Northern Province

Green boarded the carriage without any particular destination in mind. He had planned to return to the city for Wood Slate's luggage only because he had nowhere else to go, and he hoped to use his status as a Baron as a way into the army. Instead, he had run into fellow members of the Anomalies Bureau halfway there. They issued him a summons, which suited him perfectly, so he climbed aboard with a clear conscience.

Four people already sat in the fourth carriage. It was spacious enough for one more, but none of them looked kindly on Green. The gust of wind and snow he had let in when he opened the door seemed to have made them uncomfortable.

Cyrabelle had requisitioned thousands of Transcendents. These four were the strongest among them, which was why they had qualified to ride in a carriage.

Green kept his face blank, ignored them, and sat down boldly in the middle of the compartment.

His disregard darkened their expressions further. Some even wanted to teach him a lesson, but the authority of the Anomalies Bureau held them back.

Like Green, they were Transcendents temporarily summoned from the Royal Capital, not members of the Anomalies Bureau. It was called a summons, but everyone understood that Director Cyrabelle was deliberately clearing out the Transcendents lurking in the Royal Capital before she went to suppress the native rebellion in Northern Province. It was also a warning to certain factions, meant to reduce the chance of trouble while she was away.

Every requisitioned Transcendent therefore kept a low profile, afraid of standing out and being made an example of—a chicken killed to frighten the monkeys.

None doubted that Countess Cyrabelle, gentle and composed as she appeared, had earned her title of Butcher. She would put the slaughtering