While Asteria handled buying tickets for the coach that would take them to Last Thaw, Orion took a moment to look around.
They still hadn't left Silverpeak, so he wasn’t really expecting to find anything new, but he couldn’t deny the bubbling excitement inside him at the thought of finally seeing the world.
He’d certainly not expected things to escalate this way. Morliana’s motives remained unclear, but her actions left them no choice.
If they wanted the protection of a Veil Priestess, they had to be freed from Elder Yue’s nominal control.
Surprisingly, Orion found some familiarity in this situation. University politics had lower stakes, but one wouldn’t realize it given the amount of backstabbing, egomaniacal egos, and constant underhanded deals.
He’d personally suffered because of it, as his funding was cut multiple times just because someone else convinced the board that their pet project was more important than solving one of the universe’s greatest mysteries.
Not that it ultimately accomplished much. I got myself killed, and probably whatever poor bastard was still on campus that late at night.
Orion wouldn’t say he’d moved past his failure, but he’d made peace with it.
It was a shocking realization that he no longer felt that intense self-hatred. It caused him to doubt everything about his identity, as he had based his entire self-worth on proving he was right. But a lot of time had passed. Thirteen years, fourteen in just a few months, were enough for most wounds to at least scab over.
I wouldn’t say I’m a completely different person. I am aware that my biases and quirks still remain strong, but I have changed some.
For example, once upon a time, he would never have smiled softly as his mother walked back toward him, waving two tickets in victory. Especially given what had happened between them. And yet, that was exactly what was happening now.
“I did it!” Asteria smiled, reaching over to pull him against her. She hesitated for a moment, as if worried she’d overdone it, but he stepped in closer on his own.
The shaky smile she gave him made it all worthwhile, even though he could have done without causing a scene in public. “Don’t celebrate now, we still haven’t even left Silverpeak,” he muttered, and got a laugh in return.
“You are right, the hard part is yet to come,” she agreed.
Together, they walked through the stone portico and into the main part of the coach station. It reminded Orion of train stations across Europe, with their carved reliefs and white marble, although this one was smaller and less busy.
Most people, it turned out, didn’t really move around much unless they absolutely needed to; when they did, they tried to attach themselves to a caravan to save money and stay safe.
Very few had the coin to pay for an express coach, especially since it had so few seats.
Orion watched as one entered the station. It was basically a single train carriage made of black wood and steel, built to be luxurious with more comfortable and spacious seating.
A quartet of truly impressive Iron Lizards led the way, their tails bristling with electricity and still moving energetically despite the long journey, though they couldn’t match the magnificence of the Sanctum’s Pegasi.
“Our coach will leave in just an hour,” Asteria whispered, watching his gaze. “I managed to negotiate a better price by promising to protect the other passengers in case of an attack.”
Orion hummed in approval. “That sounds good. It’s not like you could have left them to die anyway, but how likely is it that we get attacked?”
“Well, monsters aren’t much of a problem this time of the year. Those that hibernate are just starting to come out of their lairs, so it’ll be a while before they try to expand their territory. But the roads have been unsafe for a while. The High Council took some actions, but from what I know, they only had sporadic success," she replied.
I already knew that. Lucina’s niece, Electra, told me her father was involved in that kind of thing.
“So the mercenaries the Crimson Wheel Consortium hired haven’t solved the banditry problem?”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Asteria looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged. “Hey, I try to keep up with current events.”
She shook her head, amused. “I do not doubt it. But the answer to that is complicated. It’s true that the Consortium stepped in, since any kind of trade barrier results in a lot of coin lost for them, as they are the largest shareholders in every major caravan. However, they mainly focus their efforts on the major routes. For example, the waterways of the Belt are very well patrolled these days, but smaller roads like the one from Silverpeak to Last Thaw don’t see enough trade volume to justify such an investment.”
“Huh. And I guess this has something to do with it being the Sanctum’s lands," he added, and she nodded.
“Indeed. We don’t maintain a standing army like some of the other factions, so projecting force isn’t exactly easy when our enemies keep moving around. If the bandits had one main camp, a Magistra or two would have been sent to handle them, but they are divided and rarely stay in one place long enough to be found.”
Orion considered this carefully before responding. "So, you expect us to be attacked. I would assume they are aware that each express coach is guarded by a team of adventurers by now."
Asteria sighed. “Yes, they should know better, but this is bandits we are talking about. They aren’t exactly known for their cost-benefit analysis.”
Their coach arrived about forty minutes later, pulled by a fresh team of Iron Lizards. A well-dressed man sat at the helm, taking off his hat to greet each passenger as they entered, and Orion had a strange sense of déjà-vu as he climbed in.
The space was extremely luxurious, with velvet and lacquered wood furnishings, and it reminded him of the time he was invited to a conference in the Gulf and had his ticket upgraded to business class.
The impression was heightened by the two hostesses who greeted him with identical, practiced smiles as he entered. They quickly verified that the tickets were in order and welcomed him once that was done.
“Magistra Voidwalker, it is an honor to have you and your son,” the older of the two said, while the other simply bowed.
A few heads turned around at that, as the other passengers heard the title. Many looked surprised to see such a young-looking woman and a teenager, and Orion knew they didn’t exactly fit the stereotypical image of a witch and an apprentice, but he didn’t really care what these people thought.
He could have done without the ogling of the teenage girl sitting at the very back, who was doing her best to keep him in her sight.
“Ah, my little heartbreaker is at it again,” Asteria murmured as they settled into their seats, their luggage floating into the reserved space next to their seats.
“What do you mean ‘again’?” Orion asked in a strained voice, and received a very ominous chuckle in reply.
“Oh dear, do you really think witches don’t talk? I know all about your antics with the female students!”
Am I still in time to return to the Sanctum and be obliterated by Morliana?
Noticing his stoic silence, Asteria had the good grace not to push him on the topic, allowing him to sit with his thoughts.
Eventually, the hostesses closed the carriage door and called everyone’s attention by ringing a brass bell. “Welcome, everyone, to the Express Coach from Silverpeak to Last Thaw!” The younger, peppier one cheerfully exclaimed. “We will depart in just a minute, so if you’ve left anything behind, please tell us now, as we won’t be able to go back once we leave.”
Orion quickly tuned out the announcements. She was simply going over basic safety instructions that anyone who’d ever been on any mode of public transportation on Earth would recognize.
On the other hand, the different shades of magic he sensed layered over the carriage were much more fascinating.
[Verification Principle] once again proved its worth by allowing him to look beyond the initial basic protection spells and into the core of the magic.
Like the Pegasi carriage, Orion noticed several comfort enchantments. These appeared to be slightly lower quality, but then again, they didn’t need to fly, so maybe they weren’t necessary. Beyond those, there were a few durability spells that seemed to work by forming a lattice of mana around the structure, helping it withstand the stress from high speeds and road wear. At the very bottom, an enchantment was applied to make the carriage lighter than it should have been.
Now that’s interesting. But where does the weight—ah, I see. It’s not so much that it makes the carriage lighter as it applies a constant force field to it, significantly reducing the thrust needed to get it moving. But it does come with a weak point at the anchor… Then again, it’s at the very bottom, so it should be safe.
Sometimes, it was hard to reconcile what [Verification Principle] was showing him with what he expected to see, but in this case, it was very clear that the last spell was just a rough attempt to mimic a mag-lev train. The speed they could reach was much lower, of course. It would take nearly twenty-four hours to reach the last Thaw, only two hundred miles from Silverpeak, but considering their other options—walking alongside a caravan, buying horses neither of them knew how to ride, or flying there on brooms for days—this would have to do.
The other point of interest within the carriage was the team of adventurers occupying the first section. It consisted of two women and three men, all roughly Asteria’s age, though without knowing her, he would have guessed she was at least a few years younger.
All five were decent fighters, from what he could tell, but something about them didn’t quite convince him.
Inspect.
[Leon - Lv. 84] [Fleet-footed Ranger - D-Rank]
[Marty - Lv. 83] [Hidden Blade - D-Rank]
[Pia - Lv. 78] [Quick Dancer - D-Rank]
[Celestia - Lv. 107] [Silver Mercy - C-Rank]
[Theofrast - Lv. 105] [Blade of Silver - C-Rank]
The first three were all completely normal. Orion wouldn’t have blinked if he saw them in Silverpeak. But having three stealth and dexterity-based classes on the same team was unusual.
If it were just that, he would have merely put it down as this particular job requiring those kinds of people.
But the last two... They wouldn’t have been out of place in the Sanctum. Aside from being both tier-three, which placed them above most adventurers and their own teammates, their classes clearly stemmed from the coven’s tradition.
I suppose that’s not necessarily true. The word 'Silver' appears in many categories around the Sanctum, but it could also belong to someone who works directly with the metal.
Even as he was thinking it, Orion dismissed the idea. It was just too unlikely a coincidence. I’ll have to watch them.
Looking outside the window, he was surprised to see that they had already gone beyond the town limits. He hadn’t even realized they had moved, which showed just how effective those comfort enchantments were.
Well, that, and how deeply he could get lost in his world.
A look at his mother showed that she was engrossed in a book about advanced poisons that could be found in the Greenwood. With a sigh, Orion leaned back. The day would be long, especially since he couldn't experiment or cast magic at all, given that they were in a moving carriage.
Hm, but maybe I can do some modeling work for the blood crystal. I have the experimental data; I just need to develop a correct code and mathematical model.
With that decided, Orion pulled out a fresh journal from his lab coat and began doing the sort of work he used to finish in just a few minutes with computer software.
Hopefully, it will be a smooth ride.
enjoy the story and would like to read more, are available on my .
