Chapter 2

◈ Chapter 2: To the Capital of the Empire (2)

But why did the man in front of me ask about the existence of Machiavelli?

Moreover, about the fake identity I had used until recently.

Could it be that he knows and is doing this on purpose?

‘What’s his intention?’

For a moment, I suspected he might be a tracker sent by the princess faction of the Yuta Kingdom, but it didn’t seem like that.

Apart from asking, Rudger didn’t take any other action.

Rather, his eyes and behavior seemed more genuinely curious.

Then, was it just a coincidence?

‘A teacher from Seorun…’

Seorun Academy is so famous that even when staying in a distant foreign country, people talk about it.

For a young man to become a new teacher at Seorun means that he must be a person of great talent.

Indeed, I didn’t realize it at first, but I can feel it gradually.

There’s something unusual about this person.

But instead of raising my guard, I shook my head inwardly.

‘Let’s just assume it’s a coincidence for now.’

I shouldn’t show any signs of being suspicious.

I naturally turned to the next page of the newspaper and responded to his words.

“If such a person really existed, they would have been in the news.”

“Ha ha. Well, there are things in this world that aren’t easily revealed, aren’t there?”

“That’s interesting. Is it okay to tell this to someone you just met today?”

“Well, there’s no harm in it, is there? And Mr. Gerard, though I just met you today, I feel like we get along.”

“I’m grateful that a prestigious teacher from Seorun would look favorably upon an old man like me.”

Perhaps because the identity I’m maintaining now is one that easily wins people’s favor, Rudger didn’t seem to have any intention of dampening his interest in me.

Looks like I can’t just quietly go on my way.

Given the situation, I decided to respond appropriately.

Having a conversation partner isn’t bad, after all.

“Mr. Rudger, when you get to Seorun, will you start teaching immediately?”

“Not immediately, I’ll have to wait a bit.”

“First year?”

“No, I’ve been assigned to the second year.”

“Oh, second year. Usually, new teachers take the first-year freshmen, don’t they? This means you’re even more impressive than I thought.”

Though I only heard it from someone else, Seorun, being a magic academy, has an image similar to a university on Earth.

It has a vast campus with all sorts of buildings, and it’s said that there are thousands of servants living and working there.

Though it’s adjacent to a major city, Seorun itself is almost like a small city, to the point where it’s called a city beside a city.

Seorun’s students range from first to fifth year.

Generally, the higher the grade, the smarter the students, so higher grades are usually taught by experienced teachers, while new teachers take the first-year freshmen.

But this time, he’s been assigned to the second year right after joining.

I thought he might be quite impressive, but he’s even more so.

‘He didn’t become a teacher at Seorun for nothing, I guess.’

A magic academy that teaches magic.

In a world that has undergone an industrial revolution with iron and steam, the key difference from Earth is, of course, the existence of magic.

‘Something I only saw in fantasy novels.’

The existence of magic is inseparable from this world, and it’s only natural that such magic has always been the exclusive domain of the chosen few.

You can’t use magic if you can’t handle mana.

However.

Unlike the old days when only noble blood could use magic, nowadays, if a commoner has talent, they can learn magic, and this merit-based approach is becoming more prevalent.

Seorun is the top-ranked magic academy where talent is the only requirement for admission.

‘Now, I’m curious. What kind of place is it, really?’

When I think of a magic academy, the famous work I remember from my life on Earth is one where students fly on brooms and use magic with wooden wands.

I guess children who grew up watching movies or reading books had dreams of such magic schools.

A magic school.

What could be a more romantic idea?

Such a place actually exists in this world.

Students who learn magic and spend their youth.

‘Youth…’

In my previous life, my father passed away early, so I never had the leisure to enjoy such things.

I studied frantically out of a sense of duty to support my family and was plagued by the compulsion to succeed.

This second life isn’t much different from my previous one.

No, it’s even worse.

There’s a reason I hide my identity and move around like this.

‘It would be a thief’s mentality to wish for such things now.’

Having been born and lived in this world for 27 years,

I’m walking a path far removed from the burning youth and such.

The magic academy and all that is just a story from another world.

The same goes for the man in front of me, Rudger, who is closely related to it.

Living a life of hiding my true identity with a false identity, I am worlds apart from this man who stands on the shining stage of Seorun.

Still, given that he became a teacher at Seorun at a young age, I should purely congratulate him.

‘He mentioned being from a fallen noble family.’

This world still has a class system, and nobles, of course, are at the top of that system.

However, there are those who have fallen from such a position to the depths.

They might have rebelled against the state, or been disliked by those higher up, or owed a huge debt.

In any case, for various reasons, there are nobles who have fallen to the depths.

Fallen nobles.

Considering that fallen nobles are despised even more than commoners by other nobles, the man in front of me, Rudger, must have put in a lot of hard work to become a teacher at Seorun.

While I was thinking this, I felt something strange from outside.

‘What is it?’

I glanced out the window and couldn’t help but be enveloped by a strange sense of unease.

The atmosphere is off.

To be precise, the air feels heavy.

As if something is about to happen.

“Why are you doing that?”

Rudger asked, puzzled by my reaction.

I didn’t answer but heightened my senses.

…Something is coming.

“Something is….”

Just as Rudger was about to speak,

───!!!

A massive explosion and a powerful shock violently shook the magic engineering train.

The train car swayed, and the train, which was running on the tracks, lurched to the side.

I gripped the armrest of the chair to maintain my balance.

“What is this…? Did the engine explode?”

Rudger muttered, but I shook my head, not knowing.

It doesn’t seem like the engine exploded.

The entire train wouldn’t be shaken by just one engine failing.

Moreover, the engine of a magic engineering train, known for its safety, wouldn’t just explode on its own.

There must be something causing this explosion.

───!

My uneasy imagination wasn’t wrong, as something started moving busily on the ceiling of the train, making thumping sounds.

At the same time, loud noises came from the front car.

The sound of something breaking and people screaming. I realized what was happening.

“It’s an attack.”

“An attack? On this train?”

“Most of the passengers on the magic engineering train are wealthy merchants or nobles. The bandits from the Northern Mountains must have targeted them.”

The passengers on this expensive magic engineering train are mostly rich people. Naturally, there are many who target the valuables they carry, and attacks by bandits on the train occur from time to time.

‘Still, to do this at the border heading to the empire…’

The bandits who attacked now are quite abnormal.

They are so bold that they’ve burst out.

‘More than that, the explosion that shook the train earlier. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary explosion.’

I narrowed my eyes, having a hunch.

‘Magic, perhaps.’

There’s a mage among the attackers.

If there’s a mage, it’s understandable to attempt such a bold act.

With the power of a mage, they can quickly loot and escape, and they can hide safely in the rugged Northern Aret Mountains. It would be difficult for those pursuing them.

If they targeted this, the bandits are certainly not ordinary.

Given that they have a mage capable of such firepower and are targeting a train with nobles, they can’t be ordinary.

In a world where magic exists, there are also those who use magic for evil.

“Mr. Rudger, we should hide or take cover.”

Rudger nodded at my words.

Rudger picked up his luggage. He’s trying to take his bag in this situation. There must be something important inside.

I also got up, not in a position to worry about others. Rudger took the lead.

“I’ll go first, just in case.”

“Yes.”

My identity is that of a 40-year-old commoner with only money.

This man, who became a teacher at the academy in his mid-20s, is probably better at fighting.

Rudger took out a small wooden wand in his right hand and raised his guard.

We opened the door of the car and checked the corridor of Car 4.

No one is visible yet. The passengers seem to be waiting quietly in their safe cabins.

‘A wrong choice.’

Even if the cabins are protected by magic, the bandits who attacked are not ordinary. Sitting quietly in the cabin in such a situation is like offering your neck to be caught.

The best course of action is to stay as far away from the bandits as possible.

‘Still, it’s strange that the bandits who entered Car 3 haven’t come here yet.’

I thought they would scatter and loot the passengers, but is that not the case?

Or are they targeting Car 1?

Car 1 is the first-class cabin for nobles.

It’s a special room with strict security, but it’s also the golden egg with the most money.

‘Fortunately, I guess.’

While our attention is on Car 1, we can retreat to the back.

This magic engineering train is equipped to send a distress signal in case of an attack.

Support troops will likely arrive soon.

I just need to hold out until then.

Clang!

At that moment, a man broke through the corridor window and burst in.

He turned his head to look at us, perhaps sensing our presence, with his eyes bloodshot.

‘What a menacing look. Did he take drugs or something?’

His appearance, dripping with hatred and anger, looked more like something else than a bandit.

Did he get so angry waiting for the train in this cold?

“Waaah!”

But before I could show my surprise, the bandit shouted upon spotting us.

At the same time, Rudger’s magic was activated.

The magical symbols etched on the tip of the wand, like threads of mana, soon transformed into a spell.

Crack!

A bolt of blue lightning pierced the intruder’s chest.

“Gah!”

The bandit, who was charging at us, fell to the ground and trembled.

I asked Rudger.

“Did you kill him?”

“No, I just subdued him.”

Rudger, who answered, cautiously approached the fallen bandit with his wand still pointed.

“Wait. Mr. Rudger, it’s dangerous.”

“It’s fine. I just want to lightly interrogate him to find out why they attacked this train.”

“No, I mean….”

Before I could say more, Rudger moved without listening.

He pushed the bandit with his foot to make him face up.

“Speak. Why did you attack this train?”

“Gah, gah. Cough, cough.”

“Laughing in this situation…?”

“All, all, must die.”

The voice, barely audible, was filled with a chilling madness that made my skin crawl.

The bandit, convulsing and bleeding from his nose, laughed.

At the same time, his tightly wrapped shirt loosened, revealing a hidden object.

It was a large amount of explosives.

“…!”

Before Rudger, who saw it, could activate his magic,

The bandit, who had prepared in advance, pressed the detonator in his hand.

Kaboom!

A massive explosion swept through Car 4.