Chapter 5

C5: Cold Steel

I saw the sight of knights in pure white armor running on the snow and jumping on the train one by one. They are powerful enough to catch up with a running horse on two legs and crush rocks with their leg strength.

They were the knights in charge of the most rugged section of the Exilion Empire.

"Aaaah!"

"The Empire's Border Guard! Everyone run away!"

"Help me!"

The terrorist's screams echoed everywhere, they stood no chance against the border guards.

* * *

'Is it over?'

The Cold Steel Knights under the Border Guard Corps.

It may not seem like a big deal just by hearing the name, but as it is made up of those who work in this rugged and cold Arete Mountains, meaning that every member is an elite.

I returned to room 403, which was still intact and stumped in my seat. The inside of the train was full of cuts and marks that remained from the fierce battle.

Fortunately, a defensive magic circle was engraved on them; if it had been an ordinary train, it would have already derailed and fell down the cliff.

"We have subjugated all the thieves, so please rest assured. The train will arrive soon, so please wait for a while."

Knights were seen walking around the inside of the train, calming the survivors. In fact, even if they were survivors, they were all first-class people who were protected in the safest place.

It was hard to find survivors except for the 1st cabin, everyone else was practically annihilated.

It was unfortunate even considering the small number of people on the train.

'I'm glad they got rid of all the terrorists though.'

All those who attacked the train were killed by the knights. For bringing so many wizards, it was truly a vain result.

'Ah. I'm the one who killed the wizards.'

Now is not the time for me to worry about that.

Soon the train will arrive at its destination. As it passed the mountain range covered in pure white snow, fresh vegetation began to appear sporadically. The icy mountain range disappeared and was replaced by a wide plain.

What was visible beyond the horizon was Leathervelk, one of the major cities of the Exilion Empire.

'Big.'

Even though it is far away, the majesty of the city is enough to be seen at a glance. Buildings soaring high like towers towards the sky, factory chimneys constantly spewing white smoke and even large flying boats fluttering among the clouds dyed with light.

Mechanical boats made of windmills and brass are lined up above the river that runs through the city, and steamships move quickly between them.

Magical engineering created by combining advanced mechanical engineering with magic. The civilization it has achieved is very similar to the so-called 'Steam Punk'.

'Now that I'm here, it's not really surprising.'

Still, I couldn't erase the strange feeling that the sense of disparity created by the memories of my previous life disappeared.

I died in an accident in my previous life, and when I woke up, I was shocked to find out that I was reborn as a baby in this world but that was already 27 years ago.

The years have gone by so quickly.

This world is a unique world of the Victorian era and what is commonly called the Belle Époque, where magic, sub-races and monsters exist.

I don't know if it's because I've entered the world of a game or a novel I liked......This is a different world that doesn't even exist in my memory, literally without any connection.

"Are you okay?"

Someone spoke to me as I sat still and stared at the approaching destination. When I turned my head, I noticed neat black hair at the entrance to the half-broken room. Was it the woman who saved me?

She was looking at this with worried eyes.

"Was it possible that some kind of harm was done to you by the terrorists a while ago?"

I immediately shook my head.

"No. Thanks to the knights' help nothing happened to me. I was just thinking about something."

"Ah. If so, I'm glad."

It was like a rose blossomed when she smiled.

She was quite a beauty, pure white skin and white armor without blemishes. Contrasting black hair further accentuated her strong image. She is a good person with no ambiguity in her personality. Otherwise she wouldn't have been worried for someone like me.

Being a member of the Cold Steel Knights at such a young age means she is a genius. I felt like I was living in a different world.

"My name is Veronica Deville. What about you?"

Deville.

I've heard of it. It's said to be a prestigious company that produced many famous knights in the empire.

"I am......"

Paaaaang—!!!

As I was about to say my name, the train blew his horn to signal its arrival.

I shut my mouth, and Veronica turned her head to look outside.

"We have finally arrived at Leathervelk."

The train, which slowed down slowly, came to a complete stop at the train station.

The station seen through the window was crowded with people. It seems that people had come to take a look after hearing the news that the train had been attacked. When they saw the appearance of the broken train, they started talking among themselves.

The police stepped forward and built a wall to prevent people from approaching, and there were also reporters trying to get a scoop through the cracks.

Like a big city, Leathervelk was crowded from the start.

"There are so many people. It seems that the news has already spread."

"It doesn't matter."

Because it has nothing to do with me anyway.

If there is one thing I regret now, it's that this train, which was originally supposed to go to the capital, had to stop at Leathervelk due to the attack. However, there was no way to get a refund for the tickets I had already paid, so I had no choice but to get off here.

Swoosh.

At that moment, the closed door swung open and police officers in uniform rushed in.

What happened all of a sudden?

"Passengers, please do not leave and wait in your seat. I have something to check."

"What is this?"

When Veronica asked, one of the cops asked.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Veronica from the Cold Steel Knights. I'd like to ask how the hell this happened."

"Ah, you were a Knight of the Cold Steel Knights. Nice to meet you, I am Officer Remlus from the Leathervelk Metropolitan Police Agency."

"Yes, Officer Remlus, nice to meet you. So what is this?"

"I heard the train was attacked in the Arete mountains."

"Yes, that is correct. We took care of all the raiders."

"Thank you for your hard work but there's something suspicious in the report we received."

"Suspicious"

At those words, I became anxious, but then something caught my eye.

"Even though there were wizards among the raiders, there was no way that a magic train protected by magic would be so easily attacked."

"Yes."

"It is clear that there was someone from the inside involved as well."

"That..."

Veronica's eyes widened in surprise but she nodded her head and agreed with the officer's words.

His assumption was correct, I actually ran into a guy who disguised himself as a train employee and dispelled the magical veil from the inside. It made it easy for the terrorists to get into the train, and the passengers inside were killed.

"Some of the survivors might be working with the terrorists so we're just trying to verify their identities. Don't worry too much. Those whose identities have been verified will be sent back immediately."

"I see."

Veronica said and looked back at this side with a smile. Her smile was full of relief, but a cold sweat ran down my back.

They're verifying identities but my mask is gone. I gently stroked my face with my fingertips.

'This is a big deal...!'

I was on this train as a wealthy merchant in his mid-40s named Gerard. Naturally, a person named Gerard would be listed on the list of passengers. That's fine, but the problem is my face right now.

How can this face without a beard or wrinkles belong to someone in their mid-forties?

'... What should I do?'

I did not lead the terrorist attack and I was a passenger who was unfairly involved, but I couldn't be proud of it either.

Gerard is a fake identity to hide my identity and fake identity is a felony in any country.

If I'm lucky enough I might be hanged, but there's a high possibility that I would be subjected to severe torture since I'm suspected of terrorism. If I was a normal person there would be no need to change my identity.

Should I run away?

'No.'

Now, there are Cold Steel Knights on this train, and even the Imperial soldiers are spread outside the train just in case. The moment I try to run away from here, I'll be dead in less than a minute.

Running away is the worst option. But if I stand still, my identity will be revealed.

I tried not to show my anxiety.

Meanwhile, the police brought documents and were trying to compare them with the people in the train.

I was asked.

"In what room were you staying?"

"Number 403, here's my ticket."

I calmly took out a train ticket from my inner pocket and showed it to the officer. After confirming that the ticket was not a fake, he shuffled through the documents immediately.

..."403, here it is. Two guests stayed in the room. Rudger Chelici, a man in his mid 20's and Gerard, a man in his 40s."

Then he lifts his head and glances at me. It was like asking why you are alone when there are two of you.

"Why are you alone?"

"Gerard was swept away by an explosion during and fell down a remote cliff in the Arete Mountains."

He fell down the cliff of that rugged mountain range, so even his body would not be found.

My words made the police even more suspicious. I clenched my fists, and desperately kept my expressionless face.

If I go on like this I'll be caught. But that doesn't mean there's no way out of this situation.

'Escape? It's impossible in the first place.'

And another problem is Veronica, the woman with a fluttering white cloak in front of me. She is the woman who, not long ago, had split in half a terrorist.

She had no hesitation in killing people.

She's smiling at me now, but when it turns out that I'm suspicious, she'll be the first to draw her sword. Considering her ability to join the Cold Steel Knights at a young age, she must be much more intimidating than the police outside the train.

All sorts of thoughts were swirling around in my head.

Veronica, who had been silently watching the situation, stepped forward.

"Wait. He was not a suspect in the first place."

"Yes?"

"Because he was fighting terrorists before our Cold Steel Knights arrived. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Did you fight?"

The officer mumbled in disbelief and looked over the list again. Then he nodded his head as if he had understood something, and looked back at me with a changed face.

"Then it means that Mr. Rudger Chelici is alive, and Mr. Gerard died in the explosion."

...uh?

No wait. What now?

The face of the officer, who was checking the list more closely, was astonished.

"Huh? You are a new teacher who has been assigned to the Theon Academy?!"

"Theon teacher? Really?"

At the cry of Officer Remlus, Veronica also widened her eyes.

Watching the two people's reactions, like a scene from a comedy, I realized how things were going. It was really unbelievable, but......They believed I was Rudger. It was so sudden, but I made a quick decision.

I immediately regained my composure and nodded.

"Yes. That's right."

I picked up the suitcase that Rudger had dropped before he died. It was a good idea to have it ready in advance, just in case.

"I am Rudger Chelici."