episode_0005

Igorbich Station is a small and quiet rural stop. It is located in a humble village that serves no purpose other than being a border checkpoint between Krasilov and Droan.

As a result, the number of passengers getting off at this station is limited to the local residents or logistics distributors. That’s about it.

So.

“It’s suspicious.”

The three men standing in a corner of the station are clearly suspicious.

First, there’s a man looking at the newspaper while occasionally glancing at the clock in the waiting room.

Although he appears to be checking the train schedule, he has already seen three trains pass by.

Next, there’s a man with his arms crossed, nodding off.

He also seems to be spending his time casually, but that’s not the case. Every time something happens, like when someone goes to the restroom or approaches the newspaper stand, he discreetly opens his eyes and observes them.

Lastly, there’s a man selling dried vegetables in a corner of the waiting room.

It’s laughable at this point. Not only did he not sell any vegetables to anyone in the waiting room, but who would buy vegetables in such a remote rural station in the first place?

Crucially, Ivan, a small-scale farmer himself, could tell the condition of those vegetables. They weren’t dried for long-term preservation; they had simply withered and twisted from being left unattended for too long.

Ivan moved his hand under the newspaper and gripped the pistol. Looking at the clock, it was 9 o’clock. The train carrying Princess Essidis would arrive soon.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to check.

He slowly stood up, folded the newspaper, and headed towards the trash bin. And in the process, he precisely pressed the barrel against the back of the nodding man’s neck.

“!!”

“Quiet.”

The man was startled and froze as he attempted to put his right hand into his pocket, feeling the chilling touch of the gun barrel.

Good. One pistol in the left breast pocket.

Judging by his almost immediate reaction, it seemed like he had received some training.

“W-What are you doing there?”

“Stop!”

The other two men in the waiting room shouted simultaneously as they stood up abruptly.

It’s a funny sight. Since the half-exposed gun was covered by the newspaper, it would have appeared as if he had just placed his hand on the back of the man’s neck.

In other words, these three are in cahoots.

However, just to be sure, we need to check. Even though support wasn’t requested, it could be that Elisabeth sent an agent.

“Where does your loyalty lie?”

“What, what?”

If this person is indeed Elisabeth’s agent and loyal to the Krasilov royal family, there would be no room for questioning in this statement.

This is not only one of the first questions asked by the Special Operations Unit but also possibly the final question.

It’s like when soldiers in the front line say, “Halt! If you move, I’ll shoot!” It’s the first, and perhaps the last, question that must be answered, even if it means lying.

So, this guy is a mercenary who moves for money.

-Bang!

A bullet flew out of the barrel, severing the man’s spinal cord.

The man held by Ivan couldn’t even react and collapsed.

“Oh, no!”

“Shoot! Shoot that bastard!!”

The vegetable vendor and the man reading the newspaper quickly got up, pulling out a gun from their pockets.

This signifies several things.

First, those guys are in cahoots.

Second, they are amateurs.

Third, they are not affiliated with the Krasilov royal regime.

And finally, they have never faced a real strong opponent.

-Bang! Bang!

Reflexively fired bullets grazed past Ivan’s shoulder and head.

Judging by how well he aims, he’s a mercenary.

But judging by his lack of knowledge about “line of fire detection,” he’s a really cheap mercenary.

As the guys prepared to open fire again, Ivan swung his axe towards the vegetable vendor and aimed his gun at the man reading the newspaper.

-Swish, bang!

“Aaargh!!”

The man whose wrists were both severed screamed in agony and collapsed, while the other man, with a bullet precisely lodged in his forehead, couldn’t even scream.

Ivan approached the fallen vegetable vendor, wiping the blood from his axe on the vendor’s coat.

“Is it just you?”

“Cough… Wheeze… Where did this monster come from…?”

“Monster…?”

Ivan hesitated for a moment, wondering if he misheard.

A monster? Just for this?

The words uttered by those who intended to antagonize the warrior Ainar seemed absurd.

If Ainar had personally come, there wouldn’t have been any conflict. That lunatic would have demolished the entire assembly hall in one go.

“This… This wasn’t supposed to happen…!”

The bleeding was severe. Without proper hemostasis within five minutes of severing the radial and ulnar arteries in the wrist, certain death was guaranteed. And with both hands severed, it would be even worse.

The vegetable vendor trembled, his face already turning blue.

Ivan sighed and searched through the man’s belongings. With no hands, he had no choice but to do it himself.

Some tissue scraps, a few coins in an old pocket, no identification, and a small device with a strange button. The faint presence of magic could be felt. Probably a signaling device.

“If we don’t stop the bleeding, he’ll die in three minutes. Where are the others?”

“T-they’re near the railway tracks…”

“How many?”

“Fifteen… You, you can’t do anything alone…! I’ll, I’ll help! S-s-save me! They’re all armed, and our leader is there too, a real monster!! If you save me, I’ll attract attention!!”

The vegetable vendor shouted desperately, trembling. Of course, he wanted to live. Anyone who witnessed blood flowing profusely in real-time would lose their sanity unless they begged for help.

Ivan nodded. The vegetable vendor’s complexion noticeably brightened.

“It was left behind to send a signal to the ‘leader’ when other variables arise. You guys are the decoy squad.”

“Y-yes! I’m useful, I have many uses!”

This guy didn’t know about the existence of “diagonal detection.” Therefore, their leader was likely at that level too.

“Did you hear who boarded the train?”

“That, the gold transport train…! It’s the trade goods train that Dron sent to Krasilov, they said, they said…!”

“I understood.”

“Y-you’re saving us, right? You answered all my questions! You didn’t lie!!”

“No, there were lies mixed in.”

“No! It’s not true!!!”

Ivan looked coldly at the man.

“It’s useful.”

“What…?”

These guys were nothing more than petty thieves driven by money. There’s no information to be gained by torturing them.

If anything, it’s the leader. At least we can find out their connections.

-Thunk!

Ivan got up and swung his axe, beheading the man.

With a thud, the man’s body slumped down.

He pressed the receiver and sensed the direction of the magical line.

Not far.

Ivan wiped the axe blade on the man’s coat and sheathed it at his waist.

It was nine minutes past nine. If the train operated normally, it would arrive at this station at 10 o’clock.

Within fifty minutes, the train terrorism will occur.

So.

“It seems relaxed.”

Ivan smirked and tidied up the corpse. It took about five minutes to erase the bloodstains and signs of battle.

Erasing traces was one of the most important aspects of the Annihilation Corps’ training.

*

There was a reason why Ivan was so relaxed.

According to the Academy’s official rules, train terrorism can never harm the “protagonist or main characters.”

When the train is attacked, the protagonist safely escapes with someone’s help and arrives at the Academy as planned.

Ivan never had any intention of preventing the train terrorism from the beginning.

“This is a tutorial.”

Ivan was running through the forest. Occasionally, when the magical line weakened, he pressed the button to confirm the reception direction.

“A tutorial is a stage that helps players adapt to the game.”

So, they hired such sloppy thieves to attack even the “children of the hero party.” It’s designed to familiarize them with combat from the low-level stages.

At first, Ivan wondered who would be the “protagonist” among the hero party.

He soon deduced the answer.

Everyone.

Everyone is the protagonist. All members of the Hero Party are protagonists.

Let’s say when playing a game, the player creates their character for the first time.

In that case, they are given ‘archetype’ characters. The kind that has a unique storyline in the world. And crucially, ‘characters with different characteristics or occupations’.

– Isabelle, the warrior’s daughter. Dual class: mage and warrior.

– Oscar, the knight’s son. Knight.

– Elphira, the magician’s daughter. Magician.

– Essidis, the warrior’s daughter. Expected to have dual class: bard and warrior.

– Lucia, the apprentice of the rogue. Rogue or assassin.

When the player of this game chooses one of them as their character, they will have to solve the ‘train terrorism’ in the tutorial.

Therefore, Ivan turned his thoughts in a different direction.

‘If all the characters’ tutorials have the common point of train terrorism, we can identify the terrorist group in advance.’

Once or twice might go unnoticed, but if you make the same mistake six times, you will definitely get caught.

Ivan raced through the bushes and pressed the receiver again.

This time, he felt magical lines flickering very close by.

‘I’ll leave the tutorial to the protagonist and eliminate the variables.’

Don’t stop the train terrorism. After all, the train terrorism is a ‘constant’. If we prevent it in advance, it may explode in a different way.

So, it’s better to identify some kind of group that caused the train terrorism.

And then, find and eliminate traces of that group at the academy.

Avoid direct confrontation and conduct espionage activities from the rear to eradicate threats. That is the method of the eradication unit.