Chapter 264: Pray
'Alright, this is definitely...just a coincidence.’
At least that was what he thought at the moment he saw Ramin's face.
To be precise, Ion didn't even know the full name of Ramin Solost Muel. To Ion Iolkaf, the agent in front of him definitely seemed competent and impressive, but there was something slightly lacking for an Intelligence Agency agent.
It was the fact that she openly showed her emotions and didn't seem to try to deceive people. Even during the interrogation at the spy agency, that was the case. Particularly, there was a noticeable difference in the temperature of conversations with other agents and with Ramin. Of course, this could be Ramin's strength, but not at this moment. To Ion, Ramin genuinely seemed surprised.
Ion's mind raced. Orazen was a huge city, but Ion had lived there long enough. Ion didn't live near Owadel Station and it wasn’t within his areas of activities, which was why Ramin was surprised, but he could find plenty of justifications for why he was at Owadel Station.
'...Alright, I can do this.’
Ion made the excuse, "I stopped by the Owadel library on my way to the Space Agency. I have some work to finish.”
"Ah, I see. Even on the weekend."
Before Ramin could probe further, Ion asked her a question. "And you, agent, why are you on this train…?"
"I'm also here for work. Even though it's the weekend."
"Because of Chairman Sarcho?"
“Well, yes. They’re the person in the world getting the most attention right now. Consequently, every agency the Empire can mobilize is being mobilized. The Intelligence Agency is no exception."
Ion nodded. He couldn't let his guard down yet, but he thought that Ramin could really just be riding the train.
'The problem is, since I said I was going to the Space Agency, I have to keep riding the train with her....'
He had succeeded in bringing the bag onto the train as the person claiming to be from the Power of Reality had instructed, but he didn't know what to do next. Surely, someone would approach him at the station as before, but if someone unaware of the situation approached him, Ramin could discover it.
As Ion was thinking about how to get away from Ramin, Ramin said, "By the way, I've been meaning to check on you."
"I'll visit anytime."
"No, it's not about the inquiry related to the Power of Reality as that's almost finished. It's more of a personal professional matter."
"That's a strange thing to say. A personal professional matter."
Looking out the window, Ramin said, "You had a research project you were working on when we first met, didn't you?"
"On the moon’s gravity? The possibility that the moon is heavier than we thought? It's hard to call it research. It was just a hobby-level article. When I looked for more data, the materials I found were insufficient.”
"Really?" Ramin squinted one eye. "There is no clear evidence, but there are several circumstances.”
"Go on."
"We talked about how there were many Fairies affiliated with the Power of Reality within the Space Agency, right? The important question is why those people were part of said agency rather than more important institutions."
"I think you’ve mentioned this last time. I still stand by what I said then. Secularists choose science over gods. It's not strange to see a high percentage of them there."
"That could be one way to interpret it, but there's another possibility. Are you familiar with the saying, 'The world is just a playground for the gods'?"
Ion knew it. It was a common saying among secularists, started by an unknown source. It questioned the difference between the concept of victory as valued by gods and victory on a playground.
As Ion nodded, Ramin continued, "The key point is, even though the Fairies are secularists, they are actually a species that follow the evil god. Even without religious preaching, the evil god and the Pantheon are inherently at odds. So, it's reasonable to suspect that some intentions of the Fairies would be against the Pantheon."
"You mean developing science for the Empire is helpful for the evil god? If the evil god really wanted that, wouldn't it be better to join the Black Order? Although, I know the Black Order is getting hammered somewhere deep in the ocean with nuclear bombs."
Ramin shook her head. "I didn't say the Fairies were advancing science."
"Then what?"
In a lowered voice, Ramin said, "If they are in positions to influence the development of technology, they could derail important research or lead it in worthless directions. The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency is a place where this could happen, and the Fairies within it held the positions to do so."
Caught off guard, Ion quickly replied, "But all of them were dedicated to their research."
"Things can always be like that on the surface, right?"
"I've seen their research myself."
Even as he said this, Ion thought that if Ramin questioned his ability to discern the true value of the research when he never even truly studied before, he wouldn't have much to respond. Fortunately, Ramin didn't attack his argument in that way.
"Maybe. They might have already known that their research wouldn't be much help to the Empire."
Summing up Ramin's words, Ion said, "You're suggesting the Fairies were purposely underperforming?"
"Yes."
"...Even if what you're saying is entirely correct, isn't there a problem? Such underperformance might have occurred to some degree, but proving it would be really hard. If everyone just believed their research was more valuable than the others', others would have no choice but to believe that."
“That’s why I asked you that question.”
"Pardon?"
Ramin said to Ion, "About your research on the moon’s gravity. What if Lide had approached you to interfere with your moon gravity research?"
There was a strange silence. The train was always quiet, but he came to a stunned realization at Ramin’s words, feeling slightly lightheaded.
Ramin continued, "After meeting Lide, your research hasn’t progressed much, has it? As you said, it might not have been a great study, but the perspective of a scholar who has been in that field longer would be different from yours. You were also ambushed once. The reason is still unknown, but if the purpose was to make you stop your research, it would explain it sufficiently.
“Moreover, the astrophysicist Lide introduced to you is not affiliated with the Power of Reality, but their reputation isn’t good. They’re an outcast in the academic world due to careless research, just content with maintaining their professorship… Are you listening?"
Ion lifted his head, "Oh, yes."
“I know it's not exactly what you'd want to hear."
"Yes, but...I mean..."
“I’m only telling you because it's just a suspicion and there's no concrete way to confirm it. To prove it, you'd have to diligently research and demonstrate the results, which could be beneficial to the Empire, and that's why the evil god and Fairies might have tried to stop it."
Ion sighed and asked, "Can you tell me one thing?"
"About what?"
"How is Lide doing?"
Ramin's eyes circled upwards, then settled. She seemed to be choosing her words, which made Ion's heart sink, but what she ended up saying was more hopeful than expected.
"Honestly, all the Fairies affiliated with the Power of Reality are uncooperative. We haven't gotten much information, and the investigation seems to stagnate… But you might find some comfort in this."
"Comfort?"
"It's hard to pressure them further. The world is organic. There are people who say that even the Power of Reality, or even people worse than secularists, have fundamental rights that need to be respected everywhere."
"I thought the Intelligence Agency was above such logic."
Ramin smiled with her eyes. "But still below the Pantheon."
"So the gods wish it to be so?"
"Yes. The world is still chaotic, but not as bad as a few decades ago. If there's no such enemy, there can be more leniency."
Ion thought that Ramin's honesty in showing her emotions was her weakness, but now he wasn't sure. He couldn't determine if Lide had truly deceived him, but Ramin's words and attitude seemed genuine.
Junya, who claimed to be part of the Power of Reality, spoke of a great crisis falling upon the Fairies, but there was a chance it wasn't true.
Ion said, "Um…I have something to tell you."
He revealed everything about the elder who gave him the note, the person who called themself Junya in the note, the circumstances that led him to board the train, and the bag in his hand.
Ramin appeared truly unaware.
"Uh, hold on, what did I have to do in these kinds of situations again?"
"...Should you consult your superiors? Or check the bag first?"
"Oh, right."
Ramin pointed at an Elf sitting in the train, who had been glancing their way and suddenly collapsed. Someone screamed.
"...Magic?"
"Something like that."
As Ramin gestured, the Elf was dragged across the floor as if an invisible hand was pulling them.
“I was wondering why this person had been following you.”
The Elf reached into their pocket, and a gun popped out. Everyone else in the train instinctively dropped to the floor. But before the Elf could pull the trigger, the gun flew out of their hand, spun in the air, and landed in Ramin's hand. Ramin disassembled the gun without looking at it and tossed the parts on the floor.
Ramin stepped on the Elf's chest and demanded, "Who are you?"
The Elf smirked, "It's too late. You won't be able to deal with that bomb."
Ramin and Ion exchanged glances, then looked at the bag in Ion's hand.
"A…a bomb?!"
The Elf continued, "I knew it would end like this. You'll spill everything to the Intelligence Agency."
Ramin examined the bag, listening and examining it carefully. When Ion tried to hand it over, Ramin shook her head.
"Hold onto it. It might be rigged to explode if you let go. And it seems there's a clock inside."
"If we get off at the next station..."
Ion, who was talking, clicked his tongue. This is an express train and wouldn't stop for a while.
Ramin calmly said, "The target must be Central Park."
"Where Sarcho, the Chairman, is giving a speech today?"
"Yes, they must be in the middle of it right now. Although we'll pass Central Park, it's far enough that direct damage would be difficult to cause."
"No, why would the Power of Reality target Chairman Sarcho..."
"To the public, the Power of Reality isn't known to commit acts of this magnitude, so they could blame an assassination or an attempt of it against Sarcho on the fanatical followers of the Pantheon. Plus, Sarcho isn't really closely associated with the Power of Reality. If they were to die, the Power of Reality would probably be grateful."
The Elf lying on the floor laughed. "You’re well-informed. But this train is already under control. You can't get off this train...ack!"
The moment Ramin flicked her finger, the Elf bit their tongue and passed out. Ion saw a small spark fly from the Elf's head.
"Talkative, really."
Though Ion felt better seeing the Elf who had been tailing him collapsed, the situation remained unchanged.
He asked Ramin, "W…what do we do now?"
"What can we do? If the train is under control, it won't stop at the next station, and since the bag might explode if you let go of the handle, you can't throw it out. Of course, there's a method of throwing you out with the bag, but you might release the bag in fear."
"S…should I brace myself?"
"Taking responsibility for one's actions, that's a good attitude. But the path to Central Park is all buildings. No matter what we do, there will be casualties."
Ion was relieved Ramin didn't immediately throw him out of the window but still had questions.
"Then what do we do?"
Ramin said, "In times like this...all we can do is pray."
As she actually clasped her hands and closed her eyes, Ion almost loosened his grip enough to drop the bag.
Ion didn't fully understand why secularists had increased in number. The increase was simply because the Empire had too many people to support, and miracles caused by the gods were too infrequently observed. Even so, the Empire was always under the watch of the Pantheon.
“...!”
Suddenly, an impossible whirlwind swirled inside the train, and Ion was flung out of the train.
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