Alma POV 6/17
I looked down into the vastness of the city of Elves of my country, I instantly fell in love with the entirety of the place, and I had even yet to get down there and explore the beauty of my own country, the one I rightfully own as the princess!
I guess being a princess is not so bad if it comes with a whole country for myself! Hehe…
"Now let's get to it!" I said.
"W-Wait, princess! You're not going in a carriage? It is dangerous to go by yourself! Y-You could be ȧssaulted by thieves!" said Rose."Don't worry about it! I want to stretch my legs, you know? I got this! Elred here is pretty strong, right? You can protect me." I said.
"S-Sure! I am a strong Rank 2 Magus!" said Elred.
He was actually strong. He was born with a double elemental Mana Core of Water and Ice, so he was actually an amazing fighter and powerful magician, he had trained rigorously before several mages, and even held his own rapier with him, a magical item of great power he carried everywhere. Despite just being 7 years of age, he was also already Rank 2, he trained hard and also had the whole resources of a rich country like Flowerbed, so he was obviously strong.
This is the power of having a rich husband! In this world, money also meant power as you can get more resources through it, so it was quite obvious that the prince of a country was strong even at a young age.
"And you're plenty strong yourself, Rose, you can also protect us, can't you?" I asked.
"Well… Yes, I will. But please make sure to keep yourselves close with one another." Sighed Rose.
"I will protect you, my princess. Don't worry about any danger as long as you're with me…" said Elred, bȧrėly mustering those words as he grew very embarrassed of saying them."Ohoho~ I am glad you're such an overprotective boy, Elred. I'll be reassured to be at your side then!" I said while winking back at him. That single wink impacted his heart and almost gave him a heart attack. Being a cute girl is dangerous, this power… I've finally begun to realize how strong it can be!
Anyways, going back to Rose's subject. She's actually a Rank 3 Magus, and a strong Battle Maid, as they call them. She's in charge of both serving me personally and also protecting me from anything that could endanger my life in one way or another. She's a strong Nature-Attribute Magician, the most common attribute alongside Life and Light that Elves wield.
I haven't seen her fight before, but it is said she can summon sharp and venomous vines that capture targets by wrapping around them, she had slain countless spies by wrapping them around such deadly embrace.
When we walked outside the castle, we were greeted by a large bridge that connected to a large tree right in front of our own, so we slowly walked through it while occasionally looking down below the bridge, there was a big lake behind us, and many people traveled through it using boats. There were also big streets around the lake, of course. It seems that the lake connected to rivers which also connected to even larger lakes, making it all a trading route for everyone to travel through.
From the other side of the city, we were able to see many boats of large sizes moving inside the city, carrying all sorts of goodies. There was one's massive fleet which propelled itself using magic, and it was carrying an immense amount of items, from food to materials. It also had a green-colored flaw with many colorful flowers on it.
"That's my country's vessel! It seems that the items your country traded are coming early today, Alma. Now that… w-we are engaged, there will be many new trade opportunities for your country…" said Elred.
"I-Is that so? I am glad! The thing I look forward to the most is for my country to prosper." I said.
"I-I see… Me too! I am very devoted to my own country- Ah, n-not like you're not important or anything!" he said.
"Fufu, I get it, don't worry. Now let's get going, the day is still young, let's explore the cities and streets!" I said. I had become a child on my own mind once more, as I was taken over by the emotions the brain of a little girl was infusing into my mind. I couldn't help it, getting to finally see the beauty of this city was all that I really wanted, and it made me very happy to be able to finally enjoy my life to the fullest if even for a bit.
One of the biggest Isekai dreams a person has is obviously exploring a big fantasy world! I can finally begin my journey today, Elred really will change my life more than I thought. I regret being angered before, now I can finally see it is actually a good thing to have him around, even if I have to put into a cute act from time to time… even when I get angry and act like a barbarian, he doesn't mind either, so maybe he just likes everything of me, even the flaws?
W-Well, it is too soon to tell, and it's not like I'll ever fall for a kid or something.
Anyways, we walked across the streets of my country hurriedly, while Rose ran behind us, asking me to slow down my pace.
While holding hands with Elred, we walked around the first street that greeted our sight, named the Verdant Streets. It was a massive street set over the even more massive branch of a giant tree, there were houses all around the tree that made this branch, and several stairs that spiraled down to reach other streets in other branches. Although there was also the main city below, there were many streets located in just massive branches that interconnected with bridges and spiral stairs.
