2. Orient Express Murder (1)
Trains always cut through the darkness. With no way to turn back, they glided along straight lines and curves, connecting people's encounters. Cities to cities. People to people. No matter how far the distance between them, the train charged ahead tirelessly.
"Trains are just the coolest, aren't they?"
Theo hummed a little tune, pipe clenched between his teeth. He wasn't even smoking it, but just having it there lifted his spirits somehow.
"You seem in high spirits, Engineer."
"Damn right, Marie. It's a good day today."
There was only one reason Theo felt this refreshed. Over the six stations they'd passed, not a single threat had reared its head. No monster attacks, as usual. No natural disasters blocking the tracks!
"And no weird Red Flag flies buzzing around either! Woo-hoo!"
Marie stifled a grin at Theo's beaming face. She tapped the shelf to calm her heart, finding his shoulder-shaking glee utterly adorable.
So cute. Like a little kid.
Theo never hid his emotions. When he was happy, he acted happy. When something sad happened, he wallowed in it fully. Even with daily hardships, a single day of peace had him buzzing with excitement. It was one of his key strengths as an engineer.
"Sure is. If we make it to Roengreen like this, that'd be perfect. How long are we staying this time?"
"Three days in Roengreen. Might as well sightsee while we're at it."
"Sounds good. Buy me that tart you promised last time, too."
"You got it. If we keep the safe run to the end, I'll even get you a cake."
Marie pumped her fist in delight before heading back to work. Whenever Theo ran the train, thoughts of his "original world" often crept in—especially when he wasn't chatting with Marie. Long journeys always brought companions of contemplation.
With the rhythmic clack-clack of the rails, he sank into idle musings.
What the hell was this world, anyway?
Fifteen years ago, Theo—well, Kim Dae-ho—had been reading a novel on a train. Dae-ho was an avid reader. He took pride in cracking open a proper hardcover instead of scrolling on a phone like everyone else. Same genres, but physical books hit different.
His tastes were omnivorous. That day, he'd been deep into I Became the Grand Duke's Daughter. A rom-fantasy mishmash world, blending tropes into a delightful mess. Zero consistency, but fun enough to reread multiple times. Academies, crown princes... For whatever reason, he'd been laser-focused that day.
Then, through a long tunnel, he blinked—and woke up in a completely different world.
Murmurs and an unfamiliar language. Strangely, he understood every word, but everyone was staring at him. Humans with hair in every color imaginable. Outside the train stretched a jaw-dropping, beautiful city.
"Suspicious traveler. Name?"
"Dae-ho. I'm Dae-ho."
"Theo, eh? What brings you to the capital?"
And just like that, Kim Dae-ho became Theo.
************************
"Man, memories. Hard to believe it's been fifteen years already."
A lot had happened in that time. Three years with "that woman" at the Magic Tower. Nine years wandering as a drifter. Three years as an engineer. Theo had lived those fifteen years to the fullest.
He'd once yearned to return home, but after a certain point, he let it go. No point in hoping for the impossible—it'd just make him sadder. Now, his goal was simply to thrive here as a resident of this world.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm."
Humming away, maybe get married someday, have kids. Live and die as an engineer on his favorite trains. That sounded perfect.
Thud.
A massive boom shattered his reverie from afar.
"Hm?"
Thud.
Still a ways from the next station. So where was that coming from...?
Crackle. "Engineer, issue in car five..." Crackle.
Marie's voice cut out before she finished.
"Figures it'd be too quiet today."
Theo grabbed his revolver and pipe, heading to the scene. What now? Not monster-sized noise. Train robbers? Nah, Marie would've said so.
Deep unease gripped him as he reached car five. There lay a noble lady with orange curls, collapsed. Marie had pushed seats together into a makeshift bed and taken every first-aid measure possible.
"Lady Amber Louise of the Louise Count's house. She collapsed suddenly..."
Of all people, from the Louise Count's family. Rulers of Roengreen.
Heading home after a trip to the capital, huh.
If something happened to the count's daughter on his train, the blame would fall squarely on the engineer. Even without that, Theo couldn't just ignore someone in front of him.
He approached Amber cautiously. "My lady, may I hold your hand for a moment?"
Her guard moved to block him, but Amber nodded through her pain, ever polite.
"Yes. Of course."
Unable to hide her anxiety, she gripped Theo's hand tightly. He felt the same dread. Ignoring Marie's fiery glare and the guard's tension, delivering her to Roengreen like this spelled disaster. Big disaster.
Damn it...!
Mana flowed through every human like blood. It had to circulate properly through the right paths. But Amber's was tangled somehow. Left unchecked, it could knot her whole body, leading to death.
Quickest fix: sever the wrist where it was knotted. But do that, and...
'Execute this commoner!'
Off with his head.
"Any history of mana-related illness?"
"No. Never in my life."
Why was an engineer playing doctor? Scratching his head, Theo watched Amber's anxiety spike, her voice nearly breaking.
"Is it... that bad...?"
The guard looked ready to draw steel.
"No, not at all. If it's not a chronic condition, it might just take time. We'll make a short stop."
"Because of me..."
"No. Fixing train issues is the engineer's duty. The other passengers will understand."
Right? You don't want to see a count's daughter turn into a corpse either.
"Marie, watch the lady."
"Yes, Engineer."
"And your hand."
"Huh?"
Theo squeezed Marie's hand for a few seconds, then stood and grabbed the comm crystal.
"Ahem. This is Engineer Theodor. Due to an emergency, we'll be stopping briefly. Repeat: Train 7 to Roengreen is halting operations temporarily."
Murmurs rippled through, but Theo ignored them, stepping out into the swirling snow.
"Marie, you're in charge!"
The engineer of Train 7 ditched his stunned assistant and vanished.
**********************
Pipe in mouth, Theo inspected the train's exterior. Maybe the magic circuits had affected her? But the hull was pristine, defense spells intact.
"Only one possibility left."
An assassin inside targeting the lady. Twisting mana that subtly took at least a 4th Circle mage.
"Sigh... No cake for us."
Theo pegged it as assassination for good reason. Three scenarios:
First: Mana anomaly. The Morris Empire's vast lands meant varying mana environments by region. Like altitude sickness, rare cases popped up. But Lawrence region's mana was utterly normal—no clumps or surges. Otherwise, Marie would've felt it too.
Scratch one.
Second: External hit. Trickiest. A high-level magic engineer twisting mana from afar? Good luck finding them in this wasteland. But the hull circuits were fine—no external interference.
Last: Internal assassin. Not terrorists; too sneaky. Someone who didn't want to get caught.
"Time to head back."
********************
Hat pulled low, Theo sealed the train to trap the assassin, using excuses like avalanche risk to avoid suspicion.
Back in car four with Marie, Amber looked much worse.
"My lady, we'll resolve this soon. Hang in there."
Grab the culprit, and her mana would untangle naturally. Problem: how long could she last? Maybe minutes before irreversible.
As engineer, Theo couldn't stand by. Assassination on his train? Unacceptable. Whoever it was, they'd pay dearly.
He inhaled deeply from his pipe.
"Hoo... Let's review."
395 passengers. Nine cars. Roughly half a day.
Time to hunt the killer.