The silence in this carriage was deafening. Ever since Stormglass arrived at Frost’s office to hear the bad news she’s been silent and giving me the cold shoulder. I get it you don’t like me but c’mon! Long trips are so awkward and boring if we just sit here without speaking.

“This is a really nice carriage…”

While sure I was just trying to make idle chat my statement was true. Not only did the carriage look nice, as if it was made with the finest materials, but also I could hardly feel the bumps in the road compared to when Marie and I first traveled here with those merchants.

She continued to ignore me.

Looking out through the curtains of the window I could see several guards on horses by the carriage. There are about five on each side creating an almost oval shape around us.

“Lots of guards to protect us. Being a Knight of the Old Order must be nice.”

Still, she remains silent.

Okay, I’m now just getting irritated! Not just because she refuses to acknowledge my existence (though that is really annoying) but also the fact she still has her helmet on. Oi, doesn’t it get hot under that? Doesn’t it seem weird to wear one while riding in this carriage?

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much to still be wearing that helmet?”

Finally, a reaction! She fidgets in her spot before responding with a cold…

“No.”

Hmm, so that’s how I’ll get to her. Her helmet. There are many reasons why she wants to keep it. Could she have some kind of attachment to it? Maybe her father or someone gave it to her as a gift before dying tragically so now she can’t bring herself to take it off? It’s possible that she’s self conscious about the way she looks? No way, could she be ugly?! Though the most likely answer was, considering how self serious this woman is, that she’s always prepared for a fight.

Either way, I couldn’t fight my curiosity so I decided to start poking the hornet’s nest.

“What’s with the helmet? Why won’t you take it off?”

“T-That’s none of your concern.”

Hmm, I can’t deny I gained a bit of pleasure from causing this commander some slight distress. Hearing her stutter like that was admittedly cute.

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“I can only imagine it must get unbelievably hot underneath there. Your face must constantly be covered in sweat.”

“I’m fine.” She paused for a moment and then continued with a snide remark. “You should be more concerned for yourself, masked one.”

Damn, she got me there. I realize that I’m being a bit of a hypocrite but at least I have a valid reason for keeping the mask on! It’s not as if she’s a skeleton underneath that helmet. I almost thought to drop the subject entirely but then inspiration struck.

“A bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

Suddenly, the silence in the carriage shifted. It was almost as if it somehow got even quieter than it was before. A tense pressure could be felt boiling inside the knight before me.

“How so?”

“Well, considering how much trouble you give me for hiding my identity you seem awfully content to do the same. By my understanding of the word, that is hypocrisy.”

Bingo. Despite not being able to see her facial expressions I can tell I’ve struck my target from just the aura around her. She remains silent though so I might have to keep pushing the knife in.

“For me, I’m just some guy looking to get strong. It’s expected of someone like me to conceal things about myself, but for you? I’ve always believed knights were the honorable type. What kind of honor comes from trickery?”

“I will not have you besmirch my honor and integrity as a Knight of the Old Order!”

She’s almost out of breath as she yells at me. She’s trying to keep her dignity but I can tell my words are really getting to her. It’s time for the final shot.

“So take the helmet off then?”

“...Fine…”

Though the knight hesitates at first she slowly takes off her helmet revealing her true face.

Despite not having any lungs I almost felt as if my breath was taken from me. She was beautiful with pale skin that clashed well with her piercing blue eyes and black hair. The color of her eyes reminded one of a sparkling ocean and her hair was black as night but seemed so silky and soft.

Speaking of her hair, she was the first person I’d seen with black hair. Everyone had blonde or slightly brown hair. It was surprising for humans to look similar when they only lived in one location but I wondered why she had different hair color. It wasn’t just her hair color but her ethnicity. Everyone I had met looked more European, while Stormglass carried a hint of Asain qualities. There was still a lot about this world I didn’t know so I tried to not think about it too much.

The woman before me… no, she seemed more like a girl now as she fidgeted in her seat with a light red coloring overcoming her face. Was she embarrassed? Did she think she was ugly?! Ahh, seeing her like this is starting to make me feel bad for pushing the issue so hard.

“I apologize. I see not having your helmet on brings you discomfort.”

Her face looks shocked at first, as if she was expecting me to say something else, and then she calms herself with a cough.

“You’re quite selfish, you know. Like a child.”

She scolds me before putting her helmet back and the silence from before returns. I couldn’t deny there was some truth to what she said. Before reincarnating into this world I’ve always lived in my bedroom. I didn’t interact with other kids growing up and as an adult I never had a close companion of any kind.

It was always just me. I never once gave a thought to how others felt because I didn’t have to. I had the luxury to not care at all.

I pondered over this as the carriage slowly brought us to our destination.