The concerned girl spoke ill of the Goddess of Fate, and Alice reacted as if someone had insulted her idol—jumping in to defend her immediately and startling the concerned girl.
I quickly pulled Alice back down into her seat and told her to be quiet.
"Be quiet. Jacob, have you heard about this before?"
Someone as rare as that obsessed guy—Jacob should've at least heard something.
"I think I've heard a bit, but it never drew much attention."
So the obsessed guy hasn't done anything worth reporting—like becoming the youngest royal mage in history or defeating villains with magic.
The concerned girl then politely pointed at Jacob.
"Mr. Karen, who is this?"
"My protection target."
"So you're the merchant under Mr. Karen's protection! You're so young!"
"Thank you."
Jacob responded with a polite smile to her compliment. She probably assumed he'd be much older.
I continued asking about what I was curious about.
"Miss, you're forming a party to clear a dungeon, right? Are you all mages? I heard your plan earlier—it sounded like pure offense. There wasn't any defensive strategy."
From what I heard, it was basically nonstop magic attacks, without considering unexpected situations.
While I was asking, I noticed Grace sarcastically remarking that Jacob was grinning ear to ear after being praised by a cute girl.
Jacob immediately panicked, hurriedly denying it and trying to explain himself, but Grace refused to listen and turned her head away in a huff.
What's wrong with Grace? Still, I couldn't focus on that right now. The concerned girl answered me.
"You're right. That's exactly why I think it's dangerous. I'm the only swordsman in the party."
What a disappointment. In this world, magic is extremely simple—anyone can learn it easily. There's no such thing as exceptional talent, and there's barely any difference in power among people of the same age.
So the only way to stand out is through intelligence and application. But from what I hear, that obsessed guy isn't particularly impressive—just a magic damage dealer.
Three mages and one swordsman? If enemies get close, they're finished.
"This team composition is terrible. Have they trained in close combat?"
"No. They all specialize in magic."
Hopeless. One swordsman protecting three mages? Are they trying to work her to death?
Might as well keep chatting and gather more information.
"What level have you reached?"
"Level 43."
Before level 60, monsters don't dodge attacks. As long as you aim properly, it's easy.
"Level 43 is a sand dune area. Wolf packs keep attacking nonstop—it's annoying, right?"
The moment I said that, the concerned girl froze, then looked at me with shock and admiration.
"...As expected of Lady Karen! You call those powerful wolves merely annoying!"
"They're not strong. They're just fast, but they don't dodge. That makes them easy to hit."
"But they're too fast. Except for Shien, none of us can react in time."
I can understand that—they probably don't have detection magic. They might only notice the wolves when they're already within ten meters.
But as the swordsman responsible for protection, reacting slower than a mage like that obsessed guy is unacceptable.
At this rate, she'll get killed sooner or later. I should guide her a bit.
"Have you ever tried entering the dungeon alone?"
"No."
"You should. Without relying on teammates, you can train your reaction speed much better. As a swordsman, you must be the first to react and protect your allies. And remember—know your limits."
If you fail to react, you die. To protect others, you must first protect yourself. Being alone removes both the burden and the crutch of teammates—it's the best way to sharpen your reflexes.
"I understand! I'll remember your advice, Mr. Karen!"
"By the way, have you learned magic?"
"No. I wouldn't have enough time to train my sword."
Why is everyone like a sword saint—only training swordsmanship and ignoring magic? Still, she seems willing to listen, so I'll keep guiding her.
"Since we've met, I'll share my combat style. Want to hear it?"
"Really!? Yes, please!"
"Good. My combat style is simple—fight at range whenever possible."
"Fight at range whenever possible?"
"Don't limit yourself to one method of attack. Learn both swordsmanship and magic. Swordsmanship is close-range and inherently risky—one mistake and you're done. Magic, on the other hand, is long-range. If you eliminate the enemy before they get close, your survival rate increases dramatically."
"I see… fight at range whenever possible. I've learned something valuable!"
"But the most important thing is stamina. Without stamina, you can't keep going."
There are ocean environments inside the dungeon—you need to row boats. Without stamina, you're done.
"Stamina..."
She repeated the word, troubled. I asked,
"What's the issue with stamina?"
"I mentioned earlier—they all specialize in magic. They don't train their bodies much, so they have very poor stamina. Even a little running leaves them out of breath."
"That's serious. If danger comes, they won't be able to escape."
The concerned girl replied gloomily, as if she had already accepted it.
"Shien will save them anyway."
That irritated me. It sounded like only the obsessed guy could fight—they were nothing but dead weight. If he loses, they all die together.
She's teachable, though. Staying in that kind of team will only get her killed. Honestly, she'd be better off alone. It may sound selfish, but it needs to be said.
"...Have you considered leaving the party and tackling the dungeon on your own?"
She didn't reject the idea immediately. Instead, she hesitated, then spoke with a hint of sadness.
"...I've thought about it many times. Basically, Shien handles everything. I get angry at how weak I am—I don't want to hold him back. But this team was formed for academy coursework, so we're not allowed to go solo."
"Then there's no choice. If you want to reach your target level, you'll have to work harder than before. Do your best."
I raised my fist in encouragement, and she smiled, raising hers in return.
"With encouragement from Mr. Karen, I'll do my best!"
"By the way, we still don't know your name."
"Ah, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I didn't introduce myself. Thank you for reminding me—I almost ended up being remembered as the complaining girl."
"That won't happen."
"My name is Lixia Ethe, daughter of Count Golendo Aite. Please, just call me Lixia."
"Alright, Lixia. Let me ask—you didn't get assigned to this team by the academy, right? You chose to form it yourselves?"
"Yes. The academy requires at least three people per team."
"Then why did you form this team?"
Lixia began explaining how they became companions. None of us interrupted—we simply listened.
"At first, I wanted to team up with my friends. But Shien was always lost in his own world and didn't interact with others. No one wanted to approach him. I was worried he wouldn't be able to complete the assignment, so I decided to team up with him."
It didn't sound like she liked the obsessed guy. If she did, she would've chosen him first instead of considering her friends.
"As for Hera—because of her arrogant attitude, no one dared to invite her. But we had no other options, so we gathered our courage and asked her. She rejected us harshly the first time. I almost gave up, but Shien didn't. He kept inviting her. On the fifth attempt, she got fed up and challenged him to a magic duel—if he won, she'd join. If he lost, he'd give up. Shien won. I heard she had never lost before, so I thought she'd join reluctantly, but instead, she seemed happy. After that, she started following him around."
That sounded like some cliche story—like a spoiled rich kid getting slapped for the first time and becoming fascinated by it… kind of twisted.
"Sicilia is a bit different. After enrolling, she was bullied because of her personality. One day, Shien saw it happen and saved her like a knight in shining armor, then invited her to join the party. Since he's the top student, no one dared bully her anymore, and she started following him too."
Out of the four, the timid girl might be the most dangerous one. She might even harm herself because of that obsessed guy.
Wow… aside from Lixia, this is practically a classic overpowered protagonist harem setup—the arrogant girl drawn in by his strength, and the timid girl saved by his hero act.
"I see. Thank you for telling us… Grace, close the curtains!"
"...Ah—yes!"
As I gave the order, I pulled down the curtain on my side. Grace reacted a beat too late before doing the same.
Just now, in the middle of my sentence, my detection magic suddenly picked up dozens of hostile presences outside the train. Now already night, so we couldn't see anything outside—but the inside of the train was brightly lit, making us clearly visible to whoever was out there.
That's why I decided to close the curtains—to block their line of sight.
But who are these people? What did I even do to provoke anyone here? And how are they keeping up with the train's speed?
Ethefelis drew her weapon and stood on guard. It seemed the hostility wasn't directed at just me.
"Mr. Karen, what's wrong?"
Lixia looked confused by my reaction. But there was no way I could tell her there were enemies outside. So I made up an excuse, hoping to get her to leave.
"It's nothing. The reflection from the window was a bit glaring. You should head back to your companions—you've been here a while, they might start worrying."
But Lixia crossed her arms and pouted, clearly unwilling to go back.
"They wouldn't worry. They're probably chatting happily right now. They wouldn't even think about me."
"Don't say that. Friends worry about each other. They're probably just giving you space because they think you need some time alone."
I was getting anxious because of the enemies outside. Please, just leave already. I can't let unrelated people get dragged into this.
"Really? Then I'll head back. Sorry for disturbing you all—ahhh!!!"
Just as Lixia stood up to leave, a sudden explosion rang out. The entire carriage shook violently, and she lost her balance, falling back onto the seat.
I quickly leaned out into the aisle to look ahead. Smoke filled the front, and shards of glass were scattered across the floor—had something broken in from outside?
Then a rough voice rang out.
"Don't move! We've taken over this train. If you don't want to die, do as you're told."
So it's a robbery—not targeting us specifically. That means I don't have to worry about the passengers being dragged into this because of us.