An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"My mother has been asking me to take a second or third wife and even arranged blind dates without my permission. You know this, right?"

"Uh... yes."

“That makes me feel like she’s annoying.”

“…Huh? Could it be that’s all?”

"Yeah." Ross nodded with a straight face.

Sharon was stunned, completely speechless.

After seeing his son's expression, after a pause, Ross raised the corner of his mouth.

"Ah..." Sharon suddenly realized and his expression turned into confusion.

"...I never knew my father could joke."

"I don't understand you."

Ross shrugged and sat back on the sofa. Sharon kept looking at him, looking extremely happy.

Just at this moment──

"Well, it seems Ryan Hyde is back."

The last companion of this escape journey has returned.

"That's great. After all, he hasn't fully recovered yet..."

Ryan Hyde risked his own life to protect Sharon, a wound he could claim as an honorable one. However, he was seriously injured; under normal circumstances, he would have died at least twice.

Thanks to Rouse's efforts to stabilize his soul and secure it within his body, while also continuing to cast healing magic, he has now recovered to the point where he can move normally. However, he's not completely recovered yet.

"I'm back, Lord Royce, Master Sharon."

The young knight opened the door and walked into the room, his face still not looking good.

That handsome face that always gave people a gentle and serious first impression now looked very haggard. Although not as serious as Laws, he was still as thin as an ascetic.

As a guard knight of the Byrne family, he paid great attention to his appearance, and his gray-brown hair was always neatly combed. But now it looked a little dull.

"Ryan Hyde, you're back!"

"Very good. How's it going?"

"No problem."

Ryan Hyde said this as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, thin rectangular piece of wood from his arms.

"Tickets to Esperade, for three people."

Speaking of Entris's greatest feature and attraction, it is of course the "Magic Power Train".

There is no resident of this continent who doesn't know this.

Long, long ago, [Entris] itself did not exist, and the concept of a commercial united city was still in the detailed planning stage.

As a commercial mecca, it was imperative to prioritize the fundamental and most important aspect of business: the transportation of people and goods. Planners sought to devise efficient methods unmatched elsewhere in this area.

This method would ideally be able to solve all the unavoidable problems of the freight carriage itself at once.

Is there really such a method?

It should be possible. It's impossible.

Because this is a huge commercial city construction project in which the Kingdom of God participates in planning.

That is God’s will!

Regardless of the era, God—or rather, the church leaders who, under the guise of God, wield their authority, always make unreasonable demands. Meeting these demands must have been a real headache for the participating nations (who were forced to do so).

After worrying for a long time and holding countless joint meetings, finally, a genius came up with this idea.

The upper limit of the cargo carriage's carrying capacity, the horse's physical strength, the threat of weather, the rugged terrain... To solve these problems──

Wouldn't it be enough to create a giant truck-type golem that runs on rails?

Laying two railroad tracks is simpler and cheaper than paving a road.

As for the golems, as long as there are technicians who can use alchemy magic, there will be no problem with their physical strength.

Finally, the technologically advanced Kingdom of Beruka led the development and deployment of the "linked freight train golem"—the "magic-powered train." Over the centuries since then, Entris has become a commercial mecca worthy of its reputation.

That’s enough digression.

"Wow! This way we can get on the train, Ryanhead!"

"Yes, Master Sharon, you are looking forward to it, right?"

“Ah, uh, well…”

We are clearly on the run, so we shouldn't act so excitedly and have a playful attitude... Sharon thought so, and his expression turned awkward.

"By the way, you once said you wanted to take a ride."

"Father, do you still remember?!"

Sharon shrank back in even more shame.

However, as an eight-year-old boy, of course he would be interested in the giant golem train.

Both Rouse and Ryan Hyde couldn't help but smile.

"This is a rare opportunity. You should relax and enjoy the ride."

“B-But…”

"Master Sharon. Actually, I've always wanted to ride a train. I grew up in the countryside, and even after becoming a knight, I've rarely left the capital."

"I-I see. So, Ryan Hyde is looking forward to it too... Hehehe."

Sharon breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes shining as he stared at the ticket Ryanhead handed him.

At this time, Ryan Hyde came to Ross's side, a worried look on his face, and asked in a low voice:

"By the way, Lord Royce, are we really going to Esperade? That place is—"

"There's the Continental Central Church. Is that what you're talking about?"

"Yes……"

Although it has not been wanted yet, it is the largest church in the entire continent, except for its headquarters - the great temple on the top of the [Sacred Mountain].

Of course, the church personnel sent there to garrison also played important roles.

One of the seven archbishops in the entire church is also stationed there, and there are even more archbishops and temple knights who possess inherent magic.

All these characters recognized Rouse's appearance.

Ryanhead's concerns are indeed not unfounded.

"Should we avoid Esperade and head to Valeria from the satellite city?"

The routes of the magic-powered trains connect the cities, shaped like a wheel with six spokes.

With the capital, Esperade, as the center, the locations of the cities are as follows.

——The northwestern city of Palantino.

——The northeastern city of Orbius.

──The eastern city of Lumaru.

——The southeastern city of Valeria.

──The southwestern city of Tirio.

──The Western metropolis of Chispis.

Among them, [Obius] and part of [Lumarus] are adjacent to the [Principality of Urdia], and [Valeria] is adjacent to the [Grandate Empire].

The current plan of Ross and others is to enter the empire from [Valeria] and then go directly east into the sea of ​​trees.

In other words, they currently had two possible routes: one was to go clockwise from the outskirts of [Entris] to [Valeria], and the other was to go straight through [Esperade]. It was the former that Leinheide suggested.

If you want to avoid risks as much as possible, this is indeed the better choice.

However, Rouse shook his head.

"I've explained it before. For us right now, it's safer to be in a crowded place."

[Entris] is about 300 kilometers long, and almost all of its areas are prosperous. However, there are inevitably uninhabited areas such as mountains, grasslands, etc. between the satellite cities.

Moreover, there are several stations between each city and between the city and the capital. There are direct trains from each city to the capital, but the trains between satellite cities stop at every station.

"While I don't think the pursuers would attack a moving train, if it's a sparsely populated station, there's a good chance they'd find their way inside."

"That... maybe that's right... or how about going through the principality?"

"Don't forget that the Principality is an agricultural nation. The number of towns and population is much smaller than that of the Empire. Furthermore, if you travel through the Principality, you'll have to cross the neighboring confederation. The fewer times you cross borders, the better."

"That's... what you're saying. If they were in Esperade, they wouldn't rashly cause a commotion just to hunt us down. So, the most important thing to do right now is to blend in with the crowd, isn't that what you're saying?"

"As a knight, I'm ashamed of using ordinary people as a shield..."

Ross smiled bitterly, implying, "That's why you don't want to leave like that, right?" Ryanhead also smiled bitterly in response.

"In the end, I can only pray that the Archbishop of the Continental Central Church won't have any evil intentions..."

Like any other organization, power struggles were common among the church's leadership. However, Ross's betrayal and defection could be interpreted as a mistake on the part of headquarters. Logically, headquarters wouldn't have specifically notified the Continental Central Church.

If the mainland Central Church learns of this news, it may also take tough measures to grab the credit.

"Okay, Ryan Hyde, if you keep imagining all the possibilities, there's no end to it."

“You’re talking about…”

"In the end, it all comes down to what you want to believe."

"That's not what you should believe, is it...?"

Royce nodded gravely. Ryanhead covered his eyes with one hand, looking very tired.

Before they knew it, Sharon was watching them from some distance away, looking very worried.

"Do you regret it?"

Royce asked this in a calm tone. Ryanhead suddenly raised his head.

What a young face—Rouse thought.

In fact, Ryan Hyde is only twenty-four years old this year.

As he had just said, although he was born in the Kingdom of God, his hometown was a remote village on the border. Because he was discovered to possess inherent magic that was immune to abnormal conditions, he was recruited by the central government. However, as a knight, his strength was actually at the lowest level.

If he had not been discovered by Ross and become the guard knight of the Byrne family, he would have remained insignificant in the Knights Templar for the rest of his life and died on a battlefield without knowing it.

In short, Ryanhead not only lacks experience in facing crises, but also does not have enough combat experience.

His only strength is his serious personality, but other than that, he's just an ordinary young man living a peaceful life...

Now, he has unknowingly fallen into a position of hostility towards his motherland. It is not difficult to imagine the great pressure he is under.

"I have no regrets."

Ryan Hyde answered, his powerful tone interrupting Laws's thoughts.

"I choose to follow the teachings that I believe in. This is a choice I made of my own will."

So, of course there is no way to regret it.

"I was just a little bit timid because of fatigue. On the other hand, Lord Royce treated me and kept traveling, so he should be more tired than me. I really shouldn't have done that."

Having said this, Ryan Hyde felt very worthless and lowered his head. Rouse reached out and shook his shoulder firmly.

"No, you're doing great. There's no need to belittle yourself."

"That's right, Lionhead! Didn't I tell you? To me, you're just as much of a knight as my father is one I admire!"

"Lord Royce, Master Sharon..."

Sharon rushed over and hugged Ryan Hyde tightly. His tone sounded quite excited, making Ryan Hyde not know what to say, so he scratched his head shyly.

Royce smiled and pointed out his concerns.

"Ryanhead, the reason you proposed this cautious plan isn't so much out of fear as it is because you can't trust the Liberator, right?"

"This...maybe it really is so."