Chapter 15

The route to Takogashi would take them southeast to the coast, then circle back northeast toward Takogashi Bay. If they continued on this line with no disruption, with one rest stop at the next walled city, they should be able to arrive by tomorrow midday.

“It’s all green.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

Laurel stared at Hakade. She studied her expression.

“What is it?”

“... No, it’s nothing.” She returned her attention to her laptop, staring at the screen.

Curious, Hakade used his phone’s front camera to check. He didn’t find anything on his face. He figured he must be seeing things and returned his attention to the controls in front of him.

They were one walled city away from Takogashi. Mazaku stood between them and their destination, with wilderness in between. There used to be many towns and stations along the way, but almost all had become inactive.

“Did something happen?” Laurel asked all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind.”

Laurel was acting weird. Hakade then remembered the intel he received. Could she be concerned? That thing had been on his mind ever since he received the intel, but he didn’t remember showing anything or making any weird expressions.

The eldest dragon is following you.

Maybe that was why he told him the intel before he agreed to the quest. As for what his words meant…

The eldest dragon lived at Mount Rajayama, the tallest mountain in the country, and hardly went anywhere else. Yet, these last few days, it flew away. First to Ariko, then Sankonomiya, then Kangaku, and then Matawara.

It stalked them from a distance away, far enough that it wasn’t obvious, but people in Matawara had tracked the dragon. The dragon didn't attack, but it circled above the city. Producing ammunition wasn't as easy as back then, so the city didn't attack the circling dragon, and no one wanted to anger the eldest dragon.

Still, Hakade couldn’t calm down. This was the eldest dragon, the strongest of the dragons. It posed a serious threat. Hakade couldn't see any method of defeating them. He tried looking for it in Wananera, but the rain clouds blocked his view of the sky. The rain continued until now, preventing him from seeing anything.

I should have paid more attention…

Regret wouldn't get him anything, though. He thought about a way to deal with it. Heading to a walled city meant extra defense if the dragon attacked, but he would rather not involve unrelated people.

But… why though?

He couldn't remember doing anything that would piss off a dragon, the eldest dragon no less.

“Hakade? Are we not going?”

“Ah, sorry.”

They had already prepared the train for departure, but the dragon weighed on Hakade's mind. Here in Wananera, at least the ruins provided them some cover. Certain sections of the track from here on out would be open space, running near the coast. He wouldn't be able to defend himself.

“Is something on your mind?”

“...”

“Something definitely is.”

“We're departing.”

“Hakade, what is it? Tell me.”

“Don't worry about it.”

Hakade pushed the lever and honked the horn. The train began moving forward.

“Saying that only makes me more worried.”

“... I… I'll tell you later.”

At the end of the day, this might not be true. Hakade had yet to see the dragon himself. Maybe that old man was just messing with him.

But… it doesn't feel like something that old man will lie about.

He didn't offer any weapons to him, despite giving him a good reason to. Well, the lights may work, since they could blind the dragon, but that meant getting the dragon down on the ground. The eldest dragon had wings. Real wings, not chicken wings. Convincing it to get down would be difficult.

“... Just our rotten luck,” Laurel murmured all of a sudden.

“What is it?”

“The tracks western side of the Mazaku city will be undergoing scheduled maintenance starting tonight. It's planned to last for about two days.”

“We can't get there before that, can we?”

Laurel shook her head. Had they not visited their homes, they might have been able to get there in time, but the only other option would have been going well over the train's maximum speed limit. Doable, if and only if Hakade turned the rocket boosters on.

These boosters he installed for emergencies. He wouldn't waste them on this. Besides, going that fast had a high risk of derailment. Really, not something he should use just to go faster.

Ana’s shield should be able to minimize the damage… Why am I even considering this?

He installed the boosters for emergencies. He would only use them in extreme circumstances, when they faced life and death.

“What should we do?”

They had two options. The first would be to go around Mazaku. This would add an extra hour to their trip. But Hakade had another option.

“... What if we go through the Leya line?”

Back during the war, the country built a complex of weapons factories surrounded by large railguns. Known as the Leya Weapons complex, they used the railguns as long-range artillery to strike overseas targets.

This complex required a constant supply of material; thus, they built the Leya line. It traveled deep underground, protecting it from enemy airstrikes. It also had several exit points, so if something happened, he could take those lines heading to the surface. For the most part, it was a straight line connecting Wananera and Takogashi; as such, taking that line would mean the quickest travel.

“... But there's no station along the way,” Ana said.

The day grew late. The sun had already set. The original plan involved a rest stop at Mazaku. Going through the Leya line meant skipping that. They needed less than an hour to reach the city, not including the detour. The Leya line took three to four hours, depending on the speed. Had the maintenance not existed, he would rather spend one more hour on the rails than get some sleep.

But with this change, the two-hour difference didn’t seem too big. Maybe heading straight for Takogashi would be the better option.

“I can survive.”

“Isn't that dangerous?”

“Just once in a while. We'll be fine.”

Laurel didn't seem so sure. Hakade understood why. At the end of the day, a train was a moving vehicle. Things might have changed compared to before the war, but piloting a moving vehicle required maximum amounts of concentration. The lack of stations along the Leya line meant that he would be operating the train non-stop.

And not just him. He needed Laurel to keep an eye out. Doing this would demand a lot from her.

Of course, Hakade had another reason for going through the Leya line. They would be underground for most of the time, hidden from the dragon. Hakade doubted the dragon used sight to follow them, but on the off chance it did, following the Leya line would be the obvious choice. Even if it didn't, the mountains might mask their presence.

“... We'll stop at Azaromaki. I'll ask Ana to make us some coffee.”

“Thank you.”

Azaromaki was the farthest station within the former Wananera commuter lines. It would be the last place they could stop before they enter the Leya line itself.

“... Are you sure you don't want to talk to me about whatever you had in mind?”

“Don’t worry about it. It's nothing important.”

Despite still looking unsure, Laurel nodded. The train continued along the tracks. The brand new headlights came in handy. He didn't use the ‘super extremely powerful high beam’ the old man promoted, but even the regular settings were more than enough.

I really hope we can shake off that dragon.