This time, two men in seats opposite the previous pair noticed me. They were surprised at the sight of just my head coming down from the top of the window and screamed in the same manner.
I raised my head back up to the roof again.
Crawling forward, then waiting to hear the roar from the cab engine, I looked through the window on the opposite side again.
Like before, the large man didnât notice me, but the other passengers did.
Each time a passenger spoke out, the man moved over to them.
Once back on the roof, I tried to sort out the situation using the information I had gathered.
The large man shouted stubbornly but didnât seem to put his hands on any of the passengerâs things. He didnât seem to be just taking things. In the first place, someone who could get their hands on an explosive magic stone wasnât the type to hijack a train in order to steal.
He, or his employer, was quite rich.
I looked through the window to assess the situation again.
Just at that moment, a crew member entered the second-class car to check why I had yet to return.
Immediately sensing danger in the air upon entering the car, he eyed the large man.
Mumbling something, his face turned completely blue and he rushed back to the driverâs cab.
I moved along the roof past the first-class car and then to the driverâs cab, knocking on the side window.
Surprised, the conductor fumbled and released his magic stone.
Immediately realizing it was me, he opened the window.
I jumped into the driverâs seat through the window just as the blue-faced crew came in from the first-class car.
âWhatâs the situation?â
The driver was confused by my question, but the crewmember understood after a moment.
âA manâs holding the second-class car hostage with an explosive magic stone. 78 hostages have been taken. â
âWhat are his demands? â
âWell, the thing is ⊠He wasnât aware that Master Kururi was riding, so he wants us to keep the trains running for now. The ultimate demand is for us to hand over Master Kururi. He thinks youâre still at the first station. Oh, that and money to escape.â
âHis goal is my life?â
I wasnât about to give up my life so easily! What a joke.
âYes, apparently he seems to hold a very strong grudge against Kururi.â
âDid I do something to anger him. Whatâs his name? Did you hear it? â
âYes, apparently heâs a nobleman by the name of Brau Dartanal.â
Brau DartanalâŠ
Iâd heard that name. Also, that feeling of dejaâvu I had after seeing his face⊠I see.
He looked just like Freigen, who was restarting his new life on a ranch now. Freigenâs father, Brau Dartanal, was the head of the Dartanal family. He had aimed to overthrow the nation.
Freigen said his father had escaped, but to think he would have come here.
His son originally thought so, but apparently his father seemed to believe everything was my fault too. What a conceited man. Shelving his own sins and going after me in anger.
I was going to take him down.
âIâll figure out something. Hey, we have it right? The reserve.â
âHuh? Oh, you mean the magic stone?â
âYes. I also want a spare circuit to conduct the power of the magic stone.â
The driver took out the spare magic stone and a circuit as requested.
I attached the circuit to the main magic stone and then began to lay the circuit out on the floor.
I opened the door and extended the circuit into the first-class car.
With the help of the driver and the crew member, the circuit was extended all the way to the front of the second-class car.
Wondering what was happening, the first-class passengers watched.
When I reached the rear of the cabin, I looked at the girl who sat with the old lady.
âHowâre you enjoying the magic train?â
âYeah, itâs fun just like my grandpa said!â
âItâs going to get a lot faster soon, are you afraid?â
âI like fast!â
âOkay.â
I smiled, laughing.
âI want everyone to listen.â
I called out to the first-class passengers in a normal voice to avoid alerting those in the second-class car.
âWe have a bear in second-class, so weâll be taking care of it now.â
âA bear? Huh⊠A real bear?â
The passengers were puzzled by my words.
âSoon, the magic train will speed up a fair bit, so will you be able to hold on to your seats real tight?â
âAll right!â
The passengers seemed to hesitate, but everyone followed quietly after hearing the eager voice of the little girl.
Once the passengers were ready, I climbed onto the roof through the window again.
Strangely, people began to cheer.
I was getting used to moving across the roof of the cars. I knocked on the window of the third-class car.
The couple I talked to previously opened the window.
âIs it standard for the crew to enter the cabins through the windows?â
âOf course!â
I explained to everyone in the same manner as I had the first-class car and asked everyone to cling firmly to their seats. Perhaps the free meal from earlier influenced them, because the seemingly restless youth listened readily.
I climbed back onto the roof and returned to the first-class car. I jumped through the window and cheers erupted again. They were nice cheers.
I told the passengers the plan was going to be carried out shortly, reminding them that they needed to hold on tight.
I grabbed the end of the magic circuit that extended to the front of the second-class car and joined it to the spare magic stone.
âNo way, Master Kururi⊠You arenât going toâŠ?â
As Iâd expect of the driver.
He clearly knew what I was about to do. His face turned blue, like the crewmember from before.
âThe crew better hold on tight too.â
They rushed back to the cab.
I, on the other hand, opened the second-class door with a smile.