“Whoa! This is actually the first time I’ve ever been outside the Royal Capital!”
“Careful now, you’re leaning too far.”
Mariana was giddy, her head practically stuck out the train window, while Alicia sat beside her, quietly sipping a cup of coffee.
Summer vacation had finally begun, and we were currently en route to the Brave Territory.
Apparently, the Academy dormitories stayed open during the break. Many nobles from the provinces found the journey home too tedious and preferred to stay behind. Given the choice between the rural countryside and the Capital, I supposed most youths would rather spend their allowance in the city.
However, we were heading back for a specific purpose: a Brave-style Bootcamp in the local dungeons.
To me, that seemed far more meaningful.
Besides, I’d calculated that the Brave Territory was safer than the Royal Capital, where we were constant targets. Any outsider entering my lands would be identified immediately, and more importantly, no half-hearted enemy could survive the environment there. It was a brilliant plan—a classic case of killing two birds with one stone.
“Ah, excuse me. Heading to the toilet.”
“Aren’t you drinking a bit too much coffee?”
Alicia suggested I cut back, but that was a physical impossibility. Without caffeine, I simply couldn't function.
The toilet was located in a different carriage. I’d actually wanted to book us seats in a First-class Carriage, where every car had its own facilities, but Alicia had insisted that a General Carriage was fine. Since Mariana was uncomfortable around high-ranking nobles, it was probably for the best. At least we had box seats with a table.
“And just who do you think you are?”
“Oof!”
On my way to the restroom, I intercepted a suspicious character in the next carriage. I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him straight into the toilet. We were going to have a little "joint-session."
I couldn't tell if he was an assassin from House Ignite, a member of the self-proclaimed elite Dark Section, or just some random nuisance. It didn’t matter. There was only one thing to do.
“Ngogo!? Waaaaaaaahhh!!”
Question: What is the thing to do? Answer: Toss him out the tiny toilet window.
He might have just been an ordinary passenger who happened to be looking at Alicia and Mariana, but when I weighed his life against theirs, his side of the scale didn't even move. It was heartless, perhaps, but necessary. Besides, anyone who went out of their way to involve themselves with us usually had foul intentions, so I didn't feel particularly guilty about discarding them.
Wait, was the window too small for a human?
Actually, as long as there’s enough space for a head to pass through, you can force the rest of the body along by dislocating every single joint. If you want to survive being captured by enemy soldiers, learn how to pop your joints—that was a fundamental teaching of House Brave.
The reason Alicia thought I was drinking too much coffee was because I’d been using "bathroom breaks" as an excuse to clear our path of hostiles. I was in danger of being labeled as a man with a weak bladder, but I was willing to live with that as long as I had caffeine to blame.
In reality, my training allowed me to endure for extreme periods. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say my mental discipline was high enough that I could simply "let it flow" right where I stood without breaking a sweat, if it came down to it.
“You bastard... I guess I shouldn't expect less from the man who dismantled the Dark Sec— Wait! Today is differ— Bwah-gurk!”
Snap. Crackle. Pop.
Toss.
“Don't stand there so dutifully in front of the toilet door next time.”
I didn't know what his deal with the Dark Section was, but this was reaching the realm of a comedy sketch.
Good grief... go play make-believe somewhere else.
I called it "clearing the path," but it was starting to feel like assembly-line work. I was less of a warrior and more like a factory manager at this point. A manager of corpses. At least throwing them off a moving train made for easy cleanup.
“I mean, even guys like this must have paid for their tickets to get on board.”
That thought actually made me chuckle. Maybe I should send a bill for travel expenses to House Ignite? I doubted a pile of dead assassins would make for good leverage, though.
“Man, I hope we reach the territory soon.”
Once we got off the train, we’d have to switch to a horse-drawn carriage. I’d considered trying to run a railway through the Brave Territory, but between the monster attacks and the risk of it being used for enemy troop transport during a war, it just wasn't feasible. If I could end the conflict with the Neighboring Country during my lifetime, things might change, but the odds were against us. The Kingdom's policy was strictly defensive, and they weren't about to help us go on the offensive.
Well, I decided to stop worrying about that for now.
I just wanted to see everyone at the manor. I’d prepared plenty of souvenirs, the best of which was the coffee Mariana had provided. I couldn't wait for Sebas to taste it and say, "The young master is doing quite well for himself."
There were times I hated the man enough to want to kill him, but since he’d raised me since childhood, he was my surrogate father. I definitely felt a bond with him that was as close as blood.
“I’m back.”
Lost in thought, I strolled back to our carriage only to find a truly bizarre scene unfolding.
“So this is a General Carriage! Look at all these seats compared to the First-class or Special Carriages!”
“Did you know, Your Highness? Unlike the Special Carriage, you actually have to pay for these seats in advance or you can't sit down.”
“It’s no problem, Clive. I made sure to buy them in secret.”
For some reason, Prince Edward and his group were sitting in the seats right next to ours. They were chatting away merrily about how the "cramped space" was charming and how "refreshingly cheap" the table felt.
“Welcome back, Ragna.”
“I-I’m back...”
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but for now, just sit down.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Alicia’s voice was noticeably stiff. She had shifted into the rigid "Duke’s Daughter Mode" she used for everyone except Mariana and me. As for Mariana, the sight of royalty sitting within arm's reach had caused her to faint long ago. Honestly, she needed to work on that.
“Clive, look. I am riding in a General Carriage. This is a marvelous experience. Heh, I’ve wanted to try this for a long time, and the day has finally come.”
“Even the scale of your incognito adventures has upgraded, Your Highness.”
“Patricia suggested it. She really does know so many things I don't. Sigh... she’s supposed to join us later, but I wish I could have ridden here with her...”
“Don't you get tired of those high-end cars anyway? It wouldn't look good if you’d never even seen how the commoners travel. Slipping away from the guards... you've been doing this incognito stuff since you were a brat.”
“Precisely. I wanted to let her ride in the Special Carriage, but my parents absolutely forbade it. So, I figured if I can't bring her up to my level, I’ll simply go down to the General Carriage myself. Brilliant, wasn't it?”
“Top tier, Prince.”
Clive called it an "upgrade," but in terms of social standing, he’d literally downgraded from the private cars used by royalty. What an incredibly idiotic conversation.
Seriously, why did you have to pick the seats right next to us, Your Highness?