Monster attacks on trains like the one Reivan experienced on his way to Vel Ayala were rare occurrences that only happened to the incredibly unfortunate.

Not rare enough that people scoffed at the possibility, but rare enough that nobody considered walking a viable alternative. Or those crazy death wagons they called magitech carriages. Riding in those for such long distances would make anyone want to just end it. Besides, not many monsters had the balls to challenge a giant metal serpent that shook the earth as soon as it passed by.

They did come by from time to time though. Fortunately, that wasn't the case for the trains Reivan's squads were on, allowing them to reach their destination on their second night after leaving the Tower's protection.

"Wow, I heard about this place but it's more amazing than I thought!" Aldimir commented excitedly as their party stepped out of Lageton's station. Having been raised in Arkhanian culture, the sight was understandably enough for him to gawk.

The others had milder reactions, but seemed equally amazed—except Mira. Somehow, their captain managed to seem even more excited than Aldimir even though she wasn't saying anything. She was scanning her surroundings with starry eyes and a very slack jaw.

Reivan acted like he was curiously marveling at the beautiful neon lights scattered in a canvas of darkness, but inside, he was more amused by his squad's reaction. He'd been to Lageton on numerous occasions, so he was very intimate with what the City of Lights looked like at night, having taken both his fiancees on many outings here—some of them, particularly ones with Elsa, ended in very happy memories in some hotel.

'There's more than I can remember though... Elsa's been selling them like hotcakes, huh?'

The city's mayor lay firmly in Ouroboros' pocket so they no longer needed to maintain risky enterprises in the city, focusing on legitimate businesses and buying up as much land as possible to serve as sites for those businesses or to sell at a much higher price when demand for it ballooned. One could argue that having the most authoritative person on one's side gave one the license to commit as much evil as one could, but Elsamina had a different view.

It was the perfect chance to "dominate the light" as she put it.

By staying in the dark, they merely removed the risk of suffering consequences for it. But by focusing on the legal side of things, they could grow their power exponentially with the help of the mayor—whose authority was mostly in the legal part of society anyway.

Reivan didn't really know if she was correct in her thinking, but he cheered her on and let her do as she pleased. Ouroboros may have been birthed by him, but she was the one who raised it, after all. And Gwendolyn didn't seem to have anything to say on the matter either.

Everything worked out, it seemed.

All the stores in front of the station belonged to companies and brands that were secretly Ouroboros. And if he looked hard enough, all the businesses farther away were the same. It was beautiful, he thought. Capitalism was coming for the republic and they were letting it in. Well, it was there all along even before Reivan and Elsa came along, but now it was backed by a very wealthy nation with money to spend and a reincarnator with some "bright" ideas.

'Maybe one day, we'll come to own the entire city on paper.'

Once his squad had gawked at the sights long enough, Reivan looked toward their captain to get them going but frowned when she saw her drifting off toward one of the shops. He chased her down and dragged her back to the others.

"Everyone~!" Mira clapped her hands, the scruff of her coat firmly in Reivan's grasp. "Our vice-captain has decreed that we should get going."

"Decreed, my ass." Reivan let her go and took out his pocket watch, popping the lid open to show her the time. "We're on the clock, captain. Senior battlemages are expecting us soon. We don't have time to look around."

Seeing as the subject of their mission involved Aizenians being targeted by some group of violent individuals, Reivan was actually very invested in their mission. The entire purpose of his coming here was to help his country, so he wasn't willing to miss the chance to do it more directly. Hence, needless delays were highly undesirable.

“Sorry…” Perhaps sensing the intensity behind his words, Mira dipped her head in apology, her gaze falling to her feet.

Given how genuinely apologetic she seemed, Reivan didn’t feel the need to pursue the matter. He snapped his watch shut and slotted it back into a small pocket on his vest, readjusting his coat to stave off the bitter chill that plagued this damned country. “...Well, as long as you understand, it’s fine.”

Aldimir booed them from the side. “Vicey’s bullying Queen Mira again. Not cool, man.”

“I wasn’t.” Reivan snapped, turning to the person in question, who was still looking at her feet.

But instead of answering, she just averted her gaze with her lips pursed.

“Hey…”

Just as he began to think that she was actually upset, she suddenly threw her arms up with a lazy smile on her face.

“Kidding~! I’m not upset!” Mira laughed and put her arms down since other people were staring at her. “But I am sorry. You'll forgive me, right?”

Her playful pout and the way her eyes looked like a puppy’s were cute, but he simply snorted. “Whatever. Aldim, go get us a stagecoach. There’s a few over there. Make sure they don’t fleece us, we’re on a budget.”

“Why’s it always me…?” Aldimir asked with a troubled chuckle but went off to call for a coach anyway.

“I-I'll go help him!” Alini suddenly volunteered, with surprising eagerness. Before Reivan could stop her, she had already fallen into step behind Aldimir.

‘Who the hell needs two people to call for a coach…?’

Well, it didn’t really matter if she wanted to do it. Free country, and all that—as long as one ignored the almighty beings that could impose their will on everyone if they wanted to.

Reivan shrugged and inspected the rest of his retinue. Kantor was a ways away, leaning against a wall to shield himself from the cold night winds and shivering in his coat despite how thick it was. Except for the shivering, Inaria was doing the same, her eyes exploring the beautiful sights—as far as he knew, she’d never been to Lageton. In fact, she'd asked Reivan, or rather, one of his other identities, to take her here.

As for Mira, she was obediently staying close to Reivan while watching the sights as well.

“Hey, Clover,” she suddenly said.

“What is it now?” Reivan threw a glance at her as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets to hide them from the cold.

“I’m really sorry. Y’know, about earlier.”

He raised a brow and noted that she was being serious so he decided to be soft on her. “You’re still hung up on that? It’s fine. Let’s move on.”

Mira giggled lightly and bumped him with her shoulder. “Thanks. I’m really not a good fit for a leader, huh?”

“Oh. I’ve noticed, alright.”

“Aaand you’re back to being mean. Ten seconds, that’s a new record.”

“Lying is bad. I was only telling the truth.”

“Yeah, but you could have denied it a little… Lip service, you know?” Mira pouted and looked down, lightly kicking his shin. Then she scratched her head. “Seriously though, why'd they have to go and make me the captain... Heck, I wouldn't want me as a captain.”

Reivan shrugged. “There must have been some reason. It can’t just be because you’re pretty and have a great singing voice.”

Mira’s eyes widened as she turned to him. “Heh. You think I’m pretty?”

“...I don’t think you’re pretty. You just are. It’s not subjective opinion.”

“Wow. Are you hitting on me? Gosh, I just knew you were even more dangerous than Aldimir…”

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“I’m not!”

Mira tittered, wiping away a tear before her lips teased upward into a teasing grin. “If you think I’m pretty shouldn’t you be nice to me?”

Reivan frowned. “How is that connected?”

“I know right? You’re the only one who gets it!” Mira gave him a few congratulatory pats. “Good job. You can't fall for just the pretty face!”

“Thanks, I guess.” Reivan rolled his eyes. “Anyway, if they made you the captain, then there should be a reason. Maybe it's because of your family background?”

Mira scoffed at the notion. “We run a restaurant. I mean, it’s pretty famous among closed circles and the locals, but it’s still just a restaurant. We only have two spots, though one of 'em is in Vel Ayala, so that's a pretty big deal. Among restaurants, that is. It shouldn't be worth anything to the Tower.”

“Okay. Then maybe it’s because you’re a really good sorcerer? On an individual level.”

“I mean, I am,” Mira admitted, crossing her arms under her chest. “But individual skill isn’t prioritized when it comes to leaders, y’know? Last year, the captain assigned to us wasn’t that great at duels and stuff but was an amazing leader. We basically had to leave all the thinking to him and follow orders.”

“Is that why you turned out this way?”

“The heck is that supposed to mean? And no, I’ve been like this before I came to the Tower… I actually wasn’t even expecting to pass!”

“I can imagine that…”

“Hey…” Mira nudged him with her shoulder a little stronger this time. “Stop being an ass.”

Reivan ignored her protest, shrugging with a blank expression. “Then isn’t it because you have two spirit beasts?”

“I don’t think that’s it either…” Mira rubbed her gloveless hands together, breathing into them from time to time. “I think it really is because I’m pretty… Even our sleazy vice-captain thinks I’m pretty, so it must be true.”

“...I wonder what’s taking Alini and Aldimir so long?”

“Don’t ignore me!”

“Maybe I should go see what they’re up to…?”

Mira pinched his arm, but couldn’t get through his overcoat. She gave up rather easily though. “Anyway, Clover. I’ll be counting on you from here on out.”

“Don’t just give up and try to pin all responsibility on me…”

“No, no. I mean, I’d just get us all killed. No matter who’s placed in power, wouldn’t it be better to put someone who knows what they're doing in charge? I gave it a lot of thought and I think you should be captain. There’s nothing worse than an incompetent leader, after all!”

“It’s sad that you’ve reached a point where you can actually say that about yourself.” Reivan joked but froze when he noticed the surprisingly serious look on her face. “You’re not joking…”

“That’s right. I’m not.”

“You do know we don’t have the authority to just switch ranks like that, right?”

“You have a point…” Mira nodded to herself, giving it some thought. After a very short pause, she clapped her hands and smiled. “Then I’ll just be captain-in-name. You'll be the captain in the shadows or something. The True Captain, so to speak.”

“I’d rather not be called that.”

“Oh? That means you agree as long as you don’t get called that?”

“That’s a very large leap in logic.”

“But it makes sense, no?” Mira nudged him with her shoulder and tilted her head to look up at him. “I’ll follow your lead. Then I’ll just try to help out with managing the team’s mood. Y’know, keeping them happy and not at each other’s throats. I think Aria’s about to blow up at Aldimir if he keeps on bringing girls to his room once we get back, so I’m focusing on her for now.”

Reivan raised a brow and looked at her. “He’s bringing girls to his room?”

“You didn’t notice? Sometimes they make out in our common room, which is what she’s really mad about. If he just took them to his room and back, she wouldn’t have any complaints.”

“I… uh, I never noticed. He must have been doing it when I was at the training hall…”

“Kantor’s troubled with something too, but I’m not sure what it is. He won’t spill yet, but I’m slowly trying to get him to open up. It might be something only a man will understand, so you may have to step in if I fail.”

“Kantor, huh…?”

“Yep. And Alini too. I won’t tell her what her troubles are, but she’s got stuff on her shoulders too, y’know? Pay attention to her.”

Reivan scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t noticed any of those, but he did know that Mira hadn’t said a single lie. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Mira nodded with a smile, her droopy eyes that made her look permanently sleepy narrowing in delight. “Thanks, vice-captain. And if you don’t mind, could you host the drinking parties from now on? I’m not really fond of alcohol.”

“...What?”

“Hey!” Aldimir called out to them from afar, Alini right beside him. “We got the coach! It took a while since all of ‘em were gonna rob us with their prices!”

“Oh, let’s go!” Mira punched a fist into the air and called out to Inaria and Kantor, gesturing for them to follow.

Reivan kept his hands in his coat as he also got going, his impression of Mira slightly changed.

----------------------------------------

The stagecoach promptly took them to their destination—the hotel where the senior battlemage squad was based.

Because they didn’t want the troublemakers to think the government was cracking down on them, the mission remained as secretive as possible. That was also the reason why Reivan's squad was encouraged to come to Lageton in civilian clothing.

Apparently, there wasn’t a full squad of seniors waiting for them. This was because they were still at the investigation stage. Nothing was truly confirmed yet.

That there was a group of Akhanians specifically going after visiting Aizenians—those were mere rumors for now. There were a lot of rumors though. And the local enforcers had noticed there was a pattern to the “group’s” actions. That was the only reason battlemages were even paying attention to this instead of local law enforcement.

There was a very real possibility that Reivan and the others would be sent home after discovering that there was no group at all.

“It’s… It’s this place?” Inaria squinted at the building and quietly muttered. “Couldn’t they have picked something less run down?”

“Now, now, Aria. Not everyone can afford fancy hotels.” Mira chided her, wagging a finger in the air. “It’s the smaller businesses like this that run the country.”

“Don’t just call it a small business.” Reivan hissed at them, gesturing for both of them to be quiet. “And Inaria, they picked this out because it's near places of interest.”

“I know that…” Inaria crossed her arms and looked away. “It’s not like I would have refused to go inside.”

“Of course.” Reivan nodded and then glanced at the others. “Anyone else has any complaints about the hotel that our seniors chose? No? Then act natural and stop insulting the fucking hotel. If any of the employees hear us, who's to say they won't spit in our food?”

He led the way inside and asked for their senior’s fake name. Contrary to how Reivan’s squad wrote the hotel off as run-down, the place actually had a suite that had already been reserved by their seniors. A hotel employee promptly led them to their accommodations. Once there, Reivan knocked on the door and gave a fake name he’d been assigned, the door eventually opening to reveal a rugged middle-aged man with a big smile on his face.

“Come in, kids. Must have been a long way from the countryside, eh?”

“Yes, uncle.” Reivan played along since the hotel employee who led them there was still present. He glanced at his squad and nodded inside. “C’mon, cousins. Get in.”

Seeing that everything was in order, the hotel employee bowed and left with a generic line that involved wishing them a good stay and a few other things.

With a calm gaze, Reivan watched the employee disappear down the stairs before heading inside the suite, taking off his coat and hanging it on a nearby rack.

“Evening, brother.” The middle-aged man from earlier extended a hand to him. “They call me Old Crag. But I’d love it if you could skip the old part.”

“Nice to meet you, Senior Crag.” Reivan took the hand and shook it firmly. “I am Clover Salwyn. Just the first name will do, no need to call me by my full name every time.”

“Funny. I take it you’re this squad’s captain?”

“Vice.”

Crag frowned, seemingly puzzled. “Vice?”

“I’m the vice-captain.” Reivan clarified, gesturing at Mira, who was in the middle of looking out the window at the pretty night view. “She’s the captain.”

“Huh. You’re not playing a trick on an old man, right?”

“I’m not. I’m the vice-captain.”

“So you’re a first-year?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…” Crag squinted at his face. “You look older than that girl.”

Reivan pulled away from the old man since their noses were almost touching. “I am. But I’m in my first year because I failed to get in a couple of times.”

“That so? Good on you for trying again and again. I really thought you were the captain though. From what I’ve seen, you’re the one in charge. I've been scrying you fellas since you got off the train.”

“I’m flattered. But I’m only in my first year and she’s the captain.”

“Right…” Crag took one look at Mira and then back at Reivan, leaning in to whisper to him. “D’you think they’re picking captains for trainees based on looks these days?”

Reivan shrugged. “I don’t believe such a change has been put in place. But who knows?”

“Damn. Well, nothing we can do about it now.” Crag gestured for them all to follow him deeper into the surprisingly lofty suite, prompting him to call out to his scattered squad mates.

It seemed that despite how run down it was on the outside, the interior was very well taken care of.

“Individual introductions can come later since we’re incomplete,” Crag spoke as he led the way to the suite’s lounge, pouring himself a drink from a carafe. “I’m Crag and I’ve been put in charge of this investigation. My half of our retinue has five people, three of which are currently out on patrol in the city, asking questions and the like. Our scryer’s in her room so she can focus, currently watching the three on the field. And I’m here as reinforcements in case our scryer thinks any of the three need help. Anyway, is there anyone here who can speak English?”

Reivan looked at his squad and saw them give each other looks.

Except Mira. She raised her hand with a smile. “I can. But only conversational stuff. And some scattered proverbs...”

“Really? Let me hear it.” Crag grinned and suddenly switched to surprisingly fluent English. “What’s your name?”

Mira paused for a moment before answering, obviously unaccustomed. “Mira Serandina is my name.”

“And how old are you?”

“Uh… Ten and nine?”

Crag chuckled, switching back to Arkhanian. “The word you’re looking for is nineteen.”

Mira scratched her head with a sheepish smile. “I haven’t learned numbers higher than ten yet.”

“Eh. It’s better than nothing. You’re with me tomorrow. On the field.” Crag scanned them one by one, his eyes stopping on Reivan. “How good do you think you are in a pinch?”

Reivan didn’t really know how to answer such a question.

But luckily, he didn’t have to because Aldimir volunteered the information. “Clover’s the best out of all the first years, senior.”

“The best, huh?” Crag appraised Reivan, looking him up and down. “I’d believe it. Right, you’ll come too. The rest of you will shadow the others in my squad. One’s stationed here to help scry the nearby areas. Another one stays for emergency reinforcement. The last two can patrol with the other two seniors on the field at the time.”

Crag then pointed at Mira. “Your captain will decide who has which duty. Talk about it amongst yourselves and decide by tomorrow. Wake up at dawn. Dinner’s downstairs, they’ll serve you something if you ask. Any questions?”

Kantor raised a hand. “Senior, where will we be sleeping?”

“That's a good question.” Crag nodded before gesturing around them. “There are three unallocated rooms, all of which have two beds each. Pair up and choose as you please.”

“B-but we’re…” Alini hesitantly spoke up. “Three men and three women…”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be tricky.” Crag crossed his arms and shrugged, looking at Mira. “Captain Mira.”

“Yes, senior?” Mira tilted her head.

“If you had to share a room with any of your male squadmates, who would it be?”