Clang, clang.

The noise of the train moving filled the air. Unlike the highly developed trains of the modern world I was used to, this one shook violently, and the noise was so loud that it was almost painful, causing a ringing in my ears.

"I think trains are truly wonderful," said White Mask.

"…What do you mean, White M—"

"Master."

"…Master."

I responded somewhat half-heartedly, sensing that the atmosphere would turn icy if I didn't play along.

I couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with that title. Wasn’t he one of the people who despised me the most when he first heard about my crimes?

Why was he suddenly acting so chummy?

My plan to rest a bit more and then visit the blacksmith with Muyun was utterly shattered, leaving me feeling restless.

"Isn't it an incredible mode of transportation? Unlike a horse, it doesn’t have a mind of its own. As long as you provide the proper fuel, it will perform as expected. It only moves along the tracks laid for it, so there are no variables. Truly a fascinating invention."

White Mask suddenly launched into a passionate lecture, and I felt like I was going to lose consciousness.

The content of his words, the excitement in his voice as he spoke—it all made me realize one thing.

This guy is a classic train enthusiast!

I once read that train enthusiasts were considered one of the three most annoying types of fans, often causing trouble for others, and now, here was one right in front of me!

"Ah, I see."

"Your response is lukewarm. Those who don't appreciate the charm of trains are missing out on half of their life."

I wasn’t sure it was that serious.

But why was Muyun so quiet…?

"…How did it come to this, how did it come to this…."

I looked over and saw her muttering to herself in a dazed state, her expression oddly distorted.

Every time we brushed against each other, she seemed to go pale.

…I didn’t know what she was thinking, but it seemed better for her mental health if I just left her alone.

"By the way."

There’s a saying, “If your superior says jump, you jump,” but at the very least, shouldn’t we know where we’re going?

With that in mind, I spoke in a slightly more serious tone.

"Where exactly are we headed?"

"I told you, Goldmouth."

"…Could you be a bit more specific?"

"You’ll find out when we get there. Just wait a little longer. We’re almost there."

Despite everything, the train was indeed a fast mode of transportation. The speed was decent, especially compared to all the walking I had been doing recently.

Well, I’m good at waiting.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, this train…."

But I’m not good at listening to things I don’t want to hear.

Seriously, what’s the point, you geek?

By the time my head was spinning from what was almost a brainwashing session, the train finally began to slow down, eventually stopping at a station that was quite well-maintained.

"Chh, we’ve arrived already. Let’s get off."

Seeing White Mask, who seemed disappointed as if he still had more to say about trains, I decided that I should avoid any more train-related discussions with him in the future. I’m generally accepting of various hobbies, but this was too much.

"Master, I have a question."

"Well, we have some time, so I suppose we can have a Q&A session."

White Mask, who had started to stand, sat back down and faced me.

As I looked at his blank, expressionless mask, I got the impression that he was becoming a bit more serious.

"Did you really think I would ask about trains…?"

"No."

"Tch."

I wondered if this was a type of mental illness.

He cleared his throat and tried to regain the atmosphere.

"This might be a sensitive question, but I’m curious why you suddenly decided to accept me as your disciple and subordinate."

As I said earlier, White Mask had shown clear disgust towards me when we were in the underground prison.

It would be too unsettling to not ask about this.

After all, who knows?

He might just bury me in the Snowy Mountains after I’ve grown a bit stronger.

Without knowing exactly how strong she is, I could end up making things worse by trying to confront an Outsider.

Sensing the somber mood, Muyun looked a bit downcast, tapping her fingers nervously.

"Is that what you were curious about?"

White Mask fell silent after hearing my question.

Was he trying to decide how to answer?

I quietly waited for his response, and a heavy silence settled around us.

Fortunately, it didn’t last long. White Mask raised his head.

"Muyun, you were with him when you went to defeat the Gardener, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then I suppose I can speak freely."

White Mask’s tone became firm and resolute.

"You can summon Outsiders, can’t you?"

His sudden, shocking accusation left my mouth hanging open, and my mind went blank.

…What?

How did he know that?

I never told anyone.

"…You look surprised. Don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone else."

I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but it seemed that White Mask was trying to calm me down.

But even so, this was an incredibly unsettling revelation.

"…Summon Outsiders, you say?"

"You didn’t actually defeat the Gardener, did you?"

Muyun’s body trembled violently at his words.

My heart started pounding as if it was about to explode. How could he know all this…?

But White Mask continued speaking calmly, as if he were discussing something trivial, even crossing his legs in a relaxed manner.

"Oh, if the Vice Commander had received the report, he might not have noticed. But I could tell. The Gardener’s leaves are a teal green from the rose, not that faded color."

White Mask sounded confident as he spoke.

So that’s why he kept glancing back and forth between me and the leaves back then.

Did he think I had falsely reported killing the Gardener?

"The decisive factor was the Hearth Rift incident. Having fought Outsiders myself, I know that they don’t try to breach the Hearth’s power without a purpose.

Doing so would only waste their energy. Considering the Watcher’s actions as I understand them, it’s even less likely."

As White Mask spoke, he leaned in close to my face.

Hidden behind the mask, I couldn’t predict what expression he was making.

The gentle breathing I heard gave no clues as to what he might be feeling.

"So, what’s your answer?"

"…What kind of answer are you expecting?"

"No matter what you say, my judgment won’t change. If you say no, your courage and strength in facing the Watcher alone are enough to make you worthy of being my disciple. If you say yes, I might give you some more useful information."

Is this a trap?

Or is he being sincere?

My suspicions about the Knights hadn’t fully disappeared, so I had no idea what the correct answer was.

Suddenly, White Mask pulled out a stick from somewhere and tapped my pants pocket twice.

"Ouch!"

A sharp pain made me flinch, and whatever it was fell out of my pocket.

A party horn, originally a horn.

Muyun’s eyes widened as she saw what had dropped.

"Th-That’s a horn…!"

"Hmm, I see. So you got it from the armory, did you?"

White Mask chuckled meaningfully.

"It’s originally a weapon that causes the user’s head to explode when blown. I guess you used it to summon the Outsider?"

"…!"

The atmosphere felt overwhelmingly serious, and my adrenaline kicked in, making my mind race.

What exactly is White Mask after?

Why, knowing all this, does he want to train me instead of executing me?

White Mask placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke.

"This is a serious violation of military law, but from what I’ve observed so far, it doesn’t seem like you were trying to destroy Rondan. So, I reconsidered your charges."

"…?"

"As you may know from the Princess, it’s not impossible to have relations with an Outsider. However, it’s not an easy thing to do."

White Mask spoke in a hushed voice, as if the Princess’s involvement was top secret, making sure Muyun couldn’t hear.

"Your body may be weak, but you have an extraordinary resistance to Outsiders, enough to use the horn, don’t you?"

"…"

White Mask seemed to take my silence as confirmation, nodding in understanding.

"So, you didn’t give yourself up to the Outsider just to oppose it?"

…What?

I couldn’t follow the sudden turn in the conversation, and I stared blankly at White Mask, who let out a satisfied laugh.

"I looked into your past. We manage most of the personnel records in each city."

Was he talking about Leydan Tanton’s past?

I perked up, curious, since I knew very little about the past of the body I was inhabiting.

"There was an incident where an Outsider descended in the Hearth City you were in, but strangely, there were no casualties. According to witnesses, you were at the center of it all."

That happened…?

"Unless someone is assaulted by a hideous Outsider, no one would willingly do such a thing with one of their own accord. The knight who wrote your charge must have done so after seeing you trying to buy time. Some knights do that sort of thing."

This was the first time I heard anything about ‘Leydan Tanton’s’ past.

What exactly did he do?

"But I understood your noble intentions, which is why I decided to train you."

Muyun, having pieced together parts of the conversation, raised her voice.

"…Ah, Tanton, is that really true?"

Muyun, who seemed oddly emotional and touched, and White Mask, who was staring intently at me, left me feeling bewildered.

Since this isn’t information I actually know, how should I respond…?

Ugh.

A sudden headache made me grab my head with one hand.

It felt like someone was squeezing my brain.

Why, all of a sudden?

Out of nowhere, something began to surface in my mind.

Though it wasn’t fully formed, I could grasp a rough idea of what it was.

A woman in tears.

I—no, this wasn’t me.

This must be ‘Leydan Tanton.’

And then…

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.

I opened my eyes wide and saw White Mask looking at me with a puzzled expression through my narrowed vision.

"…You don’t seem to be in great shape. Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a headache…."

"Is that so?"

What exactly is this memory?

It seems to be ‘Leydan Tanton’s,’ but why is it surfacing now?

I needed to calm down.

Muyun and White Mask were both watching me, sensing that something was off.

Since the conversation had turned in a direction that was quite favorable to me, I decided to just go along with this image.

"…You got me. How did you come to such a careful conclusion?"

I said the first thing that came to mind.

White Mask still seemed a bit suspicious, tilting his head, but since I mentioned a headache, it seemed he didn’t have much more to say.

"When you’ve been with the Knights for a few years, you encounter all sorts of people. Among them, there are always a few odd ones. Of course, you were easy to figure out because you were unique in a good way."

"I was merely there. I didn’t do anything special."

I responded modestly, and White Mask nodded.

"A knight who combines humility with skill. It seems I’ve chosen well."

It seemed that White Mask’s opinion of me had improved.

With that, White Mask stood up and started walking toward the open train door.

"I’ll help you train as much as I can. After all, the Princess has high hopes for you."

"…Thank you."

Somehow, I went from being a sexual deviant to a dark hero destined to save the world.

"…Sob, Tanton, you even sacrificed your body to buy time… And you kept it all hidden…."

…I decided not to listen to what Muyun was muttering.

She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

I followed White Mask out of the station, and since there was no one to refuel the train, it came to a stop, shutting down completely.

A personal train… How convenient.

For now, I decided to think about the sudden memory later.

I’d investigate ‘Leydan Tanton’s’ past in more detail later and figure out what happened.

If I can naturally find out, that would be best.

Anyway, this would take time.

"We’ve arrived."

White Mask stopped and spoke, and we followed suit.

The sight before us made my jaw drop.

Silhouettes moved through the snowstorm, searching for something, wandering here and there.

And flying through the harsh conditions, those figures must have been Outsiders.

"What on earth…?"

Muyun’s voice was filled with curiosity as she asked White Mask, who snorted in response.

"The Dragon Slayer’s domain. And…"

White Mask’s next words were shocking.

"This is where the one who did this to my face resides."