After I Stopped Sponsoring, the Female Leads Began Obsessing Over Me

75 – Train across the Northern Mountains (1)

The train arrived at the stop in ‘Schulz’, a city on the northern border.

From here, transfer to the train and take 3 hours to the ‘final gateway’, Engelhorm. From Engelhorm, take the Northern Crossing Mountains train to Lahti, the northern capital, in 6 hours.

In terms of time, approximately half of the journey remains.

You have to change trains here.

‘…Hmm.’

As he got off the room, Ian felt an unidentifiable sense of déjà vu.

“Ugh, it’s cold!”

Danya, who was jumping off the train, started shaking.

Weather with a weak breath blowing out.

“Would you like me to lend you a scarf?”

“It’s okay! I can easily control my body temperature…”

“That’s right.”

Ian nodded at her.

Certainly, there are some prisoners who are adept at regulating their body temperature. It could be said that he has excellent control over his body. However, he didn’t know why Danya blurted out his words.

Danya’s eyes were focused on the scarf as if she was regretful.

Beyond that, Lina and Karen got off the train.

“Karen, let’s go quickly too!”

“… I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to eat!”

Lina seemed to have already become close with that quiet and cold-hearted escort, Karen.

‘Friendliness is amazing.’

Should the heroine be called a heroine? Ian stuck out his tongue at her overwhelming friendliness.

Lina often walked towards me.

“Ah, Ian! Over there!”

Rina lifts what she holds in her hand and makes a sound like a sound.

It looks like a lunch box with multiple layers.

“I-I packed a lunch box. Well… That was in the past…”

Lina, who was hesitant, closed her eyes and shouted.

“At that time, I was just taking too much! I brought enough for everyone to eat!”

“Oh really? It’s a good thing there aren’t many good restaurants. Let’s eat together.”

“Yes! I’ll prepare it in the lounge!”

Lina ran towards the station’s VIP lounge with a smile on her face.

In any case, wouldn’t that kind of friendliness and friendly personality be another advantage of the party being organized now?

Karen came next to Ian, who was walking with her thoughts in mind.

“There is something I would like to tell you for a moment.”

Karen with a cold expression.

She is the one who has been raising her words ever since the princess ordered her to follow Ian. However, it may have been difficult for her to manage her facial expressions, so she could not be said to be very good.

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“What is it?”

“We are not going to play house.”

“I know.”

“But the people you brought here seem like they’re going on a picnic.”

“Mr. Karen.”

Ian decisively cut off Karen’s words.

“We are not going to fight Duke Pierce.”

“That’s true, but as far as attitude goes…”

“For example, what if that child, Lina, becomes friendly with one of the matriarch’s henchmen and can easily secure evidence?

Karen pursed her lips like a mute.

“… I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I plan to somehow solve the mission given to me by the princess. That means.”

Ian stopped walking and spoke to Karen.

“It means that we will not choose any means or methods.”

“…….”

“Of course, fighting is the worst situation.”

The situation in which you fight Richard Pierce can definitely be said to be the worst. Being the head of the Pierce family is a position given to the best knight in the best knight family. Even so, Ian’s thoughts did not change.

“Please be kind to me then.”

◇

“It’s not expensive meat, hehehe.”

As expected from a space used by nobles, there were private rooms in the station’s VIP lounge.

Lina found a large room and skillfully laid out the lunch box and plates on the table.

Should we say that it is a manifestation of her vitality that she has taken care of her younger siblings since they were young?

“After slicing it thinly, I seasoned it with sweet soy sauce. I fried it in green onion oil and lightly mixed our family’s special seasoning on top.”

As she said that, she began placing chunks of meat that Lina had brought separately into her warming container.

“Thank you.”

Karen was the first to lightly bow her head.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Next, it’s Ian’s turn.

“Thank you.”

“Ugh.”

Ian tilted his head after receiving the meat.

‘It’s somehow thick?’

Ian looked at the meat.

There was one more sheet hidden below.

– Frown

Passing in front of Ian, Lina quickly closes one of her eyes and then opens it.

“……”

Without any time to react, Danya’s appearance appeared in Ian’s field of vision.

Danya was looking at Ian and Lina alternately with suspicious eyes.

Rina immediately sat down as if to block the space between them.

Then she leaned her body towards Danya.

“Danya, I’ll give you the meat and this too.”

“?”

“You said you liked this ingredient the other day, so I tried making it.”

“Eng… Thank you.”

Lina snuggled up next to Danya and presented her with a side dish that she thought she would like.

The faint scent of catnip.

Lina knew very well that before she crossed over Ian, she had to first build a good relationship with Danya.

“…….”

Ian quietly looked at Lina like that.

‘… I don’t know who is the cat and who is the fox.’

Why does Lina look like she has a red fire fox-like tail?

‘It must be an illusion, right?’

Ian rubbed her eyes and took a bite of the meat dish Lina handed him.

‘Hmm.’

It’s definitely delicious.

I looked up and made eye contact with Karen, who was also biting into a leaf and her eyes were wide.

She quickly returned to her expressionless expression,

She couldn’t even hide her red cheeks as if she was embarrassed.

◆

After finishing the meal.

The train to change arrived at the platform with ease.

Last stopover, Engelhorm.

The train heading there was a short two-car train.

As soon as I entered the VIP compartment and sat down next to Danya, who had fallen asleep as if in hibernation, the person sitting on the other side of the aisle spoke to me.

“If you’re taking this train at this time, I guess the young man is also going to Lahti?”

Lahtiran is the capital of the Pierce Duchy and the final destination of Ian and his party. Ian looked at the person who had spoken.

He was a gentleman who looked to be in his mid-thirties, had a nice appearance, but also showed signs of a hard life in society. The neat clothes and camera-shaped magic engineering tool hanging around the neck are impressive.

“Ah, this is rude. Let’s just pretend to know and stop because it’s my occupational disease to look. hahahaha. My name is Schwab, an editorial reporter for the Empire Ilbo.”

The Empire Ilbo is one of the three media representing the Empire.

‘…Reporter?’

The unidentifiable sense of déjà vu that I have been feeling from a while ago becomes stronger.

After thinking for a moment, Ian held the hand he had extended.

“I’m Ian Black Angus. I’m a cadet at the Lichten Academy.”

“Huh!”

Schwab’s hand tightened as he held onto Ian.

“I heard that you did quite well at the grade measurement ceremony this time.”

“… How do you do that?”

“Ah. You must be surprised. Important events that take place at leading academies tend to be immediately shared among journalists. Of course, it is only a one- or two-line telegram, but you should keep it in mind. Selected by the Empire Daily as ‘Promising Wizard of the Year’ Because people like are not just selected, hahahahaha!”

He bursts into laughter and scratches his head as if he is troubled.

“Oh my. This could also be interpreted to mean that Ian is a candidate. Well, some people are watching with interest. I already told you, so what can I do? Please keep it a secret. hahahahaha. !”

Unlike his gentlemanly attire, he is a person who likes to chat. It seems like being a journalist is a good fit for you.

However, the content was interesting enough so it was worth listening to.

“Well, then I guess Ian attends a social club.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Of course I am attending as a reporter, but under what qualifications is Ian participating?”

Ian thought briefly.

But since he is officially participating, there is no need for him to hide it.

“I am qualified to represent the Third Princess.”

Schwab’s eyes widened.

“Huh! This is so true! The Third Princess has chosen such a healthy young man again!”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you know? The Third Princess always sent different men as substitutes to each social church. At first…”

He lowered his voice even further and whispered.

“There were bad rumors going around about why the royal family changed men so often, but now it turns out that they weren’t that bad… There is a lot of anticipation for who will come to each social church. Reporters from dating magazines can catch up. “Be careful of those guys. hahahaha. Our major is probably more trustworthy than them.”

With advice, he handed out a business card.

I am the kind of person who likes to chat, so it seemed like the information I told this person would immediately get scattered all over the place.

“Thank you.”

There was no reason not to receive it.

It’s easy to get information, and if you have something to say, you can spread it quickly. Rather, it was an advantage.

“When the time comes to ask for an interview later, you won’t refuse?”

“Of course.”

Ian held his hands together.

◆

— Wow!

The train arrived at the final stop, Engelhorm.

“We will leave after stopping for 30 minutes to recharge mana gems!”

The driver provided guidance to the VIP seats.

“Danya wake up.”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s go eat udon.”

“Udon? What is that? Just crush it!”

The altitude here is over 1000m.

It is clearly cold outside, covered in snow.

Danya is dozing off, as if she is about to go into hibernation. It’s not so wrong since it’s for body temperature control.

Leaving behind Karen, who decided to stay on the train, the rest headed to the restaurant on the platform.

“…Wow, it’s delicious.”

“Udon? This is really, really delicious. How did you know, Ian?”

“The reporter sitting next to me said you should try it.”

Any noodle dish eaten in a cold and high place must be delicious, but the udon here was delicious enough to be called a delicacy.

Actually, there was nothing more surprising than udon.

As soon as you leave the simple store, the magnificent sight catches your eye.

“Um, what is that?”

A track between steep mountains.

If you follow the track with your eyes, a huge iron gate blocks your view.

A magnificent iron gate that looks bigger than a 30-story apartment building.

One of the 99 gateways scattered across the northern mountain range, it is said to be the largest and most magnificent.

This is the first gateway to Angel Horm.

“Wow…”

Although it is the most remote gateway in the north, it is the highest and strongest.

If we look at the reason, it means that the North only exists to prevent damage to the empire.

“The gates are opening for the train to pass through!”

— Wow!

The opening of an iron door the size of an apartment was more spectacular than I expected.

After boarding the train, look out the window, through the gap in the iron door.

Pure white canyons and mountain peaks unfold.

The train began to move slowly.

“Wow.”

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Danya looks outside in wonder.

Ian was also impressed by the unfolding scenery.

A track precariously placed on a mountain cliff.

The scenery seen from the train slowly moving towards the summit was definitely spectacular.

However.

– Tuk

Danya, who has fallen asleep once again, leans her head back as if she had been amazed for some time. Just like you get used to jet lag, you get used to the temperature if you sleep for a day. It is a truly convenient body.

But.

Sheer cliffs.

The angle of the backrest is such that you can feel the floor tilting.

‘……’

The unidentifiable sense of déjà vu became increasingly clear.

‘What on earth am I missing?’

Uncomfortable feeling of feeling like I can catch it but not being able to catch it.

Schwab, who mistook Ian for being afraid as he was deep in thought, spoke to him.

“You don’t have to worry too much. This train runs not only on rails but also on mana. There are plenty of safety devices in place.”

“…Mana.”

Yes. It must have been something related to mana.

Mana. Mana. Mana.

Something, something, definitely happens.

But as if that was an illusion, the train moved infinitely smoothly.

– Rumbling

No.

It is not soft.

I couldn’t feel it, but the comfort had already disappeared significantly.

Minor vibration felt in the lower body leaning on the chair.

“Whoaam.”

Danya, who was sleeping as if in hibernation, woke up. Danya tilts her head while looking out the window blankly.

“Isn’t the train too slow?”

“…!”

I remembered

— Together!

In the distance, the mountain peaks that were moving outside the window slowly come to a halt.

No. It would be safer to say that the train you are riding has stopped.

Only then did Ian become convinced

Why did I feel this sense of déjà vu?

‘…The moment when Ecomana took off.’

That’s definitely-.

Defects in the raw materials of the mana gemstone.

A train crossing the northern mountains using mana stones as raw materials…

“Huh…?”

It was because he fell from a mountain range.

— Klick! Shake!

With a creepy noise.

The scenery outside the window began to flow backwards.