Dark didn't have the train stop to investigate, since it wouldn't have accomplished anything.
During the time he'd spent asleep, the Magic Guide Motorcar had already left the Grey Mist Forest far behind; even if it turned back now, there'd be nothing to find.
If he really wanted to get to the bottom of it, all he had to do was recount what happened on the road once he got home, and someone would naturally track the culprit down.
There weren't many people capable of crafting a dream that felt so real.
And there were even fewer who could cast such a precise spell exactly as the train passed through the Grey Mist Forest.
So there had been clues to follow from the very start.
Dark wasn't the type to swallow his teeth and take a beating lying down.
In truth, the whole point of working this hard was so he could freeload off his parents with a clear conscience =.=!
Though put that bluntly, it might sound a bit too honest.
...
A night passed.
The students, aching all over from sleeping upright, were woken by the glare of the morning sun.
Complaints echoed through the whole carriage.
In Dark's compartment, Doron — who'd been so excited about spending the night on the Magic Guide Motorcar the day before — now looked positively wretched.
Aside from Dark, who was used to trains, only Diana still seemed full of energy.
To look after her ailing classmates, Diana bustled back and forth to the dining car and brought breakfast for everyone.
But after breakfast, Rose finally couldn't hold it in any longer and threw up!
Luckily she'd prepared a bag in advance; though it gave everyone a fright, it wasn't a real problem.
Once she'd emptied her stomach, she felt a little better.
It wasn't until four-thirty that afternoon that the Magic Guide Motorcar finally arrived at Sciens, the City of Knowledge.
Just as Katrina had said, Sciens was a place famous for producing sages.
The Sage of Antiquity and the Sage of Winter, both familiar names to Dark, had been born in Sciens.
Sarah Swati, descendant of the Sage of Antiquity, and Winnie Skadi, the Sage of Winter's own daughter, both lived there.
Katrina agreed with Dark and the others to keep in touch once the term started, then summoned her Magic Guide Spirit and hauled her suitcase off the train.
"Looks like it's just us again."
Doron propped up his chin and said it idly.
After Katrina left, Diana made Rose lie down across the seat and offered her lap as a pillow.
Rose couldn't argue her out of it, so she went along.
But once she was lying down, she felt noticeably better.
That night.
Dark slipped quietly into the bathroom and pulled up his system panel to check it, a faint smile crossing his face.
Pride had risen quite a bit thanks to last night's dream — enough to keep him harvesting for the next couple of days.
After extracting the Major Sin, he quietly slipped back to the compartment, closed his eyes to rest, and drifted off to sleep.
Just in case, though, he let his little Drifloon out.
So that night, people kept startling awake from nightmares here and there.
...
The third day aboard the Magic Guide Motorcar.
With the royal capital finally within reach tonight, Doron gradually perked back up.
Once he got moving again, the compartment filled with more cheerful laughter.
By eight that evening, the Magic Guide Motorcar finally pulled into the station built on the outskirts of the royal capital.
Though it was on the outskirts, the station was easily the largest in the entire kingdom.
After getting off the train, Dark spent some time hauling all the luggage out of the freight car, then headed toward the exit with the others, trailed by a small army of Magic Guide Spirits.
Parents who already knew their children would be arriving around this time had gathered early at the exit, packing it shoulder to shoulder.
Looking closely, one would notice quite a few of the kingdom's nobles among them.
But right now, no matter their rank, these nobles had eyes only for the children stepping out of the station.
A full nine months apart had been its own kind of torment for parents who doted on their children.
When the army of children began appearing around the corner, the waiting parents all perked up at once.
Two particularly tall, sturdily built men stood at the very front, craning their necks to scan the crowd.
The people nearby couldn't help but marvel at the sight — these two men, famed on the battlefield for their iron-blooded ferocity, now looked like nothing more than ordinary doting fathers.
But the two of them clearly didn't care what anyone thought.
Before long, the group of five led by Dark came into view among the crowd.
The lion-maned man with thick brown hair and a beard lit up instantly, thrust his brawny arm into the air, and bellowed with excitement, "Diana! Papa's over here!"
The other man beside him simply crossed his arms and watched Doron, trailing behind, with a smile in his eyes.
"Papa!"
Diana jumped instinctively at the sound.
But before she rushed off, she turned to glance at Dark and Rose.
Only once they'd both waved her on did she dash excitedly through the crowd, and the moment she reached the exit she leaped straight into Viscount Greatbear's arms.
Viscount Greatbear quickly bent his arm to seat his precious daughter on it, his rugged face melting in an instant.
Teddy Doron immediately spotted his own father standing beside Viscount Greatbear as well.
His first instinct was to dash forward just like Diana, but he caught himself, deliberately putting on the poise expected of a noble and offering his father a composed smile instead.
Still, the quiet quickening of his steps gave away just how eager he really was.
Pistan, meanwhile, had started scanning the crowd, trying to spot his own parents.
As he neared the exit, he finally spotted a chubby man standing at the back of the crowd.
He spun around and waved vigorously at Dark and the others. "I found my dad! See you all when term starts!"
With that, he squeezed through the crowd with his Magic Guide Spirits in tow.
That left only Dark and Rose.
Dark glanced at Rose beside him. She forced a smile. "Don't worry, I can get home on my own."
Dark thought it over. "Want to stop by my place first?"
Rose shook her head. "I can't. My aunt would worry."
Dark didn't press further. He simply had Leomon retrieve Rose's suitcase from the back of Diana's [Bear Spirit], nodded to Viscount Greatbear, and headed out of the exit with Rose.
Outside, a plaza dotted with lights greeted them.
Dozens of carriages lined the streets around the plaza, half-hidden in the night.
Meaning to see Rose safely into a carriage, Dark began scanning the row for one.
Suddenly his arm was seized. He turned, a little startled, to find Rose's face lit with delight.
"My aunt's come to pick me up!" Rose blurted before he could ask.
Her hands, gripping his arm, trembled slightly — she was so excited it bordered on nerves.
Following her gaze, Dark spotted an ornate Victorian-style carriage, beside which stood a noblewoman holding a black parasol.
The lady had pale, delicate skin and slightly upturned eyes, her face hidden behind a black veil.
A finely dressed little boy stood beside her — presumably Rose's cousin.
Dark hadn't expected Flotly to come in person, but it was clearly a good thing.
Watching the smile blossom on Rose's face, he said, "Go on. I'll have Leomon walk you over."
"Okay!" Rose nodded firmly and hurried toward the carriage.
Leomon hoisted her suitcase onto his shoulder and escorted her the whole way.
"Is this your Magic Guide Spirit?"
As they drew close, Flotly ignored Rose entirely, eyeing Leomon with a frown.
Rose said hastily, "No, Auntie."
Flotly's tone stayed flat. "I thought as much — there's no way you could have forged a Magic Guide Spirit at this level. Did you bring your grade report? Show me."
"The Academy doesn't issue paper report cards," Rose said, a little flustered.
Flotly arched an eyebrow. "And who's that uncouth man over there? Do you even remember your place?"
Rose's fingers curled tight, and she forced her voice up a notch. "That's Dark—"
"Dark?" Flotly's frown deepened. "Dark Demon? The Duke's family's troublemaker?"
"Um..." Rose said softly, "Dark's not a troublemaker."
"Never mind." Flotly waved a hand. "Have that lion put the luggage in the carriage. It's time to go."
Rose glanced at Leomon, who gave a small nod and loaded the suitcase into the carriage.
Then he stepped straight back down and headed off.
The little Flotly boy had been staring at Leomon the whole time; only once it left did he turn to Rose and ask, "Sis, did you bring me a present?"
Rose let out a soft breath and gave a small smile. "I did."
...
Under the starry sky, the summer night breeze stirred his hair.
Dark waited until Leomon came back before asking, "So? Did you notice anything?"
Leomon thought it over and settled on an answer. "Not especially bad."
"Good to hear." Dark nodded. "Now we need to figure out how we're getting home."
Leomon asked curiously, "Master, didn't your family come to pick you up?"
Dark corrected him, "I mean I'm wondering how we're going to carry all these suitcases back. A wyvern's back really isn't wide enough."
Just as he finished speaking, a shrieking roar sounded overhead.
A wyvern swooped down on a howling wind, drawing startled cries from the crowd.
Dark looked up to see Claire and Alvit seated on its back.
Alvit St. Demon leapt straight down from the wyvern's back, her radiant golden hair streaming behind her, her emerald eyes bright with light.
Dark opened his arms with a resigned sigh, and the next instant his mother had him clamped tight in an embrace.
...
"Is this Master's mom?"
Gatomon, hauling a suitcase, eyed Alvit curiously, puzzled as to why this mother seemed to have something wrong with her — otherwise why would she keep crying, "Ooh, my baby, my precious baby"?
"Look, Master's about to suffocate." DemiDevimon flew over to Sylveon with a mischievous grin. "As Master's Magic Guide Spirits, shouldn't we rescue him from mortal peril right about now?"
Sylveon shot DemiDevimon a displeased look; her feelers twitched restlessly, but she stayed rational and held back.
"Mew! (You think I'm stupid?!)"
Seeing his attempt to stir up trouble fail, DemiDevimon looked utterly bored.
Meowth, meanwhile, had already wandered up to the wyvern and crouched down to poke curiously at its claw.
He couldn't shake the feeling that a dragon's claw must be worth a fortune.
Only Leomon was still mulling over the question Dark had raised: how were they going to get all these suitcases home?
...
A moment later, Alvit finally let out some of the longing she'd been holding in, planting a fierce kiss on her precious son's forehead before reluctantly loosening her slender but strong arms.
Dark, having narrowly escaped, gulped down a breath of fresh air, his face flushed red. "Mom, there are people around."
"Then we'll talk more once we're home," Alvit said at once.
Her gaze quickly landed on Gatomon and Leomon next — the two Magic Guide Spirits with Hero Aptitude that had been giving her no end of trouble.
Just then, a little pink darling stepped into her line of sight, its pretty ribbon quietly curling around her fingers, radiating a happy mood.
Alvit took an instant liking to the cat-like Magic Guide Spirit. "This must be Sylveon, right?" she couldn't help saying.
"Mew!" Sylveon chirped adorably.
"Me, me, me, don't forget me — I'm DemiDevimon!"
Realizing he'd already fallen a step behind, DemiDevimon flapped over in a hurry.
A flicker of surprise crossed Alvit's face. "It can actually talk!"
DemiDevimon glanced at his master, and seeing no change in his expression, spoke up boldly. "Not only can I talk, I'm also Master's cozy little cotton jacket, his professional delivery boy, and his super lab assistant — I'm amazing!"
"Is that so?" Alvit said, staring at him in surprise. "So on top of being able to turn into a cat, you're useful in all these other ways too?"
"Mm-hm, mm-hm!" DemiDevimon tilted his head back, looking terribly pleased with himself.
Behind him, Gatomon curled her lip, watching his back with a look like she was staring at something worthless.
...
In the end, Dark hired a carriage, stuffed all the suitcases inside, and had Leomon — who'd volunteered — stand guard over them.
The driver was pleased at first to hear he'd been hired on the Duke's business, but once the imposing lion-man climbed aboard right behind him, he couldn't help shivering and drove straight and obediently toward the Duke's estate.
Dark, meanwhile, climbed onto the wyvern's back with the rest of his Magic Guide Spirits.
Meowth, Gatomon, Sylveon, and DemiDevimon were all quite small and took up hardly any room.
Alvit pulled Dark in between herself and Claire, holding him tightly against her as if afraid he might suddenly vanish.
Claire, seated in the saddle, just smiled and urged the wyvern skyward!
The rushing wind split apart along a V-shaped magic shield, sliding away to either side and forming a protective barrier of wind around the passengers.
The Magic Guide Spirits clung to the wyvern's back and peered down, wonder shining in every pair of eyes.
The buildings below shrank to tiny specks, rushing past beneath them.
Riding a dragon for the first time, they were all brimming with curiosity about their "new home."
They wanted to know what the "new home" looked like, wanted to know about Master's past, wanted to know more and more.
As their thoughts spun on, the Duke's estate drew rapidly closer.
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