Inevitability Disguised as Coincidence
Before they boarded the teleportation circle bound for the south, the supervising professor inspected the luggage.
Baggage checks were always a delicate matter, but there was no avoiding it. Now and then a few students tried to sneak alcohol in without permission, and liquor was one of the few things the Academy policed with absolute severity. If someone got drunk on the trip and caused an accident, the fallout would be a genuine nightmare. So the bags had to be checked for anything that might contain spirits.
…What the hell is this.
In the middle of the inspection, something appeared that made him doubt his own eyes. A long bar. The circular plates meant to slide onto it. Four dumbbells beside them, and even a kettlebell. Someone had packed an entire home gym.
At first the professor assumed it belonged to Kyle of the notorious John Nassen barony. The eldest son and daughter of that house had enrolled in previous years, and the entire faculty already knew the youngest was just as obsessed with training.
"That's not mine."
Kyle denied it outright. He even lifted the thoroughly ordinary bag sitting next to the pile of iron and held it up for inspection. The professor peeked inside, frowning, and found nothing but clothes.
While he was still debating whether to believe the boy, three voices spoke up in quick succession.
"That's mine, Professor!"
"…The one next to it is mine."
"And the one next to that is mine."
Nell, then Ian, then Leto. The three students who had somehow packed luggage only Kyle himself would ever think to bring.
The professor could not hide his bewilderment. What on earth were these people? Was this some new form of rebellion? Were they planning to commit atrocities with free weights?
"Students. Why in the world did you bring all of this?"
"To train, sir!"
"…Train?"
"Yes, sir!"
Nell answered with bright energy. Leto glanced around nervously. Ian merely looked faintly put out, as if wondering why anyone would ask such an obvious question. The professor had seen students smuggle alcohol before, but this was the first time anyone had tried to smuggle gym equipment onto a field trip.
The academic expedition was partly scholarly, of course, yet it was also meant to be a rare chance for freshmen to travel and unwind. And these three intended to spend it lifting?
He tilted his head, then finally decided to let it go. Absurd as it was, nothing about the situation actually violated any rule. Self-discipline was something the Academy actively encouraged.
"You will use these for exercise only. Understood?"
Ian looked even more baffled than before. Of course they would use them for exercise. Who in their right mind would swing a barbell in a fight? Where on the continent did people settle arguments with kettlebells?
Once the professor moved on, Kyle sidled over and began rummaging through the three bags, checking the contents with a critical eye.
"You packed all of this by yourself, Nell?"
"Yes. You said we must never neglect training no matter where we go, so I brought everything."
"Hmm…"
An ordinary person would have told her that a field trip was hardly the place for such dedication—that she could always make up the missed sessions once they returned. Kyle was not ordinary. After inspecting her gear he only tilted his head.
"Bar, plates, dumbbells… where's the kettlebell? You didn't bring one?"
"Eh? Ah—ahh… I'm sorry. I forgot."
"Bring one next time. I strongly recommend kettlebell work."
Even now he was giving equipment advice. Barbells and dumbbells kept the center of mass inside the hands, he explained; kettlebells placed it outside, so the progressive overload on the body was entirely different even at the same weight.
More astonishing still was the fact that Ian, who had been listening quietly the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
"I packed a kettlebell, Kyle."
"You did? Oh. Didn't expect that. Well done, Ian."
For the first time since their endless drills began, Kyle actually praised him and even clapped him on the shoulder.
Still, things had improved a great deal compared to the early days. Kyle had expected Nell and Ian to bring gear, but even Leto packing on his own was a pleasant surprise. As their trainer he felt his chest swell with genuine pride. Nothing made him happier than seeing his members show real enthusiasm.
Later when I'm bored I should do some heavy sets with what those three brought.
Any missing weight could always be scrounged up on site. The thought would have made every other student on the trip shudder.
With the luggage inspection finished, all that remained was to board the teleportation circle. Kyle stood quietly in place, waiting for the departure order, when a familiar voice called from behind.
"Kyle! Kyle!"
He turned. Tisha was hurrying toward him with a radiant smile. She usually favored dark, muted colors, but today she wore a bright sky-blue outfit that matched her expression perfectly and suited her remarkably well.
"All ready?"
"Yes. As you can see—perfect."
As she could see, he had finished every preparation needed to deal with his "target" during the expedition. He did not know the precise location yet, but there was such a thing as John Nassen instinct. Wander around long enough and something would eventually go crack inside his senses.
"I'm so looking forward to the field trip. And it's the south, of all places!"
"You really seem excited."
"Of course. Where I grew up—well, where we both grew up—it's almost impossible to see the ocean. I mean a proper ocean. Warm sun, sandy beaches, blue waves rolling in. The kind where you can splash around and actually put your feet in the water."
There was a sea in the north, of course. The problem was that glaciers floated in it. One wrong step and you froze solid; that was why no one ever swam there.
John Nassen people dive in just fine, though.
Once a month without fail, plunging into the Ice Sea was simply part of the family routine. There was no special reason. You swam, you hardened your body, you improved overall conditioning.
Back when I did the glacier challenge I stayed in the water three days straight.
That had been rough. Truly, miserably rough.
"I've always wanted to see a beautiful sea like that."
Tisha's voice pulled Kyle out of the brief memory. When people said "the ocean," that sunny image was certainly the first thing that came to mind.
"The schedule says we get free time on the beach. You know how to swim, right, Kyle?"
"Of course."
Every John Nassen knew how to swim. No one had ever formally taught them; the moment you were thrown into the Ice Sea you simply learned, because the alternative was drowning. After enough time you even started claiming the freezing water felt warmer than the air outside.
"I can swim too! So when we get there we can go swimming together!"
Kyle smiled and nodded for the moment, but he could not give her a firm promise. Once they reached the south he would almost certainly have separate business to attend to.
If I disappear for too long Tisha might get hurt again. A week at most, probably.
He had no intention of spending more time than that anyway. This was still an Academy field trip—an isekai beach vacation, essentially. He would not touch a drop of alcohol, and he would train in the gaps, but he fully intended to enjoy himself. Using every free hour to hunt down those damn roiders would feel more than a little unfair.
Fortunately, help arrived for his later plans.
A red-haired young woman who had been watching the cozy scene between Tisha and Kyle with careful attention finally decided she could wait no longer. Elga of the Litorio Grand Duchy stepped forward.
"Tisha. Kyle."
"Ah—welcome, Lady Elga."
"I overheard you talking about the southern sea. You seem terribly excited."
"Yes. I spend so much time in the mountains that I've never even been near the coast."
"It is a beautiful place. Mountains have their own beauty, lakes theirs—and the sea has its own as well."
She spoke first with Tisha, smoothly erasing any awkwardness that might have come from interrupting. Once the atmosphere felt properly settled she turned her gaze to Kyle.
"Kyle. Do you remember what you told me last time?"
"Last time… ah. You mean when I went to the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes. You mentioned that certain groups from the Western Kingdom Alliance had fled south."
When he nodded, Elga smiled. It was nothing like the bright, open smile Tisha had worn moments earlier. This one carried a faintly more dangerous edge.
"I found them."
"…One moment, Lady Elga. What did you just say?"
"I found them. I know where those Alliance fugitives are headed."
That information almost certainly existed nowhere outside the Imperial family. Releasing something so sensitive was risky; the wrong ears could earn one the palace's suspicion. But the person receiving it was Kyle—John Nassen himself. Even the Imperial family had invited him into the palace and allowed him a place in state affairs. Handing intelligence to a man of that standing was hardly grounds for complaint.
"Lady Elga."
"Yes, Kyle."
"Where?"
His expression remained as calm as ever. Yet Elga felt the faint heat of anger simmering beneath the surface and knew her calculation had been exact. This single piece of information could earn her more points than anything else she might offer.
She felt a twinge of guilt toward Tisha, but this was war. In war one did not craft strategy while worrying about the other side's feelings.
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes. I want to know."
"It won't be free, I'm afraid. I went to considerable trouble and put in a great deal of effort."
She fixed him with a steady look—the silent question clear: I can give you this. What will you give me?
Kyle glanced around. They stood a little apart from the main cluster of students; no one was watching. For a fleeting second he wondered whether he really had to go this far. Then the thought vanished, replaced by a single burning desire: he wanted to see those bastards' faces as soon as possible. If this would finish the matter quickly, there was almost nothing he wouldn't do right here.
"Please."
He took Elga's hand, drew it toward him, and pressed his lips to the back of it before she could react—cutting off any chance she might demand better terms.
"…Uh—uhh?"
Her face flushed crimson, redder even than her hair.
"Ah—uwa? Uwaaah?"
Apparently she had never imagined he would go quite this far. Elga stood frozen in pure shock, looking ready to hop in place from sheer fluster. Kyle ignored the spectacle completely and asked only one thing.
"So where is it? That place."