Unharmed (2)
The train clattered along the tracks.
Inside the swaying carriage, Theia’s eyes fell on Shion Ascal across from her. He was in the middle of eating a neatly buttered toast.
“……”
In stark contrast to Shion, who was dressed casually in a reporter’s outfit with a name tag necklace that read [College Journalist: Shion Ascal], Theia had her face more than half-covered with a bread hat and sunglasses.
Nevertheless, he recognized her instantly.
“Would you like some?”
Shion gestured towards his toast. Theia shook her head. He took a bite from the corner of the bread and pulled out his laptop.
Click-clack- click-
The sound of typing was soon accompanied by the noise of a TV broadcast.
─The entrance to the hearing will close in three hours. The current attendees include……
Could he have been sent by Derek on some mission? Or was it simply a coincidence?
At this point, it seemed more likely to be a coincidence.
Even Derek wouldn’t be foolish enough to assign a mere twenty-year-old to her.
“Are you attending the hearing?”
Theia asked with a subtle tone. Shion glanced up briefly.
“……Yes. I’m going as a journalist. To write an article.”
“An article?”
“Yes.”
The Parliament House invites people from all walks of life to the ‘scene’.
─Boltak’s head of the house and CEO of Everett, Vern, and the head of the house of Livri, Derek……
The sound flowed from his laptop. Use some earphones, for goodness’ sake.
“Your career path was Libra, wasn’t it?”
Theia asked Shion. It was a question befitting a professor.
“Ah, yes.”
There was a slight amusement in his voice, as if something was bothering him. It wasn’t surprising, given that Libra was considered quite ‘promising’.
After all, it had become one of the most influential noble houses in Edsilla, especially since it had risen to prominence with the current head, Sherlock, and was even considered a potential candidate for the next Chairman.
“You might be disappointed today.”
Theia deliberately threw out the bait, trying to gauge his reaction, but Shion remained silent.
Click-clack- click-clack-
He just kept typing on his keyboard, seemingly pre-writing an article.
“……”
Theia looked out the window.
The train moved without incident. The landscape, filled with the reflection of the river, passed by, and the sound of typing blended into the background like ambient noise.
Just then, the snack cart came by.
Theia bought some squid and banana milk.
Chew-chew-
She chewed on a squid leg like gum and glanced at Shion Ascal.
“……Hmm.”
He was on her mind.
Not just because he was a potential threat due to his loyalty to Libra──
But because he was living on borrowed time.
Shion Ascal’s subconscious had confessed to her that he was living with a terminal condition.
It’s impossible not to be concerned. Regardless of severity, they were both patients.
Ssssssst…
Suddenly, the train began to slow down. Theia looked around, puzzled. The other passengers had similar expressions on their faces.
──Attention, passengers.
The captain’s voice echoed from the ceiling speakers, sounding somber, with a breathless, trembling tone.
The passengers seemed unconcerned.
─Please remain calm and listen carefully to what I am about to say, as it is all true.
Theia’s lips, which had been chewing on squid, paused slightly.
She only rolled her eyes to look at Shion.
Tap-tap- Although he was still typing something…
─I must inform you that a bomb has been planted on our train.
Theia’s head jerked in surprise. Shion Ascal’s eyes widened as well.
─The terrorist has threatened to detonate the bomb if there is any commotion-
Almost simultaneously, chaos erupted. Some passengers screamed, others quickly stood up, and children began to cry.
Boom────!
As if on cue, an explosion occurred. The origin was unclear, but a massive vibration shook the entire train.
Thanks to that, the train’s interior was quickly subdued.
─Please, stay calm. We are currently negotiating. I am complying with the terrorist’s demands, and they have stated they have no reason to harm us.
Theia silently tilted her head, looking across from her.
“What the hell is this…”
Shion Ascal looked around in confusion.
─Additionally, we have established a connection with the base station, and the train will be making a temporary stop…
She found him suspicious.
* * *
Derek glanced at his watch dozens of times per minute. He loitered near the grand entrance of the Parliament House, pretending to be uninterested.
He knew it was beneath his dignity, but in truth, he was not overly fixated on such formalities. What mattered most to him was his pride, and that pride was synonymous with his business.
“Ha ha ha.”
A grating laugh seemed to drift in from somewhere.
It was Vern.
He glanced over here while conversing with the Senators. Just a look was enough to feel humiliated, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He could only wait.
“Damn it.”
Derek looked at his Libra phone.
The documents for the hearing prepared by Theia Esil must never be made public.
It would cause significant disruption to his business.
From Derek’s perspective, those who criticize issues like labor conditions, wages, welfare, and the environment are all trash. Those ignorant fools don’t understand that society will decline if you worry about the treatment of mere wage workers.
The paramount task of a corporation is to invest costs as efficiently as possible, develop technology, pursue profit, and ultimately promote the overall development of society.
Is there any country more difficult to do business in than Edsilla?
For Derek, the eldest son of a leading family and a true member of the social elite, it was frustrating and lamentable.
“……”
Derek turned on his Libra phone again.
Smith and Shion Ascal.
He had instructed them to contact him only if the mission was successful.
Which one of them would bring good news first?
Or would both fail?
Derek clenched his fist.
* * *
Theia glared at Shion Ascal in silence.
“What’s going on here?”
Shion Ascal muttered with a confused face, his feet tapping restlessly in a seemingly natural manner.
“Cut the crap.”
“What?”
Theia snapped, but Shion tilted his head innocently.
“What do you mean?”
“……”
She had suspicions but no evidence.
Thinking about it, it seemed unlikely that a mere 20-year-old would orchestrate a bombing.
It was a confusing case, indeed.
─Are you saying we just sit here and do nothing?!
─Crew! Is the Knight Order being dispatched?!
─And is there any guarantee that the bomb won’t go off just because we follow their words?
The interior was once again filled with the rising voices of passengers. Chaos comes suddenly like this.
If they leave it disorderly and a real bomb goes off, it would be a disaster.
“Haah……”
Theia let out a faint sigh, pressing her temples as she was lost in thought.
“──There’s one hour left until the Parliament House is closed.”
Suddenly, Shion Ascal’s words cut through coldly.
“Professor.”
He showed her his wristwatch.
“For someone like you, Professor, it’s a distance you could cover even by running.”
Theia looked into his eyes, which held a hint of gold.
“However, you are also needed on this train.”
“……”
Theia’s eyes flickered. She gritted her teeth.
“Is this your doing?”
“What are you talking about? I’m here too.”
Shion still seemed confused.
From his eyes, nose, and mouth to the slightest tremble of his skin, his reactions did not seem like lies. If it was acting, it was award-worthy.
“……Ha.”
There was no time to suspect him now. If it was a real terror attack, the lives of the passengers were at stake.
Theia finally stood up.
Passengers still arguing with the crew, children who wouldn’t stop crying, men rolling up their sleeves, trying to open the doors.
In the midst of all that, she shouted.
“Silence──!”
Her voice, imbued with magic, resonated and amplified throughout the train, as if whipping the ceiling.
“I am Theia Esil, Distinguished Professor at Edsilla National University. Recognizing the emergency situation, I hereby invoke my authority as a Knight of the Holy Order. I ask everyone to cooperate accordingly.”
* * *
…5 minutes.
That was the time left until the complete closure of the Parliament House.
Theia Esil had not yet arrived, and there was no sign that she would. However, Derek couldn’t afford to let his guard down. He had not received any report yet.
“Derek, sir. The hearing is about to begin. Please proceed to the waiting room.”
“…”
At the aide’s call, Derek reluctantly nodded.
He couldn’t wait here forever.
“Derek, sir, this way.”
Guided by the aide, Derek took his seat in the designated area for the hearing. Entrepreneurs lined up beside him, and across the hearing room sat the ever-so-courteous Vern.
Vern smirked and raised his eyebrows. Derek subtly avoided his gaze.
But then.
Suddenly, an aide approached Vern’s side.
The aide whispered something, covering his mouth, and Vern’s complexion turned as rotten as a spoiled apple.
“……!”
That’s when Derek had a hunch.
The operation was a success.
The very next moment, Derek’s own aide approached and whispered something to him.
─Sir Derek. Currently, Theia Esil has not entered the Parliament House…
Intelligence was being cross-verified.
“Is that so.”
Derek smiled with confidence. He chuckled audibly, shaking his head deliberately.
“Then, there’s nothing to be done.”
He stared straight across at Vern, whose face had become completely soured. He observed closely, watching the pig’s twitch lips.
“One must wish that professor good luck, I suppose.”
Ding-
Just then, his Libra phone vibrated.
[We inform you of the successful operation. The target has not attended the hearing. The target is currently tied up on a train.]
The message summarized the success of the operation, the target’s current location, and status in just three lines.
The ‘simplest yet perfect’ report that Derek always demanded from his subordinates.
Upon confirming this, Derek felt an emotion close to ecstasy.
* * *
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“…No.”
Shion Ascal kept following her around, offering to be her assistant, but Theia ignored him.
“What is the structure of the bomb?”
The conductor asked.
“There are dozens of chunks of mana attached all over the train, and they seem to be connected to a core. The detonation will, of course, be managed by the core. We are currently searching for the core.”
Theia Esil looked at her smartphone. The hijacking of the train was usually something that would be covered by breaking news, but the live news broadcasts were all about the [Parliament House Hearing].
It was a relief that the media wasn’t tangled up in this.
“Core, you say? Like the core in a nuclear weapon?”
“No. I’m talking about the core of mana.”
Of course, Theia could dispel it with a mere gesture. But dispelling and disarming are different.
In a situation where the power of the bomb is unknown, to dispel is to gamble with the lives of the citizens.
“…”
Theia followed the trail of the mana chunks inside the train that were connected to the core. Behind her followed the crew, the conductor, and Shion Ascal.
“What did the terrorists want?”
Theia asked the pilot.
“They just said to stop the train and convey their message…”
Then, perhaps more than half of it was aimed at her.
Theia reached the bathroom. It was the place indicated by the chunks of mana.
“Everyone, step back.”
Fortunately, the burdens behind her listened well.
Theia opened the door with her bare hands. The mana bomb was sensitive to mana, so she couldn’t turn on her Magic Body.
Creeeak—
Slowly, the inside was revealed,
“…Gasp.”
The conductor gasped.
“…”
Theia was also momentarily taken aback.
Inside the toilet bowl was a huge chunk of mana. The medium was probably a mana stone, but it looked like the grotesque heart of a whale.
Thump- Thump-
The chunk disgustingly writhed.
“There are a lot of Magic Spells entangled here.”
Theia looked closely at it.
The circuit connections, the paths of mana, the structure of the core.
It was very complex and difficult, but not to the extent that it couldn’t be solved.
“Be, be careful-”
“Shh.”
Shion quieted the onlookers. Theia reached out her hand towards the mana chunk, and Shion stood quietly by her side.
Crunch… Crunch…
It sounded like touching flesh, but Theia felt nothing.
Her analgesia had taken even the simplest touch from her.
“…Hand.”
Theia said. It was the moment she had disassembled part of the mana chunk.
Shion hurriedly reached out his hand. A chunk weighing at least 1kg was placed on Shion’s hand.
“…”
Theia continued to dismantle the bomb without a word, and the pilot and crew turned their backs entirely.
Crunch… Crunch…
How many minutes did that bizarre sound persist?
“Sigh.”
A small sigh from Theia. The size of the mana chunk had reduced to a mere 300 grams, indicating a successful dismantlement, accompanied by a small smile.
As she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, suddenly───!
The core of the bomb emitted a bright light. Theia’s eyes widened. Bursts of light flickered on her retina.
Images flashed before her eyes.
“Kyaa, kyaaaah!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The screams of the officials rang out, short like a burst of gunfire.
“……”
“……”
“……Huh?”
After that, there was no sound.
Nothing happened.
“……”
Theia stared blankly at the spot.
The dismantled bomb had vanished, scattering a burst of light and leaving behind only a message.
[Got you!]
And to add insult to injury, an emoticon sticking out its tongue.
With a vein popping on her forehead, Theia punched through the message, scattering it.
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