CHAPTER 257: A PROMISE UNDER THE STARRY SKY

The day everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.

As soon as classes ended, the members of Endless Horizon returned to their dorms to shower and change into suitable clothes for the trip.

Within an hour, all of them had gathered at the academy’s gates, where a few carriages waited for them.

The transportation had been arranged by Princess Xenia, the sponsor of their trip to the Heracle Mountains.

If not for the fact that she was Chuck’s fiancee, Alex might have given her a kiss. Thanks to her, they didn’t need to pay for travel expenses.

It wasn’t just the carriages. They also needed to take an airship to Heracle City, located at the mountain’s base. Princess Xenia had that covered as well.

No, she wouldn’t be paying for the tickets. It’s beneath her to buy airship tickets like a commoner. She had her personal airship.

"Good afternoon, Young Master Chuck."

Mary, Princess Xenia’s handmaiden and close friend, bowed her head respectfully.

Her long dark hair was neatly tied into a double bun on top of her head. She was certainly pretty.

Though, Alex felt that her updo was a little incongruous. It was popular on Earth, which made it seem out of place in Arcana. Besides, she was wearing her maid uniform, which looked very stylish on her.

As much as Alex didn’t want to admit it, there were very few men who didn’t want to have their own battle maid serving them and acting as their bodyguard.

After Mary rose up, her brown eyes lingered a few seconds longer on Alex before she shifted it to Chuck, who was her employer’s fiance.

"Chuck, you will be riding on my carriage," Princess Xenia said.

"I understand." Chuck nodded.

He and the princess had an agreement that they would continue their act as an engaged couple until both of them achieved their own goals.

Princess Xenia wished for freedom while Chuck only wished to find the cure for his mother.

Alex had millions of academy points, but even with that, finding the ingredients to create the medicine for Chuck’s mother was extremely hard.

Of course, he could buy the ingredients from the Arcana Shop if he wanted to, but they were costly there as well.

Right now, Alex wanted to prioritize strengthening himself. If he couldn’t even save himself from danger, how could he save others from it?

Princess Xenia, Chuck, and Mary were in the first carriage.

Charles, Nessia, and Renard followed them in the second one.

Alex, Vaan, and Lavinia took the third.

Mark, Spencer, and Alphonse, Princess Xenia’s godfather, were in the fourth carriage.

As for Latifa? She had the fifth carriage all to herself.

Of course, Lotte and Lumi were with her, making sure that their original body wouldn’t get left behind in the academy since she couldn’t be bothered to wake up.

As the carriages headed to the airship that was currently parked at one of Harmonia’s ports, Xenia decided this was a good time to have a private talk with her darling fiance.

"I already spoke to Alex yesterday. He agreed to let Mary join our club," Princess Xenia said. "Since she is duty-bound to stay by my side, I cannot leave her behind."

"Well, I don’t mind her joining the club," Chuck replied. "In fact, it would be weirder if she didn’t join since she’s your maid."

Princess Xenia nodded. "You’re right. I feel bad leaving her outside the clock tower to wait for me every day."

Mary didn’t join the conversation and simply kept her eyes lowered as if she was in deep meditation.

She had always been very polite when talking to Chuck, but whether she truly liked him or not was something that only the pretty maid knew.

"Still, I wonder why Alex didn’t want me to bring more guards to this expedition," Princess Xenia mused. "He only allowed Mary and Uncle to accompany me. Do you know the reason why?"

"I don’t," Chuck answered honestly. "But Alex must have a good reason for doing so. He always does."

"Chuck," Princess Xenia said, her tone suddenly serious. "I ran a background check on Alex, but I could uncover nothing about his origin. It will be more prudent to not trust him completely."

Chuck narrowed his eyes dramatically, hoping to use humor to ease the tension. "Are you sowing discord between us because you are jealous of my bond with him? Are you envious that he sleeps in the same room with me every day?"

Princess Xenia rolled her eyes. "You know that’s not what I mean. It’s just that his background is a complete mystery. Many people have grown curious about him, especially after the Battle Royale. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has tried to find his..."

"Find his weakness, right?" Chuck pursed his lips. "That’s the first thing that noble families do when they want to control someone, especially commoners. If he has a family or lover, they can be used as hostages against him if he does something out of bounds."

Chuck knew all about it, which was also the reason why even though Frieden Academy promoted equality among its students, it was impossible for them to truly become equals since their ranks were already determined since they were born.

Nobles and Commoners.

There would always be a distinction between these classes, and it had been around even before Chuck and Princess Xenia existed.

"You know, I’ve also wondered why Alex thinks differently from me," Chuck said as he admired the scenery.

They were currently traveling along the streets of Harmonia. With the symbol of the Royal Family blazoned on every carriage, everyone made sure to make way for them.

This was the kind of treatment that only those born in royalty possessed, a privilege countless people wished to have. From the eyes of outsiders, the life of a prince or princess guaranteed luxury and grandeur.

"Whenever I talk to Alex, I feel like I’m talking to an older brother instead of a teen my age," Chuck continued. "Also, he always makes me feel like he is running toward a goal, unlike me who just coasts along.

"I think I envy that part of him. He’s confident about everything he does. Having a goal in life is a blessing. I can’t be like him. For young nobles, life can suddenly turn upside down depending on the will of the head of the family."

The teenage boy sighed before turning his gaze absentmindedly towards the luxurious interior of the carriage. There were countless noble sons and daughters who had been disowned due to various reasons, forcing them to fend for themselves in this cruel world.

While Chuck hadn’t technically been disowned by his father, he might as well have been since none of his siblings cared for him.

In their eyes, he was just a bastard son who happened to share the same bloodline as them.

This was why Chuck was attracted to people like Alex.

People who were free and had a goal they pursued with everything they had.

"You idolize him, don’t you?" Princess Xenia asked, her voice unusually soft.

"Yes, but don’t tell him," Chuck replied. "Alex will definitely tease me about it if he knows that I look up to him. Not only as an individual but a friend."

"Then do you want to be like him, Young Master?" Mary, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in.

"Become like him? Definitely not." Chuck flipped his hair. "I am more handsome, more charismatic, and more suave than him."

Xenia suddenly wondered if taking the veil wasn’t so terrible an idea after all.

"I admire his traits, yes, and I’m glad to be his friend. But I will not wish to be in the same shoes as him. Both of us are meant to become great men, but I’ll always be a level above due to my good looks and personality."

The corner of Princess Xenia’s and Mary’s lips twitched. Chuck was too full of himself.

In fact, they wanted to know where his confidence was coming from!

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the port and boarded the airship.

Mark and Spencer hadn’t expected that a member of the Royal Family would be with them. In any case, with her around, they made sure to be on their best behavior.

They had thought Endless Horizon was just an ordinary club, but after the whole fiasco with Dim Dim, they no longer dared to look down on this club!

In fact, they were even thinking that forming a good relationship with this rising club would be a good investment for their future!

"Everyone, please follow me inside the cabin of the ship," Princess Xenia said. "It will take us seven hours to reach our destination. The cooks have already prepared our dinner. I hope that all of you will like it."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Alex replied on behalf of his club members, who were still amazed by the VIP Treatment they were receiving from Princess Xenia’s staff.

Just as expected, the dinner was indeed great.

Once Alex was done eating, he felt full both in quality and quantity.

Two hours later, Alex looked at the scenery from high up in the sky.

The stars twinkled above his head and the land below spread for miles on end.

The lights coming from the houses on the ground were like candles in the dark, illuminating the path that only they could appreciate right now.

"Beautiful isn’t it?" Lavinia asked as she stood beside Alex.

The wind made her long hair flutter, but the young lady didn’t make any effort to tie it down.

"It is beautiful," Alex agreed. "Very different from my homeland."

This was the first time that Alex had spoken about his homeland to Lavinia. She often wondered where Alex came from, but she didn’t dare to ask because she didn’t want to pry.

However, her curiosity finally got the best of her.

"What is your homeland like?" Lavinia inquired. "Is it located in the north, east, south, or west of this continent?"

Dim Dim smiled faintly. This question was a little hard to answer.

"Maybe it’s located in the north," Alex replied. "At least, it is according to my backstory."

"Your what?" Lavinia blinked. "Your backstory?"

"Mmm." Alex hummed. "Maybe I will tell you more about my hometown in the future, Lavinia. It will sound like an unbelievable story, but I hope you will not laugh at me when I do tell you about it."

"I won’t laugh," Lavinia promised. "As long as you tell me the truth."

"Very well. It’s a promise then." Alex raised his pinky finger. "Ah... Do you know what a pinky promise is?"

"This is the first time I’m hearing about it," Lavinia admitted. "Still, since it’s a promise, you better keep it." She mirrored Alex’s gesture and he smiled before linking his pinky fingers with hers.

"Of course I will. You have my word," Alex vowed.

Dim Dim felt a little left out, so it crawled down from Alex’s head and also extended its hand to join the promise as well.

Alex and Lavinia looked at the little bun before laughing at the same time.

Under the starry sky, a promise witnessed by a God had been made.

As for when this promise would be realized, only Alex and time would be able to tell.