Reinhard glanced out of the carriage window to see the autumn trees in their full glory, their leaves painted in shades of gold, amber, and deep crimson. The sound of wheels rolling over fallen branches and dried leaves created a steady rhythm that accompanied their journey.
Below, the cobblestone road was carpeted with brown leaves that crunched and scattered as they passed, while above, more leaves drifted lazily through the air.
He moved his head back inside the carriage to see Marie peering out her own window, humming a cheerful melody. Joseph had his eyes closed and was leaning back against the plush velvet seat, apparently taking advantage of the travel time to rest.
Reinhard opened the mission folder, scanning through its contents with growing interest and concern. The documents provided a detailed summary about Mensis Town, describing it as a recently established town near the Monster Zone, Colin Forest.
What caught his attention was that the town hadn't been built by the Empire, as most new settlements were, but rather by a group of travelers who had lost their previous home to some unspecified disaster.
According to the report, these displaced people had discovered an old abandoned town and claimed it as their own, rebuilding the structures and establishing a new community there.
The folder contained maps, population estimates, and basic economic information, but the files were unwilling to describe the specific mission the missing Inquisitors had been sent to complete.
Reinhard narrowed his eyes as questions began forming in his mind. What exactly had the missing team been tasked with finding in this town? And why hadn't that crucial information been shared with them?
He looked up from the papers. "Marie, did your father or Rosaria mention what the Cups were actually doing in Mensis Town?"
Marie turned away from the window with a bright smile. "Yeah, they were apparently looking for something he wanted. But he and Rosaria wouldn't say what."
Joseph opened his green eyes and stroked his chin. "It's a bit odd, but maybe we'll find out when we locate the missing team?"
Reinhard nodded, though he remained troubled by the information gap. "Possibly."
Marie's expression grew slightly more serious. "I hope they tell us eventually. Dad is rarely so secretive about mission details."
Joseph nodded in agreement. "The Principal usually reveals shocking information without much concern for protocol. So this mission might be important enough to warrant special discretion."
Reinhard raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And he deemed it appropriate to send us?"
Reinhard didn't believe the mission would be very dangerous. As Klaus clearly cared about his daughter's safety, and nothing in the man's demeanor suggested he wouldn't care about his students' lives.
In addition, it wouldn't make sense to send their newly SSS class Beast Master to a mission that would kill them. But if the Inquisitor mission really was as important as their secrecy suggested, it seemed odd to dispatch what was essentially a rookie team.
Marie laughed. "That's because we're not technically rookies!"
Reinhard's brows furrowed in confusion before his eyes slightly widened. "You've both been on other expeditions?"
Joseph nodded. "First and second year students tag along with veteran teams for experience and knowledge about field operations. They have us help out and follow behind a member of the team during the expedition. Other than that, we also do field missions as an entire class with multiple professors."
"So the academy doesn't just shove students out into the field without proper training," Reinhard said, feeling some of his tension ease.
Marie smiled. "Of course not! The Knowledge Institution handles mission classification and sanctioning, and they're very good at determining expedition difficulty levels. If our chances of success were lower than eighty percent, they wouldn't have authorized us to take this mission."
Reinhard nodded, his confidence in the academy's competence rising significantly. At the very least, this wasn't like the criminal organization he'd worked with previously. One that had treated their people like expendable pawns and stepping stones toward profit.
In hindsight, that should have been obvious, but well he was thrown on an expedition one day after joining. Even if it was to help him accomplish his goal and the SSS Class Beast Spirit mitigate the disadvantage, it was still ridiculous.
Marie leaned forward with a grin. "You don't need to worry, dear leader! We'll help you, and together we'll complete this mission spectacularly!"
Joseph's lips twitched in amusement while Reinhard tilted his head curiously and said. "You don't seem to mind me being the leader of this team, even though I only became an Inquisitor yesterday."
Marie blinked in surprise. "Does it matter? As long as I can trust you and we work together effectively, then everything should be fine."
Her simple acceptance caught Reinhard off guard. He had expected at least some resentment or questioning of his rapid promotion to Herald status.
Joseph chuckles and says. "I trust the Principal and Professor Rosaria's judgment. If they believe you're fit to be the leader, then that should be sufficient. Besides," he added with a slight smile, "if you prove yourself incompetent or dangerous to the team, we can always remove you from command."
Reinhard smiled and nodded, not offended by the practical threat. He agreed with the sentiment completely. Better to change leaders than to follow someone who would lead the entire team to destruction.
"In that case, can you help me understand some basics about being an Inquisitor?" Reinhard asked. "Such as the ranking system? I've heard references to it, but no Inquisitor has ever gone into detail."
Joseph nodded understandingly. "I'm guessing Professor Rosaria didn't have time to cover everything. We can definitely help with the fundamentals."
Marie clapped her hands together excitedly. "Knowing Dad and Rosaria, they had you summon your beast spirit, right?"
Reinhard nodded and extended his hand, allowing Zenuken to materialize in his palm. The black-blue blade appeared with its characteristic shimmer of magical energy, the intricate engravings along its length seeming to shift and flow in the carriage's dim interior.
Marie's golden eyes immediately lit up with fascination. Without hesitation, she moved from her seat across from him to settle beside him on the bench. Her proximity was suddenly very apparent as she gently took his arm and guided the sword closer to her face for examination.
Joseph watched this interaction with obvious amusement while Reinhard felt his lips twitch at Marie's complete lack of personal boundaries.
"What a beautiful sword," Marie said, her golden eyes sparkling as she examined Zenuken with obvious fascination. "What is your spirit?"
Joseph shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh... Marie, that isn't really something you should ask-"
"It's called Odin, and it's an SSS Class spirit," Reinhard interjected, cutting off Joseph's concern. "And the sword's name is called Zenuken."
Joseph blinked in surprise and disbelief, his green eyes widening as he processed the information. Marie nodded with a bright smile, as if she had expected something extraordinary.
"No wonder they allowed you to go on an expedition, became the Herald of the first years, and can summon your Beast Spirit so easily." Marie said softly, not even bothered by the class.
Reinhard looked directly at Joseph. "Since we're a team, we need to trust each other and have an idea of what we can all do."