Frostwood Citadel and the Pickpocket's Folly
"This is Yugten...."
Once the train had come to a complete stop, we followed the announcement and stepped out onto the platform. Yugten's magic train station had quite an open atmosphere. There was a ceiling, but it felt more like a canopy than a proper roof. The moment we got off, we were greeted by a wide-open vista. Of course, the best view had come from peering out the window before we even pulled into the station, but there was something different about standing on solid ground with your own two feet, compared to sitting inside.
Beni let slip a murmur that was almost a gasp of awe.
"Instructor. What do we do now?"
"Hmm, let's head to the lodging first and drop off our bags."
"Got it!"
It wasn't anything extravagant, but there was no reason to keep lugging around a change of underwear and the like. Riley nodded with a broad grin at my words.
"After that... Is there anywhere special you'd like to go? You were the one who picked the destination, after all, Miss Riley."
"Yeah! Honestly, I didn't think beyond seeing that weird tree!"
Riley answered so boldly it was exactly what I'd expected—no real surprise there.
"At least there's one place you want to see. That's fortunate."
Indeed, if there hadn't been even that much, she wouldn't have chosen this spot for the field trip in the first place. Before we left that morning, I'd recalled the information the dean had passed along with the red jade.
"Whoever's hiding behind Groomha County seems to have anticipated this situation as well."
"Any evidence?"
"The candidate sites Lady Riley initially applied for got cut in half, right?"
Riley had originally applied for overnight stays everywhere as instructed, but once it shifted to the Cultural Exploration Club's field experience format, the options dwindled to about half. That forced prioritization, and the dean's judgment was that it revealed the opponent's intentions.
"Of the final selected sites, about seventy percent match the ones with a small dot in the lower right corner of the original overnight applications."
"I see."
"It's hard to say they predicted this exact response, but they clearly accounted for the possibility of having to 'select' from fewer options."
Conversely—though the dean hadn't mentioned it—the unselected sites had no such marks. In short: If options narrowed like this, prioritize the marked locations. Crucial intel. It hinted at what the opponent valued most...
"So, we can assume the black has no means to contact Riley Tiwe Kuntak right now?"
"Yes, probably. Or any means would take considerable time."
This aligned with our initial assumptions. Real-time contact? No way they'd have her submit a full year's worth of pre-filled applications. Instructions on the fly would be ideal. Even setting aside that it was in her own handwriting, this delayed exposing the overall plan. The fact they hadn't... meant they couldn't.
Our hunch solidified. Sure, they might have anticipated our anticipation and twisted it further—but overthinking led to paralysis. The snag? That's all we had. No consistent pattern among those "high-priority marked" sites; back to square one.
Well, it wasn't directly relevant to today's plans anyway. Seventy percent marked meant thirty percent weren't. Given that, and the low connection odds, Riley had likely filled the gaps with her own tastes. Yugten fell squarely in that thirty percent.
So, she had to have some personal interest. From what she'd said, it was probably the frostwood tree itself.
"So, drop the bags and head straight there?"
"Let's eat first. It's about lunchtime anyway."
Then we could meander toward the frostwood. We might spot something else en route. Worst case, grab ice cream for a snack. Ice was dirt cheap here where it flowed like water.
Beni aside, Riley struck me as the type who'd love gourmet eats.
"Alright, let's go."
Finding the lodging was easy. No reservation, but we'd pre-selected it. More precisely, they'd selected it for us. As Riley's monitor, I had to report incidents promptly. That meant an emergency contact network. Phones for most cases, but civilian lines might not cut it for sensitive stuff.
Whether covert calls or meets... superiors picked the method and told me to stay nearby. Saved me the hassle of scouting. In a world without internet, pre-vetting lodgings wasn't trivial.
"We'll take one room, but can we get extra bedding?"
"Of course! We'll bring it up shortly."
No issues at the inn counter. No haggling over three people in one room. It was pre-arranged. I'd said no reservation from my side, but the handler had handled it. Can't have the "perfect" spot booked solid on arrival. They'd reserved one room minimum.
And one room? Pre-coordinated. If Beni or Riley complained about space, the owner would play along: "Only one left, nothing I can do." Obvious intent: close supervision of this barbarian girl.
No complaints from me.
"Th-this seems like a really nice place...."
"Whoa! The room has its own bathroom!"
Of course it did. Hah.... How long since I'd smelled a bedroom that actually felt feminine?
×
We dropped our bags and hit a nearby restaurant.
"......"
Seated by the window, Beni stared blankly at the scene. Riley Tiwe Kuntak savagely tearing into her meat. Nothing new—same as the academy cafeteria. Even without prior sightings, it fit her image perfectly. If anything, using utensils properly was the mild surprise. Grabbing bones bare-handed wouldn't have fazed anyone.
The unexpected one was my fellow traveler, Lieutenant Konstantia. Precise, even graceful movements. Noblesse oblige in action. Beni, no etiquette training, just thought it looked "fancy." Even a layman like her could tell it was elegant.
So, what was the problem? The speed.
Not rushed hands. If anything, slower than average. But slightly larger cuts, devoured and swallowed at blinding speed. No hesitation—fluid motion right after. Piles of empty plates. Way more than three people needed. Factoring Beni's light appetite... Knights ate more than civilians, but this was monstrous.
The chef—now beaming like the owner—personally served. Small wonder; this table was printing money.
"All done."
How much time had passed? I set down my utensils, dabbed my mouth with a napkin. Pointless—I'd eaten lightning-fast without a crumb. Folding it neatly into my pocket, I finally noticed Beni's gaze.
"Hmm, surprising?"
A faint sheepishness flickered across my face.
"Ah, no! I just... thought it was different from how you eat at the academy cafeteria...."
Beni waved frantically. Realizing too late it was rude to gawk at someone innocent.
"Can't hog multiple bowls when portions are limited."
Academy meals were free for students and staff—unlike profit-driven civvy spots.
"Oh... not allowed?"
"...No. Eat your fill."
With a serial multi-bowler right there, I looked mildly troubled... but the meal wrapped in cheerful vibes (mostly the owner's). Beni gaped at the bill, but payer Yura Konstantia stayed cool. She was used to the tab from her feasts.
Watching her pocket her wallet, Beni concluded as much.
"Now, let's really go see the frostwood. The walls block most branches, but...."
Outside, I took point again. Barely ahead—one or two steps. Basically abreast. Beni eyed passersby while keeping pace with my limp.
"Ow."
How far had we gone? Crowds still milled. A girl rushed straight at Beni; collision. Riley beside her made dodging tricky. Beni assumed she'd veer...
But head down, she wasn't watching ahead.
"You ok—"
Beni started reflexively. But lips parted, no finish. Her eyes caught Riley's hand shooting to grab the girl's arm—right as it lunged for her pocket. Chain on Beni's bag jingled faintly.
"......"
Beni: casual "someone coming, she'll dodge." Riley: locked on seconds prior. Beastly instincts sensed wrongness. Brain hypothesized. Saw the hand dart. Heard the chain.
Common tourist scam. Ignorable if unnoticed or someone else—but not here. Not letting it slide.
Yet Riley didn't complete her grab.
"......?!"
A prickling killing intent, like needles on skin. Too late—my dark brown cane arced toward the girl's head. Aura-charged bludgeon sideways-smashed the pickpocket. My gleaming eyes pierced her like daggers. A church-bell CLANG boomed through the street; her body flew parallel to the ground.
But just before impact, Riley spotted something else. Thick, surging green aura enveloped the girl—visible to the naked eye. That unnatural sound? Probably it.
Lieutenant Konstantia belatedly realized, facepalming internally, hastily aura-wrapped the girl. Too late to stop; shield first. Without it, head would've parted from shoulders.
"A-are you okay?!"
"Lieutenant...?!"
"......Oh, uh, yeah."
Seeing me—instinct striker turned panicker—rush to the girl, Riley Tiwe Kuntak vowed solemnly. Already true, but from now on: no major screw-ups in front of Yura....