Chapter 16

Clareth Airystep. She was a flaxen-haired girl wearing a side ponytail. She had heterochromatic eyes—one a pale pink and the other a light blue-green—and always a puckish grin on her face. Describing Clareth was difficult, as she was the type of girl who couldn’t be summed up in one word. The only constant about her was that she always carried a light green wand. When she smiled, it didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t enjoying herself; she smiled even when she wasn’t enjoying herself, when she was angry, or even sad. It was hard to tell what she was thinking because she was unpredictable. That was Clareth for you. “I’m excited to see the capital, Mr. Norman,” she said, sitting across from him on the sofa with her legs crossed and a mischievous grin. She had been reading a book, then suddenly looked up at him and winked with a smile. “I’m not really excited about it, to be honest.” “Really? That’s a shame. I’ve been so excited I haven’t been able to sleep for a week.” “Huh? And how much did you sleep last night?” “A full twelve hours.” “That’s too much.” “Hee-hee.” “Good grief.” Realizing she was teasing him, Norman turned his gaze to the window where the landscape outside passed by at high speed. Norman and Clareth were currently on a train—the Trevid Express, bound for Nornol from Bardium. The seats of their private compartment were soft and comfortable, but they could still feel vibrations and hear sounds. Clareth followed Norman’s gaze and looked out at the vast prairie stretching toward the horizon. “A train to the capital, huh? This is my first time on one of these. The ticket was ridiculously expensive because it’s advertised as being state-of-the-art. Did you notice when we got on? Everyone who boarded is rich, even the curator of the museum you destroyed last week.” “I saw him. Let’s make sure we don’t cross paths with him. I feel like he might murder me.” “In that sense, I’m lucky I got to experience this with Cartesius footing the bill.” She picked up her teacup from the tea set she’d ordered through room service, which was sitting on the table beneath the window. “School isn’t exactly useful to me, you know.” She attended a girls’ school in Bardium. Its uniform was a white, double-breasted jacket and a green skirt, which would normally reach the calves but rode above her knees. It was truly unusual for an Unlaw to attend school. With her skirt that short, Norman didn’t think it was appropriate for him to be sitting across from her in the small compartment—he could almost see her inner thighs but didn’t say anything. “You should attend your classes properly.” “My attendance isn’t exactly stable because of my work with you, you know? I’m popular at school, though. Someone comes to me about their problems every day.” “I’m glad you’re blending in, but what does that have to do with classes?” “Unfortunately, girls’ boarding schools are mostly about bridal training. It’s horribly boring.” “Isn’t that all the more reason why you should be studying?” “There’s no reason to study, is there? There’s only one person who would take me anyway.” Her sweet smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, but her eyes held no mirth. “…Who do you think is paying for your tuition?” “Hmm, who was it again? Some kindhearted person, I guess.” “…My sister, and don’t forget it.” “Hee-hee.” She took a sip of her tea. “Well, going outside the city, especially to the capital, is a rare opportunity. I’m truly looking forward to it, you know?” “Clareth, just so you know, we’re here for work.” “I know. But I am allowed to enjoy the sights of the capital, too, right?” “As long as we finish our work. I was originally planning to stay a night anyway. “Hee-hee. I can’t wait, Mr. Norman.” She put down her teacup and deftly twirled the handle of her wand round and round. Norman shrugged indifferently. A year after visiting Bardium, he was heading to the capital for the first time in six months. The main office of Cartesius was located in the capital, and he was going there to deliver various reports; while that was originally his sister Sufiya’s job, she was busy with things in Bardium, so Norman was filling in for her while sightseeing. It was also a very rare chance for Clareth to accompany him. “It isn’t every day that an Unlaw like me gets to leave the city on an outing.” The girl, who wore a cheerful smile that didn’t reach her eyes, was called a monster and not allowed to leave the city—she did have some freedom of movement within the city, but if she left on her own, she would be either restrained or killed. The Unlaw, whose existence and locations were tracked, was aware of this. Her excitement was real, at least. “I can’t believe I’m going on a sleepover date with you. Everyone’s going to be jealous.” “I’ll go whenever you want if you give me an invite.” “Huh. So what if all four of us invite you at the same time?” “…I’ll clone myself.” “How sad. I wanted you to say you’d choose me, even if it was a lie.” Though her words said otherwise, Clareth smiled happily and twirled her wand. “Trains aren’t so bad,” Clareth muttered, looking outside at the scenery. “Rails let you travel anywhere. It’s much faster than walking on foot, riding a horse, or driving a car or a motorcycle. But without them, the train can’t move. Isn’t that interesting? A train seems like freedom, but it’s actually the least free. You can only go on the predetermined route, but it’s the fastest.” “Are you talking about limitations?” “No, Mr. Norman. Yes, there are limitations, but there’s freedom within them. For example, this express train is state-of-the-art, but what makes it so?” “It’s much faster than the older ones and can carry a lot of things.” “I see. By the way, can I ask how many carriages are on this train, and how many of those are passenger cars?” “It’s a ten-car train, with two passenger cars. One is a bar and restaurant, and the rest are all freight cars.” “Yes, exactly. The ratio of cars is a form of freedom, isn’t it? But here’s something strange: Very few people leave Bardium. While there are traveling merchants, would they really need such a luxurious car on an express train? Wouldn’t it be better to make the whole thing a freight train?” Norman thought for a moment in reply to her question. “I don’t think it’s that complicated.” “Oh?” “It’s mainly for the merchants. They send loads of cargo to the capital in those freight cars, which is necessary for transporting food, essentials, luxury goods, and so on. They’ll put it on the train last. When they do that, the transportation cost goes up, right? When more money is involved, the responsibility increases, too. And that means someone has to ride with the cargo.” “I get it. So that’s why all those people are in the room.” Her wand wrapped the floor with a thunk. “A brilliant deduction, Mr. Norman.” “No need for flattery.” Norman rose. “Where are you going, Mr. Norman?” “Just getting a tea refill. It’ll be a while before we reach the capital. Are you hungry at all? Want me to get you something to eat?” “Shouldn’t a luxury train like this have a server? But—” “But?” “We probably shouldn’t go out just yet,” she said, standing. She exhaled slowly. Just when Norman began to wonder when she was doing— “Mmph.” She kissed him. Before he could react to the abrupt move, she had already pushed him back down onto the sofa. “Phwf.” Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and when he opened his eyes in shock, he found hers centimeters from him—also open. Her heterochromatic eyes glowed mysteriously. The kiss lingered for more than ten seconds. “Phew. Thanks for the treat.” “…What the hell was that?” The moment he asked, a series of heavy thumps, like something dropping to the floor, came from outside the room. “…Clareth?” “I’m making my move.” Norman considered his reply, then slipped on his coat that had been folded on the sofa, feeling its weight, and donned his felt hat. “Is it safe to head out?” “I don’t recommend it. Of course, as long as I’m with you, you won’t have so much as a scratch on you, not even on a ghastly battlefield or in a hive of criminal scum. In fact, you’d have such a wonderful time with me, you’d think it was a fun date. But even so, it’s not worth the risk. Why not just stay here and keep kissing me? What do you think?” It was such a blatantly contrived suggestion that Norman quickly realized… “So it is safe.” “…Oh dear, what a pity.” But she didn’t seem all that disappointed. When they stepped out of the compartment, there were countless dead bodies strewn on the ground. “This reminds me of something that happened at school…” “Right.” “There was an incident where tons of mannequins were scattered all over the theater club’s storeroom. People asked me to look into it. There was a bit of a commotion because they thought it might have been a thief.” “Huh.” “It turns out a cleaning girl knocked them over and left them like that because she was afraid of getting in trouble, which was adorable. I took care of the rest.” “Wow, they really do rely on you.” “The mannequins were laid out just like this.” “Unfortunately, these are no mannequins.” Norman sighed in response to Clareth and looked around the train. The two passenger cars with their rows of compartments had become a moving steel coffin. Everyone had keeled over dead. “…I hope the driver’s still kicking?” Norman asked Clareth, who had lightly linked her arm through his. She placed her head on his shoulder, loosely wrapping her arms around him, and tapped the floor with her wand several times. “Keep the window open and stay by me for now.” “Hmm, roger that. But just standing here won’t help. Let’s take another look to be sure.” They went into a nearby compartment to observe one of the dead. A middle-aged man in a pricey-looking suit sat there, saliva dripping from his mouth. He showed no signs of having fought or resisted. “It doesn’t look like he was attacked, and there are no wounds on him. What’s your impression, Clareth?” “Something feels off.” She cocked her head in thought. “Let’s see if your skills can change my mood.” Without hesitation, she clung to Norman’s arm. “There was something weird about the air, but I couldn’t tell what, so I just stayed put and defended our room.” “And I’m alive thanks to that… Wait, then what was the kiss for? If you defended us with your power, the kiss was pointless.” “I just wanted to kiss you.” “…I see.” Well, he could live with it, he decided. “Hang on… This is actually really bad.” “What makes you say that, Mr. Norman?” “It doesn’t matter who they targeted. We’re in big trouble if we reach the capital like this.” Norman finished speaking and immediately began walking briskly with Clareth, who was still clinging to his arm in tow. “Oh my, I’ve never seen you move so fast, Mr. Norman. What’s going to be big trouble?” “If a train arrives full of corpses, with only two survivors, what would most people think?” “That they’re a wonder couple who survived by the power of love and destiny.” “That those two are the culprits.” “Hee-hee. I’m happy you didn’t deny it, at least.” The train car shook violently as Clareth laughed. “Whoa.” Her balance shifted, momentarily uncertain. It was only for a few seconds, but— “Oh, thank you, Mr. Norman.” Clareth, with her petite frame and refreshing scent, was snugly nestled in Norman’s arms. “Are you all right?” “Of course. Anyway, that was a big jolt.” “…That’s not good. The driver in the engine room might be down for the count, too. If we derail, I’m counting on you.” “I’m glad you’re relying on me, but I could break a bone or two.” “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” When they entered the next car—the dining car—sure enough, there were bodies scattered everywhere. But that wasn’t all that was waiting for them. “Hmm?” There was a giant snake. A huge snake, easily three meters long, the likes of which they’d never seen before, lunged at them. Thunk. In return, Clareth, the girl, simply known as “Fairy,” tapped her wand. “Spriggan Hand!” The giant snake was sliced clean down the middle. Blood gushed forth, spattering the dining car. “Wow, I didn’t expect that.” Clareth and Norman both smiled, not a drop of blood on them. “I’ve seen snakes before, but never that size. What about you, Mr. Norman?” “Snakes that size don’t usually exist, especially not on a train.” An ability that was abnormal. In other words— “An Unlaw is hijacking the train.” “The problem is whether the culprit is still aboard the train,” Norman said, rummaging through the corpses in the dining car. “Like I said before, if we reach the last stop without figuring things out, we’ll be the suspects. We have to find the culprit or some clues, or we’ll be interrogated once we reach the capital.” “You’re unusually talkative today.” While Norman examined the bodies, Clareth sat elegantly in a chair, sipping tea and watching him. “What do you think the goal of this trainjacking is?” “The dead are nobles, merchants, and wealthy people from Bardium. It wouldn’t be strange if someone wanted them dead for political or financial reasons. Or we might be the real targets. Or it’s a random terrorist attack. Or they’re targeting the cargo.” “Huh? So in the end, we come back to the cargo.” “It’s not out of the question they’re after money. But there is a problem with that idea.” “Oh.” “The problem is how they plan to collect it. Supposing for argument’s sake they manage to take the cargo, where is this train going?” “To the station in the capital.” “Exactly. Even if there is a team waiting there to recover it, the capital station is so big that there are bound to be unconnected people there. A brand-new express train is sure to turn some heads, and with most of the passengers dead, I think they’d have some difficulty taking just the cargo.” “True. It would be difficult but not impossible. Then…could this be an assassination?” “I wonder.” Norman thought for a moment. There were many ways to kill someone, even if you weren’t an Unlaw. But, he thought. “Poison gas is tricky for an assassination. There’s always a chance someone might miraculously survive.” In any case… “Let’s head to the engine room for now. We’ll capture the culprit if they’re there, and if not…we’ll figure something out then.” “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it the best I can.” Fairy smiled and tapped her wand with a soft thunk. “Don’t overdo it.” They headed to the next car. “The Shapeshifter Type earlier, I think they came back to check if anyone survived the poison gas. The delay was that they were waiting for the gas to spread. Now the problem is whether that snake is the sole perpetrator or they have accomplices.” “What’s your guess, Mr. Norman?” “They’re working with others.” Because… “These guys are clearly working together.” When they entered the next freight car after the dining car, they found five more men among the cargo, already dead. The way they were armed with crude military knives and guns made it clear that they weren’t passengers. “Oh my, oh my! If you’re correct, and these are the accomplices of the snake from earlier, then what does this mean? Could there be someone here besides us?!” “Quick on the uptake as always, Clareth.” It was obvious who did it. “…I’d like a bit more of a reaction, Mr. Norman.” The Fairy pouted cutely, puffing out her cheeks. “Can’t you be like, ‘I’m shocked,’ or ‘I wish you’d kept them alive,’ or something?” “Well, I can’t say I wouldn’t have preferred them alive.” He seemed a little dissatisfied with her. “Well, too bad. My job as your bodyguard is to prioritize your safety.” Though she expressed regret, she seemed to be pleased with Norman’s dissatisfaction. “Well then, Mr. Norman, how about you put that military autopsy expertise of yours to good use and deduce their identities, personalities, motives, and even what they had for breakfast?” “Deduction isn’t really a military doctor’s wheelhouse. I’m sure Miss Lonsday could deduce their daily diet, not just what they had for breakfast.” Norman shrugged haphazardly and looked over the hastily arranged corpses again. He wasn’t there to examine them. He already knew that Clareth, who was currently sitting on the cargo, had done it, so it didn’t matter. “…Hmm.” He gave a single nod. “Well, there are some things even I can figure out.” “Impressive. Like what?” They were probably day laborers or small-time thugs. There were day-laborer work tickets in their jacket pockets. Surely, they were given them at the end of the day’s work and could later exchange them for cash. The text on them was small, but there was an address printed on them. There were also coins, bottles of cheap liquor, and betting stubs. “Their hands are badly calloused, like from construction or factory work. They’re small-time crooks who’d come running if you called them out to them in a back alley.” “Hmm.” Clareth looked puzzled. “Construction, now trainjacking? Being unemployed opens up more opportunities than I thought. That’s educational.” “…What’s wrong with being unemployed?” “Don’t worry, Mr. Norman. I’m not judging you for being unemployed.” “…Anyway, underlings being around means there’s a boss. Maybe they were sent to recover the cargo? Odd, considering they were barely armed. Were they planning to carry it out piece by piece…? “Not to mention it’s odd for thugs dressed like that to show up on a luxury train.” “I agree. What exactly was going to be the plan at the station—? Huh?” “Mr. Norman?” With a look of realization, Norman took out a pocket watch—he checked it against the express train schedule and made a tsk. Then came a small book from his coat, his face uncharacteristically grim. “What’s that?” “A geography book.” “Hmm. You really do have everything in that coat of yours. And?” “This train’s not going to the capital anymore.” “…What?” Her pale pink and light blue-green eyes narrowed slightly. “That shaking earlier was us being diverted. We’re on an unused track now.” Norman showed the geography book to Clareth, too. It was open to the region they were currently in. Taking a pen from his breast pocket, he drew a line on the map that was mostly straight with a light curve on it. “This is our original route. There was a simplified version on the guide map. And…probably here is where we switched to the unused track.” “By ‘unused,’ you mean…?” “There’s an abandoned coal mine ahead. I was wondering what they were thinking, hijacking a train, but now it makes sense. They’ll unload at an abandoned station off the normal route and just take it all. That’s why none of the corpses were prepped to carry anything.” “Bold of them. Wouldn’t it be a big deal if the train didn’t arrive?” “Even then, they’ll have plenty of time to take what they want.” He closed the geography book heavily. “…Well, this is more serious than I thought.” “More serious than an Unlaw trainjacker?” “I’d say it’s a toss-up. That was bad enough, but these guys are way more prepared than I thought…” This is bad. Norman realized he was growing impatient. “Hmm.” He touched his hat, collecting his thoughts. A trainjacking. Influential people in the city murdered. The snake Unlaw. Low-level underlings. With that setup, there was a good chance that the ringleader—or someone similar—was in the engine room, and that there were more thugs in the other cars, too. “We don’t have to worry about being surrounded by police at the capital since we switched tracks, but someone might be waiting to ambush us at the abandoned station.” “Well, that’s not an issue, right? Since you have me.” “…You’re not wrong.” Norman would have had no problem with an ordinary crime, but this incident involved Unlaw, and they were his responsibility. Leaving things be would tarnish his reputation, and his reputation was everything. He needed to score points and build his reputation for a certain reason that only his sister knew. “…Okay, Clareth.” “What?” “Do me a favor and spare the chief mastermind if you find him?” “I’d rather not,” the Fairy giggled to herself. She jabbed the corpses carelessly with her wand, having fun. “Like I said before, I’m your bodyguard. Your safety is my top priority, meaning I’ve made a firm decision to thoroughly kill anything that might threaten you.” She said that dreadful line with a sweet smile. Norman had expected as much, but he didn’t know what to do about it. “But that’s true. You have your own reasons for wanting them alive, too.” Clareth placed her slender fingers on her chin and said, “Let’s make a bet, Mr. Norman.” She twirled her wand and made a graceful bow, her skirt’s edge held between her fingers. “Like I said, I want to kill anything potentially dangerous, be it human or Unlaw. There’s nothing that trumps guaranteeing your safety.” But… “I sympathize with your situation, Mr. Norman. So if the culprit in the engine room has a boring motive, I’ll kill them. But if they have a reason for doing this, I’ll let them live. How does that sound?” “How is that a bet? And what’s your definition of boring?” “We’ll figure that out together.” “…I feel like this will all end with me talking you out of becoming the culprit.” “Hee-hee. Fine.” The Fairy laughed and shook her head in a dramatic gesture that was completely out of place, indecent, and frivolous in a room full of corpses. This guardian protected only what she wanted to protect. She wasn’t just guarding her treasure out of obligation—she was a monster who distorted those around her. “Someone else can have the role of the villain. I’m here to play the monster who tears apart a scheming fool.” “I’ll pulverize them for you, Mr. Norman. I’m completely serious. So you’ll need to be just as serious to stop me, okay?” “I knew you’d come.” When they reached the engine room, it was larger than they expected. The vibrations of the train and the sound of the wind were much louder there, and the floor shook continuously. At the back were the engine compartment where fuel was fed in and the driver’s seat. The space in front of the seat was only a few meters, enough for people to stand close.