Chapter 12
There were no other passengers visible inside the vehicle, only a man with a solid build and an intense gaze, holding the black-haired guy in a headlock with one arm while aiming a pistol at his head.
“Raniel?!”
The black-haired guy, upon seeing my face, reacted with shock and delight.
“What? You two know each other?”
This clueless idiot. Doesn’t he realize that pretending not to know each other would be better for negotiations?
“Enough. Drop your weapon and surrender. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee the hostage’s life!”
“…What happened to the others?”
“They’re dead.”
I left out the “socially” before “dead,” but there was no need to kindly explain that to a terrorist.
“They couldn’t even buy time properly, huh…?”
“Your little terrorist plan was already uncovered by the authorities! All the bombs have been defused.”
“…Did we have a traitor in our midst?”
“I can’t tell you that, but your terrorism is already over. Stop your meaningless resistance and surrender!”
“I’m not afraid of death. And that guy came prepared to be martyred, so it’s the same for him.”
The muzzle of the gun turned toward me.
What a heartless bastard! Is he saying he doesn’t care about the hostage?!
I trembled with anger at the sight of the ruthless terrorist, who clearly didn’t care about the hostage’s life.
“Damn it, of course!”
I quickly shoved the hostage away and flattened myself on the ground, rolling as I did so.
Bang!
“Why the hell are these cult bastards all the same?!”
A beat later, the gun fired, and gunpowder smoke rose from the spot where I had just been standing.
[Hostage tactics aren’t working, huh?]
I had expected as much. Planting bombs on the train without any conditions in the announcement?
Did anyone think people who were ready to die would care about hostages?
Not that I particularly cared, either.
“Karon! If you’re truly a proud student of the Empire Academy (or not), be prepared!”
I aimed my mana blaster directly at the terrorist.
“Wait, wait, Raniel! No, right?! You’re not gonna shoot, right?!”
The black-haired guy frantically shook his head from side to side, but I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Boom!
With a resounding noise, the mana blaster fired.
“Raniel! You lunatic! What if you actually shoot?!”
Bang! Pow! Bang! Boom!
In response to the heartless terrorist who didn’t care about the hostage’s life, I kept pulling the trigger without stopping.
“Ahhh! Somebody save me!!”
Ignoring the unfortunate screams of the black-haired guy, I focused on shooting at the ruthless terrorist, though I only managed to wreck the surroundings without hitting him.
Whoosh!
A stray bullet shattered a window, allowing a fierce cold wind to rush into the cabin.
With the icy wind, the blizzard outside, and the shattered objects creating chaos, my vision was severely obscured.
“Tch. What a nuisance. Completely useless.”
I heard the terrorist click his tongue briefly before something rolled toward me.
Naturally, I aimed my gun at it immediately.
“Don’t shoot! You lunatic!”
The rolling object shouted desperately at me while flailing.
It was the black-haired guy.
“You—you! You really were trying to kill me earlier, weren’t you?!”
“You won’t die.”
Despite how it looked, the power was adjusted, so there was no way he’d die. At worst, maybe a compound fracture?
As I said this, the black-haired guy stammered, unable to respond, so I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him toward the partition to take cover. Then, I quietly observed the area obscured by dust and debris.
"The enemy's position?"
[It's been marked immediately.]
In front of me, on the interface screen, a red dot signifying the enemy's position appeared, along with green dots showing both my location and that of the black-haired guy. Judging by the display, the terrorist seemed to plan on throwing the black-haired guy at me to buy time, retreating afterward to escape the area.
But I couldn't just let him run away, so I immediately gave chase.
Perhaps because of the series of gunshots earlier, the other train cars were deathly silent.
While there were still some people around, they were clearly hiding, doing their best to remain completely still and quiet.
Beyond them, ahead of me, I saw the terrorist trying to move into the next train car.
As soon as I spotted him, I raised my mana blaster.
"Don't move! If you do, I'll shoot!"
At my words, the terrorist, who was walking ahead with his back to me, raised both hands.
"Drop your gun."
Thunk.
He obediently dropped the gun and, without me even telling him to, slowly turned around.
Upon closer inspection, his face was marked with some truly menacing scars.
"Unbelievable. Did someone as weak-looking as you really take down all my men?"
"Your men were even weaker than me."
"For someone physically weak, you've got some nerve."
"If that’s supposed to be a compliment, you’re not very good at giving them."
"Shoot me. My life was forfeit anyway."
"That’s not the worst idea, but wouldn’t it be better if you got arrested and spilled everything about your comrades first?"
"In that case, why don’t we make a trade? I’ll share some intel, and in return, you tell me who the traitor is."
"What?"
A strange feeling crept over me. Why did this guy let the black-haired one go so easily?
Sure, the guy didn’t look like much, so he probably wasn’t even worth using as a human shield. But still, releasing a hostage without a fight seemed suspicious.
And where did he think he could escape to on this train, only to get cornered by me near the end?
'No, most of them were amateurs to begin with, but this...'
"You… What are you scheming—"
Click.
"…!"
Not far away.
At a distance where even a mediocre marksman would be guaranteed to hit, I heard the metallic sound of a gun being loaded.
‘What? Was there another one?’
The terrorist in front of me smirked.
"You can take your time investigating the traitor. Goodbye, kid."
Bang!
"Watch out! Raniel!"
As fragmented memories flashed through my mind, I realized I would need to overhaul the prototype’s scan and detection system entirely.
Crash!
Suddenly, Linia broke through the window and slammed into me, pushing me aside.
"Kyahhh!"
Linia took the bullet in my place and rolled to the floor.
"Linia!!"
As I was flung away, I screamed with bloodshot eyes.
Meanwhile, Linia grimaced slightly, touched the spot where she’d been hit, and got up.
"Ow, ow, ow... That’s gonna bruise…"
"..."
"..."
For a moment, both the terrorists and I were left speechless, staring at her.
No way. Not a single drop of blood.
I knew she was tough, but surviving a shot at this range without so much as a scratch?
I momentarily lost my mind over Linia's absurd toughness, but this was a battle, and I quickly regained my focus. Taking stock of the situation, I immediately took cover behind Linia.
"Raniel?"
Linia shot me a bewildered look, but I ignored her. Instead, I aimed my gun at the terrorists and boldly declared,
"Surrender! You've already seen that bullets are useless against us!"
The terrorists stared at me in disbelief before their hands moved swiftly to their triggers. Startled by their unexpectedly quick response, I clung to Linia's back as if my life depended on it.
Bang!
"Argh!"
Bang!
"Ugh!"
The sinister terrorists' bullets were all blocked by Linia's body.
"See that? Your futile resistance is meaningless! Surrender now!"
"What kind of scumbag is this...?"
"Even in our sect, we don't use comrades as shields...!!"
Scumbag? These terrorists have some nerve judging others!
"Raniel, it really hurts... sniff, sniff."
"You vile fiends! Can you not see the tears streaming down this poor girl's face?!"
"What... what kind of guy is this...?"
One of the terrorists clutched his neck in frustration. I didn't miss the opportunity. Aiming my mana blaster, I pulled the trigger.
Boom!
"Aagh!!"
Unfortunately, the shot hit one of the lackeys instead of the scar-faced leader who looked to be in charge.
"You bastard!!"
The terrorist, undeterred, moved to pull the trigger again. But I wasn’t worried. After all, I had the unyielding shield that was Linia!
"I can’t take it anymore!!"
And then Linia, the one I trusted, suddenly ducked in a panic.
Bang!
At the same time, the terrorist fired his gun. Once again, my life flashed before my eyes.
["The left hand is just for show!"]
An interface window popped up in the middle of the vision blur as my sight was momentarily obscured.
Ping!
The sound of a bullet being blocked rang out.
Crash!!
The deafening noise of destruction followed as something shattered in all directions. My vision returned, and I quickly assessed the situation.
It seemed the prototype had activated just in time, emerging and equipping itself before I got hit by the bullet. Scanning my surroundings, I quickly realized the extent of the damage.
‘Is this even a train anymore, or just a pile of scrap?’
The side of the train had been torn off cleanly, as if slashed by some massive claw.
[Oops, I failed to regulate my strength. My bad!]
‘Do you even try to regulate it? Actually, is regulation even an option for you?’
[Heh heh, it’s terrifying. My unchecked power is just so frightening!!]
In other words, it seemed it still couldn’t manage fine-tuned control. Anyway, the situation as it stood was that the prototype had burst out, and the recoil had ripped the side of the train apart. If I wasn’t careful, the whole thing could’ve split in half.
At least I’d been smart enough not to activate it inside the train. Not that it mattered anymore since everything was already in shambles.
“What... what the hell is that?! Damn it!!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The panicked terrorist fired wildly, emptying his gun at an absurd rate. But at this point, it was all pointless.
“Damn it! That! That monster thing, what is it?!”
Having emptied his magazine in an instant, the terrorist threw his now-useless gun to the ground, screaming in terror.
"Damn it! Damn it! Daaaaamn it!!"
"It's all pointless. Just accept reality already."
"Shut up! It's not over yet!"
Not over? What a joke. The bombs on the train had all been defused, and the terrorists had been subdued—except for this one last guy.
"You're pathetic, struggling like this."
"Heh, say whatever you want! We're all dying together for the will of God."
Suddenly, the terrorist pulled something from his coat. It was a flask, divided into two sections by a thin partition, one containing green liquid and the other purple.
[My sensors don't classify that as a bomb.]
Not a bomb? Then what is it—a biochemical weapon?
[This substance isn’t in my database.]
"If these two liquids mix, they'll create a death trap capable of taking every living thing in the vicinity down with me!"
[...Apparently so.]
The terrorist helpfully explained the contents of the flask. Damn it, I figured as much. I hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a biochemical weapon, especially with fields like alchemy and magic still largely unknown to me. But it was unsettling nonetheless.
[If he started with explosions, he should stick to explosions. Resorting to poison now? That's so petty!]
Ignoring Prototype’s pointless commentary, I started thinking. What could I do? There wasn’t much time; the guy was in full meltdown mode.
"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll break this and end everything!"
"Why don’t you put that down? It’s pretty clear your hand isn’t faster than a bullet."
"Shoot me if you want! As long as this flask breaks, my faith will be proven!"
Looks like shooting him with the blaster isn’t an option.
[What about slicing him and the flask with the high-mass blade?]
'Do you want to destroy the train just to stop the poison? Great idea.'
Sure, that’d make it easy to tell who the real terrorist was. Damn it. Ideally, I’d just take out his wrist, but even the slightest miss would lead to a total massacre.
"So, what’s your plan, then?"
"First, the release of our brothers imprisoned by the Empire. And second, a guarantee of safety for me and my comrades."
Sorry, but I’m no knight. I don’t have the authority to make deals like that, nor do I want to.
"Of course, feel free to refuse. In that case, we’ll all just die here on this train! Hahaha!"
This is why I hate dealing with crazy cultists. As I inwardly cursed, I noticed something unusual in the corner of my vision. Amid the chaos, there was a presence moving subtly and without drawing attention—a figure I couldn’t see with the naked eye but picked up through Prototype’s detection system.
‘A guy with black hair?’
[Why is Charon over there?]
The guy who’d been a hostage earlier and had been tossed aside was suddenly creeping up behind the terrorists unnoticed.
‘The same guy who was making a huge fuss to save his own skin?’
[Surprisingly brave! Supporting character material right there!]
Charon, his face pale and tense, locked eyes with me. He clearly understood the risk but kept moving. The terrorists hadn’t noticed him yet.
I didn’t trust the guy, but since the situation wasn’t looking too bad, I decided to draw their attention a little longer.
"You know," I said, "talking about releasing prisoners and guaranteeing safety… you sure you’re not just spouting nonsense?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I mean, if you actually cared about your comrades, you wouldn’t be so quick to throw your life away."
"Heh. You’re sharp."
While I kept them talking, the black-haired guy crept closer and closer to the terrorist.
"Uraaaaah!!"
With a loud yell, he charged straight in.
That idiot, seriously!
I didn’t have any expectations, but rushing in with a scream as a surprise attack?!
“What the—?! You again?!”
Karon clung to the terrorist but couldn’t even touch the flask with the tip of his fingers.
The terrorist, startled but visibly furious, glared in our direction.
“You… You dare trick me?! If it’s come to this, we’ll all die toge—!”
And in that instant, a brief opening appeared.
Karon had charged in, diverting the terrorist’s attention from me for just a moment.
‘Launch.’
[What?]
‘I said launch.’
I voiced my sudden idea aloud without hesitation.
The AI didn’t catch it the first time but understood right away the second. The prototype’s front armor opened swiftly.
[Master, firing away!!]
Fwoooosh!!
The next moment, I was launched out of the prototype, cutting through the air.
“What the—?!”
“Got it!!”
In a flash, I snatched the flask.
I cradled it carefully to avoid breaking it and rolled across the ground.
“Linia! Take him down!!”
“On it!”
I immediately gave Linia the order.
“Guh!!”
When I stopped rolling and looked back, the terrorist was already in tatters at Rinia’s hands.
With the terrorist dealt with, I turned my attention to the flask.
The thin barrier dividing the two liquids inside was gradually dissolving, a ticking time bomb in the making.
I didn’t know exactly what would happen when the two liquids mixed.
What I did know was that the green liquid on the left resembled an explosive substance, while the one on the right was directly toxic.
‘This thing looks like it’s still melting, doesn’t it?’
[You’re absolutely right, Master. The flask inside is being corroded by a strong acid! It’s going to explode soon.]
“Ha… That bomb was designed to be unstoppable from the start. I knew there was no way you’d meet our demands anyway.”
“You lunatics….”
“It’s too late now! If you try to defuse it, the circuits maintaining the barrier will be damaged, and the liquids will mix immediately! In other words, you’ll never stop it—”
BANG!
“Gaaah!!”
“Shut up already, you’re giving me a headache!”
I’d be fine. With the prototype, I’d survive somehow.
Linia would probably be fine too; she’s walked away unscathed after getting shot before.
And if I protected her with the prototype, her chances of dying were slim to none.
‘So, it’ll just end with the train exploding?’
People would die.
Was I okay with that?
“What are you doing, Raniel?! Hurry up and hand that over!”
I was lost in thought when Linia suddenly shouted at me.
This insolent maid, yelling at her master? I was about to say something when—
“No, like before! Just throw it off the train already! What are you doing?!”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, hadn’t all the bomb disposal we’ve done so far been solved physically rather than properly defused?
I felt strangely deflated.
“Linia!!”
I tossed the flask to her.
Linia caught it instantly and—
“Here we gooo!!”
“Throw it!!”
Linia raised her leg high, assuming her signature pitching stance, and hurled a bomb toward the sky.
"Hyaaaah!! Become a star!!"
Fweeeee!!
A piercing sound, far more menacing than the previous ones, ripped through the air.
Moments later—
BOOOOOM!!
It was as if all the previous explosions had been mere distractions. The sheer scale of the blast filled the sky, overwhelming everything in sight.
Ironically, the explosion’s colors—purple and green blending in a strange harmony—were so striking that it felt like watching a grand fireworks display.
"It's beautiful! Explosions really are art!"
Art, my ass. If that had spread out here, we’d all be dead.
Though I grumbled internally, I had to admit, it was quite a sight.
The massive explosion of green and purple surging and swirling like waves, then gradually fading into gentle ripples of light—it was mesmerizing enough to capture everyone's attention.
And then—
"The terrorist?"
Snapping out of my daze, I immediately scanned the area.
"Huh?! Where’d they go?"
"Wha—seriously?!"
Both Linia and Karon, shaken from their trance, also looked around frantically for the terrorist. But aside from the guy who had been hit by the mana blaster earlier, no one else was in sight.
They must have slipped away while we were distracted.
‘But what were you doing during all this?!’
"I-I’m allowed to get distracted sometimes too!"
I reflexively scolded the AI, though, in fairness, it was my fault for losing focus.
"Still, it seems the problem is solved."
What do you mean, solved?!—
Bang!
At that moment, the door to the cabin burst open.
"Search every inch of the area! Don’t let a single rat escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights stormed in. Typical government workers—always late to the party.
Fortunately, it seemed they’d caught the terrorist during their sweep. I spotted the limp figure of the black-haired culprit being dragged in.
"Classic, right?"
Yeah, no kidding.
I cast a glance at the suspect lying flat on the floor like they were glued to it and let out a sigh.
“Ughhh. Why is answering questions more exhausting than catching the terrorist?”
“Well, it is a state-run investigation. Of course, we have to cooperate.”
“I’m cooperating! But why do different people keep asking the same questions twice?!”
At first, it was the knights who’d rushed onto the train that interrogated me like I was the suspect. Then, as if they’d been called away for some emergency, they left in a hurry.
Not long after, another group of knights and soldiers arrived, turned the train inside out, and started questioning me again.
“Maybe it’s because they’re from different departments?”
I guess inefficiency between departments isn’t exclusive to Earth.
‘Still….’
When I was being questioned earlier, the knight interrogating me showed me a strange black token they said was found on the terrorist.
‘Let us soothe the blood-soaked land of our comrades with the flesh and blood of nightmares.’
It sounded like something a cult would say, and it kept nagging at the back of my mind.
“Anyway, didn’t they say the knights would reward you with prize money and a certificate of commendation?”
“Of course they did.”
I mean, a regular civilian took down a terrorist for them—no way they’re sending me off empty-handed!
In addition to the reward promised by the knights, I made sure to carefully calculate the cost of the magic tools and mana blaster ammo (fired by the black-haired guy) I used and handed them an itemized bill.
[At the end, the knights were truly horrified!]
"That’s none of my business."
Lost in various thoughts, I arrived at the transfer station.
It’s been a while since I moved around this much, and I’m utterly exhausted.
I just want to get home and collapse on the bed.
‘Come to think of it, this is where that black-haired guy and I part ways, right?’
As I gathered my belongings and got ready to get off,
"Raniel Leventesia."
the black-haired guy called out to me, making me pause and turn around.
"What? Do you have something to say?"
I responded casually, and he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"The black armor I saw on the train..."
"Yeah, not telling you. Go back."
"...Alright."
Meanwhile, Linia, overhearing that, flinched. It seemed she had been planning to ask the same thing.
Hey, haven’t you seen me occasionally take it out for cleaning and maintenance at the estate?
I’ve never tried to hide it from the people there.
Ignoring Linia, who looked startled, I turned back to the black-haired guy, who still seemed hesitant.
"Anything else you want to say?"
"Nothing. You did a great job today."
"Yeah, sure. I did all the hard work."
"What?! I was the one running around outside!"
Dismissing Linia’s thoughtless interjection, I prepared to leave the train compartment, but the black-haired guy spoke again.
"See you at the academy."
"Only if you pass the exam first."
"Right, no guarantee I’ll pass."
"I’m 100% passing, but who knows about you?"
"True..."
It seemed like he had more to say, but he swallowed his words.
Since I wasn’t interested in hearing them, there was no need to press him.
"Ugh, it’s so cold and exhausting. I’m staying holed up inside until we get home."
"Same here."
With a shiver and a weary expression, Linia and I boarded the train.
Finally, time to go home.
"Raniel Leventesia. I thought the name sounded familiar, and it just had to be Leventesia..."
Karon muttered to himself in the train compartment, recalling the day’s events.
A coincidental encounter during the academy entrance exam.
Raniel Leventesia.
Leventesia wasn’t a famous noble family, but it was a name often heard in the cliché circles.
Mostly in a negative light.
‘But that has nothing to do with me, a cast-off.’
Karon chuckled as he reflected on what had happened on the train.
Though his life had been on the line multiple times, things somehow worked out.
Especially the mysterious black armor he saw at the end.
‘It was overwhelming.’
The black armor had burst out of nowhere, tearing through the train walls like paper and destroying everything in its path.
Even thinking about it now, it gave him chills from its sheer presence.
‘I’m curious about it, but...’
Judging by Raniel’s attitude, it didn’t seem like he’d get an explanation anytime soon.
Karon also recalled the earlier scene at the exam site.
Though he pretended not to notice, he had seen Laniel there.
The way Raniel had approached the problems and worked on something—focused and meticulous—wasn’t just serious; it looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself.
Unlike Karon, who had chosen magitech out of necessity for survival, Raniel’s approach was completely different.
"Magitech, huh..."
For Karon, magitech had always been a means to an end.
"Could I ever reach that level if I took it seriously...?"
It was a moment when his "means" began to feel like something more.
Meanwhile, as Raniel’s group was briefly delayed by the knightly investigation...
Among those who stepped off the train, a young girl and an old man were the first to set foot in the Levantesia territory.
"Even now, wouldn’t it be better to turn back?"
"What nonsense is that after coming all this way, old man?"
"After what happened on the train, the outside is still dangerous."
The girl responded to the old man's words with a question.
"Then, is it safe inside?"
"...That is..."
"Either way, we've come this far. Turning back without checking things out doesn’t make any sense.
So, this is the place where the so-called 'Black Armor' was discovered?"
"Yes, it’s reported that the Black Armored warrior was sighted here in Levantesia."
At the old man's words, the girl shook her head side to side.
"It’s not a warrior, old man."
Her long hair swayed with the motion, gleaming silver under the sunlight.
"It’s..."
Her ruby-red eyes sparkled.
"A mechanical construct."
The girl’s eyes shone brightly as she clenched her small fist, matching her petite frame.
"It might fool others, but it can’t deceive my eyes."
Reflected in her gleaming eyes was the tranquil scenery of Levantesia.
"Haah."
Beside her, the old man, sporting an impressively groomed beard, placed a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
"I’ll unravel the secrets of that Black Armor down to the last detail!"
"Since we’ve snuck out of the palace, please refrain from drawing attention to yourself."
"Just trust me!"
The old man, looking down at the petite girl who barely came up to his chest, let out another deep sigh and shook his head side to side.
