With the proclaimed Emissaries of Frayja staying behind, it was just Jack and his party members who joined the Lord's Convoy. Their destination, the Fortress City of Noctia to the East.
Laying on the floor of the supply wagon, Vivian and the other members sitting on the sides, Jack was napping quietly. Even with the bumps and the rocking from the uneven path they followed, he managed to sleep for over an hour.
The soldiers were taking three rows as they walked, flanking the wagon on either side as they did.
There had to be about a hundred men here, not counting those who had died mere moments ago.
Kokei was seated on the one half-wall on the right side of the wagon, his staff resting against his left leg as he held it with one hand. The other resting on the wall.
They were all silently watching Jack, as he didn't snore, but his chest would slowly rise up and down.
"Think he'd die if I were to stab him in the eye?" Nakajima asked as he leaned forward, tapping the tip of his sword's scabbard against the wooden surface of the wagon.
Runa just looked at Nakajima and shook her head rather disappointed. "Is that really something you want to ask within ear shot of him?"
"It was an honest question! He could've helped me, or something, yet he let me get squished!"
"We told him we could handle it ourselves…" Runa retorted as she was tempted to smack the swordsman with the palm of her hand. "We're more at fault that he."
Kokei's blue orbs would glow beneath the hood, not commenting, considering how he had behaved during that skirmish. He had completely and utterly failed, he couldn't even be considered a Lich!
Jack simply opened his eyes as he let out a huff listening to their bickering. Staring at the sky above, he pursed his lips. He was automatically making constellations within his sight.
Reaching over he would grab the butt of the Fire Stave which was in the hands of Vivian, using it to keep himself steady as he was sitting up.
"Are you okay?" Vivian asked with a blatant smile across her lips and shining eyes.
Jack's eyes shifted over towards her, a brow raised. "Yes," his eyes then drifted over towards Nakajima, who immediately turned his head to look away. "Aren't you cute and useless."
Nakajima immediately turned his head towards Jack, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Oh? You going to bite?" Jack effortlessly stood in the center of the wagon, surrounded by miscellaneous items and supplies.
Nakajima immediately jumped to his feet, stumbling as he did so, having no balance.
Jack quickly literally just jabbed him below the rib with two fingers, sending him falling off the back of the wagon with a thud.
Runa made a face of contempt towards Nakajima, something similar to an 'I told you so,' kind of expression. He shouldn't have said anything about killing him, or anything of that nature.
Jack then looked towards the white haired elf, then back towards Nakajima, who was standing up from the ground. Dusting himself off and fixing his armor before locking eyes with the Angel.
The swordsman would pitch his body forward before darting after the wagon, a hand on the hilt of his sheathed weapon, his scabbard being held in his other hand.
"Is he really drawing his weapon…?" Rein asked as she cringed almost.
Nodding, "It seems he has..." Snow replied with a matching tone and a cringe of her own.
"If he can't kill a level sixty Golem, how is he supposed to kill a level one hundred Seraph?" Jack spoke rhetorically as he tilted his head, wondering what kind of logic this beginner player was having in his mind.
"The last few parties he was in, all Nakajima did was fight with the leader or mentors players… I thought he was just a troll or a comedian, but I think he has something wrong with him." Kokei telepathically messaged Jack as he rested his boney chin in his skeletal palm.
"Oh?" Jack turned his head and looked towards the skeleton mage, "Interesting that I'm just now hearing about this. I would've just kicked him out of the group before we got to the Lobby."
Kokei shivered slightly hearing Jack's cold tone, making it clear that Jack didn't like Nakajima either.
Runa let out a sigh, "Are you going to kill him?"
"I'm going to kill you!" Nakajima screeched after Jack, "You overpowered elitist piece of shit!"
"Elitist…?" Jack glanced over towards the other members of the group, before puckering one eye. "What is this guy talking about?"
"He's just a bad gamer." Kokei huffed telepathically shaking his head.
Lord Carmichael glanced over his shoulder as he was riding ahead of the wagon. His eyes on the bickering group and the one member running after the wagon. T hey were like a bunch of teenagers.
"The Divine have a strange taste in servants..." Lord Carmichael let out a sigh before looking forward, the priest seated on the horse beside him.
The Brother Tonic's eyes were narrowed on Lord Carmichael, "The Gods embody many different personalities, My Lord Carmichael. It is only logical that their servants would be the same… He can read the ancient scriptures that our scribes-men have yet to translate."
"Huh!?" Lord Carmichael quickly snapped to attention hearing what the Brother Tonic had said. Read the scriptures that haven't been translated yet!? He licked his lips slightly. This would not only put him in good favor with the King, but also the Temples as well! "How joyous..." Lord Carmichael looked to the sky, grinning up to the stars with a look of smugness.
Brother Tonic smiled shallowly as he watched Lord Carmichael bathing in the light of his own self-interest.
"Perhaps My Lord Carmichael, you could pair him with your daughter? She's already sixteen summers, two years into marrying age."
"That… Would need convincing," with a sigh the noble would look on over towards the young priest. "The wife does not want to see her go, or lest, see her be miserable." Lord Carmichael's eyes moved back towards the man who was on the wagon of women of varying backgrounds.
"...Hum..." The Priest looked over towards Jack who was standing there with the spear in his hand, watching as Nakajima was slowly but surely catching up with the wagon.
Just as Nakajima was jumping from the ground, lunging forward to board the Wagon, kick brought his boot up and kicked him right under the chin followed by a loud snap.
The Swordsman would begin to barrel roll on the ground after falling back, his body twisting around until he got back onto his feet. This time running even faster after the wagon.
His jaw was slacking, then drew his blade, in a blink of an eye… He appeared airborne in front of Jack. His sword came flying straight for Jack's neck.
Lord Carmichael who was now looking back after he heard the snap of Nakajima's jaw, raised a brow seeing the event. "What in the world…? Why are they infighting?"
With the padded jacket sleeve, Jack blocked the blade, swinging the shaft of his spear into the swordsman's side, sending him flying over the heads of several soldiers.
Nakajima would ram face first into a branch of a tree, hardly making a sound as his lungs were filling with blood. He struggled and writhed, but quickly he would succumb as that kick from earlier had taken at least half of his health. That hit from the spear was enough to kill him almost outright, but it seemed Jack had held back on purpose.
An odd feeling passed through the group of the remaining three original members, a feeling of disconnection. As if a part of them had just vanished.
"Did… He just kill one of his own members?" The soldiers, Lord Carmichael and even the Priest were rather surprised at this. Though there was definitely cause as the swordsman had pulled a weapon.
"Jack… You didn't have to actually kill him..." Runa uttered as she massaged her temple.
Kokei hardly reacted to this, probably due to already seeing it coming from a mile away. That or his own sense of sorrow was being suppressed by his nature. Though the fear of Jack was being instilled, he didn't feel threatened.
It appeared Jack wouldn't just kill people without reason, similar with Nakajima.
Jack could've killed Nakajima just for not liking him, or for being a liability against the Golem and even temporarily usurping his control over the party. Yet he didn't kill him until he actively violated any ounce of responsibility Jack once felt for the idiot.
Clearing his throat, Lord Carmichael would bring his horse up alongside the wagon, "Seraph… If I may, what just happened?" His hands were tightly wrapped around his reigns, afraid of letting go of his horse.
Jack turned his gaze over towards Lord Carmichael riding alongside them.
"Leeroy's Death Syndrome," was the response he would give Lord Carmichael.
"Leeroy…?" Lord Carmichael was rather confused at the name of a syndrome which was given to him. "I'm not following..." He said hopelessly, one hand loosening on the reigns.
"He was a liability with issues who caused his own demise," Jack rephrased his words as he placed his spear into his inventory. "How long until we reach the City?"
"We have about another couple hours until we reach Noctia," The Lord would nod slowly, looking forward towards the front of his convoy.
"I've seen a basic map of the three realms," Jack sat down and crossed his legs, "Do you have one that could lead us to the City...?"
Ivan Carmichael raised a brow at the question. Why was he asking for a detailed map? "Squire!" The Lord called and soon enough a boy came galloping up on a horse. "Fetch a detailed map from your bag boy!"
This boy had to be around fourteen years old now that Jack was looking at him. It was just like Medieval times, early marriages and early adulthood. "Hm..." His eyes moved towards the bag on the back of the horse which the young man was going through, before taking out a rolled up map and holding it out to the lord.
The Lord glanced over it for a moment before taking it into his hand, unrolling it, inspecting it once before holding it out for Jack to take.
Jack would reach over and take the parchment map and look over the details. Forests, mountains, everything was fairly illustrated. There was even paint used to mark certain areas explicitly.
"How is the foot and carriage traffic in the area?"
The Lord raised a brow slightly as he was asked this question, something which he found unusual. "Why do you ask, Seraph?"
"...Call me Jack," He'd utter looking over Carmichael for a moment, "I'll open a dimensional gate between the two locations so the convoy can get there within a few seconds."
Carmichael could only stare at the young man, before glancing over towards the scribe.
"Moderate," the young boy said as he looked over towards Jack.
At closer inspection the fourteen year old squire was wearing a white tunic with chainmail sleeves and plated greaves. He was definitely armored, but he wasn't armed with any weapons other than a dagger.
Squires weren't meant to fight even though they were going to become Knights eventually. They were mainly lesser sparring partners and errand runners for Knights and lords themselves.
"Thanks..." Jack stood back up as he was on the wagon and sat on forward end behind the driver. Extending his arm forward, his palm towards the horizon, he would cast the『Gate』which can be learned once one reached the ninth level of an advanced sorcerer-type class.
In front of the convoy, a massive flat liquid-like surface materialized, depicting a massive majestic wall of aged stone covered in vines. A night sky similar to their own and a Fortress Castle and several hundred other buildings peeking over the top of the wall.
It was the City of Noctia, walls which saw war and damage beyond the years of everyone present.
"Such amazing power..." Carmichael could only stare forward, the gate was wide and tall enough for them all to go through without delay. "Everyone! Double haste!! We're returning home!"
Jack's eyes traced over the lord as he had ordered everyone to hurry through the portal. Easily Jack could've made this a trap, but he didn't. All he had to do was reformat the portal, change the destination.
The only problem is if that had been the plan, Jack only knew of two actual locations other than the basic territory outline of the three realms.
Thankfully now though with the knowledge of the map he had gotten, he could teleport anywhere within Carmichael's territory.
Now… All he had to do was get Carmichael alone, his eyes shifting to the older gentleman as they began rushing forward in formation through the portal.