Pillar of Yita

After finishing speaking, he looked appreciatively at the noble lady—if judged by beauty rather than status, she was obviously far above that Grand Princess, as evident from the frequent glances of passersby, well understood.

Hilveld also offered a faint smile.

But she gently shook her head, speaking calmly: ”Mr. Achilles, the Seven Seas Travel Group plans to leave Quistack. I am merely here on behalf of the captain to bid you farewell. After all, during our time in Istania, we were under the care of you and the Princess. Now, we are heading to Tansnier, and perhaps before long, we will depart from this Sea of Sand.”

After speaking, her gaze moved toward the middle-aged Alchemist.

Achilles was startled but quickly understood. He asked, ”Is it about the Seven Seas Traveler?”

Hilveld gently nodded.

”I understand, I will convey it to the Princess,” Achilles promptly nodded and replied: ”Matters over there are merely a matter of a written letter. If you’re not in a rush, I could trouble the Princess to write a letter for you right now. Although the shipyard in Tansnier is a royal undertaking, the Princess solely invested in its establishment; the people there are all her trusted aides—”

”There’s no need for such haste,” Hilveld replied with a smile. As she spoke, she produced a letter: ”There’s no need for Mr. Achilles to make a trip personally. Simply sending a servant will suffice. My actual purpose for this visit is concerning this letter.”

While speaking, she brought out a letter.

Achilles looked at the letter, a bit surprised: ”Miss Hilveld, what is this?”

”Although the Princess’s request has concluded, we weren’t much help, and Lord Captain feels somewhat indebted. Fortunately, the preliminary investigation wasn’t fruitless; we’ve found some clues about the Blind Followers, the Sand Thieves, and Bain—”

She paused, glanced around, then said: ”By the way, Mr. Achilles, all these clues point to the kingdom’s Left Minister, Lord Seniman; he still holds some secrets, possibly significant, but it’s inconvenient for me to elaborate. Everything is clearly written in the letter, you can take a look.”

”But this letter is for the Princess, isn’t it?”

Hilveld nodded: ”But since Mr. Achilles is by the Princess’s side, you’re naturally considered our ally too.”

Achilles smiled slightly.

Hilveld handed over the letter.

The sealing wax on the letter shimmered with a faint light.

Achilles looked at the sealing wax, instantly recognizing it as a spell to prevent tampering; unless personally opened, the spell would send feedback to the caster. Many in the Seven Seas Travel Group had seen the Grand Princess before, and it’s not surprising that this spell was used.

Hilveld, observing his expression, took the initiative to say: ”This seal is mainly to guard against outsiders. There could be Blind Followers lurking around the Princess, which Mr. Achilles should understand better than I do.”

”Of course, I understand.”

”But I don’t mean that, Mr. Achilles. If Mr. Achilles delivers the letter personally, we could skip this step. Let me remove the spell—”

”No need,” Achilles preemptively stopped her, smiling: ”Since it’s for the Princess, I’d rather not look. Whatever’s inside, I’ll leave it to Her Highness’s discretion.”

Hilveld gave him a somewhat surprised look.

”Mr. Achilles is truly a person of duty.”

Achilles only smiled.

After a few more casual exchanges, Hilveld took her leave.

Just before exiting the pavilion, she paused and turned back for one last glance, only leaving after his figure vanished behind the neatly trimmed low rose hedges.

The noble lady paused, pondered silently for a moment, then proceeded again.

Meanwhile, Achilles, carrying the letter, entered the palace walls. He walked through a quiet path but didn’t head straight to meet the Princess. Instead, he veered into the corner of a small grove, before taking the letter out of his pocket for a look. The letter was palm-sized, yet thick, carrying some weight.

The shimmering light on the sealing wax remained, like a lock sealing the contents within. He raised his hand but reconsidered undoing the magic with a spell, knowing there were practitioners of magic guided arts far more skilled than himself. Who knew what other safeguards might be inside—that weren’t necessarily against him.

However, should he present this letter to the Princess? He felt a slight hesitation for a brief moment.

Theoretically, everything was proceeding smoothly, albeit with small changes, but nothing major. This letter alone couldn’t change much, he thought, shaking his head at the improbable possibility—what could they truly uncover from that gentleman, after all?

Moreover, he doubted they could discern any clues from that gentleman. Surprisingly, they indeed pointed to Lord Seniman, which slightly caught him off guard—a surprise alone warranted increased vigilance.

After some thought, Achilles decided against making extra complications. Despite its protective measures, this letter had another, simpler solution—