Train Marina

Chapter 9 - Train Marina

"Mother! Father! Let's ride the Train Marina!" 

The duke and duchess stared at their excited daughter who was holding their arms, dragging them.

"The nobles are required to ride Train Julius, dear."

Robert Vansia dissuaded his daughter.

Constance chuckled, her eyes moving towards the VIP area with nobles lining up to enter Train Julius. "But doesn't the Vansia family have leverage over the other nobility? Or did I imagine their prickling gaze towards us?"

"Even if that is the case, we cannot always choose on our own." This time, Noreen Vansia, discouraged her.

But the father who was weak to his child's few requests could not sit still and approach the station manager handling the trains' passenger list.

Eventually he gave a nod and the duke lead his family to Train Marina.

When Sequentia first popped the question to Constance's parents to ride Train Marina together, Constance became quiet on the other side. 

'Constance. You made a mistake. I know how much you value your family.'

Sequentia remembered the time she got Constance's parents' letter. Her heart felt sorrow and fondness as she read the letter. She understood before that it wasn't her emotions.

And she remembers Constance's first order.

< ...Prevent my parents to board the first prince's new project the steam engine, 'Train Marina' >

She specifically mentioned that train. Yet now she says that they shouldn't ride any trains at all. 

Constance hit her own head from behind when she mentioned a specific train before.

There's something dangerous about Train Marina and she'll drag Constance's parents to that event. 

'For my magic. How dare you turn my magic into a hostage'.

I will get my magic back by force if I have to. Sequentia though.

She stared through the window once they settled down in their seats, her emotions were indiscernible through her expression alone but her eyes were that of fury.

< Train Marina is bound to pass by the Eldian Woods and up to the Mountain of Sakar. >

"Huh?"

As the lady in charge announced Train Marina's destination and the places they'll pass through. A familiar voice entered her ears. Her white eyes retracted from gazing out the window and into the inside of the train. 

'Huh?'

Sequentia reacted the same way after seeing the Crown Prince Lyzekiel disguised as a commoner, his hand was covering his mouth that made a vocal reaction before he could think.

After him were two other gentlemen also disguised as a commoner.

"What are you doing here?"

Sequentia pointed to the three noble idiots. Ah right. Anaiz's brother wasn't part of that noble trio stuff but he's part of the trio idiots now.

The duke and duchess Vansia stared at the newcomers, eyeing Constance. "Do you know these gentlemen, Connie?"

"Ah?" 

Sequentia let out a questioning expression. 

She could clearly notice the idiots who stood out even if they wore boring plain clothes. "These are.."

Just then in the corner of her eyes she saw Lyzekiel whisper something on Cade's ear, and he immediately cut her off. "T-the lady Vansia.. Um, we've met in the Magic Library... D-don't be a stranger. Um, your graces... We are..."

As Cade explained and tried getting the attention of his own parents, explaining untrue stories regarding Constance's meeting with them and aided by Rohwell who eloquently added more reliable details.

Sequentia turned to the Crown Prince and stood up, dragging him away.

"Oy. Why the hell are the guest of honors in this train?" She clicked her tongue.

Though they were sneaking about, Lyzekiel didn't seem to mind.

He was slightly leaning away from her as he commented nonchalantly, "You have good magic aptitude instinctively. My lady, you probably don't realize this but the three of us are wearing a magic bracelet that changed the people's perception towards our identity."

Sequentia weakened the hand holding his arm.

There was a dumbfounded look on Constance's face.

'This..!'

She whipped her head towards the train car. Her white eyes growing excited.

"This..!"

She frowned. I still can't see magic particles, she thought and clicked her tongue.

'I guess being a mage was an innate talent. Regardless whether I had magic or not, my talent will cause magic resistance. I can see through and probably go against other people's magic.'

It's kind of amazing, but I'd rather have magic I can control. She thought.

"I see." She replied blandly at the Crown Prince's neutral face. "Also, why are you leaning away from me?"

"I apologize. I'm not fond of mages."

"Oho? Is it because your land was cursed because of one?"

Lyzekiel looked away, sighing.

There was a thoughtful gaze before his green eyes landed back to her. "My lady, though that may be the case, you should understand that Julius Ardine was a genius in his generation and had lived as the best in all history of mages. Rather than being thought of as a villain or a hero, Julius Ardine is simply regarded by everyone as a mage so strong he went up against a 'god'. What happened to the capital was unfortunate but no one hates a story of someone trying hard to overcome adversity."

It was Sequentia's turn to stare at him. "I didn't know you were passionate about this. But regardless, Your highness, you seem dif-"

The train rattled.

It was only for a moment but everyone panicked.

"The train tracks should be stable. Why is it shaking?" The weird Lyzekiel De Murdine strode to the window, peeking outside.

Sequentia followed him and gasped. 

"There are ."

Her words were low, as if she couldn't believe it either.

The other two followed with grim faces.

"Hey, what is this..." Cade bit his lip in worry.

'How could this happen? Someone sabotaged this event? But we've dealt with the annoying pests completely just last week. This can't be happening, right? We've got to warn the others. We've got to make an emergency stop. I should rally the swordsman and mages surely. Then my family would be...' He thought and turned towards his family.

Cade's face turned rigid. "Where's Connie?"

"That guy's missing too." The blond friend muttered seriously as he gestured towards their other missing friend. "Goodness, did he follow your sister or something?"

However from a few steps away, while the duke who realized the gloomy situation and calmed the people, the duchess turned to the two boys and they couldn't help but flinch.

"Cadillac Vansia."

The duchess, Noreen Vansia, immediately called her son's name while gazing at the boy who she felt like him and Cade removed his magic bracelet on instinct. Revealing that it truly was him.

In front of his mother, the future commander of swordmasters hung his head low like a criminal lining up for the guillotine.

The commoners around them were surprised at the sudden display of magic, it wasn't common in Ardine after all.

It was already surprising that three members of the famous Vansia duchy rode the same train as them but now the future commander of the knights were here too.

However their surprise didn't stop there.

When Rohwell Allum removed his magic bracelet, the crowd became silent.

"Crown Prince, can you stop following me?"

"I'm not following you. Aren't we just going the same way because we're both tracing something else?"

Sequentia gritted her teeth.

"Oh, don't act smart with me! You don't even have magic in you! How can you... err.." When Lyzekiel stopped and held to her wrist with a serious face, she almost paled.

'This guy... how can he have such an expression? It's a complete 180 from his happy-go-lucky self I met a few days prior!'

"Lady Constance. Your brother described you before as cold-blooded. But this is too different from what cold-blooded is."

"Ah, yes. You're right." Sequentia gulped and thought more along the lines of, 'You seem to be cold-blooded yourself though.'

The man in front of her stared at her for awhile before sighing in dissatisfaction, "In any case, please control your tongue or you'll offend people. While there is no need for you to lower yourself to other people, there is also no need to make unnecessary enemies, do you?"

Sequentia thought of his words well and received a positive reaction.

As she was about to respond, he turned away from her and followed the shaky wave of magic coming from the frontside of the train.

Though she wanted to complain for a moment how he went ahead of her, she just followed him and the mana quietly.

'It's different. Something is different with the Crown Prince'.

Sequentia, despite her foul-mouth and seemingly short-tempered, was actually a calm person. Even now while she kept yelling, her nerves didn't jump nor did she mean her words.

Being 'annoying' in speech was her way to attack the temper of the people she wanted to see the true personality of. 

But rather than focusing about that, she remembered his eyes.

'It was trembling'.

Sequentia thought that the man in front of her might know something was up, "Hey. Are you oka-"

Panicked green eyes snapped towards her. However in just a second, it turned back to a neutral gaze, "I apologize. I'm okay. It's just- Watch out!"

A cleaver that should've hit Constance's head struck a wall and disappeared.

'Manifesting magic?'

Sequentia was crouched down. She was pulled by the prince to dodge the magic cleaver. 

"Oh, your highness. I almost hit you! But don't worry this cleaver won't kill those that struck them, it'll just put them unconscious!" A lively sultry voice of man rattled from the entrance they just came in.

Hearing that provocation, the man next to Sequentia glanced at his wrist. The magic bracelet was struck when he pulled Cade's sister down.

Currently, the both of them reached a train car before the train operator's compartment to which should be filled with people but now it was empty.

"The area where knights of the Royal Order should've been stationed are empty. Where did you hide them?" 

"Ohohoho? I'm not telling? Just because I'm playing in the beat of your dress-up does not mean I think you're the prince, do I?" When Sequentia was confused at those words. "Or rather, do we?"

Three more figures appeared. One stayed behind the unknown magic manifestor.

Two on the other side, blocking them from entering of checking the operator's compartment. 

"We're surrounded."

"No shit."

The man next to Sequentia rolled his eyes when she answered with such coarse language.

He focused his mind and made a plan. His hands slid down to the sword hung on his waist and took a deep breath. "Forgive me if this may seem rude but does Lady Vansia know any magic spells?"

Sequentia groaned. "I do but I can't sense my magic. But I think I'm resistant of magic though?"

"Really? Have you tested that theory out?"

"Not yet. Should I test it?"

He frowned, giving her a side glance. "Test it? With that?" He pointed his gaze towards the magic cleaver. "If it works the cleaver will disappear as soon as it touches you. But if it won't, your head will disappear instead."

Sequentia frowned, giving him a side glance. "I really don't think you're the prince now. He seemed like a puppy while you seem like an owl. An owl with a dog's mouth."

As 'Lyzekiel' and 'Constance' made snide remarks against each other. The four intruders made silent moves and dashed towards them before they realized.

"Ah, damn!"

"Shit!"

Both of them almost ran to the opposite direction after being tackled, but in exchange of not separating with Sequentia, 'Lyzekiel' let the cleaver close the gap towards his face to grab the panicking lady and pull her away from her assailants.

"Ah, hey! You're hurt! Why did you even try to drag me with you...!"

"Ah, quiet! It's scary to go against them alone, okay?!"

Finally letting his restraints go, the man turned back to Sequentia while yelling.

"Your face..." She pointed out. 

His face wasn't bleeding at all though there was a line of red blood spilling down his cheek, there was also a line of spreading clay away from his face. It was skin-tone.

'A clay mask.'

Sequentia at the moment ignored their predicament and clicked her tongue at the obvious person in front of her, "You're Anaiz's brother, aren't you?"

Rohwell Allum took his clay mask off and glared at her. "I knew I didn't like you the first time we met. How can you address me like that when you've met me first than her?"

"I knew I had to address you like that. I'm lucky I find out your habit of dressing like the Prince."

"It's not like this is my choice!"

As the two of them bickered, the four intruders wanted to laugh.

"Oh? Are we interrupting something? Should we just leave?" The man with the magic cleaver joked and snapped his finger.

The intervention reminded the two of the situation and immediately stood in defense.

"My lady, I have to be honest."

"What now?"

"I'm not that talented with the sword... What about you?"

"I'm talented with giving up a comrade if it meant I'm safe."

Rohwell Allum flinched and focused his gaze on the people against them, clenching the sword handle tightly. 

However contrary to their stance, ready to dodge and crawl away from what would be fired at them, the intruders took out a small box with a button.

"That-!"

Sequentia and Rohwell Allum reacted at the same time and crouched down.

It didn't take long for a loud explosion to reverberate across Train Marina.

Chapter 9 - End

Train Marina - Is on fire!