The compartment held two men. The younger sat cross-legged, skimming through a newspaper he had purchased from a beggar that morning. Across from him, a man in his late twenties watched him not with suspicion, but with something closer to admiration.
"Oi! That is quite an expensive suit for a young man such as yourself. From Wajka, wasn't it? The famous boutique, I imagine."
The young man didn't spare him a single glance. He kept his eyes on the newspaper, stealing looks through the window every so often to check where they were.
They were aboard the kingdom's newest train, running on the arcane railway that made it the fastest in all of Culter Kingdom, and it was headed straight for Ransmburg, the city of education.
"You seem quite invested, mate. Ransmburg finds itself in quite the predicament, doesn't it? The royal family assassinated just as the city needed them most."
"Wait—the royal family was assassinated?"
Whatever the man said, it was enough to finally catch the young man's attention. He turned back to the newspaper, this time with focus, his eyes landing on the front page. There it was. The leading news of the day.
"You must have overlooked it. This isn't the sort of information newspapers are typically bought for, is it?"
An awkward smile crossed his face as he extended his hand for a handshake.
"Gabriel. I have no surname."
"Leomaris Xanthus. Leo will do."
They shook hands, introductions exchanged, though Gabriel looked briefly dazed.
"A noble? I must admit, I didn't expect that. Though your dress does rather speak for itself."
Leo flashed him an awkward smile.
"Actually, I was adopted."
"Ah, that explains it. You're far too relaxed for a nobleman. A proper one would have checked my status the moment the train left the station."
Leo kept his forced smile in place. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.
The truth was, the newspaper had been purchased for exactly that purpose. To look occupied. To make sure no one bothered him.
These things rarely happened, and that made him quite nervous. His parents hadn't sounded very convincing when they called for him on urgent matters.
Three years in the Xanthus household, it had never been easy, receiving a noble treatment his biological family hadn't bothered with. He was eighteen now. He feared they might ask him to search for his parents. The Runerths.
"You must be terrified. The Xanthus family is close to the royalFamily, isn't it? And yet you're traveling alone. Is it because you were adopted?"
Leomaris's face contorted with annoyance. He couldn't tell if Gabriel was insulting him or genuinely concerned. The smile didn't help.
"I might be adopted, but I believe my family loves me like one of their own. I've just been returning from tutoring a fellow noble, that's all."
Gabriel's mouth parted in shock.
"A tutor? At your age? People in their thirties would give anything for that. You were tutoring in Weijka City, were you?"
Leo smiled. He never got tired of that look, the shock people wore when his intelligence caught them off guard. The Xanthus always told him it wasn't the reason they'd picked him from the orphanage over the others. But he knew a white lie when he heard one.
"Well, I've never been particularly witty, but I suppose a sharp brain is the only thing my real parents left me."
"I must say, I'm rather stunned, Leo. As a commoner, I'm not often exposed to people like you. Are you quite sure you're not of noble blood?"
Leomaris frowned. Everyone loved to believe he was born of noble blood because of what he'd achieved so young. Hell, the caretakers had spent fifteen years at the orphanage searching for his parents. The Xanthus had done the same. Neither found a single family named Runerth in the entire Culter Kingdom.
"I beg to differ, Gabriel. Unless they originate from one of the other three kingdoms, they must be commoners."
Gabriel stroked his chin for a moment.
"That might be true, but it still doesn't take away from your achievements."
His eyes lit up a second later.
"I've been invited to a conference hosted by Prof. Abigail. She's researching a strange incident that occurred in my district. If I have the opportunity, I will recommend you, you may become a tutor at the renowned Ethelred University."
Leomaris was pleased to hear that from someone he'd been trying to ignore moments ago. Commoners warming up to nobles wasn't unusual. But he acknowledged the courage it took, regardless.
"I'm honoured, but I don't think I'm quite at that level yet. I only teach history and mythology. I wouldn't be any match for the professors at Ethelred University."
"Oh, that's a shame. I think you've still got room to grow, but if that's what you think, I guess that's that."
Gabriel leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"That was a nice chat, lad. Now it's time to sleep."
Leo scowled.
"Uhm… what do you mean?"
Gabriel reluctantly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. The dazed look on Leomaris's face came when Gabriel lit it with nothing but his finger.
His heart skipped a beat. Moments ago, Gabriel had been nosy, almost an annoyance. Now he was something else entirely. Not to mention the flame sitting at the tip of his finger.
"How is that possible? How did you do that? What exactly are you?"
The thought of whether Gabriel was human crossed Leo's mind. It didn't matter though. He just had to leave. He made for the cabin door, but a flicker of Gabriel's finger sent him back into his seat.
"That's too many questions, lad. I told you to sleep."
Gabriel stared into Leo's eyes and saw it all: confusion and terror, clear as day. What he was doing wasn't normal. Of course, a helpless human like Leo would be terrified.
"I expected more of a fight, but for someone who killed the royal family, you're pathetically weak. Those you've faced don't even deserve to be called Tricksters. Ah… I'm getting carried away. You don't even smell like one of us. Still, you seem like a decent bloke."
Gabriel blew a puff of smoke in Leo's direction. But the smoke didn't matter. The magic didn't matter. What concerned Leo was what Gabriel had just said. He killed who? The royal family?!
"Don't overthink it, mate. Act like you never saw me. Thinking too much about it might get you killed before they do."
Before Leo could question anything, before he could even think, his vision grew hazy, his eyes heavy, and his muscles lax. He was unconscious before he hit the seat.
Leomaris regained consciousness after what felt like forever. Darkness behind his eyes, something tight across his mouth, his whole body bound in a straitjacket. He struggled. He was pinned down before he got anywhere.
Even restrained, he knew where he was. Judging by the sounds and the formal way they spoke, it was the High Court. That meant the Xanthus family would arrive soon. They would free him of these accusations.
"Is the Villain of Trinity awake?"
"Yes, My Lord. He is attempting to flee."
"Have the Xanthus family arrived?"
"Yes, My Lord."
Something in Leo's chest finally settled. He stopped struggling and let the tension go. His family was here. He would be discharged.
"Leomaris Runerth, known as the Villain of Trinity and leader of the Rebellion Army, stands charged with the murder of the royalfamily and is hereby sentenced to immediate execution."
'Huh?'
Leo's heart tightened.
'What the heck are they saying?'
The Rebellion Army had existed for centuries, built on the backs of soldiers and knights wronged by the government. How could an eighteen-year-old be their leader? He didn't even know anyone in the Rebellion Army.
'But wait… why are they calling me Leomaris Runerth, not Xanthus?'
"This villain's malevolent acts were rooted in his life as an orphan. It is almost naive to think a child of his age would believe his parents' lack of empathy had anything to do with the royalFamily."
His heart wouldn't stop hammering. He had his doubts, but he was still waiting. Waiting for the Xanthus family to rescue him. This was just a huge misunderstanding.
"Messages have been sent to his army under the alias 'Uncle', outlining his plans in detail. There are also drawings from his childhood, portraying himself as the hero who killed the royal family."
At those words, his soul nearly left his body. He knew exactly where this was going, and it made no sense. His mother had given him those messages. He'd sent them because Rosay always seemed too busy to do them himself. Who would use a child's drawing against him in court? Those were just fantasies. How could things be so distorted?
"Images show him speaking with his allies, and two of them have also been captured. Is that correct, Rosay Xanthus?"
'Huh? Mother presented them?'
"That's right, my lord… to think the child I cared for would become the Villain of Trinity."
SOB.
"I'm sorry… if I had known this would happen, I would have reported him immediately. Now my brother and his wife are dead, all because of a child I adopted."
She burst in loud cries.
"Are you happy now, Leo? They're all gone… How could you do this to me? I cared for you. Was that the reason you made sure I adopted you… just to make my life miserable?"
Within that short period, much had been said, but none of it reached Leomaris the way this did. He didn't want to believe this was his mother's voice. But there was no denying it. That was definitely her.
'Why… so all this time she didn't care for me? Was I just a puppet to her?'
He wanted to kill Rosay, at least then, they'd be charging him for something he actually did. But he was too broken to even stand. Only his mind did the talking.
He cursed and cursed, and somewhere in that rage, something hardened. He wouldn't let death be the end of him. He would make the Xanthus family pay for what they did. No matter what.
The court session went on. Leomaris didn't. He hardly caught another word, and even if he'd wanted to, he was too broken.
The next thing he knew, he was being tossed into a room — a cave, maybe. There was othing but darkness. Three days passed without food or water. When the sun finally touched him again, it was the day of his execution.
Even before thousands of people, Leo heard nothing but the violent rhythm of his rage. There was no escape but it didn't matter. Even without any military training and not even the slightest combat skill, he didn't want this to be his end.
His head was locked in place. The straitjacket made even the slightest movement a struggle. But sheer determination drove him through it, he broke free, dislocating his joints in the process.
The crowd panicked, some scattering, but their voices barely registered. Leo knew he could be struck down at any moment. He didn't care, he wasn't going down alone.
He ripped the restraints from his eyes. Rosay Xanthus and her husband stood on the platform. He forced himself through the knights and charged, but before he could get any closer, he found himself looking at the sun from the wrong direction.
His head was cut clean in one swing. He couldn't even curse at her. Rosay did nothing but smile teasingly before everything went dark.
[ Welcome to Tricks and Task, Trickster. Prepare for your First Task... ]