What is this feeling…?
I remembered when Alice and I arrived in Lutetia.
The situation back then was very different. This time, instead of Alice, Claire and Leo were with me, and the Sword Saint was on the train too.
It wasn’t a luxurious royal train, but it wasn’t exactly subpar either.
We were huddled at one end of the train. Inside the car, several knights and soldiers from Winterfield were on board in case of emergencies, but they were all keeping a respectful distance, waiting at the front of the cabin.
I wondered how much important conversation we’d get to have, but it wasn’t particularly delightful to think others might eavesdrop on us.
“Are you very nervous?”
Claire spoke to me while I stared out the window.
“I am a bit nervous.”
I honestly replied.
How could I not be nervous when the Emperor and that kid are on the train?
The compartment they were in was specially modified. It looked like a cargo hold from the outside, but they had built a room inside to carry ‘guests.’
Basically, there was a train, and they made another room inside, so if you break through one wall, there’s still another wall waiting. Moreover, soldiers and knights guarded the area around the room, including the Sword Saint.
They reinforced the floor and ceiling with thick steel so that it couldn’t be breached by normal means.
So, I wasn’t uneasy.
But still, I couldn’t shake off the anxiety.
“We just crossed the imperial border, didn’t we? There’s no need to be that tense.”
“Indeed, we should be more nervous now that we crossed the imperial border.”
“… Huh, you really haven’t changed in this regard.”
I always thought a little tension was a good thing.
“You checked multiple times before coming here, right? I don’t know much, but if Alice is to be believed, there likely aren’t any nobles willing to take the Emperor’s side in this. It’s too dangerous, and honestly, the Emperor has been hated by nobility for quite a while.”
“Even if that’s the case, there are definitely those who are loyal to the Emperor.”
When we filled the train with people, we were cautious. If we only filled it with the knights who guarded the royal family, we might unwittingly include someone who still has loyalty to the Emperor.
Knights’ loyalty can be bought with money. Ordinary knights work for what they are paid and obviously owe loyalty to whoever pays them. No matter who sits on the throne, as long as it’s not blatantly illegal, they won’t need to turn against the current Emperor or the next one.
But, wherever there are people, there will always be those obsessed with their own ideals.
Not compromising for money might be seen as the right thing to do, and some might think that if they pledged their loyalty once, it’s right to stick with it, even unto death.
Just look at the Sword Saint; if he’s not one to care about money and such…
There could be people wanting to become heroes deep down even if they don’t show it outright, so we had to be really careful when gathering people.
In the end, we ended up borrowing some people from loyal factions like Grace’s Estate and picked trustworthy knights from the royal guards, even bringing the Sword Saint along.
The soldiers were basically the imperial army, not the royal soldiers. Of course, we also sifted through them.
“And if there are those in the Empire looking to seize the Emperor…”
“Really, what a worrywart.”
Claire interrupted me mid-sentence.
“No matter what, how are you going to stop a moving train at this hour? We deliberately pressed the schedule to be tight. Smoke screens are set up all over. We’ve planned it so the opponent can’t prepare beforehand, so how could anyone stop the train and take only the Emperor?”
“……”
Well, I wonder.
In truth, Claire was probably trying to reassure me, but she still wore her sword at her waist. In case something happened, she had to be ready to draw her weapon immediately.
Leo, quietly listening to our conversation, was obviously sitting there a bit tense too.
I didn’t worry about these two. Even if a situation erupted, they’d handle it skillfully. They were definitely capable people.
But me—
With my abilities gone, would I even be able to move properly in that situation?
Fiddling with the grip of the gun holstered at my side, I quietly pondered.
And ominous predictions always tend to come true.
“What’s happening?”
“Ah, well…”
The conductor started sweating at the edge of my sharp voice.
The train, which had been moving well, came to a stop. It wasn’t a sudden stop. Although the speed decreased rapidly, the experienced conductor carefully slowed it down to avoid derailing.
“There’s someone blocking the way ahead, so we stopped.”
“Someone? At this hour?”
“Yes, it appears to be a person who’s intoxicated. For now, the soldiers will check it out.”
I looked outside. It was completely dark. The sky was filled with stars, but there was simply not enough starlight to illuminate the area around the train. The only things visible were the places lit by the light that came through the windows.
But it wasn’t in the woods. It looked like a wide-open plain. Just like the plains I saw on my way to Lutetia with the train.
“Let’s distance ourselves from the window for now.”
I drew the curtains and stepped away from the window. I wanted to ensure that no silhouette of us could be seen, so I moved to the aisle between the seats.
This time, Claire didn’t act like it was nothing.
The situation was obviously strange to anyone who saw it.
There wasn’t even a village around. Even in rural areas, it wouldn’t make sense for there to be zero light.
I drew my gun, while Claire and Leo unsheathed their swords. The soldiers and knights who were in the cabin with us stood up, each brandishing their weapons in sync with our movements.
“C-Crown Princess…?”
“It might be an enemy attack. Conductor, you stay in this cabin. Could you gather all the civilians in the train into the cabin where the soldiers and knights are?”
One of the soldiers responded quickly, “Yes, understood!” and immediately began moving. Seeing two more join him to make three taking action, it seemed there had been a plan for emergencies all along.
“I-Is it really that dangerous?”
It seemed to be the conductor’s first time experiencing such a situation as he sweated profusely.
“Yes, at least it’s not a normal situation.”
I answered immediately and moved from where we were sitting, walking among the soldiers and knights towards the front of the cabin.
At the very front, close to the train’s head, I reached the cabin door and peered outside. From what I could see, the soldiers across were bustling around, probably having started preparing for combat upon hearing the conductor’s words.
“How far was the drunk man? Was he far away?”
“No, it shouldn’t be that far due to the train’s braking distance—”
Bang.
I distinctly heard a gunshot from beyond the cabin wall.
Bang, bang.
Then, just a few shots later…
………
Silence.
I strained my ears, but I couldn’t hear anything further.
In the next moment, everyone in the train moved in unison.
We didn’t just throw together soldiers and knights without thought. We had trained multiple times in case such a situation arose.
As for why we had to keep pushing the schedule back, it was because these weren’t just units made up of royal soldiers.
The movements of soldiers and royal guards differ. Even if they all use swords, movement styles can greatly differ depending on legacy.
Although they were all citizens of one nation, it was essentially a coalition. Fortunately, there were no bad families pulling strong divisions.
So, to synchronize, and considering how critical it was to move perfectly in emergencies, we couldn’t slack off on training.
“What kind of fools are they?”
Claire asked, frowning.
“Well, I guess we’ll only know when we meet them directly.”
Watching the soldiers take their positions in the cabin, I turned back and replied.
“Are they trying to get that person back in his seat?”
“…Can’t be sure until we see it firsthand.”
This time, I took Leo’s words in response.
Bang, bang.
As we were talking, gunshots began to echo from outside. It mostly sounded like we were the ones shooting.
Then, the sounds of shouting overlapped a few times—
Thud, and something exploded.
“…At least it means our enemy didn’t plan on using bombs.”
I said.
Well, they might have set something up, but the train definitely stopped before that. Otherwise, how could they plan to save the Emperor?
Whether they were incompetent or we were lucky, or maybe both.
“Let’s get ready.”
When I said that, Claire and Leo both nodded.
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