Chapter 789 — A Foreign Land
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
Matilda glanced at the nobleman—Count Dulle was among the most zealous of Aldernan's "progressive nobles" in the field of magecraft. He owned the largest plantations in the north and had invested in several large-scale weaving and spinning mills. His role in the delegation, in a sense, represented those nobles of Aldernan who followed magecraft closely and sought to extract from it ever greater commercial value.
At this thought, the Typhon princess nodded in agreement: "Building factories and developing machines is indeed enormously costly, but the returns are likewise astonishing—that is why it draws ever more nobles and merchants to become investors. Is it the same here in Cecil?"
"...Of course," Philip said with a smile, nodding.
The train raced across the wilderness. Beyond the window, the undulating ridgelines were nearing their end; ahead, it seemed, lay open plains.
Yet Matilda could not help turning over in her mind that final "of course" with which Philip had answered her. For some reason, instinct told her the word held a deeper meaning, though for the moment she could not lay hold of its root.
Just then, the train at last burst free of the mountains' concealment. A vast cliff face flashed past, and ahead stretched an endless plain; all at once the scene beyond the window opened wide.
Where the plain met the end of the mountain range, upon a natural rise, a great stone monument stood beside the railway line. Walls seemed to surround it, and nearby appeared to be a maintenance and monitoring station for the line.
Matilda had only just noticed that unusual structure and was about to wonder why such a conspicuous thing should be set out in the wilderness when a loud, high whistle suddenly sounded from the roof of the carriage, echoing across the vast plain.
She was startled: why sound the whistle so suddenly? Was there a stop here, or a train to pass?
As bewilderment welled up in her heart, she and the Typhon envoys around her were astonished to see the Cecilites within the carriage rise to their feet as one—even the young army commander. These highborn knights and officers all turned toward the window, gazing at the great stone monument standing at the end of the mountains, solemn and reverent, as though paying their respects.
The Typhon envoys had been startled, even gripped by tension, when the Cecilites around them rose together; now they were left only with bewilderment. Those solemn faces made them unsure whether they ought to speak or ask, and they could only hold their confusion for a dozen seconds or so, until Philip and the others had sat down again. Only then did Matilda venture: "General Philip, may I ask what this is..."
"You noticed the monument, did you?" Philip looked at Matilda and asked calmly.
"Yes, I noticed it—and I was just about to ask."
"The railway line beneath your feet was urgently extended and built upon the existing White Sand mining line after the Crystal Cluster War ended," Philip said slowly. "In order to deliver grain and security forces into the Eastern Marches in time, and to prevent the aftermath of the Crystal Cluster War from creating widespread famine and chaos there, the construction schedule had to be compressed to finish before winter's end.
"To cut swiftly through the Bersel Range, where the terrain is most complex, the Third Construction Corps deployed large-scale terrain-shaping spells, including a mage corps urgently drawn from the old royal capital, and great engineering machines capable of casting the spell that turns stone to mud.
"While breaking through the Karlin Pass, a hidden locus of mana caused the spell to slip its control, and the cliff face collapsed.
"Thirty-seven people were buried beneath it—seven mages and twenty workers."
Matilda's eyes widened slightly, and Count Dulle spoke instinctively: "So it was to commemorate the mages who gave their lives..."