Chapter 112: Chapter 112

Chapter 112 - Hi, Jack? (1)

Now that I think about it, the train called Railroad Mysterium was exceptionally out of the ordinary. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel[f]ire.net

What is a train, fundamentally? Isn't it a mode of transport whose primary purpose is to move long distances quickly?

However, despite its grand route circulating the continent, the Railroad Mysterium's movement itself was not its primary purpose.

As I had mentioned before, its purpose lay in the acquisition and auction of artifacts, and its mobility served only to collect artifacts from across the entire Empire.

‘It truly was a train that threw efficiency to the dogs.’

Anyway, befitting its purpose, the Railroad Mysterium's structure focused not on 'how many passengers it could carry,' but on 'how luxuriously it could treat its passengers.'

Commensurate with such luxurious facilities, each car of the train was quite voluminous.

Its main clientele consisted of wealthy individuals capable of participating in artifact auctions, or influential figures from long-established families.

The fact that its long length, stretching 20 cars, was mostly occupied by private rooms said it all.

I've been rambling, but the point I want to make is... the train's auxiliary facilities were truly top-notch.

‘Is it even sensible to have a training facility?’

Well, thanks to that absurd scale, I was able to live a life consistent with my usual routine even inside the train.

However, it wasn't all good things, of course.

-A bastard, and even a commoner. When the imperial family reaches such a status, flies are bound to gather.

-What are the young masters and ladies of the Cardenas and Stellia families thinking...?

-Haha, well. Since they attend the same school... isn't the one who tried to cling on in the wrong?

-Sometimes, being too kind can be poison; this is when you learn that. It will all be a lesson.

Didn't I say before that Archenia Academy was steeped in aristocracy?

But the Railroad Mysterium went a step further; it was a place where people who were the embodiment of aristocracy gathered.

What kind of remarks would one hear in such a place?

‘Well, they never directly picked a fight, though.’

They probably thought it was beneath them, I suppose.

It was nice because it was more comfortable than the academy.

It seemed that Serene and Elwin were even more displeased than Yuna and I, who were actually hearing the remarks.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind it. It’s not like it happens once or twice.”

“...I’m sorry, Rain.”

And then, I even received an apology from Serene in return.

“You don’t need to apologize, Serene. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

There's a limit to how kind-hearted one can be.

Anyway, daily life on the Railroad Mysterium was like that.

It was a bit unpleasant, but I was still just about getting by, that’s the story.

And today was no different.

I was living days that were now tedious to talk about. Waking up early, eating, and training.

The ones training with me were Elwin and Yuna. Serene said she had other errands and couldn't attend this morning, or something like that.

Anyway, we were training in the training facility located in car 10.

The Railroad Mysterium had auxiliary facilities every five cars, and the training facility was in car 10.

It was while we were diligently training that a sound rang out.

It came so casually, without any warning. As if what was bound to happen had happened.

In fact, when I thought about it, calamities were usually like that.

A fate that suddenly appears without warning, plunging people into despair.

Perhaps that's why people readily gave that fate the name "calamity."

I knew a little more about that than others... but, well.

I will confess honestly.

I seemed to have let my guard down too much. Was it because of the sweet illusion I had only recently tasted?

Well, it didn't matter anyway.

“W-what was that...!”

As the train vibrated once with the explosion, Yuna was the first to react.

Elwin also chimed in with a look of surprise.

That's not to say I was just standing there dumbfounded.

The difference was that instead of expressing my feelings, I opened the door and checked the situation outside.

-Conductor! Where is the conductor!

-What's going on, exactly!!

Outside the training room was absolute chaos. People in confusion, but no answers returning.

I slowly checked the situation outside, then gestured to Yuna and Elwin.

“Let’s go towards where the sound came from first.”

And so, I suggested it.

“...How are you so calm in a situation ...?”

Yuna's disgusted question was, well... honestly understandable.

In a situation that felt like being struck by lightning out of nowhere, I was immediately offering a solution instead of panicking.

But there was a reason for this composure.

‘Honestly, I had a vague uneasiness that some sudden situation might occur.’

Regina and I were facing none other than Crown Prince Claudio, and 『Ad Astra』 behind him.

And yet, that cunning Crown Prince would just retreat after only suffering a loss?

Well. While we were the ones who delivered an unexpected blow, I wasn't someone who held such sweet optimism.

That's not to say I knew exactly what the Crown Prince would do; I was just vaguely on alert.

“...Anyway, we don’t necessarily have to deal with this, so I won’t force you, but aren’t you coming along?”

But I couldn't answer that way, so I made an appropriate excuse to Yuna.

And the answer that came back was.

Answers that were light and without a hint of hesitation.

Not backing down from such an incident was truly characteristic of the heroes of .

We immediately dashed through the train's corridor, heading in the direction the sound came from, that is, towards the front of the train.

Apart from us, no one else seemed to be moving in that direction of the train.

Those entrusted with guarding the nobles, naturally, made it a rule to stay in their positions.

Anyway, I kept thinking as I moved.

‘Towards the front of the train... I have a bad feeling about this.’

The Railroad Mysterium was structured so that important facilities and key personnel were located at the front of the train.

Immediately, the Princess's private room was in car 1, and the warehouse where the Railroad Mysterium's artifacts were stored was in car 5.

And now, coincidentally, an explosion was heard from the front.

I made an unpleasant conjecture in my mind. Though I had no basis for it.

That's why I kept moving forward, simply taking in the situation.

First, I had to confirm whether my conjecture was right or wrong.

However, instead of seeing any clues to the situation, only the sight of people in chaos presented itself.

And as we moved forward, the train's vibrations grew more intense.

“What on earth is happening...?”

Elwin, clearly tense, muttered that, but there was no way to know.

We were just about to cross from car 8 to car 7, approaching the door between the cars.

And, just as I was about to open the connecting door between the trains…

Yuna grabbed my arm and stopped me as I approached the door.

Naturally, I looked at Yuna with a puzzled expression. After all, it was an urgent situation.

But, what kind of person was Yuna?

She was a girl with intuition close to divine skill, the most reliable person in such sudden situations.

And such a Yuna stopped me?

There must have been a reason.

Elwin looked at Yuna with a curious expression.

“Yuna, do you feel something?”

I asked Yuna the reason for stopping me.

“...I don't know why, but I feel like we shouldn't open it right now...!”

And, even before Yuna could finish her sentence.

A second deafening roar echoed in my ears.

The difference from the previous explosion was that the source of this explosion was clearly right in front of us.

The aftermath of that explosion was directly reaching us.

However. In that fleeting moment.

No, just before that situation occurred.

Yuna slammed her hand on the ground with skillful movements that contrasted with her flustered expression.

As if she had foreseen what was about to happen.

Then, a pure white barrier of magic was created right in front of us.

It was the color of magic that symbolized Yuna, a color found only in Yuna in this world.

And thanks to that, we were safe from the flames of the explosion that rushed towards us.

I let out a hollow laugh and took a step back.

It was truly a life-threatening situation. If it weren't for Yuna's superhuman reflexes, I would have been launched straight to the save point of 『Overcoming Ten Thousand Deaths』.

“...Yuna, you saved me.”

And as the flames subsided, I quietly said that to Yuna.

“More than that, look ahead...!”

Yuna's reply was extremely sensible.

And just as she said, I turned my head forward again.

And the scene that appeared after the flames cleared made me clearly understand the situation.

A precarious connection that seemed as if it could break at any moment.

The train, half-destroyed by the aftermath of the explosion.

“W-what are those kids...!”

Robust men, each with weapons in hand, looking at us from the train's roof and corridor with bewildered expressions.

There was no way anyone seeing these clues wouldn't understand the situation.

I immediately voiced the conclusion.

We were now facing train robbers.