Chapter 43: Is Your “Path” the Kind That Says “The General Took This Trail”?
“Although Starfall University is nominally a higher education institution under the Ministry of Education of the Granwell Kingdom… in reality, it’s more like a violent organization akin to the military.”
“A violent organization that exists solely to confront the Nightworld and the Twilight Calamities.”
“And in truth, Starfall University and the Granwell Kingdom are more like a company and its investor.”
“Although the government, royal family, and a few high-ranking nobles hold some seats on the board of directors, in most cases, Starfall University maintains a high degree of independence and autonomy, not relying on any particular nation. Even wars between nations have nothing to do with Starfall University.”
“To a certain extent, you can think of Starfall University as an independent military organization, and there would be no difference.”
At that moment, a pleasant notification tone came from Ishta’s arms.
She took out an object resembling a cellphone, unlocked the screen with her fingerprint, and checked the message that had just been sent to it.
Immediately after, Rast saw her golden twin ponytails bounce slightly.
“Rast, your admission approval has gone through.”
“In other words, from this moment on, we’re university classmates.”
Ishta swiped the screen, confirming the details: “There’s a high-speed train heading back to the academy in exactly thirty minutes. According to the academy’s arrangement, we’ll take that one back.”
“Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce this to you.”
Seemingly recalling Rast’s rather unique background, she raised the device in her hand toward him: “This thing is called a smart terminal. Hmm... you can think of it as a miniaturized, portable telegraph machine.”
“I know it might be a bit beyond your imagination, but this little smart terminal can do a lot of incredible things—like real-time video calls across thousands of miles, intelligence browsing, entertainment games, and so on.”
“Many of Starfall University’s permission features are also accessed through the smart terminal.”
“But you don’t need to worry too much. It’s very easy to get the hang of, and there are even simplified versions made specifically for the elderly…”
This girl really treated him like some backwater country bumpkin.
Still, setting aside that odd personality, she wasn’t a bad person at heart.
Rast followed behind Ishta, walking toward the edge of the outpost.
Soon, the steel structures and the busy demolition crews vanished, replaced by a dense, ancient red pine forest.
A silent platform sat nestled within the forest, its surface covered with a fine layer of pine needles.
Rast sat on a bench on the platform, looking around the station, only to find that the iron tracks hidden within the thick woods had long fallen into disrepair, riddled with patches of dark red rust.
The railroad ties were cracked, and many joints in the rails had twisted and warped, causing the track gauge to shift.
“Just to confirm—are you sure this track is still usable?” Rast pointed to the rust-covered rails. “And for a high-speed train, no less?”
“This railway has been abandoned for a long time. Originally, after a Nightworld gate opened here, the people from the Clockwork Institute had planned to renovate it to facilitate logistical support for the Nightworld outpost… but now that the gate has vanished, that plan naturally got scrapped too.”
Ishta glanced at the decaying tracks, seemingly unsurprised.
She puffed up her chest proudly, and the academy uniform with the Starfall insignia stretched tightly across her chest: “You don’t need to worry. The academy is even stronger than you imagine. Soon, you’ll find that choosing to join Starfall University will be your best deci—”
“It’s here,” Rast cut in, interrupting her.
“What is?” Ishta blinked.
“The train.” Rast lifted his eyes toward the end of the deserted forest path.
A sudden gust of wind howled across the platform, sending the layer of pine needles flying in all directions.
A few seconds later, accompanied by the sound of a whistle, a silver train pulled into the station.
Rast noticed that as the train ran along the track, a shimmering layer of runes appeared between the train and the rusted, decayed rails, like a road formed from glowing runes and light.
Only when the train came to a full stop did the rune-formed illusory path slowly dissipate.
A conductor wearing a soft-brimmed hat slid open the train door: “Welcome aboard the 『Silver Gear』, a product of the Starfall University Clockwork Institute.”
“Student Rast, and…”
The conductor glanced at Ishta beside Rast, took two steps back, and a strange glint flickered in his eyes: “Seeker.”
Ishta was clearly used to this kind of gaze. She looked around at the empty platform, aside from herself and Rast: “They actually sent a private train to pick me up this time? Did my Obelisk ranking go up again?”
“No. This is a special train requested by Vice President Shiltina in her capacity as a member of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table. It’s here to pick up Student Rast. You, Seeker, are just tagging along.”
The conductor with the soft-brimmed hat clearly didn’t get along with Ishta, and didn’t spare her any face.
He extended a hand toward Rast: “It’s rare for a new student to be granted a private train. Maybe in a few years, you’ll make it into the Twelve Seats of the Round Table yourself.”
“Nice to meet you—Rodri, third-year student from the Clockwork Institute. My Nightblade is 『All Roads Lead』.”
Rodri, the conductor, paused slightly, for he realized that the boy in front of him was already wearing a sunlit, refreshing smile.
“『All Roads Lead』?” Rast shook his hand.
The name of that Nightblade reminded him of the scene just now—how the Silver Gear had traversed those long-abandoned, broken rails as if they were smooth ground.
“Yeah, the name of this Nightblade supposedly comes from an old saying, ‘All roads lead to Rome.’ The idea is that there are many paths to reach a city-state, and there’s no need to be confined to just one.”
“This Nightblade allows me to define everything around me as a ‘harmless road,’ whether it’s a sheer cliff or a swamp that devours everything—it can all be safely traveled.”
“The Silver Gear could travel here only because I activated the Nightblade and defined the ruined tracks as a road.”
Rast looked deeply at Rodri standing before him.
If cliffs and swamps could be defined as “harmless roads,” then… what about a weapon swung by an enemy? A bullet shot in his direction?
The Nightblade 『All Roads Lead』—just from the description alone, it clearly held immense potential for development.
And, a Nightblade was said to be the embodiment of a Night Traveler’s inner world.
If so, didn’t Rodri—who possessed this kind of Nightblade—also have an indomitable will, one that no matter how many failures or detours he endured, would never stop until he reached his destination?
“Don’t let this guy fool you, Rast.”
Ishta leaned in and whispered beside his ear: “Do you know why Rodri, during his self-introduction, only mentioned his department and year, but said nothing about his Obelisk ranking—the most important thing to Starfall students?”
“He’s the one and only student in Starfall University whose rank has reached Tier Three, yet his Obelisk ranking is still near the bottom… basically no different from a new freshman.”
“Though he’s been forced into the Nightworld a few times due to cooldown exhaustion, every time he came out with the lowest possible rating. He’s made zero contribution to the university’s Nightworld Remnant strategy efforts.”
“That’s because every time he enters, he just hides and runs around until the Remnant’s duration ends. That’s how he clears it… and that powerful Nightblade of his? The only thing it’s ever used for is to help him run away better.”
“Otherwise, why do you think someone with such a high-potential Nightblade like Rodri is still stuck working logistics in the Clockwork Institute as a train conductor?”
Well, damn.
Rast’s gaze toward Rodri suddenly grew subtle.
So your Nightblade that defines roads—what it really defines is the path that says, “The general took this trail,” huh?