After the ticket checker was killed, almost all the passengers panicked and ran to other parts of the train. When the train stopped at the next station, they hurriedly got off. Many of them immediately went to inform the guards and knights about what had happened. But by the time they did, the train had already left that station, moving forward.
Unlike modern Earth, there weren't many train stations in this world. There were probably only six or seven more stations before reaching the main destination, not the usual twenty or thirty stops you'd expect.
Still, it was enough to give the knights a chance to catch up. The guards quickly used telepathy essence stones and magic to send warnings to the knights at the next station, hoping to stop the train.
Time passed, and the knights at the next station waited. Eventually, one of the knights picked up his telepathy essence stone and spoke, frustration clear in his voice.
"Hello? Can you hear me? I've been waiting here for forty minutes, but there's no sign of any blue train with the number 1089. Are you sure it was that train?" he asked, clearly confused.
A reply came from an older man, his voice high-pitched and concerned.
"What? But we saw it clearly! And many people reported that a man was killed on board. Why would all those people lie?" The old man's voice trembled with worry.
"I think the train might have already left before you checked. I'll contact the next station," the knight said, cutting off the telepathic link.
He quickly reached out to the next station, but after an hour, the response was the same: no train matching that description had arrived.
This same confusion spread to the other station guards as well. No one could find the train Esdeath was on, and it seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Just one station before reaching the capital of Anastasia Kingdom, a guard was waiting, yawning nonstop. It was already midnight, and the long night shift was taking its toll on him. Unlike other stations, however, he was diligently checking the list of trains and their arrival times.
"Hmm… there *is* a blue train with number 1089," he said to himself, eyes narrowing at the list. "So, those people were telling the truth." He glanced at the arrival times. "According to this, the train should be arriving at platform number three."
Without thinking, he looked over toward platform three, but what he saw made him raise an eyebrow. A yellow train with the number 6818 was sitting there instead.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"Huh? That's strange… I've been looking at the train schedule, and there's no mention of a train with number 6818. Wait a minute..." His mind raced as realization hit him.
The train they were looking for hadn't disappeared. Instead, it was hiding in plain sight, using an illusion to change its appearance. As he watched carefully, he noticed something even stranger—no one was getting on or off the yellow train. Not a single person.
Then, a bird tried to fly into the train but was stopped by something invisible, as if blocked by a barrier.
"Ohh... so the killer is an awakened individual!" he muttered, his heart pounding. "After killing the ticket checker, they must have put up a barrier around the train. But in the chaos, many passengers escaped before the barrier was activated. Then, the killer used illusion magic to disguise the train, making it look like a normal one."
Realizing what was going on, the guard jumped out of his office and sprinted toward the train. His thoughts raced.
"Even though I can't see inside, there are probably people trapped in there, screaming for their lives."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an essence stone shaped like a small tower. Speaking into it, he commanded, "Guards, quickly attack the train on platform three! It's covered by an illusion. I think many people, including the driver, are involved."
He activated his movement-type essence stone, which boosted his speed, and ran faster toward the platform. But just as he got closer, the train's engine roared to life. The driver, realizing they had been exposed, was starting the train before its scheduled departure time.
The guard cursed under his breath as the train began to pull away, his heart racing with the fear that they might escape again.
Unfortunately, the train had already sped up, moving fast toward its escape. But before it could fully get away, the head guard sprang into action. He quickly pulled out his sword and activated an essence stone. The sword began to glow a bright blue, and its length almost doubled in size. Without hesitation, he leaped forward, aiming at the train.
**Clingg…!**
The powerful impact of his strike sent him flying backward, and he hit the ground hard, getting slightly injured. But despite the pain, he managed to slice off a part of the train from the rear. The damage was enough to break the illusion covering the train, revealing its true appearance. However, the sword slash only cut off the back portion of the train. The front section, including the engine, managed to escape, speeding away into the distance.
The head guard sighed in frustration, watching as the rest of the train vanished. He shook his head and prepared to report the situation to the guards at the next station, hoping they would have better luck.
---
Corin's heart pounded as he stood in his room, staring nervously at the wall. His breaths came quickly, and he felt his chest tightening with anxiety. After a long pause, he finally made a decision. "I'm going out," he muttered to himself. The tension in his body eased just a little, though his heart still raced. "Whatever happens, I have to see for myself."
He slipped out of his house and made his way to the academy. The night was dark, and the academy grounds were eerily silent, blanketed in shadows. Every step he took made his heart beat faster. His palms were sweaty, and his nerves were on edge.
Corin cautiously walked through the academy halls, taking different paths as he tried to move unseen. With each step, he cast detection spells, trying to sense if anyone was nearby or if there were traps laid in his path. But no matter what he tried, he found nothing. The silence only made his anxiety worse.
After several minutes of wandering, he finally reached a turning point in the corridor. Just as he was about to turn right, a hand suddenly appeared from the shadows and grabbed him, yanking him forward.
Corin's instincts kicked in, and he opened his mouth to scream. But before he could make a sound, another hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him.
"Shh… I'm not your enemy," came a low, mechanical voice.
Corin's panicked breaths slowed, and he stared at the figure in front of him. It was a man, but his entire body was covered in dark clothes, concealing every inch of skin. His face was hidden, making it impossible to tell who he was.
"I've been trying to contact you for days," the man whispered, his voice steady. "And finally, I got my chance."
Corin's mind raced with questions, but he remained still, waiting to see what this mysterious figure wanted from him.