DBCR 08

Chapter 08

I swallowed the last piece of steak and took a sip of wine.
Irix had finished his portion of steak and was now flipping through the menu.
The filet steak was far too little for a boy of his age who ate like a whale. He was tall, so he had to eat a lot. He needed to maintain his height now and grow even taller in the future.
Wait—how tall was Irix again?
…Don’t know. There was no description.
Of course.
The whole story had been told from the perspective of someone fighting the mastermind. In such tense situations, you don’t leisurely evaluate the enemy’s appearance. It made sense that there was no description of Irix’s appearance. Before meeting him, I didn’t even know the color of his hair.
Right. So, I’m supposed to take this boy to school?
Why take someone who’s already going to school?
Wait.
I already know this train won’t reach its destination smoothly.
Some group—probably the cult—will show up, seize the train, and drag the cultists off to a correctional facility. On top of that, the duke has some plan involving Irix.
Alright, let’s think.
The central line train, the start of the semester, and the cult hunting for cultists—what was the story connected to these events?
At that moment, an immense gorge appeared outside the train window. It looked like the Earth had been split apart.
A massive iron bridge spanned the chasm. The train was running toward it.
Oh my.
I couldn’t help but gasp.
It was incredible.
A gorge so deep that the bottom was invisible. It was so deep that it looked pitch black below. The cliff on the opposite side seemed to float in the black void.
How on earth did they even build a bridge here? I felt dizzy just looking at it from this distance.
At that moment, I realized.
I understood what incident was connected.
Gorge, train, start of school—
That’s it.
But… that’s a problem.
Because what happens next will occur shortly.
Couldn’t they at least have given us time to rest after dinner?
For now, I finished the wine in one go and refilled it. It’s too good to waste, so I decided to drink it all first.

Irix watched his senior.
Lost in thought, he began gulping down wine. After finishing a bottle in one go, his senior spoke:

“Irix, let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead. As long as you’re still sober.”
Irix checked his senior’s cheeks. They were still a pale pink.
“The cult isn’t announcing this beforehand and occupying the train, right?”
“Of course not. They’ll arrest people by surprise.”
“The decision for you to be on this train—was it made before the cult’s plan, or after?”
“After.”
The duke had mentioned it just before departure.
Just as the cult had kept their plans secret, the duke, who knew the cult’s secrets, also kept his plans secret. Even Irix himself didn’t know until just before departure. Logically, he should have been told much earlier, but—well, the duke is that kind of person, so let it slide.
Only a few cult leaders knew exactly when the train would be stopped and arrests made. Once the signal was given, they’d act immediately.

“Irix, I speak from experience.”
“Experience?”
“Seeing public transport seized or destroyed by a particular group—lots of times.”
“…Where did you even live?”
“A very harsh and barren place.”
“?”
“To do something like this, you need a place where no one can escape; it’s easier to carry out.”
The train had fully reached the bridge. Since it was so long, it stayed on the bridge for a while.
“Just like now.”
“What…?”
Crash!
With a deafening roar, the train shook violently.
It had come to an emergency stop.
Irix, who had been listening to his senior, fell out of his seat immediately. At that moment, a venomous snake spread its wings and flew straight at him like an arrow, sinking vertically into Irix’s waist.

“What the…!”
His belt yanked hard. His waist felt like it might break.
Screams echoed everywhere as people tumbled with the emergency stop.
The interior was a mess, but his senior remained seated, having withstood the sudden halt.
Getting up from the seat, his senior approached Irix and grabbed both his shoulders firmly.

“….”
“Look at me first.”
He was already looking.
“Now lower your head.”
Irix lowered his head.
The snake had latched onto his stomach. Just as he was about to shout at it to get off, his senior grabbed Irix’s chin tightly.
“Look carefully.”
The snake had actually bitten the belt, not his stomach.
When their eyes met, the snake quickly released the belt and floated upwards.
“You helped me from falling, with this tiny body of yours.”
True enough.
Thanks to that, he felt like his waist might break, but he avoided hitting his head.
“So what now?”
“You should say thank you.”
Irix looked at the snake.
It raised its head proudly and flicked its tongue.
“….”
Could this snake… understand?
“Hurry.”
Irix glanced at his senior and said,
“Th-thank you for helping…”
The snake flapped its wings and nodded, looking triumphant.
“….”
Indeed, it understood.
This snake… what exactly is it?
Not an ordinary snake. And the senior who communicates with it is definitely unusual.
Could it be… a special ability user?
That’s plausible.
Special abilities, called “powers,” are the most common special cases used by Duke Berkhart when enrolling people in his legion.
But an ability to talk with snakes as a school-admission skill?
That would be a trivial ability to put in an application form.
Enough.
This isn’t the time to study the snake.
The train stopped.
An emergency stop, at that.
There’s no way it broke down on the bridge—someone had stopped it.
A static-filled voice came through the train speaker.
The passengers in the dining car looked toward the speaker.
Shortly after, a clear female voice spoke:

―“Hello, everyone.”

Flap flap—
The sound of paper flying came.
Pieces of paper were drifting outside the windows.
One sheet, two sheets…
Then, suddenly, they swirled like a blizzard, slamming against the windows.
These weren’t ordinary sheets of paper.
Circles and triangles were drawn on them. The flying papers folded themselves into paper birds. Black eyes appeared on the heads of the completed birds.
The broadcast continued:

―“We are the Laugina Cult, serving Laugina, the all-knowing and benevolent god, protecting this world and safeguarding you all.”

Laugina.
The all-knowing, all-seeing deity, also one of the most powerful cults. Laugina is also a god of surveillance.

―“We have come to save you.”

The passengers sighed and murmured anxiously.
“The cult is here.”
“Are there cultists aboard?”
“They must be planning something big. If the cult can stop a train of this level…”
“Looks like they found a large group of cultists hiding in regular cars.”
“They should screen regular passengers more carefully.”
“You can’t just let anyone on a train with a special car.”

Then, flap flap—
A fierce and ominous sound rang out. People turned toward it, startled.
A few paper birds had flown into the dining car.
Everyone tensed. Their eyes darted around, necks damp with sweat. They lowered their heads and barely breathed.
The paper birds flapped their pointed wings, flying rapidly through the dining car. Someone said:
“Those are… Paula’s paper birds, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them before.”

Paula’s paper birds—the official name: “Holy paper birds made from Laugina’s blessing given to Saint Paula.”
Long ago, when invading gods attacked, Laugina blessed the devout apostle Paula to create birds that could identify those corrupted by evil gods or their followers.
The blessed birds identified countless traitors and corrupted ones, leading to victory in the war.
After Paula died and her name was enshrined in the Hall of Heroes, only one paper bird remained; the rest returned to paper. The cult preserved the bird in a golden cage in the church.
Recently, the rare bird—known to be the only one left—had begun appearing in flocks like pigeons. Apparently reproducing successfully, the cult dispatched them in large numbers to locate cultists or spies of evil gods.

“Irix.”
A sleeve tugged. Looking back, he saw his senior had grabbed his sleeve with fingertips and was pulling him.
“Let’s go to my cabin.”
Irix replied immediately:

“No.”