# Chapter 103
—
When they arrived at the Arcane train station, they saw Jeannie and Leon already there waiting.
“Have you been waiting long?”
At Arthur’s question, Jeannie shook her head.
“We just got here as well.”
“That’s good then. Shall we head out right away?”
Leon, clad not in his usual flamboyant attire but in muted colors with a black cloak draped over him, asked,
“So where exactly are we headed? If we’re taking the train, that must mean it’s quite a distance.”
“The North. The northern snowfields, apparently.”
Leon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“The northern snowfields? Are you saying Yenika Hazel fled into that northern region?”
“According to the information Sir Willet passed on, that seems to be the case.”
“Hm… to my knowledge there’s nothing out there. So why would she go there?”
Jeannie, after hesitating a moment, carefully asked,
“Um… by any chance, the Yenika Hazel I know… is she the one from the Black Cross?”
“Hm? You mean you don’t know anything about her?”
“Well, maybe if you actually explained. All I was told was to help, out of nowhere…”
Leon let out a laugh.
“Then I’ll give you a rundown. Since we’ll be on the same team, you should at least understand the situation. Arthur, you go get our tickets. If you ask for *Northend Village*, they’ll know what to book.”
Arthur nodded.
“Alright. Wait here. I’ll just buy the tickets and be right back.”
Just as Arthur was about to leave, Leon shouted with an “ah, right!” expression,
“And don’t you dare cause any trouble! You know what I mean!?”
“Trouble? Come on, I won’t cause any.”
“…The problem is you’ve *never* once said that and actually kept your word, which makes me even more nervous.”
Arthur just shrugged and strode off to buy the tickets.
“The train departs in thirty minutes.”
After hearing the station worker’s explanation, Arthur glanced back.
The station, now shrouded in night, carried an eerie, oppressive air.
Arthur smirked as he observed the scene.
*‘Five with swords. Four with guns.’*
They weren’t actively directing killing intent at him, but they were clearly on guard.
*‘Doesn’t look like they’re allies, though. They’re wary of each other.’*
Apparently, just like him, they too had business with Yenika Hazel.
*‘According to Sir Willet, it seems quite a few people are involved in this matter.’*
After all, she was a wanted criminal with a staggering bounty of **twelve thousand gold**.
Even if her group, the Black Cross, was one of the back-alley powers, that kind of money was enough to make anyone lose their head.
*‘Twelve thousand gold is enough to buy a small territory outright.’*
With that thought, Arthur activated White Beard’s artifact, erasing his presence.
Fwip—!
Even so, some eyes still followed him, though no further action was taken.
Returning to Jeannie and Leon, Arthur waved his hand.
“Got the tickets, Leon.”
“Oh? And nothing happened!”
“You make it sound like you were *expecting* something to happen.”
“Not at all. I’m surprisingly timid and reserved, you know.”
Leon grinned, but his gaze suddenly sharpened. At the same time, a thin barrier spread around them, and Jeannie’s eyes widened.
“…You’re a mage?”
“Something similar to magic.”
Leon gave only that brief explanation before clearing his throat.
“Ahem.”
His voice reverberated like an echo inside a cave, not leaking outside.
Satisfied, Leon nodded and handed over some documents.
“Take a look at these first.”
Arthur and Jeannie each accepted a packet.
* Current number of Black Cross members: approximately 2,000…
* Among them, 1,000 are ordinary devotees, 1,000 are combat-capable…
* Key individuals to watch out for: including the Butcher, Tacen — around 60 in total…
* Yenika Hazel’s exact location remains unconfirmed…
The pages contained fragmented lines, a list of intelligence in bullet form.
Arthur read through everything and memorized it word for word without missing a single detail.
* Currently, the four major powers targeting Yenika Hazel are:
Pirates, the Seven Lords, Dormund, and the Arcane City Guard.
* Of these, the most dangerous faction is Dormund.
Arthur, after committing even the limited information about Dormund to memory, nodded in satisfaction.
“This is far better than Sir Willet’s intel.”
“Well, this is a bit more up to date. Friends of mine, including Marshal, gathered this for me.”
“And these friends of yours—what do they say about Ian Dormund’s movements?”
“They say he stopped by *Brillen*, one of Arcane’s satellite cities, and bought up a massive number of train tickets.”
Arthur chuckled.
“Since he can’t enter Arcane directly, he must be planning to board from the outskirts.”
“Seems so. Which means at this point, we’ve got two choices.”
Leon raised two fingers.
“One: we scout the places Ian Dormund is likely to arrive at and ambush him. A simple plan, but not a very good one.”
Arthur blinked.
“If it’s simple and not very good, I’ll take the second option.”
“Exactly. But since it doesn’t quite match your style, I’ll lay out both.”
“What’s the second?”
Leon smirked.
“Remember, Arthur? The very first time we met.”
“Ah. You mean back in the Sector D waste dump?”
Leon nodded.
“Plenty of mercenaries came after me, but in the end, only you reached me. I intend to recreate that situation this time as well.”
Arthur’s eyes sharpened.
“You mean—throwing all the mercenaries and factions chasing Yenika Hazel into chaos?”
—
—
Arthur mulled over Leon’s explanation.
*‘Not a bad idea.’*
If the same kind of scenario as their first meeting played out, countless factions after Yenika Hazel would end up clashing mid-way.
*‘And in that chaos, we strike Ian Dormund?’*
If the picture came together right, there was no better plan.
As long as Dormund’s forces were tied up, killing him would be far easier.
“Sounds good. Let’s do it that way.”
Arthur’s agreement made Leon smile in satisfaction. He raised a finger again.
“But there’s one flaw in this plan.”
“What is it?”
“Our presence must never be discovered. If we’re noticed, the whole scheme collapses.”
Arthur nodded.
“Because only then can we effectively ambush.”
“Exactly. So when we stir up the chaos, we mustn’t reveal ourselves.”
Leon finished his explanation and glanced around.
“The rest I’ll explain on the train. Looks like it’ll be departing soon.”
Arthur started walking, Leon following behind, and Jeannie trailed after them with an uneasy look.
Clack—!
They presented their tickets to the station staff and boarded. Finding a spot, the three of them sat down.
“……”
But the people who had boarded earlier stared at them.
One man even whistled and shouted openly at Jeannie.
“Whew\~! Pretty thing, aren’t you? A face like that on a night train—are you sure you’re in the right place!?”
Jeannie pouted.
“Can I kill him, young master?”
“Hold it in, Jeannie. We can’t cause trouble already.”
“Normally I’d just let it go, but being around you makes me wonder if I really *should* hold back.”
Arthur shrugged.
“It’s best to endure. Unless it makes you sick with rage, in which case it’s a problem. But you’re not there yet, are you?”
Jeannie silently nodded and sat down.
With that, silence settled over the carriage.
Clatter, clatter—!
The rhythmic sound of the wheels echoed as the passengers subtly sized one another up.
*‘All mercenaries.’*
The sharp pressure that occasionally seeped out of them made it obvious. These weren’t ordinary people — they were mercenaries after Yenika Hazel.
Then one man broke the suffocating atmosphere.
“Don’t you all think it’s too tense in here!?”
Eight pairs of eyes, including Arthur’s group, turned to him.
“Since we all seem to be headed to the same place, why don’t we at least talk a little?”
At that, Leon let out a low chuckle.
“That one’s the most suspicious.”
“Agreed,” said Jeannie.
“Still, let’s watch for now.”
But another man sneered at the suggestion.
“Same destination? You think you know where I’m going?”
“Chasing Yenika Hazel, of course. The fanatical leader with a bounty of twelve thousand gold.”
“Is that so\~? Funny, I didn’t know that.”
The man chuckled to himself, and Jeannie snorted.
“Guess there’s always one fool who can’t read the room.”
“…Was that directed at me?”
“Obviously, yes.”
The two glared at each other. Leon sighed.
*‘Since Arthur’s staying quiet, Jeannie’s the one making noise instead.’*
No wonder the two of them were friends.
Leon stood up.
“Alright, alright. Stop the bickering. Like he said, why not be a little more honest? We’re all headed to the same place, no need for a pissing contest.”
A woman with her arms crossed replied,
“No need for a contest, but no need to be friendly either.”
“True. So those who want to exchange information can, and those who don’t, just don’t spoil the mood. Fair?”
The mercenaries exchanged glances before nodding.
“…Fair enough.”
“Plenty of time before we arrive anyway.”
The man who had first spoken stood and introduced himself.
“My name is Naible. B-rank mercenary.”
At that, four mercenaries’ eyes went wide.
“Naible… the Crimson Blade Naible?”
“Heh… Never thought I’d see such a big name here.”
Then the woman raised her hand.
“Name’s Chennisha. Also B-rank.”
The three remaining mercenaries looked shocked.
“T-the Blue Whip Chennisha!?”
“The Blue Whip who leaves no survivors!?”
Meanwhile, the man glaring at Jeannie spoke up.
“Khun. B-rank mercenary.”
He pulled back his hood, revealing a bald head etched with sinister tattoos that began to glow.
Two mercenaries trembled.
“Gate of Hell!! Khun Edric—!!”
“The one who slaughtered a thousand soldiers alone and escaped—Khun Edric!?”
Leon, watching silently, muttered under his breath.
“Are those three really that famous?”
“Beats me. First time I’ve heard of them,” Arthur replied.
Then Chennisha pointed at Leon.
“You should introduce yourself too. You suggested this, after all.”
Leon gave a genial smile.
“My name is Haban.”
“Rank?”
“C-rank.”
He lied smoothly, offering a fake name and false rank. Chennisha didn’t pry further and instead gestured at Jeannie.
Jeannie withdrew her glare from Khun and spoke.
“Jeannie Davern. C-rank.”
Finally, Chennisha signaled at Arthur.
Arthur spoke calmly.
“Donn. C-rank mercenary.”
Chennisha started to move on—then froze.
“Wait… Did you say Donn?”
“Yes.”
“A C-rank mercenary?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes trembled.
Meanwhile, the last two mercenaries suddenly blurted out,
“N-no way—!!!”
“The… the God of death Donn!?”
At that shout, Naible let out a dry laugh.
“Well, well… So the infamous God of death Donn is right here?”
The mood instantly grew heavy.
Chennisha, Naible, and Khun all fixed their eyes on Arthur.
“Heh… So that Donn turned out to be such a clueless-looking fellow?”
But none dared to move rashly. They only watched him with sharp eyes.
The last two mercenaries, who lost their chance to introduce themselves, muttered in dread.
*‘The madman who turned the Seven Lords and the Pirates into his enemies…’*
*‘The God of death Donn, who butchered a thousand pirates without mercy…’*
Not only that — he had torn the third seat of Seven Lords Balans to pieces, and even severed the head of a Pirate vice-captain.
*‘But… they say he has no mercy to match his skill…’*
*‘A complete psychopath, they say!’*
And so, trembling, the two mercenaries stared at Arthur.
Beside him, Leon scratched his head and muttered.
“Ah… forgot you’re such a celebrity.”
“Yeah, I forgot too.”
“So what now?”
“What else? We just keep going.”
Leon clicked his tongue.
“Damn… Six more hours in this atmosphere? Guess I’ll try to sleep.”
But just then, the train screeched to a halt.
Screeeech—!
Everyone in the carriage turned their heads in shock.
Arthur too frowned.
*‘Why’d it stop so suddenly? No way we’ve arrived already.’*
Leaning out the window, Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Well, well. What’s that? Isn’t that the cross Miss Yenika was carrying around?”
—
