The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Castrang was the blood vessel that traversed the vast northern land in all directions.

However, there were always two sides to every story.

"How much longer until we pass that point?"

"We're going to pass it in two hours. We're going to hijack it there."

Castrang was expanding at a terrifying speed, backed by favorable public opinion. A business in its early stages of growth naturally struggles to solidify its foundation.

And where there are gaps, a pack of wolves will inevitably find their way in.

Swoosh… Swoosh…

Men who had tattoos on their faces with bizarre pigments were talking.

"Tsk… Why do we have to wear this ridiculous makeup? Why do we have to imitate those inferior natives?

"Yes… Yes… Of course."

The man who had been venting his complaints let out a stifled laugh.

"That woman, Silvia, is quite something too. To think she would move with only one escort."

"But thanks to that, she's going to serve our purpose, isn't that right?"

"Yes… It's indeed thanks to her. But there are no other risks, right?"

"None. I checked all the cars. There are a few drifters mixed in, but nothing to worry about."

"Haha… Train robbers, huh… I like it."

* * *

The car where Seol and his group were staying was lively, centered around a round table.

"Apple!"

"Another apple!"

"An apple!"

Tansia got excited every time a card with a fruit drawn on it appeared.

It was a game where you had to shout the name of the fruit when five of the same kind were laid out on the table, then slapped your hand on the card.

Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

"It's an apple!"

BOOM—!

"Agh!"

Karen's hand reached the card first, but Tansia's hand slammed down on top of it with a powerful impact.

"Sorry, Karen… did it hurt?"

"Haha… It hurt a lot. But it's okay."

Tansia nestled into Karen's arms.

The Twin Knights had reached Supreme-rank, and a Trait called Sociability had been unlocked.

It was a convenient ability that allowed them to change clothes with a single gesture when they weren't fighting.

In a world where Transferees roamed freely, wearing armor wasn't a big deal, but it certainly restricted their mobility.

But now, instead of heavy metal armor, they were wearing fabrics. So, the sense of liberation was indescribable.

Of course, the fact that they had removed their gauntlets meant that they were vulnerable to Tansia's unintentional attacks, a fatal yet minor flaw.

"Grapes!"

BOOM—!

"Haha… Can someone take a look? I think my bone is sticking out from the back of my hand."

"It isn't that bad…"

"Really…?"

"Although it's a bit red."

As Karuna tried to console her, Ur let out a soft laugh.

"Thankfully, the cards are safe."

"…"

Karen made a tearful expression.

Ur gave her some advice.

"I could have reacted sooner. But I didn't. I was taking into consideration Tansia's slower reaction time. She's still clumsy."

"As expected of Ur…"

"I'm on a different level than you all."

Karen watched Ur's smug expression for a moment, then checked his seat. He hadn't collected any cards.

"But then, you won't be able to win."

"…?"

Tansia pointed with her finger and laughed.

"Hahaha! Ur's in last place!"

Karen smirked.

"You know last place gets a forehead flick, right?"

"…"

"I'll have to teach Tansia to control her strength. Otherwise, Ur's brain might shrink to the size of a walnut."

"Do your best… I'll give my all, too."

Tansia whined.

"There's a plum missing. Where's the plum?"

Knock, knock…

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Tansia toddled over and said.

"Who is it? Who is it?"

A hesitant voice came from the other side.

"Ah… That… Oh, no. There was a kid."

Seol stood up.

The voice was from the woman from before.

Karen sneered.

"Are you here to pick a fight again? How annoying."

Seol smiled faintly and opened the door.

Creak…

Silvia seemed visibly flustered upon looking at Seol.

"Ah… That…"

- A trash race.

- Terrans are cheats!

- Excuse me. Tanks can't attack air units, you know?

"Did you have something to say?"

"W-Would you like to talk upstairs for a bit?"

"Huh…?"

It was a rather abrupt proposal.

Seol chuckled and nodded.

"Let's meet upstairs."

"Then, I'll be waiting for you."

Silvia let out a sigh of relief and disappeared.

Castrang was a train that combined magic and engineering.

An additional car was placed on top of the passenger cars, providing a communal space.

In this case, the upper level served as a place for high-class tea time and commoner's meals.

"I'll be back soon."

"Can't I go too?"

Seol ruffled Tansia's hair.

"Tansia, stay here."

"Aww…"

"Tansia, an apple!" Karen said upon seeing Tansia's sullen face.

"Apple! An apple!"

Tansia scrambled back to the table.

* * *

Step…

Step…

As Seol was headed upstairs, Silvia had already secured a seat and greeted him.

In fact, judging by the fancy atmosphere, it seemed like a space reserved for them.

"I've prepared some wine…"

"I'd like something else."

"Then let's go with tea."

As the attendant prepared the tea, the two looked out the window.

Tss… Tss…

The scenery outside was a snowy mountain and vast nature. Although its beauty seemed within reach, only Seol could truly enjoy it.

Silvia's heart was too anxious to take in the view.

She had deliberately left her escort, Albert, in the compartment to ease the other's guard.

Gulp…

There was a heavy silence between them.

Silvia thought of numerous greetings.

Then, something her late grandfather had said to her came to mind.

- If it's a meeting to apologize, start with the apology, kid.

She decided to trust her grandfather.

"I… was rude the other day, wasn't I?"

Seol was slightly taken aback by Silvia's change in attitude and asked in return.

"Rude? Ah…"

"Please, forgive me. I must have been on edge since I'm in a foreign land."

Seol, who had no particular thoughts about her, nodded.

"Sure."

Silvia closed her eyes tightly.

She inwardly thanked her grandfather.

"My name is Silvia."

"I'm Seol."

"Your name… Ah, you said you were a Transferee, right? What brings you to the Federation…?"

"It's just a simple trip."

Silvia's mind was being updated with Seol's information.

He was a guest from Libra.

He was also a wealthy man who had plenty of time.

Life could become very troublesome if someone like him took a dislike to you.

"Do you happen to know anyone in the Federation?"

"Not really."

"Ah… Then perhaps a hometown?"

"Not that either."

"Ah! Then, if our destinations are similar, I could introduce you to the Federation…'

Seol smiled and said.

"I appreciate the offer, but my group is large. So, it would be tiring for you."

"N-No! My family is quite knowledgeable about the Federation's news and culture… So, feel free to tell us if you ever need help…"

"I'll keep it in mind."

The other's reaction was quite natural.

It seemed this wasn't the first time he had received such treatment.

At the very least, it seemed that his connection to Libra wasn't a bluff.

"What brought you to use Castrang?"

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't use it?"

"Not really… but recently, there have been some incidents."

"Incidents…"

"Yes. There have been violent protests by natives who despise Castrang… Although it's more of a central issue, so I'm not aware of the details."

"I see… Are these natives a minority tribe?"

"Yes. Are you familiar with minority tribes?"

Seol briefly recalled someone.

'Jin Ryeo was from a minority tribe, right?'

She was probably taking a peaceful nap in Khan, so he dismissed the memory.

"I know one person who's from one."

"Oh... It seems that you have a wide circle of friends."

"Do many people dislike minority tribes?"

"If it's the ones who can't be communicated with, yes. When it comes to djinn-related matters, they can be quite stubborn…"

Seol and Silvia discussed numerous topics.

Interestingly, Seol's general knowledge of the North wasn't far off from Silvia's common sense.

As she realized this, Silvia's expression gradually softened.

Her impression of Seol went from an ignorant Transferee to a man with a story.

In fact, this had been influenced by the experiences Seol had gone through in the Pitch Black Labyrinth and subsequent events.

"So there are many problems in the North."

"Yes… From new drugs flowing into criminal organizations. There's also the theory that there are rumors about the Federation's dissolution and conflicts with neighboring countries."

Silvia leaned a bit closer to him.

"There's also the issue of Hwigeltong."

"Hwigeltong?"

"You haven't heard of it? The trolls there are quite famous…"

"Is there any problem?"

"There are many problems. However, it would take forever to explain."

Seol's expression slightly changed.

"Hmm... I think I'll have to hear that story another time. It seems someone's looking for me downstairs."

"Ah, is that so? Then, this conversation…"

"Yes, let's continue it next time. It was enjoyable."

"Ah, yes… Let's talk again soon."

"I'll be waiting. Then…"

Seol left the place.

Silvia watched his departing figure for a moment before returning to her compartment.

Albert, who was sitting in a chair, looked at her and asked.

"How did the conversation…"

"I think it went well. Although I didn't get the chance to bring up the Libra topic…"

"That's a shame…"

"The conversation ended abruptly… I wonder if something…"

Just then, Silvia's expression changed, just like Seol's did earlier.

"Hey, Albert."

"Yes…?"

"The teacup is turned the wrong way. I told you I don't like it like this, right?"

"You did… Yes."

"So you didn't forget…"

"Yes."

Badump… Badump…

Silvia's heart pounded like never before. The sound was so loud that she was worried it might burst out of her chest.

The teacup handle was turned to the left, making it hard to grasp.

It was a signal that the situation was extremely dangerous

Fortunately, she had a gun tightly strapped to her thigh, hidden under her skirt, prepared for such situations.

One that the workshop had specially made.

Her hand naturally moved toward there.

But then.

Click…

"Don't move your hand."

A revolver loaded with gunpowder pressed against her temple.

Her heart turned cold.

It was a weapon that had recently become popular among the Federation's arms dealers.

"Good. If you scream, I'll kill everyone."

Silvia glared at the gunman with fierce eyes.

"How…"

"If you don't resist, you won't get hurt."

"Who are you…"

"Isn't it obvious? We're natives committing crimes because we're angry with Castrang. We're now just having fun while making some money on the side."

It was a lie.

Their scent was too refined for natives. They had a faint, sweet fragrance.

"Lies…"

"Haha… What's wrong? We just confessed."

Silvia decided to act boldly.

Thud.

She sat in the chair and bit into a fruit that was placed in front of her.

"What are you guys thinking…?"

"We're thinking about a lot of things. Future, hatred. Well, things like that."

"Are you guys targeting me…?"

"The heir of the Mischen family is naturally a target… And we also need to warn the passengers of Castrang. That this train isn't safe anymore."

"Don't touch the passengers!"

Paf—!

"Ugh…"

"Don't touch the miss!"

A man grabbed Silvia's hair and brought his index finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.

"Don't give me orders. We're going to decide what to do with the rest. For now, they're still useful, so we're going to keep them alive. But I can't guarantee that will last until the next station."

It was a relief that they were going to keep them alive for the moment.

Silvia's head began to spin.

She tried to think of a way to turn the situation around.

What if Castrang's security agents stepped in?

'Damn… They're in a too awkward position to help.'

They were far in between stations.

No matter which station they go to, they will most likely not be able to reach it in time.

And the fact that these guys had reached her meant that all the security staff that were on the train had been subdued.

'Well... These guys are bold enough to pull off something like this, so I guess it makes sense the security wasn't able to stop them.'

This was the downside of Castrang's excessive rail expansion.

'No, they would have targeted me regardless.'

She needed to think of another way.

Suddenly, the man from the opposite compartment came to mind. That strange feeling she had about him.

'Could it be… That he's also involved in this…'

Just at that moment.

"Musk."

"What?"

The man holding Albert called out to the man named Musk.

"We've lost contact with the guys on the other side."

"Don't play with me…"

"We need to send someone to check."

"Do as you please."

As the other men reached for the doorknob on the opposite compartment.

Creak…

The door opened.

In that brief moment, Castrang's hijackers hid themselves.

Only Albert and Silvia remained in the compartment, or so it seemed.

The man who opened the door was a white-haired man wearing a mask

"How noisy, is there a problem?"

It was unclear why he was speaking so casually. After all, he was also in a dangerous situation.

"Well…"

Just at that moment.

A shadow fell over the window behind the man.

Someone was about to smash through the glass and grab him.

Silvia noticed it and tried to shout.

"Watch out…"

Just at that moment.

Crackle—!

Boom—!

"Ugh…"

The window froze, and the man trying to break through the window was sent flying from the impact.

Ur smirked.

"I knew this would happen. So the same thing was happening here, too."

"Die!"

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet aimed at Ur was shot from behind the sofa.

Crackle…

Of course, the bullet also froze upon being hit by an icy barrier.

"Wh-What?!"

Paf—!

Ur grabbed the man by the collar.

"Ugh… It's cold…"

Crackle…

The man froze and fell to the floor.

Boom!

Clack…

A loaded gun pressed against Silvia's head again. It was Musk's gun.

Musk gritted his teeth and said.

"Don't move. If you do that, this woman…"

"Who is she?"

"What…?"

"I asked you who that woman is?"

Musk was momentarily taken aback by his response. He calmly aimed the gun at the opponent.

"That now was probably just a coincidence. I'm going to…"

Whir—!

Paaf—!

"Agh!"

Something came flying and got lodged in his shoulder.

It got precisely stuck in his muscles, causing him to drop the gun.

Thud…

"A card…?"

Ur smirked.

"Tansia, the plum you were looking for is here."

Boom, boom, boom, boom…

Something came rushing at an incredible speed.

"Pluuuum!"

"Wh-What..."

BOOM—!

Whir…

The man hit by Tansia's fist smashed through the window and fell outside.

Whoosh…

Wind rushed into the compartment.

Crackle…

Ur filled the gap with frost.

Silvia and Albert stared at them in stunned silence.

Creak…

Karen appeared from the opposite door.

"I've taken care of all of them. Things should be quiet now. Huh?"

Karen looked back and forth between Tansia and the broken window.

"Tansia, did you do this?"

Tansia scratched her head.

"Because of me… the plum disappeared…"