Chapter 103 - Preparations

Now that the destination was set, I had to make various preparations for the Railroad Mysterium.

One might ask, why bother with preparations for going there? Isn't the Imperial Princess taking me anyway? But that wasn't the whole story.

While it was true that I only needed to follow the Imperial Princess, I wanted to make the most of the trip, didn't I?

Plus, the Imperial Princess herself had given me instructions.

So, what kind of train was the Railroad Mysterium? It was a place to buy and sell artifacts with all sorts of mysterious effects.

I, too, wanted to acquire one or two useful artifacts there.

However.

[ Cash in Hand ]

: [ 7,000,000 CRS ]

My current budget was only 7 million Crescents. This was the amount I received after subjugating Judgment previously.

In Korean Won, it would be worth about 70 million won, which was a considerable sum from a general perspective... but it was highly likely to be insufficient at the Railroad Mysterium.

Just consider the attendees of the Railroad Mysterium.

The Imperial Princess, the Crown Princess-to-be, the next heads of the Three Founding Families, and so on... Even without these examples, there was a system that only allowed those in the upper echelons of the Empire's power pyramid, or individuals vouched for by them, to board.

Given these characteristics, the value of artifacts handled at the Railroad Mysterium would be unimaginable.

'Even buying a peripheral artifact... would probably be next to impossible.'

For this reason, I had to maximize the funds in my possession.

'But according to Regina, we depart in ten days. Logically, accumulating more wealth here is almost impossible, but...'

However, I had a way to quickly gather money: 'requests.'

Do you remember the previous Judgment subjugation? That bounty hunt I chose as a last resort because I couldn't get a request permit due to strange rumors.

After receiving commendation from the Student Council last time, the issuance of my request permit was reapproved.

As you could tell from bounty hunting being a last resort, requests were much easier to earn money from than bounty hunting.

There were many requests that took a lot of time, and some shady ones too, but... I basically knew which requests were easy money and which were bad.

So, what was left?

Only to diligently process requests for the next ten days.

***

[ Cash in Hand ]

: [ 29,000,000 CRS ]

Thus, by handling all sorts of 'requests with known answers' for ten days, I managed to acquire a substantial sum of 22 million Crescents.

And, there was one thing I realized while processing these requests.

'My sense of money is going to break down.'

Being able to gather this much money by working hard for just ten days... was truly something.

Of course, it wasn't generally possible; it was only possible if one had insight into the truth of all requests, like me.

Anyway, I was able to procure the funds.

'Actually, I was worried if I could receive that money on the spot.'

Since it was reality, there would be difficulties in handing over cash immediately.

But fortunately, upon completion of a request, I could receive imperial promissory notes.

These should be perfectly usable within the Railroad Mysterium.

***

Despite these days of intense work, there was one more thing I had to do.

And that task began with Regina's suggestion.

"While going alone might have its own charm... hehe, if you have anyone you'd like to invite, it's fine for them to come along too? I can vouch for their identities."

It was an invitation to bring anyone else I wanted to the Railroad Mysterium.

'It would be good for me too.'

Since the Railroad Mysterium was where Robelia il Enlight and Kirios il Enlight, the Crown Prince's closest confidantes, were secretly heading, there was no telling what schemes might be hidden.

And in the worst case, extreme unpredictable actions might occur... considering that, bringing the main characters of as a deterrent would be stable.

Regina probably thought the same. Anyway, I extended the invitation to those around me.

And their reactions were, by and large, positive.

First, Yuna.

"A train trip...? Free? I'm going!"

She said, her eyes sparkling, upon hearing the story.

This simple girl…

...I felt a little pang of conscience, but it wouldn't be a bad thing for Yuna either.

Next was Elwin.

"Hmm~ Railroad Mysterium, I did go a few times with my father when I was at home. It's a good place to find excellent swords. I'll ask about it."

He said he'd ask his family for permission, but his tone indicated he was positive. It was probably safe to assume it was half-confirmed.

Next was Serene…

"Shall we? I'll inform my family."

She spoke calmly, without any hint of hesitation.

Her utter lack of indecision made me, in turn, ask her again.

"...Are you sure about deciding so quickly?"

"Ahahaha, there are training grounds inside the Railroad Mysterium, and... I'm also interested in artifacts."

Well, I suppose so.

She never went to the Railroad Mysterium in the original story, was it a system limitation?

In any case, there was no reason for me not to welcome the accompaniment of Serene, who was practically the strongest among my companions.

While these three decided to accompany me, the other two, Khan and Arien, declined, each for their own reasons.

"Hmm. Thank you for the invitation, but I have a reason to visit my homeland for a while."

"Is that so?"

First, Khan had that reason. A reason to visit his homeland.

The spirits were whispering, he said? Well, I had somewhat anticipated it.

'Because Khan's return to his hometown is the content of Chapter 3 of Part 1.'

To be precise, an incident occurs right before his return, but... it wouldn't be a very serious incident.

In contrast to the harsh chapters before, a problem arises in Chapter 3 of Part 1 that Khan can easily resolve on his own.

"I see, then we'll meet just before the new semester begins."

"That's about right."

For this reason, I nodded readily.

And in Arien's case.

"I have been summoned by the Magic Tower. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go, Rain."

Well, it seemed she had her own circumstances.

"I see."

And Arien, unlike her usual self, added a remark.

Her sky-blue hair and eyes shone as she leaned in and stared intently at my face.

"Are you disappointed that I'm not coming with you?"

"..."

"You are, aren't you, Rain?"

"Yes..."

Hmm.

Somehow... it felt like her usual humor, yet with considerable pressure. This girl.

***

Well, all the preparations were complete.

It was the day before we were to depart for the Railroad Mysterium; all that remained was to pass the time.

I wasn't exactly idle. Acaite, having heard that I would be gone for a while, called me to give one last lecture.

'I'm grateful, actually.'

Honestly, given Acaite's rather nonchalant personality, I didn't think he'd go to the trouble during the break, but Acaite unexpectedly took good care of me during the vacation.

Clang!

The sound of swords clashing echoed in the training ground.

It was the sound of me clashing with Acaite, who told me to fight him with all my might, saying he'd take care of me one last time before I left.

'My attacks aren't even biting.'

However, the difference in skill between Acaite and me was absolute.

My primary means of firepower projection, 『Outlaw++』, had low durability, so I couldn't expend it here.

『Outlaw++』

Grade: Epic

Durability: 40/72 (Irreparable)

Attack: 450

: A superb firearm that offers overwhelming superiority in close to mid-range combat with top-tier burst firepower at the cost of durability.

No, from the start, a skilled individual like Acaite would immediately recognize the threat of Outlaw and counter it.

What remained was my swordsmanship, which was useful but insufficient to reach Acaite, my inferior daggersmanship and marksmanship, and my substandard magic.

'This won't do.'

I had a rough idea. Even if this was truly a fight to the death and I could use regression... I saw no chance of defeating Acaite.

Ka-ang!

"Kugh..."

I was barely holding on based on my long experience fighting Acaite.

'...A wall, huh.'

I currently had no suitable weapon to break through Acaite.

Nor were there any environmental factors I could utilize. There were a few obstacles, but for Acaite, they wouldn't even hinder his actions.

'If I... had innate power.'

Serene's physical abilities, Elwin's technique, Khan's senses, Yuna's talent, Arien's magic.

Even without going that far, I had no inherent power within me.

It was a fact I had painfully realized during the fight with Theodore last time.

And in the midst of such an exchange, Acaite spoke calmly as he swung his sword.

"You're not satisfied with your current strength, are you?"

Clang!

"Of course... not!"

I replied, parrying Acaite's sword with difficulty.

And as the distance grew, I pulled out two daggers from my pocket and threw them at Acaite.

However.

Ting, ting!

The two daggers simply bounced off, completely ineffective.

"No, well, you're excellent even now. To use a gambling analogy, you're good at reading the enemy's hand, and good at using your own. You're top-tier for your age."

"Is that an appropriate expression to use when teaching a student...?"

"Shut up, kid."

After deflecting the daggers, Acaite approached casually.

"I asked if you were satisfied at that level... but truthfully, you're already quite skilled. While your raw stats might be substandard, compared to guys who are just strong because they're strong, you're far better."

"I appreciate the compliment."

Even with such generous praise, Acaite's hand showed no mercy.

Kang!!

"Hup...!"

Swish-

I somehow dodged it, but my stance was completely broken.

But instead of following up, Acaite stopped in his tracks and continued speaking.

"That much should be enough for you to live a normal knight's life and cling to your own lifespan. You'll probably gain a decent amount of honor too, even if you can't shed the illegitimate child label."

"..."

"Let me ask you one thing. Are you satisfied with this now? If you want to live an ordinary life, this much is enough."

My first reaction upon hearing those words was…

"...Haha, ha..."

A hollow laugh.

And.

"...How could I be?"

"Good eyes."

Acaite raised the tone of his voice, as if it were the answer he had expected.

"I knew it. That the level you desire isn't just that. It's clear you want to move on to the next stage."

And then, he took a stance.

"Since you've come this far, I'll give you a lesson."

Earlier, Acaite had stopped, and I had put some distance between us to regroup.

At this distance, even considering Acaite's physical abilities, there would be a way to counter. There were also obstacles.

"Remember this. Don't be bound by conventional wisdom."

Thump!

Acaite started running towards me.

And, he whispered lowly.

"Let's be free."

It was the best lesson I had received from Acaite since the end of the semester... no, the best lesson I had received so far.

Thunk!

And the sound of a weapon flying echoed.

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