In Another World, All Milfs Will Be Mine-Chapter 170: [ - - ]

The afternoon sun was on the head of the procession of the Royal Guards that was on it’s way to the Northern Gates of Auravale.

Three heavy, iron-reinforced carriages rolled down the dirt road. They were flanked by twelve Royal Guards mounted on white warhorses.

Two of the guards in the front and the two at the back were holding banners that were flying high, with the Kingdom’s mark of the "Elephant holding a Spector in its trunk."

These weren’t your average city watchmen; these were men who had trained in the capital, wearing plate armour worth more than a peasant’s life.

Inside the lead carriage sat the Royal Inspectors. Bureaucrats with the power to strip titles, seize lands, and order executions with a stroke of a quill.

They expected to find a ruin. They expected to find a city on its knees, begging for the Crown’s aid after a catastrophic monster raid.

They expected sorrow, suffering and gloom everywhere. But what they found was totally different.

"Halt!" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The command came from atop the newly reinforced gatehouse.

The lead Royal Guard, looked up from where the sound came and scoffed. He didn’t slow his horse. He rode right up to the closed portcullis, his metal gauntlet resting on the pommel of his sword.

"Open the gates!" The Royal guard in the front bellowed, his voice loud and clear, "This is the Royal Inspection Envoy sent by the Crown! We demand immediate entry!"

Usually, this was the part where the local guards scrambled, tripped over their own feet, and cranked the winch while apologizing profusely.

Instead, a crossbow bolt thudded into the dirt three inches from the Royal Guard’s horse’s hoof.

The horse reared, whinnying in panic. The Royal Guard frowned as he quickly reined in the horse, as his face turned a violent shade of purple.

"What is the meaning of this?"

A figure leaned over the battlements. It was a Blackfang Bandit. And he wasn’t wearing the shiny, ceremonial armour like your typical guard.

He wore blackened leather, a wolf-fur cloak, and a jagged scar running down his cheek. He looked down at the Royal Captain like he was a piece of gum stuck to his boot.

"I said halt," the bandit, who was now a ’City Guard’ said lazily, "Are you deaf in your ears?"

"No one enters the town without proper inspection. Not even the King."

"Inspection?!" The guard roared,. "We are the Inspectors! You don’t inspect us, you filth! Open this gate before I tear it down and hang you from the rubble!"

The Blackfang Guard didn’t flinch. He just spat over the edge.

"Try it," he challenged.

And just as he spoke, behind him, twenty crossbows locked onto the Royal Guards. The distinct click of mechanisms locking into place echoed through the air.

The Royal Guards drew their swords, magic flaring around their blades. The air crackled with tension. It was seconds away from a bloodbath.

Inside the carriage, one of the inspector watched through the window. He didn’t look angry. He looked interested instead.

"Malcom," The inspector said without turning his head.

Malcom had been silent throughout the journey with his one leg over the other and eyes closed. He barely spoke to anyone and minded his own business.

"Yes?" Malcom replied without opening his eyes.

"Your... colleagues," The inspector noted, gesturing to the standoff outside, "They seem spirited."

"They are doing their job," Malcom said simply. "The Master said ’secure the city’. That means everyone gets checked. Even the King himself would get checked."

The Inspector raised an eyebrow. "Bold."

Outside, the Royal Guard was losing his patience. this was a tight slap on his face. He was about to order a charge, and smash through the wooden portcullis.

"Stand down!"

The Royal Inspector opened the carriage door and stepped out. He was dressed in grey robes that looked simple but were woven with high-grade protective enchantments.

"You!" The guard protested, his helmet tucked under his arm, "These peasants dare to threaten the Crown’s banner! Let me clear the path!"

"They are following protocol, " The inspector said smoothly, his eyes scanning the Blackfang guards on the wall. He saw the discipline. He saw the quality of their weapons. These weren’t peasants, "And they have just survived a Monster raid. In times of crisis, vigilance is a virtue, not a crime."

He looked up at the scar-faced bandit.

"We submit to the check," The Inspector called out. "But make it quick. We are on a schedule."

The bandit stared at him for a long moment, assessing him. Then, he grinned, revealing a gold tooth.

"Smart man," the bandit grunted, "Open the gates!"

The heavy iron chains rattled. The portcullis rose with a groan of metal.

The Royal Guards sheathed their weapons aggressively, glaring at the wall. They rode through the tunnel, muttering curses about what they would do to this city once the inspection was over.

Soon the City Patrol guards surrounded the caravan and one by one started going through the carriages. They even frisked the guards and the Royal Inspectors manually with their hands.

But when it came to Malcom, they just smiled, nodded at him and went past to the other.

When they were satisfied, they let the roll away into Auravale.

Dead silence fell over the convoy.

They had expected a disaster zone. They had reports of a massive monster wave.

The walls should be destroyed, buildings should be pile of rubble, taverns should be burning, corpses should be lying everywhere, widows should be weeping, kids should be starving.

Instead, they drove into a carnival.

The streets were spotless. Not a speck of trash, not a single pile of horse dung. The cobblestones looked like they had been scrubbed by hand that very morning.

Every building was draped in banners. Crimson and gold banners fluttered from every balcony and lamppost. They bore the crest of Auravale, but superimposed over it was a stylized image of a black dragon coiling around a sword.

"Long live the Saviour!"

"Blessings to Lord Leo!"

The shouts came from the sidewalks. The streets were lined with people. Men, women, children. They were waving small flags.

They were smiling.

Every single one of them.

Why were they smiling?

It was a sea of teeth. The smiles were wide, enthusiastic, and... remarkably uniform.

"This..." one of the junior inspectors whispered, looking out the window with wide eyes, "This doesn’t look like a town that was sieged a month ago."

"It looks like they are celebrating a festival." Another one of them said.

The Inspector from before narrowed his eyes. He watched a group of children chasing a juggler who was tossing flaming batons in the air.

He saw a merchant handing out free apples to the crowd. He saw a bard singing a song about a "Hero of the Forest" on a street corner.

"It’s too clean," The inspector muttered to himself, "And they are way too happy."