Covenant (3)

Sixteen years after rebirth, the memories of that temple almost faded like a dream, but some questions still lingered.

But the answer would come soon.

The time was near.

After a long preparation, the quest to find the Centurion finally was set in motion.

Inside a train cabin, Valan caught his reflection in the window—chestnut hair, green eyes behind his glasses, fair skin. His face looked nothing like the one in his past life, yet inside he was still the same person.

Outside, the platform was busy with last-minute passengers hurrying to board before departure.

Dragons flew alongside airships that resembled zeppelins on the skies—common sights in this world where fantasy and technology existed side-by-side.

This world wasn't entirely backward in terms of technology. It might not be a one-on-one comparison, but Valan always thought that in general he lived in a Meiji-like era, except that it had arcane as well.

He had accustomed himself to Verda—studying much of its history, people, culture, geography, customs, everything—with Master's help. He didn't have formal education after all, so she was a big help. He missed her.

It'd been four days since he left her grave, and after a long travel, he had reached the final leg of his journey. His destination: Glendione.

The city had the largest piece of the puzzle in his quest to find the Centurion.

Weldphal Arcane Academy.

It was the only school in the world with a dolphin insignia, and where its students wore uniform identical to what he'd seen in the alterplane a long time ago. He had researched it.

Although there were no definite proof, Valan was sure the Centurion would come from one of the students.

He thought it wasn't a coincidence that the mysterious figure wore its uniform in the vision. He couldn't know whether this Centurion would have the same age as him, or already there as his senior, but all indications led him to this point.

Hence, his plan was to infiltrate the academy as one of its students, and if possible, identify the Centurion. The problem was there were no clues nor methods to use. Before he could find one, he had to rely on his guts for most of the time.

At least, he knew he just needed to be ready when the time comes.

A knock on his cabin door interrupted his thoughts.

Through the glass, two girls his age stood behind the door. One was shorter than the other, who Valan gauged at his cheeks height. They wore well-tailored dresses—the sort a wealthy merchant's daughter might wear. Both good-looking, he had to admit.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but are there any available seats in your cabin?" The shorter girl with bobbed blue-hair asked.

The other girl—with a long, silver-hair—added, "The other cabins are full. The conductor said about delayed trains from the east, forcing passengers onto this one.”

Valan did hear about a problem in the eastern duchies before. He then glanced around his cabin. It was designed for four passengers, with two bench seats facing each other, though he'd been fortunate enough to have it to himself until now. "Of course. Please, come in."

"Thank you!" The blue-haired girl stepped inside first with her luggage. Her friend followed behind, stealing a curious glance at Valan.

They settled into the seats across from him and immediately made themselves comfortable.

"I'm Celica Celeste." The blue-haired girl extended a hand. She sat beside the window. "Nice to meet you!"

"Valan Ferndall." He didn’t expect her eagerness.

"And this is my friend, Arline Pherasvel."

Valan offered his hand towards her friend. "A pleasure."

She hesitated, studying his face like she was trying to solve a riddle. Valan sensed something odd but acted like nothing happened. Eventually, she took his hand with a slight smile. "Likewise."

Her grip was delicate. Instead of releasing her hand immediately, he held it a moment longer—payback for her staring. Her blue eyes flickered with surprise, then narrowed slightly as if she recognized his action.

"But just call me Arline," she said, finally letting go of his hand. "There's no need to be formal. We're the same age after all."

"How do you know?"

"Just guessing," she shrugged. "You're heading for Weldphal, right?"

Valan was surprised. “Actually, I am.”

"Oh, I can’t believe it!" Celica leaned forward. "A fellow applicant!”

"You too?"

"You bet!"

Valan then realized it wasn't really surprising. He recalled many prospective students from the south used this train route to reach Glendione. He had expected to encounter other applicants or students along the way.

"What about you, Arline?" Valan asked.

"Same here."

"Though I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about the entrance examination," Celica added. "By the way, since Arline said so, the same goes for me—just Celica is fine, if you wanna call my name.”

Valan smiled. “All right.”

"I'm sorry to ask this, but—" Arline cut in. "Have we met before?"

The question caught him off guard, though he kept his expression neutral. "I don't think so. I would have remembered."

"Hmm." She tilted her head slightly.

"…Hmmm?" Celica's eyes darted between them, then she murmured to Arline in a tone that Valan could still catch. "What's this, Arline? Don’t tell me you're hitting on this guy? I’ll admit he’s good looking though.”

Arline stared at her with a deadpan expression. "This is why you shouldn’t read romance novels too much. It rots your brain.”

"Hey!" Celica's face flushed red as she pointed a finger at her.

She ignored Celica and talked to Valan. “I’m sorry about Celica. She likes those piles of garbage—as you can see."

Valan couldn't reply. Still observing both of them, he was overwhelmed by the sudden change of atmosphere.

"How dare you! Take back those words, now!”

“Never.”

“Take your Soul Artifact! Duel me right here and now!"

Valan watched their exchanges with interest.

"I'll kick your ass and make you beg for mercy!” Celica continued.

“I don’t ever recall you winning one.”

“This time, I will destroy you!”

"Oh no, please don't hurt me with your mighty arcane." Arline raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Don’t mock me!” Celica's fists clenched. Steam practically rose from her ears.

Watching those two, Valan thought they clearly had a long relationship—Celica's rage perfectly met by Arline's flat responses. Like an everyday routine, almost.

"Fine, fine. My deepest apologies, Milady Celica."

"That's not a real apology!" Celica spun around. "You're still mocking me! I refuse to accept a sarcastic non-apology from you!"

"Oh. My mistake then."

"That tone! That infuriating, dismissive tone! Like you're talking to a child!"

"Well..."

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence. Some friend you are!"

Valan adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps we could call a truce before someone thinks there's a riot in here?"

"SHUT UP!" Celica whirled back to face Valan. "This is all your fault!"

Valan wryly smiled. "I haven't done anything, though."

Without warning, the cabin door slid open with a soft click.

"Tickets please."

The conductor—a moustached man—made his rounds.

Valan, Celica, and Arline stared at one another without moving, wondering whether the conductor had noticed their ruckus.

The man looked confused for a moment, until Valan quietly presented his travel papers. The girls followed suit, showing theirs as well.

Everything appeared to be in order, and the conductor moved on to the next cabin without incident.

The cabin fell silent after he left. The three of them sat motionless, processing what had just happened.

Then Celica's lips twitched.

Arline covered her mouth with her hand, but her shoulders began to shake.

"Did you see his face?" Celica whispered, barely containing herself. "His mustache was twitching like it had a life of its own!"

"He looked completely lost," Arline said, her voice trembling with suppressed laughter.

Valan found himself amused by their dynamics. He didn't expect these two could go from heated argument to shared laughter in seconds. It was so impressively absurd that he couldn't help but smile.

Not long after, the train whistle blew. The platform outside began to move as they pulled away from the station. The train rocked gently as it picked up speed.

Through the window, the platform slowly slide past as passengers waved goodbye to departing loved ones. The clacking of wheels against rails filled the cabin. The view outside slowly turned into the city's landscape.

"Finally," Celica said, settling back into her seat, her earlier rage seemed forgotten as she pressed her face to the glass. "Look! You can see that big temple from here! And oh—there's the marketplace where we bought those ribbons yesterday! We can actually see it from here."

Valan observed, though Arline noticed his curious sights.

"This is her first time traveling far from home," she explained.

"I've been dreaming about this for a long time—seeing the world with my own eyes!" Celica admitted without turning from the window.

"What about you?" Valan asked Arline.

"I've been to some places, though I've never visited Glendione yet."

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from Nemada—as with Celica," Arline said.

"What brings you this far north?" He raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't Nemada have an arcane academy as well?"

"We have letters of recommendations," Arline said simply, to Valan's surprise. Not many people could earn one. "Besides, Weldphal is one of the best in the world, anyway. Why refuse them?"

"So what about you, Valan? Where are you from?" Celica asked.

"I'm from Isvania."

"Isvania?!" Celica turned at him. "You're from Isvania?!"

"You're wondering about us going north, but you yourself come from another continent." Arline let out a sigh. 

Valan could only put a wry smile.

"But why you're here?" Celica asked again. "Shouldn't you just sail or fly to Glendione instead?"

"There's a huge storm on the northern seas, so I have to divert my route."

"Scary," Celica commented.

"I still enjoy the journey, though."

Suddenly, a cheerful vendor appeared to the cabin, pushing a cart laden with refreshments and reading materials.

"Good afternoon! Fresh drinks, light meals, and today's newspapers!" she announced with practiced enthusiasm.

Celica straightened in her seat, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, hot chocolate milk, please."

"One hot chocolate coming up, miss!" The vendor began preparing her order.

"Do you have talberry juice?" Arline asked.

"Fresh talberry juice, of course! One of our most popular drinks." She handed her a bottle of the distinctive pink liquid.

"Coffee with sugar, please," Valan said when the vendor turned to him. "And I'll take a copy of The Glendione's Light."

The vendor nodded, pouring steaming coffee into a ceramic cup. "Here you go, sir. That'll be fifteen silver."

"I'll pay all of it." Rather than sort out separate payments, Valan handed over all fifteen coins. "Here."

"Wait, what? You didn't have to do that!" Celica blinked.

"It's easier this way." Valan said, accepting his coffee and newspaper from the vendor. "I'm in no mood to count."

"I mean... I could have paid for my own drink, you know. I'm not some penniless waif who needs charity."

"It's fine."

"I prefer to pay mine, but thank you," Arline said softly, bowing her head slightly.

"No prob." Valan shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal and sipped his coffee.

"But seriously though, Valan? A newspaper?" She handed Arline’s talberry juice before taking a long sip of her chocolate milk before continuing. "Who actually reads those boring things?"

"In case there's something important..."

The vendor smiled and wheeled her cart toward the next cabin, leaving the three of them alone again.

"Nerd," Celica muttered under her breath.

"It's better than reading those romance books."

"Don't try me." She said without much malice in it. "I'll kill you."

Valan just smiled as Arline blurted out a laugh. Celica stared dagger at them, but one sip of her chocolate milk, and her face light up in bliss, almost like a child.

And just like that, she became a cheerful girl again.

Watching them chatting and laughing had made Valan forget the burden of his mission for a while—a distraction he really needed.

He unfolded his newspaper, hoping to catch something interesting, but his eyes kept drifting to Arline.

Not just because of her earlier question before—though that still puzzled him. Something else nagged at his attention, something he'd noticed the moment she entered his cabin.

Her arcane aura.

It was enormous.

Powerful enough that she had to actively suppress it, like trying to contain a raging river behind a dam. Most people wouldn't notice—the suppression was skillful. She clearly had a high mana level.

Valan was impressed, even though her efforts weren't enough to deceive him.

Arline became the first person on his list.