Yuma walked.
With the black-haired, golden-eyed girl Cloney.
They were both wearing the gray robes given by Princess Brigitte, obscuring their faces and looks.
“Sure enough, ever since we cleared out the enemies, it seems we’ve been followed,” Cloney said, continuously using field detection magic as they walked.
“You’re doing well,” Yuma patted Cloney’s head.
“Yes!” Cloney beamed.
‘She must have developed a keen sense of awareness.’
It was hard to believe that Yuma, who looked like a master-level person at a glance, wouldn’t notice the pursuers trailing them.
Of course, Yuma didn’t have even a hint of awareness, let alone magical perception.
‘She must be trying to spare me from feeling useless… powerless.’
Cloney’s golden eyes were filled with some kind of eager desire.
‘I will definitely become someone useful. For Yuma-san.’
If she worked really hard on researching magic, it would definitely pay off.
It had only been two days since she joined Yuma.
But the bond felt incredibly strong.
She firmly believed that he had come to save her the day before.
After a month of being chased and ceaselessly tormented by nightmares and anxieties, she could finally escape from it all.
“Here we are.”
The place where Yuma and Cloney stopped was the capital’s Barnoch station of the “Hailo” magic train.
If they took this train, they could reach the northern terminal near Count Rubelt’s territory, the transit city of “Arkan,” in just 11 hours.
They headed towards the ticket booth. There were quite a few people lined up at the booth. Naturally, the main guests of the magic train would be nobles.
The cost was steep.
5,000 cents for a single ride. That’s more than a month’s worth of food for a family of three commoners.
Originally, paying this amount itself served as proof of status.
Of course, the men standing in front of Yuma were not nobles but rather the servants of noble families, queuing to collect their masters’ tickets.
Among the servants, there was one behaving oddly, standing with a crooked stance as if showing off.
It was a twisted case of a servant bragging about their master’s title being higher than a Count.
“Looks like ticket issuance is taking a while today,” Yuma overheard a conversation among the noble servants ahead.
“They say the train terror threats have been ongoing for a month. So they’re asking for family crests or merchant seals. They’re doing identity checks.”
“The terror warnings have been ongoing for a month, haven’t they? So they’re demanding family crests and merchant badges. It’s for the identity check.”
“A month of warnings without any terrorist act? Those guys sure talk a big game.”
One by one, the noisy folks in front started to disappear, and it was Duke Yuma’s turn.
In front of the counter for identity verification, there was a blackout curtain. It seemed intended to keep everyone’s secrets safe. Not exactly practical, but hey.
The female clerk at the ticket counter, despite having dealt with dozens of people, greeted him with a bright smile.
“Welcome! May I have your ID, please?”
Without hesitation, Yuma pulled out the golden badge from inside his waistband. It was a badge with three swords pointing straight up, proving his identity. The badge bore the mana seal of Princess Brigitte.
“I’m the representative of Princess Brigitte.”
The clerk’s eyes widened. A document that had urgently come down from above that morning flashed through her mind like lightning.
“Y-your identity has been verified.”
“Total of two, including the child next to me.”
“Y-yes!”
Being a representative of a princess, a member of the royal bloodline, seemed to put significant pressure on the clerk.
The previously professional clerk trembled as she handed over two tickets.
Yuma accepted the tickets with a blank expression.
‘The identity is guaranteed as per the princess’s words.’
A moment that could confirm that was finally here.
*
The sky was painted with sunset hues.
In the First Prince’s office.
It was excessively spacious for a solo office, almost reminiscent of a library, where a man sat in a chair.
First Prince Schwarze von Astes was in a daze from the news he had just heard.
In just two days, he had lost three of his strongest subordinates among the Ten Great Knights, who could be considered his elite.
The formidable Cain gal, spear demon Roark, and heaven’s blessing Derain.
All were top-tier powerhouses who wouldn’t be overpowered anywhere.
In an effort to prevent any failure from getting out, they erected a massive dome artifact that blocked sight and sound right in front of the First Princess’s palace, but it seemed there were already some noble spies lurking in the vicinity.
“Brigitte…”
What kind of human are you? What kind of trick did you pull to turn four into one?
Creeeak!
His teeth ground together involuntarily.
Bzzzzt!
The communication magic device ‘Neuma’ on the desk let out a distressed wail.
‘Neuma’ was still in a testing phase within the Empire, and the communication range was operational only outside the capital.
Schwarze roughly grabbed the magic device.
“Who is it?”
– “This is Kailon, the 3rd Seat, Your Highness.”
“…Kailon.”
Kailon, the infamous killer of the 3rd Seat.
He was an otherworldly being. A high-level vampire. A superhuman roaming the battlefield for blood supply.
Only the nobles and elders knew he was a vampire.
– “I’ve come to the capital for a break. Heard some very interesting news.”
Kailon’s voice was bizarrely laced with excitement.
– “God of War Duke Yuma, what the hell is this? Did you kill three members of the Ten Seats in just two days? And you got that title in just two days too? With the power struggles between the two of you, this guy’s identity has spread like wildfire amongst the high nobles still in the capital in half a day. Hahahahaha!”
It was undeniably a mocking tone. But Schwarze was already filled with targets to take his anger out on.
Princess Brigitte, and the witch’s daughter, Cloney. And suddenly, that Duke Yuma who fell from the sky.
Right now, Yuma was the main source of his fury.
There was indeed fear. Like, would you feel this kind of terror when facing a dragon?
But, still, anger dominated over fear.
“Can you kill him? Kailon?”
– “Oh, Your Highness. You seem to be in quite the hurry. Well, the 1st and 2nd Seats are neutral, so it seems only five of the Ten Seats remain under your command… including me. No wonder you’re feeling uneasy.”
After a brief silence, Kailon continued.
– “You do know I’m not in 3rd Seat because I can’t defeat the 1st or 2nd, right? Just tell me where he is. As long as you give me the right place and time, there isn’t a human I can’t kill.”
Schwarze furrowed his brow.
Come to think of it, he had no idea where that guy was headed.
‘He must be using the train.’
No matter where the destination was, the train was inevitably a must.
Conveniently, the owner of that train was still in the capital.
“Let me know once I find out.”
*
Yuma and Cloney were sitting in the waiting room.
Cloney was wide-eyed, taking in the station facilities she had never seen before.
“Wow…”
Transparent high-quality glasses were contained within a golden frame.
“What’s that?”
Cloney’s gaze landed on the bread held by a girl her age. The wrapping around the bread had an inscription: Halo Red Bean Bread.
‘Red Bean Bread.’
What’s with red bean bread in medieval Western times?
Yuma chuckled at Cloney. ‘Loop Blood’ and this world too, with all sorts of Eastern and Western fantasy elements mixed in, it was hardly surprising to see red bean bread!
It wasn’t strange that sweet red bean buns came out since the elements were mixed.
Money was overflowing.
Duke Yuma headed to the bakery with Cloney, and treated her to some sweet red bean buns.
Cloney stared at the glossy red bean bun in her hand, then opened her mouth wide and took a bite.
Cloney’s cheeks puffed up.
“Wow! It’s delicious!”
Cloney smiled brightly.
Yuma chewed on his soboro bread, reminiscing about the distinct taste of the franchise from his hometown.
He was enjoying the leisurely moments before the train departure.
Someone approached from the side.
Just by looking, he seemed like a well-built older gentleman who’d done some exercise. Seeing his tidy black shirt, he clearly looked like a station employee.
The older gentleman bowed to Yuma, then leaned closer and whispered.
“Your Excellency, are you the representative of the First Princess?”
Yuma slowly nodded his head.
“But…”
“There is someone who earnestly wishes to meet you. Will you meet them?”
Yuma asked nonchalantly, “Who is it?”
“The owner of this Halo and the master of all the magical trains in the Empire, Count Venosetian wishes to see you.”
“Is he waiting right now?”
“Yes, he is waiting in the adjacent meeting room.”
Yuma recalled one of the many things Princess Brigitte had said last night while sipping wine, her face flushed.
A list of the nobles who could be called the real power in the Empire.
‘He’s definitely on that list.’
A person said to be close to neutrality.
Yuma slowly nodded. Since he hadn’t had a decent conversation with anyone other than Princess Brigitte and Cloney, he thought it was worth meeting.
“There are still 20 minutes left until the train departs, so I’ll spare that much time.”
The older man deeply bowed his head.
“Please follow me.”
The old man led Yuma and Cloney into an area completely devoid of people.
It was a meeting room in a restricted zone accessible only to staff.
As he opened the door, a blond nobleman with a friendly appearance stood there. He looked to be in his late 30s yet had a strikingly handsome face.
“Nice to meet you, Yuma.”
Count Venosetian smiled at those words and, without hesitation, knelt on his left knee.
“I am honored to meet you, Mr. Yuma, the representative of the First Princess.”
Maintaining the dignity of a count? That didn’t matter.
“How do you worry about appearances in front of someone who wiped out three of the Ten Lords in just two days?”
Is he looking to die?
Venosetian decided to lay low for now.
