The Grand Duke's Soulmate

The knight walked alone along the sparsely crowded road paved with cobblestones. Several carts carrying goods rolled down the streets as the drivers moved them carefully in and out of the market and business areas.

A few shops were opened, but most of them were shut down. Even the market was not as bustling as it used to be.

Apart from the sound of dogs barking and horses neighing, the passersby were extremely quiet. He did not see anyone freely chatting along the roadside.

No children were seen playing or loitering on the streets, either. Pedestrians hurried and lowered their heads most of the time, not bothering to greet each other.

As he observed the city, Noah found the situation somewhat awkward. He had been to the City of Constance a few years ago, but it was far livelier than this.

Even when he served as a mercenary, the city was already famous, with many merchants, tourists, students, and so on. Noises became muffled and smells became less potent in the busy developing city.

It was totally the opposite of the current situation.

Noah investigated the area and noticed other peculiar situations. Based on his findings, many soldiers were assigned to guard the main site and the different parts of the city.

When he arrived a few days ago, he even had to go through several checkpoints before entering Constance as the city’s security had been significantly tightened.

The knight went to see the mercenaries’ guilds he used to work with, but they were no longer in operation.