Leonardo, who had fled his seat, wandered through the train and only found an appropriate space when he reached the tail car. Opening the door at the end of the last corridor revealed an open outside view and a deck surrounded by railings.
The thin railway disappeared between steam and wind along with the setting sky. Perhaps because the air was gradually getting colder, fortunately, there was no one else outside.
He took out a type of cigar he didn't usually smoke from his artifact, lit the brownish tip, and pulled his face mask down to his neck.
"I should have come out earlier."
When he put the opposite end in his mouth, the plump cigar repeatedly slimmed with inhalation and then slightly swelled. He took off his cap and ruffled his front hair, reviving the volume of his hair that had been flatly pressed.
His brown hair, retaining a golden luster, fluttered in the wind. He leaned his upper body forward, resting his arms on the railing, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
'Of all places to run into them here. When I still need to be careful.'
Hearing the conversation of the group presumed to be His Grace's knights, it seemed the main castle, that is, the Duke's family, was currently in a considerable state of tension. There was no need to question the cause; it was himself. Though he had expected the commotion to spread, it was somewhat puzzling that they were still on standby in an armed state.
He had also left a letter to prevent misunderstanding, and he worried whether they might not have found it.
'No, the lord said it wasn't a big deal. It seems he read the letter...'
He hoped his actions wouldn't make His Grace feel threatened. He was already someone who had been caught up in the explosion incident and was tired. He had no desire to trouble him further.
Though he knew it would cause confusion, the reason he deliberately left the gift inside the castle walls was to safely deliver the high-priced contents. He was also concerned that if he left it where outsiders could see, there might be unfounded rumors that the Duke's family was distributing monsters. Similarly, despite confirming that the magic tool he had given him had rung several times over the past few months, he had never answered it for similar reasons.
Although he had prepared in advance to prevent that person from being entangled in the explosion incident, he ultimately couldn't help him completely avoid gossip. In other words, if he couldn't control all situations, his future actions might again put him in an awkward position. With his judgment clouded by this fact, he might ruin a task intertwined with numerous aspirations.
Moreover, someone as perceptive as that person would have vaguely recognized that there was a problem with the watch. Since few could tamper with the Duke's watch, naturally, he would also be on the list of suspects.
That kiss that day was the only weakness he had left, having never left physical evidence before. It was an immature impulse, swept up in the moment's emotions, that could have endangered not only himself and the other person but also his colleagues and partners. So, at least until the explosion incident was forgotten by the public, it was better to avoid contact. Whether it was Duke Agrizendro, his knights, or anything within the reach of his eyes and hands.
"Hah..."
However, he wanted to consider the delivery of the gift itself as a separate matter. After all, it was the Duke's birthday, and he couldn't just coldly pass it by.
Though he couldn't face him in the end for fear of wavering, he hoped that person wouldn't resent him for this. No, perhaps it would be okay if he resented him a little. After all, that would mean he wanted to see him.
'By the way... what are they trying to find out about the Imperial Army?'
Even children passing by know that the relationship between the Council and the Imperial Army is bad, but conducting a covert investigation by secretly deploying subordinates in such a situation was no ordinary matter. If he had encountered his knights while wandering alone, he would have followed them and helped collect information, as he had done for him.
But the compass guiding him, the greenhorn, didn't have much valid time left. It was too tight in many ways to divert to another path for a while. Along with that, the layers of questions piling up before his eyes became increasingly entangled with the smoke that might flow in any direction, growing in volume.
Just as he was entangled in these complex thoughts, the corridor door behind him, which had been closed, opened. The footsteps transmitted through the floor were familiar.
Creeak—
"Just how far did you go..."
Signe, who had been grumbling grumpily, appeared. She hesitated as she poked her head out and trailed off.
"Oh, Teo?"
Leonardo straightened his upper body that had been leaning. He exhaled smoke along with a sigh from the corner of his lips and looked back.
The moment she faced the handsome man standing amidst the cigarette smoke, Signe's eyes widened. Leonardo, who had turned his body and hidden the cigar behind his back, frowned and asked her:
"Why did you follow me?"
It was an answer that confirmed it was him. Nevertheless, Signe just blinked her eyelids several times in that state, looking dazed. Scanning the man whose atmosphere had deepened with the setting twilight, she blurted out in a bewildered tone:
"Is that... really you?"
As she closed the door and stepped onto the deck, Leonardo waved his hand in the opposite direction as if telling her to go back.
"Go inside. This is toxic."
"No, is it really you? There's not a single scar, so why did you hide your face? I thought you covered it because of a skin disease!"
"That's my business..."
"Don't you know it's a sin to hide a face like yours?"
"What?"
Signe grabbed the railing next to Leonardo and thrust her face close. Leonardo, momentarily flustered, grabbed the protruding pillar and pulled his body back.
As if feeling cheated that she had only now confirmed his remarkably fine face, she stomped one foot on the deck. She stared intently at his face, which she dared not touch. Whether her words were praise or scolding that embarrassed the listener was an added bonus.
* * *
"Where did they go?"
The knight who had moved to the next car to check on the two people wandered through the train's interior, holding a paper bag filled with food. Despite having traversed quite a few cars, there was no sign of the two. Even in the intermediate corridors connecting the car bodies, there were only standing passengers, with no traces of smoking.
In the first place, smoking in the inter-car corridors had been publicly prohibited since the explosion incident. If so, the only place to go for smoking would be the observation deck of the tail car.
The knight headed toward the end of the train, opening and closing the connecting doors along the corridor. He also checked the seats along the way, but it didn't seem likely they would have changed seats after entrusting their military gear.
By the time he reached almost the last car, the passenger seats that had been densely filled earlier had disappeared without a trace. Only tools for cleaning the train's interior, coal, and other miscellaneous items were scattered along with steam.
Of course, even in such spaces, a few passengers could be seen who had found seats. It was unclear whether they were passengers who had purchased formal tickets and boarded.
'Would they have come this far? They might have gone into the bathroom, and I missed them.'
It didn't seem likely that someone would come to such a poor place just to smoke a cigarette. Not all trains had decks where smoking was allowed.
It seemed better to return before the food got cold. Just as he was about to turn around with regret, he noticed a sign saying 'No Entry Except for Staff' in front of a door on the opposite side. While an ordinary person shouldn't be interested, it was a place that couldn't be overlooked in the investigation process.
After hesitating, he approached with big strides, with the mindset of checking just that far as a final measure. Unlike his steps, his hand grasping the handle was very cautious.
Creeak—
But when he had opened it about halfway, he suddenly felt a strong force as if pushing the door from the opposite side. The knight reflexively pushed one foot into the gap of the door.
'...!'
As the door that was about to close caught on his foot with a thud, a heavy pain rushed through his metatarsal bone, but he didn't show it. Meanwhile, through the door, three people were visible in the inter-car corridor.
They weren't the two he had been looking for but unfamiliar faces with rather sharp gazes. Two of them looked at him who had opened the door while leaning their backs against the corridor wall, and the remaining one blocked him, who was trying to enter, with his own body while holding the doorknob.
'...What's this?'
Beyond the corridor, there was another door with the upper part blocked by transparent glass. That place would be the deck connecting to the outside. But instead of explaining why they were blocking, the other person just stared at him as if conveying silent pressure.
The knight, with a puzzled expression, scanned the other's appearance up and down and asked:
"Ah, excuse me. Are you the manager?"
"...."
However, there was no answer to the readily offered question. The attire didn't look like that of a train engineer or attendant either.
The knight, who instinctively detected a strange current, covered his lower face with the paper bag he was holding and calmly continued to ask:
"Are you waiting for your turn?"
He pointed with his eyes at the last door leading to the deck and made a gesture as if exhaling cigarette smoke. The man facing him half-turned his head, then looked forward again and answered briefly:
"Yes."
That was all that came back. The knight, while holding onto the handle and persisting, shrugged his shoulders as if disappointed.
"I'll have to come back a bit later then. Good work."
After answering simply, he released the force he had been pushing with his shoulder. Then, as if rudely turning him away, the rough iron door bounced off the knight's body and closed firmly.
Thud—
Due to the noise of steam and iron wheels, he couldn't eavesdrop on the sounds inside, but he could fully sense that those inside had become busy. In front of the blocked iron door, the knight stared straight ahead with narrowed eyes. After standing as if rooted to the spot for a while, he gauged the strength of the opponent who had matched him equally.
"...Huh."
The knight, who sighed softly, tilted his head slightly. Soon, he deliberately made footstep sounds as he returned the way he had come.