Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Squeak-!
Thud! Thud thud thud! Thud thud!
“What, what! I can’t hear you!”
The noise from the train was louder than expected.
Yan gave up on answering and dragged Cruel out of the engine room with force.
“This! Turn this clockwise all the way! Even if you have to use mana, you must!”
Yan pointed at a round handle-like thing and shouted.
Cruel blinked his eyes and nodded his head after a moment.
Yan turned his body after confirming that Cruel was turning the handle properly.
This train consisted of four cars, including the engine room, and there were absorption brakes installed in the three cars excluding the engine room.
He left the engine room to Kyle and the first class to Cruel, so the remaining ones were two cars.
About ten minutes until they fell off the cliff.
He had to turn the two absorption brakes and signal Kyle to stop the train within that time.
Yan immediately went into action without thinking.
‘Eight minutes!’
He broke through the confused passengers with a fierce momentum and got out of the second class.
The corridor was full of corpses of the revolutionaries and broken windows were crudely covered with wooden boards.
It must have been where Lorena fought.
Yan saw an absorption brake that looked exactly the same as the one he saw in the first class.
He immediately grabbed the handle and turned it clockwise.
But it didn’t turn easily, probably because it wasn’t well-oiled.
Thud.
Yan’s arm swelled and the handle started to turn.
Some passengers chased him with angry faces and shouted at Yan who was turning the handle.
“You! You’re a train crew, right?”
“Kyaaak! A corpse!”
“What’s going on here!”
“Please tell us what happened!”
“Is there a fight going on here!?”
The passengers screamed or made a fuss when they saw the corpses in the connecting corridor.
It was a mess.
All kinds of complaints and insults flew at Yan.
Squeeze.
Yan’s hand tightened on the handle.
There were too many eyes to watch, so he couldn’t use magic recklessly.
“Damn it!”
He wanted to kick them out right now, but every second was urgent.
Squeak.
Yan ignored the angry voices of the passengers and focused on turning the handle.
Bang!
Before he knew it, he turned the handle of the absorption brake to the limit.
The device of the absorption brake made a sound of rooting on the ground and the speed of the train decreased a little.
‘One done.’
Yan ran straight to the third class, leaving behind the roar of the passengers.
‘Five minutes!’
The inside of the third class was so hot that it was hard for ordinary people to bear, probably because of the explosion below.
But the passengers of the third class couldn’t go out easily because of the class gap between the second and third class.
Yan shouted at them.
“Move to the corridor right now! Unless you want to be cooked like pork!”
They were scared, but they didn’t want to die cooked.
The passive passengers rushed to the connecting corridor with anxious faces at Yan’s words.
The third class passengers who were bloodthirsty for survival and the second class passengers who chased Yan collided with each other.
Yan pulled up mana and stomped on the floor as the obstacles around him disappeared.
Whoosh!
Yan ran at a gust-like speed toward the last absorption brake.
‘The absorption brake of the third class is outside!’
The last absorption brake was installed on a balcony that could only fit one person.
Yan reached the end of the third class before he knew it.
There was an iron door with a warning sign that said [No entry except for authorized personnel].
Clang!
Yan raised his mana and tore the iron door off.
Then he grabbed the handle that was installed there.
Then he let go of his hand with a start.
“X-shit!”
The absorption brake of the third class was so hot that it was affected by the explosion.
Yan took off his top and put it on the handle and put his two hands on it.
A burning sensation was transmitted through the clothes that wrapped the handle.
Yan pulled out a stream of mana and used magic.
“<Freeze>!”
A magic that freezes objects.
Yan’s magic aptitude was not high enough to lower the handle to normal temperature, but.
‘At least it’s manageable!’
He bit his teeth and started to turn the handle.
He couldn’t avoid getting burns on his hands even if it cooled down.
The hot heat felt like it was tearing his palms, but.
‘If I delay even a little, there’s no answer!’
But the handle didn’t turn well.
There was a magic called <Grease> that made the friction zero, but.
Yan was not skilled enough in magic to do double casting.
Squeak. Squeak.
“Ugh!”
Yan stimulated the sun in his mana heart while operating the <Freeze> magic.
His eyes were full of blood.
It was not easy to do two tasks while getting burns on his hands, even if it was not as difficult as double casting.
Whoosh.
But the result was successful.
Mana rotated around his body and vitality rose.
It was much easier to turn the handle than before.
But he couldn’t relax with that.
‘If I put too much force and break the handle, that’s another worst case scenario!’
Yan concentrated his mind and turned the handle carefully so that it wouldn’t break.
Squeak. Squeak.
Then the handle started to turn smoothly.
‘One minute!’
There was only about 60 seconds left.
But he couldn’t turn the handle recklessly because of that lack of time.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
‘30 seconds!’
Now he didn’t have time to run to the engine room and tell Kyle to do his best.
Sweat beads started to form on Yan’s forehead.
Whirl, whirl.
‘15 seconds!’
Bang!
Squeak!
The absorption brake turned all the way and the device connected to it slammed into the ground.
The train was still not slow, but it was noticeably slower than before.
Judging by the speed, Cruel seemed to have fully activated the absorption brake as well.
‘5 seconds!’
Yan pulled out mana from both the sun and the moon.
A tremendous amount of mana entered his veins and he felt a pang.
He squinted his eyes and endured it and concentrated his mana on his neck.
Just like that.
“Zigeeeeeeum──!”
He focused all his mana on raising his voice.
A loud scream echoed over the vast white snowfield.
Yan, who had finished his work, collapsed on the spot.
Rattle rattle!
The train started to shake more violently than before.
Maybe the engine room had reached the front of the cliff with a lot of curves.
‘Did Kyle not hear?’
He thought so at that moment.
Whoa!
A golden pillar suddenly rose from the dark sky and lit up the surroundings.
Yan looked up.
Numerous swords of qi floating high around the pillar.
Each of the swords of qi had a threatening aura and a majestic dignity.
‘…Fortunately, he heard.’
The identity of those swords of qi was the final technique of Kyle, the Royal Knights 7th Knight.
‘Imperial Guard’
It was the last shield to protect the empire, the emperor.
The swords of qi, which were too many to count with the eyes, stuck to the ground to prevent the train from moving.
Squeak!
Crash! Crash!
The train collided with the swords of qi and stopped in place with a loud noise.
‘Imperial Guard’ was a technique that dropped the swords of qi around the caster to kill the enemies, but.
‘Swords of qi stuck in the ground can also be used as obstacles or cover.’
There were cases where they actually used it like that.
Clang.
Fortunately, there was no chain explosion, and they didn’t fall off the cliff.
Yan closed his eyes slowly as he watched Kyle’s final technique ‘Imperial Guard’.
‘I’m exhausted.’
With that thought and the determination to get his debt from Wigor no matter what.
* * *
Kyle stopped the train and within an hour, several people walked through the snowfield.
“Quick, check the passengers’ condition!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“We’re going to investigate why the train derailed. Follow me!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The security force that was in charge of the empire’s security.
And the transportation bureau that was in charge of the train, gate, and road.
Both the security force and the transportation bureau came with more than a hundred people, but.
“Your Highness! Are you all right!”
The difference was that the transportation bureau had the highest-ranking official, the transportation director, personally visit.
“What’s the fuss? I don’t have any injuries.”
Wigor got up from his seat, tapping his waist.
The current transportation director was a disciple that Wigor taught thirty years ago, so he didn’t show any displeasure at his rudeness.
And as Wigor said, there was nothing that looked uncomfortable.
Kyle protected him even when the train was shaking.
Wigor met the transportation director for the first time in a long time, but he didn’t have much conversation.
‘This all happened because of me.’
If he had followed the emperor’s words and not left the palace, this wouldn’t have happened.
The villains’ target was him.
But something brushed past his head.
Wigor turned his head to Kyle and asked with an urgent face.
“That rude… I mean, young man!”
He was a very yellow guy, but he saved his life and prevented a very big accident.
But even though the transportation bureau and the security force arrived, he was nowhere to be seen.
Kyle smirked and pointed somewhere with his finger.
“Huh?”
Wigor’s gaze followed Kyle’s finger.
There was a young man lying on a stretcher.
His palm was reddish, not to mention purple, as if he had burns, and his upper body was full of scars.
Still.
“He seems to be alive.”
His breathing was steady, so he didn’t seem to be in a critical condition.
“He’s an amazing young man.”
Kyle said from the side.
At that, Wigor’s eyes sank deeply.
As Kyle said, that guy was definitely amazing.
He looked like he was not even twenty, but his strength, wisdom, and decisiveness surpassed his peers.
‘No. Should I say he’s in a different league?’
The charisma he showed when he stopped the train was something that not many nobles could show.
It was something that had to be born, not learned or acquired.
Wigor pointed to Yan so that the transportation director could see him and said.
“If it wasn’t for that kid, your head would have been dangling.”
The transportation director wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and tilted his head.
“Yes?”
“Didn’t you check the passengers properly and just checked them roughly and this happened!”
Wigor said like a machine gun.
“And did you do the regular train inspection properly! If that guy hadn’t run with sweat on his feet and braked when he derailed, I would have crossed the river of hell by now.”
It was a wrong statement in a way.
Even if the transportation director was the final approver, he couldn’t be responsible for or check everything.
But the transportation director smiled awkwardly.
He realized Wigor’s intention.
“Yes, we will serve him very well.”
“You better. I’ll be watching.”
“Yes, yes.”
Wigor took out a piece of paper and a fountain pen from his pocket after telling him.
Then he wrote something using the floor as a desk and folded it neatly and handed it to the transportation director.
“Give it to him when he wakes up.”
“Yes? You’re not going to see him yourself?”
Wigor chuckled at the transportation director’s question.
“The emperor himself sent the royal guard, and if I make him wait longer, what will happen?”
At that, the transportation director’s face turned pale.
Kyle smiled awkwardly from the side.
Wigor tapped the transportation director’s shoulder a few times and left with Kyle.
* * *
Yan opened his eyes the next morning.
“…You should have just died.”
Cruel grumbled at Yan.
Yan laughed at Cruel’s appearance and got up from his seat.
He felt no pain from head to toe, no matter what kind of treatment he had received.
He would have been fine even if his veins had swollen up from using mana too hard.
‘Are my veins fine too?’
That meant he had used expensive medicine…
Wigor must have nagged the transportation director a lot.
Yan smiled bitterly and asked Cruel.
“What about the others?”
“They’ve been awake and up for a long time.”
“Really?”
Then.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door and came in.
He was a middle-aged man who looked about fifty.
He seemed to be a normal person, as he didn’t feel any mana from his body.
“Nice to meet you, I’m the transportation director, Billio.”
“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Yan.”
“Cruel… I am.”
Cruel answered awkwardly, as he was not used to polite speech, and Yan answered politely.
The transportation director didn’t seem interested in Cruel, and stuck right next to Yan and asked him various things.
If he had any injuries.
If he could explain what happened.
Where he belonged.
Yan answered the transportation director’s questions without showing any displeasure, slowly one by one.
As for the train knowledge, he said he was interested in such things and learned by disassembling toys himself.
“So that’s what happened.”
When the story was over, the transportation director bowed his head.
“Thank you. If His Highness had been hurt, I would have had to take off my clothes and take responsibility, but this is all thanks to you.”
He said that and took out two envelopes from his pocket and handed one of them.
Yan took it and the transportation director smiled slyly.
“Take a look.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
What was in the envelope was not paper or documents, but a badge.
A red badge with a train drawn in the middle.
Yan opened his eyes wide.
“This is!”
“It’s a badge that allows you to use our transportation bureau’s train, gate, and road for free. It’s a sign of my gratitude.”
“Yes, yes. I’m more grateful, what are you talking about.”
It was the best benefit to be able to use expensive transportation means such as trains or gates for free, not to mention roads.
He didn’t think of such things and did the job… The reward was more generous than he thought.
The transportation director also handed him another envelope.
“This is not from me, but from His Highness. He told me to give it to you.”
He left the room, telling him to look at what was in the envelope by himself.
He even dragged Cruel out with him.
Yan took out what was in the envelope.
Two pieces of paper.
He unfolded one first.
-Wigor owes a debt to the person who has this paper.
-His Highness Wigor.
A short explanation and a signature that seemed to be written casually, only the size of a palm.
“Puhaha!”
Yan couldn’t help but laugh at the content.
He taught many people difficult things, but he didn’t like complicated things himself.
And he picked up the other paper.
You must have woken up by the time you read this.
I don’t know what you were thinking when you saved me, but I will pay the price properly.
If you need anything, come and see me, and if you don’t like it, use that paper.
Most of the guys will do you a favor.
ps. Use it only once!
The content in the paper was a letter to him.
There was nothing but a simple explanation of the debt.
“That’s like Wigor.”
But the power of this short paper was not simple, even though the content was simple.
His Highness had a close relationship with most of the upper class.
He thought of the information of the upper class he could contact with this opportunity, and folded the papers carefully and put them in his pocket.
“Well, that’s the end of the train incident, shall we go buy some fur coats now?”
The place he had to go from now on was very cold.
It was time to find a weapon.
The land of extreme cold.
Beowulf, that is.
