Long Business Trip (3)
Belgrast was dragged away by the furious train staff. A more thorough investigation would be needed, but according to his confession, he was a terrorist who believed the train was a "demon's contraption" that had to be destroyed.
Hmm. Typical average mage.
Anyway, it had nothing to do with Sisilia, so she turned down the captain's offer of a reward. She told him to take the credit. Getting tangled up with fanatics usually just led to headaches.
Still, getting free tea that costs 5 gold per cup? That's a win.
Sisilia elegantly downed her tea. The deluxe cabin, tea supplied to the royal family—everything was to her liking. But the best part was this ray of light piercing through what had been a hopeless mission.
"By the way, why are you here, Beatrice?"
Beatrice, who had been hunching like a criminal, lifted her head. In truth, she found Sisilia far scarier than the terrorist.
No mercy at all...
It was the first time she'd seen someone handled in such a brutal(?) way. Forcing him to swallow his own magic! And even when the criminal promised to spill everything, Sisilia had worn an expression like she regretted not inflicting more pain.
But if... she found out about that?
-Dropout? I'll dropout your whole life too.
She'd definitely be murdered on the spot.
"W-well, the truth is..."
Sisilia's blank stare made it impossible to guess her thoughts. That made her even scarier. It felt like being stripped naked. She was probably reading Beatrice's mind in real-time.
Im-impossible... Lying in front of Sisilia is out of the question. Then...
Thud!
Beatrice slammed her forehead to the floor with all her might.
"I'm sorry—!"
"...?"
Sisilia tilted her head. Was this some new trend?
"Don't worry about it. The deluxe cabin and this tea are pricey, sure, but today's on me."
Total 'dream team boss' line. Makes you wanna work together forever.
Sisilia inwardly admired her own motivational skills.
"N-no, that's not it. Of course this room and tea are way too much for me, but... the reason I'm here is..."
Beatrice had wanted to come clean and beg forgiveness. But when it came time to speak, the words stuck in her throat.
"I... dropped out."
She whispered it like a mosquito, then curled up trembling.
Sisilia didn't quite grasp the word.
"Short for 'old cow meat'? Yeah, the king's steak quality has been slipping lately."
"N-no! I quit being an apprentice knight this morning."
Crash!
The 5-gold tea spilled like Sisilia's crumbling composure. Time froze for her.
"...Why?"
"W-well..."
Due to sudden turbulence, we will increase speed to evade it. Please bear with any shaking.
The crackling train announcement echoed, mirroring Sisilia's turmoil. Beatrice glanced up at the turbulence's source, shuddering.
"I-I thought I didn't belong here..."
"Don't worry."
Sisilia gripped her mostly spilled teacup with a smirk. But her trembling hands—shaking like Parkinson's—let the rest drip to the floor.
"Nobody starts out perfect. We'll take it step by step."
She's pissed.
Sisilia was always calm. In dungeons, against that terrorist earlier—not even a blink. For her to show this much emotion...?
How furious is she?
Beatrice's fear squared.
"Actually... m-my parents were worried too, so..."
"Your parents?"
"Y-yes."
Mentioning her parents? The shaking stopped. And so did the turbulence announcement.
We have cleared the turbulence. Resuming normal operation—please relax.
"...Right, your full name is Beatrice Schwartzfeder. Territory in the west, yeah?"
"Yes! It's a tiny, insignificant place, but... my parents are good people. They scraped together living expenses for the capital..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Beatrice's eyes.
-You'll definitely become a great knight.
Her parents believed in her, supported her despite their poverty. And now this mess... Beatrice smiled bitterly.
Regret was already creeping in, but having quit once, becoming a Windsor was impossible.
"Sorry, Sisilia."
Sisilia must think I'm pathetic.
Beatrice looked up. Sisilia's head was slightly bowed, face hard to see, but her silver hair glowed beautifully in the sunlight.
A shining person. That's how Beatrice saw her. If the sun could light only one, it would be for Sisilia.
"I... never had what it takes."
"How could you think that."
Sisilia dabbed her eyes with her drooping sleeve. Her slight sniffle was so cute, Beatrice forgot her fear and wanted to hug her.
"Such a dutiful mindset."
"...Huh?"
"Dropping out mid-journey because you worry about your parents."
"Yeah, but..."
Something felt off. And her instinct was right.
"I knew the western front was pushing back, but not this bad."
"...?"
"But Beatrice, remember one thing."
Sisilia stared earnestly. She got serious once or twice a year—this was one of those days.
"Believe in the kingdom. In Windsor—and in me."
She answered firmly.
"I'll definitely drive back the western demons."
Beatrice realized Sisilia had a massive misunderstanding. She trusted Liannen Kingdom. She knew how many monsters lurked in Windsor. And Schwartz territory wasn't even that close to the front.
"Um, Sisilia..."
"Of course."
Sisilia extended her hand.
"I'll annul your dropout. I have the discretion for that."
"...Pardon?"
"Chin up, Beatrice. The will to slay demons is Windsor's most vital trait."
Sisilia felt mostly pity. Newbie hands were still soft and pale (Beatrice's were actually bigger), useless for real help. She knew that, yet quit over family worries. So tragic.
Lucky.
At first, she'd panicked thinking it was true quitting. A light-blessed talent who could aim for Demon King with good handling turns into a 'life-skills user' due to glass mentality? No way.
Sisilia couldn't let that slide. Infinite PK punishment.
Blessings were slot-based. No perfect duplicates. If one claims it, others can't. Pure loss for everyone—humanity itself.
Go lifestyle? Fine, forfeit the blessing from the start. Ignorance is excusable, but knowingly? Peak selfishness.
Yeah. My Beatrice wouldn't.
Sisilia calmed her racing heart.
"Let's do our best together. No need to worry—I'll guide you properly."
Rumble... The train halted, passengers disembarking one by one. The terminus, Dusty Point, was near the front, so few got off. Waiting guards poured in, roughly dragging out the fully bound prisoners.
"Terrorists, huh. Dodged a bullet there."
"Already short on food—if this blew, we'd be screwed all winter."
"Damn mages. Join the front instead of terrorizing."
"Too noble to see blood, they say."
The guards chatted. Behind them emerged Sisilia and a dazed Beatrice, pulling travel bags.
The guard captain saluted sharply.
"Thank you for your service! We appreciate the cooperation."
"No big deal. Just doing my job."
Sisilia stretched lightly.
"Stopping the terror wasn't enough—you even captured them alive. We can't thank you enough. At least a reward..."
"More than that, take better care of the refugees."
Sisilia said it casually, annoyed, but the captain was moved to tears. The western front teetered daily. The commander had begged aid everywhere, but nobles balked at the hopeless situation.
Only the capital's Windsor Knights answered.
They ignored noble status, dire odds, even gold. Solely demon-slaying. Practicality and schemes? Irrelevant.
Anyone on-site knew: Windsor Knights were knights among knights.
The captain shed hot tears.
"S-Sisilia, he's crying."
"Happens all the time—ignore it. Let's go."
Indeed! The captain was a die-hard Windsor fan.
"At least let me provide horses!"
"Walking's faster from here. Take care."
"Your dedication honors us!"
Snap! He saluted the departing duo, tears flying, holding it until they vanished.
Meanwhile, one more person wanted to cry.
Why am I here...?
Beatrice, dragged along unwittingly. She'd planned to farm at home, not tread the western frontline.
Sisilia glanced at her expression.
"Won't be long."
"Huh?"
"Mission done in 3 days, back we go. Clearing this front's simple. More importantly, entry test right after—so prepare."
Sisilia smiled faintly at sweat-drenched, tight-lipped Beatrice.
"Don't worry. By my math, just catch about 1,332 monsters to pass."
She thumbs-upped with a grin.
"Tiny number, right?"
"Y-yes......"
Tears rolled down Beatrice's cheeks.