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Chapter 9 – The Incident at the Gate
“Oh… this is remarkable…”
Clare leaned out of the carriage and looked up at the outer wall, pulling the brim of her hat so that her face was not visible to the people around her. The girl doll also looked up. This was the first time Clare had seen the outer walls and gates of a fortress city with her own eyes, even including her memories from her previous life.
There were two lines of people entering the capital. One line was for those who were coming to the capital for the first time, and the other was for those who had previously received permission from the gatekeepers to enter. This was to make the checks to enter the capital smoother. Clare… was standing in the line of those who had previously received permission, along with the traveling merchants and guards.
“Well… I guess they treat me like a child accompanying my parents. Next time you come alone, line up over there. I need the gatekeeper to remember my face.”
“I get it. The bare minimum, you say.”
“That’s it.”
Rona asked me not to show my face much, and she gave me an excuse, but that’s not absolute. I only show it to bare minimum of people.
Clare felt her heart lift as she crossed the large drawbridge, which was large enough for the four wagons they were riding in to pass each other with ease. Her expression was the same as usual, though.
“It’s remarkable… the drawbridge and the chains connecting it to the outer wall… just looking at it makes me happy.”
The doll said, swinging its arms wildly. Though it was through a doll, the reaction was honest. It didn’t show on her face, but she was really thinking that inside.
“Heh, heh. It’s comforting to see you acting like a child like that.”
Rona says, shaking her shoulders.
“Mmmm. You’re certainly excited.”
Clare has the knowledge and experience of her previous life, but her emotions are quite childlike.
The traveling merchants and guards who accompanied her also relaxed their expressions as they saw the witch master and disciple having fun after getting off the wagon.
The procession to enter the capital proceeded smoothly, and soon it was Clare, Rona, the traveling merchants, and the guards’ turn.
“Oh, Rona… It’s rare for you to come all the way to the capital.”
“I have some business to take care of in the capital this time.”
Rona answers the gatekeeper’s greeting.
“Is this you? Are you here for the first time?”
“You’re my apprentice, Clare.”
“Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh…! You’re my apprentice. I’m sure the captain told me.”
“It’s the custom for apprentice witches to not show their faces too much. I’ll have one of them come over soon, so make sure to check their faces when they do.”
“Okay.”
After that exchange, Clare and the others were about to move forward when…
“Hey! Why are they allowed to come and not us!?”
“Our friends have been here before, but we were told that first-timers were not allowed, so we had to start over again!?”
A voice came from the next line.
When Clare looked over, she saw some men standing a little behind her lashing out at a soldier.
“Is there a problem?”
Clare asked the gatekeeper with the girl doll shrinking her body apologetically, and the gatekeeper shook his head.
“No… you can go ahead. Children are different.”
“They didn’t check whether they were children or not! How can you tell with a hat like that!”
“That’s right! If those little guys like the dwarfs change their voices, you can’t tell! They even prepared props like that!”
The men complain. Clare’s expression is the same as usual, but she doesn’t like these tough faces. She’s not switching between emotions like she does in battle, so her heart is actually beating faster.
“Oh dear. I’ve already talked to them about it.”
This is probably due to the gatekeepers’ trust in Rona and the prior discussion.
“But it may be true. I don’t want my situation to interfere with the gatekeepers’ work in the future.”
Clare is concentrating on the puppets and speaking ventriloquism without showing her true feelings.
“Hmm. Well, then, let’s check your face in a more private place. If you’re lying about being a child, we can line up again.”
Clare doesn’t mind showing her face to the guards because she’ll show them next time, but Rona interjects that taking off her hat in such a situation where she’s attracting attention is a bad move for her own protection.
“Okay. Come this way.”
The guard tries to guide them, but the men shout, “Let us check too!” “You won’t know if you’re lying!” However–
“…We can check those who pass through here if necessary because that’s our job. It’s not your domain, and you’re not qualified to do so.”
“I’ll tell you that a proud Toland soldier is not allowed to lie in the line of duty. Everyone here is a witness to this. …Okay?”
She must have noticed the change in the gatekeepers’ tone and mood. Although they seemed dissatisfied, the men reluctantly shut their mouths and backed away, saying, “If you insist…”
The two were then led to a nearby guardhouse, where they confirmed Clare’s age.
“So–”
The girl doll controlled by Clare climbed up her arm and onto her shoulders, and removed her wide-brimmed hat. The guards who were checking her inadvertently opened their eyes wide and gasped.
Her long, lush hair swayed. Her long eyelashes and large, captivating eyes.
A straight nose and soft-looking lips with a slight tint of color. Her skin was as white as a doll’s.
Hidden under the large wide-brimmed hat was a girl with frighteningly beautiful features. Since she didn’t show any emotion, it would be more convincing if they said she was a doll made by Rona, not a human.
But she was certainly a child. Although her appearance made her look like she had a bright future.
“I see… I understand why they asked me to hide my face.”
One of them muttered, and the other gatekeepers looked convinced.
The soldiers were unsure if this was really a custom for apprentice witches.
Even if it wasn’t, this appearance would be enough to convince the Black Witch that her apprentice might get involved in crime, and this could be something the gatekeepers should consider.
In fact… there are circumstances related to Clare’s origins involved. Are they still being pursued? Rona has no way of telling, but her appearance will be a clue to finding Clare. Her hair and eye colors are quite distinctive, which is fatal. However… if it were just her appearance, it would still be possible to hide it somehow.
In any case, this should make it easier for the gatekeepers to understand why she usually lives without showing her face.
“You can put your hat on now, um.”
“It’s Clare.”
“I see. Be careful, Miss Clare. You got into trouble with those guys, but welcome to Toland’s capital.”
“Thank you.”
And so, Clare and Rona were seen off by the gatekeepers and entered the capital.
“My goodness. I was surprised that she said that, but she seems like a smart student. I can’t imagine that a child of that age would be able to worry about whether she’s interfering with our work.”
“Maybe it’s the result of the witch’s education.”
The gatekeepers were chatting away to each other, watching the two of them leave.
After passing through the thick, high outer wall, there was a slope with a slight incline. It must have been designed to make it easier to defend. After climbing the slope and passing through the second gate…Clare let out an excited voice as she finally entered the capital.
“Wow… What a wonderful townscape…”
The townscape of the capital is indeed simple and sturdy. Many of the buildings near the outer walls, even those used as private residences, are made of stone and look sturdy, as if they were built to withstand battle.
“This area is a bit rough, but the center of town is a bit more glamorous.”
“It’s remarkable. Like the gate and the slope we just saw, it’s fun to look at it like a fortress.”
“Didn’t you have a town like this where you live?”
“I’ve heard that there were a few. When I was born, there were no outer walls left in the urban areas, and in fact, there weren’t many large-scale walls like this. I heard that it was because it’s an island country with many rivers and mountains.”
“Hmm. I guess that makes sense if it’s an island inhabited by people from the same country and there are no monsters. Even if there are skirmishes between local lords, they can just use the terrain to their advantage.”
The girl doll listens to Rona’s speculation about Japan with a somewhat amused look on her face, along with Clare.
“Oh. Witch-sama, and you too, apprentice-sama. That was a disaster just now.”
Then the traveling merchant and the guards catch up.
“No. I don’t mind.”
Clare answered with a smile, and the peddlers nodded with a relaxed expression.
Since they were going to a different destination than Rona and her friends, Clare and Rona waved goodbye to the peddlers who had been traveling with them, and proceeded through the busy town.
Even though she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Clare could see well because she was using the magic of clairvoyance. The big hat was moving around in detail, and it was clear that she was distracted. Castles and townscapes. People passing by. All of these were things Clare had never seen before.
(Hmm. She has memories of her past life, but she reacts like a tourist… Is this a common reaction even when the world has changed?)
Seeing Clare like that, Rona had this impression.
I had also told Clare about what to do if she got separated from the group. She can judge and defend herself, so I didn’t bother to warn her. I thought it would be a training in itself.
But even though he was distracted, he kept up with Rona. Multitasking is apparently one of his strengths, but Rona also said he had good peripheral vision.
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