J. J.
Jerry Junior.
From the moment we first met, he and I had a rather ambiguous relationship.
「Jerry.」
「…What do you want.」
「I was just suddenly curious.」
「…….」
「What are we?」
After I threw out a rare question one might ask in a budding romance, he crossed his legs and stroked the arch of his eyebrow.
A habitual action he often did when lost in thought.
When I uttered the first word that came to mind.
「Friends?」
He shook his head in denial.
「…I don’t think so. I don’t have friends. Never have.」
「Fair enough. I’ve never bothered to pick up a souvenir for you when I went somewhere nice either.」
「…….」
「But we’re not enemies.」
This time, he was the one to offer a word.
「An intermittent collaborative relationship based on a mutually complementary business model.」
…It wasn’t a word.
I scowled and chided him.
「You idiot. I know that much. I was asking what you call it.」
His scornful eyes turned to me.
「It’s a joke.」
「…….」
「…I even exaggerated it, fearing you wouldn’t understand such high-brow humor… As expected, you’re always beneath my expectations.」
「…And that’s why you don’t have any friends, you corner-dwelling hikikomori bastard.」
「…Refrain from hate speech. It is an inevitable lifestyle resulting from my racial traits.」
A moment of silence passed.
Stroking the arch of his right eyebrow again, he offered a single word.
「…A partner.」
This time, it was really a word.
「That’ll do.」
And a pretty good one, at that.
* * *
+
[QUEST: Guard the Train]
Difficulty: ☆☆☆☆☆
Client: <Guardian Cross Order>
Quest Details: Board the Guardian Train that traverses the east and west of Murim (武林) and protect the cargo.
Quest Reward: 100 Guardian Coins
+
Although Eliya showed her disapproval, I ultimately chose the quest, ‘Guard the Train’.
The moment I accepted the quest, the starting point for its execution was issued.
The coordinates for one of The Order’s chapels, located in the eastern part of the Empire, <Murim>, were provided, and I was able to teleport there immediately using the magic circle in the Lair.
After a short walk, I entered the Guardian Train station, where people were boarding the lined-up train cars one by one.
“……”
…I couldn't explain it in detail to Eliya, but my reason for choosing this quest was simpler than she thought.
‘…To think I’d be riding this again.’
This was because, at this point in my past life, this was the very quest I had chosen as my ‘first quest’.
Now, I was the top-ranked candidate of my class, a rookie Hero Candidate who had even manifested the unprecedented Trait ‘The Chosen One’ and was drawing the attention of numerous Constellations.
But back then.
Having barely made it through the Gateway Zone with my life, these were the only kinds of first quests I could choose.
Zzt— zzt—
[Ah. Ah. Can you hear me? Hero?]
“Yeah. Loud and clear.”
[The teleport… did it work without any issues?]
Another function of the medal.
A communication function with my Acolyte Priest, Eliya, who was back in the Lair.
“…Just arrived. About to board now.”
…As befitting the name Acolyte Priest, they would typically follow and assist the Hero wherever they went.
However, it wasn't as if there were no Heroes who operated alone without their Acolyte Priest.
While the role of an Acolyte Priest was essential, as long as one was sufficiently prepared, that role didn't necessarily have to be performed right by the Hero's side.
Depending on their disposition, quite a few Heroes enjoyed operating alone.
The communication function was provided in that context.
That is, while direct physical assistance would be difficult, the Acolyte Priest's role was structured to make it easier to respond in terms of knowledge or information.
[I thought it might be better for me to accompany you for your first quest… but honestly, for a quest like ‘Guard the Train’, it seems unnecessary, just as you said, Hero.]
“…I prefer it this way. Doesn’t this suit you better too?”
[Well… I am more specialized in using my head than in physical matters.]
“If it’s good, it’s good. Let’s stick to this method from now on, if possible.”
[…We’ll see. If you end up participating in a quest like a Subjugation War later, I’ll have to be by your side.]
“Well… we can think about that when the time comes. Anything I need to know beforehand? I’m planning to get some sleep on the train.”
[Hm. Just a moment.]
A brief clattering noise came through, and then, as if she had prepared some notes, Eliya began to speak.
[The Guardian Train you’ll be riding, ‘Bb-6641’, is a transversal train that crosses the empire located in the eastern part of the central continent, ‘Murim’. The Murim Empire itself has the largest territory within The Order's allied forces, excluding the central sacred territory, and since there aren't many trains that cross an entire region, it's one of the Guardian Trains with the longest routes in the alliance.]
“……”
[…The final destination is ‘Shandong’, a peninsula-shaped region at the eastern edge of Murim… About a century ago, it was the base of a unique internal Murim group called the ‘Demonic Cult’.]
“The Demonic Cult, huh.”
The appearance of a familiar term.
“Now that’s a word that piques my interest.”
[…I know what kind of expectations you might have, but it’s not as grand as you think. They were never a large group to begin with, so they were completely disbanded during Murim’s unification process 100 years ago. Now, it’s just an insignificant garrison area on the edge of the Murim front in the War against Demons.]
Pfft.
“An insignificant backwater, you say… Is that so?”
[Why?]
“…No reason, it’s just funny. It’s both subtly different from and exactly what I was thinking.”
[I don’t know what you mean, but… to add a few more words on the matter, the ‘Shandong Peninsula’ is officially under Murim’s jurisdiction, but the Murim Alliance—composed of the Central Government Office, which effectively rules Murim, and the Four Factions and One Clan—has essentially washed its hands of the region.]
“……”
[…Of course, since it’s still part of the War against Demons front, they are mindful of the military, so you can’t call it a completely ‘lawless zone’. However, due to the lack of direct management, you should assume that most illegal activities within the Murim Empire pass through here.]
“For example?”
[Well, for example… black markets that trade slaves… things like that.]
As if she was saying something she didn't want to, Eliya replied with a reluctant nuance and continued.
[…I’m telling you this just in case, but slavery is officially forbidden by The Order. However, the potential negative consequences of The Order's central authority excessively infringing on the autonomy of its member groups are greater… so they cannot intervene directly.]
…I knew it well, even without her strained excuses.
The Upper Plane was vast, inhabited by diverse beings, and home to diverse cultures.
It was only natural that a culture that had been deeply rooted for a long time would be difficult to eradicate in an instant.
No matter how much civic consciousness grew and how established the general conventions centered on The Order became, the culture of each region was bound to have inertia.
Therefore, although The Order issued a prohibition, one of the evil customs that still remained in the shadows was ‘slavery’.
The slave black markets, which primarily traded in various demi-humans centered on the beastkin, were an extension of that.
Of course, there was room for improvement.
The Elves, for example, who were once treated the same as the beastkin today simply for looking different from humans, had succeeded in protecting their race from slavery by joining The Order's allied forces and forming their own faction.
…But for the beastkin, who were divided into various groups and unable to form a proper faction, complete liberation from slavery was still a long and arduous road.
[Still, there’s nothing for you to worry about, Hero.]
“……”
[The Order’s medal carries quite a bit of power. Even in the Shandong Peninsula, which is called a semi-lawless zone, the street thugs within the territory of The Order's allied forces won't be able to touch a Hero Candidate.]
Just then, a timely announcement urging passengers to board rang out.
— The train will be departing shortly. All boarding passengers are requested to…
[Ah. You should get on now.]
“Yeah, looks like it. I’m turning off the communication for now. I’m sleepy.”
[…If anything happens, tell me right away. I’ll be over here organizing any additional information you might need to know.]
“Okay.”
I said my goodbyes to Eliya and deactivated the communication function.
Tiring!
[Commencing quest, ‘Guard the Train’.]
[Satellite Magic, Starlink system, is activating.]
[Hero Candidate, ‘Seo U-jin’, is being linked to the Starlink system.]
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', enters with a broad grin at the long-awaited link.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge'…….]
A geometric magic circle was drawn above the medal, and system messages announcing the start of the quest appeared.
Normally, only the Constellations of the jurisdiction I was in were supposed to participate in the Starlink system.
However, for Subjugation Wars, border battles, and The Order quests like this one, all Constellations were exceptionally allowed to participate.
[A majority of Constellations question the quest you have chosen.]
The reactions of the entering Constellations were as expected.
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', is puzzled by your choice.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', smacks his lips at the unexpectedly mild flavor.]
They showed their disappointment in my choice of a quest that fell short of their expectations.
[Several Constellations leave your channel.]
Some Constellations even turned their attention elsewhere, as if there was nothing more to see.
And this was before the quest had even properly begun.
…I could understand.
As Eliya had said, this was a quest of a lower ‘class’.
It wasn't a key element of the War against Demons; the probability of combat was extremely low.
It was a cliché quest, devoid of any tension, that seemed hardly worth watching.
This was probably what Eliya had been worried about. That the interest from the Constellations, which had been driving up my value since the Gateway Zone, would cool down.
But it didn't matter.
That's just what Constellations were like.
…Meaning.
They were the type to come back as soon as their interest was piqued again.
[The Constellation, 'White Snow Blue Dragon', leaves the channel, disappointed in your choice.]
[The Constellation, 'The Inverted One'…….]
Watching the Constellations leave one by one, I slowly moved my feet and boarded the very front car of the train, which was reserved for Heroes and Hero Candidates.
And there.
“Oh my.”
“……”
“The earring suits you well… Master?”
“…How about we use a more normal title.”
“Is it that strange? I meant it as in ‘master of the earring’……”
“……”
Kim Sia (Loxy), who would be carrying out the quest with me, was sitting there.
* * *
The main passengers of the Guardian Train were residents of the middle class or higher, belonging to the Order's allied forces in the Upper Plane.
Of course, the train was originally created for The Order’s Heroes traveling to and from the War against Demons, but Heroes didn’t actually account for a large portion of its use.
The reason was simple.
Most Heroes, once they settled in a region through an exclusive contract, didn't have much reason to move around.
And even if they did need to travel, by the time they were officially ordained as Heroes, they would have already arranged for personal means of transportation.
As a result, the Guardian Train's main functions were as a means of transport for middle-class residents and for transporting war supplies.
Therefore.
Thud—
“…There are fewer people than I thought. Is it always like this?”
“I don’t know. Don’t ask me.”
“…Well, I suppose this is better. It’s better than it being noisy.”
Loxy and I were the only customers in the car we entered.
— The train is departing. The train is departing. Passengers inside the cabins are requested to…
Not long after we sat down, the train’s departure announcement was heard.
Whirrr—
Soon, the deep darkness outside the window swept by, and with a gentle sense of floating, the train began to move.
As it departed, Loxy turned her head to look out the window.
For some reason, a pleasant smile was on her face.
Humm~♬
“…What are you so happy about?”
“It’s my first time. A train trip.”
“……”
“And a nighttime escape with someone like you, at that. How could I not be thrilled?”
[The Constellation, 'An Immortal More Human than Anyone', reads the strange atmosphere between the two.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', smells something unusual.]
“…Putting everything else aside, I really don’t think ‘escape’ is the right word.”
Shrug—
“But you can’t exactly call it a ‘nighttime quest’, can you? So unromantic.”
“…Quiet down. It’s time, so just do what you have to do.”
Her eyes widened into circles.
“…Already? We just left.”
“What’s the point in dragging it out? We don’t have time.”
“No, I mean……”
She looked like she was about to argue but let out a deep sigh instead. She then lifted her head and met my eyes.
And then.
Ssk—
She slowly reached out her left hand and wrapped it around the back of my neck.
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', blinks his eyes at the unexpected development.]
[The Constellation, 'An Immortal More Human than Anyone', grins broadly, confirming that their intuition was correct.]
[The Constellation, 'Successor of the Divine Tree', points out that meeting the parents should come first, correcting the order of their progress.]
Her face drew closer and closer as she slowly pulled my neck towards her.
“……”
With that, the conversation between us stopped.
The train car fell silent.
The flood of messages from the Constellations vanished.
Just as the clattering sound of the train crossing the gaps in the tracks was the only thing that could be heard.
“…Do we really have to go this far?”
“…Weren’t you the one who told me to do it well so the Constellations wouldn’t notice?”
“That’s true. It’s just… I’m not a fan of the genre.”
Shrug—
“Romance is all I’ve ever done.”
“……”
When she finally pulled back, my Meritless Medal was clutched in her right hand.
Zzt— zzzzt—
A purple crack, never before seen, had appeared on the geometric magic circle drawn on the Meritless Medal.
[Warning! An unknown error has occurred.]
[Satellite Magic, Starlink, has been temporarily deactivated.]
The Demonic Singularity.
The unique mana of the Demonic Species, which causes errors in the system, had flowed into the satellite magic engraved on the medal.
It was what I had instructed Loxy to do in advance.
There was something I had to finish on this train, hidden from the eyes of the Constellations.
“…I can’t do it for long. It’ll be noticeable… and I can’t keep my hand on it forever.”
“About how long do I have?”
“Hmm… about. 20 minutes?”
Grin—
“That’s more than enough.”
Hearing her answer, I immediately got up from my seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To take care of some business.”
Thud— thud—
I gave Loxy a vague answer and left the car.
Leaving the front car reserved for Hero Candidates, I headed towards the rear cars meant for non-Hero residents.
…Because that was where my real business was.
Screech—
I opened the partition door and checked inside the cabin.
— …….
— What’s he staring at…?
Many people were seated, but the person I was looking for wasn't there.
Thud— thud—
I passed through another car to the one behind it.
Screech—
Again, the person I was looking for wasn't there.
I passed through one more car to the one behind it.
Screech—
This cabin was empty.
“……”
…Except for one man sitting at the far end of the carriage.
That is to say.
Someone I hadn't seen in a very long time.
“It’s been a while.”
Neither a friend nor a colleague.
“…Partner.”
…Except for one man with a very familiar face.