Except for the sudden attack of the three devils, the journey to the capital was quite smooth.
The only real danger was that the road was a straight line with nothing on it, so it was easy to speed up without realizing it.
As they approached the capital, small villages and farms began to appear occasionally, and soon the height of the buildings they saw began to increase gradually.
“So, this mark here is the capital?”
Frondier checked the map he had brought. Of course, the contents were already in the workshop, but an actual map was essential to confirm things with others.
Frondier scratched his head.
“This map is too roughly made. Even if there’s nothing in between, how can I tell where the capital starts?”
The map Frondier was looking at wasn’t as detailed as the one he originally knew. It was a map made solely for the purpose of reaching the capital. Things around it were marked with hand-drawn pictures.
“Ah, there’s an easy way to tell.”
Carla, who was in the back seat, spoke up.
“An easy way?”
“As I said before, Palma’s capital is in the midst of a competition to choose the most beautiful woman in Palma. So, as you get closer, there’s one thing you can see as a symbol… I think it’ll be visible soon…”
Carla leaned forward slightly and checked the front of the vehicle.
Then she pointed her finger.
“Ah, there it is.”
At her words, everyone looked ahead. They all saw what Carla was pointing at.
Frondier was the first to speak.
“What is that?”
What they saw was a statue.
The sheer size of the statue dwarfed all other buildings. As they got closer, the heads of those in the car gradually tilted upwards.
Carla explained.
“The two factions each built a statue of their chosen candidate at opposite ends of the city.”
“...So, is that the face of either Hera or Aphrodite?”
“No, it’s one of the two women they bestowed their divine power upon.”
Come to think of it, the two goddesses each chose a woman, claiming she possessed the ultimate beauty.
Frondier carefully examined the statue’s face.
“...Then that person must look exactly like that statue.”
“Not exactly the same, but they must have made it as similar as possible. Otherwise, it would be like denying the beauty chosen by a god.”
“Hmm…”
Frondier took a closer look at the statue's face. One of the two humans said to possess the ultimate beauty in Palma’s capital.
“Hmm…?”
Frondier tilted his head. The others did the same.
And Frondier looked at Carla.
“Hmm?”
“Why, why are you looking at me?”
Carla shrank back, feeling inexplicably pressured.
It wasn't just Frondier looking at her; everyone in the car was checking the statue's face and Carla's face alternately.
In fact, Elodie was going through something similar in the car behind them.
Frondier, looking at the statue, finally blurted out.
“Have the people in the capital never been to Atlas?”
“You’re telling me.”
Arald agreed.
Carla couldn’t bring herself to ask and just lowered her head.
“Senior, Senior Frondier.”
Pielott’s voice came from above.
“I see a huge statue.”
“Yeah, we’re looking at it too. They say it’s one of the two most beautiful women in Palma’s capital.”
“Oh.”
And after a moment of silence,
“She’s not as pretty as the Headmistress.”
Pielott stated resolutely what everyone else was carefully avoiding saying.
***
Passing through the capital was much easier than Frondier had worried about.
First of all, Frondier and Elodie had clear identities as instructors from Atlas, and most importantly, Carla was the Headmistress of Atlas.
Lily's case was a bit tricky since she didn't have a clear identity, but even then, Headmistress Carla's influence was much stronger.
As soon as they passed the entrance, Frondier and his party were able to relax completely.
“Wow. The buildings are all so tall. That building over there, one of its walls seems to be all glass.”
Selena looked around with sparkling eyes.
The group decided to look around for a bit.
Frondier considered having everyone disperse and grasp the atmosphere and situation of the city. However, since no one seemed to want to move separately, the entire group ended up strolling through the capital together.
‘…No sign so far. I thought Antero might have done something annoying, but it seems I was wrong.’
The story of Hera and Aphrodite clashing over beauty.
Actually, Frondier knew a story very similar to the situation in Palma’s capital.
And he had a strong feeling that the story unfolding here was an adaptation of the story he knew.
‘Let's see, it was the story of Paris and the golden apple, right?’
There was no need to explain the original myth in detail, but he knew that the current situation was very similar to it.
Above all, what was originally a story that couldn't be overlooked, as it was the trigger for the Trojan War, was happening right here.
Still, there were quite a few differences between the story of the golden apple and the current situation in Palma. The easiest difference to recognize was that originally, 'Athena' should have been added to the mix, and a human named 'Paris' was clearly designated to choose between the three goddesses.
‘The reason Athena isn’t here… could it be because of Carla?’
Unlike the original myth, Athena giving Carla the curse of petrification was the same as her giving Carla her divine power.
Therefore, it was highly likely that since she had already given her divine power to Carla, she couldn’t participate in the competition within Palma’s capital, where the woman who received her divine power was said to have the most beautiful appearance.
‘Honestly, if Carla had received ordinary divine power from Athena and was in Palma’s capital, I think Carla would have easily won.’
Even without Frondier having to confirm it himself, just as Carla had said, the capital was in a state of intense conflict between the supporting factions.
Although no actual fights broke out, appeals and pictures of each faction's followers were scattered everywhere. Just walking a little, one could see various posters plastered on the walls.
So, Frondier was able to confirm the faces of the two women even before meeting them in person.
He tilted his head after seeing them, took a few steps, and then finally stopped.
“Wh-what’s wrong? You surprised me by stopping so suddenly.”
Lily, a little flustered, said from behind him.
Frondier looked around and asked Carla,
“By any chance, do they sell ‘masks’ in the capital?”
“Masks? What kind of masks?”
Come to think of it, wouldn’t they call it something else in this continent? Or did they not exist at all?
Frondier thought for a moment and then spoke again.
“You know, something that can cover your face, or make you look like someone else? Do they sell those anywhere, like on the black market or something?”
“Ah, something like that… But why?”
When Carla asked, Frondier looked around at the entire group.
And he pointed his finger as he called out their names.
“Elodie, Carla, Lily, Selena.”
The four women, called out by name, each expressed their confusion.
Frondier spoke nonchalantly.
“Cover your faces.”
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