Chapter 85. Dissonance (3)
Before Rinne could notice, I swiftly exited the cabin and started tailing Felkhor.
It wasn't particularly surprising to find him on the train.
With his rough face and enormous stature, even if he was a member of the Dawn Society, he might just be here to enjoy a picnic.
Plenty of reasons to think so, had it not been for the presence of the 4th Prince on this train, enough to keep anyone from buying that excuse.
Would anyone really buy that?
That's doubtful.
But really, could this all just be a coincidence?
"Surely I'm not that much of a fool, that's why I'm chasing after him like this."
*Haaa,* speaking to myself in Formal Speech. I was used to it by now, yet it was still annoying.
As I continued following Felkhor, there wasn't anything particularly strange about his actions, save for when he occasionally stopped to glance around.
'What is he looking for?'
His behavior wasn't suspicious enough to draw suspicion, but given his affiliation with the Dawn Society, I had no choice but to diligently observe his every move.
'Please, just tell me you're here for a picnic. Please don't cause any trouble.'
Eventually, at the place where he halted, I recognized something familiar.
It was the area where the train's power source resided and where the Resonance Stones that suppress demons were installed.
Felkhor, after looking around once more, began fiddling with the Resonance Stone case with his large hands.
Before he could do anything further,
Bang──!
"Keh, keeeeek!"
Approaching him rapidly, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pushed him against the wall.
"Wh-who... Who are you!?"
"Please remain silent."
Though he struggled, I subdued him from behind and pressed my strength down upon him, rendering him immobile.
He might have been large, but Yulian was stronger.
"Y-Yulian!?"
Possibly due to familiarity with situations like this, he soon recognized me.
Worried he might say something he shouldn't, I surveyed our surroundings first.
Luckily, since we weren't in a cabin but at a connection point between train cars, I didn't sense any other presence.
"Monsignor Felkhor, why are you here?"
Trying to mask my accusatory tone, Felkhor's body began to tremble.
"Why should I tell you..."
"Speak quickly. I find this situation deeply unsatisfying, and I might act against my better judgment."
As I increased the pressure of my grip, Felkhor's complexion began to pale with fear.
Fearing his bones might break, he eventually blurted out in haste.
"I came on Sir Aiden's orders!"
"Aiden?"
"Yes! I was ordered to board this train and remove the Resonance Stones..."
The mention of the familiar name caused me to inadvertently strengthen my grip.
"Keck! I'm confessing, am I not?!"
Though he complained briefly, I ignored him. He too was on the list of those I'd eventually have to deal with.
"To remove the Resonance Stones, and nothing else?"
"I can't say any more..."
*Crack*──!
Increasing the pressure on my arm, the lamenting wail of bones became audible.
"Th-that's it! That's all! There were no other orders apart from removing the Resonance Stones..."
To prevent his arm from breaking, Felkhor desperately continued speaking, but something still felt awry.
"Are you aware that the 4th Prince of the Empire is on board?"
On hearing my words, rather predictably, Felkhor's complexion darkened.
"A-a r-royalty is here?"
His expression and tone suggested complete ignorance. Should he be caught and charged with treason or regicide against the royals, he might lose his head.
Especially with the Empire's loyal hound, 'Blind Eyes' Yulian, right here.
The Dawn Society would probably feel at ease owing to my presence, yet—
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
A piercing scream suddenly echoed through the train.
It was barely audible without concentration, but Yulian's ears detected it effortlessly.
And the sinister energy that followed awakened the discomfort within me to an even greater degree.
"... Demonic energy?"
The presence of demonic energy within the train was undeniable.
***
Most safety rules are written in blood.
No matter how often you scream for caution and distribute preventive measures, you don't truly understand until you've experienced it firsthand; because it hasn't happened yet.
This train traversing the Empire was no exception. After a trial run without significant issues, it went into operation.
The process clearly focused only on external demons.
Imagining the unimaginable—what if a demon appeared inside the train?
'... It's a moving coffin.'
As depicted in the game, "Resonance Train" wasn't hypothetically vulnerable to such disturbances.
After a certain 'incident', the railroad company operated by the Magic Tower took special measures to prevent a repeat, adding more Resonance Stones and deploying guards.
However, that "incident" doesn't exist within the current storyline.
'The Black Knight destroys the finial releasing the demon on the train.'
The absence of something expected heightened the awareness of possible dangers within the train, starting now.
"What's happening...?"
Felkhor appeared to sense an abnormality; his anxious expression made it evident.
As a former member of the Holy Lion Knights and a Monsignor, he must have sensed the faint demonic energy.
"A d-demon?"
"Yes. It seems demons have emerged inside the train, orchestrated by 'someone'."
"How could...?!"
Why ask me? I assumed you did it, but apparently not?
"A dangerous situation indeed. If demons rampage within and derail the train, it would be a disaster, especially with royalty on board."
To stress the risk of the situation, I voiced my concern, giving Felkhor a keen look once more.
"Besides removing the Resonance Stones, were there any other orders?"
"Truly, that's all I knew! D-damn it... if I knew it'd turn out like this, I wouldn't have followed Aiden's words..."
Ignoring Felkhor's futile complaints, I employed Mana Detection to trace the demonic energy, when a familiar voice resonated from behind.
"What is happening here!?"
With a voice laced with tension, it was Rinne. As a disciple of the Sword Saint, she would keenly sense demonic energy.
"Sir Yulian, the atmosphere on the train feels unsettling... Who is this man!?"
Scanning the surroundings, she widened her eyes on seeing Felkhor subdued and turned her gaze toward me. Anyone could see I had caught a culprit.
"That wretched woman... Isn't she the Sword Saint's disciple!? Yulian, let's forget the past and quickly inform the Daw— Aargh!?"
*Crack*──!
This time, I applied more pressure to the neck area.
Using such force quickly rendered him unconscious, the fight leaving his body in an instant.
What a shock.
What was he about to utter?
"What are you doing right now? He's passed out!"
"Lady Rinne, aren't you aware of the demonic energy within the train?"
"Yes? Oh, yes."
"He was behaving suspiciously beyond reason. Thus, I subdued him."
Glancing at the fallen man, I smiled slightly.
Projecting a 'just a routine measure' nuance alleviated the probing tension from Rinne, albeit her suspicion-laden squinting eyes remained unfazed.
"Take a good look at this face."
I lifted Felkhor's saggy face for Rinne to examine.
If she doesn't believe it, I'll have to make her see.
With the moniker "Strong Arm" and years of martial training etched on his face.
"Doesn't he seem far removed from an ordinary civilian at just a glance?"
"... That's true."
"Surely he's a fellow who was dismissed from a knight order for dishonorable reasons, resorting to every dirty deed under the sun. He's linked to the current crisis, no doubt."
"Quite detailed there."
It couldn't be helped; it was his own story.
"For now, we should restrain this man and head to where the noise came from. Prince Eulsis's cabin is nearby, after all."
Switching the conversation to divert attention, I left Felkhor discarded there and rose to my feet.
"Could it be that the recent events on the train are the work of the Dawn Society?"
It was a necessary question from Rinne, considering she was also seeking the Dawn Society.
"It might be, or it might not."
Giving a definitive answer would only raise more suspicions, so I kept it vague.
Besides, it was the truth.
Whether it was Tenelon's suspicions that prompted this situation or an independent move by Aiden was still undetermined.
For the moment, I moved hastily.
At least, it wasn't aimed at targeting me. Tenelon and Aiden weren't foolish enough to think they could target me with mere demons.
That left the target.
'The 4th Prince, Eulsis.'
I had to thwart them, to keep the fact that I'm with the Dawn Society concealed.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
As I began moving, Rinne quickly followed.
"The presence we feel on the train—is it demons?"
"It seems that someone doesn't feel comfortable with me guarding the Prince. There certainly was no need for such a warm welcome."
Though the truth loomed in my mind, speaking it wasn't an option.
The real Yulian wouldn't explain everything in detail.
Fortunately, Rinne was insightful enough to discern a likely scenario.
'They're using counterfeit demon horns....'
Nodding slightly in realization, Rinne commented.
"It's feasible. By using those, ordinary people can become demons. It's unfortunate, though; I wanted to know who orchestrated this."
As I maintained my smile, Rinne clicked her tongue.
Handling those horns means eluding the Resonance Stones' inspection and boarding the train unnoticed. The perpetrator surely is on the inside.
She replaced bewilderment with confidence, her curiosity temporarily sated by her intuition.
"I'll have to show just how sharp the fangs of a hunting dog can be."
Replying with a voice full of self-assurance, I secretly thought,
'Damn, what a pain!'
Why were they set on tormenting me this way?
Leaning against the corridor's door, I peered through the window to gauge the scene inside.
Readying myself for any unforeseen danger.
Though I had confidently reassured Rinne, my priority wasn't the train passengers but Prince Eulsis's safety. Why? Because if anything happened to the prince under my protection...
I'd be absolutely screwed.
Swinging open the door to the general seating cabin, I swiftly proceeded to the next carriage.
"It's Blind Eyes."
"Sir Yulian..."
The urgency painted on the train staff's faces and the passengers uneasy by the occasional train jolts revealed their alarm.
They seemed to have caught onto the anomaly occurring within the train to some extent.
Yet witnessing me passing by recalibrated their anxiety into gazes of reverence.
'With him....'
'We're saved.'
It was an odd spectacle to see people reassured in the presence of Yulian, a person known for his unsavory character yet unmatched skill.
Passing by them, I continued toward the VIP cabin where Eulsis stayed.
"Sir, Sir Yulian!"
One passenger suddenly rose, uncertainty surrounding him, approached me.
"Surely, Sir Yulian, you're not here to..."
Whirl──! Thud!
The guy's neck was in my grip, and just as swiftly, he was slammed against the ground, losing consciousness without uttering a word.
"W-what was that!?"
Rinne's startled cry broke out at my abrupt act.
"This man is a member of the Dawn Society."
My hands were still reeking of humor when I responded to her.
'Geez, gave me a scare.'
Thinking back, it was obvious. The meticulous Aiden wouldn't just send Felkhor alone.
Even so, was that any reason to greet me so joyously, you idiot?
"... Is this true?"
"Check his pockets, and you'll find a cult badge."
High-ranking and certified members like Monsignors don't carry cult badges, but a grunt involved in such dangerous work needs to have one.
They're complete strangers to one another, after all.
Rummaging through the man's clothes, Rinne found something and held it up.
"T-there's genuinely a serpent-shaped badge...."
Ignoring Rinne's mutterings, I swiftly moved to the next compartment.
On the way to Eulsis's cabin, the number of cultists onboard remained uncertain.
Swift passage would deter their recognition, better be quick──.
"Sir Yulian! Are you here to help with our ma—!"
Whirl──.
Thud!
Damn it!
Just how many were sent?
***
Moving through the tumultuous train toward Eulsis's cabin, Rinne couldn't help but utter mildly astonished words to herself.
'How... How is he identifying them?'
She was fairly confident in her ability to sniff out the Dawn Society.
With extensive investigations and experiences, alongside the Sword Saint, she'd become quite seasoned.
However, that only applied when mutual "communication" took place.
The posture towards opposing factions.
The reaction upon mentioning 'Dawn Society'.
The choice of words regarding the royal family or the Demon God.
Her assessment derived from 'communication', allowing her to 'speculate', not 'confirm', an associate of the Dawn Society.
'Isn't this just common logic?'
It seemed evident, possessing a foundation of natural thought.
Yet Yulian uncovered their affiliation with the Dawn Society without a hint of dialogue, immediately subduing them.
'He too bears it....'
Seeing another badge emerging from the fallen man's clothes, Rinne pondered while gaping at Yulian's back retaking another step forward.
'Just how many times has he been up against the Dawn Society?'
What immense hatred did he harbor to execute it so ruthlessly?
"Astoundingly many pests; we must quickly check on Prince Eulsis's condition."
So heavily driven by his mission, it was unlike the man he was earlier.
Unlike her past misguided vengeful self after witnessing Alphas at Bayer Academy, Yulian handled this situation professionally, as knights should.
"Yes."
Rinne gave a brisk response, concealing the slight tinge of shame flickering within.
Shrinking ever so slightly,
'That back seems so reassuring today....'
Shaking her head to dispel the frivolous thought, she looked at Yulian standing before the last door.
Without opening it, she can clearly sense it.
'There's a demon in there....'
Thunk.
Yulian acted swifter than her thoughts could capture.
The pervasive sinister energy overwhelmed her.
"Urgh..."
The unpleasant pricking on her skin refrains explanation.
No need for an identity check.
For only a "demon" emits such a presence.
Clacky's Corner:
The misunderstanding trope is good if executed well.