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THE ARMORED TRAIN UPON THE HILL

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

The following morning. From the top of a hill near the Royal Capital, one could clearly see the city as light snow danced upon the wind.

However, an entity sat atop that hill that utterly overwhelmed such scenic beauty.

An armored train, at once majestic and elegant. Its crimson body, reminiscent of a blazing fire, was accented with black and gold, granting it an air of prestige and bravery; it looked for all the world like the heavy-armored praetorian guards of a royal family.

Since such a luxurious armored train had suddenly appeared—its massive body stretching from the foot of the hill to the summit without anyone noticing—it was no wonder Rob stood there, dumbfounded.

「Departure time is approaching, so I will provide a detailed explanation later.」

Rob, who had been opening and closing his mouth like a fish after putting on the earcuff he'd been handed, followed after Arcelia with a sense of reckless abandon, thinking that whatever happened, happened.

The moment he stepped inside the train, a different world unfolded before him.

The interior, based in chic tones of red and black, was more sophisticated than anything the royalty or nobility of this world could even dream of matching. Even the handrails possessed a luster and texture that made one hesitate to touch them, and the soft carpet beneath his feet made him feel a sense of resistance toward the very act of walking on it with his own filthy shoes.

「This is the room. It is a professional regulation that you share a compartment with me.」

「I don't mind, but are you sure you're okay with it?」

「My background check showed no results suggesting you are a person of low character or a despicable scoundrel, so I trust you. Besides, should anything happen, you must be prepared to lose a limb or two.」

Rob muttered 「How terrifying,」 with a lighthearted quip as he stepped through the door Arcelia held open for him.

The place was practically a high-class inn.

In the center of the room, which brimmed with classical charm, stood a small table flanked by sofas, with a berth situated above them. The windows were large, and the curtains had the texture of silk.

Rob dropped his backpack at his feet and sank heavily into the sofa. Arcelia quietly took a seat on the sofa opposite him.

Once more, Rob gazed at the scenery of the Royal Capital spreading outside the window.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he opened the window. He pushed in the manual knobs on either side of the window—just like the ones he had seen in the Japan of his past—and slid it upward.

「...It’s retro in the strangest places. I thought they’d at least be using magic.」

Muttering this, he sat back down on the sofa and extended his arm out the window.

It was only then that Arcelia noticed the corners of Rob’s mouth curling up into a pleasant smirk. She tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

Rob’s extended hand was formed into the shape of a finger gun, aimed directly at the Royal Castle in the center of the Capital.

—Bang.

Rob whispered the word softly.

However, nothing happened.

Just as Arcelia, snapping back to her senses, was about to interrogate him, the world outside the window began to glow in seven colors.

A soft, amused chuckle escaped from deep within Rob’s throat.

『—The Interdimensional Train is now departing. Please be aware that external doors and windows will close automatically.』

As the window began to slide shut slowly along with the departure announcement, Rob hurriedly pulled his hand back inside.

「What did you just do?!」

Arcelia, who had been watching the outside in disbelief, pressed him from across the table, her large, powerful eyes narrowed.

Outside, the Royal Castle was being dyed in seven colors.

Given the finger gun and Rob’s laughter, one didn't even need to think to know who the culprit was.

「A lot of things happened. Consider this a little something. With this, there's no lingering bitterness. Don't worry, I didn't hurt a soul. For seven days and seven nights, the castle and every person in it will just be dyed in seven colors. Though, in exchange, that color won't come off no matter what they do.」

It was a small, mischievous act of retaliation.

Arcelia looked like she wanted to say more, but she dropped the pursuit surprisingly easily.

「I suppose I can understand the sentiment. ...Was that your "Extraordinary Ability"?」

It was an unfamiliar term, but Rob grasped the meaning immediately.

「It was called a "Gift" in this world.」

Rob’s ability was "the power to create any and all manner of guns and cannons." From things like his "Hand Gatling Gun" to the "Satellite Cannon" that killed the Demon King, it was the power to manifest firearms and ammunition from nothing.

In truth, his abilities had undergone changes around the time of the Demon King’s subjugation, but Rob did not yet trust Arcelia enough to tell her that much.

Or rather, as of now, there was not a single person who knew of those changes.

Even as they spoke, the Interdimensional Train had gradually begun to move.

It proceeded as if tracks existed in mid-air beyond the hill, and after a while, its form began to shorten as if diving into the very fabric of space.

Simultaneously, an old, dilapidated station sign that had stood quietly on the mountainside turned into particles of light, as if blending into the dancing snow, vanishing the moment the rear of the train fully submerged into the space.

Rob had harbored a lingering suspicion that he might be being tricked, but after witnessing such a sight, there was no longer any room for doubt.

「This is the "Boundary," the space between worlds. It is impossible to exist in the Boundary in the flesh, so please, do not ever go outside.」

Outside the window was darkness—or rather, a space with a strange sense of wrongness, as if it had been smeared with black paint.

As Rob stared at that indescribable eeriness, there was a knock at the compartment door.

「—I am Cubus, the conductor. I have come to offer my greetings.」

The voice was light and melodic, like a drop of water hitting the surface of a pond.

When Arcelia granted permission to enter, what appeared there was an entity that could only be described as a blue glass mannequin wearing a conductor's uniform.

「...A monster? No, a Golem?」

Arcelia warned him regarding Rob’s quiet murmur.

「The Slime species are recognized as intelligent life forms by the Alliance. Please be careful, as such phrasing constitutes an insult and discrimination.」

When Rob—who had meant no harm—immediately apologized, Cubus the conductor shook his head.

「You have come from a world with a different environment and culture; who could possibly blame you? However, please keep in mind that many different species are traveling aboard this train.」

Once Rob gave a firm nod, Cubus proceeded with his primary purpose.

「Now then, I would like to confirm a few brief precautions for passengers using this train. Those earcuffs serve as your boarding pass for this train; they are also enchanted with functions for translation, voice amplification, limited communication, and more. Should you lose your boarding pass, you will become unable to even locate the Interdimensional Train, so please ensure you do not lose them.」

Cubus continued his explanation briefly and clearly.

「—Yes, that should be all. Please, enjoy your journey on the Interdimensional Train at your leisure.」

Once Cubus left, Arcelia took off her jacket, revealing a white blouse and black pants.

「Let’s call it a day and rest.」

So saying, Arcelia climbed into the berth and pulled the bedside curtain shut.

Perhaps Rob’s fatigue had caught up with him as well, for his slight remaining vigilance surrendered easily to the urge to sleep.

When Rob woke up, it was already evening.

He ate the dinner provided to him, and after a while, Arcelia spoke up.

「I would like to conduct an interview with you now, Rob-san. Is that all right?」

When Rob simply asked, 「An interview?」 Arcelia explained.

「I want to record the process of your Demon King subjugation to serve as a reference for the future. Of course, you will be compensated.」

Having no particular reason to refuse, Rob agreed, thinking it wouldn't be bad to earn some living expenses for his future life.

「Then, we shall begin the hearing. This interview will be entirely recorded and will become Alliance documentation. You have the right to remain silent if there is something you do not wish to discuss, and you will not be punished for any criminal acts brought to light by this hearing.」

Taking a breath, Arcelia made one more proposal.

「There is one more thing the conductor asked of me. This is not part of the Alliance’s official business, so of course, refusing will not put you at any disadvantage.」

The proposal was a bit unexpected, but it wasn't something worth refusing.

It seemed the passengers on this train wanted to listen in on the interview regarding Rob’s Demon King subjugation. This, apparently, would also generate a reward.

「That’s fine, but moving around is a pain.」

「That won't be necessary. If permission is granted, the interested passengers will use their own means.」

When he gave permission, telling them to go right ahead, contact came from all directions.

Through the crack in the door that Arcelia opened just a sliver, familiar spirits like small birds or insects, translucent electronic screens that appeared abruptly in mid-air, and tiny little people resembling spirits or fairies all gazed at Rob in their own way.

Are they that bored? Rob wore an exasperated expression, but Arcelia shook her head.

「—Subjugating a Demon King is an achievement of that magnitude.」

「Is that so? Still, I’m not sure where to start...」

Saying this, Rob pulled an old bundle of papers from his backpack and began flipping through them.

「What is that?」

「This? Originally, I wrote it so I could apply the day’s combat to the next one, but before I knew it, it became a travel diary. I’m sure I wrote about the time right after my reincarnation so I wouldn't forget, but the dates are all jumbled up. ...It might be difficult to do this right away.」

Though it was a bundle of paper, neither the sizes nor the quality of the paper were uniform. Because he had fought across various regions, his belongings had become a mess.

「Then for today, I will start with a question.」

As Rob nodded, Arcelia asked immediately, as if she had already decided on the question.

「—What kind of being was the Demon King?」

He wondered why she would ask such a thing, but Rob already had the answer to that question.

「—'Absolute Evil.' He, and he alone, was an evil against every living thing.」

*****

He does feels like a retired veteran.

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