Blankon Announcement

510 Train Trip, and Then a Carriage Trip.

The magic train passed through the highlands and entered the mountainous region.

The passengers seemed to enjoy the scenery of the green mountains appearing and disappearing as they passed through tunnels.

"It's about as fast as the trains on Earth, huh?"

"Yeah. It's pretty amazing."

I exchanged such words with Yumina sitting next to me. According to the doctor, the magic trains of the ancient magical civilization were even faster than this, which is astonishing. I guess they had something like bullet trains back then.

"Ah, there are wyverns flying."

At Linne's words, I looked out the window and saw two wyverns flying in the sky.

"Hmm, they're coming this way."

Duke Ortlinde, looking up from the window, raised a cautious voice.

Perhaps thinking the magic train was some strange prey, the two wyverns descended straight towards us with their claws outstretched.

However, when they got within a few meters of the train, they suddenly lost their balance as if repelled by an invisible force.

"Gyaoah!?"

The wyverns, apparently taking significant damage, fell to the ground. The two wyverns lay motionless on the ground as our magic train passed by without incident.

"This train has a protective field while running at a constant speed, which prevents attacks from magical beasts and monsters. If they try to touch it, they get repelled and receive a [Paralyze] shock. The magical beasts aren't stupid, so they eventually stop coming after a few tries."

"I see. That's reassuring."

Ground-based magical beasts are one thing, but aerial ones are troublesome. We could kill them, but having the area around the tracks littered with corpses would be problematic. Paralyzing them and teaching them that 'that thing is off-limits' is a safer approach.

Well, there's a chance the fallen wyverns might be attacked by other magical beasts, but that's just the law of the jungle.

"By the way, newer models of magic trains will have an interception system installed. Golem trains will appear in a few years, making them even safer..."

"Newer models? In a few years?"

Duke Ortlinde looked puzzled at Kuhn's muttering. Suu, who was soothing her younger brother Ed, quickly tugged at her father's sleeve.

"F-Father, Ed is about to cry. Take him!"

"Hmm? Oh, there there. It's okay, the wyverns are gone now."

Duke Ortlinde soothed Ed while sitting next to Ellen. Behind him, Suu grabbed Kuhn and started grinding her knuckles against his temple.

Kuhn looked at me with pleading eyes, so I had no choice but to intervene and mediate.

"We're not the only ones here, so be careful with what you say."

"I just slipped up... I'll be more careful."

Kuhn weakly replied while rubbing his temple.

The children and Suu are close in age. The oldest, Frey, is only three years older than Kuhn. So, such casual interactions are common.

Suu seems to enjoy doting on the other children, perhaps because she doesn't have her own yet.

After passing through the mountains, a large forest came into view. As the train raced along the elevated tracks above the forest, startled birds took to the sky in unison.

Birds of various colors—white, black, red, blue, and green—scattered in all directions.

"Wow! Amazing, okaasan!"

"Yeah. It's amazing, Linne."

"Ah, okaasan. Look, it's a Kero-Kero bird!"

"Huh? Where?"

Linze, Linne, Elze, and Elna, mother and daughters, peered out the same window, smiling at the sight of the flying birds. ...What's a Kero-Kero bird?

"Touya-dono, where are we now?"

After a while, Yae asked, and I projected a map from my smartphone into the air. We were still within Belfast's borders. It was still a long way to the northern country of Refreese.

"We'll be arriving at the first station soon."

"The capital of the Parames territory, Parameia. It's ruled by Count Parames. It's a territory rich in nature, with highlands, deep forests, and agricultural areas. It's also famous as a summer resort."

Yumina explained. A summer resort, huh? Like Karuizawa in Japan, I guess.

The magic train slowed down as it entered the capital of Parameia.

Gradually, houses began to appear outside the window, and soon we were running through the town. Huh. The central area seems as developed as the royal capital. It's quite urban, but I guess the resort areas are in the suburbs?

The train stopped here for about ten minutes. Count Parames, the lord of the territory, would come to the station to greet us. Since Duke Ortlinde, the king's brother, was on board, it was only natural.

Having to get off and receive greetings must be tough for the Duke.

"What are you talking about? You're the king too, you know."

"Ah, right. I have to get off too, don't I?"

Leen looked at me with an exasperated expression, reminding me that I was also a king. Since the train was filled with my wives and children, I had started to feel like it was a family trip. This is official business, official business.

The magic train, slowing down, came to a stop at Parameia Station. At the same time, it released the accumulated ether into the atmosphere, scattering a glittering substance-like steam across the platform.

With a hissing sound, the train came to a complete stop.

"Well then, shall we go, Touya-dono? No, Your Majesty."

"Sigh... This is part of the job, huh?"

"Have a good trip."

Duke Ortlinde and I stood up together, and Frey's encouraging voice reached us. Yeah, I'll do my best.

"Welcome to Parameia, Your Majesty, King of Brunhild, and Duke Ortlinde."

As we got off the magic train, a well-built gentleman greeted us. This must be Count Parames. I remember seeing his face at a Belfast evening party. So, this is his territory.

"Sorry for the short stay, Count."

"Not at all. This is a national project, and I couldn't miss seeing it with my own eyes. This train will bring many tourists from Refreese to our Parameia. It's truly a blessing."

Count Parames nodded with a smile. Indeed, it only takes a few hours to reach Parameia from Refreese by magic train. A trip that used to take days by carriage can now be done in a day. Tourists will surely come.

Running parallel to the tracks we came on was another set of tracks.

As you might have guessed, these were the tracks for the Refreese to Belfast line.

On this day, at the same time, another magic train had departed from Refreese.

Count Parames would also have to greet the train arriving from Refreese in a few hours. Well, that's quite a hassle...

Several passengers got off the train, and others boarded from Parameia.

For this opening ceremony, some general passengers had been selected by lottery. Of course, they were in separate cars from the VIP cars for the nobles.

The lottery tickets were for specific stations, with the shortest trip ending here in Parameia. Of course, the tickets were round-trip, so they could take the train from Refreese back to the capital.

"Oh, we're running out of time. Here's a gift set of our territory's specialties. Please take it."

"Ah, thank you. You didn't have to."

I stored the box Count Parames handed me in [Storage]. Getting a souvenir is nice. Or maybe it's a promotional sample? It's certainly effective.

"Lunchboxes! How about a lunchbox for your journey? We also have drinks!"

"Huh?"

Turning towards the voice, I saw a lunchbox vendor with a box hanging from his neck by a strap, selling lunchboxes through the train window.

There are even lunchbox vendors? Oh, I think I mentioned something like that in front of the kings of Belfast and Refreese. I didn't think they'd actually implement it.

Perhaps due to the novelty, many passengers reached out from the train windows to buy lunchboxes. Since there's no onboard service, they probably want to buy while they can.

"Luu-dono, could you get that lunchbox over there?"

"Luu-okaasama, I want that chicken cutlet sandwich!"

"Okaasam! Hurry with the money! Ah, you there! I'll take that lunchbox too!"

"Wait a minute! Why do I have to do everything!?"

A noisy voice came from the first car. Mostly from people with hearty appetites.

Are they buying for everyone? Yae and Frey could eat for several people, so maybe twenty or more...?

But if they're hungry, there's plenty of food in [Storage]. I guess station lunches are special.

"We're about to depart. Well then, Count, we'll be on our way."

"Thank you for the souvenir. See you later."

"Have a good trip."

Duke Ortlinde and I returned to the passenger car.

A whistle sounded on the platform, and the doors closed. Leaving behind traces of ether, the magic train slowly started moving again.

Waving back at the people on the platform through the window, we departed from Parameia Station.

When we returned to our seats, everyone was already eating lunchboxes at the central table. That was fast!

"Here's yours, Touya."

"Ah, thanks, Yumina."

Yumina handed me a lunchbox. Opening the cardboard box, I found something like a hamburger with meat and vegetables sandwiched between bread.

The others had sandwiches or hot dogs. I guess with a bread culture, this is what you get for a lunchbox.

Taking a bite of the hamburger, the juicy flavor of the tender meat and tomatoes filled my mouth.

Is this chicken? I'm not sure what kind of bird, though. A chicken burger? Well, I don't know if it's chicken, but...

Well, if it's delicious, it's all good. Yeah, it's good.

"Otousan, can I have that fruit?"

"This one? Sure, here."

In the corner seat, Alice was getting something like a strawberry from Ende. That guy is supposed to be a guard for this car today.

But I wouldn't tell him to work during a meal with Alice. Meal breaks are a given. We're not a black company.

"Kaasama, a bridge!"

"Yeah. Amazing."

Yoshino shouted while holding a sandwich. Looking out the window, I saw elevated tracks spanning a small lake. Did they go straight through without detouring?

It wouldn't have been hard to build with earth magic, but I wonder how much time and money it would take on Earth. Some civil engineering techniques are better in this world. Magic is amazing.

Yumina asked me while looking at the bridge.

"The tracks from Belfast to Mismede are also being built, right?"

"Yeah. We just built a bridge over the Gau River. It should open in a few months. Belfast and Regulus will also be connected, as well as Felzen and Restia. Eventually, most of the countries in the World Alliance will be connected."

There are some difficult areas, though. Like the Demon Kingdom of Xenoss and the Kingdom of Nokia. They have the Yulong region.

Connecting Xenoss and Nokia isn't a problem, but extending the tracks to other countries would require passing through the former Yulong territory.

Well, the Heavenly Empire of Yulong has already collapsed, so it's not like we can't build tracks there, but the Yulong people still live there and consider it their land.

Building tracks there would surely cause resentment and lead to trouble. No country would want to build tracks there.

At worst, we could connect Restia, Roadmare, Lyle, and Felzen by bridges over the sea, like we did before.

"With airship technology coming from the western continent, we could use that too."

"But trains have a much higher transport capacity. Airships are also affected by the weather."

True. This time we're only pulling passenger cars, but eventually, we'll have Freight cars carrying goods. The transport capacity of airships can't compare.

Improved logistics will make people's lives easier. That's what the magic train is for.

"Will Brunhild get a station too?"

"If we do, it'll probably be on the Belfast to Regulus line. It would be right in the middle between the royal capital and the imperial capital."

"Lots of tourists will come."

Having too many tourists would be a problem, though. Honestly, Brunhild's capital (?) is only about the size of a large town. If too many tourists come, we won't have enough lodging facilities.

We'd also need more people for immigration checks to keep out troublemakers.

"But do we even have tourist spots in Brunhild?"

I crossed my arms and tilted my head.

Refreese has its beautiful sea and white-walled cityscape, Belfast has its white castle with the Palette Lake waterfall, but Brunhild doesn't really have any notable landmarks...

"We have the clock tower."

"The clock tower, huh? Well, I guess that counts..."

"And then... the Frame Gears?"

"Is that a landmark...?"

It's a bit iffy. True, Frame Gears are unique to our country.

But making robots a tourist attraction? Well, Japan has life-sized robot anime statues, so maybe it's okay?

Generally, landmarks are things like Tokyo Tower or Sky tree, temples, shrines, historical sites, and large amusement parks...

Currently, an amusement park is under construction in Brunhild. Once that's done, tourists will probably flock here.

Ah, there's also Dungeon Island. I forgot about it since I didn't think of it as a landmark.

Until now, only nearby adventurers came, but with the train, adventurers from far away might start coming. Though the fare is quite high, so they might not come so easily.

We definitely need to expand our lodging facilities. Maybe build a third 'Silver Moon' in Brunhild.

In any case, we're short on manpower. We'll need to recruit more knights soon.

"By the way... Kuhn mentioned something about Knight Golems being deployed in the future... They're like a subordinate organization to the knight order, so maybe we won't need to recruit as many..."

"Fufu, even on a trip, you're always thinking about work. Maybe you should forget about it for a while?"

"I'd like to, but..."

Yumina's words made me sigh. This little trip is also part of my job. Well, I am enjoying it to some extent.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, near the border between the Elfrau Kingdom and the Regulus Empire.

"Here, this is the Regulus Empire."

A man pointed to a signpost along the border road.

After several days of traveling by carriage from the Elfrau Kingdom, the boy finally set foot in the Regulus Empire.

"Finally, we're free from the cold."

Mochizuki Kuon, six years old, was on his way back to his homeland (though in a different era), Brunhild.

Entering Regulus, the freezing cold was gone. However, it was still the northern part of Regulus, so it was still cold. Kuon was still wearing the black coat he bought in Elfrau.

"Ah, found it."

"Again? Driver, stop. The kid found something again."

A man in the carriage called out to the driver. Before the driver could stop the horses, Kuon jumped out of the carriage, aimed his bow at the forest, and quickly released an arrow.

"Gyueh!?"

A short cry was heard, followed by the sound of something heavy falling in the forest. Soon, Kuon emerged from the forest, dragging a large deer with an arrow through its head.

"Whoa, that's a Regulus Giant Deer. Tasty stuff."

One of the men got out of the carriage with a knife. The other passengers also got out to see the deer Kuon had taken down.

"Can you butcher it for me?"

"Sure, leave it to me. But let me buy it from you."

The man, a butcher by trade, began to expertly butcher the deer. He was on his way back from his daughter's wedding.

Generally, meals during carriage trips are simple. Either dried meat or whatever game can be caught on the way. Normally, it's not easy to find a game during a trip, but the passengers on this carriage had been feasting every day for the past few days.

The reason was this strange boy. Whenever he found a game nearby, he would take it down without fail. Whether it was hiding in the forest or up a tree, he would bring it down with a cheap bow.

Thanks to him, the passengers were enjoying lavish meals during their journey.

"Thanks to you, kid, I won't have to worry about supplies for a while. Thanks."

"No problem. I'm grateful for the extra travel money."

Kuon had thought that the money from selling the Orichalcum Cufflinks wouldn't be enough to get him to Brunhild. But he figured he could make it to the imperial capital of Regulus, Galaria. Extra travel money was always welcome.

The carriage, now loaded with butchered game, headed south through the Regulus Empire and arrived at the town of Jonst. The final stop for the carriage from the Elfrau Kingdom.

Jonst was neither large nor small, just an ordinary town. Located near the border with the Elfrau Kingdom, it was one of the towns ruled by a margrave of Regulus.

Upon arriving in this border town, the boy immediately set out to find a carriage to his next destination. Ideally, one that would take him straight to the imperial capital.

He checked the schedule posted in front of the carriage station and sighed.

"Ah... It just left..."

Unfortunately, the carriage to the imperial capital had just departed. The next one was in two days.

"What should I do? Maybe I can catch another carriage to the next town..."

It was already late afternoon, almost evening. If he left now, he would definitely have to camp out. Having camped out for the past few days on the carriage, Kuon wanted to stay in a proper inn tonight and tomorrow.

"Alright, decided. I'll stay at an inn."

With that decision, Kuon adjusted his backpack and started walking through the town.

He wanted to stay at a decent inn, even if it was a bit expensive. The cheap inns where down-and-out adventurers stayed were prone to trouble. It was best to avoid such places.

So, a regular inn where merchants stayed would be ideal. Thinking this, Kuon followed a man who looked like a merchant who had gotten off at the carriage station.

Soon, they arrived at an inn on a corner not far from the station, and the merchant went inside.

"[Silver Feather Inn], huh."

Kuon looked up at the sign with a silver feather painted on it. The place looked quite stylish but not overly luxurious. This seemed like a good choice.

Now, the real challenge. Kuon took a deep breath and pushed open the swinging door to enter.

"Welcome to the [Silver Feather Inn]. Oh? A boy alone?"

A woman in her early twenties stood at the reception counter. Next to her, a male staff member and the merchant from earlier were going up the stairs.

"I'd like a room for two nights. Do you have any available?"

"Huh? Um, kid. We don't usually allow children to stay alone..."

The woman at the counter looked troubled. Kuon turned his gaze towards her. His right eye took on a purple-gold hue, and his Purple-Gold eyes locked onto hers.

"...Ah, oh? Ah, sorry. Yes, we have rooms available. A double room, is that okay?"

The woman, now seeing a man in his thirties standing behind the boy, was surprised but continued with her duties.

"Yes. That will be fine."

"Then it's two silver coins for two nights. Please sign here."

Kuon quickly signed the guestbook. The woman, expecting the father to sign, was slightly surprised but didn't show it.

"I'll show you to your room."

The woman led Kuon to a room on the second floor. It was a simple but tasteful room with two beds, a desk, a chair, a closet, and a magic stone lamp.

"Meals are served in the dining room downstairs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When you go out, please leave the key at the counter."

"Understood. Thank you."

The woman closed the door quietly after hearing the boy's thanks.

"...That father didn't say a word. Is he just quiet?"

Muttering to herself, the woman tilted her head and left the room, heading downstairs.

Inside the room, Kuon let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed.

"Ah, that was exhausting... I can't even stay at an inn alone as a child. But I don't want to stay at a shady inn either..."

If it were just a simple inn without meals, it might be easier for a child to stay, but...

Kuon had been staying at inns like this all the way from the Elfrau Kingdom.

He used his [Illusionary Eyes], one of his seven magical eyes, which could create illusions.

Since the illusions couldn't speak, he had to play the role of a silent father.

It might seem easier to just make himself look like an adult, but his voice would still be that of a child, and his height would be off, making it hard to hold even a pen. There would be too many discrepancies.

In the end, this method was the easiest. Though it did cost him double for the room.

"Ah, it's been a while since I've slept in a proper bed..."

The bedding smelled like it had just been dried in the sun. Kuon, still lying on the bed, drifted off into a light sleep.