The attention of everyone inside this carriage was drawn over.
Even at the passages connecting the other carriages, heads poked out to look. The original noisy chatter gradually died down as everyone watched this farce between a noble and a commoner. Spectating a good scene was simply human nature, and even Roland inevitably cast his gaze over.
"Can't you understand what I'm saying?" the noble youth said haughtily, doubling down under the weight of everyone's stares. "I told you to kneel! Otherwise... I'll just have to beat you until you're on your knees apologizing, you filthy commoner!"
A classic cliché was a classic for a reason.
The reason was that nobles and commoners were, in the end, two different social classes.
At the same time, compounded by their differing worldviews, conflict was bound to spark whenever they mixed. This was especially true for hot-blooded adolescents—both sides wanted to save face and didn't want to be looked down upon by their peers. Thus, they remained at a standoff. Though the commoner boy was afraid, he still didn't bend his knees.
He simply kept his head hung low, silently enduring all kinds of insults.
This was his final shred of dignity.
"I remember now!"
Philip suddenly said.
"Remembered what?"
"That noble over there." Philip pointed at one of the main figures of the farce and said, "Most of the people on the train right now are from the Northern Territory. That noble seems to be from Viscount Burke's family. I don't know his exact name, but his family produced a genius this year. Though to be honest, everyone on this train is pretty much in the same boat."
Roland nodded.
He hadn't even memorized all the children of the Northern Marquises and Counts, let alone a Viscount's. Trash like that wasn't worthy of him remembering their names. As stated before, allowing such vermin to breathe the same air in a single carriage was already the King of Pride's utmost tolerance and understanding.
The farce continued to brew.
Seeing the other party offer no response for so long, and under the gazes of so many people—including noble acquaintances as well as other commoners—the noble youth felt as though his dignity as a noble was being trampled underfoot. His face turned somewhat red with anger, a cold, ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and his fists clenched tightly.
"Alright, Kevin, don't make such a big fuss. What's the point of getting angry at a commoner?" At that moment, another youth walked over, patted the noble named Kevin, and said, "He might not even pass the test to enter the academy anyway, so let's just take pity on him."
After saying that, he let out a soft chuckle.
Seeing that someone had offered him an out...
The youth named Kevin Burke sneered and said, "Fair point. This young master will show mercy and let you off this time. You might not be so lucky next time. Also... when you fail the test, don't go crying home to your mommy."
With that, the two returned to their seats.
The commoner boy left in place still kept his head lowered.
He offered no reaction, but something else had appeared in his eyes, seemingly something called unwillingness. After a long moment, he too returned to his seat. The carriage resumed its noisy chatter—nobles boasting or commoners speaking in hushed tones—but none of it could avoid the topic of the recent farce.
"Tsk, I thought there'd be a better show."
Roland clicked his tongue twice. Truth be told, he had really wanted to see that commoner boy courageously strike back just now.
Unfortunately, he failed to seize the potential opportunity. Otherwise, Roland wouldn't have minded nurturing him. The mindset of these nobles was far too backward, hopelessly mired in their parents' power. In his eyes, however, these commoner geniuses were all treasures.
A minor favor was all it took to make them risk their lives for him.
In the future, these would be rare and precious assets.
Time passed minute by minute, and no incidents like the one upon boarding happened again. He simply closed his eyes to rest until the train pulled into the next stop, where another large group of students boarded. Roland merely glanced over twice before closing his eyes again. Though they were geniuses in the eyes of others, to him, most were thoroughly ordinary.
Philip nudged Roland.
"Shall we go get some food?"
Roland looked out the window. The blazing sun had reached noon, hanging high in the sky. He then looked at the other seats in the carriage, most of which had emptied out, as the occupants had likely headed to the train's restaurant. Only after a long pause did he respond, "Let's go."
"This magic-guided train really is huge."
Upon reaching the restaurant, Philip marveled aloud.
Roland, however, had noticed it ever since boarding. It wasn't just a single carriage; the entire train was covered in arrays specifically designed to expand internal space. Rather than calling it a train, describing it as a pocket subspace carried by the train was far more accurate. At this moment, the restaurant was already packed to capacity.
"I'll go grab a seat first. You go buy the food."
Roland said to Philip.
"Alright."
Finding an empty corner, Roland sat down and idly observed his surroundings. Most of the young boys and girls carried the naive greenness unique to youth, their unhideable emotions floating right on the surface, entirely pure.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"
A pleasant female voice came from nearby.
Roland looked up to see a young girl smiling at him.
"I am a person."
"..."
Instantly, the atmosphere froze. Just then, Philip returned carrying two portions of food. He first looked at Roland, then at the girl, his face immediately showing surprise. "Isn't this Miss Aixi?"
"Long time no see, Master Philip." Then she shifted the conversation, aiming her words at Roland. "It seems a certain someone has already forgotten me. How heartbreaking."
"..."
Roland didn't say anything.
He simply took the food Philip handed him.
In truth, she was right. When Roland first saw her, he really hadn't recognized her. He rarely attended noble banquets, and he had either never met some noble offspring or had only met them once when they were very young. Meeting again now, he truly couldn't guarantee he would recognize her.
"Doesn't a certain someone want to say something?"
"Pleased to meet you."
"So perfunctory, Eldest Young Master Roland."
Aixi Winster, daughter of a Marquis, had high magical talent. Moreover, in the game, she had been a four-star card—albeit one that had long been powercrept. Remembering this, Roland finally showed a bit of interest. After all, she was technically a major plot character. At the same time, the 【Book of Truth】 in his mind had already provided her data.
"A Level 1.7 First-Rank Mage?"
Roland murmured under his breath. That wasn't far from Second-Rank.
One could only say that these plot characters were simply too overtuned.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Aixi pouted. Seeing that he had zero interest in chatting, she stopped trying to strike up a conversation. This guy, despite having such an outrageously handsome face, was completely devoid of romance. Even so, the girl's eyes still stole occasional glances at the youth.
The magic-guided train had passed multiple stops.
And it was finally approaching the final station, Romanvia.
"Master, multiple unidentified targets are approaching the train. An offensive charging-type spell array has also been detected. Shall I..."
One's voice sounded inside Roland's mind.
The youth hadn't even opened his eyes.
"Kill them."
...
Rate on N.U.
