Several days had passed since the end of the test and my retrieval of the item I had requested from the Red Eye.
Of course, I won the test and secured first place, maintaining my position—on top of getting rid of Garon’s annoyance after beating him to the core...
Well, now that it was over, I felt I might have gone a little overboard.
Anyway.
Now, the day had come for us to be briefed on the mission.
Just like last time, we stood in a semicircle around the professor, listening carefully to his explanation.
"This time, you have an easy mission. It’s nothing more than routine work—there’s no danger to your lives like last time."
Right... routine work.
I almost commented on his words.
"Your task is to guard the transport of several relics to the capital. You won’t be alone this time. Professor Lucas, a relic expert, will accompany you, along with several personnel from the departure station."
"The regions the train will pass through contain some flying monsters, since this is the far, isolated south. But don’t worry—most of them are very weak and won’t pose any real challenge, so the journey should be smooth."
He looked at us one by one and continued,
"You’ve been assigned this mission solely to gain experience in such operations. During the mission, you are strictly forbidden from touching the relics or interacting with them in any way. If you notice any relic behaving strangely, report it to Professor Lucas immediately."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
He seemed satisfied with our attention.
"The train will depart tonight at two a.m., so you have a few hours to prepare yourselves. Meet Professor Lucas in front of the academy’s teleportation gate at nine-thirty this evening."
Then he gestured for us to leave.
"You’re dismissed."
...
I glanced at my phone—it read 9:22 p.m.—as I walked toward the building that housed the teleportation gate.
It didn’t take long to reach it.
I entered what appeared to be a large, empty room, containing nothing but an arch made of strange metal at its center. Inside the arch, space itself was distorted, glowing constantly with white light.
Several people were already standing in front of the teleportation gate, waiting... naturally, my classmates.
I approached them, nodded in greeting, then looked around, searching for someone in particular.
When I didn’t find him, I asked,
"Has Professor Lucas not arrived yet?"
My question wasn’t directed at anyone specific, so Nira—who stood closest to me, a girl with long brown hair—answered,
"No... we contacted him, and he said he’d be here soon."
We didn’t have to wait long.
Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, announcing the arrival of someone new.
Everyone turned their heads and looked toward the handsome professor with his usual smile.
Lucas walked toward us with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had a few things to take care of before leaving."
I smiled understandingly.
"It’s fine, Professor. The train won’t depart until two in the morning, so there’s no need to rush."
He looked at me and nodded.
"Thank you for your understanding, Caius."
The others even shot me strange looks, confusion written on their faces... well, it’s not every day I act polite.
I even caught Elliot muttering to Leona beside him,
"Is he sick today or something?"
Lucas didn’t notice their behavior and stepped toward the gate with clear enthusiasm.
"The coordinates have already been set, so we can cross directly."
With those words, he passed through the gate, his body disappearing into the light.
The others followed one by one—and so did I.
The light of the teleportation gate engulfed my vision, accompanied by a slight sense of dizziness.
Moments later, I found myself in a different place.
We were standing on a plain beneath a clear night sky filled with shining stars. Ahead of us, a few meters away, stood a square-shaped building with smooth walls—no windows or openings, just a single main gate.
Near that gate rested a massive train, its armored carriages stationed along the railway.
We could see many people loading various boxes onto the train.
Lucas looked at us, confirming everyone was present, then gestured for us to follow him.
We did so in silence, our eyes fixed on the building with curiosity—everyone except the princess, of course. She had probably been here many times before.
The guards’ eyes had been on us since the moment we set foot in this place, but they didn’t stop us from approaching. Naturally, they knew we were coming—and more importantly, we were accompanied by someone as significant as Ellen. Even if she was here now as a student of the Axis, she was still their princess in the end.
As soon as we reached the gate, an old man with a bored expression greeted us. He seemed to be overseeing the loading operation.
The old man paid us no attention and looked directly at Ellen, nodding.
"Greetings, Your Highness. It’s been a while since I last saw you."
While Ellen spoke with the old man, Professor Lucas turned to us.
"You may board the train now or stay here. We still have about four hours before departure, so take your time... as for me, I have a few matters to discuss here."
...
I was sitting in a seat inside one of the carriages, resting my head on my hand as I gazed through the transparent glass.
There was nothing to do now but wait for departure.
This journey was supposed to take around twenty hours to reach the capital, while Lucas would make his move seven hours after departure.
What exactly was this professor planning?
Well, it wasn’t that complicated...
He simply intended to steal every relic here without being discovered and offer them to the Void System to increase his contribution and raise his rank.
But unfortunately for him, his plan had intersected with the game’s protagonist.
And unfortunately for both of them...
I’m here to exploit everything.