“Were you here too?”
Eugene feigned ignorance at Emilia’s reaction. Her placement in the same squad as Rian was the result of a backroom deal with Rexilia, so it was better to pretend it was just a coincidence, especially for Rexilia’s sake, who had accommodated the request.
‘Rumors about a knight bending the rules won’t do any good.’
Knights are a breed that live and die by honor. Not every individual, of course, but the culture exists. A knight who betrays their honor faces exclusion from the knightly community as a penalty.
“Huh?”
“What’s with you two?”
The silver-haired girl in a nun’s habit raised her eyebrows at the girl who looked like Rian. From their perspective, this side was just the bodyguards randomly assigned by the academy, but imagine if any of the squad members recognized the mercenary.
[That’s suspicious enough.]
‘Right.’
Eilu’s words resonated with Eugene internally. Besides, mercenaries were usually shady characters. Who would entrust their life’s value to some stranger and get paid a few coins to fight in their place?
‘In that kind of situation, if a mercenary is unexpectedly acquainted with a squad member, suspicion is natural.’
Once they left this train station, their only reliance would be themselves and their squadmates. Mercenaries, from their viewpoint, were outsiders and potential threats, so unexpected circumstances easily led to suspicion. Of course, they had their side of the story too.
“We only shared the train to Hwangdo, that’s all, right?”
Eugene looked at Emilia seeking confirmation. The other kids also turned their attention toward her. The girl flustered at becoming the center of so much attention all of a sudden.
“Uh? I mean, well…”
Was she hesitating, unsure where to begin explaining? She could have just agreed, so why was she so slow to respond? When alone with Eugene, she was usually quite articulate.
“Did you really share the ride with that mercenary on the way here?”
“Y-yes…”
Under the silver-haired nun’s persistent interrogation, Emilia nodded absentmindedly. The other kids showed nothing beyond mild surprise, but the silver-haired girl relentlessly probed like an investigator questioning a suspect.
“Is that really everything?”
“I said it’s true.”
Wow, what a fierce glare. Despite her pretty appearance, her temperament was fiery. Judging by her habit, she seemed to be a battle nun from the Sacred Empire.
‘What a troublesome variable.’
There was no one as rigid and stubborn as religious fanatics from the Sacred Empire. During the Hero party days, Saint Celestia was an exception with her easygoing nature, but every other religious fanatic they met afterward was stiff and unbearable.
[Typical religious zealots.]
‘Are you really allowed to say that?’
Eilu’s agreement almost made Eugene laugh. A god calling religious people zealots. How embarrassed would clergy be if they heard that? The problem was, Eugene failed to maintain his composure when Eilu suddenly interjected.
‘Damn it.’
[Ugh, idiot.]
He cracked up right in front of the nun.
“Are you laughing?”
The nun’s expression darkened immediately. She probably thought this was a serious matter concerning personal safety, but Eugene’s lightheartedness made her feel ignored and disrespected.
“I’m not laughing.”
So Eugene pretended not to be.
“What do you mean you’re not laughing? Your lips are even twitching upward!”
That was obviously a lie that wouldn’t fool anyone. Well, someone attending the Royal Academy couldn’t be an idiot. It seemed the silver-haired nun’s relentless questioning would delay things further.
“Well, you see…”
Eugene didn’t want the situation to drag on any longer.
‘Looks like I’ll have to use this method after all.’
Whenever he ended up squabbling with a woman like this, using this approach stopped their words dead. It was effective, though it required some shamelessness. He steeled himself and spoke up.
“Because I’m standing in front of a beauty like you.”
“W-what?”
Sure enough, the silver-haired nun was momentarily speechless. The other kids raised their eyebrows as well, having overheard. Emilia’s expression seemed a bit stiffened too.
[Ugh! Ugh…]
‘So embarrassing, damn it.’
The god of daggers was gagging. Eugene was mortified, and the other party must have been even more embarrassed. The silver-haired nun’s face flushed as she stammered, “If you’re going to say nonsense like that, hurry up and come! We’re late for boarding because of you!”
She turned on her heel and headed toward the train. Fortunately, she must have decided they couldn’t continue arguing like this. Though Eugene’s insides were itching from embarrassment, he was glad to end the situation quickly.
“L-let’s all get on! The train’s about to leave…”
Rian broke the awkward silence by suggesting they move. Eugene had been briefed on this guy’s profile beforehand. Seeing him patch up the situation late suggested he was probably somewhat passive. Considering the Empire’s succession order, that wasn’t an ideal personality type, but……
‘Well, better than having an emperor who’s a lone wolf, I guess?’
The era when monarchs did everything themselves was over, and now as long as the vassals didn’t cause trouble, things worked out halfway. Of course, if someone lacked backbone altogether, they’d be dragged around by others, which wasn’t good.
[Why so many random thoughts? Just get on the Mercer train.]
‘I’m going to get on anyway.’
Eilu’s remark cut off Eugene’s wandering thoughts as he followed the kids. Emilia happened to be at the back, so Eugene approached her. She glanced his way, then subtly shifted away. There was a trace of disappointment in her gaze. Her expression had soured ever since Eugene interrupted the nun’s questioning earlier. Why was she like that?
[Do you really not get it?]
‘Of course.’
[Not telling you.]
That dagger god was such a pain. Eugene wanted to throw him into molten metal but was restraining himself. Suddenly, Emilia spoke beside him.
“Sir, do you often say things like that?”
“Huh?”
What was she talking about all of a sudden? Was she referring to the comment made earlier to the nun. Eugene furrowed his brows, not understanding the question’s intention. Emilia turned her head.
“You didn’t say things like that to me…”
The tone was obviously a teasing one.
‘What’s she on about?’
Why would he say such cringe-worthy things to her? He had forced those words just to escape the situation, and there was no way he’d flirt with a girl barely in her teens.
[Yeah, if you do that, you’re a complete bastard.]\
‘Shut up.’
Eilu’s chatter from soul resonance was audible and annoying. Anyway, Eugene didn’t know how to handle Emilia’s baseless sulking. But if left as is, the whole journey would be uncomfortable for both.
‘Better to soothe her a bit.’
Instead of a clumsy lie, honesty was probably better. Besides, it was a secret that only Emilia needed to know. So he spoke quietly so only the blushing girl could hear.
“Actually, I volunteered for this because of you.”
“Huh?”
Emilia quickly turned toward him, surprised by an answer she never expected. He put a finger to his lips, signaling her not to show it.
“So just you know.”
“… Okay.”
The girl nodded at the request. Her tense expression softened somewhat from before. Honestly, the psychology of children, especially girls, was incredibly difficult to grasp.
[Anyone who thinks they understand them is a playboy.]
‘Maybe so.’
Eugene wasn’t naturally a ladies’ man. Until now, he had never truly given his heart to any woman except one. He simply acted as he thought best.
[By the way, this train is pretty big.]
‘Yeah.’
As Eilu pointed out, the train was larger than others. Maybe because Royal Academy students were onboard, it was unusually luxurious. The passenger cabins looked more like hotel rooms—large and cozy. Possibly to accommodate mixed-gender boarding, there was a partition in the middle of the room.
Creak…
The silver-haired nun split the cabin with the partition and addressed the men, including Eugene.
“Don’t cross over without permission, or you die, understood?”
Everyone silently nodded at the warning.
[What a feisty girl.]
They all knew better than to challenge the nun’s words. Now, they had to assign beds in the half of the cabin left to the men. There were only two beds available.
“I’ll sleep on the floor. Use the beds however you want.”
Without hesitation, Eugene yielded the bed assignment. His body was hardened from sleeping rough outside, and the kids would have to live like that soon enough anyway.
‘They’ll suffer enough ahead; no need to hog the beds.’
“Thank you, sir!”
Rian cheered and shared a bed with another boy. That boy was the smallest in the squad, and his thin frame didn’t seem suitable for combat.
“Hey, you there, little guy.”
Curious, Eugene called him over. He wanted to know what role the boy had in the squad. From now on, each member had to fulfill their part.
“Y-yes?”
The boy twitched nervously like a startled squirrel. He looked so small and timid it was worrisome.
“What’s your role?”
“My role…?”
The boy didn’t seem to understand the question, so Eugene explained.
“Emilia is a mage, and that silver-haired girl is…”
“Silvia, the nun.”
“Right, a nun. But what about you?”
As Rian explained, Eugene asked Emilia. They needed to know their skills to assign tasks properly. The timid boy scratched the back of his head, hesitating.
“Uh… well…”
“Hurry up and say it. Don’t make me ask twice.”
“I’m… a thief… and my name is Emil.”
“… What?”
Eugene couldn’t believe his ears.
‘You?’
This kid was the thief? He looked more like he’d get caught pickpocketing and beaten than succeed. Emil shot Eugene a defensive glare.
“Wh-what? Is there a problem with me being a thief?”
“Problem? Plenty.”
First of all, his stamina was too weak. Thieves are basically people who snatch things using physical strength. This kid looked like he’d lose everything instead of taking anything, so weak.
“Even if thieves have a bad image, this is ridiculous.”
It wasn’t about looking down on thieves, but how could such a weakling be called a thief? He might as well team up with a dwarf toddler.
“T-that’s a bit harsh…”
Rian chimed in, probably to ease Emil’s feelings. But the upcoming adventure was life-threatening. Each person’s ability was critical to their survival.
“Putting stamina aside, do you have any other skills?”
Unfortunately, stamina wasn’t something that could be improved quickly. Combat abilities were the same. They needed to know what could be used immediately.
“My specialty is…”
The boy rummaged through his bag and pulled out a wooden box with a strap. It looked like a portable workstation. He set it down and unlocked it, unfolding it open.
“What’s this?”
Inside the box were several jointed artificial hands folded neatly. Between the two wooden wings was a workbench-like wooden board. It looked like a makeshift workshop for crafting things on the spot.
“With this…”
Emil placed his hands on the box, and the box started to whir. It seemed to be powered by the user’s magic. The artificial hands unfolded and revealed a long frame.
“If you operate it like this…”
He pressed switches that made the artificial hands move in perfect sync, spraying some material from their fingertips. The sprayed substance gradually piled up, and within minutes, a short dagger was completed.
“I can make weapons like this.”
The boy proudly handed over the dagger. He was confident that his specialty was crafting rather than combat. Eugene took the dagger and pondered.
“Hmm.”
It was certainly a fascinating and useful crafting tool. The ability to whip up a dagger in minutes was impressive. But everything had its price; pros and cons existed.
[Try gripping it hard.]
Eilu’s advice matched Eugene’s thoughts. He tightened his grip immediately, revealing the expected downside.
Crack! Shatter…
The crafted dagger crumbled into dust in his hand.
“Eek!?”
“… Blood?”
The boys stared wide-eyed at the dagger’s disintegration. Especially Emil, whose eyes nearly popped out. He must have never seen his crafted tools break before.
“H-how did you break it?”
“How do you think? It’s just fragile.”
Eugene scolded the flustered boy and brushed the dust off his hands.
“A weapon this weak won’t last in the Demon Realm.”
The monsters there wouldn’t fall to a brittle knife like a cracker. Otherwise, the hero party wouldn’t have lasted 100 years ago. He posed one final question to Emil, whose resources were nearly depleted.
“Do you have any other weapons?”
“…”
Unfortunately, Emil couldn’t answer. He seemed to rely solely on his crafting tool with no other preparation. With that mindset, he’d be dog food within days of the adventure.
Sigh
This wouldn’t do. His primary role was to provide security, but he was also responsible for leading the children on their adventure. At this rate, he couldn’t guarantee their safety.
‘If this keeps up, they’ll all die.’
Yet the academy apparently didn’t pay much attention to the students’ preparedness. He couldn’t blindly trust the school’s arrangements.
“Hey.”
He spoke to Rian.
“Call all the kids.”
They needed to inspect their weapons again.