Gun of Ashes

The Radiant Steam Train rushed forward once again under the pitch-black night, releasing golden light at the forefront, with endless steam billowing, like a beast emerging from white fog.

The carriage gently shook, and the girl gazed at the dark world, lost in her thoughts.

As the commander of this operation, Bola, after checking the weapons from Borhans, coordinated the weapons at the forefront with Blue Jade.

The soldiers were seated in the other carriages, holding their weapons in preparation for the next battle. Due to his unique nature, Lorenzo stayed with Eve, sitting in an unoccupied freight carriage, the door open to let the fierce wind rush in.

Opposite them sat Red Falcon. Although he was responsible for keeping an eye on Lorenzo, if this detective wanted to do something, probably no one on this train could stop him.

”Originally, we decided to protect you, but upon reconsideration, being with us might be the safest place. The weapons on this train can easily destroy a small town.”

When facing Eve’s inquiry, Red Falcon replied.

Lorenzo showed no sign of tension, lazily slumped to one side, with a cigarette in his mouth, exhaling forcefully, the white smoke scattered by the fierce wind before it could spread. Feeling a bit cold, Eve stood up and slowly closed the door.

”The feeling… is really heavy.”

After a long pause, Eve suddenly said, her head lowered, making it hard to see her expression.

Red Falcon was unsure what was happening; he looked at the two, clueless.

”You must get used to it. When casualties reach a certain point, they are merely a set of numbers.”

Lorenzo clearly understood what troubled the girl. Just dozens of minutes ago, Lorenzo had burned hundreds of people... although they had turned into demons.

”Indeed, but if we don’t kill them, we cannot survive.”

Sitting beside Lorenzo, Eve finally realized the true meaning of cruelty, making one choice after another in helplessness and coldness.

”Don’t you feel any guilt?”

No matter how it is described, it’s an act of taking life. Initially, Eve didn’t pay much attention to it, but at this moment, she felt an unprecedented heaviness.

”Why feel guilty for doing a good deed?”

Lorenzo answered as if he couldn’t understand what Eve was saying.

”Huh?”

Eve was momentarily unable to accept it, confused about what this detective was thinking.

Red Falcon suddenly felt a sense of the dramatic, unsure whether to admire Lorenzo’s odd thinking or something else. The atmosphere of youthful sorrow instantly turned into an indictment of Lorenzo’s anti-social personality.

”Aren’t we doing a good deed? If we weren’t here to deal with these demons, a larger portion of people would be polluted as they spread.”

Confronted by Lorenzo’s theory, Eve found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

”You… don’t you feel any sense of good and evil?”

”Good and evil? What do you think is supposed about good and evil? I know why you are sad, so many people died quietly, yet it’s like in nature, when disaster comes, what we can do is not to pray or repent, but to minimize the harm.”

Lorenzo spoke casually, unconfined by the concepts of good and evil, bounded only by absolute will, maintaining the sole purpose until now.

”Every day, countless cattle and sheep are sent to the table. Compared to that, the relationship between demons and us is also like that. The real world isn’t bound by good and evil, not merely black or white. Even if described, it could only be a vain gray, mingling black and white together, inseparable.”

Lorenzo gazed at Eve, a mournful emotion on her face full of disappointment.

”Am I… perhaps somewhat… weak?”

”Quite the opposite, you have a deep sense of empathy. You feel sad for the death of your kind, which is a great trait, indicating that you haven’t transformed into a cruel adult like me.”

Lorenzo said with a laugh, across from him, Red Falcon wore the same expression, gazing at a promising junior.

Eve was wonderful, not yet tainted by the world, a child still possessing kindness. Unlike these two, hardened and detached by the world’s cruelty, they killed numerous demons that were once human without a second thought—cruel and cold.

”But Eve, you mentioned wanting to become like your father, didn’t you?”

Upon hearing about her father, Eve perked up, looking at Lorenzo, unsure what this detective would say next.

As if an admonition, yet like a warning of life, Lorenzo addressed the girl.

”The road towards one’s goal is fragile, like the floating ice on the Ice Sea. The steps that can carry you bear only a limited weight. In pursuit of that goal, you will inevitably relinquish some things, enabling you to tread upon that fragile ice.”

Seeming to grasp something, Eve asked.

”What did you abandon?”

”Hmm...”

Lorenzo pondered for a moment and then replied.

”Everything, or perhaps nothing at all. In any case, think it over well; many more decisions await you.”

Lorenzo said as he stood up, Red Falcon also stood due to Lorenzo’s action, responsible for watching over him.

”Do you still have that communicator? Give me one.”

Lorenzo reached out as he spoke, asking for it.

Red Falcon didn’t keep it hidden; as Bola intended, the item was initially meant to be given to Lorenzo, setting aside positions, Lorenzo was a part of their winning hand.

”Is this the device that can communicate regardless of distance?”

Receiving the small communicator, Lorenzo couldn’t help but marvel at the power of technology. This device was used only in limited military applications; civilians weren’t even aware that communication technology had reached this level.

”It has some range limitations but is good enough. The only downside is that it’s susceptible to signal interference.”

”Like?”

”For instance, demons, they have certain micro radiation of their own. We use this to determine their locations with Geiger Counters, but sometimes excessive radiation intensity can interfere with communication.”

Lorenzo nodded in acknowledgment, then continued questioning.

”Did you develop this yourselves? We didn’t have such technology in the Order, relying on that mystical intuition to determine the presence or absence of demons.”

”There are always survival paths, aren’t there? One cannot forgo opposing demons due to a lack of Secret Blood technology.”

”So, you found a substitute, right?”

Lorenzo smiled slightly but didn’t pursue the questions further, pushing open the iron door between carriages, stepping across.

”Where are you going?”

Red Falcon asked, his hand involuntarily gripping the pistol at his waist. He regretted monitoring Lorenzo alone; this was a madman who could ignite the entire train with a wave.

”To see Bola.”

Lorenzo said, turning back to look at Red Falcon, his gaze turning solemn. Unnoticed, he had already drawn his sword, the hilt slightly emerging from the suitcase, poised to draw at any moment.

”W-What’s the matter!”

Red Falcon considered many possibilities in an instant, not fearing Lorenzo’s potential violence but realizing that only a demon could evoke such seriousness from this detective.

”Something is off.”

”What’s off?”

Lorenzo did not immediately answer his question. Standing between two carriages, the fierce wind blowing against him, abruptly intensified, sweeping his deerstalker hat into the pitch-black night, his light golden hair wildly flailing in the wind.

His gaze cast to the horizon, where the sky melded with the earth into pure blackness. At some point, the stars had dimmed out; obviously nearing dawn, yet underneath that horizon was still a heavy shadow, as if tomorrow could never come.

”Don’t you feel… this night is too long?”

This night is far from ending.