Allison
Chapter 28 : The 300-meter-wide valley that lay between the stone mountains was filled with blue wat

Major Stork pulled out the cable connecting his radio to Wil’s and ran from the dining car and into the hallway. Along the way, he nearly kicked Benedict before quickly leaping over and into the conductor’s cabin. He grabbed the radio set and hollered at the engineers.

The transcontinental express began grinding to life at a maddeningly slow pace.

“What’s going on?” Asked Benedict.

“They noticed our attack at the last second. That’s why we’ve started moving as well.”

“You mean we’ll snipe them while we’re moving? That’s too ras.h.!.+”

“Then do you have any other suggestions? The three of you, stay here! And Allison!” Major Stork cried sharply. Allison glared at his omission of a t.i.tle.

“What?”

“You must stay put, do you understand? All we can do now is trust in Wilhelm.” Said Major Stork, his eyes fixed on her. Allison grinned and shrugged.

“There’s no need to worry about that. I always trust Wil.”

After Major Stork opened the door and disappeared into the dining car again, Benedict suddenly took up the shotgun and stood.

“Where are you going?” Asked Fiona.

“I do not know if I can do it or if I cannot, but I will attempt to do a distraction strategy.”

“What do you mean?”

Benedict pointed at his shotgun.

“With this, I will shoot the armored railcar. If I control the angles well, I will hit him—er, it. After all, they are slugs.”

Allison cut in.

“Yeah, but it’ll do about as much good as a peashooter.”

“Yes. But their nerves will lean, not to Wil, but to this side.”

“Of course…”

Benedict turned to Fiona.

“Then, I will shortly do dramatics. Please wait here.”

“All right. Come back soon.” Fiona replied with a smile. Benedict slowly leaned forward and tilted his face toward hers.

Watching their quiet kiss, Allison silently grumbled to herself.

“Not fair.”

“Can you take aim?” Major Stork asked Wil as he returned to the dining car, re-connecting the radio.

“Not yet.” Wil replied quickly.

The anti-tank rifle was pointing as far to the left as possible, almost touching the left edge of the hole.

The more the train accelerated, the worse the noise and vibrations became. The image through the scope shook violently.

Wil finally spoke.

Wil replied.

“The train’s begun to move, sir.”

“I see as well. Load the machine gun with ten armor-piercing sh.e.l.ls. All personnel, prepare to open fire.”

“Are we really going to shoot the train, sir?”

“We’re just going to figure out where that shot came from, and drive about ten sh.e.l.ls into that area. Make sure you do not disable any critical parts of the—what was that noise? There! Again!”

“They seem to be firing at us, sir. There’s no doubt. Is that a rifle? I hear bullets ricocheting off the railcar. They might as well be knocking with their fists.”

“But as long as we’re being attacked, we must retaliate. Where are the shots coming from?”

At the very first window of the first dining car.

Of all the windows, there was only one where the curtains were wide open.

“Take this!”

Benedict had lowered the window and was shooting in a half-squat position. Across the valley he could see the armored railcar, moving just ahead of the train.

“That should do it.”

He slightly raised the muzzle and pulled the trigger. There was the sound of gunfire, and the accompanying recoil. Benedict quickly pulled the fore grip to load the next round.

“Please let this one hit.”

He pulled the trigger again.

“Again! d.a.m.n it! Where are the shots coming from?”

“First Lieutenant! I’ve found it. The second car from the back, near the front.”

“Let’s see… I see it. The muzzle’s sticking out of the window.”

“It must be a rifle after all.”

“Hah. It looks like someone’s playing the hero. Is the machine gun ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. We switch seats. I’ll shoot. I’ll blow him away, window and all. Slow down so we’re running at even pace.”

The turret of the railcar slowly began to turn left. The thin barrel, which had been bowing toward the lake, rose parallel to the ground. Then came the projectile.

A blast of smoke and flame escaped the muzzle.

The ten sh.e.l.ls made direct contact with the barrel and the stock of the shotgun that was sticking out of the window, the window frame, and everything within a two-meter radius. Shards of gla.s.s sparkled in the sunlight, and the broken shotgun was blasted into the other side of the car. It ricocheted violently off the wall.

The shotgun fell to the thick carpet with a dull sound in the deserted dining car.

“Excellent. A direct hit.”

“Sir. We’ve found a good pace. We’ll be slowing down slightly.”

“I’m back.” Benedict said, sitting down next to Fiona.

“Welcome back. I heard some loud noises just now. What happened?” Fiona asked. Benedict looked unfazed as he answered.

“I tied the shotgun with a curtain beside the window, and put it outside a little. It must have been shot. Poor shotgun.”

For the second time, Wil pulled the trigger.

Flames spouted from next to the turret of the railcar.

“Whoa! What was that?”

“We’ve been hit! It’s a large-caliber weapon, sir. They’re still alive!”

“Speed up. Figure out where they’re shooting from!”

Wil closed his left eye and stared at the railcar with his right eye on the scope. On the floor between the stands of the anti-tank rifle were two enormous sh.e.l.l casings.

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“Where… where are you hiding…?”

“Sir, I’ve found it! The last car!”

“…I see! Heh. They’ve even blown a hole through the wall… s.h.i.+t. That’s practically a cannon. Load every round we have.”

“Ready to fire, sir.”

“Good. Open fire. Kill them.”

Before Wil could pull the trigger, the railcar’s machine gun roared once more. The tracer sh.e.l.ls, of which there were one in five, drew thin lines over the blue waters.

The rain of sh.e.l.ls pa.s.sed clear over the train’s white roofs and hit the rocky mountains, whipping up clouds of dust.

“What? d.a.m.n it! That shot earlier killed the sights!”

Wil pulled the trigger.

The windows near the rifle, unable to take a third impact, simultaneously split.

The round flew over the water, surpa.s.sing the speed of sound. The multiple waves of impact created in its wake left intricate lines on the mirror-clean surface of the lake.

The round pierced, not a rabbit-shaped target, but the back of the armored railcar.

Pa.s.sing between the loop of the caterpillar tracks, it easily shot through the metal plating and punctured the internal fuel tank. A tulip-shaped hole was left in the thin metal tank. The round bounced all throughout the interior like a rogue firework. The sparks created in the impact leapt into the murky depths of fuel.

The back of the railcar exploded. The railcar leaned forward for a moment, propelled by the red-hot flames.

The explosion created ripples on the water’s surface, and by the time they crossed the lake and reached the train, the back of the railcar finally hit the ground, its wheels derailed from the tracks.

Black smoke spewed from the railcar as it left the tracks and began moving diagonally.

“Please don’t let it fall into the water. Don’t pollute the lake.”

Perhaps Major Stork’s plea had been heard—the railcar suddenly tilted to the right. The caterpillar tracks skidded over the ground to the right, and the horn-shaped buffers were caught in the crossties. With that as a fulcrum, the railcar tilted left again and began sliding down in a trail of sparks.

Eventually, it came to a stop on the tracks. In the windless valley, black smoke rose directly into the air.

The white roofs of the transcontinental express slowly made their way through to the other side of the valley.

“Wh-what’s happening here? The railcar exploded.”

“They must have shot it with the anti-tank rifle. It’s unbelievable.”

Terreur’s greasy face was pressed against the window. Ien’s face was as chilly as ever.

“Hah! So that’s the power of my rifle! Once it’s been supplied to the infantry, their potential will increase exponentially! The military police can go shoot themselves—I have no business with them!”

As Terreur triumphantly punched the air, Ien silently picked up his handgun from his chair.

“Master.”

Terreur turned and flinched at the sight of Ien’s gun.

“What?”

With the gun in hand, Ien shook his head several times.

“There’s something wrong… something is not right.”

“What do you mean? Speak up.”

“According to the plan, the train should have stopped next to the lake so that we could hand over the cargo.”

“But the military police was on our trail—”

“All we know about our contacts is that they were a group within the Sou Be-Il military. But if those MPs were members of that group…”

“Then what about the contact who joined us?”

“If he’s not the man we believed he was… then it all makes sense.”

Terreur flushed red with rage.

“You mean he deceived us?”

“I cannot say for certain yet, but it’s quite likely. I will investigate further. Master, you must remain inside with the door locked. Do not open the door for anyone. After all, now that the conductors are dead, I’m the only one with the key to this cabin.”

“I… I see. Then be off. But—”

“Yes, Master.”

“Do not die. I want you by my side when I recover my fortunes.”

“…Understood.”

With a courteous bow, Ien took his handgun, equipped with a stock, and left the room.

The door closed shut. The sound of the clicking lock filled the cabin.

Said Major Stork, holding out a hand to Wil. Wil was lying on the carpet, having pushed himself away from the rifle.

By the time they both stood and took off their headgear, Benedict and the others had opened the dining car door and entered.

“You’re all well, I see. I think Wilhelm here deserves a word of praise from each person. Ah, let’s not forget Major Carr’s excellent diversion.”

Allison immediately approached Wil and stroked his sweaty face.

“You’re soaked. You might end up with a rash if you don’t wipe this soon.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not a kid, Allison.” Wil chuckled, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket. He handed it to her. “Here. Wipe your hand.”

Allison stared at the handkerchief in silence, before grabbing it and mercilessly wiping Wil’s face.

“Take this.”

“Whoa.”

“Don’t move—you might hurt yourself. Can’t you at least let me do this much for you?”

As Major Stork watched them in silence, Benedict spoke from behind him.

“What will happen to them?”

“We’ll have to take care of them somehow, eventually. But before that, I’m going to contact the engineers and go b.u.t.ter up the VIP. Please wait here, everyone.” Major Stork said over his shoulder, opening the door and leaving the dining car.

* * *

“To stop Mr. Terreur’s running and arrest him… that was Major Stork’s true mission, you say?”

“That’s what he told me.”

“I understand. That man is from the capital Sfrestus, he said. Probably he is in the military’s secret information department. Certainly he is not a normal soldier.”

The four of them were sitting in pairs next to the dining car entrance. Benedict turned to Wil.

“When the military arrests Mr. Terreur and receives confessions, ‘they’ will be beaten in one shot. I’m sure that a large amount of people will be arrested from our military. This will be an incredible scandal that earthquakes the entire military. But that cannot be helped. Whatever, the military shrink cannot be avoided, and I am thinking to leave the military too.”

“But how could he kill all those innocent crew members for something like that…?” Fiona trailed off, heartbroken.

“It is not an action that I can celebrate… but if he did not do that, over forty people would sacrifice—”

At that point, Benedict stopped himself.

“—No. I wil stop there. It is a terrible habit for soldiers to do maths with people’s lives. Likely, Major Stork was worried that we would not help him if he told us that story, so he made it a secret.”

Wil, who was drinking out of a water bottle Allison had handed him, suddenly spoke.

“But… there’s something I don’t really get.”

“What?” Allison asked. Wil replied immediately.

“Why didn’t he kill us? Allison and I witnessed him killing Mr. Welch, and thanks to that, the murders were discovered much earlier than they would have been if we hadn’t. If he’d killed and silenced us, Mr. Terreur wouldn’t have had to play along a fake story. Major Stork could have just pretended to discover the bodies and led the train to the supply base.”

“Come to think of it… you’re right.” Allison mumbled, then suddenly nodded. “Wait. I’ve got it.”

“Hm?”

Wil, Benedict, and Fiona turned to Allison in unison.

“The major must have fallen for me.”

There was another moment of silence. The rhythmic sound of the wheels suddenly sounded much louder.

Wil stared at Allison, at a loss for words.

“C-come on, I was just joking.”

At that moment, they heard a knock from the door connecting the hallway and the dining car.

Allison, who was sitting nearest the door, approached it and peered outside through the gla.s.s pane, but there was no one there.

“?”

What she saw the moment she opened the door was Ien, charging toward her.

“Eek!”

“Allison!”

Wil pulled her back from behind and pushed her aside. Immediately,

“Ugh!”

Ien’s left shoulder drove itself into Wil’s gut. It was a powerful blow. Wil struggled to remain on his feet, but he was thrown into the dining car as he landed on his back on the carpet.

“Wil!” Allison cried, twisting around. Ien’s foot swung at her. Allison bowed to avoid the kick and ran to Wil, who was squirming in pain on the carpet.

“s.h.i.+t!” Ien swore, pulling out his handgun. At that moment, a chair struck him hard in the chest. Benedict, who was across from him, had swung the chair with both hands.

The chair fell to pieces, and at the same time, Ien staggered and dropped his gun. The bullet fired in midair shot out the window. The sh.e.l.l casing, however, had not been properly ejected—the gun fell to the floor.

“Move away.” Benedict grabbed Fiona by the hem of her clothes and leapt toward the wall.

“d.a.m.n you!”

Ien, having recovered from the blow to the chest, curled his hands into fists and swore. At that moment, Benedict lunged with a fist. It landed square on Ien’s left cheek. There was a glint of fury in Ien’s face, crooked toward the right.

“Huh?”

“Take this!”

With a battle cry, Ien shoved Benedict with his left hand. The attack, driven by all of Ien’s weight, connected with Benedict’s chest.

Snap.

“Urgh!”

With a nauseating noise, Benedict was flung past Fiona and into a window frame about three meters away. The curtain he grabbed by reflex tore, and he helplessly slid down the wall.

Benedict groaned in agony as he shot a furious glare at Ien. Ien glared back, blood spilling from his mouth.

“Those skills will get you nowhere on the battlefield, Hero of the Mural.”

“I could beat those words right out of your mouth if we were in the air… you’re pretty good for an old man.”

“We are on land, Hero of the Mural. And here is a little payback.”

With that, Ien grabbed a chair with one hand and lobbed it at Benedict. It hit Benedict’s arms as he quickly braced himself, and fell to pieces. Benedict flinched visibly.

“Gah!”

Finally, he grasped the right side of his chest—the place Ien had hit earlier—and collapsed.

Ien took a look around the dining car. In the center of the car, Wil lay on his stomach. Next to him was Allison, desperately trying to shake him awake.

“Wil! Wil!”

Ahead of Ien, to his left, lay Benedict. And in front of the left wall—

“Ah.”

There was the terrified Fiona.

“h.e.l.lo there, your future Majesty.” Ien said, eerily calm. Fiona fell to her knees and tried to back away. But her head quickly hit the wall behind her.

“It’s not in me to kill a woman, but since you’re past your prime, I’m sure you won’t feel as upset about dying. Unfortunately, you will have to die. I can’t allow a single person to survive.”

He slowly began to walk toward Fiona.

“Fi… run…” Benedict gasped.

Fiona silently looked up at Ien as he drew near.

“Farewell, your future Majesty.” Ien said, slowly crouching to the floor. His hands reached out toward Fiona’s neck. But suddenly, a smile rose to her lips.

“?”

Ien’s hands stopped.

“I think I’m more cut out for this than being a queen—” Fiona said with a grin. Her right hand, which had been at her side, pa.s.sed under Ien’s left arm and in front of her face. In her fingers was a long, thin, metal apparatus.

“Smile.”

Fiona pressed the shutter.

There was a noise, followed by a blinding flash of light. A white flash overwhelmed Ien’s face as he reflexively shut his eyes. For a single second, his face was illuminated to the point that his features were impossible to distinguish. His shadow was cast on the opposite wall.

“Gah!”

Fiona quickly held up her camera and brought it down on Ien’s forehead as he gasped with his eyes closed. She slipped away as he staggered, half-crawling to Benedict.

Meanwhile, Allison was still shaking Wil.

“Wil! Wil!”

“You’re hurting me even more, Allison… please, stop…” Wil managed to whisper. “…Check… check my left side… quickly…”

“Hm?”

Allison flipped up Wil’s jacket.

“s.h.i.+t!” Ien cried, pus.h.i.+ng himself against the wall and taking to his feet. His breathing was ragged as he shook his head several times.

“I let my guard down.”

Ien blinked rapidly as he turned to Fiona, who was helping Benedict up. Though Benedict’s face was racked with pain, he managed to sit up and lean against the wall.

“I’ll kill you all!” Ien roared, but at that moment,

“Hands in the air!”

It was Allison.

“!”

Ien quickly turned round. Allison was in the center of the car, with one knee on the ground next to the fallen Wil. She had a gun—the revolver Benedict had lent to Wil—trained on Ien.

“If you so much as twitch, I’ll shoot!”

Allison’s hands were firmly wrapped around the gun, and her arms were stretched forward. There were about seven meters between her and Ien.

Benedict, who was leaning on the wall, and Fiona, who was supporting him, looked at Allison and Ien.

“Don’t make me laugh…” Ien growled.

“Fine. Then I’ll shoot. I want to shoot.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Allison pulled the trigger. The magazine rotated and the hammer plunked down.

Bang.

There was a clear gunshot as the revolver leapt up with the recoil.

And.

For some time, Ien stood in confusion.

He looked down and examined his own body. He was unharmed. When he turned, he saw something shaped like a spiderweb on the little gla.s.s window on the entrance of the dining car.

“Young lady… your shooting skills are atrocious.” Ien remarked.

“Shut up! I’m just not used to this gun, that’s all! If I had mine, things would’ve ended two seconds ago!” Allison retorted. Then, her index finger—still hooked on the trigger—pressed down in the heat of the moment.

Bang.

The second shot uselessly left a hole in the floor between Allison and Ien. Allison herself was taken aback, but she quickly took aim again.

“Anyway, you’d better surrender!”

“Is this your idea of a joke? Am I supposed to be laughing?” Ien replied.

Benedict, who was watching from the side, struggled to speak.

“Not the head… go for the stomach…”

“Take this!”

Allison pulled the trigger.

Bang. Bang.

Two shots in a row. Ien quickly covered his face. The first shot broke a decorative plate hanging on the wall behind him. The second shot landed square on the right side of his chest.

“Urgh.” Ien gasped. He was pushed back for a second, but he quickly recovered.

“I got him! …Huh?”

Ien only staggered; he refused to fall.

“What?”

Benedict’s eyes widened.

“That hurt…” Ien growled. He put a hand to his chest and went over the spot where the bullet hit. There wasn’t a drop of blood on his hand.

“That wasn’t too bad, young lady. It was quite painful.”

“What happened?” Allison gasped, still holding the gun. Ien tapped his own chest.

“Really, an excellent product. We’ll have to supply these to soldiers in the future.”

“s.h.i.+t! He had a bulletproof vest!” Benedict swore. He ground his teeth. “Go for the head after all.”

“There!”

Bang.

The fifth shot. Ien once more covered his face. The bullet missed his side by forty centimeters.

“Do people never tell you that you really have no talent for shooting, young lady?”

“Shut up!”

“You have only one shot left.”

“I’m doing this on purpose!”

“Really, now? If you miss again, you’d best be prepared. I’ll slaughter you all and throw you into the lake.”

“Argh…”

Allison shot Ien a furious glare. The tip of the muzzle trembled. It was aimed squarely at his covered head, then it shook away and came back. The occasional shaking of the train only worsened her trembling.

“What’s wrong?” Ien taunted, taking a threatening step forward.

“You… d.a.m.n it…”

A droplet of sweat fell down Allison’s forehead. At that moment,

“Calm down.”

With that, someone came up to Allison and embraced her from behind. A head of brown hair leaned right up to Allison’s blonde.

“Wil!”

As soon as she turned, Wil’s profile filled Allison’s vision. There was a thin stream of blood flowing down the left side of his forehead.

“Let me help. Stretch out your arm a little more. Put your right arm forward, and pull your left arm a little toward your body.” Wil advised, slowly placing his own hands over hers. He took hold of the gun with her. His placed his index finger over hers.

“It’s all right. One shot is more than enough.”

“This is a joke. Are you trying to make fun of me?” Ien spat, slightly opening his arms as Allison and Wil took aim together. Benedict spoke up.

“Lastly, there is one thing I want to tell. He is sixth place at the Kaas.h.i.+ shooting compet.i.tion.”

Ien silently turned his gaze back to Allison and Wil.

“Good. A little to the left… pull the trigger slowly, like you’re pulling on the string of a kite. Don’t be tense… wait for the moment when the wheels pa.s.s over a groove in the rails. Okay?”

“Yeah!” Allison replied, her face pressed up to Wil’s.

A second later.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Ien cried, charging at the two. Wil finally added,

“A little to the right. Yeah… shoot.”

Bang.

There was a clean gunshot as the man’s howl and charge were both forcibly stopped. After a moment of silence, he fell powerlessly to his knees.

“Ah… ah…?”

He twisted around as he collapsed to the floor. On his forehead was a small hole. Crimson blood ran down his head and pooled on the carpet. The ceiling was all that was reflected in his wide-open eyes.

“s.h.i.+t… you… got… me…” Ien gasped. “If… I… die… what… of… the… master…?”

“Your master will be arrested for the sin of trying to smuggle weapons. Sou Be-Il does not execute people. He will be comfortable in jail all his life.” Benedict answered, getting to his feet with Fiona’s help as he kept a hand pressed over his chest.

“I… see… Ha!”

With that, the man’s lips finally stopped moving. Benedict placed his fingers on his neck and looked down at his eyes.

“You were an excellent bodyguard.”

Fiona gently reached out and closed Ien’s eyes. And quietly, she whispered to the smiling corpse.

“May your soul find salvation in heaven.”

“Wil, Allison, are you all right?”

“Yeah. Though Wil’s a bit heavy…”

“Sorry. I just lost all my strength…”

When Benedict turned, he saw a powerless Wil barely being supported by Allison. Eventually, Wil slowly sat up with his own strength and plunked down next to her, sighing loudly.

“Wil, is your health all right?”

“Yes, more of less. Although I think I got the wind knocked out of me for a while… Ah! But what about you, Benedict?”

“Oh, about me? Whatever the case, I think I have a crack on my rib. It hurts. Well, I will not die.” Benedict replied. Fiona gave him a worried look, but Benedict smiled. “And you were excellent. Thank you for rescuing us.”

Allison pressed a wet handkerchief to Wil’s forehead and looked at his face again and again. And she never once forgot to ask him if he really was all right.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a scratch.” Wil replied.

“It seems that, earlier, he heard our talks. We were too rash.” Benedict said. A second later.

“!”

Wil suddenly raised his head. The handkerchief on his forehead fell to the floor. His bleeding had stopped.

“It can’t be…”

Wil stood and picked up the handgun Ien had dropped.

“What is wrong?”

“Where is Major Stork? Did Ien—”

Wil pulled the slide and ejected the stuck sh.e.l.l casing, loading the next round.

“I’ll go have a look.”

“Me too—”

“You stay here, Allison.” Wil cut her off, disappearing out the door.

In the long hallway of the galley. Major Stork, who was standing at the door leading into the next coupling, noticed Wil running down the hallway.

“Hm? Wilhelm!”

Wil, who had been looking around, quickly spotted Major Stork and breathed a sigh of relief. He soon approached Major Stork, who noticed his bloodied forehead and the gun in his hand.

“Did something happen?!”

“Mr. Terreur’s bodyguard overheard us talking… he tried to kill us all.”

“And?!” Major Stork cried, sounding almost anxious. Wil replied calmly.

“I’m all right.”

“Yes, I can see that! What of the others?”

“Allison…” Wil trailed off. Major Stork closed his eyes.

“…Allison shot him and saved us all. The others are injured, but we’re all safe. But now you won’t be able to get a confession out of him.”

“That’s… in any event, I am glad to hear that everyone is all right. And really, we can get all the confessions out of Mr. Terreur.”

“Where were you, Major?”

“The radio in the conductor’s cabin suddenly stopped working, so I had to walk all the way to the locomotive and back. I ordered them to continue to the foot of the mountains.”

“I see. I was afraid that the bodyguard had killed you.”

“Thank you for your concern. Now, all that’s left is to settle things with Mr. Terreur himself. I could theoretically arrest him now, but it will do just as well to merely keep an eye on him until we reach the village. The VIP cabin’s walls and doors are bulletproof—while on one hand, it is as safe as a bunker, it is also as secure as a prison.”

Major Stork crossed the coupling and headed to the VIP car. Wil followed after him.

The door to the bodyguard lounge was unlocked. Major Stork entered and knocked on the VIP cabin door. There was no response.

“Mr. Terreur! It’s me! Open up!”

Several times he loudly rapped on the heavy bulletproof door, but there was no response to be heard.

“It can’t be…”

He pulled on the doork.n.o.b, but it would not budge.

“Ien must have the key. Could you go retrieve it for me?” Asked Major Stork. Wil nodded.

“Of course. Be careful.”

Watching Wil quickly leave, Major Stork whispered to himself.

“Just naive enough. Don’t ever become a villain like me.”

“Here you are.”

Not long afterwards, Wil returned from the dining car and handed him the key. Allison, Fiona, and Benedict followed soon after. Benedict was supported by Fiona. Major Stork gave them a lighthearted smile.

“I’m glad to see everyone’s safe.”

“Thank you.” Replied Benedict, who looked the most weary of the group.

Allison looked up at Major Stork. Her long blond hair was stained with blood.

“We owe you one really eventful trip, Major. Remind me to never go traveling with you again.”

Major Stork gave a wry grin and knocked on the VIP cabin once more. He warned Terreur that he would be entering, and put the key into the lock.

There was a click as the door opened.

“How… how could this have happened?” Major Stork’s quiet voice filled the room.

The five people in the cabin were looking down on the corpse sitting on the sofa. There was blood flowing from its head. Under its limp right hand, a small gun had fallen.

“He must have determined and killed himself…” Benedict mumbled.

“Ien, your master is dead. Ask him yourself why that is so.”

Major Stork picked up the gun, removed the magazine and bullets, and placed them on the table. On the tabletop was the exquisitely-detailed key to the VIP cabin.

After entering the VIP cabin, Wil had done nothing but silently stare at Terreur’s corpse.

“There is no death penalty in Sou Be-Il. Even if he were to stand trial, he would have escaped with his life. It looks like all that hard work was for nothing. My mission is a failure.” Major Stork sighed bitterly, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. “How irritating. I thought I had deceived Mr. Terreur to the end, but he had the last laugh after all. If there was such a thing as a G.o.ddess of fortune…”

“If there was?” Allison asked. Major Stork replied,

“She must be a cruel and fickle mistress indeed.”