Chapter. 19. Playing tag (1)
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Took –
When I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of water drops plunging onto the quiet surface of the water.
Took –
the feeling of a thin layer of water brushing against the tips of your feet. A darkness with no end in sight. A wandering step and incredible comfort.
Took –
Who am I? Where are we? Why are we here and where should we go?
While I was wandering aimlessly, an object that did not fit into this dark place floated through the surface of the water.
Old, very old. A shabby sofa that clearly shows signs of someone having used it for a long time.
The moment Hyde encountered it, he felt his heart pounding with inexplicable anxiety. The surface of the water shook with his heartbeat.
‘find.’
Faint voice. Someone whispering beneath the turbulent waters.
Looking for it. what?
‘Find it and return.’
what? If I go back, where should I go?
Also –
Hyde suddenly remembered that this unfamiliar yet familiar space was a little more colorful than this.
okay. There’s something neatly organized behind that old sofa. In the sky, there was a small Milky Way shining like a jewel-like fragment.
What is it? Why on earth is he so anxious and missing? what. What on earth.
‘find. Find —.’
who.
‘…Hyde.’
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****
Jump up!
sudden! I could feel the cool morning air brushing against my sweaty back as the blanket was pulled back.
“…Oh my god. “The content of his dreams has never changed.”
Hyde shook off the still faint emotions from the dream along with tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
A nightmare that began to repeat itself to Hyde, who was an orphan.
No, it’s a bit ambiguous to use the word nightmare. After that dream, I was anxious and nervous, my heart was pounding and I couldn’t stay still, but at the same time… a longing and comfort that I don’t know where came from followed.
[find. Find —.]
[….Hyde.]
“….Amy. “At least teach me what to look for.”
Hyde answered to himself the voice in his dream that sounded like an auditory hallucination.
He had to find ‘something’.
It is unclear what or who it is.
The only clue was his heart, which occasionally beat wildly as if he had an arrhythmia.
‘I don’t know, but somewhere in my head with the nightmares [whispers] I know what to look for.’
‘If my body reacts, it means it’s related to [something], whether it’s news, an object, or a destination.’
It has been 15 years since I wandered the fragmented continent relying on such wild guesses. The 13-year-old boy from orphanhood who left his hometown suddenly became a 28-year-old man with a rough beard when he woke up, and the boy who had met the priest’s expectations for his brilliant mind became a wandering fragment who was treated as a ‘weird guy by everyone’s own admission.’ I had become a hunter.
‘Ugh. It’s my arm.’
In fact, I had half given up on finding that ‘something’ and escaping from this damn nightmare. He wandered for 15 years, overcame countless hardships in his life, and came this far relying on the faint tremors of his heart like a blind man groping the world, but he still didn’t even know what he was looking for. 15 years of doing nothing was too long to move with confidence.
“…what can I do? “I guess I’m going to live like this for the rest of my life.”
He wanders around the city, earns money diligently, spends all his money, buys a ticket for the Magical Train, and moves on again.
Now I was just thinking about doing it. I had become quite accustomed to the life of a wanderer and found some enjoyment in it.
For example.
– Sweet.
I opened the door without thinking,
“…Huh?”
“uh?”
“You you you you you! You’re the bastard Hyde! Hyde!”
“Ahh! “Why are you here!”
thud! thud! thud! thud!
Wow!
“Khuhaha! It’s Hyde! You son of a bitch! “Pay back, you piece of trash!”
“Woah!”
Things like meeting an old friend you never thought of.
****
“My God, I can’t believe that ‘Fidgety Hyde’ was at the same station and I didn’t know!”
“Has it been three years? “You’re alive, Catur.”
“But you didn’t end up in debt by coming here either. “I thought he would have been caught free riding and locked up in a workhouse somewhere by now.”
The bald man who was leaning on the stairs of the second floor hall saw me coming out of the room and came over to me and picked me up.
Catur. A guy who was scolded every day in a cramped train because he was one and a half times taller than everyone else.
“When did you come to Wigen?”
“Four days ago. “What about that one?”
“It’s a full moon. As you know, ‘Dynamite Lady’ is an old magic train, so it needs frequent repairs.”
“Ah, that rough iron lady. “I was a little scared because I was shaking like crazy.”
Kattur was the driver of a train that I rode briefly a few years ago. Due to the recession, money was short, but his impulses and obsessions were getting worse day by day, so he ended up giving up all the money he had and making up for the shortfall by working as a train driver for a month. The magic train that Kattur was a member of was the ‘Dynamite Lady’, and it was a truly deadly train. —- was treated like a dog. They are like slave owners that even Satan would manipulate.
“You still wake up early.”
“You are never the type of person to wake up early. Do the drivers of ‘Dynamite Lady’ keep watch at the station? “There have never been any accidents in Wiggen.”
“It’s not because we need night watch, but because without it, we can’t sleep deeply. You know? “It’s been a month, but you were on our train too.”
“Ah, I rode it. “I really admire myself for holding on for a month.”
The only advantage given to wanderers on a fragmented continent is that they often have the opportunity to meet old friends. Because the magic train runs on a set track, and wanderers wander the world by switching between magic trains. So, when I stayed at the station like this, I would occasionally bump into familiar faces.
“How are Mitch and Kayson doing? “The last time I saw you, the atmosphere between the two seemed unusual.”
“Kailson… got off. “Thanks to you, Mitch isn’t doing so well either.”
“Oh my.”
“It went pretty well. I picked up the body and the bastard was smiling. “As long as you’re satisfied, that’s fine.”
Of course, most of the people I knew were met through obituaries.
As if to brighten the momentarily calm atmosphere, Katur spoke in a louder voice.
“Hmm! “I decided to go down to the train later and finish my mourning… Is your ‘exploration’ going well?”
“….no. I still don’t know what it is. “I feel like I’m vaguely getting closer.”
“Hehehehe! I assure you, it’s definitely a girl. The only person who can shake a man’s heart so mercilessly is a woman and that of a fateful partner! It must be a fateful companion or a mother who had no choice but to separate from the Hydes for some unavoidable reason. “I’ll bet my eyeballs that it’s one of these two!”
“Uhm, well.”
‘female?’
….excited. Excited.
hmm. This doesn’t seem to be the case.
‘….mother?’
Excited. Excited. Excited.
Oh, there is some reaction here.
“….Both are ambiguous. “After arriving in Wigen, vague reactions appeared all the time.”
“Strange guy. Anyway, I hope I find something this time. If you find it, show me too. “Pay back the money then.”
“uh? “Why don’t you take it now?”
“It’s okay, dude. Among the train drivers roaming around the old Teldrat area, is there one who doesn’t know how deep your pockets are? This time, he said he spent a fortune on the signpost to take the express towards Wigen. Among the train drivers, there are those who call you ‘the angel who asks for money.’ They say they saved up all their money and squandered it all as a token price. No, if it was heading towards Wigen, shouldn’t we have waited a bit and gotten in the car? “Do you know our circulation route?”
“Uh, um… I suddenly felt that ‘impulse’ so strongly, so stop. “It was pulling me in the direction of Wigen, so I quickly caught a random train and crossed over before it disappeared.”
“Oh my gosh, you idiot, you idiot…”
Catur felt sorry for Hyde, who had wasted money that could have been used to buy four or five houses in the city simply because he was ‘preoccupied.’ I learned a lot about that guy’s strange ‘reverse magic’ during the month we were on the train together.
“…You still have no intention of pledging loyalty and belonging somewhere?”
“Because I don’t want to be tied down.”
“Even if it doesn’t interfere with your ‘wandering’?”
“okay.”
“Even if the damn famous Knights of the Silver Lion and their masters, the great noble family Gainax, are desperately looking for the ‘Aurunite without Auror’ who explored the ruins with them?”
“No more there. When I came out, I came out holding a bunch of expensive relics. “The cubs’ eyes are so bloody.”
“Hey dude, that’s-” ‘
….It’s more than enough money to be repaid in one month by belonging to the Knights.’
Katur had no choice but to swallow those words. Why do I not understand how great the benefits are given to Orunites belonging to the Hydrago territory?
Oranites belonging to a territory can use all magic trains passing through the territory they belong to for free, and if necessary, they can also obtain tickets for intercontinental sailing ships that are difficult to obtain. In addition, they are treated the same as nobles, receive eye-popping bonuses, immunity, and small jurisdiction. Unimaginable benefits are provided, including ownership of rocky areas and right to the opposition.
This means that for nobles, Oranite is a coveted talent. Compared to Shard Knights, which have a short lifespan, constantly require expensive fragments, and have the risk of going berserk if unlucky, Oranites have a long lifespan, are safe, and are highly loyal. It was a natural result which of the two the noble wanted to keep by his side more.
Thanks to this, Shard Knights, with their short lifespan, were expensive and expendable combat resources, and Orunites were treated as valuable vassals for a long time.
If someone is as capable as Hyde, no noble would reject him. There will be no problem with his strange wanderlust if he continues his ‘exploration’ by completing a big city-level job and taking a break for about a month. No, since the time to collect train signs is reduced, wouldn’t the search be faster than before belonging to the territory?
‘I’ve never seen anyone as intelligent as that guy Hyde in my life, so he probably knows everything even if I don’t tell him.’
Even though he knows this, he insists on wandering. Because as an Oranite belonging to the territory, a reaction may occur while doing important work. Although he has been wasting his time for the past 15 years, at that moment, someone or something he was looking for might be passing by around him. Because I can’t be stranded at such an important moment.
“…Do it yourself. “Strange guy.”
“Thank you for your thought, Katur.”
Catur gave up his heart at the euphemistic but clear rejection. Since it’s each person’s life, there’s nothing they can do if it’s their own will.
“….hey.”
“Why again!”
“No, this is a different story…”
Catur shouted at Hyde, who had already gone far away.
“Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do when you really find that ‘something’ you’re looking for? “Even in your dreams, it just tells you to find it, but doesn’t tell you what to do when you find it!”
“Oh, that?”
Hyde, who was a bit gloomy, smiled brightly and answered as if he was grateful for the question.
“Give it to me!”
“what? “What did you find after going through all that trouble?”
“therefore! “I’m going to crush my 15 years of suffering and crush you to pieces!”
Hyde declares, waving his fist as if there is someone in the air.
As he was walking away, Hyde exchanged a few words with a boy who looked like he was from an aristocratic family in front of the station fence, then grabbed the boy by the back and started dragging him somewhere.
From a distance away, I could hear Hyde’s laughter, ‘Wahahahah-‘, and a boy’s voice faintly saying ‘Newsboy-‘ or something like that.
“…Strange bastard.”
I’ve been to many cities as a train driver, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone like that.
The Aurunites I’ve met all say ‘I can feel the energy of the Aurors’, but in reality, I am an Aurunite who can’t even use Aurors at all. On that subject, he is a strangely talented person whose physical abilities and senses are comparable to those of Orunite, and whose fighting sense is beyond imagination.
He has the skills to secure a spot wherever he goes, but when the ‘important moment’ comes, which hasn’t happened even once in the past 15 years, he can’t leave, so he works hard to earn money and squanders it all on train ticket money, leading to a beggar.
He says he is comfortable working alone, but he clearly shows a preference for having someone around him.
‘Aurunite without an Auror’, ‘The best passenger in the old Teldrat Territory’, ‘Great Tiger’, ‘Restless Hyde’, ‘The Last Wandering Knight’…
With a nickname commensurate with the relationships he has accumulated, everyone here in the old Teldrat Territory knows him. guy.
Hyde. Common name: Pathfinder.
“…Anyway, it’s a different species.”
I was aimlessly chasing after something I didn’t even know about.
Either find it
or die.
“At least it doesn’t change the fact that the trip is over.”
Catur shook his head as he watched Hyde disappear, looking like a kidnapper.
****
