CHAPTER 197: [THE INFINITE TRAIN] – DEGENERATE’S PART (7)

"A counterfeit ticket has been detected. Please come with me."

At this moment, only about sixty people remained in the train car. The bloodstains had yet to disappear. The passenger, who had just been called, visibly trembled. However, after witnessing the previous scene, who would still dare to disobey the ticket inspector now?

They might not know where they would be taken, but if they dared to resist now, they’d be sent straight to hell!

With that thought in mind, the passenger could only stand up alone. But the moment he did, his body was suddenly yanked by a powerful force, pulling him swiftly to stand behind the ticket inspector. The passenger did the same when the inspector lifted his foot to walk. He followed behind the man, each step stiff, sluggish, and weary.

The ticket inspection resumed. After the earlier chaos, everything was going much more smoothly. But anyone who violated the rules could only stand up independently, then be bound by the laws and made to follow behind the others who had also broken them.

By the time the inspector reached the end of the car, a long line had already formed behind him—over a dozen people who had used the wrong ticket. Every single one of them was human. Not a single NPC among them.

That’s right. No matter how human-like the NPCs appeared, the rules within the dungeon only specifically targeted humans.

Asta withdrew his ticket. At that moment, the inspector’s gaze shifted to the area behind him—where Aurora was sitting.

A pale hand extended in front of him, and only then did Asta notice that Aurora’s hand holding the ticket was trembling. She looked so pitiful.

He couldn’t help but glance back—and immediately saw Aurora’s pale face. She gently bit her lip, her once rosy lips completely drained of color. As if sensing his gaze, Aurora forced a slight smile—a weak, forced smile, as if trying to act like everything was fine so Asta wouldn’t worry.

Asta couldn’t help but furrow his brows silently. He didn’t know why, but his heart ached terribly. Suddenly, he regretted not having dealt with that ticket inspector back then!

As that thought crossed his mind, he shook his head hard, feeling utterly foolish—as if, in just that moment, his heart had overpowered entirely his rational mind!

"Sorry... I’m just a little scared... Give the child to me. Thank you for soothing him earlier," Aurora’s gentle voice suddenly rang out.

Asta snapped out of his thoughts in surprise.

He realized the ticket inspector had already left with the passengers who had the wrong tickets. Before leaving, those people had widened their eyes and looked back, clearly unwilling to accept their fate.

Asta paid them no mind and only looked at Aurora, softly saying, "It’s okay. Who wouldn’t be scared in a situation like this? This is your first time entering a dungeon, and you’ve done amazingly well! I believe you’ll become an outstanding Esper in the future!"

Clenching his fist, Asta’s face was filled with certainty. His words didn’t sound like comfort—more like a firm declaration.

Aurora was briefly stunned. Her beautiful lips parted slightly, and she turned her face away, no longer looking at Asta.

Just as Asta was feeling confused, wondering if he’d said something wrong to upset her, Aurora’s voice suddenly rang out again—soft, hesitant, but crystal clear as it reached his ears:

"Thank you... You’re cool, Asta."

Only now did Asta notice that the fair, delicate ears peeking out from behind that white hair were turning red—bright red, almost as if they were about to burst with blood.

He belatedly thought to himself how inconvenient it was that Aurora was so pale—just a little embarrassed, and she couldn’t hide it. He could already picture her beautiful face flushing crimson, her emerald eyes shimmering with moisture.

And why... why was this tall girl so adorable? She was starting to feel small and soft in his eyes!

This was the first time someone told him he was amazing even though he hadn’t done anything. She genuinely cherished every word people said to her—even his.

Or maybe, without realizing it, he had already reached a point where he couldn’t say anything teasing to this girl—only sincere words would come out.

God... could it be... no way...

Asta covered his face and lowered his head, his ears silently turning red, nearly matching his hair color.

[Oh god, we’re doomed. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Asta embarrassed because of someone!]

[Yeah, if it were the old Asta, he would’ve shamelessly buried his face in someone’s chest by now! There are a few busty babes on this train, I’m sure he’s seen them!]

[Seriously though, after seeing Aurora, would anyone even look at anyone else? No way! Not!!!]

[She’s all I can see!!!]

[+1 waifu. I hope she has a strong ability—and, more importantly, doesn’t die!]

[Wait—!]

Just as the comment section went wild, Aurora turned her face around. The hair covering her face was brushed aside—and her fair complexion wasn’t flushed like Asta had imagined.

She lowered her eyes to look at the red-haired boy embarrassed before her. Her gaze was slightly curved, gentle like a spring lake, her lips curling in a warm and tender smile.

[That sent a chill down my spine...]

[...]

[First crush? What a terrible fate.]

[As a loyal fan of Asta, I swear I’ll unfollow if he falls for her!]

[Yeah, hearts change—but mountains are forever!]

[She’s giving off primary manipulative energy while trying to act innocent.]

[No "giving off" needed. She is.]

Asta quickly composed himself. He stood up and looked down at Aurora, saying:

"I need to investigate the illness spreading on this train. Based on what we’ve seen of this dungeon, staying put should be temporarily safe. Aurora, wait for me here."

As soon as he finished, he suddenly pressed something into Aurora’s hand and added softly:

"This should protect you when you need it." Then he quickly turned and ran off as if afraid something might stop him from leaving.

At that moment, the other humans also began getting up from their seats.

"I need to find my teammates. Ron, want to come with me?"

Nyx leaned on his cane, smiling as he extended an invitation to Ron.

Ron waved a hand dismissively. "Stay away from me." With that, he left the train car. He, too, wanted to see if any members of his organization were here.

But before leaving, he fulfilled his duty as a member of the Association of Espers:

"The initial danger has passed. For now, this is a rare window of safety. If you want to live longer, the safest choice is to stay put. But if you want to uncover the secrets of this train, no one will stop you."

Moments later, fewer than thirty people remained in the car. Among those who left were even some NPCs—clearly, not all of them lacked bravery or resolve.

Aurora stayed seated, gently comforting the child in her arms. Her eyes still lingered in the direction Asta had gone, her hand tightly gripping the item he’d given her.