I Accidentally Created a Villainous Organization

Chapter 87: The Holy Sword and the Oath (3)

Here’s one thing I’ve come to learn recently:

Lucy was far more obedient than I initially thought.

I barely mentioned that we had somewhere to go together.

Before I could even explain the details, she began preparing to leave.

When I asked her if she wasn’t curious about where we were going or if she had time to spare, she simply replied that none of that mattered. Only my will did.

“If it is your desire, I will simply act upon it.”

Such a textbook answer.

It was the very image of a stereotypical knight.

This definitely wasn’t how she used to be.

When we first met, she was timid and somewhat naïve. But now, there was no trace of that earlier impression.

She was still technically just a trainee knight.

Yet her demeanor and strength had nothing of the rookie about them.

As I mulled over these changes, one particular thought struck me.

“Come to think of it, how did you handle your status as a knight?”

This could get complicated.

Since she hadn’t been officially knighted, she wouldn’t have the Empire’s self-destruct sigil engraved on her.

Still, the fact that she belonged to the Empire’s knighthood hadn’t changed.

If she had been AWOL this whole time, things could get ugly if she was caught.

Worried, I decided to ask her.

“If that’s what you’re concerned about, it’s fine. I was dismissed just yesterday.”

Lucy answered calmly.

I blinked in confusion.

She’d left for somewhere alone as soon as she regained her strength, and now she claimed to have gotten herself dismissed during that time?

Is that even possible?

I stared at Lucy with doubt, and as if noticing my gaze, she began to explain further.

“I figured if I simply quit, it would look suspicious. So, I cut off my arm.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Certain I must have misunderstood, I focused on her explanation.

“I reported that I’d been injured during duty and couldn’t recover, even with the temple’s help. The knight order promptly expelled me.”

No matter how much I listened, the story didn’t change.

My face naturally twisted in shock.

Setting aside the Empire’s cruelty of dismissing someone without compensation the moment they became one-armed,

She did that to herself?

To leave the Empire’s army as quickly as possible?

Who in their right mind would cut off their own arm for something like that? Without anesthesia, it must’ve hurt like hell!

“Please don’t worry. I can regenerate my arm anytime.”

Lucy reassured me nonchalantly, even adding a polite thank-you for my concern.

“I’m ready to leave. Let’s go, my lord.”

Strapping her sword to her side, Lucy stood up.

After spouting one insane remark after another, she remained utterly composed.

I found myself at a loss for words.

Sure, with the Geass in place, I knew she was bound to obey my commands.

And judging by her current demeanor, it was clear she was fiercely loyal, more likely to defend me with her life than harm me.

But still… this was a bit much.

…Should I just wake up Miss Rubia and drag her along instead?

I let out a long sigh, pushing the thought aside, and got to my feet.

Something about the journey ahead started to feel deeply unsettling.

*****

The train’s body gleamed in a sophisticated black.

Intricate golden gears and a transparent tube filled with blue mana stones coursing within gave it an elegant, almost magical appearance.

Every time I see it, it takes my breath away.

It was a train overflowing with steampunk charm. Of course, it irked me a little that only nobles and their attendants were allowed to board.

While I admired the train’s details, Lucy handled the ticketing and identity verification up front.

Unlike with Miss Rubia, the process seemed to be taking a lot longer this time.

Well, it made sense. The Valierre family had fallen from grace, after all.

Even among nobles, the treatment was bound to differ.

Still, it wasn’t something worth dwelling on.

After about thirty minutes, we were allowed to board.

Since the train had separate cars for nobles and their attendants, Lucy and I had to enter separately.

I wandered around for a bit, looking for a suitable seat, and finally settled in one.

There wasn’t much to do during the trip, so I sat idly, watching the scenery pass by through the window.

Then, I heard laughter.

It wasn’t a pleasant sound.

At first faint, the laughter grew louder, until I turned to find its source.

Seated next to me was an elderly man, laughing like a madman.

Is something wrong? Concerned, I was about to ask when the man suddenly rose to his feet.

Drawing everyone’s attention, the old man strode to the center of the car with a deliberate air.

And then…

His face began to melt.

It was the telltale sign of a disguise spell unraveling.

“At last, the time has come.”

His true face was revealed: a man with a head full of black hair and scars crisscrossing his features, wearing a sinister grin.

The abrupt transformation plunged the car into chaos.

But the man paid no mind to the uproar around him. Still grinning, he began to speak.

“Nobles and their lapdogs! Your judgment day has arrived. We, the ‘Harbingers of the Apocalypse,’ are here to deliver your sentence.”

As soon as he said that, the color drained from everyone’s faces.

Of course, it was obvious what was happening.

A suspicious man who had boarded the train using a disguise spell. His open hatred toward the nobles.

And this train—practically a symbol of noble privilege—was precisely the kind of target an anti-Imperial group would fixate on.

He was a terrorist.

A terrorist was on the same train as me.

Biting my lip, I quickly tried to think.

Where was the bomb?

Could it be stopped?

What was the best course of action?

But no answers came.

There couldn’t be any.

While neutralizing the man himself might be possible, handling the bomb was another story.

There was no sign of a detonator in his hands.

That meant it was highly likely the bomb was on a timer, set to detonate automatically.

Even if Lucy and I made it out unscathed, everyone else on board would be caught in the explosion.

Countless lives would be lost.

It was a hopeless situation.

And cruelly, time marched on.

The terrorist opened his mouth again.

“You will all fall into hell with me here today.”

Spreading his arms wide, he declared his intentions.

The man cackled like a madman, relishing every moment, as he began a countdown.

Panic spread through the passengers.

But the countdown did not stop.

Finally, the moment arrived.

A deafening explosion roared.

And what had been people turned into chunks of flesh.

Countless lives snuffed out in an instant. The train overturned in a catastrophic explosion.

…Except none of that actually happened.

The terrified faces of the passengers were now painted with confusion. No one had died.

The train continued peacefully on its route to the destination.

Far from being derailed, it ran smoothly and steadily, a proud testament to the Empire’s exceptional engineering.

The terrorist remained frozen in place, arms outstretched, mid-laugh in that bizarre pose.

Faced with this peculiar scene, I knew there was only one thing I could do. I stood up and walked toward him.

“…This can’t be happening. This just can’t be. How could it fail not once, but three times?”

The man muttered to himself, his unsettling grin replaced with frustrated mumbling.

Then his gaze fell on me.

The madness returned to his eyes.

“Was it you…? Were you the one sabotaging the noble plans of the Harbingers of the Apocalypse?”

Grinding his teeth, the terrorist pulled a dagger from his cloak and charged at me.

But I didn’t move.

The blade struck directly into my abdomen.

He started laughing, triumphant—only for his expression to twist into bewilderment moments later.

He must have realized something was wrong.

The blade hadn’t pierced me.

With a dumbfounded look, he inspected the dagger in his hand.

Not a drop of blood stained it. The blade was bent, as though it were made of rubber rather than steel.

“...What?”

A confused, almost pathetic whimper escaped his lips.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he began to sense that the situation was not in his favor.

But it was too late to realize that now.

I drove my fist into his head.

-CLANG!

The sound echoed, absurdly loud, like metal clashing against metal rather than a fist meeting a skull.

Foaming at the mouth, the terrorist collapsed.

And thus ended the career of that amateur terrorist.

****

“I don’t even know how to thank you enough,” the conductor said with a bow after the crew had dragged the man off in restraints.

As we spoke, the conductor filled me in on the details.

Apparently, those “Harbingers of the Apocalypse” weren’t even a proper terrorist organization.

“They’ve never actually carried out a single attack despite all their threats?”

“Exactly! I just can’t wrap my head around those lunatics.”

The conductor went on a rant, pouring out his frustrations about this bizarre group.

They were a strange lot, issuing threats of terror without ever following through. Even during interrogations, their explanations were nonsensical lies that only added to the headaches of the authorities.

“Like last time, they claimed they planted a bomb, but a ‘black wolf’ carried it off before it could explode. Do they think we’re complete idiots?”

He assured me they’d come up with another ridiculous excuse for this incident as well.

I couldn’t hold back a laugh as I responded.

“…That’s not a terrorist. That’s just someone crying for attention.”

“Exactly! And I’m the one left dealing with the aftermath every time.”

We chatted for a while longer until the train finally arrived at its destination.

As we said our goodbyes, the conductor made it a point to remember my face, telling me to reach out if I ever needed anything.

“Well, the world is full of idiots, I suppose,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

The world is vast, and fools abound.

With that thought, I rejoined Lucy, and together we made our way toward the blacksmith’s district.

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