The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 37

On the Train

Ariasphil couldn’t help but open her mouth in shock as she watched the girl get knocked out cold. She couldn’t even scream.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t surprised. But the violence, so unreal yet so naturally and confidently carried out, left her no time to scream or even feel tense.

“Le…! Leo!!”

“Yes, my lady.”

Leonardo, wiping the blood off the fist he had used to strike, looked at Ariasphil.

“Why…? Why did you suddenly hit her?! I feel relieved, but… this isn’t right!!”

So horrified that she unknowingly voiced her true feelings, Ariasphil glanced at the fallen person as Leonardo pointed at her without much change in expression.

“Take a closer look. No matter how hard you hit someone, their face wouldn’t change like that.”

At those words, Ariasphil cautiously looked over Leonardo’s shoulder at the fallen girl. Naturally, her shocked expression twisted into one of disgust.

It couldn’t be helped.

“…A man…?”

The girl’s face was nowhere to be seen; instead, a bearded middle-aged man lay on the ground, his face half-smashed in.

It was impossible to say he was an entirely different person, as the fluttery dress he wore provided a disturbing clue.

“Polymorph, a type of transformation magic.”

A magic that transforms one into another being or creature, a mid-tier spell requiring at least 4 circles of magic. As long as mana remains, the transformed appearance is maintained.

[…Is this guy really capable of that?]

The Sage, looking at the pitiful cross-dressing man sprawled on the ground, asked again. Even for a wise Sage, it would be hard to accept it immediately.

“Of course, he’s not a 4th Circle mage. If he were, he would have immediately reverted and counterattacked with magic.”

However, there were various applications of the Polymorph spell. Among them were methods that even lower-ranked mages could use.

“Probably a mid-level or high-level mage cast Polymorph on him first. Then, he sustained the appearance using his own mana.”

By doing so, even without knowing the 4th Circle mana or the Polymorph spell, one could transform, and a large number of people could maintain a different appearance for an extended period.

“…How… did you know?”

“There were more than one or two signs.”

The first suspicion arose when he helped lift her luggage.

“It was heavy. Too heavy for someone of that build to lift.”

It was understandable if he had only pushed the luggage, but the man had tried to ‘lift’ the luggage onto the overhead rack. He failed due to his short height, but it meant he had the strength to lift it.

“…Just based on that…?”

“Of course, there was more.”

The next suspicion came when he noticed the hand holding the luggage.

“It wasn’t a girl’s hand.”

“There were no scars, though…”

“No, the proportion of the arms and hands didn’t match.”

The ratio of the arm to the hand was off. In trying to cover the scars, the Polymorph magic was applied thickly, causing the hands to swell as if they were enlarged.

It would be hard to notice unless you were focused, but with a thorough knowledge of the human body, you could sense the oddity.

“Of course, just those alone wouldn’t be enough to be certain. It could have been a physical trait or possibly some kind of illness.”

Leo sought to find evidence that would turn his suspicions into certainty.

“When I removed the leaf from your hair earlier, remember that?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah…”

There was no way he could forget. Just thinking about it still made him furious.

“At that moment, I lightly scratched your face with a claw wrapped in aura. It wasn’t big or deep, but enough to draw blood and cause some pain.”

And then, his suspicion turned into certainty.

“I scratched you completely, but there wasn’t a drop of blood, nor did you say it hurt. You didn’t even furrow your eyebrows.”

This was another blind spot of Polymorph. Since the face was covered with magical clay, the transformed area was bound to have dull senses and reduced pain.

“So, I hit him. Normally, Polymorph gets undone when it takes a strong impact.”

Thanks to that, the truth became clear.

When he explained the brief yet elaborate deduction, everyone showed their astonishment and admiration.

[Did you use to work as a private investigator?]

[No wonder a eunuch like you strangely attracts women.]

The Sage remained silent. He knew that Leo didn’t say such things just to shamelessly reveal his intentions.

<‘Not realizing that for real is a talent… a talent…’>

Anyway, now that he had shown this deduction, it was important to find out the perpetrator’s intention and the full story behind this.

Leo began searching the unconscious man’s body.

“Leonardo, even so, shouldn’t we first inform the chief conductor or the crew…?”

“I’d like to do that too, but that option comes with its own risks.”

Leonardo started to explain as he pulled out hidden weapons and items from the man’s outfit.

“There might be accomplices among the chief conductor or the crew.”

“…Among the staff…?”

They couldn’t be certain without looking directly, but judging by the weight and circumstances, it was highly likely that what was inside the bag was a bomb for terrorism.

[Alright, got it.]

The ghost’s body was the most suitable and convenient for tasks like this since it could pass through anything.

The Sage immediately stuck his head into the bag and began to inspect its contents. It was a bit creepy, but this method was the most reliable.

Among the items, Leonardo took out a small silver ornament resembling a pocket watch. When he opened the lid, a mirror reflecting the surroundings appeared.

“Here it is.”

It looked like a mirror, but it was actually a communication magic tool. And it wasn’t some toy sold at the Magic Tower souvenir shop—it was a professional communication device used by soldiers.

[…These crazy bastards…]

The Sage, who pulled his head out of the bag, started cursing repeatedly.

[…These bastards are planning to use this train as a ritual circle.]

“…A ritual circle…?!”

[I’ve never seen it before, but I can tell. It’s a toxic gas bomb. They’re planning to fill the entire train with poison gas. These bastards.]

In a hurry, Leo stripped the man of his clothes to reveal his back.

“Damn it… Why… of all things…”

Even considering that Arias was on board, Leo couldn’t help but curse.

The tattoo of a serpent with nine heads on the man’s back.

It was the symbol of the black magic organization known as [Hydra].

“…A black magician…?”

“Yes. I’ve seen this tattoo before.”

Of course, it was something he had seen in his previous life, but he couldn’t exactly explain that to them.

“…So, what should we do?”

“…We need to use the advantage we have.”

Leo fiddled with the communication magic tool, clearing his throat. Aura wrapped around his vocal cords, gradually altering his voice from its original tone.

***

Meanwhile, in another part of the train, the other compartments were in complete panic. The reason it was still so quiet was that the black magic of the assailants was specialized for this kind of terror operation.

“How’s the situation, Daran?”

A man in a black suit glanced at the terrified passengers as he asked. They had been so mentally overwhelmed by the mind control magic that they had lost the will to resist.

“It seems fine. Once we take control of the first-class compartment, we can begin the ritual.”

The man in the suit frowned in irritation at the explanation given by another man in a thick robe.

“Where the hell is Moan, that perverted bastard? He should hurry up.”

“Well, you know how it is with that twisted freak.”

Just then, the communication device began to vibrate and emit a reception tone.

“What now?”

“Seems like it’s Moan.”

“Ha… Finally, he’s contacting us.”

With a curt reaction, the man in the suit accepted the call.

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s going on?”

[…Call for backup… quickly… cough…!]

The sound quality was shaky, but the voice was unmistakably Moan’s. That raspy, yet oddly seductive tone was impossible to imitate.

“What’s happening?”

[There’s a knight and a mage in first class…! I’m still locked in a standoff, but I need backup. At least a 3-star and 2 Circles…!]

“…Damn it… Where are you right now?”

[I’m in the corridor…! I’ve taken some injuries too. I need as much backup as possible. What’s the situation in the rest of the train…?]

“Everything’s under control except for your area. The sacrifices are all prepared.”

[Then get to first class… It’s better to start the ritual all in one place, anyway…!]

“Alright, shut up. We’ll finish setting up the bomb and head over.”

With that, the communication was abruptly cut off.

“We should call the others, too.”

“What? Can’t we handle this on our own?”

“A 3-star knight and a 2 Circles mage is a tricky combination. We need to call everyone except those guarding the engine room. If it comes down to it, we can detonate the bomb remotely and just put on our gas masks.”

For them, this was the safest and most certain course of action.

None of the passengers, who were under the influence of the mind control magic, had the skills to defuse the bomb, and most importantly, this poison gas was a new type, recently developed.

‘Even if they manage to remove the bomb, we can just trigger the self-destruct. They wouldn’t know how to neutralize the poison, anyway.’

With that thought in mind, the robed man contacted all the black magicians who had infiltrated the train.

***

The organization members, having received the orders, gathered swiftly in front of the compartment beyond first class.

The noise from the train’s rails and the clattering of the wheels made it impossible to hear exactly what was happening beyond the door, but this only made them more cautious.

“Everyone, get ready.”

The black magician, who appeared to be the leader, grabbed the door handle and began counting down with his fingers.

As each finger lowered, and when his hand finally closed into a fist, the leader kicked the door open and rushed in.

“…?”

However, there were only two people in the corridor.

One was their fallen comrade, and the other was a girl with blue eyes and long, white hair.

The other first-class private rooms had all locked their doors tightly, as if following orders, with the occupants holding their breath.

“…What the hell? Don’t tell me that kid…”

Before he could finish speaking, Arias charged. In the narrow corridor, the advantage was all hers.

Bam!

The leading black magician was immediately taken down by the sword, still sheathed, that Arias used to strike.

No matter how powerful a magician was, in such a confined space, they couldn’t use wide-area or large-scale spells.

“It’s her! Everyone, put on your gas masks and release the poison!”

But of course, they had their own strategies to rely on.

The magicians, now wearing gas masks, released toxic gas they had conjured through black magic.

Without a gas mask, anyone who inhaled the gas would either die instantly or, at the very least, fall unconscious.

“Kyaaaah…!”

“Get her… Ugh?!”

Perhaps it was the smoke from the gas, but the black magicians couldn’t locate Arias within the poisonous mist and were taken down one by one.

“H-how…?”

The last remaining black magician looked at the girl through the partially cleared poison cloud.

She was already wearing a gas mask. It wasn’t hard to figure out that she had taken it from one of his fallen comrades.

“In that case…”

Realizing his options were dwindling, he decided to go through with the ritual, even if it was incomplete. If he could kill most of the passengers here and activate even a small part of the ritual circle, it would still make them more powerful than they currently were.

“Aaaaaahhhh…”

Forcing out every bit of mana and dark energy he could muster, he drew a violet magic circle with his hands.

“I won’t let you…!”

Arias quickly dashed forward and severed his wrist with her sword.

“Now! Detonate it!!”

But due to the poisonous mist, Arias didn’t notice the magic the man lying behind her was activating.

“We did it! Noble evil, grant us power with this offering…!!”

With a fanatical cry, he gathered dark energy into his hands.

“…Huh…?”

But something was wrong. There was no explosion, no screams from the passengers caught in the blast, no tortured souls writhing in death’s agony.

“…Thank goodness. Leo was much faster.”

She said this as she struck down the remaining enemy, knocking him unconscious.

The remaining poison gas escaped through the holes in the ceiling. These holes were made by Leo as he had stealthily approached from the front compartment.

Meanwhile, Leo was in another compartment, handling the last bomb. Once defused, the bomb was completely deactivated.

[But how did you know how to disarm this?]

Once again, it became clear that the knowledge of a regressor should never be underestimated.