***
“Raniel, you rotten bastard!!”
Linia sprinted across the roof of the train.
“It’s cold! I’m freezing to death too!”
And she removed the bombs.
She detached a bomb using the magic tool Raniel had given her, then repeated the process of throwing it into the sky with all her might.
Boom!
The work was, of course, overwhelmingly faster than when she was carrying Raniel.
The bomb locations displayed on the tablet were also quite detailed, so she didn’t get lost.
It was definitely efficient, but.
‘It’s unfair! Something, something about this is incredibly unfair!!’
Linia cursed Raniel repeatedly as she sprinted across the train.
After removing all the bombs on the exterior, she entered the interior where the last remaining bomb was located.
“Ugh, it’s still freezing even though I’m inside. I think I’ve arrived, anyway.”
Linia hugged her cold body tightly with both arms, shivering, and then a moment later, she checked the tablet.
The location indicated on the tablet was the inside of a passenger car.
There was a lock on the door, but she easily unlocked (?) it with her grip and stepped inside.
There was a very suspicious-looking man, completely covered by a hood.
“Wh-who are you?!”
“Let’s see. Huh? It’s clearly marked as a bomb, so why is there a person here?”
“I asked who you are!”
“Hmm…”
Linia looked back and forth between the tablet and the mysterious man.
Then, she suddenly noticed a small memo written on the tablet.
<※If by any chance a person is hiding the bomb, beat them up moderately to neutralize them before they can detonate it.
ps) Don’t forget to throw the bomb out of the train.>
<><><>
Inside a different first-class cabin from where Raniel’s group was.
Despite the commotion outside, the place was as quiet as if it were cut off from the world.
Inside, a small girl with silver hair and red eyes and an old gentleman with a benevolent impression were sitting side by side, sipping tea.
As they quietly drank their tea, the old man was the first to speak to the girl with a kind smile.
“Did you do well on your exam?”
“I received special treatment, taking the exam in a separate room. Wouldn’t it be strange if I didn’t do well?”
The girl replied sulkily to the old man’s words.
“It was all for your safety. The content of the exam was the same as the other examinees.”
“Isn’t taking it in a private room a privilege in itself?”
“There will be no such special treatment after you enroll.”
“…I understand.”
The girl’s words trailed off as she answered the old man.
The two began to drink their tea in silence again.
After finishing her last sip, the girl quietly looked around.
“It’s quiet, by the way.”
“Travel is usually a quiet affair.”
“Didn’t you once say that and then, for my own safety, surround me with a magic barrier without my knowledge?”
“Hoho, at my age, do you think I would overexert myself like that again?”
“Hmm. I was deceived once, so it’s hard to trust you.”
The girl looked at the old man with narrowed eyes, but the old man simply smiled benevolently and replied.
“Hwaaam, I must have been nervous during the exam, I’m getting sleepy.”
After some time had passed, the girl covered her mouth and let out a small yawn.
“You should get some sleep. We still have a long way to go.”
“Then I’ll rest my eyes for a bit.”
The old man watched the girl lie down on the bed in the first-class cabin, then stared into the empty air with slightly sharper eyes.
“I was planning to intervene if necessary, but I suppose I can just watch for now.”
Then, the old man quietly muttered to himself.
“Raiel, you’ve raised a very interesting son.”
The old man smiled benevolently again.
<><><>
“My ear is itching.”
[It seems someone is cursing you, Master.]
“No way. Who would curse someone who has lived as diligently and righteously as me?”
It was true.
I had lived a very diligent life.
I worked hard to earn money, and now I was trying to enroll in the academy to efficiently become a professor, wasn’t I?
[Hmm…]
‘What? Why? Haven’t I been living quite diligently?’
[Well, I suppose that’s true.]
‘What do you mean, you suppose?’
[There’s one terrorist up ahead.]
‘Are you changing the subject?’
Well, dealing with the terrorist is more important right now.
How should I handle this?
[Based on my detection, he doesn’t seem to have any particular weapons.]
‘Really? Then let’s make it easy.’
I confidently opened the door to the car in front of me and went in.
And I came face to face with a man covered in a mask and a hood.
“Oh, you’re working hard.”
“Who are you?!”
I tried to just pass by, but of course, I was stopped. Honestly, my life never goes the easy way.
“You don’t know me?”
“Who are you?”
“You can’t not know me!!”
When I shouted, the terrorist’s eyes started to dart around.
“Why! Why! Why don’t you know me?! How could you do this!”
I approached the terrorist, shouting dramatically.
“Uh, uh, s-sorry…!”
Seeing the terrorist bow his head,
I immediately took out the Zappy Wrench, which I had made for fun in my spare time, from the Dimensional Hangar and bashed the back of the terrorist’s head.
Clang!
After the satisfying sound of impact,
Crackle.
“Gack!”
Electricity immediately flowed out and zapped the terrorist.
The function of the Zappy Wrench was simple.
It zaps the guy you hit with electricity!
Simple is best.
Hit, then zap. It only had one function, but there was nothing better for hitting someone on the back of the head.
Of course, it was useless against monsters who could handle aura or magic, but that was a specific case.
For ordinary humans who might have mana but haven’t trained, one hit from this was enough to knock them out.
[Master.]
“What?”
[The Dimensional Hangar was originally meant for storing and charging me, wasn’t it?]
“That’s right?”
[But looking at how you’ve been using it lately, I think it should be called a 4D pocket instead of a Dimensional Hangar.]
“Well, what can I do if there’s nowhere else to put things?”
And it made me realize again, it was also incredibly convenient.
So convenient that I wanted to try making a similar item just for storing things later.
Meanwhile, I approached the knocked-out terrorist and began to farm.
Even if it’s just a mob, I can’t stop farming!
‘Tsk, but he doesn’t have much on him.’
Aside from some small coins and metal scraps, all I got in the end were the hood and mask.
They seemed quite useful, as they could completely cover my body and face.
I immediately put on the hood and wore the mask.
Then, as always, I took out a pair of handcuffs I had made for fun from the Dimensional Hangar, cuffed the terrorist, gagged him with a suitable piece of cloth, and threw him in a corner of the train.
Wearing the clothes of a cult was quite unsettling, but it seemed like it would make things less troublesome from now on, so I had no choice.
Wearing the clothes, I continued straight ahead.
[Two terrorists up ahead, they’re armed this time.]
‘Location?’
[One at each end of the aisle. And there are people who look like hostages in the aisle.]
‘I see.’
This time too, I immediately opened the door and went inside.
At that, a terrorist wearing a hood spoke with a fierce demeanor.
“Why did you leave your post? Go back to your…”
“Password!!”
I quickly cut the guy off and shouted.
“What? S-suddenly?”
“Password!”
I kindly shouted it again for the guy who couldn’t seem to understand.
“W-well, our password is…”
Clang!
I immediately bashed the head of the flustered, stammering guy with the wrench.
Crackle!
Zapped.
One down.
“Who are you!!”
At that, the guy at the opposite end of the aisle was startled and approached me, aiming his gun.
I looked at him confidently and shouted.
“This bastard didn’t know the password! He’s a heretic!!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Wait! You, who was with this guy, are also suspicious! Don’t come any closer and say the password!!”
I confidently approached the gun the man was aiming at me.
“The password is… ‘The tide of the times is changing. Starting today,’ right?”
“Hmm. Fortunately, it seems you are not a heretic.”
I watched the guy’s reaction and slowly nodded.
[Master, did you know these guys had a password?]
‘You think I knew? I just blurted it out and saw what happened.’
[Wow, I thought you knew everything and were acting accordingly.]
‘Sometimes, you have to act confidently even when you don’t know.’
[What were you going to do if you got caught?]
‘Compared to the survival difficulty of my previous life, this is a piece of cake, so no worries.’
[That’s not an answer at all.]
I ignored the AI’s words and spoke to the flustered terrorist.
“There was information that a heretic had infiltrated the train. I’ll guard this place, so hurry up and report it to the higher-ups!”
“Ah, got it! I’m counting on you.”
At my words, the terrorist turned his back, and I immediately gripped the wrench in my hand.
“No, wait. Come to think of it, you’re also suspicious…”
Clang!
“Keoheok!”
The guy sensed something was wrong and tried to turn around, but by then, my Zappy Wrench had already unleashed its righteous electric shock.
Crackle.
[It worked? Why did it work?]
Leaving the bewildered Prototype behind, I gathered the two fallen guys and farmed their items.
[You really don’t forget to farm, do you?]
From ancient times, looting the defeated has been the natural right of the victor.
Anyway, after I finished farming, I took out some handcuffs from the Dimensional Hangar, cuffed them, and threw them aside.
I don’t see a detonator, so I guess one of the remaining three has it.
[I suppose we need to move carefully now?]
I immediately kicked open the door and moved forward.
[Though it seems you have no intention of doing so.]
I don’t want to waste time on nobodies, careful or not.
Let’s just go home comfortably.
If they were going to commit a terror attack, why couldn’t they have done it on the next train? Why did it have to be the one I was on?
I just want to go home comfortably.
Muttering to myself like that, I moved forward without hesitation.
[One person ahead.]
This time too, I kicked open the door and immediately came face to face with a terrorist.
The moment the terrorist saw me, he showed a great deal of caution, and I immediately said the password.
“The password is ‘The tide of the times is changing. Starting today.’”
As I uttered the password I had heard earlier, the terrorist seemed to relax and said,
“Confirmed. What brings you here?”
“There’s a heretic inside! I’ll guard this place, so hurry up and report to the higher-ups!”
“A heretic?! Got it!”
This time, the terrorist moved, showing his back without a hint of suspicion.
Right. It’s so much better when you listen like this without dragging things out.
And towards the back of the praiseworthy guy’s head, I swung the wrench with all my heart.
Clang! Crackle!
“Keoheok!”
[I asked a similar question earlier, and it’s a relief that things have gone well so far, but what would you have done if things had gone wrong?]
‘There’s always a way to deal with things at that moment.’
[My repairs aren’t perfect, and you only have one life, Master! Please refrain from such risky behavior! At the very least, have that gorilla do it!]
‘Our gorilla is already working hard. And no matter how unrepaired you are, is your armor so weak that it would be pierced by such a disorderly mob?’
[That may be true, but…]
As always, I rifled through the pockets of the fallen guy and farmed.
However, since the hood and mask were duplicates, there wasn't much to gain.
“No, are all the terrorists just a bunch of beggars? My research funds are already tight, and if my side income is like this…”
After finishing the disappointing farming, I straightened my back.
I gathered the miscellaneous coins, threw them into the Dimensional Hangar, and checked the tablet.
“This is the last one, right?”
[Yes, if Linia did her job properly, there’s one left, Master. However, I think you’ll need to be a little more careful this time.]
‘Why?’
[There’s a hostage.]
‘A hostage?’
Well, it’s not like they would just install bombs and do nothing.
If anything, it’s strange that the other guys weren’t holding any hostages.
‘I’m no knight, so what do I care about a hostage?’
[The hostage is someone you know. That cliché.]
‘The black-haired guy?’
[Yes, the black-haired… guy is being held hostage.]
No, why did they leave all the other civilians alone and take the black-haired guy of all people?
“Don’t tell me he got caught while running around with the Mana Blaster?”
[Considering the circumstances, isn’t that likely?]
For a moment, I thought that if I just blew up the black-haired guy along with the terrorist, it would be a clean solution.
But it’s a bit much to let him die just because I don’t like him.
[It’s my turn to step up!]
No. If I take you out, it might not be a train derailment, but a train annihilation.
[Aww…]
“Whatever, I have a way, so just watch.”
Leaving the whining AI behind, I took off the hood and mask.
[Huh? Why are you doing that?]
And I put them on the terrorist sprawled on the floor.
I took out the Mana Blaster (shotgun) from the Dimensional Hangar.
[Master, what are you trying to do?]
Then I struggled to lift the sprawled-out guy, aimed the gun at his head,
and in that exact posture, I kicked open the door and went in.
“Freeze! I have a hostage!”
As expected, for a hostage situation, you need a hostage situation.
“Drop your weapon and surrender peacefully! If you don’t surrender, I can’t guarantee the hostage’s safety!”