Chapter 25

Belgast was dragged away by a bunch of furious ticket agents.

We might need a more thorough investigation, but from what he confessed, he was a terrorist who believed the train was ‘the devil’s property’ and needed to be disposed of.

Hmm. The typical average magical user.

Anyway, this had nothing to do with Cecilia, so I turned down the captain’s offer to reward him. I told him to take the public credit instead.

Usually, getting involved with zealots becomes a hassle.

‘Still, getting a free cup of tea that costs 5 gold is a nice deal.’

Cecilia drank her tea with grace. That tea served in first-class cabins, supplied to the royal family.

Everything was to my liking, but what I appreciated most was this glimmer of hope in a mission that had once seemed bleak and hopeless.

“By the way, what’s Beatrice doing here?”

Beatrice, who had been huddled like a criminal, lifted her head.

In reality, she was more scared of Cecilia than the terrorist.

‘She showed no mercy at all.’

It was my first time witnessing such a brutal method of handling someone.

Forcing them to swallow their own magic!

She had even made a face like she was ‘sorry for not being able to give them more pain’ while talking to a criminal who had sworn to confess everything.

But what if she found out… that she was out of the program?

-Out? I’d probably end up killing her with a smile saying, “I’ll help you with your exit from life, too.”

“Th-that’s true.”

Cecilia was staring intently at Beatrice, and I couldn’t get a read on what she was thinking at all.

And that was even scarier. I felt exposed, like she could read my thoughts in real-time.

‘I-it’s impossible… lying in front of Lady Cecilia is out of the question. So, what now?’

This was the only way left.

Thud!

Beatrice slammed her head on the ground with all her strength.

“I’m so sorry—!”

“……?”

Cecilia tilted her head. Is this a new trend in playtime or something?

“Don’t worry. This tea is expensive, but today it’s on me.”

‘That sounded just like a boss trying to make us feel like we want to work with them for life.’

Cecilia admired her own ambition.

“Ah, no. Of course, this room and this tea are much too lavish for me… but the reason I’m here is…”

Beatrice wanted to confess everything honestly and ask for forgiveness.

But when she actually tried to say it, the words just wouldn’t come out.

“I… got discharged.”

She muttered in a voice so small that it was almost a whisper while trembling in a dogeza position.

Cecilia didn’t quite grasp the meaning of the words.

“Is that a shortened term for something like ‘useless’? Because, sure, lately the quality of steaks in the capital has been getting worse.”

“N-no! I quit being a trainee knight this morning.”

Crash!

It was like the sound of a thousand golden teas crashing down around Cecilia. Time seemed to freeze for her.

“…What?”

“W-well…”

[ We will increase train speed to escape from the sudden turbulence. Please excuse any bumps along the way. ]

The screeching announcement resonated through the train, echoing Cecilia’s troubled emotions.

Beatrice trembled, looking up to find the source of the turbulence.

“I-I thought it wasn’t a place I could dare to step into…”

“Don’t worry.”

Cecilia just smiled while holding the spilled teacup with a raised corner of her mouth.

But with her shaky hands—in a move reminiscent of clumsiness—she spilled the tea all over the floor.

“Nobody starts off perfect. You can learn bit by bit.”

‘She’s angry.’

Cecilia, always calm, even against the terrorist, didn’t bat an eye then.

Just how furious was she to show this much emotion?

Beatrice’s fear multiplied exponentially.

“In fact… m-my parents were really worried and so…”

“Your parents?”

“Yes, yes.”

Talking about her parents seemed to calm her trembling. Moreover, the relief broadcast also came through.

[ We have exited the turbulence. Please be assured as we resume normal operations. ]

“…Surely, Beatrice’s full name is Schwarzpfeffer. I believe it’s a small territory in the west.”

“Yes! It’s a tiny, unremarkable territory. B-but my parents are good people. They scrimped and saved to provide me with living expenses in the capital…”

As she spoke, Beatrice felt tears welling up.

-You’re going to be a good knight, I believe in you.

Her parents trusted her and provided for her even though they had nothing.

And now, look at this mess…

Beatrice smiled bitterly. She was already regretting things, but since she had given up once, becoming a Windsor was too much to ask.

“I’m so sorry, Lady Cecilia.”

‘Cecilia probably thinks I’m pathetic.’

Beatrice looked at Cecilia.

Cecilia slightly lowered her head so her expression was hard to see, but her silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, making her look beautiful.

A shining person.

That was how Beatrice perceived Cecilia. If the sun could only shine on one person, it would surely be for her.

“I… don’t have any qualifications from the start.”

“How could you say that?”

Cecilia wiped her eyes with her droopy sleeves.

Just a hint of tremor in her voice was cute enough that I wanted to embrace her, forgetting about my fears for a moment.

“What a lovely thought.”

“…Huh?”

“So it was because you were worried about your parents that you decided to quit and come back.”

“That’s correct…”

She sensed that something was different from what Cecilia was saying.

And that instinct turned out to be right.

“I knew the west was doing poorly, but I didn’t think it was to this extent.”

“…?”

“But Beatrice, please remember one thing.”

Cecilia looked seriously into Beatrice’s eyes. She hardly ever got serious, maybe once or twice a year, and today was one of those days.

“Trust the kingdom, Windsor—and me.”

Cecilia replied resolutely.

“The demon race in the west, I will definitely drive them back.”

Beatrice realized that Cecilia had a very grave misunderstanding.

In the first place, she trusted the Rianen Kingdom. She knew very well how many monsters there were in Windsor.

Besides, the Schwarz territory wasn’t even that close to the frontlines.

“U-Um, Lady Cecilia…”

“Of course.”

Cecilia reached her hand towards Beatrice.

“We’ll act as if the discharge never happened. I have enough leeway to do that.”

“…What?”

“Lift your head, Beatrice. The will to slay demons is the most important mindset for someone in Windsor.”

Cecilia’s feelings of pity were immense.

The new recruit’s hands were still white and soft (and by the way, Beatrice’s hands were bigger), so she realistically wouldn’t be able to contribute much with them.

Even if she knew that, learning about the sad story behind quitting—worried about her parents’ safety—was heartbreaking.

That’s just…

‘Thank goodness.’

At first, I thought she’d given up completely and it threw me into a panic.

With the blessing of light, if she played her cards right, she might even aim for the Demon Lord but decides to flip to being a ‘casual user’?

Gosh! Cecilia wouldn’t let that slide with two open eyes. She’d have to go full-on infinite PK on her.

It’s because blessings are slot-based. No two identical blessings can exist. If one person draws it, no one else can.

In other words, it’s a behavior that causes harm to everyone else. If you’re going to live, you might as well give up the blessing from the start. If you don’t know, that’s one thing, but doing it while knowing is just pure selfishness.

‘Right, my Beatrice wouldn’t do that.’

Cecilia calmed her anxious heart and spoke.

“Let’s work hard together. You don’t need to worry. I will guide you well.”

**

Whirr…

The train halted, and passengers began to disembark one by one.

The terminal, Dusty Point, was close to the front, so only a few got off.

Guards waiting outside flooded into the train. They roughly dragged a few perfectly tied-up individuals out.

“Terrorists. We were almost in big trouble if you hadn’t stopped them.”

“Food was already scarce; if they’d gotten away with this, we would have been in big trouble this winter.”

“Damn those magicians. If they had time for terror, they should just join the battlefield.”

“But I hear they’re so noble they can’t bear to see blood.”

The guards exchanged banter. After that, Cecilia and a somewhat dazed Beatrice came out, pulling their travel bags.

The Captain of the Guards saluted crisply and said,

“Thank you for your hard work! We appreciate your cooperation.”

“No problem. Just doing my job,”

Cecilia responded lightly while stretching a bit.

“Not only did you stop the terrorists, but you even captured them. No amount of thanks could be enough. How do I repay you…”

“Rather than that, please take care of the refugees a little more.”

Cecilia spoke as if it was a bother, but the Captain was deeply moved.

The western front was precarious day by day.

The western commander had already requested help throughout the kingdom, but nobles were reluctant to send any soldiers, given the desperate state of the west.

At that time, the only group that had responded to the request for support was the Windsor Knight Order from the capital.

They placed no importance on noble status, any desperate circumstances, or even any riches.

All they cared about was slaying demons.

Understanding and calculation for that was seen as unnecessary for them.

If you witnessed them in action, you’d know just how extraordinary and honorable the Windsor Knight Order was.

Truly, knights among knights.

The Captain of the Guards shed tears.

“L-Lady Cecilia, this person’s crying over here!”

“You don’t have to mind it; we see him all the time. Now let’s be on our way.”

That’s right! The Captain was a fervent fan of the Windsor Knight Order.

“At least grant me the honor of saying a few words!”

“It’s faster to walk from here. Well then, take care.”

“I salute your dedication!”

Chop!

The Captain saluted as Cecilia and Beatrice walked away, tears scattering, maintaining that salute until they were completely out of sight.

Meanwhile, there was another person who wanted to cry.

‘Why am I even here…?’

Beatrice, who had been dragged along unceremoniously.

She couldn’t believe she was stepping onto the western front when she had planned to return home and farm.

Cecilia glanced at Beatrice’s expression and said,

“It won’t be a long journey.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll finish the mission and return within three days. Cleaning up a front line like this is easy. More importantly, I plan to take the entrance test right after I get back, so please prepare yourself in advance.”

Cecilia smiled slightly, looking at Beatrice, who was sweating and tightly closing her mouth.

“Don’t worry. According to my calculations, if we take down about 1,332 monsters, you should pass.”

Cecilia gave a thumbs up with a slight smile.

“That’s really not that many, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

Beatrice’s tears started to roll down her cheeks.

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