The Mist Train, which had rapidly accelerated from its stop, rushed forward at high speeds through the Ruins of Thunder, and found itself running on a completely different railway line to the route we had planned to take. |
Fortunately, none of the places where the tracks were laid had structures that would obstruct the train in any way. A derailment or collision would have been a catastrophe in these conditions, where only brakes could control the speed. |
However, there is no guarantee that there will be no such accidents in the future... |
Brittany |
"We are way past where we intended to stop. It's about time it stopped somewhere..." |
Euston |
"It looks like a long uphill from here. Why don't you we braking as hard as we can? It might be difficult to come to a complete stop, but it might at least give us time to get off and investigate." |
Brittany |
"I see. So we would head out as accompanying soldiers. We can be in charge of surveying the ruins too." |
Finchley |
'That's a very risky proposition. Then what happens if those who go down to the railway line are left behind? If the units are separated here, we won't be able to rescue Versailles." |
Euston |
"Depends on the speed of the train, and it should be possible with a lifeline. Don't the SSS have training in such scenarios?" |
Finchley |
"That's true, but the prerequisites are different. We are not assuming that there are such things as acceleration rails." |
Euston |
"Then we can assume that and put it into practice. If it's feasible, it's well worth a try." |
Finchley |
"Euston..." |
Euston |
"I'm going down to the tracks. I have already calculated the time it takes for the train to forcefully accelerate. I can react even if the train starts to spurt." |
Euston |
"The success rate will be even higher if you are in charge of my lifeline. Isn't that right?" |
Finchley |
"Very well. If you insist, I'll leave it to you." |
Finchley |
"Mist Train, maximum deceleration. Full brakes, we're disembarking Euston down." |
Putra |
"Oh, maximum full-power brakes? Euston said she's getting off the train." |
Vivienne |
"We're slowing down nicely. At this rate, I don't think we'll have to worry about a few more people getting off the train." |
Vivienne |
"......" |
Vivienne |
"I think I'll get off too." |
Putra |
"No, no, let's just see what happens first, Euston and Instructor Finchley said it's better to leave it to them." |
Vivienne |
"We'll be fine as long as we get to a safe disembarkation speed. I think we should split up into two groups, one to keep an eye on the perimeter and one to examine the ruins." |
Vivienne |
"Hey Brittany, you think so too, don't you? Don't you think it would be better if Brittany and I got off the train too?" |
Brittany |
"I agree with you, Mademoiselle Vivienne, but I don't think it's a good idea to get off the train right now." |
Putra |
"And thus, the brainy Brittany says it's not a good idea." |
Brittany |
"It's just a question of timing. Vivienne and I will disembark on phase two, so to speak. We need to make sure it's safe first as a prelude to that." |
Brittany |
"If something unforeseen happens, Mademoiselle Euston and Instructrice Finchley will be able to handle it. I'm sure that our excellent seniors can make our scouting more secure." |
Vivienne |
"If they can't do it, then we can't do it..." |
Brittany |
"That's what I'm saying." |
Putra |
"Well, well, don't worry too much. The train is slowing down nicely and it will be fine." |
Vivienne |
"Right. It's going to be fine. There's no Mist at the moment, so I guess we'll just have to follow the train at running speed for a while..." |
Vivienne |
"......" |
Vivienne |
"We're not going to reach Versailles by following this Route..." |
Putra |
"Vivienne?" |
Vivienne |
"What?" |
Putra |
"About that, what did you just say? You said something about not being able to reach Versailles by following this route." |
Vivienne |
"I didn't say that. I don't know anything about these ruins." |
Putra |
"What about you, Brittany, did you hear what Vivienne said?" |
Brittany |
"I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you over the squealing of the brakes, what's wrong with Versailles?" |
Putra |
"None, even a little..." |
Vivienne |
"What's wrong Putra, did you mishear something?" |
Putra |
"......" |
Putra |
"......No." |
Vivienne |
"Putra?" |
Putra |
"I didn't mishear at all. Vivienne did indeed say, 'We're not going to reach Versailles by following this route'." |
Putra |
"Vivienne, are you sure you don't remember? If you don't remember, you should talk to everyone." |
Vivienne |
"...Non, I truly don't remember saying that." |
Putra |
"Then we should report it to Sir Conductor. Vivienne has used too much energy since we came to this site. Maybe it's what you need to do, but it's no good if you ran out of magic on the way." |
Vivienne |
"Even if you say that, I don't feel tired. My magic is the same as usual, and there are no uncontrollable forces being triggered." |
Putra |
"I know that too. You, Vivienne, have been using magic of your own volition since you came here. You haven't been putting everyone in danger by going on a rampage." |
Putra |
"But I think it's important to make sure that doesn't happen, not just for your sake, Vivienne, but for everyone's sake." |
Vivienne |
"I know, I know... Mhm, Putra is right." |
Vivienne |
"Thank you Putra." |
Putra |
"You're welcome♪" |
Vivienne |
"In the meantime, let's report this to Conductor. Let me know if I say anything weird again." |
--She who presides over the End of Light.
--She who makes the Night her Ally. |
--Thy who knows the Age of Darkness. Do you want to go to the Princess of Thunder? |
Vivienne |
"Eh..." |
--Use the Power of Darkness. The Railway of Thunder leads to the Altar. |
Vivienne |
"The Power of Darkness... The Railway of Thunder leads to the Altar." |
Vivienne |
"......" |
Vivienne |
"From the Celestial Spheres, the Apostles of Doom have risen. Make haste to the Altar and return the Princess of Thunder to the Clouds." |
Vivienne |
"Thy are of the Dark Blood. Thy connect the Dark Sea with the Misty Lands." |
Vivienne |
"Unleash thy Power. Vanquish the Apostles of Doom and bring the Princess of Thunder back to the Clouds." |
Finchley |
"Hmm? What's that light?" |
Euston |
"Miss Finchley, what's wrong? We're ready to go now." |
Finchley |
"No, I thought I saw something glow for a second. I don't think there was any magical response..." |
Putra |
"EUSTON, INSTRUCTOR FINCHLEY! GET BACK INSIDE NOW!" |
Euston |
"Miss Putra?" |
Finchley |
"What the hell is wrong with you? Is there a problem?" |
Putra |
"Come here quickly! Emergency! Strong magic incoming, everyone brace for impact!" |
Finchley |
"Euston, hurry. Situation critical!" |
Euston |
"Conductor's safety is our priority!" |
Immediately after Putra yelled, a strong light could be seen emanating from near the front of the train. |
The source of the light was Vivienne, who was standing very close to Putra. |
Just as Putra said "Strong magic incoming", a strong magical force swallowed us all including the Mist Train after being blinded by the intense light... |