Chapter 60

Chapter 60

At James’s question, the station chief shook his head and replied, “As long as we carefully control the amount of explosives, there won’t be any flying debris. We can’t clear that huge rock as it is, so we have to break it into smaller pieces.”

Glancing over the chief’s shoulder, James saw the enormous boulder; it was clear that even a lever wouldn’t move it.

“I’ll leave the rock removal to you. Now, what about the injured?”

“Fortunately, none of the passengers were seriously hurt.”

“Even for minor injuries, make a report and send it to headquarters. We need to start the compensation procedures.”

The chief diligently took notes in a small notebook and nodded, then let out a deep sigh.

“At this point, I’m starting to think the southern express line is cursed. Last month, thieves ripped up part of the tracks, and before that, someone pulled out the crossing gates. It could have been a disaster.”

James’s expression immediately darkened at the chief’s bitter complaint.

“That happened?”

As someone who managed not only textiles but also transportation, he didn’t need to be informed of every minor detail from all departments; there was no point in getting upset over things he hadn’t been told.

But this was a safety issue. If the train derailed, the casualties would be enormous—especially if it happened multiple times.

Just as he thought about scheduling a meeting with the railway department head, Rose approached him and whispered, “James, I’ll take care of the rock.”

How? James silently mouthed in confusion. Rose smiled slyly, as if that question was proof she had his permission, and silently answered with a slight movement of her lips.

Like this.

Rose selected the earth magic from within her mana, quietly shifting it to her toes.

No one present sensed anything unusual about her, except for James Dautryche.

To his eyes, Rose shimmered with earth magic, shining brilliantly.

It was as if all the gold and jewels of the earth worshipped her as a goddess—a dazzling beauty only he could see.

Golden magic flowed down her body to her small feet in lace-up boots firmly planted on the ground.

Then, the pooled magic began flowing like a stream across the floor toward the massive boulder blocking the tracks.

“No way…”

“I won’t do anything flashy.”

The earth magic Rose sent out soon wrapped around the entire rock as if embracing it.

Rose cupped her hands like a megaphone and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my! The rock has cracked!”

Crack, crackle.

Starting from beneath the boulder, a single crack rapidly spread like growing branches, then finally, thud—the rock crumbled.

None of the people there had imagined this could happen; everyone held their breath, staring in disbelief at the phenomenon before them.

“I see! The steel rails must have hit the rock and caused the crack!”

It was a very far-fetched explanation, but Rose’s shameless fuss made everyone briefly accept her words.

“There’s no time to waste! Quickly clear the rock fragments!”

With no time to wonder how this miracle had happened, the crew, urged by the chief, began throwing the rock fragments—now broken into large chunks—into the grass beside the tracks.

Before long, additional personnel arrived, and the track restoration work progressed swiftly.

Rose accepted a sandwich hastily prepared in the dining car and handed out to passengers, then stood at a distance watching the bent track being torn out and replaced with new rails.

Though the rock had been successfully cleared, a different question was filling Rose’s mind, and she needed some time to think alone.

‘Now that I think about it, the station chief said accidents and thefts are unusually frequent on this line.’

Tracks stolen, crossing gates disappearing—and now suddenly a huge boulder.

The chief said it might be cursed, but Rose’s intuition insisted it wasn’t a supernatural phenomenon.

‘The rock couldn’t have rolled down anywhere, nor is there any trace of it being dragged here—so a falling rock is suspicious. The only explanation is magic…’

If some spiteful Mythos was stirring up trouble along this route, it wouldn’t be impossible.

After pondering, Rose looked up at the sky. The full moon shone brightly like a projector, lighting the darkness.

In the bright moonlight, almost easy to miss, a faint trace of magic remained in the night sky like a scar.

‘Did someone deliberately leave the magic trace instead of erasing it? But why?’

Judging by the magical mark left in the sky, it was clear someone had used magic to bring down the huge rock.

A bizarre phenomenon that defied any explanation other than magic.

‘The culprit couldn’t have gone far. Or maybe…’

Rose stopped a crew member and asked,

“Is there a residence nearby?”

“A residence, you say?”

“Yes. It doesn’t have to be a proper house; a shepherd’s hut, a barn, or a warehouse—anywhere people might be.”

The crew member pulled out a small map from inside his coat and spread it open, then said,

“Ah, yes. Coincidentally, there is one nearby. Mr. Brown’s house is in this area.”

“Mr. Brown?”

“Yes, Nigel Brown. Oh, what a tiresome name.”

Though Rose had only asked about residences, the crew member began chatting freely about Mr. Brown.

“Unlike his granddaughter, he’s a stubborn old man who constantly files complaints, making him famous among the staff. But why do you want to know about residences?”

Nigel Brown…

Rose thanked the talkative crew member for sharing more than she asked and immediately ran toward James.

“Jame… no, Mr. Dillon!”

She called out with excitement.

“I need you to come with me!”

Mr. Brown’s house, as the crew member described it, was at an ambiguous distance from the accident site—neither far nor close.

Rose and James walked across a wide grassy field toward the home of the notorious complainer.

“So you knew about Mr. Brown, too?”

“Of course. He’s the notorious troublemaker on the southern Dautryche Railway line.”

During the early railway construction, he routinely filed noise complaints to Ashville City Hall; he even sent mountains of anonymous letters to Dautryche Railway and the Company headquarters, making anyone involved cringe at the mere mention of Brown’s name.

“I don’t understand why he insists on living there despite refusing compensation.”

That wasn’t all. After the railway’s completion, he sent letters to every administrative office demanding the line be removed because the shaking land made it unlivable—causing a serious headache for the Company.

“Could it be a house passed down through generations?”

“No. Mr. Brown bought the house three years before railway land approval, so that’s unlikely.”

Just hearing James’s tired voice, you could tell the expression he had on his face.

“So, Rose, are you sure Mr. Brown is the culprit behind the rock, the tracks, and the crossing gates?”

“It’s not about being sure; first, I want to confirm if he fits the profile.”

Rose stepped briskly through the summer wild grass.

‘I hope this isn’t a trap.’

Not long after pushing through the grass, they arrived in front of Mr. Brown’s house.

The simple, one-story, gray-white building stood alone in a barren field, looking somewhat lonely.

“James, wait a moment.”

“What’s wrong?”

Rose held up the kit they had made for Betty’s Revis examination, her expression downcast.

Since at least Mythos Rose and Revis James were present, the kit should show information about them.

But the shape on the meter moved wildly and indecipherably.

“At this rate, we can’t confirm if Mr. Brown is a Mythos.”

Rose’s shoulders sagged.

This meant the operation was a failure.

Whether Mr. Brown was a Mythos or not would decide if he was the culprit.

That was the first thing they needed to verify, but…

James patted Rose’s drooping shoulder and said, “Don’t lose heart. We’ll find another way.”