The train didn’t realize it was night. It simply ran along its predetermined tracks in silence.
While the passengers and train crew inside the train tried to sleep, the vigorously moving train never slept.
A sample of the inanimate created by humans, solely to achieve the goal of “moving forward.” Laura couldn’t shake off the feeling of emptiness as she sat on such a train.
“Did I look like this before?”
Laura recalled how she had been earlier this year, right after winter ended and the snow was melting. At that time, she had been noticeably immature in many ways.
She had been fervently rushing towards her life goal of magic, a goal set since childhood, without paying attention to the things passing by her.
Now, things were different. Laura had gained friends and people she respected.
—
Screech—!
The sound of iron meeting iron could be heard. The train was coming to a stop.
“Is this the Holy Empire…?”
After a week of running tirelessly day and night, the train finally reached the Holy Empire at the end of a long journey. It crossed Laura’s mind that it was ridiculous that it took a whole week to arrive in this country.
Feeling the train come to a slow stop, Laura peeked out the window. The platform looked vastly different than what she had seen from the city.
This was the platform of the Holy Empire. A place arrived at after a long and short week. However, no matter how much Laura looked at the outside scenery, she felt no particular excitement.
A platform of pristine white, people standing in orderly lines, nameless priests bustling around in priestly attire.
Indeed, the priests who could be seen here, without even needing to go to a church in the city, were a fitting sight for the Holy Empire.
There was much more to catch the eye. People passing by outside each had rosaries hanging around their necks or were holding Bibles in their hands…
The most striking was the enormous tree standing in the middle of the platform. A decorated fir tree that comes out into the world every Christmas. While it was something often seen around this time of year in the city, it wasn’t particularly special.
“Wow! Wow! Wow! Elin! Look at that!”
“Ugh… I’m looking too…! Please stop pushing…!”
“Oh my… there are so many priests around.”
The three of them, glued to the compartment window, were watching the scenery passing by as the train slowly came to a stop.
Laura’s gaze on Chloe and Elin, as well as Professor Esther, gradually dimmed. More precisely, it was focused on Chloe, who was directly pressuring Elin with the enormous mass.
‘…How can it be that big?’
Without realizing it, Laura frowned as she stared at Chloe, then a thought crossed her mind about how ridiculous it was to be so large. Her gaze then slowly turned to Professor Antorelli, who was blankly staring into space.
“Head Priest, you are alright, right?”
“I’m fine. Sub-priest Sofia.”
“No, um… no… Yes. If the Head Priest says he’s fine, then it must be so…”
In contrast to the three who were busy watching the scenery outside, Professor Antorelli had not turned his gaze from outside ever since entering the Holy Empire. His gaze was always directed forward.
‘Maybe he’s used to it?’
Then again, a priest like Antorelli would have likely visited the Holy Empire. Being a senior priest, he even had a name that sounded like it belonged to the Holy Empire.
Although Laura had never heard of him being from the Holy Empire, the Sub-priest Sofia sitting beside him was certainly from there. Setting aside the way she looked at Antorelli with a worried gaze, her eyes, which occasionally flickered toward the window, showed both nostalgia and joy.
“Are you from the Holy Empire, Sub-priest?”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct. I was born and raised in the Holy Empire and graduated from the Seminary there.”
“I see.”
Sub-priest Sofia appeared a bit excited as she spoke about being from the Holy Empire. Indeed, it was only natural to feel joy upon returning to one’s hometown from so far away.
With a thud and some bumps, the train’s movement finally stopped. Laura quietly stood up and finished preparing to disembark, watching Professor Antorelli gather his travel bag.
“It seems like it’s time to go.”
“Yeah! I’ll grab my bag too!”
“Lady Chloe. Please don’t rush too much.”
“Ah. Yes…”
Laura was a bit concerned about Chloe’s response to Antorelli, but nonetheless.
Hearing the announcement that the train had arrived at its destination, Laura and the others slowly disembarked from the train. The cold winter wind brushed against Laura’s fair cheeks.
“Ugh…! It feels even colder somehow…!”
“The Holy Empire is located further to the north than the city. It is a bit colder.”
“I see now why Sub-priest Sofia doesn’t feel the cold too much. I didn’t think the Holy Empire would be this cold…”
“Haha… On the other hand, I have a problem with enduring heat. Well, most people from the Holy Empire are like that.”
As they expressed their own sentiments, Professor Antorelli began to slowly walk ahead. He had fallen silent since getting off the train.
While Laura looked at him with a slightly worried expression, she soon began to follow him. The others did the same.
Glimpsing Antorelli’s profile, Laura thought.
‘Why does he have such an expression?’
The reason Professor Antorelli wore that expression seemed complex, bittersweet, and sorrowful, as if recalling the past with anger. Perhaps the reason for such an expression was…
‘…You’ve been here before, haven’t you, Professor?’
War.
A place related to it.
Laura lowered her head slightly. In that state, she silently followed him.
The cold winter wind blew relentlessly.
—
“What’s important is how well you can adapt. That’s the key.”
“……”
Cesar’s welcome came without any warning. I glanced at Cesar, who was walking beside me as if it were the most natural thing.
“Don’t look at me like that. I came here because you wanted me to.”
Did I want him to?
I did not want Cesar hanging around me. Not because I disliked him. No one would want to meet a dear friend who died horrifically right in front of them.
Especially not when the past and present were contrasting enough to feel jarring.
I still clearly remembered the horrifying image of his head blooming like a flower bud, his skull splitting open, his jaw splitting in two, and his flesh and blood scattering.
It was too bizarre to see him standing next to me in such a healthy state, chatting away casually as if nothing had happened.
I didn’t know how things had been the previous night, but at least I didn’t want him to appear again in front of me.
People are sensitive to the truth. Even if Cesar’s words were indeed true, I couldn’t readily accept that just because it was true.
“Still, isn’t it been a while since you were here? What do you think?”
Without a care for my expression, Cesar asked casually.
I couldn’t make out Cesar’s face clearly. Was I starting to forget what he looked like?
No, that wasn’t it. I was confused by Cesar’s current appearance.
The César I remembered from before, who was perfectly fine… and the César who had appeared before me with a melted face after surviving the flames.
And then there was the César who had shot himself in front of me.
“Lucio. Don’t overthink it. Regardless of how I look, that’s not what matters, right? I’m just appearing as you imagine me to be.”
Right. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is…
“What’s more important is the ‘fact’ that you should face this place with dignity.”
I listened to Cesar’s words and slowly scanned the platform. I could see familiar sights as well as unfamiliar ones.
When was that vending machine installed? It wasn’t there before.
There’s a fence set up in the direction where the train exits. When was that put in place?
“Well, things have changed a bit. But it’s still familiar, isn’t it? That thing over there.”
Cesar pointed at a certain spot. I followed his finger with my gaze.
“That thing. The things passing in front of you.”
At the place he was pointing, there were just a lot of people bustling about. I couldn’t see anything more.
But that was enough. Cesar was pointing at those people.
“Those two-faced bastards. Disgusting shits. Hypocrites.”
“……”
“They haven’t changed. Even though they brought in a tree for Christmas and decorated it with various holy ornaments, which aren’t overly extravagant, and a lot of things have changed, the one thing that hasn’t changed is, of course, the people.”
I felt a bit dizzy.
Wait, was it just a bit?
I tried to take a step forward. The ground didn’t feel solid beneath me. My vision seemed to be spinning.
I need to correct myself. No, I was quite dizzy. I barely managed to stop myself from collapsing. Since it didn’t show much on the outside, the ones following me didn’t seem to notice my abnormal symptoms.
“It’s infuriating, isn’t it? You actually want people to realize your condition, don’t you?”
“……”
“Sub-priest Sofia, Professor Esther, and the other students who followed you… They should see your fragile state and help you. It’s really thoughtless of them.”
I, I…
“If you thought that, then you’re just as guilty as they are, Lucio.”
…What?
“Thoughtless? That’s because they don’t realize it since you don’t show it. They don’t know because you’re keeping everything hidden deep down and trying your best not to let it show on the outside.”
“I—”
“Lucio, you foolish friend. People are surprisingly indifferent to others and only care about themselves, so if you don’t show it, they won’t know.”
“Moreover, look over there. Cesar pointed at a spot again.
“You want to change, but those people aren’t even trying to change.”
He pointed where there were still countless people. They moved orderly in the platform, each going their own way.
“It would have been great if they had kept that order back then. They’re all people too, yet how could they so cruelly handle the poor people who rolled in from the battlefield?”
“……”
“We’re not trying to build up unnecessary hatred right now. As proof, are you angry now?”
I’m not angry. I simply…
“It must be frustrating. You wonder why you have to show yourself like this.”
So now, let’s not hide anymore.
“Don’t even think about hiding it anymore; it’s time to face it. After all, isn’t that why you came all the way out here?”
“……”
“So let’s stop avoiding it and recall what happened that day…”
What I experienced.
That day.
