After the conductor checked our tickets, we boarded the train. I glanced down at mine—we had bought tickets for the economy car, and it clearly said so.
I had even double-checked the carriage number before getting on, so there was no way we had accidentally boarded a luxury car. But then… why was the interior this extravagant?
The colors inside were vivid yet pleasing to the eye. The seating arrangement was face-to-face pairs, but far from simple—each was a cushioned two-person sofa with armrests.
Even better, the sofas were separated by partitions, forming semi-private compartments. You could do something embarrassing and not worry about being seen.
We ended up taking the seats at the very back. Each compartment could only fit four people, and since we were five, someone would be left out otherwise. So Jacob, Grace, and Ethefelis took one compartment, while Alice and I shared another.
The moment I sat down, I realized something—this country did care about land transportation. It just poured all its costs into the train itself. The sofa was unbelievably soft.
Soon, the lights on the ceiling turned on. Evening was approaching, and visibility was getting worse. Each compartment even had its own light—what a luxury.
If even the economy car was like this, what would the luxury car be like? Private rooms? Fine dining? Personal attendants?
Not long after, the train let out a loud rumble and began to move. Alice immediately leaned toward the window, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Mr. Karen, it's moving! It's moving!"
"I know."
"It's moving without any animals pulling it! That's amazing!"
She looked like someone from the countryside seeing a city for the first time, marveling at everything with shining eyes.
I turned toward Jacob's side. Grace and Ethefelis were also staring out the window. Even just from their backs, I could tell they were just as excited.
I, too, felt a bit thrilled. Sitting inside this enclosed space with only one window, it felt like the window had become a television. There was no sensation of movement—yet the scenery outside kept changing.
But as I had mentioned earlier, night was approaching. Once we left the station, it became harder to see anything outside.
At that moment, a blue-haired girl sat down beside Alice with an irritated expression. Alice and I both looked at her in confusion. She didn't seem to notice anyone was already there, though, and immediately began venting angrily.
"Shien is stupid! I'm just trying to help him, but he never listens! And Hera too! She's always saying his ideas will change the world—like that's even possible! And Sicilia is even worse! Every time I ask her something, she never gives a proper answer, and the moment I raise my voice a little, she acts like she's about to cry! One after another—they're all so annoying!!!"
She mentioned the same names Jacob and I had heard earlier in line—but notably, she didn't include the concerned girl. Which meant… this blue-haired girl was the concerned girl—Lixia.
Her voice was loud enough that even Jacob's group glanced over. Then Alice lightly tapped her shoulder and spoke to her.
"Miss, what's wrong? Did you argue with your friends?"
"Huh?! …Ah, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize someone was sitting here! I'm sorry for disturbing you!"
She was clearly startled. Still caught up in her frustration, she hadn't noticed us at all. After apologizing repeatedly, Alice shook her head gently.
"It's okay. But you seem troubled. If you need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to listen."
Alice looked like a priest offering comfort to a troubled believer, as if she were about to say something like, "The gods will guide you."
"Ah… um…"
The concerned girl's face clearly showed, Why would I tell a stranger this?
I immediately reached out and covered Alice's face, then apologized.
"Sorry. Please don't mind her—she tends to meddle."
As I spoke, I patted the seat beside me, signaling Alice to move over and stop bothering her.
"It's fine… ah, you're the one Shien bumped into earlier!"
"Someone did bump into me earlier. So you were the one who told him to apologize?"
"Yes, that was me. I'm sorry my childhood friend ran into you."
"He already apologized. There's no need to apologize again—I didn't mind."
"I see… hm!?"
She suddenly stood up mid-sentence and leaned her face close to mine. Startled, I immediately covered my mouth and leaned back as far as I could—
Thunk.
The back of my head hit the wall.
That hurt. I almost cursed, but held it in and asked patiently,
"...What is it? Is there something on my face?"
She frowned, staring at me as if trying to recall something. After a few seconds of silence, she finally reacted.
"...I remember now! You're the one who came out of that black teleportation light! What was that about?!"
And she still wasn't moving her face away.
"Were you there at the time?"
I asked as I gently pushed her back, then rubbed the back of my aching head. She sat back down and nodded.
"Yes. A few months ago, the Adventurers' Guild in Aimebisalon announced that the teleportation light below level 90 appear black. Does that mean you reached that level?! Are you a starry-ranked adventurer?!"
She grew more and more excited, leaving me with no room to retreat. She really knew her stuff—was she particularly interested in adventurers?
At this point, I had no choice but to admit it. Denying it would probably cause more trouble, and she seemed sharp enough not to be easily fooled.
I gave an awkward yet polite smile.
"...Yes. Please keep your voice down."
"O-Okay! Could I ask your name?"
"My name is Karen."
She looked surprised, then glanced at my hair.
"...Are you the same Karen who hunted down Samidoride?"
"Yes. Please don't spread that around."
Compared to being a starry-ranked adventurer, hunting down Samidoride drew far more attention—that was exactly why I needed her to keep quiet.
But it seemed she didn't even hear my request. The moment I confirmed it, she covered her mouth, eyes sparkling.
"Eh!? I actually met a hero—and even talked to him… Could it be that this is Ms. Lina?! …But I heard Ms. Lina has white hair…?"
She looked at Alice, clearly suspecting her.
"She's not Lina. Her name is Alice."
"Where is Ms. Lina? I'd love to see her in person."
"Lina in the Aimebisalon."
"That's such a shame… Then why are you here, Mr. Karen?"
"Protecting a merchant."
"To be protected by someone like you, they must be a very famous merchant."
I glanced at Jacob. I wasn't sure how famous he personally was, but his family name certainly carried weight.
Still, this was the kind of moment to stay humble—neither confirm nor deny, just smile and change the topic.
"Haha… by the way, did you argue with your childhood friend?"
"You must have heard what I said earlier, haha… We didn't exactly argue, but I didn't want to stay in that atmosphere."
She laughed awkwardly, then continued with exactly what I wanted to hear.
"What happened?"
I immediately leaned in, curious.
"Shien came up with a strategy to clear the dungeon, but it was really dangerous. Hera agreed with him, so I asked Shicilia for her opinion—but she kept hesitating. I got a bit anxious and raised my voice, and she started tearing up. Then Shien went to comfort her, and Hera accused me of scaring her. I was just worried about the danger, but somehow I became the bad guy… I felt like I didn't belong, so I left."
"I see. Actually, I heard your conversation earlier while we were in line. What kind of person is this Shien?"
I had been curious about that obsessed boy from the start. Was it his combat thinking? Or his personality?
"Eh!? Then doesn't that mean your first impression of me was a woman arguing in public?! That's so embarrassing!!!"
She covered her face dramatically, as if she wanted to disappear into a hole.
But it seemed she had started to idolize me. Meanwhile, my impression of her was simply a concerned childhood friend.
"It's fine. I understand your concern for him."
The moment I supported her, she immediately perked up.
"Right!? You also think Hera is unreasonable, don't you, Mr. Karen!"
"Well… it might not be fair to say, but it does seem like she doesn't quite understand what a childhood friend is."
I wanted to fully agree and complain along with her, but we weren't that close—I needed to maintain some composure.
"I knew I was right! …Ah, sorry, I got carried away. You were asking about Shien, right?"
"Just the basics."
"Okay. His full name is Shien Infellet, the eldest son of Marquis Kofit Infellet. He's been fascinated with magic since childhood, and it's as if the Goddess of Fate recognized his efforts—he was granted the ability to use all four major elements."
Wow. Chosen by fate, able to use all four elements… a classic prodigy.
Hearing that, Alice suddenly spoke up.
"Mr. Shien has been blessed by Fatelis. That's amazing."
"Right? It's unprecedented, so he's been famous since childhood. Almost everyone in the country knows him. But when the gods open one door, they close another. His obsession with magic is so extreme that he forgets everything else—like when he bumped into you earlier, Mr. Karen."
"Nonsense! Fatelis would never do such a thing!"
Alice shot to her feet, angrily rejecting that statement, startling the concerned girl.