The Highest Council's Reckoning
A vast and opulent chamber.
Five men sat around a wide table. Two wore black uniforms, one a purple uniform, and the remaining two were adorned in golden attire.
Seven chairs had been prepared. With only five men present, two seats remained empty.
The elderly man in the black uniform, Legion Commander Guhyul, muttered, “……They’re not coming.”
“They’re busy. Especially these days.”
The middle-aged man in the purple uniform replied. He was Benjamin Acraptor, the designer of this colossal train.
Colonel Acuteus shook his head. “We can’t delay any longer. Everyone here knows they’re not the only ones with heavy workloads.”
The two men in golden robes wiped sweat from their plump hands as they added their voices.
“W-we, the Citizen Coalition, agree.”
“Time is money, after all.”
Benjamin shook his head in resignation at their reactions and spoke. “The Supreme Council of the Train is now in session.”
The Supreme Council of the Train. A gathering where the Engineer, the Guardians, and the leaders of the wealthy class and the engineers came together to decide the fate of the train. In truth, it was a meeting of six people. The engineer had always been absent.
Guhyul spoke in a dry voice. “You all know the agenda. The disposal of the White Dragon Untara.”
The two representatives of the wealthy class immediately spoke up.
“We oppose the hunt. The citizens’ anxiety has already reached a critical level.”
“There’s no need to provoke it. It retreated once before, so it likely won’t return.”
“We’re already expecting heavy combat. Losing our high-ranking forces at this point would be a devastating blow.”
Just then, a man burst in with a loud bang. It was Salomon Acraptor, the Chief Information Officer of the train.
The Colonel frowned. “Still lacking in manners, I see?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“I thought combat was the Guardians’ responsibility. Since when do you handle that too?”
Salomon’s uniform was in tatters. The jacket he usually wore open was frayed in several places, and parts of his pants and sleeves were torn.
Salomon spat the filter of his cigarette onto the floor. “These are unusual times.”
“Hah. You should’ve told us. We would’ve helped if you’d asked.”
“The fight broke out because of a request from your side. Your criticism is a bit harsh.”
The Colonel snorted. “A request from us? The Guardians asked you for help? Not a cooperation request?”
“Not ‘us.’ You. That one tiger, remember?”
At Salomon’s words, the Colonel’s expression hardened. He knew Salomon’s combat prowess.
“That guy did this to you? Impossible……”
Guhyul cut the conversation short. “We’ll discuss that later. This meeting is about deciding Untara’s fate.”
Salomon sank deep into the chair beside Benjamin and lit a cigarette. Chiiik.
“Huu. We have to do it. We have no choice.”
The two wealthy representatives tried to protest, but Benjamin raised a hand to stop them.
“Why?”
“It’s about to enter hibernation.”
One of the wealthy representatives asked, “What’s your basis for that claim? Do you even have evidence?”
There was none. It was impossible to obtain in time. Information on a dragon’s active and hibernation periods required at least a century of observation.
Huu.
Salomon exhaled smoke and answered. “The 1st Battalion, 3rd Company of the Guardians recently visited the city of Archimonde.”
“I’m aware. It was the most prosperous metropolis in the vicinity.”
“And Archimonde had a research facility called Dragonic Lab. You knew that too, right?”
The two wealthy representatives couldn’t answer. It was information from outside the train, and from decades ago at that. They wouldn’t know unless they had lived nearby.
Salomon pulled out documents from his coat and slammed them onto the table. “There were many dragon lairs near Archimonde since ancient times. And many dragon slayers as well.”
Before the Ice Age, in the world’s glorious era, civilization had flourished enough to hunt and kill dragons.
“As you know, hunting dragons was quite profitable for cities. Profitable enough for cities to sponsor it. This is an excerpt from the data found in Dragonic Lab. It calculates when dragons in hibernation will become active again.”
Guhyul picked up the documents.
“Black Dragon Imur, Ancient Dragon-class. Scheduled to awaken in 300 years. Black Dragon Kamuruk, Holy Dragon-class. Scheduled to awaken in 150 years. White Dragon Katsel, Hatchling-class. Scheduled to awaken in 30 years……”
“That Katsel is Untara.”
“Oh?”
Guhyul’s eyes gleamed.
“This record was written in Imperial Year 320, and the Ice Age began in 340.”
“It matches up pretty well.”
“Yes. We were on the other side of the world exactly 30 years later, but that’s roughly when dragon-type monsters started appearing in this region.”
The Colonel’s eyes sparkled as he examined the documents Guhyul handed over. “The active period of a Hatchling-class White Dragon is about 40 years……”
“In Imperial Year terms, it’s currently 390.”
“Roughly matches.”
A wealthy representative asked, “If it’s about to enter hibernation, isn’t that all the more reason not to hunt it?”
Salomon sneered at the representative. The behavior of stockpiling energy through hunting before hibernation applied to any animal. Dragons were no exception. To Salomon, the question was nothing more than a tantrum over a situation that wasn’t going their way.
“Where else would there be prey as convenient as us in this frozen wasteland? It retreated this time, but it’ll come back soon.”
The Colonel asked, “Conversely, if we just endure this time, the next cycle it’ll be in hibernation, right?”
Guhyul frowned. “That’s just passing the burden to the next generation.”
Salomon replied, “That’s true, but there’s one more thing you need to consider.”
“What is it?”
“Why hasn’t it destroyed the tracks yet?”
Salomon continued. “Dragon intelligence far surpasses that of dolphins. Their combat intelligence is among the highest among magical beasts. In other regions, monsters destroying tracks have been observed quite often. But this one hasn’t.”
“So you’re saying it had a reason not to destroy the tracks?”
“From its perspective, we were lunchboxes that returned periodically.”
Guhyul ground his teeth. Grind.
Untara had always inflicted only “moderate” damage before retreating. Guhyul had stopped it when it moved personally, but he couldn’t prevent wyverns and drakes from attacking and devouring the train’s residents.
“I see. The train was a golden goose laying eggs for it.”
“You could also call it canned food delivered automatically.”
Huuuk.
Salomon went on. “The tracks haven’t been destroyed yet. But the group of dragon-type monsters under its command is the largest in history. If they decide to destroy the tracks, the train will have to stop right in the middle of a ‘dragon’s nest.’”
“Kill it before that happens?”
“I already said it. This isn’t a choice. We have to kill it.”
The two wealthy representatives were now drenched in cold sweat.
“Citizen representatives. Any other objections?”
“N-no.”
“Then let’s move to the next agenda. How to hunt the White Dragon Untara.”
At Salomon’s words, silence fell over the meeting.
After a moment of quiet, the first to speak was Legion Commander Guhyul.
“Anyone below Battalion Commander rank won’t even scratch it. No, let me correct that. Even a Battalion Commander isn’t enough.”
The lead defensive battalion commander, who stood on the front lines most often among the battalion commanders, hadn’t even touched the breath.
Benjamin Acraptor, the train’s designer, stroked his chin. “We’ll need at least Colonel rank.”
“Ahem……”
A murmur spread through the room.
Usually, rank and combat ability went hand in hand. In peaceful times with desk work, one might rise through political power, but the train was a constant series of battles. Without combat strength, one couldn’t attain high positions.
The Colonel voiced the fact. “Essentially, it’s just us.”
A wealthy representative expressed concern. “We agreed we need to hunt the dragon, but sending out all five of the train’s top combatants at once just to catch one……”
Guhyul cut in firmly. “There’s one more. The ultimate combat power.”
The three great powers representing the train. The train’s designer. The Dragon Slaying Sword. And the engineer.
What Guhyul referred to was the engineer.
“But that person……”
“Yes. It’s been a very long time since they’ve shown themselves publicly. I know there are many rumors. But they’re definitely alive and active. That much is certain.”
Otherwise, the train wouldn’t be operating normally like this.
A wealthy representative cried out in agitation. “We can’t even ask for their help!”
“If needed, they’ll come out.”
“That’s so irresponsible……”
Their golden robes were now soaked in sweat.
Guhyul roared, “The irresponsible ones are you lot!”
“Eek?”
The two wealthy representatives gasped in shock at the sudden outburst.
“Citizens? The wealthy class? What makes you better than the laborers? You’re living an unfairly comfortable life just because you were born to the right parents and relatives! We’re fighting for your safety……”
“That’s enough. Stop there.”
Benjamin Acraptor halted Guhyul’s words.
“We established the class system. Their existence is necessary to give hope to the laborers.”
“Still, they’re crossing the line too much. They need to know their place.”
“We’ll discuss this later. Right now, we need to focus on Untara.”
Benjamin Acraptor asked the Colonel, “Do we have anyone who can provide combat support or medical assistance?”
“1st Battalion Commander Crusoe excels in support magic.”
“Guhyul, you, and the 1st Battalion Commander. No, we’ll decide on the 1st Battalion Commander after assessing their ability. Salomon. What about our side?”
“My father and I. And probably the repair crew chief.”
“That makes six in total.”
Guhyul let out a groan. It was far too few.
“Is there no one else who can help?”
Then Salomon spoke up. “There are ‘those.’”
“‘Those’?”
Ah, that was the term used by the intelligence department. Realizing it belatedly, Salomon clarified. “Players. Commonly called ‘rats.’”
Guhyul’s eyes gleamed. “Yoon Taeyang, and Ran.”
Everyone nodded. They had proven they could hold their own in battle against Untara. They had even blocked the dragon’s ultimate weapon, the breath.
“And there’s one more.”
“Who?”
Salomon looked at the Colonel and spoke. “The White Tiger beastman. Paca. You personally captured him, Colonel.”
“……He can perform at the level of a decent Battalion Commander. From what I’ve seen.”
“I just fought him. He’s stronger than that. If the location hadn’t been the Monster Capture Chamber, I might’ve lost.”
Benjamin asked in surprise, “Are you alright?”
“Of course, Father.”
The Colonel asked, “Can you make him cooperate with us?”
“Players always move toward one goal.”
The engine room. The train’s most important and secret area, where people enter but never come out.
“Of course, they might refuse our proposal, so we’ll need to offer something tempting as well.”
“Something tempting?”
Salomon smirked and looked at Guhyul. “That’s something the Guardians will have to think about. They value items useful in combat, and all those items are on your side, aren’t they?”
Guhyul fell into brief contemplation. Indeed, Taeyang and Ran—especially Taeyang—seemed capable of creating meaningful variables against Untara. It was also true that challenging the hunt with only six people carried too much risk.
“A reward they can’t refuse……”
Taeyang and Ran were nominally affiliated with the Guardians. But having faced Untara directly, they had every reason to disobey orders. They weren’t serving the Guardians out of any sense of duty.
Click.
Guhyul drew the sword from his waist.
“L-Legion Commander. This is……”
“You’re going to hand over the Light Saber?”
Light Saber: Type – B. It looked like an iron sword, but it was actually a beam sword created by combining all sorts of magic and technology from when the “world” was still intact. When mana was infused, photons would activate on the blade’s surface, theoretically capable of disintegrating any matter it touched at the molecular level. However, using the beam required an enormous amount of mana, so even Guhyul himself couldn’t maintain it for more than a minute.
“Are you sure about this?”
The Light Saber was Guhyul’s signature weapon. He had used it to cut through breaths, and the sword that had severed Untara’s wing joint was also the Light Saber. Naturally, it held significant meaning not only to Guhyul personally, but also to the Guardians who admired him and the people aboard the train.
“I have another one anyway. And I’m the only one who can use it.”
“Still……”
“Hunting Untara is directly tied to humanity’s survival. It’s not a waste.”
Salomon, who had already crumpled his cigarette down to the filter, spoke. “Then let’s call them right away. Those three.”