20
Chapter 20
The reason I hadn't purchased an artifact, despite receiving so much money from Rubia, was simple.
Artifacts weren't items you could just acquire simply because you wanted them.
Of course, items enchanted with magic could be bought anywhere as long as you had the money.
I didn't need to look far for proof; I was currently wearing a robe equipped with all sorts of features, like defense enhancements and temperature regulation.
I bought a new one with a similar design since both Rien and Ciel liked the robe I wore previously.
However, these kinds of clothes weren't classified as artifacts.
The reason was simple.
A mage had simply imbued an ordinary object with magic; the object itself couldn't generate magic on its own.
A true artifact had to possess an inherent mystique that allowed it to manifest magic independently.
And naturally, the Empire monopolized such items.
Simply buying or selling them was considered a severe crime.
Of course, in the game, players could obtain these artifacts relatively easily.
All they had to do was play the game multiple times.
After clearing the game once, they could delete that character and use the refunded currency to craft whatever they wanted.
'......But how the hell am I supposed to do that right now?'
Consequently, there were bound to be very few places to acquire artifacts.
In such a situation, the Black Market was like a blessing in a drought—a place where artifacts could actually be sourced.
Therefore, for someone like me who needed to build up strength by any means, it was a place I had to visit at least once.
'Plus, putting artifacts aside, I might even be able to meet some heroic characters there.'
There were many characters of slave origin who cooperated with the protagonist.
If I was lucky... I might just be able to find some decent allies there.
The problem, however, was that the Black Market wasn't a place just anyone could enter.
An Entrance Ticket for the Black Market wasn't something you could obtain just by having money.
'If I miss this chance, I'll have to wait another six months. I want to avoid missing this opportunity if at all possible.'
For the past two days.
I had made various preparations, learning basic magic from Ciel and receiving Physical Combat training from Rien, but...
Honestly, I just couldn't see Rubia managing to get an Entrance Ticket in time.
The Black Market was opening tomorrow, which meant she needed to have the ticket by today at the latest.
Realistically, getting her hands on such an item in just two days was no easy task.
Because of that, I thought I might have no choice but to give up on this endeavor.
"......Hah. Haaah."
Rubia appeared in front of me while I was in the middle of training with Ciel, panting heavily.
She must have been running frantically, as her usual red roll-bun hair was an absolute mess.
Her clothes were thoroughly soaked, subtly revealing her already large assets, so I desperately averted my eyes.
"I-I got it!"
I didn't even need to ask what she had managed to get.
After all, she was holding an Entrance Ticket, one that had appeared a few times in the previous game.
......It even had a golden border.
That was a VIP Entrance Ticket.
A necessity if you wanted to participate in the exclusive auction.
'How on earth did she get her hands on that?'
I had no choice but to reassess Rubia's abilities.
In a way, it made sense. Since she always gave away things so generously, I had always wondered how someone with a personality that constantly took losses could run such a successful business.
However, the fact that she had brought *that* meant she could have easily gotten a normal Entrance Ticket in less than a day.
......It seemed she had misunderstood my words and struggled to acquire the VIP Entrance Ticket instead, which was what took her so long.
'To be honest, I would have been perfectly satisfied if she had just brought a normal Entrance Ticket.'
That thought crossed my mind, but I wasn't tactless enough to say it out loud. I politely expressed my gratitude and accepted the ticket Rubia handed me.
"T-Then, have a safe trip."
A sense of relief could be seen on Rubia's face as she said those words.
However,
"Rubia, you need to come with us...."
How are we supposed to ride the Mana Train without you?
Seeing her so exhausted made guilt wash over me.
But with only a day left, we couldn't exactly walk all the way there.
Once this was all over, I would share the recipe and practically duplicate money for her.
I decided to shamelessly rely on her just this once more.
*****
The Empire was a much more technologically advanced nation than one might think.
That was obvious just from looking at the scenery before me right now.
The black train.
Its intricate golden gears and the blue Mana Stone fuel flowing through transparent pipes.
No matter how many times I saw it, the design oozed a steampunk aesthetic.
Even as a modern person, I couldn't find a single flaw in its aesthetics.
'Well, building something like this and then refusing to let anyone but Nobles ride it is very on-brand for the Empire.'
"Whoa......."
Rien gaped in awe as she looked around the station. Ciel, as always, was expressionless.
Miss Rubia checked our tickets and identification in front of us.
I thought it would take a bit longer, but seeing how easily we passed through, it seemed she was a familiar face here.
It dawned on me once again that Rubia really was a Noble in her own right.
And just like that, we boarded the train.
Of course, Rubia was separated from the three of us.
That was to be expected.
The only reason we were allowed on board was because Attendants were treated as a Noble's property.
Why would property sit in the same seats as their owners? Naturally, we had to sit in much narrower, more uncomfortable seats.
'Well, I don't really mind.'
Unlike Ciel, who maintained her usual expressionless face, Rien was practically buzzing with excitement as she enthusiastically looked all around.
My reaction was actually not much different.
Since the player was a Noble in the previous game, this was my first time seeing this area too.
In fact, I had been more curious about this place than the Noble-only carriages that I had grown sick of seeing.
'This place isn't half bad, actually.'
Maybe it was because it was a luxury facility.
Even though they treat people like luggage and cram them into a separate car, it's still not as bad as I thought.
There were hardly any people here, so compared to a modern subway during rush hour, this was probably more comfortable.
Just the fact that we could sit during the ride meant this side won by a landslide.
We found some empty seats spacious enough for the three of us and settled down.
Since there was nothing else to do until we arrived, I was staring blankly out at the scenery with Rien when...
"I simply cannot keep up......."
A white-haired man reading a newspaper muttered.
Partly out of boredom and partly out of curiosity, I asked him what he was talking about.
"The world is changing far too quickly. It's getting to be a bit much for an old man like me."
With those words, the old gentleman handed me the newspaper.
Written inside was... an article regarding Black Fang.
Well, since it was Empire news, Black Fang was described as if they were some crazed psychopathic mass murderers.
But using my experience from the previous game to filter out the facts, the article essentially indicated that starting with Black Fang, there were signs of the Anti-Empire Forces organizing.
"I just hope we don't get swept up in a pointless fight......."
The old gentleman let out a sigh as he spoke.
He was grumbling about how, at times like this, it was always the Attendants caught in the middle who suffered the most.
...For some reason, his words lingered in my mind.
This train was a symbol of Noble authority.
If the Anti-Empire Forces really were organizing, this train would undoubtedly be a prime target.
Besides.......
'This is a cliché.'
A wave of anxiety washed over me.
Train rides in stories were almost always accompanied by terrorism.
If a train arc was introduced and a terrorist attack didn't happen, that would be far stranger.
In this kind of situation, was it really just a coincidence that an old man suddenly brought up such an ominous topic?
"Rien, Ciel. Stay on your guard, just in case."
I kept a close eye on our surroundings as I said that.
Now that I thought about it, the train was awfully quiet.
It felt like the calm before the storm; the eerie silence right before everything went to hell.
A dark premonition took hold of me.
A feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.
And then... the sound of an explosion rang out.
It started in the passenger car ahead of us. The train shook violently as it derailed......,
-Thank you for riding with us. We hope you had a pleasant journey.......
Instead, an incredibly polite intercom announcement echoed through the cabin.
We arrived safely and comfortably at our destination.
I scratched the back of my neck, desperately avoiding Rien's bewildered stare.
'This is really weird.'
My gut feelings are usually spot on.
But lately, it felt like I kept missing the mark.
I was so sure I had felt it. I had a real intuition that there were suspicious people on board.
But...... what could I do when reality proved otherwise?
Maybe I needed to break the habit of putting so much blind faith in my intuition.
'Well, a cliché is just a cliché.'
It was obvious when I actually thought about it.
There was no way something as unrealistic as a terrorist organization boarding the exact same train as me would actually happen in real life, right?