Kenji
The next morning, I woke up with a groan, stretching my stiff muscles. Sleeping on the hard ground really wasn't doing me any favors. My back ached, and my limbs felt sore, but it wasn't like I had a choice.
The sun hadn't risen yet, casting a dim, bluish-gray light over the campsite. I glanced around—Gareth, Naiz, and Kenji were still fast asleep, their slow, steady breathing the only sound aside from the crackling embers of last night's fire. Near the campfire, two figures sat in quiet amusement—Yushiro and Donovan.
They weren't just talking, though. They were tossing knives at each other. Lightly, almost playfully, as if it were some kind of game.
Are they insane? That has to be dangerous.
As if sensing my gaze, Yushiro turned toward me, his violet eyes locking onto mine. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"My, blondie, did you sleep well?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
"No. I don't like sleeping on the floor," I grumbled, sitting up.
"Ho-ho-ho, what's this? Is our sleeping arrangement too lowly for you, my lord?" he teased, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Stop talking nonsense, Snowball," I shot back, brushing the dirt off my clothes.
Yawning, I stood up and grabbed my katana. Kenji was still dead to the world, but I wasn't going to waste time. I needed to train. My morning sword practice lasted an hour before I returned to camp, just as the others were beginning to stir.
Yushiro and Donovan, apparently restless in the middle of the night, had gone out hunting and foraging. That raised a concerning thought—if they were out hunting, didn't that mean they left us unguarded?
I shot a sharp glare at Yushiro, but he only ignored me, casually twirling a knife between his fingers.
By the time Kenji and the others were fully awake, breakfast was nearly ready. Kenji, as usual, started his morning workout routine, while the rest of us gathered to eat.
"Mm, this is good! I didn't know you could cook, Takahiro," Naiz said, practically inhaling the food.
"Yeah, it's delicious. I thought we'd be stuck eating salty jerky for the whole trip, but if we're having this, I'm not complaining," Gareth added with a satisfied grin.
"Ha, ha, thanks," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.
As I ate, my gaze flickered toward Yushiro. He was silent, his expression unreadable. Even as he ate, there was no reaction—no enjoyment, no distaste, nothing. Just blank.
As if sensing my stare, he glanced up at me before looking back down at his meal.
Once we finished, we broke camp quickly. The sun had risen just above the horizon by the time we were ready to move.
Gareth gathered us before we set off, explaining our formation for the journey.
"Our primary mission is to defend the carriages until they reach their destination. That means we need a formation," he began.
Kenji nodded seriously, while Yushiro sat cross-legged, listening.
"Naiz and I are mostly attack-focused, while Donovan specializes in support. That means Naiz and I will either defend the front or back of the carriage, with Donovan positioned in the middle to assist wherever he's needed."
That made sense. I was attack-based too, right?
"Same goes for us," Yushiro chimed in. "Blondie and Ken are attack-focused, while I can switch between support and defense depending on the situation. Ken is best placed at the front since he has sharp senses, and Blondie is quick to react to sudden situations."
Gareth nodded. "Alright, then the formation will be Kenji and me at the front, defending the lead carriage. Yushiro and Donovan will stay between the two carriages, and Takahiro and Naiz will take up the rear."
"Sounds good," Naiz agreed.
"Right, that's the plan. Let's move!" Gareth declared.
A Few Hours Later
This mission was boring.
All we did was walk, stop, and listen to Jerry—the noble brat we were escorting—complain about how sick he was or how much his precious rear hurt from the bumpy ride.
Yushiro had mentioned that Jerry was some kind of noble who received special treatment from the Empire. Yeah, screw that. I wanted to punch him. His whining was giving me a headache.
And then there was the other one—the supervisor. The skinny, shiny bastard who hadn't stopped glaring at us the entire time. Gareth had explained that his job was to evaluate how well Gareth and his squad handled missions.
Great. So, he was here to judge us.
And now, the pig was talking again.
"You, scowling one."
Huh? What did you just call me, Piggy One?
Gritting my teeth, I slowed my pace to walk beside the carriage window. Gareth shot me an apologetic look, clearly aware of how much self-control I was using to not punch this guy.
"Yeah?" I responded, forcing my voice to stay neutral.
"Tell me, scowling one, are you from a noble family yourself?" Jerry asked, staring at the rings on his fingers as if they were rare treasures.
"No," I answered flatly.
"Oh. How disappointing. That is all. Be gone." He waved me off with a dismissive flick of his fingers, like I was some unworthy peasant in his grand presence.
I really wanted to flip the carriage over.
Instead, I clenched my fists and walked away, heading back to the front. As I passed Yushiro, I caught him smirking at me, silently mouthing, Good job.
I huffed and refocused on walking.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to them," Gareth said, falling in step beside me.
"Get used to what?"
"Nobles."
I snorted. "Are they all like this? Because if they are, I'd rather deal with beasts and bandits."
"Hahaha, yeah, I get that. But no, not all of them are like this. Doesn't your division have nobles too?"
"I dunno. Do we?"
"Yeah, you do. Blade Cateye and Truth Ruby, they're both nobles."
"Huh. Blade and Truth are nothing like Piggy back there."
Gareth burst out laughing. "Really? Not surprised. Blade Cateye and Truth Ruby are some of my role models. I want to surpass them someday."
"You want to be stronger than them?"
"Yeah. My dream is to become the strongest swordsman in the Empire, then rise through the ranks—first as Captain of my Knight Order, then as Commander."
"That's a cool dream, but you'll have to beat my brother Taka first. He's gonna be the strongest swordsman in the world." I grinned. "Not to brag, but he's really good with a sword."
Gareth's eyes lit up. "Really? I'd love to go up against him."
"Sure."
We exchanged challenging grins, but before we could say anything else—
"STOP! I NEED TO GO!"
Piggy's voice screeched from the carriage, completely shattering the mood.
The carriage came to a halt for the sixth time. The old coachman sighed as he climbed down to open the door, letting Jerry stumble out and run toward the trees.
A moment later, the sound of retching filled the air.
I scowled.
I really didn't like this guy.