Captain – Chapter 274 – The Emperor’s Carriage

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

As if confirming the Captain’s words “far from over,” the sudden downpour showed no sign of ending. Even the heavy rain clouds spread eastward with the summer winds, covering half the area of western Auran along the Loyce Canal.

This naturally included the major city of Colent.

This city, adjacent to the Loyce Canal and possessing highly developed land transportation, served as the connecting hub between Elvet and many western commercial ports and trading towns. It was bustling with activity year-round, evident from the constant flow of carriages entering and leaving the city gates.

On the exterior walls of these carriages, most were inlaid with emblems of various merchant guilds and noble families.

Moreover, they were not only exquisite in appearance but often traveled in groups, transporting goods for some merchant tycoon or great noble. Even more impressive were those accompanied by squads of grim-faced, fully armed Auran soldiers.

The dazzling spectacle alone conveyed the value and weight represented by the goods on the carriages, as well as the power and status of those behind them.

Generally, when encountering such an impressive procession, ordinary merchants or even local minor nobles would have their coachmen drive aside to give way.

When two processions met, who gave way first became a contest between the emblems inlaid on the lead carriages, as they represented the profound strength of each merchant guild or family.

At this moment, a black carriage with gold patterns, its exterior wall inlaid with a silver shield emblem and escorted by a squad of soldiers, was steadily driving out of Colent’s city gate through the downpour. Behind it stretched a procession of carriages so long one couldn’t see its end.

The pure silver shield emblem was an honorary badge bestowed by the current Emperor to a ducal family, symbolizing the undeniable achievements and lofty status of the old Duke who was still alive.

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For this reason, despite the congestion at the city gate due to the rain and traffic, this procession of carriages faced little obstruction when leaving the city.

However, this situation was disrupted not long after they left the gate.

On the spacious road, many carriages converged in one place, and even some processions had stopped their wheels due to congestion further ahead.

As a result, the luxurious carriage was forced to halt as well.

“What’s happening?”

The curtain was pulled aside slightly, and a somewhat youthful-looking young man leaned out, looking toward the chaos ahead with an impatient tone.

His name was Snow Hubbard, the only grandson of the old Duke and the future heir to the ducal family. On this journey, he was taking advantage of the family’s merchant caravan to broaden his horizons in preparation for taking over family affairs in the future.

Throughout the journey, every carriage that saw the family emblem on his vehicle had obediently given way.

Therefore, seeing the road blocked, the young man felt somewhat irritated, and his first thought was naturally to send soldiers forward to immediately clear a path.

“Lieutenant Harvi, I must trouble you again.”

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Hearing Snow’s request, the young officer beside the carriage window nodded slightly, rode his warhorse forward, and soon reached the area behind the carriages blocking the way.

Just as the lieutenant was about to find someone nearby to inquire about what had happened, the carriages ahead quickly cleared the way, moving to the sides of the road without complaint.

Afterward, whether coachmen, escorts, or nobles sitting in the carriages, all came to the roadside, respectfully lowering their heads, as if welcoming someone’s arrival.

Seeing several obviously distinguished nobles among these people, Harvi’s eyelids twitched rapidly. He tightened the reins, stopping his warhorse, then looked ahead along the road cleared by the carriages and people.

At the end of the suddenly emptied road, in the gray rain curtain, a similarly black-based carriage, but with faintly white patterns, was slowly approaching.

It had no procession following behind, no soldiers escorting alongside, not even a single servant could be seen. It drove alone in the rain, looking quite desolate, as if it had prematurely entered the cold autumn from this midsummer season.

Could it be some important figure traveling personally?

The lieutenant thought silently. To command such a reception, it seemed the person sitting inside must be no less distinguished than the old Duke represented by the procession he was escorting.

Moreover, the habit of going out without servants was not uncommon among Auran’s upper nobility.

With this thought, the lieutenant took a deep breath and drove his warhorse forward again, wanting to see the identity of the newcomer and check if there was any possibility of asking them to give way.

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When carriages met on the road, giving way might be merely a ceremonial display for ordinary nobles, but for top-tier nobles like the old Duke, it meant much more. It was a collision of wielded power and could potentially become political rhetoric.

If the approaching person was a political enemy at odds with the old Duke, then even if their status was unequal, Harvi could not let the procession he was escorting yield.

After all, as the absolute confidant of the old Duke, how could he do anything that would embarrass that great man?

From this perspective, although Auran regulations officially stated that politicians and the military should never be connected, in reality, those who truly reached the pinnacle in the political world all had pawns or supporters buried in the military to varying degrees, just not as overtly as Robert.

The distance between the carriage and the warhorse gradually shortened. Finally, even through the complex rain curtain, the lieutenant could clearly see the appearance of the coachman.

The moment he saw the coachman’s attire, his pupils suddenly contracted, his hand holding the reins unconsciously tightened, and even the web between his thumb and index finger turned white from the pressure.

Because the coachman was not an ordinary servant, nor a butler dressed in formal attire, but an Auran soldier like himself. The dark clothing, distinctly different from his own dark red uniform, symbolized that the other was not from the army but from the currently renowned Imperial Navy.

On that person’s shoulder was a somewhat dazzling Rear Admiral’s insignia.

Looking at the military insignia, then at the young man, drenched by rain yet appearing to be about his own age, Harvi felt as if he were dreaming.

To become a high-ranking officer before thirty, especially in the navy where promotions were most rigorous—such figures had appeared only three times in Auran’s history over the past century.

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The Howard father and son, both former Naval Commanders and Admirals, and Rear Admiral Merri, who had taken over the forces left by Governor Naren and was called the future of the navy.

Matching the young face with the Rear Admiral’s rank, the identity of the person before him was obvious. But what shocked the lieutenant most was not his identity, but that he carried no personal guards and willingly served as a coachman driving the carriage!

If that was the case, what kind of nobility could the person inside the carriage be?

With this thought, the lieutenant abandoned any idea of probing, let alone any thought of contesting. Before the other could speak, he dismounted silently and led his horse to the side of the road.

Before bowing his head in salute, Harvi couldn’t help glancing at the side of the carriage. The moment the pattern on the emblem entered his eyes, he immediately lowered his head, no longer having any curiosity, hearing only his increasingly heavy breathing and extremely rapid heartbeat.

On the emblem, a pure white eagle was spreading its wings as if about to fly, and in the position of its eyes was inlaid a pitch-black diamond with no luster, symbolizing the deep black pupils possessed by legitimate members of the royal family.

But it was known that even royal family members were not entitled to use carriages inlaid with the imperial emblem when traveling, let alone possess such a black diamond that was rarely produced in both the Empire and Federation, with frightening purity and value.

Since ancient times, such a carriage representing imperial dignity had belonged to only one person.

That was the Auran Emperor, His Majesty.