Saying that the interaction with her during the ride was boring or awkward would be a lie because Priscilla was unintentionally hilarious.
She was a hyper-intelligent woman in her own right, but she was so faithful towards her 'I am god's gift to this world' belief that, to a person who didn't know who she was, it would seem like she was a comedian.
"What do you mean you do not hail from any of the four kingdoms?" Priscilla asked.
She had naturally asked where he was from, also to know if he held an allegiance towards a particular nation. But his response derailed her original expectation, which was that he was actually from Gusteko.
With Luke's black hair and incredible Spirit affinity, it was a good guess. Most Gustekans had jet-black hair.
"I don't know what to tell you, missy. All I know is that I'm apparently from the 'Great Waterfall' that everyone keeps talking about." Luke responded.
Being from beyond the Great Waterfall was apparently not that big of a deal in this world. A few people had arrived from other worlds in the past and faced no particular discrimination or notable hospitality.
The reason why these people became so noteworthy was that they would alter the events of the world due to their special knowledge and/or past.
Natsuki Subaru himself was the biggest example of this.
"Hmph, had it been anyone else, I would have cut you down for attempting to trick me." She said, entirely serious too. She didn't like liars, and fortunately, she could tell Luke wasn't lying.
"Really, bro? This is the first time I've seen someone who's also from another world." Al spoke out from the driver's seat, his voice coming through the window.
He sounded both glad and a bit suspicious, however. Maybe it was just a standard protective suspicion for the sake of his lady.
Just then, Mahito lightly nudged Luke in the ribs and whispered. "Ask him if he's from Japan and if he knows who Gojo Satoru is."
'I guess Mahito is just being cautious right now; might as well ease his worries.' Luke thought, also curious about whether Al is from Japan or another country.
"Hey Al, are you from another world too? Are we from the same place, maybe?"
"Could be. I'm from Japan, from little old Earth. Sound familiar? But my cracked mind already forgot what the year was... 2000s maybe?" Al responded.
"Uh-huh. I'm not from Japan, though, but I can verify that my year was 2025. Maybe you know any important people? Does the name Gojo Satoru ring a bell?"
Of course, Luke already knows that Al is not from the universe of JJK, but Mahito had to confirm that for himself.
And in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, there was no curse user who had not heard of the strongest sorcerer of the modern era.
"Is that a president's name or something? Sorry, bro, can't say I've heard of anyone with that name." Al sounded genuinely confused, likely telling the truth.
"Enough of this farce. This fool wouldn't dare lie in front of me; he's telling the truth. Now, on to more important matters." Priscilla interjected after having had enough of the otherworldly back-and-forth.
Luke gave a sneaky wink to Mahito, having dispelled his worries, to which he was met with a half-annoyed huff.
"What is your reason for visiting the commercial district? This goddess would rather not waste her time if it is not a valuable use for it." Priscilla said, uninterested.
She was only accompanying him for political reasons, to build a connection, but more importantly, she genuinely found him entertaining. If he was going to that district just for some shopping, then she would gladly kick him out of the carriage right now.
"Well, I used to be a regular patrolling knight in that area under Captain Hans Neumann's supervision, so I'm going to formally resign from my position." Luke said with a slightly sad look; those calm days would be missed.
"Because you are now working with the Astreas? It seems that pushover Sword Saint has some amount of strategic foresight. Mineself is highly surprised the fox merchant didn't approach you during that time." She fanned herself as she graciously shared information.
"That fox Hoshin was confirmed to be a candidate a month ago, and now, she's been cooperating with Russel Fellow, chairman of the Lugunica Commerce Guild. It's almost certain that they are already aware of you, just buying their time for now."
"Uhh, princess, are you sure you should be handing this information out like that? I mean, he is technically our competitor." Al spoke out, looking out for her.
But he was met with a fiery glare, which he could see even through the obstruction. 'Noted', he thought and whistled away, looking forward.
"That's a pretty valid concern from your servant, though, Miss Priscilla. Maybe this is some crazy strategy you're cooking up?" Luke said.
"I don't need extravagant strategies to win. Everything in this world will eventually bow down to my will." She responded, smoothing out her dress.
Mahito, meanwhile, was checking her out(?!) with a curious gleam in his eyes. He inspected her from all angles, like a photographer, because he could feel something weird about her.
Catching his weird inspections, Luke's eyes gravitated towards the numerous gems and other jewellery adorning her figure. Even if she liked gems that much, having this many attached to her dress was pretty strange, but he didn't comment on it. She looked pretty annoyed already.
'Russel Fellow, huh...' He crossed his legs and contemplated the silent threat of that man.
'From what I remember, isn't he running a secret information organisation within the kingdom? I'm probably on a list of some kind.'
"Looks like you are no fool." Priscilla smirked as Al stopped the carriage, having arrived RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the district, with everyone looking in wonder and confusion at the luxurious carriage.
"Mineself wouldn't be caught dead walking among these peasants. Thus, this is where we part ways. Do not disappoint me, Arkwright."
"Best of luck to you, bro." Al said as he cut off the leash attaching Maine.
She waved him off the carriage and sped off immediately. He received some familiar waves and shouts as the people recognised him, but he wasn't focusing on that.
"I can confirm. Some of these humans are harbouring more intense emotions than the others. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mahito patted the stoic Maine as he scanned the roofs of the nearby buildings.
'Damn, I didn't even think of the fact that he might send spies after me...' Luke thought, sweating internally.
From what he still remembered, Russel Fellow was first and foremost the leader of a covert shadow organisation called the Six Tongues within Lugunica. You could say he was the equivalent of the director of the CIA in real life.
The Six Tongues had committed many deeds under his command, illegal or not. He was also responsible for keeping the major powers and players in Lugunica in check. The mega-powerful Astrea House had also been bound to the kingdom through his political actions.
Shaking his head, Luke tried to calm down and suppress the intrusive thoughts he was currently feeling.
"Nope. If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then we are not doing that. Killing them will just bring more trouble in the long run." Luke said, taking Maine's leash and preparing to go to the usual stable.
"Aww, you're boring... At least allow me to have a little fun."
'Actually, I just got an idea.' Slinging the leash back over on Maine, Luke kept his expression neutral, but internally he was feeling hopeful.
"Get Maine back to the stables we used to go to before. If you notice any spy following Maine, or better yet, eyeing you, it'll let us know how worried we have to be."
"That's a decent plan, but are you sure being by yourself is safe? I can't heal a dead body."
"Is that concern for my safety, I hear~? Seriously though, you don't need to worry. I'll be fine. It's not exactly a long walk either." Luke waved his concerns off; he wasn't a defenceless maiden waiting to be saved from anything and everything.
The two went their separate ways.
Along the way, Luke nodded and greeted his fellow knights, ones he had briefly interacted with in his daily patrols.
On the other hand, Mahito saw humans and other demi-humans looking strangely at Maine, since it seemed to be a stray ground dragon walking by itself.
"I really want to eat someone right now. Even worse, the last time I faced someone strong was that cat spirit girl."
He kicked a few pebbles as he walked, which hit the legs of some unfortunate passerbys, who clutched their feet in pain, thinking it was bad luck. But this had the unintentional benefit of making some astute people realise the truth of this lonely dragon.
He scanned his eyes around again, spotting nobody. 'That Flam girl was pretty feisty; I wonder how Higuruma is doing. At least he got to experience a fight last night.'
Transition to what is happening to said Higuruma:
"My sister and I don't appreciate slackers who are only good at fighting. Do it properly." Grassis said gently, watching Higuruma try to cook food.
"Well said, Grassis. Now, Mr Fisheyes, a good juice needs the fruit to be cut first before its pulp can be extracted. Point out the Chri (cherry) for me.
Not knowing what that is, Higuruma hesitantly reaches for the closest fruit-looking object. Instead, all he got was a slap on the wrist from Flam, standing beside him.
"Not that one,"
Another reach; another slap.
"Not that one."
Learning his lesson, he points to the remaining one, looking questioningly at Flam and receiving a nod of confirmation.
Grabbing it, he still got slapped.
"I didn't tell you to grab it, idiot. Get a knife and cut it."
'I will also be studying what the names of fruits are from now on...'
'I'm sure he's having a better time than me...' Mahito concluded confidently in his mind.
His internal 'anti-boredom' technique was cut short when he noticed a long line of caravans entering the stables, all bearing the same insignia and banner.
"Finally, something interesting. Come on, Maine, let's go check it out~" ran excitedly, prompting Maine to actually speed up on its own.
"Wow, even the ground dragon looks excited to see the Hoshin Trading Company." said a random background character.
Rounding the corner, Mahito could see about 9 caravans all parked inside the stables.
The merchants stepped off from their rides, followed by what looked to be mercenaries and guards who outnumbered them twofold.
"WOOAH! Look at that cute dragon! Mimi wants to touch it!" A loud voice boomed out from one of the carriages. It belonged to a tiny cat demi-human who hopped off and sprinted towards Maine.
'Cute?' Mahito looked confused as he watched the small girl run towards them, watching as she started to pat Maine's hard legs, making funny noises as she giggled.
"You gave us a scare, sis. Don't run off to just play with a random ground dragon." A male lookalike version of her followed and said nervously. By his words, they were siblings.
"Bwahaha! Lighten up, kiddo. Mimi did a fine job protecting those guys from that bandit crew. I reckon she deserves this!" Then a 7-foot-tall wolfman also came up; the size contrast between the 3 almost comical.
Watching the out-of-nowhere happy moment, Mahito was just itching to turn one of them into a horrific transfigured monster, just to break it up.
'Inner peace, inner peace. Just gotta hold it in and wait for the right time..."
He remembered Priscilla mentioning a merchant named Hoshin was busy doing merchant things inside the kingdom.
All he had to do was follow these fools and listen to whatever information he could get. If luck was on his side, he might even be led to the lady Hoshin herself. Who knows, he could even cause havoc if he met that Russel Fellow person there.
In the one month of free time he had recently, Luke gave him some handy advice and suggestions. You could even call it a 'Sheer Heart Attack'.
Back to Luke, he was now outside Sir Hans' office, mentally preparing himself to submit his resignation. Despite only being a month old, he had appreciated Hans greatly, since without him, he wouldn't have become a knight so easily. No job = no money, after all.
Steeling himself, he entered. Hans looked as tough and stern as always, but Luke had already known that you should never judge a book by its cover. Hans was truly loyal and diligent towards the kingdom, and this extended towards all the knights working under and with him.
Truly a reliable guy.
"Captain Hans, the last time we met was not long ago at all, so it might come as a surprise to hear why I'm here."
Hans looked him in the eyes, silent and waiting for his next words.
"I'm here to resign. I found another job opportunity." Luke said politely; there was no need to sugarcoat or go around the bush.
"Job opportunity? Where?" Hans straightened up and began writing something on a piece of paper.
"With the Astreas. I loved working here, don't get me wrong, but I want to move up in this world." Luke responded.
Hans finished writing what he was doing and stood up, giving the parchment to Luke.
It was a simple official record of resignation.
'That quickly? I thought he would want me to stay.'
"Did you expect me to try and make you second-guess your decision? You are a fine knight, Arkwright, and you have done your job admirably in this short time span."
"It is natural to pursue higher ambitions in this world, so all I can do is support you as your senior. The Astreas are good and chivalrous people. It was Sir Reinhard himself who had recommended you to me, so I have no doubt that they will treat you well."
He laid a supportive hand on Luke's back as he walked him outside the room, his face full of pride and hope, for he was watching firsthand a young knight moving up in the world.
"The Royal Selection ceremony is not too far. You will certainly be tangled in the political wars, so always remember one thing. You have one life, but that doesn't mean that when that life ends, it will end for everyone else." Hans finished his speech after guiding him out personally.
'Thank you.' "Thank you."
The message was ironic in a way. One could even say that it was wrong in this world, but for Luke, it would strangely stick with him for a long time.
The interaction had even temporarily made him forget the current spying situation right now. The truth of the matter was that he was not the main character. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't just suffer and die prematurely.
So he would fight for that future where that won't happen. Whatever it takes.