Chapter 87: The Express Train to the Academy

A year had passed.

Which meant I was now sixteen, old enough to enroll in the Academy.

For the record, I hadn’t grown at all and was still the same height.

“Lin.”

Before boarding the carriage, I shared a warm hug with my father.

It lasted longer than usual, perhaps because we wouldn’t see each other for at least half a year.

I smiled brightly as if to say, ‘It’s alright, Dad. I am your daughter, after all.’

When I gave him that reassuring smile, he finally seemed to put his mind at ease.

“Heine.”

“Yes.”

“Please take good care of Lin.”

As a final farewell, my father said a word of request to Heine, who stood beside me.

Heine bowed her head in response, as if to tell him not to worry.

After bidding farewell to my grandfather and grandmother as well, we boarded the carriage heading for the train platform.

Heine was enrolling in the Academy, just like me.

Perhaps that was why.

She was wearing a simple noble lady’s dress instead of her usual maid uniform.

Yet, she was still dressed more modestly than I was, upholding the principle of a lady’s maid, which was quite impressive.

‘On an occasion like this, it would have been fine for her to wear a cute and pretty dress that she liked.’

When I told her as much, she replied that she liked this dress the best.

‘Then again, if I remember correctly, the Heine from the original story wasn’t the type to dress extravagantly, was she?’

Inside the steady carriage.

The vast expanse of the county unfolded beyond the window.

Clusters of tulips bloomed to welcome the spring, with windmills turning leisurely among them.

I already felt a pang of nostalgia for the scenery of my second home, a sight I had seen every day since coming to the mainland.

Perhaps it was because I anticipated the difficult times that lay ahead.

“We have arrived, Lady Lin.”

“Alright. Thank you for your hard work.”

I’m not sure how much time had passed.

The Rosegarden family’s carriage arrived at the magi-train platform.

Compared to the futuristic city of Lunden, the Rosegarden County, despite being a major city in the western Empire, retained a rather pastoral landscape, so its train facilities were quite far from Rosegarden Castle.

However, unlike the Albion Continent, which was developed rapidly as a colony on bare land with only efficiency in mind, this was built upon a legacy of accumulated history and time, so in a way, it was only natural.

The long-unheard breath of the magi-train was a welcome sound.

Even though this was the mainland, the railway and train facilities didn’t seem much different from those on the Albion Continent.

But that was only true for regular trains; the Academy-bound train that soon arrived had a completely different atmosphere.

“My lady.”

“Yes. I can tell at a glance. That’s it, the express train to the Academy.”

Unlike other magi-trains, there is a special train that operates only once a year.

It’s a dedicated train that doesn’t exist on the colonial continent, operating only on the imperial mainland solely to transport new Academy students.

‘What? It only runs once a year?’

One might think it’s an incredible waste of resources, but on days other than enrollment day, it runs normally along the tracks near the Academy.

Its distinguishing feature is that its facilities and exterior are much cleaner and more refined compared to other magi-trains, simply to show off the prestige of the Imperial Capital and the Academy.

“For your information, the Academy train does not have a separate noble’s carriage, so you must use the general seating.”

“That’s fine. I already knew.”

And the biggest difference.

There are no noble carriages.

Nobles and commoners alike must use similar seats.

The reason is simple.

As is typical for institutions like the Academy, it pursues equality without class distinctions.

Well, since it was the Empire’s Academy, where only the most meticulously selected of the top talents were admitted, even the general seating couldn’t be called ordinary.

Sure enough.

Just by looking at them, all the compartments seemed incredibly clean and comfortable.

Considering that most of the Academy’s students were either children of wealthy families or raw gems overflowing with talent, the design of the facilities was only natural.

Just as the epithet ‘Holy’ is attached to the Empire, it may be a religious state, but the current emperor is the type to ensure that those with ability receive treatment befitting their skills.

He just works them that much harder in return.

In other words, the higher you get promoted, the more you’re sucked dry like a s*ave.

Perhaps in the current Empire, being a moderately powerful figure is the happiest life one can lead.

‘No, wouldn’t that life be tiring in its own way, being pushed around from all sides?’

‘That’s just how life is.’

‘In the first place, the current emperor isn’t particularly fond of religion, or rather, the power of the church.’

‘Well, it’s only natural he wouldn’t like it when imperial authority is infringed upon by divine authority.’

The only problem is…

A loud horn blew.

“Ah, it seems we’re about to depart.”

Just then, the Academy express train let out its characteristic roar, chugging and hissing as it started to move.

Even the ever-composed Heine couldn’t hide her excitement, gazing at the scenery outside, something she rarely did.

‘She’s still a child, after all.’

“Master, Master.”

“Yes?”

“Something’s strange about this train. There’s no one else inside but us.”

“Ahh… It’s okay, Dinavel. This is normal.”

Dinavel, who had been meticulously scanning her surroundings even as we left for the Academy, tilted her head.

Her expression seemed to say, ‘A magi-train should be full of people. Why is it empty?’

“Our Flandia province is located at the westernmost edge of the Empire. This is the first station on the line.”

Flandia, ruled by the Rosegarden family.

Due to its geopolitical position at the far west of the Empire, Heine and I were the very first passengers on the Academy express.

But this quietness was only temporary.

The train began to stop at intermediate stations, soon picking up other students one by one, and occasionally, I could see fellow freshmen passing by in the corridor.

“Kyaaak!?”

“It seems someone has peeked into the luggage compartment again.”

“Ahaha…”

And every so often, I would hear shrieks of surprise from those who saw our dogs sitting quietly and panting in the luggage compartment.

They were the ones I had brought all the way to Rosegarden Castle because they only listened to me.

So, naturally, I had no choice but to bring them along to the Academy.

Surprisingly, the Academy even has facilities to care for pets.

They were created because there are a few students with empathy skills for taming wild animals, much like spirit tamers.

However, it didn’t exist from the beginning; it was said to have been built by the current emperor, who loves dogs and horses.

For the record, “loving dogs and horses” is a euphemism for loving to hunt.

As someone who has too many pets for her own good, I was extremely grateful.

“Excuse me, all the other seats are full. Would it be alright if I sat with you?”

Around the time when every compartment on the train had at least one occupant, students who had the geopolitical disadvantage of boarding later began to ask to share seats.

‘Yes. This is it.’

‘Aren’t these chance encounters and the friendships that blossom from them the true charm of a train journey?’

“Hehe, you’re quite lucky. As it happens, there’s a seat available…”

“W-wait… What are you doing…?”

“Hmm? I was just asking them if I could sit with them?”

“Them… This, this idiot, what on earth…!!”

Just then, another girl who seemed to be her friend appeared and promptly bowed her head in apology.

Judging from the fleeting glance I caught, she seemed to have recognized our family crest embroidered on my clothes.

“But in the Academy, everyone is supposed to be equal…”

“Well, it’s rare to find an idiot who naively believes that.”

‘There was one just now.’

‘One naive idiot.’

‘Though her friend just forcibly pushed her head down and dragged her away…’

“E-excuse me…”

“Yes?”

After many of my classmates had fled, a timid voice quietly spoke up.

I turned my head to see a female classmate desperately studying mine and Heine’s expressions.

“U-um… There are no… seats…”

When our gazes turned to her, her shoulders flinched, and she hid slightly behind the door.

However, the wide, transparent glass window made the gesture meaningless.

“Hehe, you’re in luck. As you can see, our compartment happens to have an empty seat.”

Fearing she might also run away, I immediately expressed that she could join us.

Unlike the other classmates, she didn’t seem to know that I was the young lady of the Rosegarden family.

If I missed this encounter, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I felt like my spirits would dampen a little.

“You may sit.”

“…! T-thank you…!”

The classmate’s face lit up with a bright smile at my permission.

It seemed she was the type whose every emotion showed on her face, compensating for her timid way of speaking.

“Umm…”

“Is something wrong?”

The timid classmate glanced back and forth between the empty seats next to me and Heine.

She seemed to be pondering whose side to sit on.

After shaking her head in indecision for a long while, the classmate slowly sat down next to Heine.

Although “next to” was a bit of a stretch, given the distance she put between them.

‘More importantly… what was that?’

‘After all that thought, why did she choose to sit next to Heine and not me?’

‘I couldn’t grasp the reason for her choice at all, and for some reason, it bothered me.’

A massive explosion rang out!!!

“Eh…?”

Just then, a mysterious explosion was heard from inside the train.

Our classmate looked out into the corridor with panicked, anxious eyes.

A train where the Empire’s finest raw gems were gathered.

A sudden explosion just as all the students had boarded.

There was only one possible conclusion.

“Lady Lin.”

“Yes. It might be a terrorist attack targeting the new students for ransom.”

“T-terror…!?”

Heine’s eyes showed she had reached the same conclusion as me.

At the word “terror,” our classmate started trembling, completely startled.

‘…Yes.’

‘I reacted similarly the first time it happened to me.’

Fully understanding the anxious classmate’s feelings, I spoke to her to ease her worries.

“Is this your first time?”

“Yes…?”

“A train terror attack.”

As I said that with a gentle, warm smile,

“…….What?”

For some reason, the classmate’s eyes began to tremble even more violently than before.