and placed it on Sophie's head.
"There. Now their value can be properly appreciated."
Sophie touched the flower crown on her head. She quite liked it.
But her expression remained unchanged.
Karel Dennis coughed twice, feeling that if he didn't make some noise soon, he'd be completely ignored.
Anna and Annie both turned to look at Karel Dennis, their gazes sharp enough to kill.
The corner of Karel Dennis's mouth twitched. He let out an arrogant snort.
'They're just maids. As if I, the Minister of Internal Affairs, would be afraid of them.'
Lian looked back at Karel Dennis and spread his hands.
"Sorry, Karel Dennis, I don't have enough materials to make a flower crown for you, too."
"I prefer lilies, roses, and tulips to these wildflowers, anyway."
Karel Dennis said haughtily.
The survivors of the merchant caravan from Blueberry Town were also in the crowd, watching Lian on the carriage in astonishment.
'To think he's not only Lord Moria's Illegitimate Child but has also directly inherited his title as Lord.'
Their faces were filled with disbelief, and they deeply regretted their past attitude toward the Ice Witch.
"If I'd known, I would've done anything to enter the inner city with him and become his friend."
"Sigh, we missed the chance for a meteoric rise."
"We even pretended to be Lord Moria's illegitimate children before... He won't hold a grudge, will he?"
As they lamented, they looked on with envy at Lian in the luxurious carriage. Not only did he have the beautiful Ice Witch by his side, but he'd even acquired two more lovely maids—and they were twins!
Back in Blueberry Town, he was just an insignificant Blacksmith Apprentice, humbly begging the caravan leader to take him along.
Now, things were completely different!
"Once we pass this main street, we'll reach the High Wall. Before your arrival, the Ice Witch always lived in one of the towers on the High Wall."
Karel Dennis raised a finger and said pointedly.
The corner of Lian's mouth twitched. 'Yes, Miss Witch is living in my room now. So what?'
"That's the statue of City Lord Moria. It's stood there for 30 years. If you don't like it, we can tear it down and erect a new statue of you. We could even add five meters to the height."
Karel Dennis was like a dedicated tour guide, introducing Lian to the various buildings of the Green Shade Territory.
"That is the Holy Cathedral. You've been in the Green Shade Territory for some time now but still haven't met the Bishop. Just let me know when you have a moment, and I'll arrange it."
"Over there is the street of pastry shops. You wouldn't want to know about it. It's full of filthy men and women."
Amidst Karel Dennis's explanations, Lian finally arrived at the High Wall.
Along the way, Anna and Annie had remained quiet, simply performing the duties expected of a Maid.
For example, helping Lian wipe the sweat from his brow, accepting the flowers offered by the townspeople for him, or asking if he needed a drink of water.
Although Anna was very knowledgeable, she wouldn't steal Karel Dennis's thunder at a time like this.
The High Wall was twice the height of the inner wall, a full 30 meters tall, which for some reason reminded Lian of Attack on Titan.
The black High Wall seemed to stretch on endlessly. Etched upon it were magical defense Arrays, a truly spectacular sight.
Lian, Sophie, and Karel Dennis rode a pulley lift to the top of the High Wall.
Watching the pulley lift ascend slowly, Lian started pondering the problem of generating electricity. 'Only with elevators can 30-story high-rises become common. Walk-up buildings only go up to eight floors at most.'
'Clearly, in this world of sword and Magic, no one has developed electricity yet. Otherwise, the Lord's Mansion wouldn't still be using kerosene lamps.'
There were four watchtowers atop the High Wall, each offering a clear view in one of the four cardinal directions.
Normally, Sophie would rest and keep watch from these towers.
Of course, what she liked most wasn't staying inside the towers, but taking aimless walks along the top of the High Wall.
Therefore, upon stepping onto the High Wall, she relaxed considerably, as if she had returned home. A hint of softness appeared in her eyes.
Even though the High Wall was three meters thick, Lian's legs still felt a bit weak. Noticing this, Anna immediately stepped forward and discreetly supported him.
From the High Wall, one could overlook the entirety of the Green Shade Territory, as well as the nearby villages and the Bone Forest.
But with his legs feeling like jelly, Lian was in no mood to admire the beautiful scenery. He looked at Karel Dennis with a serious expression.
"Why aren't there any guardrails on the High Wall? If a Guard on patrol fell off, it would be incredibly dangerous, wouldn't it?"
"My esteemed Lord, the High Wall has never had guardrails."
Karel Dennis said.
"Safety first. Guardrails must be installed."
"Yes, Lord Lian."
The Guards on the High Wall all saluted Lian, their favorability toward the young Lord rising.
Because he was the first person to ever show concern that a Guard might fall.
"However, installing guardrails will be a considerable expense. We likely don't have the funds for it right now," Karel Dennis reminded him.
Lian turned back, looked at the man's overly powdered face, and asked,
"What time does the ball start tonight?"
"At eight o'clock."
"Good. Inform the nobles that the location of the ball has been changed. It will be held on the High Wall. I'll be waiting for them here."