“This compartment sure is nice,” Ethan muttered. “It almost makes me feel a little bad about ditching the Academy.”
Naturally, the word “almost” was there, which meant that Ethan would certainly leave the Academy after a few days.
The train had just left the station, and the blue-haired boy had nothing to do but admire the passing scenery outside his window.
Although there was a smile on his face, deep inside he was feeling anxious. This was the first time he had left his home, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t scared of going to an unknown place filled with strangers.
While Ethan was deep in thought, he heard the call of a lady asking if anyone wanted to buy some snacks from her trolley.
The blue-haired boy then opened the door of his compartment to check if there was something that he could buy from the lady’s trolley.
“Yes, Dear, did you find something to your liking?” a middle-aged lady asked with a smile.
“How much do the potato chips cost?” Ethan pointed at the big pack of potato chips that was on top of the trolley.
“5 Coppers,” the middle-aged lady replied. “How many would you lik–”
The middle-aged lady’s body stiffened after taking a good look at the blue-haired boy, who was still checking the snacks on her trolley.
From the depths of her brown eyes, a hint of surprise, and excitement could be seen.
“Dear, why don’t we go inside your compartment first,” the middle-aged lady proposed. “That way, we won’t be blocking anyone’s path. What do you think?”
Ethan looked at the surroundings, and noticed that the lady and her trolley were indeed blocking the aisle. Because of this, he decided to invite her inside his compartment, so they wouldn’t bother anyone.
“Of course,” Ethan replied. “Please come in.”
The middle-aged lady smiled as she pushed her trolley inside Ethan’s compartment. After taking a long and hard look at the boy, she was now certain that he was someone that wasn’t supposed to be on the Brynhildr Express.
“Please, take a seat,” Ethan said in a very polite manner.
Ethan’s Grandma, Agnes, trained him to be respectful to ladies, especially to the elderly. Although they weren’t that rich, she made sure to teach her grandson how to be a proper gentleman.
Of course, Ethan only applied the things he learned from his Grandma to other ladies. Family members weren’t included in the gentleman’s code!
“Thank you, I’ll accept your offer,” the middle-aged lady sat across Ethan, and watched him with a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Is this your first time going to the Academy?”
“Yes.” Ethan raised his head to make eye contact with the middle-aged lady. “My Grandma wanted me to study a business related course at the Academy, and bring home a beautiful noble lady as my wife.”
“Is that so? Your grandma must be a very wise person.” The middle-aged lady chuckled.
“Well, my Grandma is indeed very wise. But, she likes to spank me all the time. I mean… I’m already seventeen. It would be embarrassing if others were to know about it.”
The middle-aged lady arched her eyebrows. “So you say, but you’re actually telling me this. Aren’t you afraid that I will spread the news that you’re still being spanked at your age?”
Ethan chuckled before shaking his head. “I’m sure that a lady as beautiful as you wouldn’t spread this news to other people.”
“Oh my~ so young and already a sweet talker.” the middle-aged lady wasn’t able to stop herself from chuckling after hearing the teenage boy’s reply. “It seems that the noble ladies in the academy are in danger. A wolf in sheep’s clothing is about to sneak inside their pen.”
Ethan didn’t know why, but for some reason, he felt at ease while talking to the middle-aged lady whose calming presence reminded him of his Grandma back home.
Before he knew it, almost fifteen minutes had passed, and the middle-aged lady finally decided that it was about time to leave.
“Since it’s your first time going to the Academy, you can have this one for free,” the middle-aged lady said as she gave Ethan the biggest pack of potato chips on her trolley. “Also, take this as a souvenir of our meeting.”
The middle-aged lady took out a black-bracelet from her pocket and personally attached it to Ethan’s wrist.
“Ethan, remember this.” The middle-aged lady held the blue-haired boy’s hand in a gentle way. “No matter what happens, do not remove the bracelet. It is a good luck charm that will keep you safe in the Academy.”
Ethan felt touched because, aside from his Grandma, this was the first time that an older person had given him something for free.
At first, he wanted to refuse, but the kind lady’s words touched his heart, making it hard for him to reject her generosity.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Ethan replied. “If in the future our paths cross again, I will definitely return this favor.”
The middle-aged lady smiled. “Very well. I will keep your words close to my heart. I look forward to meeting you again in the future.”
After those parting words, the middle-aged lady finally left the VIP compartment and continued to make her usual rounds.
She had been assigned by her superiors on the Brynhildr Express to look for those who had lost their way, and ensure that all of them would be kept safe from harm. 𝗈𝒱𝗅xt.𝗰𝓞𝐌
“I better tell my superiors as soon as I get off the train,” the middle-aged lady muttered. “Things are going to get interesting in the academy.”
Ethan, who wasn’t aware of the lady’s other motives, was in a good mood because he got some free snacks, as well as a souvenir for free.
“What a kind lady,” Ethan said as he opened his bag of chips. “I wish there were more people like her in the world.”
At that exact moment, the train entered a tunnel.
Although it was dark, Ethan didn’t mind it one bit. He just ate one potato chip after another until the train finally left the tunnel.
It was at that moment when the blue-haired boy’s eyes widened in shock because the scenery he saw outside of the window looked surreal.
Floating islands, with flowing waterfalls appeared in his vision. It was the first time he had seen something so beautiful, and it made him wonder if he had fallen asleep when the train entered the tunnel.
Suddenly, he heard a loud roar which made him shift his gaze to his left side.
Ethan’s jaw, and the potato chip he was about to eat, dropped when he saw a giant eye looking at him from outside his window.
A few seconds later, the eye moved away, revealing a large creature with red scales, and two magnificent wings on its back.
The blue-haired boy had seen something similar in the Fairy tale picture book that his Grandma had given him while he was still young. Although he didn’t know if he had fallen into some kind of daydream or not, one thing was for sure.
What he was seeing right now looked so real that it would be very hard for him to know if he was really dreaming or not.
With another loud, and mighty roar, the Dragon flapped its wings and flew westwards, leaving the Brynhildr Express and the shocked teenager behind.
