Violet Evergarden

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Violet Evergarden

The railwayparting from the southern maritime country Leidenschaftlich finally being extendedto northern nations was something quite recent.

Publicmeans of transportation were rather useful for traveling around a widecontinent, yet the trains across the mainland contributed greatly not only to eachperson but also to society in terms of logistics. It could be said that thecurrent results had been achieved due to the North-South feud of theContinental War being terminated on a superficial basis.

Theinformation that a ceremony would be held for the departure of the intercontinentaltrain spread quickly in the city of Leiden, and people rushed in pursue of ticketsfor the first trip. On the following day, the morning newspaper prior to thedeparture ceremony, which was completely taken over by the latter, was made tobe delivered not only throughout Leidenschaftlich but also to the neighborcountries.

Although itwas a trivial article for those who were not interested in the subject, theappearance of a single woman amongst the published photographs of people seekingthe tickets instigated, for better or worse, a surrept.i.tious feeling in thosewho knew her. Lux Sibyl, who would be at the CH Postal Service first-thing inthe morning, smiled proudly upon spotting the figure of her beautiful friend. Anovelist who quietly recited words in the middle of the mountains was in highspirits as though he had found a treasure amidst the article’s photos, and laidit as decoration on his cutouts wall. A young astronomer on the way of ajourney bought two more copies of the same newspaper after a moment ofastonishment, and Cattleya, who was on an amanuensis duty at a place far awayfrom the office, asked her male client, with the newspaper at hand, who thecutest one was between herself and the woman displayed in it. Someone who hadnot seen her face for a long time surrendered himself to tracing it with hisfingertips.

It was onlya picture, but on the morning of that day, a premonition that something specialwas about to begin was engraved remarkably in the minds of those who had been involvedwith Violet Evergarden.

The departureceremony was held in the Leidenschaftlich Station at two o’clock in theafternoon, and at three o’clock, after the pa.s.sengers had come aboard the intercontinentaltrain, it departed from the city by the end of the formalities. Children ridinga train for the first time leaned their bodies forward over the windows andpraised the scenery, proudly boasting to each other about the good fortune ofmanaging to entrain the first expedition. Those using it for work-relatedtransferences were satisfied with the careful customer service and safedriving, and those who had booked the sleeper car had their hearts stolen bythe comfort as their bodies immediately embraced the drowsiness.

Theoperation went on without a hitch in general. Little troubles were witnessed,such as the employees in charge of transporting the baggage sending a pa.s.senger’sluggage to the wrong room, or a customer who had ordered a dish without onionsfrom the dining car finding a small piece of onion in it and getting angry, butthey could not be considered important.

The pa.s.singscenery outside the windows was gradually dyed in madder red, and just an hour afterthe departure, the world began to be surrounded by signs of the night. Onceevery hour, the train was required to be refilled with water.

“We will soontemporarily stop at the water supply point, so please sit down as the trainwill shake.” The porter advised the customers of each car.

As peoplewere completely fascinated with the tour, they did not attempt to impede thosewho remained on their feet without any intention of sitting down. There werealso many who observed the scenery while sipping alcoholic drinks. Those in agood mood did not listen to what others said. The porter, who had given thewarning, smiled while thinking along the lines of, “what troublesome patrons”as he gently walked next to said pa.s.sengers and asked them to take their seats.

It was an exceptionallywonderful voyage. n.o.body imagined any tragedies would happen. Nor did anyonefind the behavior of those individuals suspicious. The fact that they stuck aknife to the porter’s neck and slit it went unnoticed as well.

That daywas genuinely supposed to be a marvelous one for several people.

At twoquarters past four o’clock, under the thick clouds spreading in an autumn sky,a corpse was discarded on the railroad track as if it were dirt. It rolled ontothe ground and, before the crows could greedily devour it, it was found by theowner of a nearby meadow, who happened to be pa.s.sing by. Much like rain pouringonto the surface of a lake, such thing hinted the extent of some sort of bigincident. The first drop was the dead body. From the sky, one, two more dropsfell, which marked the discovery of a problem that was now progressivelygrowing.

Theabnormal conduct of the intercontinental train, which had originally beensupposed to make stops yet was pa.s.sing every station while keeping thepa.s.sengers on board, caught a lot of attention, and at some point, the army wasmobilized. First came a report from employees and civilians from one of thestations that were pa.s.sed by, and the message was relayed to the military police.

Themilitary police based itself mainly on law enforcement duty to protect thesafety of the citizens’ everyday lives, and was a separate ent.i.ty from thearmy, despite having the word “military” in its name. By the time the militarypolice had arrived at the Leidenschaftlich Army Ministry, a reinforce request forthe situation had been issued from the Leidenschaftlich National Railway aswell.

Theheadquarters of the Leidenschaftlich Army Ministry were, in one word, a fort. Fora mere building, it had a hardly describable architecture. Firstly, there was acastle tower-like construction that housed the Army Ministry, with double stonewallssurrounding it. There was a dry moat outside of the walls, and the trees andshrubs beyond said moat had been entirely cut down in order to open the view.There was no place for foes to hide in case of invasions. The structure seemedto already intimidate with a “if you want to defeat me, come try”.

Being ableto bask in a const.i.tution that was so well-attuned to hostility was likely a proofthat its soldiers had overcome numerous aggressive wars. In such setting, courtesyof the country’s system, the reinforcement request project, “Case of the IntercontinentalTrain’s Hijacking”, was set to be launched at the Army Ministry on an early stage,but the recruited officers were not yet aware of the extent of the chaotic rain’sdispersion.

At twentyminutes past five o’clock of that day, in one of the Army Ministry’s rooms,Gilbert Bougainvillea was discussing the course of action of Leidenschaftlich’sarmy’s Special Offense Force, which he used to lead.

“Disbandingwould be reasonable, but if it is to be handed over, I would like to be the oneto choose the personnel.”

GilbertBougainvillea, who used to be a major of Leidenschaftlich’s army, had equitablyserved as lieutenant-colonel, and, in recognition of the achievements in theGreat War by the Special Offense Force of Leidenschaftlich’s army, led by himself,yet another promotion of position was acknowledged and he was allowed to wearthe rank insignia of a colonel. As he became one, operating inside the Army Ministrywas basically his main task. As it was, his troop had been on march both insideand outside of the country, since the circ.u.mstances had required post-war armedinterventions, yet it was left afloat as a result of his successive career.

“It’s myhonest opinion that disbanding it is regrettable. There are members who want toresign from it due to being promoted, but even with those posts vacant, it hasa high level of excellence. To the point it can very well work as anindependent unit. Well, the higher-ups probably won’t allow that so easily…since they might think of it as your private soldiers.” A bluish black-hairedman agreed with Gilbert’s words. “Laurus Schwartzman” was written in thenameplate on his desk.

Gilbertnodded at the outlook of the person who had the same status of colonel ashimself but used to be in the position of his superior in the past. “Eventually,we could create this independent unit… From the viewpoint of those who aremanaging it, a unit that has too much freedom is dangerous, but it spends greatefforts when there are big emergencies. However, if we are told that there havebeen none of those until now, we will not be granted consent. Therefore, Iwould like to leave a foundation ready for the sake of this occurrence… and,if I am held responsible for it, let me take over to those who can take intoconsideration the individual qualities. They were mostly polished by beingbrought into my personal care.”

“Who do youintend to appoint as successor?”

“Idris.He’s fit for being commander.”

“Isn’t he afellow without education or supporters? It’s almost like me. Won’t you recommendsomeone from the Bougainvillea lineage? There are people in the army who arefrom your branch families.”

“ColonelLaurus… you recommended me because you dislike faction-based nominations, butnow you’re telling me to nominate a Bougainvillea? Idris is clever even withouteducation. He’s also vastly ambitious. As for supporters… I will become one.”

“I was justteasing; don’t get so angry.” At Gilbert’s low voice tone, Laurus soon laughedand apologized. As he became older, Gilbert had come to possess a presence thathe did not in his younger days.

“Well,then, regarding the placement of a successor in my troops… I will count withyour a.s.sistance for the necessary arrangements.”

“And myrecompense will be…?”

“My littlesister has said she wants to ride a horse with you in our next outing.”

Laurus’s showeda pleased reaction and Gilbert sighed a little, his shoulders slumping as if aweight had fallen upon them.

Gilbert’sposition in the army appeared stable, but it was not so in reality. Althoughthere were people who supported him simply for being a Bougainvillea, therewere also those who attempted to ostracize him for it. Gilbert had reached aperiod in which he would have to decide whom he would take as his allies.Jealousy and corruption always rose wherever there was influence. Graduallygathering into his hands those people who were so hard for him to become likeand securing them tightly under his arms was something now necessary forGilbert.

Laurus wassomeone whose back he used to observe as if chasing after it when he hadentered the army, and now Gilbert was finally lined-up by his side. There werevery few who could manage through the promotion from colonel tobrigadier-general and from brigadier-general to major-general. As Laurushimself did not display interest in being promoted, Gilbert believed he wouldnot go above being a colonel. His origins, unlike Gilbert’s, did not leave himin an advantageous condition for disputing success either.

“This is upto the two of you, but please don’t ever upset my sister, who deeply cherishesyou. Promise me.”

“I know. Sheconfessed her love for a guy like me, after all. I intend to be with her evenin my grave.”

Hedisplayed no signs of looking for compet.i.tion and his nature could be trusted.For Gilbert to think he could leave his sister to the latter’s care, he had tobe a commendable individual.

Upon easingthe wrinkles between his brows with the fingertips of his left arm, which hadbecome a prosthetic, Gilbert took in his hand a newspaper unrelated to hisduties that was lying on the desk. Ever since he had read it in the morningafter waking up, he had carried it around with him while working. Heunconsciously looked at the part of it that had photos of the intercontinentaltrain.

“You’ve…been reading that since morning, huh. You like trains?”

“If therecomes a chance to get on a tour ride, I want to try it.” With gestures thatcould not be perceived as unnatural, he folded the side with the pictures andput the newspaper down.

The two menhad been in a situation in which even Laurus had come to question why Gilbert hadforsaken the Warrior Maiden of Leidenschaftlich’s army in the aftermath of theGreat War, and therefore, he did not wish to get into the topic. As they chattedabout trivial everyday matters, someone knocked on the door.

“Colonel Schwartzman…ah, Colonel Bougainvillea, you’re here in a good timing. We are having anemergency meeting. A big incident has happened. The case has been establishedat the countermeasures headquarters, so please come quickly. Right now, we are summoningall the personnel from the task force.”

Being toldso by the administrative official, the two looked at each other’s faces andstood up at the same time.

Those whogathered at the headquarters, in which a roundtable was prepared, were mainlycolonels. The occurring incident would be explained by the major-generalbeforehand.

“First andforemost, at two in the afternoon, a departure ceremony was held in honor ofthe intercontinental train, and one hour later, the pa.s.sengers came on boardand it left the station. It pa.s.sed Attaccare, which was one of it stopstations, and proceeded just like that. It was also at this time that a corpsewas thrown off in the vicinity of Attaccare. The body was found and reported bya farmer of that neighborhood. According to the information of the Leidenschaftlich’snational railway, the train is currently stopping at the Rauschend station,which is one of the water supply points. Through the station’s staff, a demandfor reward in exchange for the pa.s.sengers was issued to Leidenschaftlich.” Whileeveryone paid attention, the major-general said bitingly. “The enemy is tellingus to release a political felon who is being kept in the Altair Prison. He’s acriminal from one of the countries that had formed an alliance in the previouswar, Rochand. After the proclamation of their defeat, he blackmailed hismotherland’s leaders into revoking the announcement, caused an internalconflict and was arrested. The ones responsible for this hijacking incident aremaybe his guard dogs, certainly his comrades. Meaning the main offenders ofthis case are people who still don’t want to acknowledge that they lost thewar.”

A feelingof tension ran through the place as the major-general recognized the otherparty as an ‘enemy’. In Leidenschaftlich, ‘enemies’ brought harm to the wholenation. They would all become targets of elimination, and most of them countedwith military power as their means of control, unwilling to solve anything withdialogue.

“To top itoff, the enemies hope to migrate to their country. The train is headed to thenorthernmost port city of the continent. They have a ship prepared there aswell. It seems they expect everything to go flawlessly…” The major-generalpunched the north part of the map laid on the roundtable.

The peopleseated at the roundtable did not move even upon being startled, and their lineof sight was fixed on the major-general. They accepted the anger emanating fromhim.

“We… weof Leidenschaftlich’s army… exist for the sake of defending our people andterritory from foreign threats. To allow something like this after ending a waris a disgrace to Leidenschaflich’s name. But this is not just a matter ofhonor. There have already been casualties. This is quite an obvious statement,but it’s clear that our country’s people will be taken throughout this tripuntil the migration succeeds. There are surely women and children who can’tfight back in that midst. It’s not hard to imagine what they’ll go through. Wemust prevent this no matter what. The ‘enemy’ is moving. The problem is how totake the reins. We shall form a strategy considering the hypothesis of evenworst-case scenarios. From this point on, I give everyone, regardless of thembeing upper or lower ranks, permission for voicing suggestions.”

At themajor-general’s words, everyone started composing tactics while observing themap. The train was in motion. If they were to strike it, their only optionwould be invading it. Attacking from the outside would compromise the lives ofthe pa.s.sengers inside. The opinion that there was no choice but stand in waitfor it at one of the water supply points and ambush it all at once was settleddown no matter what. But the enemy would probably antic.i.p.ate that much. Theconcern that a hostage could be killed for display so that their pa.s.sage wouldbe permitted was enunciated, as well as the fact they would be in tantalizingcirc.u.mstances, as they would not be able to do anything until the train stoppedat the water supply point. They sought for urgent contact.

The debatebecame heated. In that midst, only Gilbert was reticent as he paled in silence.His ears registered everyone’s exchanges. He was also formulating in his head whatproposals he should verbalize, as doing so might be necessary. However, asingle fact dominated his entire body and halted its outward functions.

——Violet is on board.

There wasno way he could have mistaken her figure as he saw her in a photography ofpeople trying to buy tickets for the first trip. It was extremely natural foran Auto-Memories Doll traveling around the world to rely on trains. Meaningthere would be no one else to be aboard the intercontinental train in herstead.

——If I called Hodgins, would he answer?

He hadjudged Gilbert for leaving Violet without a trace. In their last conversation,he had said he would be cutting their ties until Gilbert reconsidered it.

“Gilbert…?You’re… quiet, but don’t you have any ideas?”

As Laurusspoke to him from the side, Gilbert turned towards his direction. He wasprobably making a face he normally would not. Laurus leaned back with a start.The major-general promptly noticed it.

“What’swrong, Laurus? Don’t hold back to give your suggestion.”

“No… I…right, I agree with the ambush at the water supply point. It will be off-the-cufffrom the garrison on the railway, but I think we can’t do anything other thanprepare the troops and stand in wait… I believe that organizing a plan andpersonnel that can back us up during a seizure battle after the waiting is mostcrucial. The fact that stopping at the water supply points is mandatory for thetrain is its trait, after all.” After uttering the proposition, perhaps due tothinking he was feeling sick, Laurus asked Gilbert in a low tone, “Are you okay?”

Gilbertnodded without saying anything. As the major-general requested his opinion aswell, Gilbert settled for saying, “I approve the flow of the currentsituation’s discussion.”

Since hewas worried about Violet’s and the pa.s.sengers’ safety, Gilbert favored thecourse of action of a short-term decisive battle.

——Still, it is only a matter of time for anantagonistic view to manifest. Just as he thought so, what Gilbert dreaded soon became a reality.

“I sense anincongruence in this trend. To ensure the success of our scheme, wouldn’t it bebetter to formulate a plan for us to take control of the train at the laststation in that northern port city?” After Laurus and Gilbert had expressedtheir valuations, a colonel who had been solely observing, much like Gilbertuntil that point, raised his voice.

“Ahmar,when you object, you have to explain your plan in detail.” The major-generalurged colonel Ahmar to speak further.

Laurus hadan obviously unamused face on. Bearded and enormous, the man named Ahmar was onpar with him, but the two of them were like cats and dogs. The people presentwere aware that the fact Ahmar had not voiced his own suggestions until thenwas due to wanting to oppose Laurus. The air became heavier.

“Thisopinion has been given just a bit ago, but if we target them at the watersupply point, in case we end up letting them pa.s.s, the number of deaths would goup, right? The perpetrators would kill hostages for revenge, and their demandstowards us would be bound to increase. In that meantime, I can already see thatthey would use a ransom for their requisitions. If that will be the case, makingthe other party think that things will proceed as they requested and thentaking them down at once is a better idea. I’m sorry for regressing thediscussion, but if this is an emergency, I believe we should choose an a.s.suredplan.”

“No! If youthink about the citizens, we should act immediately! Right now, how do youthink the people in that train are feeling? Are you saying that while beingaware of how much time it takes to reach the last station?! Their families,too, want the army to do something as soon as possible!”

“Laurus,you always show off your principles with emotion-oriented arguments, but that’sunnecessary for a strategy. Results are everything, and we can elaborate theprocess later on. Are you giving those suggestions by picturing the aftermathof the aftermath? There have already been casualties, and for the sake of causingno more of them, we’ve no choice other than have the pa.s.sengers endure it.”

The subjectof the meeting was split into two sides: Laurus, who thought about thecitizens’ rescue before anything else, and Ahmar, who prioritized bringing thesituation under control.

Gilbert,who was silent beside Laurus, could even feel his restless heart sort out inthe course of events. Rather than agitation, his impatience to do somethingabout the direction things were taking, which was not the one he wanted, was becomingstronger. Gilbert could not consent to Ahmar’s methods.

It was difficultto imagine that Violet Evergarden would tamely ride all the way to the finalstation. She would likely take some sort of action. The fact that she was onboard enthused not only great hopes but also a sense of unease.

——If she’s on her own, it’s evident that shewill be reckless.

She was notthe kind of young woman who would not use self-defense were she in a situationthat required it. Gilbert had disciplined her that way.

——I must go for her aid. I must protect her.It’s precisely because she’s strong that she…

It wouldmean taking back his resolve of that day, in which he shed tears while makingthe decision to part ways with her. Should she find out he was still alive,Violet would definitely attempt to become Gilbert’s tool once more. That washis biggest fear.

——I don’t want… to see the one I love actingas a tool ever again.

Gilbertasked himself – in the current circ.u.mstances, what was the man named GilbertBougainvillea most afraid of?

——Violet’s death.

Gilbertasked himself – in the current circ.u.mstances, what did he wish for the most?

——Her safety.

Peekinginto his heart’s discords, what he had to do was crystal-clear.

——Is this… also fate?

Gilbertclosed his eyes once. He evened his breathing. The face of the girl he had letgo of in resurfaced in his mind. So did her appearance from that picture, whichshowed she had grown up a good deal in the meantime that they had not seen eachother.

He hadspent many efforts until managing to take that seat. The next one he would aimfor was the seat of major-general. The more he climbed up, the more he would beable to do in exchange of his free conduct being restricted.

At thatmoment, while such an incident was going on, he could feel G.o.d’s guidance yet again.He had become distressed when worrying about Violet, but could clearlyunderstand what he had to do upon reasoning calmly.

——What are you living for? Don’t get worked-up.

Slowly,slowly, he opened his adhered eyelids.

——I’ve chosen a path in which I’d be able towalk at times like these. The time has come. That is all.

“May I…offer my suggestion?”

No waveringremained in his emerald green orbs. He stared at the major-general and everyoneat the round table with his opened eyes. He knew what conduct he should takeeven without thinking about it.

“I have anidea.” His voice was neither too loud nor too low. “Firstly, about dispatchingsoldiers to the garrison located on the train’s route… I agree with it. Wesimply should not let it go to the North. Should it, by any chance, reach thesea, the navy will be the one to deal with it. I will talk to my older brother,Dietfriet Bougainvillea. As the Major-General has said, we should move whilekeeping the worst possible scenario in mind.”

It wasimportant to speak with a calm att.i.tude.

“About thecurrent problem of where the dispatched soldiers should engage, I am against abattle at the final station. Should the place turn into a battlefield, emotion-basedissues with the northern side will be involved. They are heroes from theNorth’s viewpoint. Showing them being purged in northern lands, their own home,would become a great display, but we should expect that it would instigate ashock big enough to cause an incident. Right now, they are showing awell-behaved att.i.tude towards the Southeast regarding the release of theirmilitary forces, but they will definitely hold a grudge against this.”

“Weshouldn’t be discussing such a thing now!”

Gilbertresponded level-headedly to Ahmar’s angry roar, “The one who talked aboutpicturing the aftermath of the aftermath, Colonel, was you.”

“You…have some nerve to be using such rude words with me given that you became acolonel just recently…”

“TheMajor-General said from the very start that we should make our suggestionsfreely. Are you against the Major-General’s decision?”

As theirsuperior was cited, Ahmar refused to back off with a “no way”, his facebecoming bright red.

Just asAhmar had done with Laurus, Gilbert laid out a protest, “Please allow me to continueexplaining my idea. There is no guarantee that damage is limited only to thepa.s.sengers. It is necessary to evacuate all of the stations along the train’scourse and the citizens in their proximities as well. Paired to the ambushattack at the water supply point, I propose an infiltration plan by tailingthem from the capitol Leiden.” He stated loudly with a manner of speech thathad a touch of composure and elegance.

Peoplejudged others mostly through vision and hearing. Doing such thing would makethem think, “what this man says is worth listening to”.

“‘Infiltrationplan’, you say? Will we make it in time if we start chasing the them now?”

Gilbertretorted Ahmar’s mockery without so much as raising a brow, “I will have theNighthawks take flight.”

“Even ifit’s on a stop now, it will eventually move!”

The one whobecame emotional would lose.

“Even if itdoes, it will stop again. To replenish water. If the infiltration turns outsuccessful, it will greatly increase the accomplishment rate of the estimatedsuppression at the water supply point. Rescuing the pa.s.sengers is a toppriority. The more time this hijacking case takes, the more the death toll willrise. Both the criminals’ side and the victims’ side are losing their sanity. Youshall know whether or not the Nighthawks will make it in time if you leave itto me. Let us mobilize the Leidenschaftlich Special Offense Force. Of course, Iwill be the one in command.”

There was astir. He examined the major-general’s complexion, but the latter did not findfault in his suggestion.

Not lettingthe flow slip away from him, Gilbert resumed speaking, “Just a while ago, therewas a remark about how we must prepare personnel specific for this sort ofsituation, but everyone, have you forgotten? The Leidenschaftlich Special OffenseForce has been widely active as a raid unit since wartime. They clearly have therole disposition necessary for the process of an infiltration with a smallnumber of people. If we are told to move now, we will can act immediately. Althoughthere may be opinions that I should not be the one commanding on-site given my rank,the troops are still in my care, and my status is of recently nominated colonel.I shall prove my effectiveness. Please think of me as a board piece. A boardpiece that will mobilize the navy and, if everything goes well, fulfill theinfiltration which will bring a quick resolution to this. If my troops fail,the ones lying in wait will be the dispatched soldiers of the Leidenschaftlicharmy. I find it extremely hard to believe that this incident merely stems fromthe North’s revenge. There must be… something else happening behind thescenes. There is not only one trap. I feel that… they are seeking for adevastating win, for which they have yet another scheme that we would not beable to crush along with the twofold and threefold traps they have laid out.”After pausing once to swallow saliva, Gilbert inquired, “Major-General, what doyou say? I wish you would let me do it.” He pleaded, yet the right to decidewas not his. Maintaining such posture, he pleaded even more with his eyes andapproach.

Gilbert wasaware. From an early age, he had always understood how he should behave infront of whom whenever he was in the presence of others. Should he make amistake, admonition would come flying at him. That was the secret for success inorder to live as a Bougainvillea. Depending on the att.i.tudes he took, he knewwhat his opponent’s outcome might be. Within the world he understood, hecurrently existed for the sake of the one and only person that he once did notknow he loved.

“Well, giveit a try. Show me your abilities as a board piece.”

“I willdefinitely show you satisfying results.” While replying, Gilbert had already createda different strategy.

If therewas something that could have been considered a brilliant day in the life of SamuelLaBeouf, it would be today. He had been elected head engineer of the frontal engineroom in the first intercontinental train, which would remain in the country’s history.One had to wonder how many kisses of joy he had planted on the polished, black carwalls. He had boasted about it to family and friends countless times. The peoplewho knew of his efforts praised him sincerely and saw off the first servicewith a smile. Initially, Samuel had planned to spend his time humming a tune whilejourneying around the world as the Sun set, replaying in his head that wonderfulday.

“The subst.i.tutes… still haven’t arrived?”                                          

“I’m sorry,I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

It wasexactly six hours and forty-three minutes into the evening. Samuel had a gunthrust at his neck from behind. The unmoving body of one of his colleagueengineer and a.s.sistant lay at his feet, head hanging loosely. Said person, whohad greeted and chatted with him on that very day, was now immobile. The train whichtale had only just started and which name would be engraved in history had suddenlybeen hijacked and occupied by criminals.

——Why… why… did it come to this? What did Ieven do?

Whenexposed to a cruel fate, people would mostly have similar thoughts. Firstly, theywould bemoan their doom.

——Where and what did I do wrong?

And then,they would trace in their brains the way back to when they were struck by misfortune.The time in which the intercontinental train that Samuel had been supposed to drivehad left the station of Leidenschaftlich’s capitol city, Leiden, after the departureceremony was over had been a while before dusk.

The intercontinentaltrain, so-called “Femme Fatale”, was a full thirteen-car train composed of Locomotive1, 2 and 3, Single-Room Sleeping Car 1 and 2, Simple Sleeping Car 1 and 2, Pa.s.sengerCar 1 and 2, Panoramic Seats Car, Dining Car 1 and 2, and a freight car. Inorder to pull the other ten cars, each of the three locomotives had an engineerand an engineer’s a.s.sistant, and with a steam whistle as sign, each locomotivewould do a triple-heading to adjust its pace. Therefore, even if the drivingstaff were lacking by just one person, the operation would not go as desired.

FemmeFatale had been invaded by hijackers with weapons not even an hour afterdeparting from Leidenschaftlich. The hijackers had scattered in each car afterthe start of the operation, controlling the train from the freight car. In theprocess, the ones murdered were a porter from the simple sleeping car 1, one engineerfrom locomotive 3 and Samuel’s partners from locomotive 1 – a total of three a.s.sistants.

FemmeFatale needed replenishment of water, which was its fuel, from the stop stations.Currently, parallel to the water supplying, a demand had been sent to Leidenschaftlichand the National Railway for replacements to the vacant engineer and a.s.sistantposts, and the subst.i.tutes were being awaited. The hijackers seemed to havemade other demands to the government, but did not notify Samuel, who was merelyone of the hostages, of such things.

They had acloth bearing the national emblem of a certain northern country wrapped aroundtheir arms. What on Earth was their purpose? Was it to take revenge for theirdefeat? Did they have even more outrageous plans? Either way, it could be a.s.sumedthat their group was full of people that had a careless conduct and did nottake orders. After all, no matter how much they lacked knowledge of how trainsworked, they wound up killing staff members for hindering the operation.

“Don’t worry.If you hadn’t listened to the instructions, it’d be another story, but since youare a driver, we won’t kill you. This s.p.a.ce is crammed. Don’t get too scaredand wet your pants. It’d stink.” One of the hijackers said as if to calm Samueldown, perhaps due to his fearful form being difficult to watch.

“Hum, once thevacancy is supplemented… until what point am I supposed to drive…?”

“Go to thefinal stop with no changes in the course. What we demand of you is to deliverus safely.”

He hadthought that saying anything would irritate them and earn him a violentresponse. Thus, he was a little surprised to be able to talk normally with them.

——Those people may be human beings just like me,but I can’t bring myself to think of them as such.

From Samuel’sviewpoint, they seemed like people from a completely different world.

There wereobviously people other than Samuel LaBeouf wondering why things had turned outthat way. Unlike Samuel, who had his life a.s.sured to some extent for being in theposition of engineer, the ones in question were the frightened pa.s.sengers, whohad no idea of when they might be killed should they get on the hijackers’nerves.

Severalhours had pa.s.sed since the incident had started upon arrival at the watersupply point. The number of criminals was not too big, but a few of them weremonitoring the hostages by taking turns with one another. The information thatengineers and a.s.sistants had put up a resistance and been slaughtered in the frontalengine room, and that replacement personnel was being awaited had not come downto them. The state of tension due to fear persisted for a long while, and themental condition of the pa.s.sengers was nearing its limit.

“Aah,really, why did this have to happen?” In the back dining car number two, one ofthe customers – an elderly gentleman – lamented with his meal gone cold infront of him.

——At this point in time, I was supposed to beseeing my niece wearing her wedding dress and getting married in our hometown.

He had notexpected that the train ride, which had begun with such a happy mood, wouldturn into something so horrid. The big incidents he would see in newspapers andhear about in rumors always took place far away from himself, and therefore, hehad not thought that a disaster of the same sort would actually occur.

He had notbeen directing his words at anyone in particular, but the woman sitting closeto him reacted to them.

“What is anintercontinental train even meant to be…?”

Amidst suchan overwrought scenario, a beautiful and refreshing voice echoed in his ears, “Justas the name says, it is a large-scale vehicle that makes connections through arailroad that goes from one end to the other of the continent, and transportsanything, from goods to people. It grants accessibility and profit to many. However,trains cannot run if there is no railway. To build railways, the ground must beshaved off. Even if there are flowerbeds or homes on said ground, whatevermight be on the way is forcefully removed and their existence eliminated.” It belongedto a strange, attractive woman who only mutely watched the change of colors inthe sky without letting out a single scream ever since the car had been takencontrol of by the hijacker group. As though a machinery or something of thesort was embedded in her head, she talked on smoothly, “In order to make thisrailroad, it seems that a northern castle, which used to be a cultural monument,was demolished. Moreover, I have heard that operators from the North, the losingside, have suffered profoundly from overwork due to low-wage labor. Paths areopened with explosives so that we can get through mountains. The number ofexplosion accidents that happened in the process was not small.” The woman’sblue eyes observed the northern country emblem wrapped around the arm of ahijacker that held a weapon.

“That can’tbe. You shouldn’t tell lies. Such a thing was… not in the newspapers, was it?”

Few werethe people who would not become uncomfortable upon hearing that the state ornation they belonged to was the evil side. As the gentleman spoke a little indignantly,the woman – Violet Evergarden – spouted forth, “It is not a very well-knownstory. I, too, heard it by coincidence when I was traveling. I have been toeverywhere, after all. Most likely, it can be presumed that this was theirimpetus… but if that were the case, taking the chance of destroying this traincar and killing us should have been the main aim. They have murdered crewmembers, but seem to regard the lives of us pa.s.sengers as considerablyimportant. There… might be some other purpose…”

Thegentleman was shaken at such a frail-looking girl uttering the word “murdered”.

“By that,you mean…?”

“Who knows?Since they have taken us as hostages… it is reasonable to believe that theyare making demands to the government.”

Thegentleman was not convinced of Violet’s speech, yet was impressed by herintelligent guess.

——Just… what exactly does this girl do for aliving?

She was amysterious young woman who had an appearance akin to a doll that a small childwould carry around. The fear that had been enveloping him was settled down alittle due to his curiosity towards her.

“Still,that has nothing to do with us. I simply… wanted to attend the wedding of myniece, who lives far away.”

“Yes.However,” Violet continued, “Our circ.u.mstances also do not matter to them. Eachside persisting on their convictions is what wars are about. This place canalready be considered a battlefield.”

The world,which had been covered by dusk, morphed into evening. The soft glow of thelanterns hanging in the car produced a gentle light that significantlycontrasted with such an edgy situation. Blue eyes stared at the state of thewater supply procedures outside, the car’s lamps and the men yelling at a fewpa.s.sengers that had been taken hostage, respectively.

“I shouldsoon… get going.”

It was thenthat the gentleman finally noticed. She was not merely observing the situation insilence. She had been aiming for some sort of opening.

“Hey, you, Idon’t know what you intend to do, but it’s better to stop…”

“It is completelydark outside. This window is rather large, is it not?”

Thegentleman was confused at the remarks that did not make sense.

“Sir, if Imay ask, do you smoke cigarettes or cigars?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Do youhave matches?”

“In myright pocket…”

“Please allowme to borrow just one of them later.” Saying nothing but that, Violet promptlystood up. She slowly raised a hand to her hair’s bundle of braids.

Thegentleman could see that her hand grasped a thinly sharpened silver stick. Itwas one of her hidden devices, which could be used in both close and long-rangecombat, but from an ordinary person’s view, it could be perceived as nothingbut a thick needle.

However, oneof the criminals held Violet at gunpoint as she had started acting odd. “Hey,what are you doing?! Hands up!”

“Understood.”She raised her arms, just as she was told.

The next instant,only the lanterns of the car abruptly burst and the lights went out. Thescreams of the pa.s.sengers mingled with the hijackers’ angry voices. But therewere no gunshots. The sounds of something striking and of breaking gla.s.scontinued. And then, it became completely quiet. Everyone was enveloped inbewilderment at the silence that met them amidst the pitch darkness.

What hadhappened to the hijackers? What had been made of the girl who had suddenlystood up? What on Earth was going on in that vehicle at that moment? While thepa.s.sengers’ minds were filled with questions, fire was lit back within one ofthe shattered lanterns. A beautiful woman holding a match emerged from the darklike a spirit. With an index finger against her lips, she whispered a “shh”. Thewoman stood out vividly against the colors of the night. All the pa.s.sengers whotook notice of her fell silent under compulsion.

“Pleased tomake your acquaintance. I am a traveler. Everyone, I am aware that you must betired. Please wait a little bit longer. I will now take control… of theguards outside and the freight car.” Saying no more than that, Violet blew outthe match’s fire with a whiff.

The gentlemanrealized then that a match had been taken from his breast pocket without hisnotice.

Within thatworld of darkness, only noises began to echo yet again as one of the left-side windowswas opened and someone landed outside. The sounds of gravel being stepped onand of someone running ensued. After a short while, a man’s groan could beheard. A few seconds later, there was a rustle of something heavy beingdragged. The pa.s.sengers shuddered, astonished with the unexpected turn ofevents. They then heard a treading over the gravel once more. It was a nimblepacing, coming close to the car. The footsteps of the unseen person fueled thesense of uneasiness in those who had been immersed in fear for a long timespan.

“Excuseme.”

“Hih!” Thegentleman yelped curtly as the window was casually knocked from outside.

Violet stoodin the outer world, where one could rely solely on moonshine, with the moonlightagainst her back.

“Everyone, makesure to remain quiet. Please escape before the people from the other cars cometo attack this one.”

Doll-likeclothes, doll-like features. The hints of her humanity were dim in everythingabout her.

“Do lend ahand to women, elders and children. Please follow along the railway and walk inthe opposite direction of the ride. It will most likely take time, but if yougo to the nearest station, the military police will definitely grant youprotection. It is not a good idea to stay at this station. People who seemed tobe station’s staff were speaking friendly with the guards, so there must beother ent.i.ties partic.i.p.ating in this takeover.”

One could tellwithout directly seeing her fight. She was not an ordinary person.

People startedto climb onto the window and come down in a surge.

“What aboutyou? Will not you come with us?” The gentleman asked the mysterious woman whom hewas curious about once he set his foot on the ground.

Violetshook her head. “I have something to do here. An incident such as this one is afirst ever since the war ended. Most likely, Leidenschaftlich’s army will makeits move to deal with the this strife. It is exceedingly difficult to stop atrain… which is like a box with people inside, without attacking from theoutside. If the inside is emptied, there will be no need for hesitation. It is clearthat a battle will commence at one of the next stop stations. Until then, Ihave to do what I can…”

“That…isn’t something for you to do, right? Let’s all run away together.”

“No…”

Her blueeyes were staring down at the gentleman in front of her, but her consciousness layelsewhere.

“No, it issomething I must do. This is… this is… for the sake of someone whom I wishto become the strength of, even if indirectly.”

She was lookingat Gilbert Bougainvillea, who was, somewhere far in the distance, surely spendingefforts on the rescue of the citizens.

“Fortunately,I was going to arrive at the place where I was heading to one day earlier thanplanned. I happened to use this train by coincidence, but there are other meansof transportation. If I am still able to contact my head office today, theyshould be able to prepare a subst.i.tute for my work… This is a rather bigincident, so my company’s president might have already antic.i.p.ated thissituation and arranged a replacer. That is my only matter of concern.”

“You shouldbe concerned about your own body rather than about such things. It’s dangerous…Aren’t you just a young girl?”

“Do notworry. The night has deepened, so I believe I can take control of this with theleast possible damage.”

“‘Control’,you say…”

“Takecontrol” were the words that had spilled from her a while before as well. It wasneither “put up a resistance” nor “seize”. The standpoint she spoke of wasdifferent. She was planning to force the battle into surrender. That beautifulwoman did not seem fearful or nervous in the slightest of being outnumbered.

——I have afeeling… that this is not quite having confidence.

All of heractions appeared to the gentleman as an automatic mechanism.

“Aren’t youscared?”

“I am not.”Her att.i.tude was of someone who was unbothered by the fact that she was aboutto pick a fight with hijackers.

Soon, thetrain started moving.

Thegentleman thanked her for saving everyone as she climbed back in and asked lastly,“You, what’s your name?”

Violet’s expressiongrew even more attractive than before as she placed an index finger against herlips without saying anything. As the train was gone, the gentleman was unableto hear her name.

Back at sixhours and twenty-seven minutes, Gilbert had sent out an emergency convocationto his own troops, a.s.sembling them at a runway where Nighthawks took flight. Allwere waiting at a standby place near said runway for the transmission of the operation’scontents, the arming of the troops and the adjustment of the Nighthawk planesto be finalized. He had decided to make use of that time and contact the twomen he needed to speak with.

“We are connectedto the Leidenschaftlich Navy Ministry.”

“Sorryabout that. I’ll borrow this as it is. I’m counting on you to keep people awayfor now.”

The personfrom the communication room, whom Gilbert had requested beforehand to make acall to his brother, gave him the seat.

Hisbrother’s voice could soon be heard. “Gil, you had a favor to ask your greatolder brother?”

It was thetone of someone feigning displeasure, Gilbert thought.

AlthoughDietfriet requested things from Gilbert, the opposite usually did not happen.Whenever he asked for anything, his brother would take a stance of annoyance,but never refused him. He probably felt indebted to Gilbert for the treatmenthe had been giving the latter so far.

“Yeah,Brother. I do have a favor.”

There wasno way the older one would be unhappy that his younger brother was relying onhim.

Gilbert hadbeen able to declare in the meeting that the navy would be mobilized since thechances of success of his appeals were visible. The circ.u.mstances seemed tohave been transmitted to the Navy Ministry as well, and so, the request for abattleship to be dispatched and prevent the migration from the port capitol ofthe North was officially issued.

Even thoughboth were national organizations, Leidenschaftlich’s army and navy wereseparate ent.i.ties that shared the military budget. A mediator was needed forone to acquire the other’s cooperation, or else, it was quite difficult to doso whenever there was no great gain for either. With the pa.s.sage of time, thefact that Dietfriet had betrayed the Bougainvillea – a family that had joinedthe army for generations – and enlisted into the navy had been turning into ana.s.set for the two brothers. Just as Gilbert, Dietfriet had carved a positionfor himself that enabled him to move his troops to a large extent.

“Well,then, I will definitely pay you back for this one day.”

“Bringdrinks and celebrate my birthday with me when it comes. That’d be enough.”

“If it’ssomething like that, I’d do it even without it serving as repayment.” Gilbertreplied and was about to hang up, but his fingertips, which had stretchedtowards the communication equipment, halted at the next words from Dietfriet.

“That’sright… just one more thing. The reason you’re so desperate is because of‘that’, isn’t it? I saw the newspaper. I ended up spotting ‘that’ in it evenwithout wanting to. Has ‘it’ come to see you? ‘It’ discovered that you survived,right? I was curious as to what happened afterwards. Did you make ‘it’ yours?”

“Hah?”

It wascommon since their childhood for his brother to prank him, and so, Gilbertthought that had been tasteless witticism at first.

“Stop withthe bad jokes at a time like this, Brother. Violet doesn’t know of my survival.”

Silence.

“Brother?”

“It wasn’ta joke. I see… I was sure ‘it’ was gonna go see you as soon as possible, butI was wrong, huh? So ‘it’ is laying low because of this situation… Sinceyou’re so nice, you stayed away in order to give ‘it’ a peaceful life, soyou’re sure to be worrying that ‘it’ might find out about you because of thisemergency rescue plan. Don’t fret. ‘It’ already knows.”

“What…What are you saying…?” Cold sweat slowly trailed down his back. “There’s…no way she would.” His voice was faltering.

“But itseems it is. Last time I saw you during the Flying Letters… I told you I hadseen ‘it’, right? Back then, ‘it’ asked me… if you were alive. I gave ananswer that neither affirmed nor denied anything. And so, ‘it’… she became convinced. That you werealive, I mean.”

AlthoughGilbert could not change what had already happened, he felt like saying “waitup”. His vision went white. He was dizzy enough to be on the verge of throwingup. With a hand on his lips, he stayed quiet.

——Violet… knows?

“Hey, Gil.You okay?”

He hadheard in detail from Hodgins about how much his lie had afflicted and saddened her.If she had found out he was alive, then Gilbert was nothing to Violet otherthan the Lord who had tossed her away without so much as praising her militarydeeds. There would be no helping it if she came to hate him.

“Why… didyou do something so uncalled for…?!”

Intense wrathengulfed Gilbert’s heart. He was close to venting, but the only outlet for hisrage was his brother.

“Like Icare. Don’t involve me in your blind love mess. I didn’t answer, but she wasconvinced of it. That’s all.”

“You thinkit’s unrelated to you… Brother, you always… Just how am I supposed to faceher…?!”

“The peopleclosest to you are family, right? It looked like she had always been believingthat you had lived. When she confirmed that you really were, how can I put it?Well, she had her eyes shining like an idiot. If she hasn’t gone there to seeyou… that’s right. There’s only one thing I can think of. Since she’s a tool,she’s waiting for her Master to pick her back up. She’s probably antic.i.p.ating amoment when she’ll be needed… ‘cause she’s stupid. It’s a good opportunity,so go fetch her.”

“Brother—!!”

“You were preparingyourself for the worst while making this emergency rescue plan, right? Bethankful to your older brother for giving you this push. Bye, Gil. Leave thesea to me. Next time we meet will be on my birthday… Love ya.”

“Brother,wait!”

The line wasturned off one-sidedly. Gilbert was mute out of great perplex.

Perhapspeople were waiting for the conversation to end, as the door was knocked from outsidethe communication room. Someone from his troops handed him a baggage withweapons and ammo that he had specified. The one who had brought the baggage wasconcerned about Gilbert’s oozing distress, taking it merely as a glimpse of theintense negotiations with the navy, but in reality, that was not the case.

Whilechecking the baggage’s contents, Gilbert held firmly onto the gun. Should heshoot a bullet into his own head, his worries over everything he wasshouldering would surely be gone, but he could not do so.

He thencontacted Leidenschaftlich’s CH Postal Service. A girl with a young-soundingvoice answered the phone, but informed him that they were on temporary closingfor the day. It seemed that they already knew about the hijacking incident.

“Pleaseannounce… that I called to offer help in the hijacking case of the intercontinentaltrain. One of your members is in it, right? If you just say that I am from theLeidenschaftlich army, he should be able to know who it is…”

He couldfaintly hear a state of agitation on the other side of the line. It was a shoutfrom his old friend, followed by the thud of something like a chair beingknocked over as someone stood up, rustles of falling paperwork, and finally, hewas able to catch sounds of breathing.

“Gilbert!You… Where have you been and doing what?!” A voice clearly coated in angerechoed in his ears stridently. Regardless, Gilbert wound up feeling joy. It hadtruly been a long time since he had last talked to Claudia Hodgins.

“I heardjust a moment ago from the secretary that you had contacted the army. Sorry. Iwas in a meeting.”

“Don’t gohaving meetings while one of my employees is in major trouble! You… knowwhat’s up, don’t you? The army is making its move, right? I mean on thehijacking case of the intercontinental train! She is… she is…”

“I amaware. Violet is on board, isn’t she? There was a photo of her in thenewspaper.”

Hodgins wasdumbfounded at Gilbert’s casual response and soon retorted, “Don’t speak socalmly!” Losing his composure even more, he started making odd claims, “I amthe way I am, and you were supposed to be like me too. You were supposed to belike that all along.”

——He’s sentimental, and a boisterous guy.

Gilbertended up laughing. He felt embarra.s.sed of how much he had longed for that noisyfriend of his in the meantime they had not talked to one another. Not lettingit show that he was just as anxious as the latter, he replied with words thatwere not solely his vanity, but also merged with his true sentiments, “As if Ican afford to lose my mind. During times of crisis, it’s my duty to come upwith means of protecting the citizens.”

“DoesLittle Violet… count as one of those citizens?”

“Obviously.”

“Are youmad… that I let Little Violet get in danger even though you entrusted her tome?”

Gilbert wassincerely surprised to be asked something completely different. “What are yousaying? I’m grateful to you. I wouldn’t have entrusted her… to anyone butyou. You’re a man with sense of responsibility, so I left her to you. But thathas nothing to do with what is happening now.”

“I don’tthink so.”

Gilbertrealized what Hodgins was talking about as if he had grasped the matter withhis hands. Even though he was not at fault, blaming himself while wonderingwhat else he could have done was a trait of his best friend’s personality.

“Hodgins.”

“What?”

“You’re mynumber one friend.”

“What’swith that, out of the blue…?”

“Hodgins. Afriend like you… won’t show up before me again. You’re that important, evenif you don’t want it. I’m the same to you too, aren’t I? That’s why… Ithought you were taking my sins lightly. You asked me why I had let go ofViolet and told me to come see her, right? And said I shouldn’t call you unlessI reconsidered it.”

“I did. Idefinitely did.”

“I… Ikeenly felt that I was the last person she should see, so I let her go. When wefirst met, I had thought it was best for me to watch over her while keeping herat arm distance, but that was a façade, and in the end, I used her as a tool.”

“Butthat… under those circ.u.mstances, there was no helping it. I would have donethe same.”

“Is thatreally so? I… don’t think you would. How is she now, the Violet that youguided and raised? If I… hadn’t made the wrong choice… if I hadn’t raisedher by my side, she would have grown up without knowing the battlefield. The currentViolet is how she was originally supposed to be. That’s why it’s not your faultif something like this happens in the process. For starters, this was anaccident.”

“If you’regonna say that, I can shoot it right back at ya. Don’t make it seem like LittleViolet fighting alongside you in the war was something bad. That’s blasphemyagainst every soldier we lived with in that period. The problem was how youwould have guided her after that. And it was then I got angry because you wereprioritizing only your own feelings and not thinking about Little Violet. But,listen! I’ll cease fire temporarily. Now isn’t the time to be on break-up.We’re both her guardians. Let’s save her.” His tone was determined and seemedto deliver the heated, glaring gaze of his greyish blue orbs even through thecommunication equipment.

“I agreewith that… For her sake, anything I can do… In order to keep her away fromthe army, I have done several preparations to prevent her return. Personalconnections, merits… I devoted myself for everything to be the utmost andvery best. I’m in the middle of that even now. If it’s to protect Violet, Iwon’t nitpick methods.”

“So, you’regonna put up a cool pose like, ‘whatever is not for her sake… shall beexcluded, even if that is myself’ and protect her from the shadows?”

“Yeah,that’s right.”

By thelooks of it, Hodgins also did not seem to know the truth. Then Violet hadconcluded on her own that Gilbert had survived and, as Dietfriet had said, wassimply waiting for him. For her Master to come retrieve her.

“But Iwonder about that… Soon, the lie I pinned into her might be busted. There’s ahigh chance I’ll come in contact with Violet.”

After abrief silence, Hodgins’s request for repet.i.tion in the form of a “Haah!?”resounded loudly. He finally took notice of turbine sounds coming from behindGilbert. “Wait a bit, then where… are you now?”

“Near arunway that was reserved for my troops’ Nighthawks. I’m currently coordinatingthe departure.” Gilbert loaded his gun while speaking. He had also taken offhis military uniform and finished changing into his battle outfit. The latterfelt more familiar on his body.

“OfLeidenschaftlich’s Special Offense Force!? Yo-You… are commanding them andgoing for the rescue?!”

“That’sright.”

“You…said you wouldn’t see her! Is it okay if you do?!”

Silence.Gilbert believed the conversation would drag on for much longer if he revealedthat Violet apparently knew about his survival.

“Why areyou quiet? Isn’t that it?”

“Wheneverything is over, I’ll apologize and report to you too. This is in order tosave Violet. There’s no other option anymore. If we do end up meeting, I’ll begfor forgiveness…”

Their timeto talk was shortening.

“Thenprepare yourself for the worst. This is something that you caused.” Hodginssaid something similar to what Dietfriet had. “So, what will you do once theNighthawks take flight? Don’t tell me you’ll jump onto the train while it’smoving?”

“That’sright.”

“Youreally… are insane sometimes! A knight-in-shiny-armor gone crazy over love!Haha! I’ll praise you for that.”

Hodgins’slaughter could be heard. As Gilbert was unable to counter-argue, his facereddened.

“By theway, eh, are you… still a lieutenant-colonel? Wasn’t there some deal aboutyou receiving other two rank promotions?”

“You’refull of questions… They waited for my injuries to heal. I became a colonel afew days ago.” With his prosthetic left arm, Gilbert stroked the eyepatch onhis palm, which hid the right eye he had lost. Even with only one side of hisvision, his handling of weapons had not deteriorated.

“And yetyou’re the one in command!? That’s even more insane! The higher-ups sure made agreat concession!”

“No moremocking, Hodgins. I told you, didn’t I? If it’s for Violet’s sake, I don’t nitpickmy methods. Of course, our objective is to settle down the current situation,but there’s no way that can be done without me commanding on-site. Earlier, yousaid you’d do everything you can. If those words weren’t a lie, I want you toshow me your data-acquiring skills. Is there any information that the militarydoesn’t know of?”

“Got it.I’ll tell you. But lemme just say one thing.”

“What isit…?”

“You… turninto a huge idiot when it comes to Little Violet, huh. I… like that a lot.”

“Shut up.”

Why wasthat? Between friends, even if they spent a long while without speaking to eachother, once they eventually opened their mouths and reached out to one another,they would end up talking as if the flow of time in that gap had never existed.The two forgot about back when they had stopped contacting each other and begunto chatter.

“I’ll saywhat we have here, so you tell me too. Let’s have an info exchange. Thehijackers had in them the national emblem of a certain northern country,Rohand. Remnants of an extremist party that also caused trouble before byraiding a construction site when the railroad of the intercontinental train wasbeing made are in that group. Still, it seems they were not supposed to be anumber of people significant enough to cause such a big incident… theymight’ve gotten more collaborators.”

Gilbert rana pen through his notebook. He also spoke about what he had heard during themeeting, as well as about the demands for a political offender kept in theAltair Prison to be handed over and to migrate to another continent in exchangefor the pa.s.sengers. He was aware that they were not ones to negotiate with innormal circ.u.mstances.

“Ourinformation and yours aren’t that different in terms of freshness. The train iscurrently making a stop at a water supply point. It’s been confirmed throughthe supplementary information from the Leidenschaftlich National Railway that someengineers and engineer a.s.sistants of the train were killed and that thecriminals sought subst.i.tute personnel. It’s good that we were able to buy time,