Chapter 6
“MAY I TAKE your ticket?” A staff member gently interrupted Mira, who showed no signs of giving up her examination.
She finally looked up, realized what she was doing, and awkwardly handed over the ticket without making eye contact.
Did I…did I look like some kind of pervert just now?
If so, the conductor pretended not to notice. “Do you have a preference between the left or right cars?”
“Hrmm. Is there a difference?”
“Yes. The left car commands a glorious mountain view, while the right car offers a lovely view of the horizon across the plains.”
“I see, I see.” Mira imagined the map of the continent and flipped a mental coin, “I’ll go with the right car.”
“Good choice. Please allow me to guide you to your cabin.”
“Indeed.”
Mira ascended the tasteful marble stairs, guided by the smiling staff member. Now that she’d recovered from her embarrassment, she took a good look around the first-class car.
This is quite luxurious.
The walls were unblemished white, and intricate lamps lit the car brilliantly. Plush carpet spread over the floor, red as a bouquet of roses. It was as perfect as a royal palace.
The doorway she was led to had fine woodwork along the edge of its frame. The staff member opened it with a specialized keycard and bowed. His hand stretched out to beckon her inside.
“Your cabin.”
“Hrmm. Thank you.” Mira nodded slightly and stepped into the room.
“The top floor of first class is the parlor,” he informed her. “Despite the name, it includes a dining hall and more. Please call me if you need anything. Pleasant journey.”
Following that polite goodbye, Mira heard the door close behind her but paid it no mind; she was too busy beaming madly at the sight before her.
“Now this is first class!”
The panoramic window commanded an elevated view of the train platform. When the train moved, it would be unreal. The inside of the room was luxuriously furnished, with a leather couch and imposing table set alongside the window.
Mira shifted her gaze sideways, where she saw another door leading to the bathroom. It had all the comforts of home.
There was a familiar-looking bell atop the table, which she could tell was there to summon staff if needed. Mira placed her coveted bento atop the table and resumed her tour of the cabin.
Several bottled beverages were lined up on the shelf, each sold separately. Unsurprisingly, they were all quite expensive. She decided that this was probably what they called “event pricing.”
Apart from the drinks, there were also price lists, route maps, railroad-related documents, famous stories, and holy books on the shelves.
After wrapping up her examination, Mira sat on the couch and retrieved her lunch. But instead of opening it, she looked out the window.
It truly is the most delicious when you’re looking at moving scenery.
Mira put her lunch back on the table, opened her System Menu, and checked how long it would be until departure.
“Still got thirty minutes, eh?” That was too long to simply wait around, so Mira opened her inventory in search of an apple au lait to calm her grumbling belly. “Oh, what’s this?”
She spotted a small package placed in her inventory. Mira realized it was the item Amarette had given her as she hastily left the Towers the morning before. With little else to do until departure, she decided to investigate.
“What does she want me to do with this, exactly?”
Within the package she found panties that she could just barely see through, an all-lace camisole with cups in her size, knee-high socks, and a garter belt. She imagined herself wearing the alluring clothes for a moment, then resealed them in the package before stuffing it into the deepest corner of her Item Box.
That done, she watched the platform below while the others boarded. Soon enough, she heard the familiar chime again.
“Counterclockwise Loop will now depart. Items may shift during departure, so please grab a handrail if necessary…”
As the announcement ended, a bell tolled throughout the platform and city. The steam whistle roared—the train was departing.
The cylinders began to move in rhythm, gradually increasing in tempo as the train went from rest to motion. Mira listened to the comforting sounds as she watched the city from on high.
For something so huge, this is building speed faster than I thought.
Nearby objects soon passed so swiftly that Mira couldn’t even get a good look at them before speeding past. Within a few minutes, Silverside was left behind, and the train sped into the countryside. The rails were well-maintained by work crews, but anything outside the railbed was the territory of animals and monsters. The train’s size and sound helped startle wayward animals off the tracks.
Mira looked off at the horizon in the distance. The brilliant sun shone proudly in the azure sky, painting the earth below with color. Watching birds as they wheeled in the sky, Mira finally took her lunch in hand.
“There has never been a more perfect moment.”
Suppressing the world’s biggest smile, she opened the lid. The moment she inhaled the aroma, her stomach rumbled. Glowing with excitement, she savored both the view outside the window and the first bites of her food. She nibbled at the side dishes, munched her white rice, and reached for a drink.
Mira froze.
“Apple au lait won’t go with this!”
Apple au lait was the perfect blend of sour apple and sweet milk and honey. Mira did not usually care about drink pairings…but at times like this, she had to take a stand.
She regretted neglecting to buy tea at the station. She reached again for the apple au lait, hesitated, then left it and stood up.
Let’s see about those overpriced drinks.
The minibar shelf was large and well stocked, with bottles decorating it like a mosaic.
“Hrrrmmm…”
Mira found no tea upon a quick inspection; in fact, everything was alcoholic. After a moment of thought, she took a bottle of strong ale and an empty glass and paid the fee of one cobalt coin—1,000 ducats.
Nothing wrong with a little day drinking every now and then.
Mira poured the ale into the glass, raised a toast to no one in particular, and reveled in the joys of travel.
***
“The train is now arriving at Riverfall Station. Please ensure that you do not forget any of your belongings.”
“Nrh…” Awoken by the announcement, Mira picked herself up groggily from the couch. “Where’s that voice coming from?”
Cheeks flushed, Mira looked out the window as the world spun around her for a moment. She saw her own reflection floating in midair, just barely illuminated, while everything beyond was blacker than ink.
The train was slowing down as it approached the station.
“Thank you for riding with us. The next departure is at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”
Mira didn’t have any luggage to speak of, so she picked up her three empty bottles and listened to the train’s announcement as she looked down upon the approaching platform. Even at night, the station was so well lit that it looked like daytime. After watching the first passengers exit, Mira likewise got up to disembark.
She was greeted by a plaza even bigger than Silverside’s. Countless lodgings littered the area around the station, many of which displayed rather unique signs in hopes of standing out among the rest.
“Where might I stay tonight?” she mused excitedly.
The deluge of people exiting the train scattered in search of places of rest. Smiling broadly, Mira joined the crowd.
***
Twenty minutes later, Mira checked into a hotel that claimed to have a theater.
Their main attraction was part of the house restaurant, which had a raised stage at one end of the dining area. The idea of dinner theater was rather appealing to Mira. Not the least because today’s performance just happened to be a story about the Nine Wise Men.
Mira sat at a table near the center of the restaurant, eagerly waiting for the play to begin.
Eventually, the tables filled until no empty seats were left. The venue began to quiet down. Food was brought to the guests, and the lights overhead dimmed as the stage lights went up. The crowd erupted in applause.
An eloquent voice boomed as the curtain rose, “This is a story from more than thirty years ago, when oppressed mages were forced to huddle together under one country’s banner. The story of the heroes who would come to be known as the Nine Wise Men will be told throughout the ages.”
One young man in a king’s garb and nine others wearing robes stood solemnly.
“So they wish to attack us! Then we will meet their charge. This battle will become the song of our nation, a cry that will resound across the continent. Mages, it is time to show them the extent of your power.” The king narrowed his sharp eyes and waved his right hand. It seemed this performance was based on the first battle of the Kingdom of Alcait, the Defense of Elderward.
“By your will, Your Majesty, it shall be done,” the nine robed mages responded in unison, putting their own right hands on their hearts to bow in the customary military salute of the Kingdom of Alcait.
I don’t remember Solomon sounding quite so composed when he received that declaration of war. Mira cut her meat without looking at it, eyes glued to the stage.
In actuality, Solomon had said something more along the lines of, “Ah, jeez, we’re really doing this? I know everyone’s trying their best, but we can’t man the front line with just mages. I don’t have many soldiers, either.”
At least they got the salute right. Even if we didn’t make that up until the battle was over.
But only someone who was actually there would have known this. Mira decided that taking a few creative liberties was part of the fun of theater and got back to enjoying the performance.
The fourth act included one of the biggest scenes: Danblf’s Holy Knights held the front line, while Luminaria rained fire upon the enemy. It was the most important part of the Defense when it came to showing off the power of mages.
I was so cool!
The performance, accompanied by made-for-theater magical tools and music, was captivating. The other audience members cheered. But Mira was far more focused on the actor playing Danblf. They were in early old age, and they played the role of an elder mage perfectly. Each and every action was dignified, truly befitting an experienced mage. It would be no exaggeration to say that they were more Danblf than Mira was now.
She cheered every time the actor playing Danblf did anything. He discreetly looked her way each time. The feelings of gravity and dignity were present in each glance.
Mira happily took a sip from her glass and wished she could be like Danblf when she grew up.
***
The performance ended with thunderous applause. As the lights came back up, Mira gleefully stuffed her cheeks with cake.
Onstage, a band was playing music that sounded like smooth jazz. Their song calmed the dining hall, leaving the patrons to bask in the afterglow of the passionate final scene of the play.
The troupe who had put on the play was passing out flyers. Mira accepted one and glanced at it before letting out a satisfied “O ho ho.” It was an advertisement for another play opening next week at a large theater in the city.
They would be performing the Battle of Luzdland for the first time on a major stage.
Mira remembered the Battle of Luzdland well. It was another battle in which the Nine Wise Men had been pivotal, and the only one in which the Kingdom of Alcait had been the aggressor.
It started when a demon that had murdered the king of Luzdland assumed his form. Under the demon’s control, Luzdland became a true living hell. Given the conditions, the Kingdom of Alcait was forced to take a stand. Solomon himself led the Nine Wise Men onto the field to save Luzdland from the clutches of the foul demon. After a heated battle, they prevailed and returned peace to the land.
The Battle of Luzdland had been the outcome of a scripted questline that could be triggered for player-made kingdoms.
I believe that was my first battle with a demon duke. Lesser Demons were spawning all around the castle; Solomon was panicking. It really was a hell of a fight. As Mira finished her cake and reminisced about the past, she suddenly remembered more recent events. Speaking of Lesser Demons, I wonder if they’ve learned anything about that white pillar.
She thought back to the horde of monsters led by a Lesser Demon who had attacked the flower field with a white pillar outside Lunatic Lake. The incident seemed resolved for the moment, but it was still unclear why the demon was after that field or why the pillar was there in the first place.
Not to mention that demon under the Ancient Temple.
Mira had defeated it like it was nothing, but she remained confused by the fact that there was a demon there to begin with.
After all, demons never appeared without a reason. What was Soul Howl up to? What was the zombie outbreak at Karanak about? Solomon and the leader of the Karanak Mages’ Guild, Leoneil, were apparently investigating it, but the details remained unclear.
Well, I suppose I’ll have to let Solomon handle that.
Mira had plenty of questions, but she wouldn’t find the answer faster than him just by thinking about it. She was simply in charge of reporting. In a way, she was delegating all the work to him.
Mira tipped her glass to her lips again and realized it was empty. She frowned and whipped out a bottle of apple au lait, which she immediately downed. Then she stared down the empty bottle of apple au lait and remembered that she was running low on them. Placing both hands on the table, she stood up and approached the dining hall’s counter, where she called out to one of the chefs.
“Excuse me! I have a question. Do you sell the apple au lait in this bottle here?” Mira asked, placing her empty bottle on the counter.
A woman who had been washing dishes turned upon hearing Mira’s voice and hurried over, slightly confused. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“Hm?”
“Your face is really red. Do you have a fever?” Concerned, the woman put her palm on Mira’s forehead. She narrowed her eyes upon realizing that the poor girl felt fine.
“I’m quite healthy. Now, do you have the apple au lait or not?”
“I don’t thiiink we sell apple au lait. But the sweet berry au lait is great!”
“O ho ho! Do you sell that in bottles? How much are they?” Mira held out the bottle toward the woman to demonstrate what a bottle was.
The woman realized with a slight frown: Ah, she’s drunk.
“We sell it, but we’ve run out for the day,” she explained. “Tomorrow morning, we can sell them for 300 ducats per bottle. I can take preorders. What do you say?” The woman spoke gently to a rather tipsy Mira.
Mira opened her inventory and checked her apple au lait stock before vigorously nodding at the woman.
“Then I shall take twenty,” she declared.
“Twenty, gotcha. Come and pick it up tomorrow.”
“That I shall!”
That done, Mira returned to her room. Tonight, her accommodations were very…simple. Not good, but not bad. She headed straight for the en suite bathroom, threw her clothes off, and took a hot bath.
A little peppier than usual due to her drink, she smiled sweetly at herself in the mirror. Having enjoyed herself for the evening, she fell into bed.
***
Early the next morning, Mira was startled awake by the announcement that the train would depart in one hour. Sitting up stark naked, she looked delirious. Struggling through a slight headache, she sifted through the words of the announcement that had awoken her.
“One hour, huh?” Mira mumbled to herself as she picked up her scattered clothes and took a fresh pair of underwear from her bag. Fully dressed, she descended the stairs and headed to the dining hall.
The place had become a battlefield. Almost all the rail passengers had been awoken like Mira, and they swarmed the eating area.
Mira lined up at the counter and retrieved both breakfast and her twenty bottles of sweet berry au lait at 6,000 ducats.
***
With a mere twenty minutes left until departure, Mira weaved through waves of passengers in front of the station.
This place is packed.
Larger than Silverside Station, Riverfall Station was divided into multiple blocks. The area near the entrance was lined with souvenir shops. Mira elbowed her way through the crowd to find a place that sold train station bentos. Amid the clamor, she purchased a chestnut rice meal and green tea before rushing to her platform.
Unlike economy class, which was still jammed full of passengers, first class was quite peaceful. Arriving with five minutes to spare, Mira handed over a ticket to the conductor in the rail car.
“Thank you for riding with us. Do you have a preference between the left or right view?”
“Hrmm. I say let’s go with the left,” Mira answered on the fly.
“Understood. Allow me to guide you to your cabin,” the conductor said as the rest of the staff waited on other passengers with a smile.
From the left car, she saw a vast yet empty platform on the other side of the station—the Clockwise Loop’s economy-class platform. Unlike the first-class platform, it was unadorned stone, simple yet huge. It wasn’t hard to imagine that, when the time came, it would be overflowing with people.
The rails below looked thick as logs, no doubt representative of the raw power of the trains that rode upon them.
Mira whiled away the time until her departure, enjoying the new view. Though the platform was devoid of passengers, she watched the workers go about their business.
***
Eventually, the train departed and new scenery flowed by. The mountain views from this side of the train were glorious. The sun shone on the craggy terrain, making them look all the more vast and rugged.
Hm? Are we slowing down?
About three hours into her trip, the train seemed to be gradually decelerating. Just as she wondered what was going on, the train’s PA system came to life.
“We will now pass over Tosenka Bridge. There are thirty spectacular views from this bridge. The train will slow to give you the opportunity to enjoy each one.”
It seemed this was meant to allow passengers an opportunity to see the sights. Knowing this was a common occurrence on tourist trains, Mira immediately glued herself to the window.
After a while, the train began to climb the trestle bridge. Below it was a deep gorge carved by a magnificent river. In the distance lay the waterfall that supplied that river. Water roared forth in what seemed like slow motion to her. Though the train was a few hundred meters from the waterfall, droplets of mist rained upon the window.
Oh ho! If there are thirty views, then can I expect twenty-nine more like this? This is unreal!
Mira smiled, imagining the ones she had yet to see.
“Hrmm? Are those people?”
Mira spotted a group of people on a cliff between the waterfall and bridge. Were they tourists?
One figure all in black stuck out from the rest, drawing her interest. She couldn’t make out their face from this distance, but she could see their figure. They wore a black suit and black trilby hat—the outfit of a businessperson. Or a mobster.
“No… They could be scoping the place out for a sniping attempt!”
The person looked restlessly up at the waterfall and down at the river. A hit man among tourists. As Mira let her mind run wild with fantasy, she kept her eyes locked on the man—who was laughing and joking with the others—until he was out of sight.
***
A few hours after they’d passed the sightseeing spots, the train arrived at Veloce City Station. It would stay there for an hour—too long to sit and wait, yet too short to explore. Mira took a book from the shelf and began flipping through it.
Ooh, a guide to station city accommodations. This might come in handy!
When Mira went back to her couch with book in hand, there was a light rap at the door. She opened it and was greeted by the conductor who had shown her onto the train.
“Pardon the intrusion. We’ve just arrived at Veloce City. Do you plan to ride to the next station?”
“Yes, that is the plan… Ah. Right.” As she answered, Mira remembered. It was one ticket per station. She removed a first-class ticket from her waist pouch. “I have tickets on hand now. Do I have to leave to get the stamp?”
“No, miss, I can take care of that for you,” the employee answered kindly.
“Then I would like to ride until the next station,” she said, offering the ticket to be stamped.
“Please enjoy your trip.” The employee bowed and left.
Mira threw herself back onto the couch, opened her book, and began searching for an inn that would suit her tastes. Tomorrow night, she would arrive at the Holy Kingdom Alisfarius.
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