Bermuda

Leonardo, who had involuntarily raised his eyebrows, trailed off as he asked:

“Bermuda... Station?”

It was quite bewildering to hear from someone else’s mouth what he had only been thinking.

Signe nodded naturally while stuffing the croquette into her mouth. Unlike her nonchalant reaction, the edge of the newspaper Leonardo was gripping trembled slightly.

The trail of thoughts led to Alec Siles, who was guiding him to the station of beginning and end, and then to his origin. Could there be some other meaning in the strange address Alec Siles had left?

“Is the term Bermuda Station commonly used? In this region? °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° What’s there? Wasn’t there supposed to be an inn? But why did the inspector say it’s a barren field...?”

Leonardo listed his questions haphazardly as they suddenly arose. His voice, which had dropped considerably, was an instinctive response. Signe, noticing his shift, licked the croquette crumbs from her fingers and slowly pulled her hand away.

“Um... it’s not a commonly used term, and only the elderly who’ve lived around the station for a long time would know it? I heard it from Mr. Grimbleton.”

“Grimbleton?”

“The shop owner where you bought the bracelet.”

Ah, that person. Leonardo, muttering as if with a sigh, asked again:

“Is that old man, by any chance, from Bermuda? How does he know the station is called that if he’s only been in Riverside? Is it related to the actual Bermuda?”

“Uh, well... I don’t know much about that either. I’m not sure if he’s from Bermuda... He’s never really talked about it. Maybe he just knows various things because he’s lived for a long time? The old man, even though he looks old now, is actually much older than he appears.”

Signe added, spearing the soggy fries in the paper bag with a fork:

“He says he’s over three hundred years old, but that seems like a lie. According to the villagers, he’s over a hundred. Oh, come to think of it, aren’t there some people from Bermuda who have particularly long lifespans? Then it could be possible.”

“...Over a hundred years old?”

Leonardo, who had already folded the newspaper in half, leaned his upper body toward Signe. His gaze, drifting meaninglessly over her face, called up the shop owner he had met earlier.

Though he had looked somewhat aged, he definitely hadn’t looked like a man who’d lived over a century. He’d said his skills were embarrassing, but he knew how to use magic—so was he maintaining an incomplete youth through it?

As Leonardo’s thoughts scattered, Signe suddenly asked:

“Why—are you also from Bermuda?”

“What?”

“Oh right, my sister told me it’s rude to ask things like that carelessly. Sorry.”

Just as he was about to instinctively answer no, she gave an awkward smile and moved on to the next topic first. It didn’t seem like she’d asked with any particular meaning.

“At the station of beginning and end... like I said earlier, a lot of bodies were dumped there. So people say the atmosphere is gloomy, and there are ominous rumors, so nobody really lives around there. Naturally, there aren’t any villages or anything, and there are shops and restaurants around the station, but not many. It’s close to a field.”

“...Didn’t you say you went there often with your family?”

“Ah, there’s a big lake and a flower garden there that’s really pretty. You’d be surprised if you saw it too. My mom and dad loved that place. Honestly, I don’t really get the talk about it being gloomy, because on a nice day, the air can’t be any clearer!”

The scenery she described, though he hadn’t seen it, conjured a refreshing landscape that would clear the lungs. Green leaves swaying gently in the wind, and sunlight flashing on the lake, sparkling like jewels. You might squint in the brightness, but even that was dazzling. Heard like this, it just sounded like a sparsely populated, peaceful area.

“There are a few old castles beyond the hill, and what the old man mentioned as an inn was made by renovating them. You have to walk a bit after getting off, and usually it’s foggy, so it’s not easy to see. I heard it’s been quite a while since it operated. There’s a treasure sleeping inside, but something went wrong when the innkeeper touched it.”

Naturally, rumors spread that it was cursed, so it was empty now, Signe added, chewing on a muffin she had just opened. Occasionally, relic hunters would visit the castle to find the rumored treasure. That gave him an idea why the inspector had been particularly persistent about the gold bracelet.

Leonardo, listening with stiff neck and shoulders, gradually leaned back in his chair. It wasn’t so much that his interest had waned, but that he felt uneasy in too many ways. Somehow, all the places that scholar led him to were eerie.

On the peninsula, it had been the queen’s nest, and this time, it was cursed land.

If his current destination was indeed the place written in the memo, his intuition told him the man would be there. The old castle in the barren field.

He wasn’t one to hesitate out of fear of danger, but he found himself deliberating carefully when it came to anything involving the scholar. The man had controlled people’s wills and even conducted experiments on the peninsula, amid all manner of dangers. Leonardo couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t become an experiment subject this time, too.

In fact, taking the amplifier to eliminate the mother body had already made him volunteer as the man’s experiment subject once... Fearing this might be the same kind of thing, Leonardo wasn’t particularly pleased with the destination that had finally become concrete after nearly three months. The fact that it was called Bermuda Station made him even more reluctant.

The train, carrying Signe’s chatter and his thoughts, continued to stop and depart, passing through several more stations. About thirty minutes later, she—having nearly cleared out all the small snacks—stood up, saying she needed to empty her stomach.

“I’ll be back, so watch my stuff. Don’t steal anything from my military gear, okay?”

“What would I do with it? It’s all military supplies anyway.”

“That’s true.”

She chuckled, left behind the beret she’d been wearing the whole time, and headed down the corridor in search of the bathroom. On the table, the leftover sandwich sat alone with the hat. Whether she knew it or not, entrusting one’s hat to another was the Imperial Army’s way of showing trust.

The deliberate absence felt like consideration—so he could eat comfortably without hiding his face. It was unexpected from someone with a cropped haircut like a greenhorn.

With that small bit of leisure, Leonardo watched the people in the adjacent seats across the corridor gather their belongings and stand. Soon after, he lowered his face mask slightly and took a big bite from half the sandwich.

If he had changed his appearance, he could have revealed it earlier without concern, but these days he didn’t bother unless he was passing through a gate. Maintaining a virtual face was difficult, and he wanted to savor the freedom that person had given him. It was just that he still wasn’t mentally prepared, so he stayed covered to avoid drawing attention unnecessarily.

Unlike Signe, who had been eating for a long time, Leonardo finished the sandwich in just six bites. He was tidying the table along with his complicated thoughts, brushing the crumbs from his hands.

‘But how did he know when I would arrive? Is that scholar still waiting even now?’

Less than three minutes after the train stopped, new passengers boarded into the adjacent seats. But the atmosphere was unusual.

Unlike the seats where Leonardo and Signe were sitting, the adjacent section had benches long enough for three people each. With two such benches facing each other, it was at least a six-seater, and the table was much larger, too. Three tall, sturdy men rushed in and sat down in that space.

Even though there were only three, the seats looked cramped, as if fully occupied. And beyond the gloom of a group made up only of men, their bodies were well trained. It was obvious from their attire alone.

Leonardo quickly covered his face again. Signaling his lack of interest, he turned toward the window and sat.

“Whether it’s because we’re getting closer to the central region or not, we’ve been almost wiped out coming down to Westforce. Moving in the opposite direction might be more likely to yield results.”

“The central-western region is an area he particularly emphasized. We should at least sweep through it once. Don’t question his orders. Recheck the list while moving, and rest if possible.”

“I’m concerned that Giovanni Ambrose and Margo Penret are still affiliated with the Imperial Army. They’re figures who might speak up, but wouldn’t it be difficult for them to open their mouths if they’re active military personnel?”

Though he had no intention of listening, his attention was drawn in spite of himself when the Imperial Army came up again. They seemed to have boarded with a purpose, and from the nuance alone, they sounded like they were chasing something important.

“I suppose so. But what can we do? We have to find clues and return, no matter what. It’s his will.”

The stiff, clipped accent and formal tone suggested they were well-trained confidants of someone—and at the same time, people close to the central or eastern part of the empire. In their reflections, briefly caught in the window, they wore civilian clothes, but they still carried the air of loyal soldiers or knights who belonged somewhere.

‘By the way, those names—have I heard them before? Why do they sound familiar?’

Outside the window, trees that had been cut down during the war were just beginning to put out branches again. Leonardo stared at the platform against the backdrop of the barren wilderness and sifted through his memories. If they were active military personnel, it was very possible he’d heard of them...

At that moment, a shadow approached the seat where the three sturdy men were sitting.

From his build and the way he moved, he seemed to be part of their group. Sure enough, as the man—seen in the window’s reflection—took a seat naturally, one of them asked:

“You came quickly. I thought you’d barely make it.”

“Ah, I got a call from a colleague before boarding. Have you all heard? There’s been an intruder inside the main castle’s barrier.”

“What? What did you say?”

“What are you talking about?”

The voices of the previously calm men rose. The atmosphere instantly tightened, and their silhouettes shifted as if they were about to stand at once. The man who had joined last waved a hand, calming his companions.

“It’s nothing serious. The intruder already escaped, and no signs of a threat were confirmed. However, a level-three alert has been issued around the main castle, and all members of the Blue Knights are on standby in full armor.”

“Shouldn’t we return if it’s that serious?”

“Our lord ordered us to maintain the status quo, saying it’s not a major problem... but it seems better to keep an eye on the situation.”

The word “lord” made Leonardo’s eyelids twitch. His head, which had been turned away, snapped back on reflex.

‘...Huh?’

Somehow, what he was hearing felt familiar. Just then, one of the men sitting diagonally—sensing his gaze—turned to look at him.