Chapter 174: Shooting Club

We stepped onto the massive Academy teleport gate. The operating mage dialed in the coordinates.

"Departing for the Ironridge Border Camp," the mage announced.

The magic circle flashed. The scenery changed instantly. So did the climate. We went from the mild summer morning of the Capital to the biting, freezing wind of the Northern Territory.

"Ugh, it’s freezing," a cadet shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Put your coats on," Leon instructed.

Most of the cadets quickly pulled heavy winter cloaks from their backpacks. Elisha’s leather armor had built-in temperature-regulating enchantments. My Shadow-Weave coat, modified by Merle, kept the biting cold out effortlessly.

Once the club was prepped for the northern weather, Valerius led the way out of the portal station.

"Outside the gate, a transport convoy from the border camp is waiting," Valerius explained. "But keep your excitement in check. The camp commander, Sophie, is notoriously strict."

We exited the station. An armored convoy of heavy transport carriages pulled by massive, thick-coated draft horses was waiting on the snow-packed road. The rugged border guards standing by the carriages looked battle-hardened and exhausted.

A sharp voice cut through the howling wind.

"You’re late, Valerius!"

"Ah, Commander Sophie," Valerius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he approached a woman in heavy steel-plated furs. She had short, dark hair and eyes like a hawk.

They spoke quietly to avoid being overheard by the students, but with my Sixth Sense enhancing my hearing, I caught every word.

"Sorry," Valerius apologized. "We had a slight delay at the gate."

"Do you know how long my men have been freezing out here waiting for your student club?" Commander Sophie crossed her arms. "Time is blood on the border. We have a patrol schedule to keep."

"I have no excuse. I’ll make it up to the garrison later."

It was surprising to see an esteemed Imperium Academy professor being scolded like a junior officer, but the Northern border bred a different kind of authority.

"Whatever. Just get them loaded up," Sophie grunted. "I don’t want to fall further behind schedule."

Valerius returned to the club with a strained smile. "Apologies for the delay, everyone. Let’s board the transports."

The heavy carriages had ample space. Valerius and Leon directed the cadets into the different transports. Each armored carriage held about four people.

"Cadet Lucien and Cadet Elisha, take the rear carriage," Leon instructed.

We walked over to the designated transport. As I grabbed the cold iron handle to board—

"...Wait. Are you Ashborne?"

Valerius and Elisha both flinched.

The voice belonged to Commander Sophie. Her heavy boots crunched against the snow as she marched directly toward me.

"I am," I said, turning to face her.

My heart gave a slight thud. This woman carried the distinct, suffocating aura of a veteran who lived on the front lines. She possessed the presence of a predator.

"Lucien Ashborne, correct?" she asked, stopping a few feet away. Her sharp eyes bored into mine.

"Yes."

I braced myself. The moment I answered, I expected the atmosphere to sour. After all, if you hold the title of ’Trash of Ashborne,’ there is hardly anyone in noble or military society who doesn’t look at you with contempt.

"Wow, really?! That’s you! I heard all about it from Oliver!"

"...Pardon?"

Oliver? Oliver Verdant? The guy I used to get into Ecological Park?

"My introduction’s late," the strict commander said, her harsh expression melting into a bright grin. "I’m Sophie Verdant. Oliver’s mother."

Good heavens.

"Ah, my greetings are late," I said, quickly adjusting my posture. "I’m Lucien. I owe a great debt to Cadet Oliver from our previous operation."

Camp Leader Sophie laughed broadly and patted my back with a loud, heavy thump that nearly knocked the wind out of me.

"Haha! Debt, my foot! I heard you made waves in the Fern Kingdom! Oliver played his part too, but he said you led the charge."

"Thank you, Commander."

As Camp Leader Sophie walked off to inspect the front of the caravan, I turned back to the transport carriage.

"...Why are you two looking at me like that?"

Professor Valerius and Elisha were staring at me with wide, shocked eyes. Elisha was holding back her surprise due to her noble pride, but Valerius wore his emotions openly.

"Man, that’s impressive," Valerius muttered. "Getting praised by Commander Sophie..."

"Is she usually stingy with compliments?" I asked.

"Let’s just say she’s in the same sharp-tongued category as Professor Hectia," Valerius chuckled nervously.

"Professor Valerius!"

From a distance, Club President Leon called out to his older brother. Valerius excused himself and headed toward the front of the convoy to organize the remaining cadets.

I climbed into the back of the heavy transport carriage. Elisha followed right behind me. The carriage was covered with a thick canvas tent to block the freezing wind, and there was enough space on the wooden benches to sit comfortably.

"Well, the ride’s not bad," I noted, checking the suspension as I sat down.

A moment later, the convoy jerked forward. The heavy draft horses began pulling the carriages slowly down the snow-packed road.

"..."

"..."

An incredibly awkward silence settled in the confined space. I looked out the back of the canvas flap, while Elisha kept her eyes fixed firmly on the wooden floorboards.

****

[Elisha’s Perspective]

The incident happened exactly one week ago.

The terror attack orchestrated by Marquis Vance had plunged the Capital—and our party—into despair. By the time Bordon, Mariella, and I arrived at the surface, everything was already ablaze. The Marquis’ mansion, the marketplace, the outer slums—fire raged everywhere. Reports later confirmed there was no explosion at the Grand Plaza, but with thousands of casualties across the other districts, did that even matter?

In a daze, I found Bordon and Mariella standing in the ash-covered streets. We were all in the same state of shock.

"We failed..." Bordon muttered, his large hands trembling.

Mariella was openly sobbing.

Where had Kael gone? I couldn’t see him. Had he managed to stop the explosion at the plaza? But it was Kael who had shouted for us to head to the Marquis’ mansion to neutralize the master core. We had been separated in the chaos.

Then, Mariella pointed toward a dark back alley.

"Look! Over there! Princess Celestia and Kael are coming!"

From the dark shadows, the two of them walked out slowly. The Princess was completely expressionless, her royal facade locked in place. But Kael...

"Kael!" I yelled, running toward him in shock. Bordon and Mariella followed close behind.

Because of my archer’s eyesight, which was far superior to the others, I saw the details first. As Bordon and Mariella finally saw Kael up close, they stopped in their tracks, equally stunned.

"You fought someone?!" Bordon gasped.

"With who...?!" Mariella cried.

Kael’s body was an absolute wreck. His academy uniform, which was reinforced with high-tier protective magic, was riddled with holes, and dark blood was seeping through the fabric. He looked like he had been dragged through hell.

"It’s fine," Kael rasped, his golden eyes devoid of their usual light. "No fatal injuries."

"Could this be the Marquis’ guards...?" Bordon asked.

"I’m heading back for today," Kael interrupted, his voice hollow. "Everyone... I’m sorry."

Before I could voice my suspicions, Kael turned and limped away, the Princess silently guiding him. Being a righteous person, our failure to save the city must have hit him incredibly hard.

Bordon scowled, kicking a piece of rubble. "Hah! Where did things even start going wrong...? It feels like we’re just being dragged around by our enemies."

"I’m furious too," Mariella said, wiping her tears. Her eyes burned with anger.

Dr. Eldric. The Demon Summoning in the forest. Marquis Vance. We were supposedly the elite talents of the Academy, yet we were constantly being led around by villains. Not once had we taken the lead in resolving a crisis.

"For now... let’s head back," I told them.

I desperately needed time to think. As soon as I returned to the Ravenscroft mansion that night, I locked the door to my room and sobbed uncontrollably.

I was the proud daughter of the Ravenscroft family, one of the Four Great Ducal Families sworn to protect the Emperor. But what did that title matter? In the end, I couldn’t save a single citizen from burning.

All the blood, sweat, and training I’d poured into my archery felt utterly meaningless. I cried until my eyes were swollen.

But humans are creatures of adaptation. By the next morning, the sorrow had hardened into resolve. I concluded that my path wasn’t wrong; I was simply too weak. I resolved to become stronger. To be able to respond to any situation without hesitating. Pushing through that grief allowed me to break through a mental wall, elevating my marksmanship to a new realm.

But as my mind cleared, one pressing question remained.

Who did Kael fight in that alley?

The puncture wounds I saw on his uniform weren’t from arrows. They were small, circular, and caused by a high-velocity spinning object.

Bullets.

There was only one cadet in the entire Academy who used firearms like that.

Lucien Ashborne.

Kael and the Princess clearly wanted to keep the fight hidden from the rest of us. But why? Why were they protecting him?

Lucien was supposed to be ’Trash.’ Listing his past rumors and terrible behavior would take hours.

But... he isn’t actually trash.

I had to admit it. Since his disciplinary punishment, Lucien’s actions leaned heavily toward ’good.’ He accomplished things our party couldn’t. He stopped the chimera. He fought the cultists. He openly disliked us, but his recent actions were closer to those of a ruthless, honorable Executioner hunting down the Empire’s enemies.

That made the situation even more puzzling.

Why, and how, did Kael and Lucien fight while the city was burning? What exactly happened between them?

To know for sure, there was only one option. I had to bring him out here and ask him directly.