BSBTGBY 09

Chapter 9

Ticket Inspection Will Be Conducted with a Club

As we left the imperial palace, I walked along humming cheerfully.

In my pocket was a thick certificate for my reward money, at my waist hung the emperor’s dagger, and beside me trudged Damian with a look like half his soul had escaped.

“Come on, partner, smile a little. We just saved the empire, so why do you look like you’re headed to your funeral?”

“We did save the empire… but I feel like my lifespan has gotten shorter.”

Damian shook his head while looking at me.

“I never imagined you would pull out a baton in front of His Majesty the Emperor. Really… how can one woman be this unpredictable?”

“Just wait. It’s only going to get more spectacular from here.”

I grinned and asked him,

“By the way, you heard what Cassius said while they dragged him away, right?”

“You mean… the Northern Rift?”

“Yeah. And whoever that ‘He’ is.”

My intuition was buzzing sharply.

It was a sign that the true mastermind controlling the archbishop was somewhere in the North.

“I think we’ll need to go on a business trip.”

“A business trip? To where?”

“To the North. Beyond Everhart territory, near the borderlands crawling with monsters.”

Damian’s expression stiffened.

“The North is dangerous. The demonic energy there is so dense that even holy knights avoid it. And it’s winter now, so there are blizzards—”

“That’s exactly why we need to go. Dense demonic energy means my club will have plenty of work to do.”

I lightly slapped Damian’s shoulder.

“And besides, I have you. My personal human heater and walking holy relic.”

“…I would prefer not to be treated like a holy relic.”

He grumbled, but he didn’t refuse.

Because he already knew too.

If we didn’t uncover the force behind Cassius, the empire’s peace would only be temporary.

“Pack your bags, Captain. We leave tomorrow.”

At the Heresy Inquisition’s weapon supply depot, I stared at the terrifying weapons hanging on the wall with sparkling eyes like a child in a candy store.

“What do you think? Should I go with the spiked one, or the silver-plated version?”

The quartermaster glanced nervously at Damian, sweating heavily.

His eyes clearly said, Captain… what exactly is this woman?

But Damian only nodded with a resigned face.

“…Give her whatever she wants. Put the expenses on my account.”

“Ohhh, as expected of a capable man! So cool!”

I picked up a massive silver-plated anti-demon sledgehammer.

The heavy weight fit perfectly in my hands.

The three-section baton was portable, sure, but it lacked impact power. With this thing, I felt like I could smash even a high-ranking demon’s skull like a watermelon.

“I’ll take this one. Its name shall be… ‘Elegant Conversation No. 2.’”

I smiled brightly with the hammer resting on my shoulder.

A new status. A thick budget. And a reliable partner.

Now all the preparations for revenge and exorcism were complete.

“Just wait for me, North.”

Inside the first-class cabin of the magical engineering train Snow Piercer, heading north, I popped a peeled boiled egg into my mouth and chewed happily.

Across from me, Damian sat sipping black tea while staring anxiously out at the snowy plains beyond the window.

“Mmm… boiled eggs really are essential for train trips.”

“Lady Violetta, is now really the time to relax? We have no idea what dangers await us on the way north.”

“That’s exactly why I need to eat. You need carbs if you’re going to fight.”

I gulped down sparkling water.

Thanks to the emperor’s generous reward, we had rented out an entire train cabin for ourselves.

Luxurious velvet chairs, warm heating, unlimited snacks—

this was the power of financial therapy.

But my peace didn’t last long.

Slide—

The compartment door opened, and a conductor in uniform stepped inside.

“Tickets… please. Show me your boarding passes.”

Damian reached into his coat to pull out the ticket bearing the imperial seal.

But I set down my egg and narrowed my eyes.

‘…Something smells off.’

Whitish smoke was rising from the conductor’s shoulders.

Not cigarette smoke.

It smelled like mold from an ancient graveyard.

My gaze moved to the conductor’s hands.

The joints of his fingers were twisted grotesquely. Inside his sleeves, the skin around his wrists hung loose, revealing coarse black fur underneath.

“Excuse me, Mr. Conductor.”

I wiped egg yolk from the corner of my mouth and called out to him.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Is your work environment really that terrible? You’re doing absolutely nothing for your skin care. Your hide is practically peeling off.”

“…What?”

The conductor slowly raised his head.

Under the shadow of his cap, his eyes had no whites.

The entire sockets were pitch black, like they’d been painted with ink.

Damian sensed the shift in atmosphere and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Lady Violetta?”

I casually picked up Elegant Conversation No. 2—the silver-plated sledgehammer standing beside my seat.

“Damian, duck.”

“…What?”

“We’ve got a fare dodger.”

I shot up from my seat and swung the hammer with full force.

“You think you can ride my train for free after I paid for the tickets?!”

CRACK—!

My hammer smashed directly into the side of the conductor’s head.

A normal person would have died instantly.

But the conductor only staggered before slowly straightening his neck.

No—

his neck twisted around 180 degrees as he stared at us.

[Kikikik… So you noticed? I smelled fresh meat and thought I’d take a bite.]

His mouth split open all the way to his ears, revealing razor-sharp fangs.

His body swelled grotesquely, tearing apart the uniform. What emerged from beneath the human skin was a horrifying flesh-red ghoul.

Damian drew his sword in shock.

“A-a monster?!”

“Don’t be surprised. Maybe the monsters come as complimentary service on northern trains.”

I tightened my grip on the hammer.

Since it was silver-plated, the areas where it touched the creature’s skin were sizzling and burning.

[Grrrr… I’ll kill you!]

The ghoul lunged at us with claws extended.

But it overlooked one thing.

Standing beside me was the empire’s strongest holy knight.

Slash.

A blue flash cut through the air, and both of the ghoul’s arms dropped to the floor.

Damian had already stepped in front of me, sword pointed coldly at the monster.

He spat out in a low voice,

“Don’t touch my partner, filthy creature.”

Oh? Nice line.

Before I could admire him further, I slammed the hammer straight into the ghoul’s face.

BAM!

[GWAAAGH!]

Its skull exploded, spraying black blood everywhere as it collapsed.

I clicked my tongue while shaking blood off the hammer.

“Tsk. Blood got on the expensive velvet seats. I should charge cleaning fees.”

“Lady Violetta, don’t lower your guard.”

Damian pointed toward the hallway with a tense voice.

“…There’s more than one.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

And beyond the compartment windows, dozens of glowing red eyes flickered in the darkness.

[Hungry… give us meat…]

[Open the door… open it…]

The train passengers—

or rather, the creatures wearing passengers’ skin—

were coming toward us in hordes.

It looked straight out of a zombie movie.

Most people would’ve fainted.

But my adrenaline only surged higher.

This narrow corridor.

Enemies lined up in a row.

What does that make them?

Bowling pins.

“Sir, you know something?”

“What?”

“In tight spaces like this, clubs are more efficient than swords.”

I slung the hammer over my shoulder and linked arms with Damian.

Not because I was scared, of course.

It was for rapid charging.

“Lend me some energy. We’re going to wipe them all out.”

Bzzzt—!

Damian’s holy power flowed into my body.

Blue sacred flames burst to life over the silver plating of the hammer.

“You ready?”

“Ha… you really are unbelievable.”

Damian sighed in resignation, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.

He unlatched the barricaded compartment door.

“Let’s go. Time to clean up.”

Creeeak—

The moment the door opened, the horde of ghouls surged in like a tidal wave.

[KUOOOOOH!]

“Welcome aboard! This is the express train to hell!”

I swung the hammer like a baseball bat.

BOOM—!

The head of the creature in front flew off like a home run ball and crashed into the monsters behind it, knocking them down like dominoes.

The impact felt incredible.

Bone fragments scattered while black blood sprayed everywhere.

“Strike!”

Laughing like a madwoman, I charged into the corridor.

The narrow train hallway became my personal stage.

With nowhere to dodge and nowhere to hide, the monsters had no choice but to endure the merciless baptism of my hammer.

Behind me, Damian perfectly covered my blind spots, cutting down any creature that tried to sneak past.

We moved through the blood-soaked train like dancers who had trained together for years.

BAM! CLANG! CRACK!

“Lady Violetta! Twelve o’clock! Ceiling!”

“Okay!”

I stepped on Damian’s back, launched myself upward, and smashed the spine of a creature crawling across the ceiling.

At that moment, the train shook violently and everything suddenly went dark.

A tunnel.

A long tunnel without a single trace of light.

“Damn it, my vision—!”

Even as a holy knight, Damian was disadvantaged in complete darkness.

But the creatures were nocturnal.

They became faster and more savage in the dark.

[Kikikik… Lights out. Hunting time!]

Their foul breathing echoed all around us.

“Sir, can you see?”

“No! I can’t see anything! Stay behind me!”

“No, you’re the one who should stay close.”

Thanks to my spiritual eyes, I could clearly see the glowing red eyes shining in the darkness.

“Sir, hold me tight.”

“…What?! At a time like this?!”

“Hurry! I’ll be the eyes, so you be my battery!”

I grabbed Damian by the collar and pulled him against my back.

Back-to-back, we could feel each other’s warmth.

“Swing when I give the signal. Got it?”

“…Understood. I trust you.”

There was genuine trust in Damian’s voice.

I tightened my grip on the hammer and focused on the dozens of presences approaching through the darkness.

“Three o’clock, low!”

Slash!

Damian’s sword cut cleanly through the air, followed by the sound of something being severed.

“Nine o’clock, jump and smash its skull!”

BOOM!

My hammer found the creature’s head perfectly in the darkness.

We moved as one.

The reassurance of our backs touching.

His burning holy power flowing through my veins.

This wasn’t a horror movie.

It was a brutal, blood-soaked action film starring the two of us.

At the end of the tunnel, a beam of light finally appeared.

And with that light came the sight of us standing in the middle of a corridor piled high with ghoul corpses.

Breathing heavily, I looked back at Damian.

His silver hair was soaked with blood and sweat—

but to me, he looked sexier than ever.

“…Are you alive, partner?”

“Of course. Thanks to you.”

I dropped the blood-covered hammer onto the floor with a heavy thud and grinned.

“So, what’s the next stop? I’m starving.”