“Battuanu?”

On the train bound to Battuanu, there was only one possible person to contact the Lunazel security forces. Kyle Leonard, whose face appeared perplexed earlier at the timely arrival of the police, realized, his mouth opening slightly.

That lethargic woman has done something quite commendable.

A familiar man climbed out of the nearby vehicle. He was one of the nine representatives of the Investigative Security Agency in Laurent and the head of the Lunazel branch.

“Captain, are you okay? I received a report that a terrorist attack had occurred in the train for Central Edman. What happened?”

“It is the work of Yulem. After being quiet for a while, it seems to have received a new request. I’ve immobilized all of them, so send them to Tezeba headquarters for chip removal surgery.” 

“Oh… Yes, I understand.” Disappointment flashed across the face of the branch magistrate. On the other hand, Kyle Leonard didn’t even bat an eyelash and disclosed further news.

“And now, put up a request for the right to investigate the affiliation between Yulem and Laurent’s Ministry of Magic.”

“Pardon? The magic department and the Yulem?”

As Kyle Leonard continued to explain the situation, the branch magistrate’s face turned pale. He handed the magistrate a voice recorder, which he had turned on the moment he boarded the train.

“The investigation should be conducted in secret. As long as the relation between Yulem and the Ministry of Magic remains a mystery, this case will be kept confidential. In other words, never let information regarding this case leak to the magic department. Do you understand?” 

“Yes, sir!”

Kyle Leonard stretched out his arm and the magistrate immediately handed him the keys to the vehicle. Then, he glanced at Kyle Leonard, a grimace plastered on his face.

“By the way, sir… About the report from the train to Battuanu, your wife… She left a message telling you to drop the investigation and follow her right away.”

“What?” Kyle Leonard frowned at the magistrate, confused once again. Then, he realized it was Park Noah’s message.

The branch magistrate delivered Park Noah’s words hesitantly, and with a look of deep regret. “She said, “I think I did a good job.” and then she hung up…”

“….”

“Well, maybe she is a crazy woman… Or  she mistook you for another person.”

Upon seeing the tense magistrate, Kyle Leonard chuckled. The former, startled at the investigator’s unusual reaction, instantly gestured a salute with his quivering fingers. “Forgive me, sir! This message should have been filtered!”

“No, it’s alright. You must be very anxious.” 

Then, Kyle Leonard handed him the incident log, which he had roughly recorded. The magistrate’s curious eyes followed the pocketbook but uttered no comment and received it nonetheless.

“First of all, I’ll hand this over to the Lunazel District temporarily. When you return to Lunazel, send the records to Tezeba so you can get a quick look at the progress of the case.”

“Yes! Don’t worry!”

Then, after the necessary discussion, Kyle Leonard dismissed the magistrate. However, it was not possible for him to board the train bound to Battuanu as the magic that was enchanted on the railways caused a great commotion, which prompted the suspension of all railway services centered around Lunazel and Central Edman. 

*

Along the rooms in the first-class section rested two exhausted passengers. Whether or not the investigator was correct, the train bound to Battuanu was indeed peaceful. 

“Ah, finally…”

When the rushing adrenaline dispelled from her veins, immense fatigue took place. It was only then that she felt a sharp pain on her shoulder, which collided against a metal railing when she fell from the air earlier; it would be unsurprising if a bruise had formed. 

Park Noah had never dreamt to be on top of a running train. For a while, she pondered on the events that had transpired lately, which brought chaos into her life. 

How did I end up on a rough path? It’s better to live like a grasshopper in Sorrent and run around, even if it comprises a series of hardships than to have my neck chopped off. I’m already doing nothing, but I don’t want to do anything more intensely.

“What’s the point of thinking about it? Let’s not think about anything. Let’s find the light amid all these…” Park Noah wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t despite running out of energy. She was so tired that she could die, but she was still awake. Her mana seemed to exhaust rapidly but recover at a slow speed. What a taxing body.

She glanced at the child beside her and spoke softly, “Mu, are you sleeping?”

Then, a light snore escaped from the child’s parted mouth, answering her question. He was just as overwhelmed as Park Noah. Muell lay sprawled on the seat, sleeping peacefully. 

However, as Park Noah inched closer to observe the snoring dragon, worried over his state, he didn’t seem to be exhausted. His breathing sounded even as if nothing had happened a little while ago.

You must be a very healthy dragon to see that even if you have a master whose health converges to null, you can do this much. We have to get to the capital soon and cut off resonance with Lenia. That is if we can safely arrive in Tezeba…

Park Noah’s thoughts gradually drifted to Kyle Leonard’s last words. 

“See you at Battuanu Station at noon in three days.”

She knew her worries were futile, but she could not evade the creeping anxiety. Although he was extremely skillful, he was still human. Hence, she threatened their train’s operator for an emergency call to the Lunazel security forces to ease her distress.

So, follow me right away, Kyle Leonard. Even though I’m with Mu, I’m nervous because I’m just a novice! I need a veteran…!

“…Well, you’ll catch up soon.”

Park Noah then emptied her busy mind, deciding to rest, since it takes more than half a day to arrive in Battuanu by train. After a while of counting the number of times the train rattled, she finally fell into a slumber. Soon, she awoke, and the scenery had changed.