Chapter 365

Words : 2136 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Rudger boarded the first-class car of the steam train. Compared to regular compartments, the space was twice as large, equipped not only with sofas but also beds for a comfortable sleep. On one side, various bottles of alcohol and beverages were displayed, and by just ringing a bell, staff would come out to bring whatever was desired. As expected of such accommodations, the fare for first class was beyond imagination. But Rudger didn’t mind. ‘It’s not like I’m paying for it anyway.’ The first-class fare was entirely covered by Heiback Kadatushan. Since he was the one who gave him the request, he would pay for all such expenses. “Wow. Is this first class?” At that moment, the person sitting across from Rudger on the sofa looked around the interior with wonder. “Arpa. Is this your first time in first class?” “Yes. When I came to Leathervelk with Mr. Pantos, we had to use a narrow compartment.” Arpa was the one who agreed to participate in the “Night of Mystery” with Rudger this time. “But is it really okay for me to go? I thought the Night of Mystery was only for magicians, and I’m not a magician?” “The Night of Mystery is open to anyone who receives an invitation, whether they’re a magician or not. You’re fine because I decided to bring you as my companion.” “Yes. Then I’ll do my best.” Particularly, the Kasar Basin they were heading to was a place where all sorts of strange phenomena occurred. Among these were things that could deceive human eyes and minds, and in this aspect, bringing Arpa, an automaton, would surely be helpful. “Moving around just the two of us like this, it feels like it’s been a while since I first opened my eyes.” “...Indeed.” Rudger recalled the events in the Kingdom of Delica and suddenly realized quite some time had passed. The train let out a whistle and departed. The outside scenery began to slowly flow by, and white steam scattered behind the train, drawing a long tail. “Where is this train headed?” “Felix City. That’s the final destination.” “Ah. There?” “You know where it is?” “Yes. Felix City. Until a few decades ago, it was just a medium-sized village. But after the potential of the Kasar Basin was discovered, it completely changed.” Felix City was a city near the Kasar Basin where the “Night of Mystery” was held, just an ordinary village with no notable products or economic advantages. But after the Night of Mystery, it became a must-visit location and its standing grew enormously. The village developed into a city, and now Felix City was known as one of the continent’s top tourist destinations. “You know quite a bit.” “Yes. I read it in books.” Arpa never forgets what she has seen once. Unlike human memory, an automaton’s information processing ability did not include the concept of forgetting. So Arpa had read many books and absorbed all kinds of knowledge. As far as what he had seen and heard, Arpa had nothing he didn’t know. “Ah! I want to try that drink!” However, he was quite lacking in common sense regarding everyday matters. Rudger wondered if it was okay for an automaton to drink beverages, but judged it would be fine since he was special. ‘Well, he’s fine even when submerged in water.’ Moreover, Arpa had apparently secretly tasted food before. He said he was curious about the taste, but setting aside whether he could actually taste things, it could be a big problem if foreign substances got stuck inside. But surprisingly, Arpa decomposed the consumed food and converted it to energy, turning it directly into power for his mechanical clockwork heart. A doll that could eat food wasn’t just for infiltration pretending to be human to be used in war. “Drink in moderation.” “Yes.” Arpa took out drinks he had been curious about from the display case and sipped them one by one. Rudger watched Arpa, wondering if he might stop functioning. Fortunately, nothing like that happened, so Rudger felt relieved and looked at the scenery outside. Leathervelk was already far behind, and wheat fields could be seen. Even that didn’t last long as they entered a new city and it completely disappeared. The train bound for Felix City picked up many passengers whenever it stopped at intermediate stations. The train that couldn’t even fill 10% of its seats when departing from Leathervelk was now full. And another notable point was that the majority of passengers on the train now were magicians. ‘They must all be people trying to participate in the Night of Mystery.’ The main purpose was to explore the mysteries existing in the Kasar Basin but not all magicians had such a common purpose. Rather, there were quite a few who aimed to take advantage of the fact that all kinds of magicians gathered there. They wanted to build connections with other magicians and raise their own reputation. For instance, like the current situation. “Oh? Aren’t you Master Rudger Chelici!” Despite being first class where people couldn’t easily enter, magicians came in easily. Of course, while pretending it was a mistake. They already knew Rudger was there but acted as if they had met him by chance and tried to get acquainted. “Mr. Rudger Chelici, are you also participating in this Night of Mystery? By whose invitation did you...” “I don’t know who you are, but this is my private compartment. Would you please leave?” “Ah, no. I was just...” “I would appreciate it if you left. Arpa. Please show our guest out.” “Yes.” Arpa gently pushed out the magician, who had lost count of how many had tried, from the first-class car. The magician tried somehow to make a connection with Rudger, but couldn’t overcome Arpa’s terrifying strength. “You’re quite popular, Leader.” “This kind of popularity, I’d rather not have no matter how much they give.” “That makes 32 so far. If dealing with them is bothersome, should I guard the entrance and turn them away as they come?” Rudger shook his head at those words. “It’s fine. There’s no need to go to such trouble.” “I don’t really mind.” “Rather, not meeting anyone and just having you stand guard would harm my reputation. If you don’t want that, just stay put.” “Yes. I’ll do that then.” Fortunately, there were no more visitors after that. The continuously running train finally stopped at Felix City, its final destination. As the doors opened, magicians poured out. Most wore robes marked with symbols showing their affiliations. Among them were some magicians in distinctive attire without robes, but such people were mostly wanderers or unaffiliated magicians. Other races could be seen as well, but that was limited to the occasional elf. It was natural since there weren’t many beast-people and dwarf magicians. The train station was packed with people, but there wasn’t a feeling of liveliness. Rather, it was filled with a tense atmosphere of people either being wary of or marveling at each other. “Ugh. The air feels heavy somehow.” “Bear with it.” Even Arpa could feel the stifling atmosphere unique to magicians. Rudger casually comforted Arpa with a single word and left the train station. Some recognized Rudger but couldn’t approach easily due to the crowd. Rudger immediately got into a carriage waiting outside the station. “Where would you like to go?” “The Landriver Hotel.” “Landriver, eh. You must be quite wealthy.” The coachman grinned and grabbed the reins, swinging them wide. Surprisingly, there were no horses attached to the carriage. The same went for the steam golems mainly used in Leathervelk. Instead, two semi-transparent horses made of magical power appeared and began pulling the carriage. “Are you summoning servant horses using magic engraved in the carriage?” “Ho ho. As expected of a magician, you spotted it right away. That’s right. Since so many magicians visit this place, even transportation like this is imbued with magic.” Rudger briefly observed the horses pulling the carriage. What should he call them? Ghost horses? Spirit horses? Since they were made of pure magical power, they could be called familiars. However, unlike familiars, their only ability was the physical power to pull the carriage. They were literally nothing more than imitations mimicking familiars. “Even so, it must require quite a bit of magical power to enchant them. Looking at their effectiveness, it seems almost permanent.” “It is permanent. The mana is endlessly supplied from the surroundings in the first place.” “Ah, so that’s how it works.” Felix City was a town close to the Kasar Basin. With ley lines flowing underground, the concentration of magical power here was also abundant. There were more than enough elements for mana to be supplied. On the well-paved streets, other carriages pulled by ghost horses could be seen here and there. Seeing how passing pedestrians weren’t particularly surprised, it was essentially a landmark of this city. “There seem to be so many amazing things in the world.” Arpa also muttered as if feeling renewed appreciation for seeing in person what she had only read about in books. The two arrived at their lodgings for the night. The Landriver Hotel was a tall hotel standing in the center of Felix City’s largest shopping district, a place where only wealthy people could stay. The room assigned to Rudger was a VIP suite. Of course, Duke Heiback Kadatushan paid for it. First-class train car and hotel VIP room. Since he was receiving support, Rudger intended to milk it for all it was worth. So he even fully booked all the hotel services that he wouldn’t properly enjoy anyway. Naturally, Heiback complained that it was too much, but Rudger easily ignored it. In this situation, Rudger was the one with the upper hand. If he didn’t like it, he should have picked someone else. ‘Listening to an old man’s grumbling and staying in a place like this is rather cheap.’ It was Rudger’s small revenge against Heiback who had kept playing tricks on him. Rudger headed to the hotel lobby with Arpa. As befitting the most famous hotel in Felix City, the lobby was filled with dazzling light from the start. Just looking at the first floor interior alone showed how much money had been poured into it. If he had to compare, it was similar to the Kunst auction house and hotel, but as a hotel, it was far superior. “Mr. Rudger Chelici. Would you please wait a moment?” The lobby staff briefly left their post. Despite recognizing Rudger, there was no exaggerated reaction. This was probably because many similarly famous people gathered at this hotel. Rudger observed the people coming and going through the spacious lobby. While most guests should have been magicians, being a luxury hotel, there were quite a few non-magicians as well. ‘Wealthy businessmen, rich tourists, and others trying to participate in the Night of Mystery as guests.’ Everyone passing by looked wealthy without exception. In the case of magicians, they exuded quite powerful mana. Rudger took out a monocle from his pocket and put it on. It was the [Eye of Possibility] taken from the royal treasury. Wearing it made it even easier to clearly distinguish magicians. ‘As expected of magicians coming to a place like this, they all have considerable potential and mana.’ While analyzing the magnitude of power shown by the [Eye of Possibility] and judging roughly what level the others were at, it happened. A murmuring sound came from the direction of the hotel lobby entrance. Rudger’s gaze naturally turned there and the [Eye of Possibility] detected enormous mana overflowing from beyond the crowd. Arpa must have felt something too, as he stared intently at the entrance. “Leader. Someone seems to have arrived.” “So it seems.” “I wonder who it could be to cause such a commotion? Everyone who comes here should be famous...” “Who knows.” Most guests staying at this Landriver Hotel were people who could hold their heads high anywhere. They were people who didn’t revere others, but were revered. A crane remains dignified even when seeing another crane. Only chickens in a coop revere cranes but now, the cranes were stirring. The atmosphere wafting from the entrance was too different to say otherwise. ‘Has a phoenix appeared?’ It was then, as Rudger was staring intently at the entrance the crowd parted and a group revealed themselves. “...!” Rudger recognized the person at the front of the group and his eyes widened.

Chapter 365

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