The Train (4)

It was hell.

Blood sprayed in all directions. Pools of crimson spread everywhere.

The sight of people helplessly collapsing with each slash was burned into my eyes. No matter how hard I tried to turn away, the afterimages flickered relentlessly in my vision.

The black-masked figures continued to rampage.

They were slaughter weapons—created solely for the purpose of killing. And so, they moved with the sole intent of claiming as many lives as possible.

Schlick.

"Move aside!"

Evan shouted in an uncharacteristically loud voice.

A sword imbued with blue aura cleanly severed their necks. The sight of heads and necks splitting apart like tofu was enough to turn anyone's stomach.

"Ugh..."

Lily, who had always been weak to such things, had already fainted long ago.

Even for someone like me, who had witnessed dozens of deaths, this scene was unbearable. It was only natural that she had passed out.

With Lily on my back, I barely managed to keep up with Evan. He roared as he hacked through their legs, clearing a path forward.

"I'll open the way! Follow me!"

With his rough voice, a blue sword slash flew through the air. The sight of bodies being cleaved in half forced me to squeeze my eyes shut.

Then, gripping Lily's arm tightly, I ran like mad.

Even though I had long abandoned modern ethics, this was too much.

No—even someone from the Middle Ages might vomit at the sight of this hell. In fact, even Evan seemed nauseated, dry-heaving as he fought.

There was no way anyone could ever grow accustomed to a scene like this.

"Out of my way!"

Gritting my teeth, I swung my sword. With every step I took, the squelching sound of flesh beneath my feet echoed.

For a moment, I felt something strange beneath my boot, but I refused to look down. If I saw what I had just stepped on, I might collapse on the spot.

This must be what they mean by a "sea of corpses and blood."

"Hrk..."

It was disgusting.

That single thought filled my mind completely. With every train car we passed through, the scenes grew even more horrific.

My nose had long since gone numb. The stench was so overpowering that my sense of smell had already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shut down.

Gurgle.

Every time Evan swung his sword, blood splattered in all directions. He wiped the blood splashed across his cheek with the back of his hand.

Then, in one motion, he bisected an attacker lunging at me from behind.

"Damn it!"

Our progress slowed significantly. It was as if a portal had opened somewhere—the Emperor's Hands were pouring in endlessly.

Now, they weren't even swinging their swords properly, simply overwhelming us with sheer numbers.

Even Evan seemed at a loss, taking a slight step back.

"Stay right behind me, miss."

"...Okay."

Blue aura flared to life. A sharp gleam of azure light flashed in his dark pupils.

With a short, sharp exhale, Evan vanished before my eyes. Black afterimages flickered several times, and flames clung to the bodies of our enemies.

Nearly ten of them collapsed in an instant. As he steadied his ragged breathing, his grip on his sword tightened.

"There's no end to them."

Evan let out a sigh as they swarmed in like a horde of zombies.

"Miss, go on ahead."

"Evan, but—"

"His Grace will be here soon."

He forced a smile as he spoke. His face showed unwavering trust in Abel.

Nodding silently, I turned away. Behind me, the sound of roaring flames and Evan's battle cries echoed.

The exit... the exit...

Soon, I neared the emergency exit.

With Lily still on my back, I stopped in front of it—only for a black figure to catch my eye. One of the Emperor's Hands, hiding among the corpses.

"Ah—"

A dagger flew straight for my face.

The sensation of death creeping over my entire body made me instinctively shut my eyes. But the pain I expected never came.

When I cautiously opened them again, the dagger had frozen midair, inches from my nose.

"Pathetic little stars..."

Abel's figure came into view.

At that moment, my legs gave out, and I collapsed without realizing it. All fear and anxiety vanished, replaced only by a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?"

Abel reached out his hand as he asked. Shaking my head, I grasped it tightly.

"No. I'm not."

"You don't look it."

With a faint smirk, he pulled me to my feet, then turned away. Extending his right hand, he muttered a short incantation.

"Calculation Deployment."

A pure white magic circle expanded outward from him, engulfing the entire train in a massive array before flashing brightly.

"Pierce."

Dozens of spears shot forth.

In the next car over, the necks of the enemies surrounding Evan were impaled in an instant. With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just a single gesture, he had resolved the chaotic situation.

Once again, I was reminded of just how terrifying Abel's strength truly was.

When I turned my head, I saw his face looking slightly fatigued.

"Are you alright, Abel?"

"I'm fine."

Abel answered lightly as he landed on the ground. Though he looked somewhat tired, he didn't seem seriously injured, which eased my worries a little.

"My lady, are you unharmed?"

Evan approached, covered in blood. The gruesome sight made me flinch involuntarily.

A man of his massive build drenched in blood was threatening in more ways than one.

Abel flicked his fingers lightly, and the bloodstains covering Evan vanished cleanly.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"What a relief."

Perhaps exhausted, he leaned slightly against a nearby chair before sitting down. Considering he had cut down nearly hundreds of men in that short span of time, it was only natural he'd be tired.

"Ha... What a mess."

Abel muttered after surveying the surroundings. Then, he leaned out through the shattered train window.

After briefly taking in the view outside, he let out a deep sigh.

"We've still got a long way to go."

"How much farther?"

"About halfway."

Halfway. Of all things, the train had to be attacked right in the middle of the journey. If we'd been ambushed earlier, at least we could've turned back.

As I stood there, arms crossed and lost in thought, a sudden realization struck me.

"Abel, couldn't you just teleport us using Space Magic?"

At my question, Abel shook his head.

"It's not that simple."

Space Magic was originally designed for the caster's own teleportation. Using it on others was highly unstable.

One wrong move, and we might end up stranded on some remote island with no way back.

"But that man..."

I thought of the red-haired man and asked hesitantly. Abel answered plainly.

"Why worry about that when dealing with enemies?"

I nodded at his reply.

"...Right."

Now that the situation had settled, I finally took in the surroundings properly.

Blood smeared across the windows, piles of corpses strewn about—the sight made my head spin slightly.

Originally, it had been me who insisted on accompanying Abel to Ark.

Had I not asked to come along, he would've likely traveled via teleportation instead of taking the train.

And if that had happened, the Emperor's men wouldn't have attacked this train. The passengers might not have met such a miserable end.

Once the negative thoughts surfaced, they began tormenting me relentlessly.

If only I hadn't opened my mouth first.

These people wouldn't have had to die. Surely, none of them wished for such a death.

If only I had—

Once started, the spiral of self-blame coiled tighter and tighter.

I knew dwelling on it was pointless, but I couldn't stop.

Had it not been for me, none of this would've happened. That much, at least, was undeniably true.

"Adel."

I looked up to see Abel gripping my arm. His furrowed brow made me wonder what was wrong.

Then I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw it—my own thumb, bitten raw.

"Ah..."

"Snap out of it."

"...Sorry."

This habit still hadn't changed, had it?

Even in my past life, I'd gnawed at my nails whenever negative thoughts overwhelmed me. It was the only way to quell the unease.

An old habit, yet one that refused to fade.

Abel sighed at the sight of me.

"It's not your fault, Adel."

"...Huh?"

Had I misheard?

When I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lifted my head to look again, his indifferent expression met my gaze.

"This outcome isn't your doing."

He pointed at the corpses as he spoke.

It was unexpected.

I never imagined he would be the one offering comfort in a situation like this.

Whether he sensed my thoughts or not, he continued calmly.

"You're still too soft-hearted."

Too soft-hearted.

It was the first time I'd heard those words in this world. As the infamous Villainess, my daily routine consisted of enduring curses and insults.

No—strictly speaking, it was the second time. The first had been during our re-contract, when Abel had said the same thing to me.

Was I truly as soft-hearted as he claimed?

I'm not sure.

As a child, I'd heard it often. But after growing into adulthood, never once.

I'd thought it meant I'd finally matured—but perhaps that wasn't the case.

My head throbbed as my thoughts tangled. Noticing this, Abel slowly stepped closer.

"The one at fault isn't you—it's the Emperor."

"...Is that so?"

He affirmed it with a nod and gently stroked my head.

"If you waste your heart on things that aren't your fault, it'll break before anything else does."

His face remained impassive, but his words carried a glimmer of concern. For some reason, the sensation made my scalp tingle, and I ducked my head low.

"Rest for a while."

After slowly ruffling my hair, Abel turned away.

His retreating figure, which would've felt cold under normal circumstances, somehow radiated warmth instead.