With the Knight’s arrival, the situation was truly over.
The criminals were swiftly apprehended, but with that, Cyril and the other two were also detained for questioning.
In a guard station not far from the powered-down manarail, Cyril was led into an enclosed white room.
Inside was only a simple table and two chairs, placed somewhat close to each other.
On one chair sat Cyril with his gaze colder than usual, occasionally peeking in the corner of the room.
On the other chair casually sat the Knight from before.
They weren’t usually responsible for this part, but this time they made an exception.
The Knight took off his helmet, staring at Cyril with a satisfied smile.
As someone who pays attention to these things, Cyril easily recognized this particular Knight.
Meeting in person someone he has only heard about before was an interesting experience, even if in a less than desirable location.
“So you helped solve the situation!
A very respectable thing indeed.
We need more young men like you in our world!” The Knight laughed with glee.
“Those Lapis guys are such a pain.
They yell about injustice one moment, then about protecting the environment the other…
What does any of it have to do with disrupting public transport?
Lunatics, am I right?”
He still held his back straight.
There was still a certain air of authority about him.
However, the look in his eyes seemed somewhat unfitting to Cyril.
“Well, don’t worry about them.
You are just a student for now.
So focus on your lessons and forget about that trash for a while, haha.”
He just wouldn’t stop talking.
Such friendliness somewhat spoiled the atmosphere.
At least Cyril thought so.
Knights should be quiet and solemn, their strength speaking for itself.
“Speaking of which…
your uniform.
You are a student of Ailanthus, correct?” the knight said.
Ailanthus, despite being an academy of magic, focused more on preparing its students for combat.
Its graduates, at least those who aren’t nobles, often ended up joining the guards or becoming mages for hire.
However, some of the more excellent students ended up becoming Knights, a role more prestigious than any.
He calmly nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
The Knight slammed the table with joy, nodding up and down.
“Very good!
I can’t wait until you join us.
When the time comes, come find me!”
“Feels good to know young people still have that dream of knighthood!
That disgrace, Nostro Thorne, ruined our reputation quite a bit, but we are slowly getting it back, hehe.”
“…”
They were in an interrogation room.
It was just as barren and isolating as the books described them.
However, the atmosphere in the room couldn’t be more unfitting.
The Knight stared at Cyril like at his favorite grandson.
While it was tempting to think it was because this Knight was just that friendly, the reality was likely different.
After all, Cyril was a noble.
Even if it was a Knight, no one was against building some helpful connections.
Perhaps the other two students of Ailanthus, commoners by the looks of it, were getting the full experience of being detained.
“Hope that black-haired idiot enjoys the famed guard brutality!” An enchanting female voice called out.
Cyril’s eye twitched, his expressionless state momentarily faltering.
Although the Knight didn’t notice the subtle change, nor did he react to the arrogant voice.
Cyril glanced once again in the corner of the room, where a black-haired and red-eyed woman triumphantly stood with a proud smirk on her face.
This was the same woman from the manarail, still here with him.
It’s not like she was taken to the same interrogation room with him, nor did Cyril ask her to be taken here.
Instead, she simply walked here on her own, curiously observing everything on her way.
Not a single soul has tried to stop her or tell her to go away.
Rather, no one interacted with her at all, treating her as if empty air.
This made Cyril have a rather concerning realization that she was someone or something not visible to other humans.
“Not some ‘thing.’ I told you my name is Rhamn.
Is it weird for me to be here?
I feel like it’s quite natural,” the woman casually replied, not to any words but to Cyril’s thoughts directly.
Cyril massaged his temples and quietly sighed, trying his best to remain calm.
It seems she was able to read his mind as well.
This was now a bit more concerning.
“Why though?
I think it’s convenient.”
“What is it, young man?
Is there something bothering you?” the Knight asked, noticing this display of exhaustion.
Cyril shook his head, his face quickly recovering its usual levels of blankness.
“…You seem to have neglected the standard procedures with me.
Shouldn’t you first test me for any curse or spell that might’ve been attached to me?” he replied, as if genuinely concerned with the levels of levity offered to him.
The Knight’s face froze.
In a moment, he smiled even wider than before.
“So righteous!
You are a true noble, young man!
I respect that.
It’s just that I thought your noble status made your trustworthiness obvious.
We shouldn’t treat you the same as a common thug from the street!”
“He talks well.
Not bad.”
The Knight continued.
“However, you are right.
I will not disrespect your nobility any more.
Please wait for a moment as we ready a few things first.”
The Knight calmly got up from his chair and walked out of the room, leaving Cyril alone.
“I am here.”
Or not alone.
Cyril sighed again, focusing on the enigmatic woman nearby.
So, who are you?
He thought instead of asking directly.
Sure enough, the woman answered without any trouble.
“I told you, my name is Rhamn!” she said with a bit of playful complaint.
And what do you want from me, Rhamn?
Cyril asked next, his face completely unamused.
Hearing the question, the woman who called herself Rhamn quieted down, her face losing any snark it might’ve had previously.
She seriously contemplated for a few moments.
Then, she solemnly looked into his blue eyes.
Cyril was fully focused on the bright red eyes looking right into him.
“I want…” she slowly uttered, tensions rising.
“I want you to be happy, I guess.”
Huh?
Cyril’s face went blank.
The answer came so casually and so innocently it honestly boggled his mind.
It was almost embarrassing to hear something like this.
“Hey!
I am being serious!
What’s wrong with happiness?
Don’t all beings strive for that?!”
Cyril massaged his temples again, regaining his composure.
Looks like she wasn’t going to tell him the truth so easily.
It’s fine.
He expected this.
“But it is the truth.”
…If you say so.
At this moment, the doors of the interrogation room were opened, the same Knight coming back with another person following behind.
It was a man in a robe, a hood on his head.
Whatever was visible from his face revealed a nervous state of mind.
“Please, young man, sit still while we conduct the checks,” the Knight said.
Cyril silently nodded and got himself ready.
Silently, the man in a hood began casting spell after spell, their effects unknown.
This lasted for close to thirty minutes, during which Rhamn curiously observed the glows and orbs hitting Cyril’s body one after another.
She didn’t seem one bit bothered by them, which gave Cyril a bad feeling.
Sure enough, when he was done, the mage in a robe dusted his hands, whispered something to his colleague, and quickly ran away from the room.
“You are completely clean as expected.
But it’s good we did it anyway.
Just in case, right?
haha.” The Knight chuckled as he put hands on his hips.
Nothing…?
Cyril’s face became darker than usual.
He completely ignored the Knight, glancing at the red-eyed woman at his side.
“Told you so.”
…They didn’t detect anything?
So she is not a result of a spell?
“Of course not.
How silly.”
…No.
Maybe their abilities are just not enough to see through it.”
“Tsk.”
Cyril clicked his tongue at the thought.
The Knight’s smile twitched a little.
Perhaps he misunderstood something.
Cyril got a brief urge to explain himself.
He didn’t mean to be rude.
However, he silenced it in the end.
It was pointless, and he likely wouldn’t have succeeded anyway.
“Please, proceed with the questioning,” Cyril said, his face becoming expressionless once more.
“Right.”
The Knight cleared his throat before picking up a small notebook from the table.
Scribbling something inside, he politely glanced at Cyril.
“Where are you heading?
I’ll write it as Ailanthus…” The Knight scribbled something again before looking up.
“You are a freshman, correct?
You must’ve missed today’s convocation…”
Cyril continued listening with an empty expression, only nodding in response.
“If you want, we can offer you one of our carriages.
While it might not be as fast as the ones in your home, it’s better than the manarail.”
Cyril nodded again.
“Thank you.
That would be useful.”
He still planned on entering Ailanthus and saw no reason to refuse such a convenient thing.
“Great!
We’ll give you our fastest one!
Now, one last thing for pure formality.
You said your name is Cyril, but it would be my honor to know the family name of such an impressive individual.
Or do you have an ID with you?
That would make things simpler.”
Something close to helplessness showed through Cyril’s eyes as he momentarily went silent.
The Knight awkwardly waited in confusion.
Soon enough, Cyril reached into the pocket of his uniform and retrieved a small card, putting it on the desk.
On its surface, most prominently stood out a beautiful engraving: a sword entwined with a flower.
Seeing this crest, the Knight’s face quickly turned blank.
…
The guard’s carriage was indeed inferior to the one at home, but that was actually a good thing.
If more people rode at those speeds, the world would have long been destroyed.
This speed, which didn’t force the insides of the stomach outside, was quite pleasant.
Cyril opened the window of the carriage and casually enjoyed the view.
He didn’t bother to check on how the other two students were doing.
Their lives or deaths had nothing to do with him.
Besides, he had too many things on his plate already.
“You are saying the carriage at home is faster than this?!” Rhamn exclaimed, peeking at the seemingly unending blurry buildings going past in the window.
“That’s crazy!”
It’s quite a bit faster indeed…
A certain expressionless figure involuntarily flashed in his mind.
Cyril shook his head, getting rid of the stray thought.
He focused on the red-eyed woman instead.
“Rhamn.”
I get it already.
…It’s a weird name.
“Hey!
I thought it was cool…” Rhamn lowered her back, deep sadness welling in her red eyes.
Cyril only scoffed in response, glaring at her in contemplation.
The means at the guard station weren’t enough to see through her.
Which meant two things.
Either she is not a product of a spell but rather something close to a mental problem or she is a product of a spell but of a vastly superior one.
Both assumptions were concerning, but the latter was somewhat more preferable to Cyril.
Even if it was a powerful spell, he was not without options.
Asking for help was a rather shameful thing, but if it had to be done…
The only problem was, would this mysterious woman, Rhamn, allow him to seek help?
“Go for it…?
Not like you need help.
It’s just pointless.”
He was doubtful.
The center was far from here.
It would take some time.
A better alternative would be to rely on Ailanthus.
Despite being away from the city center, this academy was one of the best.
Surely, the mages there would be able to solve his trouble.
“Am I really trouble?
Don’t you feel glad there is a beautiful woman accompanying you?”
…Can you keep quiet?
“Okay.”
In a much appreciated silence, Cyril continued staring out the window.
If this was a powerful spell, then by whom?
What was the motive?
Was it someone with a grudge against his family?
Then the suspects are truly endless.
It was almost pointless to think about.
So Cyril didn’t, simply relaxing the rest of the way instead.
As he flatly observed the view outside the window, a vague feeling scratched at him, like he forgot about something.
Although no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t remember what it was.
Must not be important.
…This area looks a bit better.
For once, he discovered a somewhat pleasant thing.
As they got closer to the prestigious academy, the streets, whatever was visible at this speed, started to look more presentable once again.
The carriage slowly lost its speed, allowing a better look.
It seems they were close already.
Although there was no splendor of the center, it was at least bearable to look at.
Everything was clean, the shops were plentiful, and the people didn’t look as ragged.
Cyril and Rhamn, by his side, observed the view outside with curiosity.
Soon enough in their sight appeared a distinct structure.
It was an ancient-looking castle raised high above everything else around it.
The moon’s gentle light softly illuminated it, adding to the somewhat ethereal atmosphere.
Unlike the simplicity of the modern buildings, this castle was luxurious, grand, and absolutely massive.
Quite frankly, even in the center, one wouldn’t get to see something like this.
This must be Ailanthus.
It looks better than I thought.
Surrounding the castle’s territory was a wall that separated its grounds from the city.
The academy’s territory was quite sizeable as well, almost rivaling that of a city district.
The academy even had its own forest, vast enough to get lost in, no doubt.
Their carriage rode up to the academy’s gates, where it quietly stopped.
Cyril exited the carriage, eager to observe his surroundings further, and the moment he did, a less-than-friendly voice came from the driver’s seat.
“I’ve done my job, sir!
Good luck in your studies!” It was a guard that was assigned as his driver.
Without awaiting Cyril’s response, he flailed the horses, speeding away immediately like he was escaping from a dangerous beast.
Cyril blankly observed his departure, feeling somewhat helpless.
“Is he really that scared of nobility?
Very weak-willed if you ask me.”
I didn’t.
I asked you to be quiet.
“Oh.”
The streets were dark, with scarcely anyone around.
However, the gates remained open, as if inviting whoever passes by inside.
Feeling more curious than ever, Cyril stepped through the gates, scanning the gothic castle in front of him.
As he did so, he felt a wave go through his body, as if stepping through a curtain of water.
A detection spell?
No need for guards even, I suppose.
Even somewhat forgetting his own situation, Cyril walked towards the castle.
It was almost nighttime already, and he saw no other human so far.
The stone path forward was lit up by the magic lamps standing at certain intervals across it.
The walk took a few minutes.
Thankfully, the castle wasn’t too far from the entrance.
There was a surprising amount of greenery in here.
There were trees, bushes, and flowerbeds decorating the road ahead, all carefully maintained.
Not all places in the city could claim the same.
As he approached the castle itself, Cyril noticed a young man sitting on the bench a bit before the entrance.
This wasn’t the first person he saw, but it was someone he knew.
It was a handsome young man with blond hair and green eyes.
Although that face was now marred by a clear lack of sleep and deep eye bags.
Edmund?
A fellow noble from the center.
They’ve actually known each other since early childhood, however little that actually meant in this world.
Edmund was at the very least a resourceful person.
He was someone who paid attention to the social aspects of life and likely already knew his way around.
He might be able to help me.
Since it was quite late and he missed whatever welcome the other students received, Cyril found it necessary to ‘catch up.’
“Edmund,” he said, walking closer to the downtrodden young man on the bench.
Flinching at his name being called, the young man raised his head with confusion.
“Cyril?!
What are you doing here?
Am I hallucinating?” he exclaimed in surprise, wiping at his eyes.
“…I want to ask you the same.”
Ailanthus was an academy more known for its rigorous training that prepared its students for real combat.
A person like Edmund would be the last to enroll here.
“I don’t know what I am doing here!” Edmund exclaimed, holding his head in anguish.
Tears glistening in the corner of his eyes, he continued, “It was all going so well!
Life was spectacular!
But Dad suddenly said I had to make something of myself and sent me here.
Here!
Why should I fight?!
I am a noble!
That’s your thing, but far from mine!
I would be more suitable as a…
an artist!”
Edmund looked up at the moon, his eyes holding deep pain as if after seeing the worst horrors of the world.
“…”
“He is quite annoying, isn’t he?”
Cyril gave Rhamn a single glance before looking back at Edmund.
“I see.
How did the convocation go?”
Edmund replied without even turning his head, “I don’t know.”
You don’t know?
That wasn’t an answer Cyril expected.
Shouldn’t this human conveniently explain to him everything he needs to know?
“Sorry.
I kind of blacked out when enrolling.
I don’t know anything, myself,” Edmund said, as if giving an exhausted sigh.
“…I see.”
“Useless!”
Cyril stood for a few more seconds, observing Edmund’s empty eyes.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” he said.
Edmund only offered a weak ‘uh-huh’ in response, still staring at the night sky.
Everyone has their troubles…
I guess.
Cyril continued on into the castle.
He wasn’t going to stick with this guy or help him somehow.
They knew each other, but they weren’t that close.
“That guy is just a burden.
No need to dirty yourself by association.”
Although she said it in such a way, Cyril couldn’t help but feel similar.
“What way?
That’s just the truth.”