Chapter 129: Chapter 129

Chapter 129 - Unresolved Issues (2)

“Hmm, I also think it would be best if you stopped.”

What more could I say? With that single remark from Serene, who appeared behind me, the situation was perfectly resolved.

Upon hearing Serene's words, the noble, who had been on the verge of erupting in anger, cleared his throat, glared at me…… and then left the spot.

It wasn't particularly surprising. Well, given Serene's family, her words also carried the weight of her family's power, but…… that wasn't all.

From the original story, Serene's voice was often described as having the power to make people follow her. That was something I, who had spent a few months with Serene, had felt quite a bit.

There must have also been the influence of her inherent charm, which was connected to Serene's very essence and led people.

“Thank you for saving me.”

After the noble left, I said that to Serene.

Even with the current situation, it also carried a meaning of gratitude for Serene's earlier assistance.

It was truly a remark imbued with various meanings.

Serene seemed to understand the intention behind my words and smiled awkwardly.

“……I mean it. Even putting aside what just happened, if it weren't for you, I would have been in big trouble.”

That gratitude was, without a doubt, sincere. I wouldn't have died due to the effect of 『Overcoming Ten Thousand Deaths』, but it would have certainly led to various difficult situations.

If Serene hadn't been there, even if I regressed, I would still have had to fight all those numerous rebel intruders after subduing Vargas.

‘I would have lost face.’

Having vowed to overcome this situation without a single regression, it would have been quite awkward if I had died and regressed.

Well, no one would criticize me for that embarrassing situation, but still.

“More importantly, are your injuries okay? I thought my healing magic was still clumsy, so I wondered if it would be effective……”

At those words, I touched the injured area again. Unlike immediately after the injury, when a large piece of flesh had fallen off, revealing bone, it was quite stable now.

The healing magic had worked so well that it felt quite distant from her own description of it being clumsy.

“I'm fine. I won't be able to fight anymore, but I can move without any discomfort.”

Serene sighed in relief and murmured at my answer.

The sight of her being so relieved that someone's life was not in danger. It was exactly the Serene I knew.

“Originally, there's a bit more to discuss, but……”

As she said, there were many things I wanted to ask. Like how she caught up to the train, or when she learned healing magic.

But what was important now was not that.

“Please follow me. The situation is urgent.”

Therefore, I spoke to Serene in a somewhat serious tone.

Before unraveling the accumulated questions, there was a problem that needed to be solved.

After that, it didn't take long for everyone to gather in Regina's cabin in Car 1.

Well, it was a natural progression. Since the train was separated, the distance to travel wasn't that wide.

I slowly surveyed the gathered individuals in the room.

Elwin, Yuna, Serene, Regina, as well as Croban Trase, who had joined us, and Aisa, the Princess's Guard Knight.

‘The lineup…… is certainly no joke.’

Truly, the renowned powerhouses of the world…… or those destined to become powerhouses were gathered here.

The problem we faced this time, the issue of 『Despair Without Cost』, needed to be explained, but…… fortunately, Elwin seemed to have roughly explained it while I was unconscious.

Thanks to that, the discussion proceeded quickly.

“Regarding 『Death Without Cost』, I did see it in a catalog before, but…… I never imagined it would become like that if it went berserk.”

However, as Serene's somewhat serious murmur suggested, even if the discussion proceeded quickly, a solution wasn't immediately deduced.

The artifact—『Death Without Cost』—was a calamity that would endlessly produce undead if there was enough mana around, and wouldn't stop until all the surrounding mana was depleted.

Once it went berserk and became 『Despair Without Cost』, it was even questionable whether it should still be classified as an artifact. Such was its destructive effect.

“Let's think about the methodology first. Should we disable the artifact's berserk state, or destroy it?”

In that heavy atmosphere, the first person to propose an alternative was the last of the seven protagonists of I had met this time, Croban.

His characteristic dry voice, and his informal tone, as if he didn't care about formalities at all.

It was exactly as I had imagined.

Aisa seemed somewhat displeased by his informal tone and was about to comment on it…… but Regina stopped Aisa.

She was inherently not one to care much for formalities, and there was a more urgent problem at hand.

Then, as if to lighten the atmosphere, Regina was the one who answered the discussion.

“We'll probably have to destroy it. As for the method of releasing it…… as our Rain said, there are no clues at all.”

And that premise was correct. If Arien had been here, we might have considered a way to release the berserk state, but for now, there were almost no magic experts here.

But why "our Rain"? That thought crossed my mind…… but oh well.

“How did the interrogation of the rebels go? They were the ones who made the artifact go berserk, weren't there any clues?”

I asked that question. Because the first reason for subduing the rebel intruders was for this very purpose.

“Ah, regarding that, we couldn't find out anything. They said the one involved with the artifact was a woman in a black veil and dress who accompanied the upper echelons……”

Therefore, they themselves knew nothing. That was the only information obtained from the interrogation.

My expression stiffened significantly upon hearing Regina's words. The identity of the figure in the black veil was all too clear to me.

One of the most important executives of 『Ad Astra』, the main villain group of , and…… the creator and original owner of 『Death Without Cost』.

Had she personally intervened?

‘Then there's no answer.’

I quickly made a judgment. A necromancer who had existed since the mythical era of the world, and the very culprit of the artifact's berserk state?

It was impossible to contend with by magical means.

“We'll have to destroy it.”

As the conversation flowed, Elwin proposed a plan.

“So, by entering Car 5 and destroying it?”

“But the problem is we don't know what the internal situation is like. If it's completely filled to its limit…… we might not even be able to get in, and instead be overwhelmed by the undead.”

Serene's concern, expressed at Rain's words, was certainly valid. From what I heard earlier, they tried to check the state of Car 5 through the windows, but it was blocked.

‘They must have taken measures to prevent us from looking inside.’

What a tenacious bunch they were.

“Then, only the option of destroying Car 5 as it is remains…… it seems……”

As the discussion gradually shifted towards a conclusion, Yuna spoke about the remaining option.

But no one affirmatively agreed with that option either.

Ultimately, extensive destruction would inevitably require mana, and if the artifact couldn't be destroyed in one go, all that mana would be entirely absorbed by the artifact.

‘That would make things even worse.’

This method had a low probability, and that method was also impossible.

I sighed inwardly to prevent the atmosphere from becoming even gloomier.

A frustrating situation where neither this nor that was possible.

‘What a wily old fox.’

Claudio Renart Abellon. The person who probably drove us into this awful situation.

A wave of annoyance at him washed over me.

The discussion continued after that, and a conclusion was reached.

“First, let's stop the train and ask the authorities for help.”

Resolving the situation in its current state carried too great a risk.

If more time passed, and if 『Despair Without Cost』 remained fixed in one location, there was a high possibility that all the mana in the ground would be depleted…… but that was better than fumbling with it clumsily.

That was the conclusion.

Therefore, I, along with Yuna and the rescued engineer, headed towards the locomotive side. It was to stop the train first.

A sound of something being wrong came from the engineer.

That one phrase, which was proudly selected as the number one thing you shouldn't say at work in modern times. That's what the engineer uttered now.

“Why, why isn't it stopping……?”

The reason for his bewilderment was easily understood from the murmuring that followed.

The train wouldn't stop.

I immediately opened the door behind the control panel, labeled ‘Engine Room.’

And what appeared was a huge engine. But it was an engine blinking ominously in red.

“W-what is this situation……?” Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

Yuna murmured that with a clearly bewildered voice, but I understood the situation all too easily.

‘Quite easy to understand.’

The engine's runaway.

It seemed Claudio and 『Ad Astra』 had no intention of giving us any path to a solution.

But a small smile formed on my lips as I saw the situation.