Blade of Dawn - Chapter 789 — A Foreign Land - 清風書屋

It was a wondrous and fascinating journey.

At least, that was how it had been so far.

Matilda sat in the broad, comfortable seat with a poise that none could fault, quietly watching the mountains of the Cecil Empire recede beyond the window. The snowstorm had weakened considerably, the landscape outside growing wider and sharper, while within the carriage a soothing music poured from some manner of magical device. Fine scenery, music, a temperature kept just right, and the abundance of provisions stored aboard the train—together they made this long winter voyage extraordinarily comfortable.

So comfortable, in fact, that one might forget one was seated inside a beast of steel, forget that one was hurtling across Cecil's cold winter wilderness at a speed far beyond any galloping horse.

Across from Matilda sat a young man with short blond hair and a youthful face, yet an air of unusual maturity and composure. Noting that the foreign princess before him seemed to be in good spirits, he offered a faint smile, his tone carrying a touch of pride: "How do you find traveling by mana train?"

Matilda drew her gaze back from the window and looked at the young man opposite her.

This young man, whose name was Philip, possessed a startling identity. Young as he was, he was already one of the Cecil Empire's military commanders, in charge of the Empire's mightiest ground legion—and the main body of that legion was now stationed... at the Longwind Line.

For a military commander of such importance to receive and "escort" the envoy delegation led by the Typhon princess was a match of equal station and entirely in accord with propriety.

Matilda smiled faintly.

"A splendid experience," she said with a smile, "and we have been treated to the finest scenery as well."

Philip laughed as well.

Thanks to General Ma Qi's careful arrangements, and the efforts of every level of authority in the Longwind region, from the moment this princess had entered Cecil's borders until now, there had indeed been nothing for her to see but scenery.

"Frankly speaking, a journey of this quality is nothing new to me," Matilda continued. "What is novel is that all of it is accomplished through magecraft machines. In the past, with the power of mages, it was no difficult thing to drive so enormous a vehicle swiftly across the wilderness, or to maintain a comfortable traveling environment in harsh conditions—but that magecraft can use lifeless steel to wield powers that ought to belong to mages, that is something I never imagined.

"In Typhon, most nobles have acknowledged the power of magecraft machines, and they welcome the newly appeared mana trains and all manner of factories. Yet there remain some old-fashioned mages who dislike such things—they are forever saying that the operation of machines lacks a soul."

"That is where we differ," Philip said with a laugh. "We hold that machines harbor another kind of soul. It dwells within the turning gears and the moving pistons; all it needs is lubricating grease and surging mana, and it is mankind's loyal friend."

"...And so magecraft first appeared in Cecil, and it is on this soil that it has developed fastest," Matilda said with a touch of feeling. "I have always been fascinated by magecraft—I love it even more than traditional spellcraft. It is a pity that Typhon still has a long road to walk in this regard."

This was the programmed humility of diplomatic courtesy, and Philip knew it well, so he merely smiled faintly and made no direct reply.

Mutual flattery, after all, was not his field of expertise...

A middle-aged nobleman with black hair, seated beside Matilda, joined the conversation: "I too have my eye on magecraft. Frankly, I have even been investing in it and studying it—a venture that consumes enormous sums. It is on this point that I greatly admire the people of Cecil—you are a people who dare to pay a price to win a profit, filled with the spirit of adventurers."