Ch.532Episode 20 – Who Threatened You with a Knife?

Looking at the yellowing prairie, Camilla let out a small gasp of admiration.

“Wow… what a beautiful view.”

It was indeed a spectacular sight.

The wind raced across the cool fields, and the horizon blurred the boundary between the blue sky and the earth below.

Our transcontinental train was right there in the midst of it all.

“It reminds me of the old days.”

As I quietly worked in my backward-facing seat, a nostalgic voice tickled my ears.

“What are you thinking about?”

“When I used to travel by train with my friends. We once went from London all the way to Warsaw.”

“Ah, Warsaw.”

Perhaps it was the excitement of traveling by train again, but Camilla chattered away in an animated voice for quite some time.

I smiled slightly as I tapped away at my terminal.

“You must have gone through Paris.”

“When departing from London, you always pass through there first.”

“And then Berlin? Or was it Amsterdam?”

“Berlin. When going to Warsaw, we only passed through Berlin. Amsterdam was a separate trip.”

“I see? That must have been nice. Going on train trips often.”

“Oh come on~ Not that often. How could I travel all the time?”

“Ah, so once every few years then? Taking long trips?”

“Huh? No? I went at least two or three times a year. We’re all in Europe after all.”

“…?”

For a moment, I doubted my hearing.

Blinking repeatedly as I met Camilla’s gaze, I opened my mouth with a puzzled expression.

“Why would Britain be part of Euro—”

“It’s in Europe.”

“No, but Brexit—”

“I’m telling you, it’s part of Europe.”

“……”

“Got a problem with that?”

…Ah, yes.

Sure. Let’s go with that.

Episode 20 – Who Threatened You With a Knife

In a neighborhood teeming with monsters, trains might seem like an inefficient mode of transportation at first glance.

However, trains are actually widely used because they’re unaffected by climate and seasonal changes, experience virtually no traffic congestion, and can transport an overwhelming amount of cargo.

Some people counter, “Wouldn’t ships be better?” but for that, you need rivers and seas to begin with.

Landlocked countries in this region, like Mongolia, either have naval forces with fewer than 1,000 personnel or operate army patrol boat units instead of a navy.

And above all, are seas perfectly safe? Not at all.

Monsters inhabit both coastal waters and the open ocean.

Even the deep sea.

That’s precisely why land-based trains have gained popularity.

“Stations are safely guarded by railway security forces, and most monsters can’t catch up to a train even at full sprint. Plus, since the tracks aren’t living things, monsters don’t recognize them as food.”

“So they’re safer than I thought?”

“That’s right.”

Of course, safety is a highly relative concept, and train accidents aren’t as rare as airplane accidents in our world.

Even considering that, trains are very safe, and their safety generally corresponds with their budget.

The train we were on was exactly that kind of case.

An iron horse racing across the plains, trailing thin wisps of steam.

As the line of sophisticated passenger cars traveled along the tracks, the “Al-raed” logo, meaning “thunder,” flashed by like the teeth of a comb.

“They said it was imported from Rushan… it really is a top-class train, living up to its reputation.”

The Rushan Federation—a bridgehead connecting the Moritani continent with major powers like Abas, Fatalia, and Kiyen.

Though its presence is somewhat overshadowed by dominant powers like the Kiyen Empire and the Abas Kingdom, the Rushan Federation still holds its place among the great powers.

With straits connecting to the ocean, it’s considered a traditional maritime power alongside Fatalia. It rapidly embraced the magical revolution, developing advanced science, technology, and magic that fueled industrial growth.

As a result, the Rushan Federation has easily expanded into the Moritani continent in many fields.

This is partly because the Rushan Federation is quite close to the Moritani continent, much like how Britain interacted with Europe across the Dover Strait, but the most important factor is, of course, religion.

Like many countries on the Moritani continent, the predominant religion in the Rushan Federation is Al-Yabd.

While the Rushan Federation legally aims for “secularism,” the vast majority of its citizens are Al-Yabd believers, and even the royal families of the principalities follow Al-Yabd.

Thus, the Rushan Federation has always been the top choice for diplomatic relations with Moritani continent nations.

The train we’re riding, the “Al-raed,” is one symbol of this friendly relationship.

“Is it a famous train?”

“Of course. It’s the fastest train on the Moritani continent, and it’s notorious for its expensive tickets. The kingdom that imported it being a regional power on the Moritani continent certainly contributes to that. After all, it’s one of the leading nations of Al-Yabd.”

“A regional power on a continent with deserts, and one of the leading nations of a religion… it sounds like Saudi Arabia.”

“That’s an accurate assessment. It’s actually very similar.”

Just as oil-rich Saudi Arabia holds the position of a hegemonic power in the Middle East and the leading nation of Sunni Islam, the kingdom that owns this train is both a hegemonic power on the Moritani continent and a leading nation of the Al-Yabd faith.

The interesting part is that their ancestors also built their homes on land where oil wells would burst forth if you dug in the yard.

It’s a heartbreaking story that would make people from a certain peninsula—who are constantly pushed around thanks to their notoriously hairy ancestors (true story)—wail and pound the ground if they heard it.

“If there’s a kingdom in the Sunni position, is there also a Shia equivalent?”

“There is, actually.”

“Ugh…”

When I answered nonchalantly, Camilla stuck out her tongue with a disgusted expression.

For reference, in Islam, the leading Shia nation is Iran, familiar to Seoul citizens through the name “Teheran-ro.”

“Why are you so disgusted? Iran is quite a nice place.”

“Iran is ‘nice’? Is North Korea ‘Best Korea’ too?”

“I’m not saying it’s paradise, but it has plenty to see and eat. Being an Islamic country, entertainment might be a bit lacking.”

I smiled gently as I tapped on my terminal.

“Of course, I only went there for work.”

“I hope the Al-Yabd leading nations here are a bit more peaceful. Surely they don’t punish people for breaking religious laws?”

Camilla’s voice carried a strange concern. It was an understandable reaction. After all, most of the countries we’d visited so far, starting with the Zamria Federation, were largely secular Al-Yabd nations.

To draw a comparison, places like Zamria are secular countries like Turkey, while the kingdom that owns this train is roughly equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, or Afghanistan—or perhaps even more strictly religious.

Still, there’s no need to worry.

“The severity varies, but they don’t hang people from cranes like Hussein did, or gather crowds in stadiums for mass beheadings.”

“That’s a relief to hear.”

“Why would they bother with all that trouble? Whether alive or dead, they just throw them across the border, and the monsters take care of the rest.”

“……”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going there anytime soon. And even if we did, they’re usually quite kind to foreigners, so there’s no need to be too afraid.”

“…I’m sure.”

*

The “Al-raed” boasts an extensive route that crosses the entire Moritani continent, and we’re scheduled to stay on this train for about 7 days.

Considering that when I traveled by train from Vladivostok to Moscow, I spent about 8 days on a train hunting down the person who brought cold water for lunch boxes, kicking the buttocks of snorers, and causing all sorts of trouble (politely called “acting up”), this is truly an impressive journey.

The question is how to eat and sleep in this cramped train.

Fortunately, this problem was quickly resolved thanks to Grand Duchess Alexandra booking royal compartments for us.

“Two people per compartment with one bed each?”

“There’s a door with a lock, and look, there’s even a partition. It’s folded during the day and extended at night to separate the space.”

“Wow, this is better than I expected. I guess that’s what you get from an oil-producing country.”

With this, there would be no quarrels between Camilla and me over sleeping arrangements.

I did wonder if it might have been better to use a warp gate despite the transfer costs rather than spending money on a royal-grade compartment for 7 days, but it seemed the Grand Duchess, as a mentor, wanted her disciple Camilla to travel through more regions and broaden her horizons.

Of course,

“That’s not what’s important right now.”

“Then what is important?”

“All the food in this compartment is free!”

It seemed her cheeks would expand before her horizons.

(The Grand Duchess’s heart probably sank at the same time.)

Anyway.

I was lost in thought while the red pig (without an airplane) began roaming the train, gathering all sorts of food. Traveling on a train with Camilla wasn’t the issue. The real problem was the train itself, the Al-raed.

Over the next 6 nights and 7 days, the train would follow the rails through numerous regions. It would pass through at least 6 countries, with passengers boarding and disembarking at intermediate stops.

And as is typical of railways that cross multiple countries, such transportation is beloved by travelers, peddlers, immigrants, criminals, terrorists, and intelligence agents alike.

European intelligence officers were particularly fond of them. After all, the benefits of the Schengen Agreement didn’t discriminate between tourists and spies.

“Let’s see. The remaining ship departures are…”

So, I looked for ways to disembark midway and travel to our destination by ship.

But when I tried to book a ship ticket, a rejection notice arrived from the company.

“Are you saying I shouldn’t use a ship?”

-‘Travel by rail as planned. I can’t authorize ship travel unless there’s a special circumstance.’

“Why on earth are you doing this all of a sudden?”

From the secure line, Leoni provided the reason why I couldn’t take a ship. It was a very simple and clear reason.

-‘A patrol ship sank while sailing along the coast a few days ago.’

“Ah…”

Apparently, the navy of some Moritani continent country had fought against monsters off the coast.

According to local government military officials, they dispatched a combat squadron to secure safety, but the story Leoni told me was the opposite.

-‘We obtained communications between headquarters and the squadron, and it seems the squadron suffered irreversible damage.’

“Were they all destroyed?”

-‘Yeah. According to data transmitted by an Abas submarine passing through nearby waters, activity signs of a Kappa-class sea monster were detected. Right in the same waters where the patrol boat sank.’

“Then I guess there’s no choice. By the way, what happened to the squadron that was dispatched there? I heard they reclaimed the waters.”

-‘They did reclaim them, but there’s no force left to defend them. The squadron that fought the Kappa-class was completely destroyed… We’re actually fighting over a cooperation request because of that issue. The higher-ups want to send a fleet there, but the navy is telling them to stop talking nonsense.’

“Higher-ups” referred to the Ministry of Defense. The Military Intelligence Agency was directly under the Ministry of Defense.

In other words, the Abas Ministry of Defense and the Abas Navy were arguing over the issue of sending troops.

“From what I know, the monsters near our coasts aren’t easy to deal with either. If they pull forces from the navy, who’s going to protect our front yard?”

-‘That’s exactly what I’m saying. I wonder if they’ve already forgotten how we lost two warships to a Xi-class two years ago… Anyway, try not to use ships there for a while. If you go missing like last time in Zamria, I can’t guarantee we’ll even be able to recover your body.’

It seemed the sea route would be difficult to use for the time being.

In the end, I had no choice but to eat, sleep, and live on the train with Camilla for 7 straight days. How unfortunate.

Still, as long as we arrive safely at our destination, it should be fine, right? What could possibly happen in a week? At worst, we might get robbed.

Let’s think positively.

After all, it’s better to look on the bright side.

*

…That’s what I thought just a few hours ago.

[Attention, passengers.]

As I was reading a book provided in the compartment after dinner, a sharp voice reached my ears.

[An incident has occurred on our train, and we will be making an emergency stop at the next station. For your safety, please remain seated.]

Camilla, who had been enjoying her dessert, looked at me with wide eyes, and I quietly turned the page of my book.

“Someone probably collapsed. Don’t worry about it and keep eating.”

At that point, I still thought it was nothing serious.

That is, until after a stretcher covered with a white cloth was carried out, and armed police boarded the train.