Engineer, the Train Is Going Backwards?
Engineer, the Train Is Going Backwards?
The train arrived at its scheduled stop in Schultz, the city marking the northern boundary.
From here, a transfer and three hours to Enghelholm, the "Last Gate." Then, from Enghelholm, six hours by Northern Mountain Crossing rail to Lahti, the northern capital.
By the clock, the journey was only half over.
They had to change trains here.
'...Hmm.'
The moment Ian stepped off the train, an indistinct sense of déjà vu crept over him. He couldn't place the source.
"Ahhh, it's freezing!"
Danya shivered violently as she hopped down from the carriage.
A faint mist curled from her lips with every breath.
"Do you want to borrow a scarf?"
"I'm fine-nya! Regulating body temperature's easy..."
"Right. You said that."
Ian nodded.
It was true that some beastfolk could control their body temperature with expert precision. Their command over their own physiology was genuinely impressive. Why Danya's voice had trailed off like that, though, he couldn't guess.
Her gaze lingered wistfully on the scarf.
Just past her, Rina and Karen stepped down from the train.
"Miss Karen, let's hurry up and go!"
"...I am quite all right."
"But you have to eat!"
Somehow, Rina already seemed to have befriended Karen—despite the guard's taciturn nature and cold manners.
'Her friendliness is really something else.'
As expected of a heroine, I suppose. Ian clicked his tongue at her overwhelming social skills.
Rina trotted over to him.
"Ah, Ian! Hey, look!"
With a little grunt of effort, she held up what she was carrying.
It looked like a stack of packed lunchboxes.
"I-I packed a lunch, you know. It's just... remember before..."
After mumbling haltingly, Rina squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out,
"Back then, I just kept eating all yours—ack! You know? So I brought enough for everyone to share!"
"Oh, really? I heard there aren't many decent restaurants around here. That's perfect. Let's eat together."
"Okay! I'll get everything ready in the lounge!"
Rina beamed and dashed off toward the station's VIP lounge.
That gentle affability and good-natured temperament would certainly be another asset for the party they had assembled.
As Ian was thinking that, Karen approached his side.
"There is something I wish to discuss."
Karen's expression was icy.
Ever since the princess ordered her to follow Ian, she had been scrupulously polite in her speech. Her expression, however, was harder for her to manage. It wasn't exactly what you'd call pleasant.
"What is it?"
"We are not going on a picnic."
"I'm aware."
"Yet the people you've brought seem to be acting as if it is—"
"Miss Karen."
Ian cut her off firmly.
"We aren't going there to fight Duke Pierce."
"That is true. But our mindset—"
"For example. What if Rina managed to befriend one of the patriarch's right-hand men and secured evidence with ease?"
Karen's mouth shut, as if she'd been struck dumb.
"...I hadn't considered that."
"I intend to solve the task Her Highness the Princess has given me—no matter what. Which means."
He stopped and faced her.
"I'm prepared to use any and all means necessary."
"......."
"Of course, fighting would be the worst-case scenario."
Having to fight Richard Pierce was definitely the worst case. The title of Duke of the Pierce family was a position held only by the greatest knight of the greatest knightly house. Still, Ian's resolve was unshaken.
"If it comes to that, I'll be counting on you."
◇
"It's not expensive meat, but... hehe."
As befitted a space used by nobles, the station's VIP lounge had private rooms.
Rina found a large room and skillfully laid out the lunchboxes and plates on the table.
You could call it a manifestation of her life skills—honed from looking after her younger siblings since childhood.
"I sliced it thin, then marinated it in a sweet soy sauce. Stir-fried it in scallion oil, then tossed it with a bit of my family's special seasoning on top."
As she explained, Rina began placing a generous portion of the meat from a thermos container onto each plate.
"Thank you."
Karen gave a slight nod first.
"Enjoy your meal."
Then it was Ian's turn.
"Thanks."
"Mm."
Receiving the meat, Ian tilted his head.
'Why's mine so thick?'
He flipped the meat over.
Another slice had been hidden underneath.
- Wink.
As she passed by Ian, Rina quickly closed one eye and opened it again.
"......"
Before he could react, Danya entered his field of vision.
She was looking back and forth between Ian and Rina with a slightly suspicious gaze.
Rina immediately sat down between them, as if to block the line of sight.
Then she leaned toward Danya.
"Danya, I'll give you some meat—and this too."
"?"
"You said you liked this ingredient last time, so I made a little something."
"Ehhh... Th-thanks."
Sticking close to Danya, Rina held out a side dish she was sure to love.
A faint aroma of catnip wafted through the air.
Rina knew perfectly well that before she could make any moves on Ian, she first needed to build a good relationship with Danya.
"......."
Ian watched Rina silently.
'...Who's the cat and who's the fox here?'
Why did it suddenly look like Rina had a bushy red fox tail swaying behind her?
'Must be my imagination.'
Rubbing his eyes, Ian took a bite of the meat dish Rina had given him.
'Mm.'
It was genuinely delicious.
When he raised his head, he made eye contact with Karen, who had also just taken a bite. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
She hurriedly reverted to a blank expression,
but she couldn't hide the embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks.
◆
After the meal.
The train they needed to transfer to arrived at the platform right on time.
Enghelholm, the final stopover.
The train heading there was a short, two-carriage setup.
They boarded the VIP car, and Danya slumped next to him, falling into what looked like a hibernation sleep. As he settled in beside her, the person sitting across the aisle struck up a conversation.
"Taking this train at this hour—I take it you're heading to Lahti as well, young man?"
Lahti was the capital of Duke Pierce's territory, and their party's final destination. Ian appraised the man who had spoken to him.
A gentleman in his mid-thirties. He had a good-natured impression that also bore the weary traces of a hard social life. His neat attire stood out, as did the camera-like magitech tool hanging around his neck.
"Ah, pardon me. My apologies. Saying hello to anyone and everyone is an old occupational habit. Ha ha. Schwab, staff editor with the Imperial News."
The Imperial News was one of the three major media outlets representing the Empire.
'...A journalist?'
The vague sense of déjà vu he had been feeling since earlier grew stronger.
After a brief moment of thought, Ian shook his outstretched hand.
"Ian Blackangus. As for my affiliation... I suppose saying I'm a cadet at Lichten Academy is best."
"Oho!"
Schwab's grip on Ian's hand tightened.
"I heard you performed quite remarkably at the recent Star Rank assessment."
"...How did you know about that?"
"Ahh, you must be surprised. Important events at the premier academies are shared immediately among us journalists. It's nothing more than a line or two in a telegraph, but one must keep it in mind. People like the Imperial News' 'Promising Mage of the Year' aren't chosen randomly, you know—waha!"
He let out a light laugh and then scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Whoops. That might sound like I'm saying Student Ian is on the candidate list. Well, it's just something a few of us are keeping an interested eye on. But I've gone and said it now, haven't I? I'd appreciate you keeping it a secret. Hahaha!"
In contrast to his gentlemanly appearance, he was a talkative fellow. The journalist profession seemed to suit his aptitude perfectly.
Still, the content was interesting enough to be well worth lending an ear to.
"Ah, so then, Student Ian, I take it you're on your way to attend the social gathering."
"Yes, that's right."
"I naturally attend as a journalist myself. But in what capacity are you participating, Student Ian?"
Ian thought for a second.
But since he was participating officially, there was no real reason to hide it.
"As the proxy for Her Highness the Third Princess."
Schwab's eyes went round.
"Oho! Well, well! Her Highness the Third Princess has found herself another fine, upstanding young man, ha ha ha!"
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't know? Her Highness the Third Princess has sent a different man as her proxy to every social gathering. At first, well..."
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
"There were unpleasant rumors about an Imperial constantly changing her men like that. But as it turns out, none of them have been bad choices... So now, there's quite a lot of anticipation at each gathering to see who shows up. Romance magazine journalists might latch onto you, so do be wary of them. Ha ha. We in the mainstream media are much more trustworthy than that lot."
Along with the advice, he extended his business card.
Given his chatty nature, any information shared with this man would likely spread far and wide in no time.
"Thank you."
But there was no reason not to accept.
It made gathering information easier, and if he ever had something he wanted to say, it could be publicized just as quickly. It was actually an advantage.
"When the time comes for me to ask for an interview, no turning me down, all right?"
"Of course."
Ian shook his hand.
◆
— Screeeech!
The train arrived at Enghelholm, the last intermediate stop.
"We will depart after a 30-minute stop to recharge the mana stones!"
In the VIP carriage, the engineer personally guided each of the passengers.
"Danya, wake up."
"Murr-nya."
"Let's go eat some udon."
"Udon? What's that—nyawn!"
This place sat at an altitude of over 1,000 meters.
It was plainly freezing outside, blanketed entirely in snow.
Danya was dozing off with her head bobbing. She seemed on the verge of going into actual hibernation. She had been regulating her body temperature, so that wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Leaving Karen behind after she said she'd stay on the train, the rest of them headed to a small diner on the platform.
"...De-delicious, nya."
"Udon? This is really, really good. How did you know about this, Ian?"
"The journalist sitting next to me said I had to try it."
Granted, any noodle dish eaten in a cold, high-altitude place was bound to be delicious, but the udon here was truly a delicacy.
But there was something even more amazing than the udon.
The moment they stepped out of the small shop, a magnificent spectacle naturally drew their eyes.
"Wh-what is that, nya."
A railway track carved between sheer mountains.
Following it with their eyes, a gigantic iron gate blocked the view.
A massive iron gate that looked taller than a 30-story apartment building.
One of the 99 gates spread across the Northern Mountains—and the largest, most majestic among them.
This was Enghelholm's First Gate.
"Whoaaa..."
Although it was the rearmost gate of the North, it was the tallest and most solid.
When you considered the reason, it made sense: ultimately, the North existed only to shield the Empire from harm.
"Opening the gate for train passage!"
— Criiiiiieeek!
An iron door the size of an apartment building opening was a spectacle far more impressive than he had imagined.
After boarding the train, they looked out the window. Through the gap in the iron doors,
pure white gorges and mountain peaks unfolded before them.
The train began to move forward slowly.
"Whoaaa."
Danya stared outside with wondering eyes.
Ian, too, marveled at the unfolding scenery.
Tracks laid precariously along the mountain cliffs.
The view from the train slowly climbing toward the summit was indeed spectacular.
But.
- Thump.
As if she had never been amazed at all, Danya fell back asleep, and her head lolled against his shoulder. She had said she'd adapt to the temperature if she slept for about a day—just like adjusting to jet lag. What a convenient body she had.
Still.
Sheer cliffs.
An incline so steep he could feel the floor tilting.
'......'
The shapeless sense of déjà vu gradually sharpened.
'What exactly am I forgetting?'
An unsettling feeling he couldn't quite grasp.
Mistaking Ian's deep thought for fear, Schwab spoke to him.
"No need to worry too much. This train runs on mana, not just rails. It has more than enough failsafes built into the train itself, you see."
"...Mana."
Right. It had to be connected to mana.
Mana. Mana. Mana.
There was definitely some incident.
But as if mocking his thoughts, the train glided on, endlessly smooth.
- Clunk.
No.
It wasn't smooth.
He hadn't registered it at first, but the comfort had noticeably vanished at some point.
A faint vibration resonated through the lower half of his body, leaning against the seat.
"Fwaaah."
Danya, who had been sleeping as if in hibernation, woke up. She tilted her head, staring blankly out the window.
"Hasn't the train gotten way too slow?"
"...!"
It struck him.
— Grrrrriiiind!
In the distance, the mountain peaks that had been moving outside the window slowly ground to a halt.
No. It would be more accurate to say the train they were on had stopped.
Only then did Ian understand exactly
why this sense of déjà vu had been weighing on him.
'...The trigger that made Eco Mana's stock pop up.'
It was definitely—
A raw material defect in the mana stones.
A train running on mana stones to cross the Northern Mountains had...
"Huh...?"
fallen off the mountain range.
— Creak! Clunk!
Along with a horrifying noise,
the landscape outside the window began to flow in reverse.