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Violet Evergarden

The railway

parting from the southern maritime country Leidenschaftlich finally being extended

to northern nations was something quite recent.

Public

means of transportation were rather useful for traveling around a wide

continent, yet the trains across the mainland contributed greatly not only to each

person but also to society in terms of logistics. It could be said that the

current results had been achieved due to the North-South feud of the

Continental War being terminated on a superficial basis.

The

information that a ceremony would be held for the departure of the intercontinental

train spread quickly in the city of Leiden, and people rushed in pursue of tickets

for the first trip. On the following day, the morning newspaper prior to the

departure ceremony, which was completely taken over by the latter, was made to

be delivered not only throughout Leidenschaftlich but also to the neighbor

countries.

Although it

was a trivial article for those who were not interested in the subject, the

appearance of a single woman amongst the published photographs of people seeking

the tickets instigated, for better or worse, a surrept.i.tious feeling in those

who knew her. Lux Sibyl, who would be at the CH Postal Service first-thing in

the morning, smiled proudly upon spotting the figure of her beautiful friend. A

novelist who quietly recited words in the middle of the mountains was in high

spirits as though he had found a treasure amidst the article’s photos, and laid

it as decoration on his cutouts wall. A young astronomer on the way of a

journey bought two more copies of the same newspaper after a moment of

astonishment, and Cattleya, who was on an amanuensis duty at a place far away

from the office, asked her male client, with the newspaper at hand, who the

cutest one was between herself and the woman displayed in it. Someone who had

not seen her face for a long time surrendered himself to tracing it with his

fingertips.

It was only

a picture, but on the morning of that day, a premonition that something special

was about to begin was engraved remarkably in the minds of those who had been involved

with Violet Evergarden.

The departure

ceremony was held in the Leidenschaftlich Station at two o’clock in the

afternoon, and at three o’clock, after the pa.s.sengers had come aboard the intercontinental

train, it departed from the city by the end of the formalities. Children riding

a train for the first time leaned their bodies forward over the windows and

praised the scenery, proudly boasting to each other about the good fortune of

managing to entrain the first expedition. Those using it for work-related

transferences were satisfied with the careful customer service and safe

driving, and those who had booked the sleeper car had their hearts stolen by

the comfort as their bodies immediately embraced the drowsiness.

The

operation went on without a hitch in general. Little troubles were witnessed,

such as the employees in charge of transporting the baggage sending a pa.s.senger’s

luggage to the wrong room, or a customer who had ordered a dish without onions

from the dining car finding a small piece of onion in it and getting angry, but

they could not be considered important.

The pa.s.sing

scenery outside the windows was gradually dyed in madder red, and just an hour after

the departure, the world began to be surrounded by signs of the night. Once

every hour, the train was required to be refilled with water.

“We will soon

temporarily stop at the water supply point, so please sit down as the train

will shake.” The porter advised the customers of each car.

As people

were completely fascinated with the tour, they did not attempt to impede those

who remained on their feet without any intention of sitting down. There were

also many who observed the scenery while sipping alcoholic drinks. Those in a

good mood did not listen to what others said. The porter, who had given the

warning, smiled while thinking along the lines of, “what troublesome patrons”

as he gently walked next to said pa.s.sengers and asked them to take their seats.

It was an exceptionally

wonderful voyage. n.o.body imagined any tragedies would happen. Nor did anyone

find the behavior of those individuals suspicious. The fact that they stuck a

knife to the porter’s neck and slit it went unnoticed as well.

That day

was genuinely supposed to be a marvelous one for several people.

At two

quarters past four o’clock, under the thick clouds spreading in an autumn sky,

a corpse was discarded on the railroad track as if it were dirt. It rolled onto

the ground and, before the crows could greedily devour it, it was found by the

owner of a nearby meadow, who happened to be pa.s.sing by. Much like rain pouring

onto the surface of a lake, such thing hinted the extent of some sort of big

incident. The first drop was the dead body. From the sky, one, two more drops

fell, which marked the discovery of a problem that was now progressively

growing.

The

abnormal conduct of the intercontinental train, which had originally been

supposed to make stops yet was pa.s.sing every station while keeping the

pa.s.sengers on board, caught a lot of attention, and at some point, the army was

mobilized. First came a report from employees and civilians from one of the

stations that were pa.s.sed by, and the message was relayed to the military police.

The

military police based itself mainly on law enforcement duty to protect the

safety of the citizens’ everyday lives, and was a separate ent.i.ty from the

army, despite having the word “military” in its name. By the time the military

police had arrived at the Leidenschaftlich Army Ministry, a reinforce request for

the situation had been issued from the Leidenschaftlich National Railway as

well.

The

headquarters of the Leidenschaftlich Army Ministry were, in one word, a fort. For

a mere building, it had a hardly describable architecture. Firstly, there was a

castle tower-like construction that housed the Army Ministry, with double stonewalls

surrounding it. There was a dry moat outside of the walls, and the trees and

shrubs beyond said moat had been entirely cut down in order to open the view.

There was no place for foes to hide in case of invasions. The structure seemed

to already intimidate with a “if you want to defeat me, come try”.

Being able

to bask in a const.i.tution that was so well-attuned to hostility was likely a proof

that its soldiers had overcome numerous aggressive wars. In such setting, courtesy

of the country’s system, the reinforcement request project, “Case of the Intercontinental

Train’s Hijacking”, was set to be launched at the Army Ministry on an early stage,

but the recruited officers were not yet aware of the extent of the chaotic rain’s

dispersion.

At twenty

minutes past five o’clock of that day, in one of the Army Ministry’s rooms,

Gilbert Bougainvillea was discussing the course of action of Leidenschaftlich’s

army’s Special Offense Force, which he used to lead.

“Disbanding

would be reasonable, but if it is to be handed over, I would like to be the one

to choose the personnel.”

Gilbert

Bougainvillea, who used to be a major of Leidenschaftlich’s army, had equitably

served as lieutenant-colonel, and, in recognition of the achievements in the

Great War by the Special Offense Force of Leidenschaftlich’s army, led by himself,

yet another promotion of position was acknowledged and he was allowed to wear

the rank insignia of a colonel. As he became one, operating inside the Army Ministry

was basically his main task. As it was, his troop had been on march both inside

and outside of the country, since the circ.u.mstances had required post-war armed

interventions, yet it was left afloat as a result of his successive career.

“It’s my

honest opinion that disbanding it is regrettable. There are members who want to

resign from it due to being promoted, but even with those posts vacant, it has

a high level of excellence. To the point it can very well work as an

independent unit. Well, the higher-ups probably won’t allow that so easily…

since they might think of it as your private soldiers.” A bluish black-haired

man agreed with Gilbert’s words. “Laurus Schwartzman” was written in the

nameplate on his desk.

Gilbert

nodded at the outlook of the person who had the same status of colonel as

himself but used to be in the position of his superior in the past. “Eventually,

we could create this independent unit… From the viewpoint of those who are

managing it, a unit that has too much freedom is dangerous, but it spends great

efforts when there are big emergencies. However, if we are told that there have

been none of those until now, we will not be granted consent. Therefore, I

would like to leave a foundation ready for the sake of this occurrence… and,

if I am held responsible for it, let me take over to those who can take into

consideration the individual qualities. They were mostly polished by being

brought into my personal care.”

“Who do you

intend to appoint as successor?”

“Idris.

He’s fit for being commander.”

“Isn’t he a

fellow without education or supporters? It’s almost like me. Won’t you recommend

someone from the Bougainvillea lineage? There are people in the army who are

from your branch families.”

“Colonel

Laurus… you recommended me because you dislike faction-based nominations, but

now you’re telling me to nominate a Bougainvillea? Idris is clever even without

education. He’s also vastly ambitious. As for supporters… I will become one.”

“I was just

teasing; don’t get so angry.” At Gilbert’s low voice tone, Laurus soon laughed

and apologized. As he became older, Gilbert had come to possess a presence that

he did not in his younger days.

“Well,

then, regarding the placement of a successor in my troops… I will count with

your a.s.sistance for the necessary arrangements.”

“And my

recompense will be…?”

“My little

sister has said she wants to ride a horse with you in our next outing.”

Laurus’s showed

a pleased reaction and Gilbert sighed a little, his shoulders slumping as if a

weight had fallen upon them.

Gilbert’s

position in the army appeared stable, but it was not so in reality. Although

there were people who supported him simply for being a Bougainvillea, there

were also those who attempted to ostracize him for it. Gilbert had reached a

period in which he would have to decide whom he would take as his allies.

Jealousy and corruption always rose wherever there was influence. Gradually

gathering into his hands those people who were so hard for him to become like

and securing them tightly under his arms was something now necessary for

Gilbert.

Laurus was

someone whose back he used to observe as if chasing after it when he had

entered the army, and now Gilbert was finally lined-up by his side. There were

very few who could manage through the promotion from colonel to

brigadier-general and from brigadier-general to major-general. As Laurus

himself did not display interest in being promoted, Gilbert believed he would

not go above being a colonel. His origins, unlike Gilbert’s, did not leave him

in an advantageous condition for disputing success either.

“This is up

to the two of you, but please don’t ever upset my sister, who deeply cherishes

you. Promise me.”

“I know. She

confessed her love for a guy like me, after all. I intend to be with her even

in my grave.”

He

displayed no signs of looking for compet.i.tion and his nature could be trusted.

For Gilbert to think he could leave his sister to the latter’s care, he had to

be a commendable individual.

Upon easing

the wrinkles between his brows with the fingertips of his left arm, which had

become a prosthetic, Gilbert took in his hand a newspaper unrelated to his

duties that was lying on the desk. Ever since he had read it in the morning

after waking up, he had carried it around with him while working. He

unconsciously looked at the part of it that had photos of the intercontinental

train.

“You’ve…

been reading that since morning, huh. You like trains?”

“If there

comes a chance to get on a tour ride, I want to try it.” With gestures that

could not be perceived as unnatural, he folded the side with the pictures and

put the newspaper down.

The two men

had been in a situation in which even Laurus had come to question why Gilbert had

forsaken the Warrior Maiden of Leidenschaftlich’s army in the aftermath of the

Great War, and therefore, he did not wish to get into the topic. As they chatted

about trivial everyday matters, someone knocked on the door.

“Colonel Schwartzman…

ah, Colonel Bougainvillea, you’re here in a good timing. We are having an

emergency meeting. A big incident has happened. The case has been established

at the countermeasures headquarters, so please come quickly. Right now, we are summoning

all the personnel from the task force.”

Being told

so by the administrative official, the two looked at each other’s faces and

stood up at the same time.

Those who

gathered at the headquarters, in which a roundtable was prepared, were mainly

colonels. The occurring incident would be explained by the major-general

beforehand.

“First and

foremost, at two in the afternoon, a departure ceremony was held in honor of

the intercontinental train, and one hour later, the pa.s.sengers came on board

and it left the station. It pa.s.sed Attaccare, which was one of it stop

stations, and proceeded just like that. It was also at this time that a corpse

was thrown off in the vicinity of Attaccare. The body was found and reported by

a farmer of that neighborhood. According to the information of the Leidenschaftlich’s

national railway, the train is currently stopping at the Rauschend station,

which is one of the water supply points. Through the station’s staff, a demand

for reward in exchange for the pa.s.sengers was issued to Leidenschaftlich.” While

everyone paid attention, the major-general said bitingly. “The enemy is telling

us to release a political felon who is being kept in the Altair Prison. He’s a

criminal from one of the countries that had formed an alliance in the previous

war, Rochand. After the proclamation of their defeat, he blackmailed his

motherland’s leaders into revoking the announcement, caused an internal

conflict and was arrested. The ones responsible for this hijacking incident are

maybe his guard dogs, certainly his comrades. Meaning the main offenders of

this case are people who still don’t want to acknowledge that they lost the

war.”

A feeling

of tension ran through the place as the major-general recognized the other

party as an ‘enemy’. In Leidenschaftlich, ‘enemies’ brought harm to the whole

nation. They would all become targets of elimination, and most of them counted

with military power as their means of control, unwilling to solve anything with

dialogue.

“To top it

off, the enemies hope to migrate to their country. The train is headed to the

northernmost port city of the continent. They have a s.h.i.+p prepared there as

well. It seems they expect everything to go flawlessly…” The major-general

punched the north part of the map laid on the roundtable.

The people

seated at the roundtable did not move even upon being startled, and their line

of sight was fixed on the major-general. They accepted the anger emanating from

him.

“We… we

of Leidenschaftlich’s army… exist for the sake of defending our people and

territory from foreign threats. To allow something like this after ending a war

is a disgrace to Leidenschaflich’s name. But this is not just a matter of

honor. There have already been casualties. This is quite an obvious statement,

but it’s clear that our country’s people will be taken throughout this trip

until the migration succeeds. There are surely women and children who can’t

fight back in that midst. It’s not hard to imagine what they’ll go through. We

must prevent this no matter what. The ‘enemy’ is moving. The problem is how to

take the reins. We shall form a strategy considering the hypothesis of even

worst-case scenarios. From this point on, I give everyone, regardless of them

being upper or lower ranks, permission for voicing suggestions.”

At the

major-general’s words, everyone started composing tactics while observing the

map. The train was in motion. If they were to strike it, their only option

would be invading it. Attacking from the outside would compromise the lives of

the pa.s.sengers inside. The opinion that there was no choice but stand in wait

for it at one of the water supply points and ambush it all at once was settled

down no matter what. But the enemy would probably antic.i.p.ate that much. The

concern that a hostage could be killed for display so that their pa.s.sage would

be permitted was enunciated, as well as the fact they would be in tantalizing

circ.u.mstances, as they would not be able to do anything until the train stopped

at the water supply point. They sought for urgent contact.

The debate

became heated. In that midst, only Gilbert was reticent as he paled in silence.

His ears registered everyone’s exchanges. He was also formulating in his head what

proposals he should verbalize, as doing so might be necessary. However, a

single fact dominated his entire body and halted its outward functions.

——Violet is on board.

There was

no way he could have mistaken her figure as he saw her in a photography of

people trying to buy tickets for the first trip. It was extremely natural for

an Auto-Memories Doll traveling around the world to rely on trains. Meaning

there would be no one else to be aboard the intercontinental train in her

stead.

——If I called Hodgins, would he answer?

He had

judged Gilbert for leaving Violet without a trace. In their last conversation,

he had said he would be cutting their ties until Gilbert reconsidered it.

“Gilbert…?

You’re… quiet, but don’t you have any ideas?”

As Laurus

spoke to him from the side, Gilbert turned towards his direction. He was

probably making a face he normally would not. Laurus leaned back with a start.

The major-general promptly noticed it.

“What’s

wrong, Laurus? Don’t hold back to give your suggestion.”

“No… I…

right, I agree with the ambush at the water supply point. It will be off-the-cuff

from the garrison on the railway, but I think we can’t do anything other than

prepare the troops and stand in wait… I believe that organizing a plan and

personnel that can back us up during a seizure battle after the waiting is most

crucial. The fact that stopping at the water supply points is mandatory for the

train is its trait, after all.” After uttering the proposition, perhaps due to

thinking he was feeling sick, Laurus asked Gilbert in a low tone, “Are you okay?”

Gilbert

nodded without saying anything. As the major-general requested his opinion as

well, Gilbert settled for saying, “I approve the flow of the current

situation’s discussion.”

Since he

was worried about Violet’s and the pa.s.sengers’ safety, Gilbert favored the

course of action of a short-term decisive battle.

——Still, it is only a matter of time for an

antagonistic view to manifest. Just as he thought so, what Gilbert dreaded soon became a reality.

“I sense an

incongruence in this trend. To ensure the success of our scheme, wouldn’t it be

better to formulate a plan for us to take control of the train at the last

station in that northern port city?” After Laurus and Gilbert had expressed

their valuations, a colonel who had been solely observing, much like Gilbert

until that point, raised his voice.

“Ahmar,

when you object, you have to explain your plan in detail.” The major-general

urged colonel Ahmar to speak further.

Laurus had

an obviously unamused face on. Bearded and enormous, the man named Ahmar was on

par with him, but the two of them were like cats and dogs. The people present

were aware that the fact Ahmar had not voiced his own suggestions until then

was due to wanting to oppose Laurus. The air became heavier.

“This

opinion has been given just a bit ago, but if we target them at the water

supply point, in case we end up letting them pa.s.s, the number of deaths would go

up, right? The perpetrators would kill hostages for revenge, and their demands

towards us would be bound to increase. In that meantime, I can already see that

they would use a ransom for their requisitions. If that will be the case, making

the other party think that things will proceed as they requested and then

taking them down at once is a better idea. I’m sorry for regressing the

discussion, but if this is an emergency, I believe we should choose an a.s.sured

plan.”

“No! If you

think about the citizens, we should act immediately! Right now, how do you

think the people in that train are feeling? Are you saying that while being

aware of how much time it takes to reach the last station?! Their families,

too, want the army to do something as soon as possible!”

“Laurus,

you always show off your principles with emotion-oriented arguments, but that’s

unnecessary for a strategy. Results are everything, and we can elaborate the

process later on. Are you giving those suggestions by picturing the aftermath

of the aftermath? There have already been casualties, and for the sake of causing

no more of them, we’ve no choice other than have the pa.s.sengers endure it.”

The subject

of the meeting was split into two sides: Laurus, who thought about the

citizens’ rescue before anything else, and Ahmar, who prioritized bringing the

situation under control.

Gilbert,

who was silent beside Laurus, could even feel his restless heart sort out in

the course of events. Rather than agitation, his impatience to do something

about the direction things were taking, which was not the one he wanted, was becoming

stronger. Gilbert could not consent to Ahmar’s methods.

It was difficult

to imagine that Violet Evergarden would tamely ride all the way to the final

station. She would likely take some sort of action. The fact that she was on

board enthused not only great hopes but also a sense of unease.

——If she’s on her own, it’s evident that she

will be reckless.

She was not

the kind of young woman who would not use self-defense were she in a situation

that required it. Gilbert had disciplined her that way.

——I must go for her aid. I must protect her.

It’s precisely because she’s strong that she…

It would

mean taking back his resolve of that day, in which he shed tears while making

the decision to part ways with her. Should she find out he was still alive,

Violet would definitely attempt to become Gilbert’s tool once more. That was

his biggest fear.

——I don’t want… to see the one I love acting

as a tool ever again.

Gilbert

asked himself – in the current circ.u.mstances, what was the man named Gilbert

Bougainvillea most afraid of?

——Violet’s death.

Gilbert

asked himself – in the current circ.u.mstances, what did he wish for the most?

——Her safety.

Peeking

into his heart’s discords, what he had to do was crystal-clear.

——Is this… also fate?

Gilbert

closed his eyes once. He evened his breathing. The face of the girl he had let

go of in resurfaced in his mind. So did her appearance from that picture, which

showed she had grown up a good deal in the meantime that they had not seen each

other.

He had

spent many efforts until managing to take that seat. The next one he would aim

for was the seat of major-general. The more he climbed up, the more he would be

able to do in exchange of his free conduct being restricted.

At that

moment, while such an incident was going on, he could feel G.o.d’s guidance yet again.

He had become distressed when worrying about Violet, but could clearly

understand what he had to do upon reasoning calmly.

——What are you living for? Don’t get worked-up.

Slowly,

slowly, he opened his adhered eyelids.

——I’ve chosen a path in which I’d be able to

walk at times like these. The time has come. That is all.

“May I…

offer my suggestion?”

No wavering

remained in his emerald green orbs. He stared at the major-general and everyone

at the round table with his opened eyes. He knew what conduct he should take

even without thinking about it.

“I have an

idea.” His voice was neither too loud nor too low. “Firstly, about dispatching

soldiers to the garrison located on the train’s route… I agree with it. We

simply should not let it go to the North. Should it, by any chance, reach the

sea, the navy will be the one to deal with it. I will talk to my older brother,

Dietfriet Bougainvillea. As the Major-General has said, we should move while

keeping the worst possible scenario in mind.”

It was

important to speak with a calm att.i.tude.

“About the

current problem of where the dispatched soldiers should engage, I am against a

battle at the final station. Should the place turn into a battlefield, emotion-based

issues with the northern side will be involved. They are heroes from the

North’s viewpoint. Showing them being purged in northern lands, their own home,

would become a great display, but we should expect that it would instigate a

shock big enough to cause an incident. Right now, they are showing a

well-behaved att.i.tude towards the Southeast regarding the release of their

military forces, but they will definitely hold a grudge against this.”

“We

shouldn’t be discussing such a thing now!”

Gilbert

responded level-headedly to Ahmar’s angry roar, “The one who talked about

picturing the aftermath of the aftermath, Colonel, was you.”

“You…

have some nerve to be using such rude words with me given that you became a

colonel just recently…”

“The

Major-General said from the very start that we should make our suggestions

freely. Are you against the Major-General’s decision?”

As their

superior was cited, Ahmar refused to back off with a “no way”, his face

becoming bright red.

Just as

Ahmar had done with Laurus, Gilbert laid out a protest, “Please allow me to continue

explaining my idea. There is no guarantee that damage is limited only to the

pa.s.sengers. It is necessary to evacuate all of the stations along the train’s

course and the citizens in their proximities as well. Paired to the ambush

attack at the water supply point, I propose an infiltration plan by tailing

them from the capitol Leiden.” He stated loudly with a manner of speech that

had a touch of composure and elegance.

People

judged others mostly through vision and hearing. Doing such thing would make

them think, “what this man says is worth listening to”.

“‘Infiltration

plan’, you say? Will we make it in time if we start chasing the them now?”

Gilbert

retorted Ahmar’s mockery without so much as raising a brow, “I will have the

Nighthawks take flight.”

“Even if

it’s on a stop now, it will eventually move!”

The one who

became emotional would lose.

“Even if it

does, it will stop again. To replenish water. If the infiltration turns out

successful, it will greatly increase the accomplishment rate of the estimated

suppression at the water supply point. Rescuing the pa.s.sengers is a top

priority. The more time this hijacking case takes, the more the death toll will

rise. Both the criminals’ side and the victims’ side are losing their sanity. You

shall know whether or not the Nighthawks will make it in time if you leave it

to me. Let us mobilize the Leidenschaftlich Special Offense Force. Of course, I

will be the one in command.”

There was a

stir. He examined the major-general’s complexion, but the latter did not find

fault in his suggestion.

Not letting

the flow slip away from him, Gilbert resumed speaking, “Just a while ago, there

was a remark about how we must prepare personnel specific for this sort of

situation, but everyone, have you forgotten? The Leidenschaftlich Special Offense

Force has been widely active as a raid unit since wartime. They clearly have the

role disposition necessary for the process of an infiltration with a small

number of people. If we are told to move now, we will can act immediately. Although

there may be opinions that I should not be the one commanding on-site given my rank,

the troops are still in my care, and my status is of recently nominated colonel.

I shall prove my effectiveness. Please think of me as a board piece. A board

piece that will mobilize the navy and, if everything goes well, fulfill the

infiltration which will bring a quick resolution to this. If my troops fail,

the ones lying in wait will be the dispatched soldiers of the Leidenschaftlich

army. I find it extremely hard to believe that this incident merely stems from

the North’s revenge. There must be… something else happening behind the

scenes. There is not only one trap. I feel that… they are seeking for a

devastating win, for which they have yet another scheme that we would not be

able to crush along with the twofold and threefold traps they have laid out.”

After pausing once to swallow saliva, Gilbert inquired, “Major-General, what do

you say? I wish you would let me do it.” He pleaded, yet the right to decide

was not his. Maintaining such posture, he pleaded even more with his eyes and

approach.

Gilbert was

aware. From an early age, he had always understood how he should behave in

front of whom whenever he was in the presence of others. Should he make a

mistake, admonition would come flying at him. That was the secret for success in

order to live as a Bougainvillea. Depending on the att.i.tudes he took, he knew

what his opponent’s outcome might be. Within the world he understood, he

currently existed for the sake of the one and only person that he once did not

know he loved.

“Well, give

it a try. Show me your abilities as a board piece.”

“I will

definitely show you satisfying results.” While replying, Gilbert had already created

a different strategy.

If there

was something that could have been considered a brilliant day in the life of Samuel

LaBeouf, it would be today. He had been elected head engineer of the frontal engine

room in the first intercontinental train, which would remain in the country’s history.

One had to wonder how many kisses of joy he had planted on the polished, black car

walls. He had boasted about it to family and friends countless times. The people

who knew of his efforts praised him sincerely and saw off the first service

with a smile. Initially, Samuel had planned to spend his time humming a tune while

journeying around the world as the Sun set, replaying in his head that wonderful

day.

“The subst.i.tutes… still haven’t arrived?”                                          

“I’m sorry,

I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

It was

exactly six hours and forty-three minutes into the evening. Samuel had a gun

thrust at his neck from behind. The unmoving body of one of his colleague

engineer and a.s.sistant lay at his feet, head hanging loosely. Said person, who

had greeted and chatted with him on that very day, was now immobile. The train which

tale had only just started and which name would be engraved in history had suddenly

been hijacked and occupied by criminals.

——Why… why… did it come to this? What did I

even do?

When

exposed to a cruel fate, people would mostly have similar thoughts. Firstly, they

would bemoan their doom.

——Where and what did I do wrong?

And then,

they would trace in their brains the way back to when they were struck by misfortune.

The time in which the intercontinental train that Samuel had been supposed to drive

had left the station of Leidenschaftlich’s capitol city, Leiden, after the departure

ceremony was over had been a while before dusk.

The intercontinental

train, so-called “Femme Fatale”, was a full thirteen-car train composed of Locomotive

1, 2 and 3, Single-Room Sleeping Car 1 and 2, Simple Sleeping Car 1 and 2, Pa.s.senger

Car 1 and 2, Panoramic Seats Car, Dining Car 1 and 2, and a freight car. In

order to pull the other ten cars, each of the three locomotives had an engineer

and an engineer’s a.s.sistant, and with a steam whistle as sign, each locomotive

would do a triple-heading to adjust its pace. Therefore, even if the driving

staff were lacking by just one person, the operation would not go as desired.

Femme

Fatale had been invaded by hijackers with weapons not even an hour after

departing from Leidenschaftlich. The hijackers had scattered in each car after

the start of the operation, controlling the train from the freight car. In the

process, the ones murdered were a porter from the simple sleeping car 1, one engineer

from locomotive 3 and Samuel’s partners from locomotive 1 – a total of three a.s.sistants.

Femme

Fatale needed replenishment of water, which was its fuel, from the stop stations.

Currently, parallel to the water supplying, a demand had been sent to Leidenschaftlich

and the National Railway for replacements to the vacant engineer and a.s.sistant

posts, and the subst.i.tutes were being awaited. The hijackers seemed to have

made other demands to the government, but did not notify Samuel, who was merely

one of the hostages, of such things.

They had a

cloth bearing the national emblem of a certain northern country wrapped around

their arms. What on Earth was their purpose? Was it to take revenge for their

defeat? Did they have even more outrageous plans? Either way, it could be a.s.sumed

that their group was full of people that had a careless conduct and did not

take orders. After all, no matter how much they lacked knowledge of how trains

worked, they wound up killing staff members for hindering the operation.

“Don’t worry.

If you hadn’t listened to the instructions, it’d be another story, but since you

are a driver, we won’t kill you. This s.p.a.ce is crammed. Don’t get too scared

and wet your pants. It’d stink.” One of the hijackers said as if to calm Samuel

down, perhaps due to his fearful form being difficult to watch.

“Hum, once the

vacancy is supplemented… until what point am I supposed to drive…?”

“Go to the

final stop with no changes in the course. What we demand of you is to deliver

us safely.”

He had

thought that saying anything would irritate them and earn him a violent

response. Thus, he was a little surprised to be able to talk normally with them.

——Those people may be human beings just like me,

but I can’t bring myself to think of them as such.

From Samuel’s

viewpoint, they seemed like people from a completely different world.

There were

obviously people other than Samuel LaBeouf wondering why things had turned out

that way. Unlike Samuel, who had his life a.s.sured to some extent for being in the

position of engineer, the ones in question were the frightened pa.s.sengers, who

had no idea of when they might be killed should they get on the hijackers’

nerves.

Several

hours had pa.s.sed since the incident had started upon arrival at the water

supply point. The number of criminals was not too big, but a few of them were

monitoring the hostages by taking turns with one another. The information that

engineers and a.s.sistants had put up a resistance and been slaughtered in the frontal

engine room, and that replacement personnel was being awaited had not come down

to them. The state of tension due to fear persisted for a long while, and the

mental condition of the pa.s.sengers was nearing its limit.

“Aah,

really, why did this have to happen?” In the back dining car number two, one of

the customers – an elderly gentleman – lamented with his meal gone cold in

front of him.

——At this point in time, I was supposed to be

seeing my niece wearing her wedding dress and getting married in our hometown.

He had not

expected that the train ride, which had begun with such a happy mood, would

turn into something so horrid. The big incidents he would see in newspapers and

hear about in rumors always took place far away from himself, and therefore, he

had not thought that a disaster of the same sort would actually occur.

He had not

been directing his words at anyone in particular, but the woman sitting close

to him reacted to them.

“What is an

intercontinental train even meant to be…?”

Amidst such

an overwrought scenario, a beautiful and refres.h.i.+ng voice echoed in his ears, “Just

as the name says, it is a large-scale vehicle that makes connections through a

railroad that goes from one end to the other of the continent, and transports

anything, from goods to people. It grants accessibility and profit to many. However,

trains cannot run if there is no railway. To build railways, the ground must be

shaved off. Even if there are flowerbeds or homes on said ground, whatever

might be on the way is forcefully removed and their existence eliminated.” It belonged

to a strange, attractive woman who only mutely watched the change of colors in

the sky without letting out a single scream ever since the car had been taken

control of by the hijacker group. As though a machinery or something of the

sort was embedded in her head, she talked on smoothly, “In order to make this

railroad, it seems that a northern castle, which used to be a cultural monument,

was demolished. Moreover, I have heard that operators from the North, the losing

side, have suffered profoundly from overwork due to low-wage labor. Paths are

opened with explosives so that we can get through mountains. The number of

explosion accidents that happened in the process was not small.” The woman’s

blue eyes observed the northern country emblem wrapped around the arm of a

hijacker that held a weapon.

“That can’t

be. You shouldn’t tell lies. Such a thing was… not in the newspapers, was it?”

Few were

the people who would not become uncomfortable upon hearing that the state or

nation they belonged to was the evil side. As the gentleman spoke a little indignantly,

the woman – Violet Evergarden – spouted forth, “It is not a very well-known

story. I, too, heard it by coincidence when I was traveling. I have been to

everywhere, after all. Most likely, it can be presumed that this was their

impetus… but if that were the case, taking the chance of destroying this train

car and killing us should have been the main aim. They have murdered crew

members, but seem to regard the lives of us pa.s.sengers as considerably

important. There… might be some other purpose…”

The

gentleman was shaken at such a frail-looking girl uttering the word “murdered”.

“By that,

you mean…?”

“Who knows?

Since they have taken us as hostages… it is reasonable to believe that they

are making demands to the government.”

The

gentleman was not convinced of Violet’s speech, yet was impressed by her

intelligent guess.

——Just… what exactly does this girl do for a

living?

She was a

mysterious young woman who had an appearance akin to a doll that a small child

would carry around. The fear that had been enveloping him was settled down a

little due to his curiosity towards her.

“Still,

that has nothing to do with us. I simply… wanted to attend the wedding of my

niece, who lives far away.”

“Yes.

However,” Violet continued, “Our circ.u.mstances also do not matter to them. Each

side persisting on their convictions is what wars are about. This place can

already be considered a battlefield.”

The world,

which had been covered by dusk, morphed into evening. The soft glow of the

lanterns hanging in the car produced a gentle light that significantly

contrasted with such an edgy situation. Blue eyes stared at the state of the

water supply procedures outside, the car’s lamps and the men yelling at a few

pa.s.sengers that had been taken hostage, respectively.

“I should

soon… get going.”

It was then

that the gentleman finally noticed. She was not merely observing the situation in

silence. She had been aiming for some sort of opening.

“Hey, you, I

don’t know what you intend to do, but it’s better to stop…”

“It is completely

dark outside. This window is rather large, is it not?”

The

gentleman was confused at the remarks that did not make sense.

“Sir, if I

may ask, do you smoke cigarettes or cigars?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Do you

have matches?”

“In my

right pocket…”

“Please allow

me to borrow just one of them later.” Saying nothing but that, Violet promptly

stood up. She slowly raised a hand to her hair’s bundle of braids.

The

gentleman could see that her hand grasped a thinly sharpened silver stick. It

was one of her hidden devices, which could be used in both close and long-range

combat, but from an ordinary person’s view, it could be perceived as nothing

but a thick needle.

However, one

of the criminals held Violet at gunpoint as she had started acting odd. “Hey,

what are you doing?! Hands up!”

“Understood.”

She raised her arms, just as she was told.

The next instant,

only the lanterns of the car abruptly burst and the lights went out. The

screams of the pa.s.sengers mingled with the hijackers’ angry voices. But there

were no gunshots. The sounds of something striking and of breaking gla.s.s

continued. And then, it became completely quiet. Everyone was enveloped in

bewilderment at the silence that met them amidst the pitch darkness.

What had

happened to the hijackers? What had been made of the girl who had suddenly

stood up? What on Earth was going on in that vehicle at that moment? While the

pa.s.sengers’ minds were filled with questions, fire was lit back within one of

the shattered lanterns. A beautiful woman holding a match emerged from the dark

like a spirit. With an index finger against her lips, she whispered a “shh”. The

woman stood out vividly against the colors of the night. All the pa.s.sengers who

took notice of her fell silent under compulsion.

“Pleased to

make your acquaintance. I am a traveler. Everyone, I am aware that you must be

tired. Please wait a little bit longer. I will now take control… of the

guards outside and the freight car.” Saying no more than that, Violet blew out

the match’s fire with a whiff.

The gentleman

realized then that a match had been taken from his breast pocket without his

notice.

Within that

world of darkness, only noises began to echo yet again as one of the left-side windows

was opened and someone landed outside. The sounds of gravel being stepped on

and of someone running ensued. After a short while, a man’s groan could be

heard. A few seconds later, there was a rustle of something heavy being

dragged. The pa.s.sengers shuddered, astonished with the unexpected turn of

events. They then heard a treading over the gravel once more. It was a nimble

pacing, coming close to the car. The footsteps of the unseen person fueled the

sense of uneasiness in those who had been immersed in fear for a long time

span.

“Excuse

me.”

“Hih!” The

gentleman yelped curtly as the window was casually knocked from outside.

Violet stood

in the outer world, where one could rely solely on moons.h.i.+ne, with the moonlight

against her back.

“Everyone, make

sure to remain quiet. Please escape before the people from the other cars come

to attack this one.”

Doll-like

clothes, doll-like features. The hints of her humanity were dim in everything

about her.

“Do lend a

hand to women, elders and children. Please follow along the railway and walk in

the opposite direction of the ride. It will most likely take time, but if you

go to the nearest station, the military police will definitely grant you

protection. It is not a good idea to stay at this station. People who seemed to

be station’s staff were speaking friendly with the guards, so there must be

other ent.i.ties partic.i.p.ating in this takeover.”

One could tell

without directly seeing her fight. She was not an ordinary person.

People started

to climb onto the window and come down in a surge.

“What about

you? Will not you come with us?” The gentleman asked the mysterious woman whom he

was curious about once he set his foot on the ground.

Violet

shook her head. “I have something to do here. An incident such as this one is a

first ever since the war ended. Most likely, Leidenschaftlich’s army will make

its move to deal with the this strife. It is exceedingly difficult to stop a

train… which is like a box with people inside, without attacking from the

outside. If the inside is emptied, there will be no need for hesitation. It is clear

that a battle will commence at one of the next stop stations. Until then, I

have to do what I can…”

“That…

isn’t something for you to do, right? Let’s all run away together.”

“No…”

Her blue

eyes were staring down at the gentleman in front of her, but her consciousness lay

elsewhere.

“No, it is

something I must do. This is… this is… for the sake of someone whom I wish

to become the strength of, even if indirectly.”

She was looking

at Gilbert Bougainvillea, who was, somewhere far in the distance, surely spending

efforts on the rescue of the citizens.

“Fortunately,

I was going to arrive at the place where I was heading to one day earlier than

planned. I happened to use this train by coincidence, but there are other means

of transportation. If I am still able to contact my head office today, they

should be able to prepare a subst.i.tute for my work… This is a rather big

incident, so my company’s president might have already antic.i.p.ated this

situation and arranged a replacer. That is my only matter of concern.”

“You should

be concerned about your own body rather than about such things. It’s dangerous…

Aren’t you just a young girl?”

“Do not

worry. The night has deepened, so I believe I can take control of this with the

least possible damage.”

“‘Control’,

you say…”

“Take

control” were the words that had spilled from her a while before as well. It was

neither “put up a resistance” nor “seize”. The standpoint she spoke of was

different. She was planning to force the battle into surrender. That beautiful

woman did not seem fearful or nervous in the slightest of being outnumbered.

——I have a

feeling… that this is not quite having confidence.

All of her

actions appeared to the gentleman as an automatic mechanism.

“Aren’t you

scared?”

“I am not.”

Her att.i.tude was of someone who was unbothered by the fact that she was about

to pick a fight with hijackers.

Soon, the

train started moving.

The

gentleman thanked her for saving everyone as she climbed back in and asked lastly,

“You, what’s your name?”

Violet’s expression

grew even more attractive than before as she placed an index finger against her

lips without saying anything. As the train was gone, the gentleman was unable

to hear her name.

Back at six

hours and twenty-seven minutes, Gilbert had sent out an emergency convocation

to his own troops, a.s.sembling them at a runway where Nighthawks took flight. All

were waiting at a standby place near said runway for the transmission of the operation’s

contents, the arming of the troops and the adjustment of the Nighthawk planes

to be finalized. He had decided to make use of that time and contact the two

men he needed to speak with.

“We are connected

to the Leidenschaftlich Navy Ministry.”

“Sorry

about that. I’ll borrow this as it is. I’m counting on you to keep people away

for now.”

The person

from the communication room, whom Gilbert had requested beforehand to make a

call to his brother, gave him the seat.

His

brother’s voice could soon be heard. “Gil, you had a favor to ask your great

older brother?”

It was the

tone of someone feigning displeasure, Gilbert thought.

Although

Dietfriet requested things from Gilbert, the opposite usually did not happen.

Whenever he asked for anything, his brother would take a stance of annoyance,

but never refused him. He probably felt indebted to Gilbert for the treatment

he had been giving the latter so far.

“Yeah,

Brother. I do have a favor.”

There was

no way the older one would be unhappy that his younger brother was relying on

him.

Gilbert had

been able to declare in the meeting that the navy would be mobilized since the

chances of success of his appeals were visible. The circ.u.mstances seemed to

have been transmitted to the Navy Ministry as well, and so, the request for a

battles.h.i.+p to be dispatched and prevent the migration from the port capitol of

the North was officially issued.

Even though

both were national organizations, Leidenschaftlich’s army and navy were

separate ent.i.ties that shared the military budget. A mediator was needed for

one to acquire the other’s cooperation, or else, it was quite difficult to do

so whenever there was no great gain for either. With the pa.s.sage of time, the

fact that Dietfriet had betrayed the Bougainvillea – a family that had joined

the army for generations – and enlisted into the navy had been turning into an

a.s.set for the two brothers. Just as Gilbert, Dietfriet had carved a position

for himself that enabled him to move his troops to a large extent.

“Well,

then, I will definitely pay you back for this one day.”

“Bring

drinks and celebrate my birthday with me when it comes. That’d be enough.”

“If it’s

something like that, I’d do it even without it serving as repayment.” Gilbert

replied and was about to hang up, but his fingertips, which had stretched

towards the communication equipment, halted at the next words from Dietfriet.

“That’s

right… just one more thing. The reason you’re so desperate is because of

‘that’, isn’t it? I saw the newspaper. I ended up spotting ‘that’ in it even

without wanting to. Has ‘it’ come to see you? ‘It’ discovered that you survived,

right? I was curious as to what happened afterwards. Did you make ‘it’ yours?”

“Hah?”

It was

common since their childhood for his brother to prank him, and so, Gilbert

thought that had been tasteless witticism at first.

“Stop with

the bad jokes at a time like this, Brother. Violet doesn’t know of my survival.”

Silence.

“Brother?”

“It wasn’t

a joke. I see… I was sure ‘it’ was gonna go see you as soon as possible, but

I was wrong, huh? So ‘it’ is laying low because of this situation… Since

you’re so nice, you stayed away in order to give ‘it’ a peaceful life, so

you’re sure to be worrying that ‘it’ might find out about you because of this

emergency rescue plan. Don’t fret. ‘It’ already knows.”

“What…

What are you saying…?” Cold sweat slowly trailed down his back. “There’s…

no way she would.” His voice was faltering.

“But it

seems it is. Last time I saw you during the Flying Letters… I told you I had

seen ‘it’, right? Back then, ‘it’ asked me… if you were alive. I gave an

answer that neither affirmed nor denied anything. And so, ‘it’… she became convinced. That you were

alive, I mean.”

Although

Gilbert could not change what had already happened, he felt like saying “wait

up”. His vision went white. He was dizzy enough to be on the verge of throwing

up. With a hand on his lips, he stayed quiet.

——Violet… knows?

“Hey, Gil.

You okay?”

He had

heard in detail from Hodgins about how much his lie had afflicted and saddened her.

If she had found out he was alive, then Gilbert was nothing to Violet other

than the Lord who had tossed her away without so much as praising her military

deeds. There would be no helping it if she came to hate him.

“Why… did

you do something so uncalled for…?!”

Intense wrath

engulfed Gilbert’s heart. He was close to venting, but the only outlet for his

rage was his brother.

“Like I

care. Don’t involve me in your blind love mess. I didn’t answer, but she was

convinced of it. That’s all.”

“You think

it’s unrelated to you… Brother, you always… Just how am I supposed to face

her…?!”

“The people

closest to you are family, right? It looked like she had always been believing

that you had lived. When she confirmed that you really were, how can I put it?

Well, she had her eyes s.h.i.+ning like an idiot. If she hasn’t gone there to see

you… that’s right. There’s only one thing I can think of. Since she’s a tool,

she’s waiting for her Master to pick her back up. She’s probably antic.i.p.ating a

moment when she’ll be needed… ‘cause she’s stupid. It’s a good opportunity,

so go fetch her.”

“Brother—!!”

“You were preparing

yourself for the worst while making this emergency rescue plan, right? Be

thankful to your older brother for giving you this push. Bye, Gil. Leave the

sea to me. Next time we meet will be on my birthday… Love ya.”

“Brother,

wait!”

The line was

turned off one-sidedly. Gilbert was mute out of great perplex.

Perhaps

people were waiting for the conversation to end, as the door was knocked from outside

the communication room. Someone from his troops handed him a baggage with

weapons and ammo that he had specified. The one who had brought the baggage was

concerned about Gilbert’s oozing distress, taking it merely as a glimpse of the

intense negotiations with the navy, but in reality, that was not the case.

While

checking the baggage’s contents, Gilbert held firmly onto the gun. Should he

shoot a bullet into his own head, his worries over everything he was

shouldering would surely be gone, but he could not do so.

He then

contacted Leidenschaftlich’s CH Postal Service. A girl with a young-sounding

voice answered the phone, but informed him that they were on temporary closing

for the day. It seemed that they already knew about the hijacking incident.

“Please

announce… that I called to offer help in the hijacking case of the intercontinental

train. One of your members is in it, right? If you just say that I am from the

Leidenschaftlich army, he should be able to know who it is…”

He could

faintly hear a state of agitation on the other side of the line. It was a shout

from his old friend, followed by the thud of something like a chair being

knocked over as someone stood up, rustles of falling paperwork, and finally, he

was able to catch sounds of breathing.

“Gilbert!

You… Where have you been and doing what?!” A voice clearly coated in anger

echoed in his ears stridently. Regardless, Gilbert wound up feeling joy. It had

truly been a long time since he had last talked to Claudia Hodgins.

“I heard

just a moment ago from the secretary that you had contacted the army. Sorry. I

was in a meeting.”

“Don’t go

having meetings while one of my employees is in major trouble! You… know

what’s up, don’t you? The army is making its move, right? I mean on the

hijacking case of the intercontinental train! She is… she is…”

“I am

aware. Violet is on board, isn’t she? There was a photo of her in the

newspaper.”

Hodgins was

dumbfounded at Gilbert’s casual response and soon retorted, “Don’t speak so

calmly!” Losing his composure even more, he started making odd claims, “I am

the way I am, and you were supposed to be like me too. You were supposed to be

like that all along.”

——He’s sentimental, and a boisterous guy.

Gilbert

ended up laughing. He felt embarra.s.sed of how much he had longed for that noisy

friend of his in the meantime they had not talked to one another. Not letting

it show that he was just as anxious as the latter, he replied with words that

were not solely his vanity, but also merged with his true sentiments, “As if I

can afford to lose my mind. During times of crisis, it’s my duty to come up

with means of protecting the citizens.”

“Does

Little Violet… count as one of those citizens?”

“Obviously.”

“Are you

mad… that I let Little Violet get in danger even though you entrusted her to

me?”

Gilbert was

sincerely surprised to be asked something completely different. “What are you

saying? I’m grateful to you. I wouldn’t have entrusted her… to anyone but

you. You’re a man with sense of responsibility, so I left her to you. But that

has nothing to do with what is happening now.”

“I don’t

think so.”

Gilbert

realized what Hodgins was talking about as if he had grasped the matter with

his hands. Even though he was not at fault, blaming himself while wondering

what else he could have done was a trait of his best friend’s personality.

“Hodgins.”

“What?”

“You’re my

number one friend.”

“What’s

with that, out of the blue…?”

“Hodgins. A

friend like you… won’t show up before me again. You’re that important, even

if you don’t want it. I’m the same to you too, aren’t I? That’s why… I

thought you were taking my sins lightly. You asked me why I had let go of

Violet and told me to come see her, right? And said I shouldn’t call you unless

I reconsidered it.”

“I did. I

definitely did.”

“I… I

keenly felt that I was the last person she should see, so I let her go. When we

first met, I had thought it was best for me to watch over her while keeping her

at arm distance, but that was a façade, and in the end, I used her as a tool.”

“But

that… under those circ.u.mstances, there was no helping it. I would have done

the same.”

“Is that

really so? I… don’t think you would. How is she now, the Violet that you

guided and raised? If I… hadn’t made the wrong choice… if I hadn’t raised

her by my side, she would have grown up without knowing the battlefield. The current

Violet is how she was originally supposed to be. That’s why it’s not your fault

if something like this happens in the process. For starters, this was an

accident.”

“If you’re

gonna say that, I can shoot it right back at ya. Don’t make it seem like Little

Violet fighting alongside you in the war was something bad. That’s blasphemy

against every soldier we lived with in that period. The problem was how you

would have guided her after that. And it was then I got angry because you were

prioritizing only your own feelings and not thinking about Little Violet. But,

listen! I’ll cease fire temporarily. Now isn’t the time to be on break-up.

We’re both her guardians. Let’s save her.” His tone was determined and seemed

to deliver the heated, glaring gaze of his greyish blue orbs even through the

communication equipment.

“I agree

with that… For her sake, anything I can do… In order to keep her away from

the army, I have done several preparations to prevent her return. Personal

connections, merits… I devoted myself for everything to be the utmost and

very best. I’m in the middle of that even now. If it’s to protect Violet, I

won’t nitpick methods.”

“So, you’re

gonna put up a cool pose like, ‘whatever is not for her sake… shall be

excluded, even if that is myself’ and protect her from the shadows?”

“Yeah,

that’s right.”

By the

looks of it, Hodgins also did not seem to know the truth. Then Violet had

concluded on her own that Gilbert had survived and, as Dietfriet had said, was

simply waiting for him. For her Master to come retrieve her.

“But I

wonder about that… Soon, the lie I pinned into her might be busted. There’s a

high chance I’ll come in contact with Violet.”

After a

brief silence, Hodgins’s request for repet.i.tion in the form of a “Haah!?”

resounded loudly. He finally took notice of turbine sounds coming from behind

Gilbert. “Wait a bit, then where… are you now?”

“Near a

runway that was reserved for my troops’ Nighthawks. I’m currently coordinating

the departure.” Gilbert loaded his gun while speaking. He had also taken off

his military uniform and finished changing into his battle outfit. The latter

felt more familiar on his body.

“Of

Leidenschaftlich’s Special Offense Force!? Yo-You… are commanding them and

going for the rescue?!”

“That’s

right.”

“You…

said you wouldn’t see her! Is it okay if you do?!”

Silence.

Gilbert believed the conversation would drag on for much longer if he revealed

that Violet apparently knew about his survival.

“Why are

you quiet? Isn’t that it?”

“When

everything is over, I’ll apologize and report to you too. This is in order to

save Violet. There’s no other option anymore. If we do end up meeting, I’ll beg

for forgiveness…”

Their time

to talk was shortening.

“Then

prepare yourself for the worst. This is something that you caused.” Hodgins

said something similar to what Dietfriet had. “So, what will you do once the

Nighthawks take flight? Don’t tell me you’ll jump onto the train while it’s

moving?”

“That’s

right.”

“You

really… are insane sometimes! A knight-in-s.h.i.+ny-armor gone crazy over love!

Haha! I’ll praise you for that.”

Hodgins’s

laughter could be heard. As Gilbert was unable to counter-argue, his face

reddened.

“By the

way, eh, are you… still a lieutenant-colonel? Wasn’t there some deal about

you receiving other two rank promotions?”

“You’re

full of questions… They waited for my injuries to heal. I became a colonel a

few days ago.” With his prosthetic left arm, Gilbert stroked the eyepatch on

his palm, which hid the right eye he had lost. Even with only one side of his

vision, his handling of weapons had not deteriorated.

“And yet

you’re the one in command!? That’s even more insane! The higher-ups sure made a

great concession!”

“No more

mocking, Hodgins. I told you, didn’t I? If it’s for Violet’s sake, I don’t nitpick

my methods. Of course, our objective is to settle down the current situation,

but there’s no way that can be done without me commanding on-site. Earlier, you

said you’d do everything you can. If those words weren’t a lie, I want you to

show me your data-acquiring skills. Is there any information that the military

doesn’t know of?”

“Got it.

I’ll tell you. But lemme just say one thing.”

“What is

it…?”

“You… turn

into a huge idiot when it comes to Little Violet, huh. I… like that a lot.”

“Shut up.”

Why was

that? Between friends, even if they spent a long while without speaking to each

other, once they eventually opened their mouths and reached out to one another,

they would end up talking as if the flow of time in that gap had never existed.

The two forgot about back when they had stopped contacting each other and begun

to chatter.

“I’ll say

what we have here, so you tell me too. Let’s have an info exchange. The

hijackers had in them the national emblem of a certain northern country,

Rohand. Remnants of an extremist party that also caused trouble before by

raiding a construction site when the railroad of the intercontinental train was

being made are in that group. Still, it seems they were not supposed to be a

number of people significant enough to cause such a big incident… they

might’ve gotten more collaborators.”

Gilbert ran

a pen through his notebook. He also spoke about what he had heard during the

meeting, as well as about the demands for a political offender kept in the

Altair Prison to be handed over and to migrate to another continent in exchange

for the pa.s.sengers. He was aware that they were not ones to negotiate with in

normal circ.u.mstances.

“Our

information and yours aren’t that different in terms of freshness. The train is

currently making a stop at a water supply point. It’s been confirmed through

the supplementary information from the Leidenschaftlich National Railway that some

engineers and engineer a.s.sistants of the train were killed and that the

criminals sought subst.i.tute personnel. It’s good that we were able to buy time,