Explosions Here and There

I slammed Collett’s head against the wall and mobilized telekinesis as well.

Then I pressed down hard and pushed forward.

“Ding-ding, ding-ding. Make waaay~.”

“Gaaaaaaack!”

Face-wiping the wall, Collett tried to activate magic.

But he was in the middle of vomiting, so he couldn’t concentrate…….

Wham! Wham!

I have clairvoyance.

I slammed his head against the wall right before he activated magic, disrupting his concentration.

Concentration is essential to activate and maintain magic.

Once I subdued him like this, I could toy with him all I wanted.

“Gaaaack!”

As I pushed forward relentlessly, a straight line of blood smeared across the wall.

“C, crazy!”

“What’s he doing!”

The military police members recoiled in horror and tried to rush at me.

But I glanced back and manifested my magic.

Green magic.

“……Fo, fourth rank!”

The military police members who’d been about to charge reflexively froze.

The world says magic exists up to seventh rank.

If a human reaches third rank at my age, they’re a genius.

Fourth rank?

A prodigy bestowed by heaven.

Of course, humans who received good Magic Inheritance can also reach it.

Either way, most grunts don’t dare attack.

“Hey, you’re not dead yet, right?”

I pressed Collett’s forehead firmly against the wall and rubbed it up and down vigorously.

“Chugga-chugga-choo-choo~ Peel off, hair, haaair~~.”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Collett’s forehead turned bright red as he begged.

“Gaaah! Stop, stop! I was wrong!”

“Then tell all the military police to get off at the next station.”

“……I, I got it! Everyone get off!”

Crash!

The moment Collett spoke, I slammed his forehead against the wall again.

Having just relaxed, he finally foamed at the mouth and fainted.

After finishing, I turned to the military police members.

“You heard First Class properly, right? Everyone get off at the next station?”

“Y, you bastard……”

“Wh, what are you trying to do? You think you’ll get away with humiliating us military police just because you’re a noble!”

I spoke in disbelief.

“Look at the discipline of these so-called military police! You don’t dare attack, so you resort to threats instead. Should I peel all your heads too?”

“……”

“You pathetic bastards! You saw my magic and got scared, and that’s it? If a commotion breaks out on the train, you should throw your lives away to suppress it! Did you forget why you were given special privileges!”

At my rebuke, the military police members’ faces reddened.

At least they have some sense of shame.

Still, no one attacked, so there’s nothing more to expect.

“Whatever. Even a hundred of you are trash, so bring your superiors. At minimum, management level.”

“……”

Everyone fell silent.

The train happened to be slowing down — the next station must be approaching.

I gave Orca a look.

“Monitor them getting off. Check if any military police members are hiding on the train.”

“……Ah, got it.”

Orca quickly gave orders to the dark elves.

Rumble rumble.

The dark elves herded the military police members off the train.

I told Gunter, who remained beside Orca,

“Hey, you have a magic control device, right?”

“That’s……”

“I know all about your ongoing development. Hurry up and hand it over.”

Magic control device.

An object used to suppress and restrain opponents who’ve awakened magic.

The principle is simple.

Activating magic requires mental concentration.

Then just prevent mental concentration.

Gunter pulled a palm-sized ring from his chest.

Recognizing it, I recoiled.

“Hey, isn’t that the one you attach to the groin?”

“Ah, you recognize it? Long ago we attached it to fingers, but too many people gave up one or two fingers. They have ten, so losing one is fine, right? So we decided to take hostage the one thing they only have one of. See those dense metal spikes on the inside? The moment it detects magic activation, this ring tightens, and the spikes shred the genitals.”

“……”

“Because cutting it off in one go doesn’t work either. We designed it to shred slowly and steadily.”

Deep dark elf fantasy!

Pleased I recognized it, Gunter explained proudly.

“Ah, you’re asking how we torture women? Of course there is. That’s an insertable type……”

“Right, I just remembered you agent bastards tortured people at the drop of a hat. Hurry up and attach it.”

“What?”

“Should I attach it myself?”

I stepped away from Collett and jerked my chin.

Gunter looked down at Collett with a shit-eating expression.

He wouldn’t want to strip the pants off an uncle who vomited and fainted.

Gunter held out the metal ring to the dark elf beside him.

“Attach it.”

“……What?”

Leaving the scene of descending bullying behind, I approached Orca.

Orca had a troubled expression, then grabbed and pulled my arm.

Moving away from the other dark elves, Orca said,

“What on earth are you thinking? If you cross the Railway Military Police……”

“I’ll just smash the heads of whoever keeps coming.”

“You being fourth rank as a young human is surprising and impressive. But management-level military police also have fourth and fifth rank members. And the military police commander……”

“I have a plan.”

I created a control mechanism even while giving special privileges to the Railway Military Police.

Natural thing to do.

The emperor after me might not be able to control them properly.

Once I bring that out, the entire military police must obey unconditionally.

I made it and now I’m using it myself.

“When management shows up, I’ll handle it myself, so you stay out of it. Rather than see such filthy behavior, I’ll just replace everyone from top to bottom.”

I told my children to live humbly and courteously, but I never told them to endure humiliation.

No, even if they endure, I can’t endure it.

There’s no line.

I need to completely purge the military police.

Orca looked at me strangely.

“Even if your skills are impressive, you’re ultimately an individual. The military police are a group. What exactly are you planning?”

“I heard on the way that the military police commander is Arsen? Then it’s even easier.”

He’s someone I personally pinned rank insignia on.

He cried profusely, moved.

On top of that, if I use the control device? It’ll be handled quickly.

“……It sounds absurd, but I feel like you really can do it. I don’t know why, but I just think you can.”

Orca sighed.

I spoke quickly.

“The deed’s already done anyway. News will reach military police headquarters. Before there’s movement, we catch the culprit.”

“We should.”

“If we catch the culprits trying to blow up the railway, it’ll be the military police’s shame and disgrace. Those bastards won’t even dare mention Collett’s matter.”

Of course, even if they pretend not to notice, I won’t let it slide.

I looked at Orca and said,

“The Queen of Assassins can’t hold you accountable for this either. Got it?”

“……Right.”

Despite my boast, Orca’s complexion remaining dark must be because he’s worried about being held accountable by the dark elves’ leader, his own mother.

She’s a woman even her own son finds difficult.

Orca hesitated briefly, then said,

“Additional information came in. The terrorist already boarded this train. Apparently the explosives came aboard too.”

“Hmm.”

Incredibly fast information transmission, true to dark elves.

Of course, the military police don’t seem to believe it, but I do.

I used this information transmission to move armies and handle all sorts of matters.

I gave orders.

“Well then! Search for where the bomb might be installed and if the culprit is here.”

“Leave it to me. That’s our dark elves’ specialty.”

Orca nodded.

Orca hesitated briefly and said,

“……Thanks for getting angry on my behalf, Rigen.”

“Not really? I’m just a skirt-chaser who acts thoughtlessly and charges in recklessly.”

“……I’m seriously grateful.”

When I played innocent, Orca repeated himself.

“Honestly, it felt satisfying.”

When Orca smiled, I grinned too.

Royal Class.

Orca, who’d gone out searching, returned and shook his head.

“Sorry. No real findings.”

“You’re certain the terrorist boarded? The enemy didn’t abandon the plan?”

“No, this is information Mother sent, so it’s certain. The Empire Liberation Army will try to blow up this car within 24 hours.”

“Then they haven’t installed it yet, or……”

Should I search with clairvoyance?

But keeping clairvoyance active continuously drains mental strength quickly.

And there’s no guarantee it’s installed now.

Orca stood up.

“I’ll search the passenger compartments once more.”

“Right, stay safe.”

I gathered my companions and explained the situation.

Everyone looked shocked. I spread the railway map on the table.

“If we catch the culprit, everything’s solved. So give me your opinions. It’s certain they’re targeting this car. Then when and how will they detonate it?”

“For terrorism, they’d want to detonate where many people can see. Wouldn’t it be while stopped at a station?”

Heinkel’s opinion.

Garul added,

“Then we should especially watch stations with heavy foot traffic.”

“There’s one question.”

Lisera said.

“They say a terrorist boarded…… how did they bring in the bomb?”

“The dark elves searched but found nothing.”

“Then wouldn’t a passenger have brought it aboard?”

At Garul’s words, Lisera shook her head.

“The Railway Military Police have a bad reputation, but they’ve also guarded the railway for over 100 years. Since Orca gave a warning, they would have searched passengers’ luggage in preparation for terrorism.”

“Ah, is that why the inspection before? But they could pass through with bribes.”

“They might not pass through either.”

Lisera’s answer.

Not nitpicking, but a different meaning.

I thought and said,

“Right, the Railway Military Police are arrogant enough to insult a prince. Would such bastards handle ordinary passengers gently? If they search, they’ll really shake people down thoroughly.”

Didn’t they actually make people strip to their underwear for searches?

I stated firmly.

“So the Empire Liberation Army didn’t enter disguised as passengers.”

“What? Why……”

At Garul’s question, I explained.

“These are bastards who recruited a marquis, caused an uprising, and are trying to blow up the railway. A plan flowing like water. But when passing inspection, bribes might work or might not, right? They won’t rely on such luck.”

“Yes.”

Lisera nodded.

I continued speaking.

“And if a passenger brought it aboard…… the dark elves would have already found it. If the Empire Liberation Army bastards want to blow up the car, they have to overcome two walls — the Railway Military Police inspection and the dark elf search. From their perspective, the risk of detection is too high.”

Lisera picked up.

“They couldn’t predict we’d use this car today, so they didn’t install it days ago. Even if they installed it, the dark elves would have found it.”

“Right, so……”

I sank into thought while looking down at the map.

From the enemy’s perspective.

If I were the Empire Liberation Army, what route would I use to target the railway car?

If passengers are impossible and installing in the car beforehand is also impossible?

“Since I beat up the Railway Military Police, enraged military police will swarm in large numbers. From the Empire Liberation Army’s perspective, they’d want to act before that……”

The terrorist’s action is right around the corner.

Then…….

“Damn it, we got played.”

“What?”

I told Garul,

“Garul, if you move that refrigerator aside, a door will appear. That’s a special shelter, so go inside with Lisera and take cover.”

“What?”

“That’s an order! Hurry up and do it.”

Even in the worst case, my daughter must be protected safely.

Lisera looked toward me questioningly, but there’s no time to explain.

I gave Heinkel instructions.

“You wait here, and when Orca returns, relay my words. And if an emergency occurs, protect the engineer as top priority!”

“What should I tell him?”

“The crew!”

Shouting that, I charged forward.

Royal Class is at the front of the train.

The very next car is the crew’s exclusive space.

A placard reading “Authorized Personnel Only.”

Crash!

Activating magic, I immediately smashed through the door and entered.

Three crew members sitting and resting jumped up in alarm.

“Wh, what?”

“Who are you!”

Examining the three, I assessed.

“How many total crew for this car?”

“What?”

“The stationed military police all got off. So how many!”

Roar.

When I barked, everyone flinched and cowered.

Ordinary people without magic.

But anyone can handle bombs with practice.

“You crew members can naturally move between cars. You check tickets and sell food. Tell me! How many!”

And railway crew and Railway Military Police are family.

They’d already know the Railway Military Police’s inspection methods.

In other words, as crew, they could leisurely bring in a bomb, then…… detonate it watching the situation!

A human man spoke trembling.

“Si, six people. Besides us, there are th, three more crew members for this car!”

“Then where are those three now?”

“That’s……”

The moment the man answered.

KABOOOOM!

An explosion rang out.