CHAPTER 50: MISSION (1)

The sound of the train engine echoed through the air.

Amon and Selena walked side by side toward the railway station.

In his hand, Amon was inspecting a newly bought hatchet. The blade gleamed silver, curved in an arc, and the hilt carried the same color. Tossing it into the air, he let it spin before catching it again.

"Not bad. This will be more useful than a dagger. I can also throw it—my aim is pretty good, after all."

Earlier, after buying a large number of basic and advanced healing potions from the Alchemy Shop, Amon had gone to the weapon store he had visited before.

The old man running it was clearly displeased to see him again but said nothing.

Ignoring the man’s expression, Amon stocked up on grenades and smoke bombs. That was when his eyes fell on a hatchet displayed on the wall.

Something about it felt reliable—perfect for throwing, light enough to swing quickly. Without hesitation, he bought it along with plenty of bullets.

Money was no longer a problem, so he didn’t hold back this time.

"Keep it inside your ring. It’s not good to walk around with your weapon in public."

Selena’s calm voice came from beside him.

Catching the hatchet midair, Amon put it inside his storage ring. Scratching his cheek, he gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that, President."

Selena simply nodded and continued walking without saying anything further.

Soon, they reached the station. Entering through the wide gates, they headed straight toward the platform where the train for Mistvale would arrive.

The platform itself was built of grey cobblestones, shaded by a wooden rooftop that kept the sun light away. There were people waited for their departure.

On a wooden bench nearby, two academy students sat waiting. Both wore the second-year uniforms of Arcadia Academy, the same as Selena’s.

One was a tall, muscular boy with a strong build. His short black hair reminded Amon of his own, but his sharp blue eyes carried a calm and steady aura.

Beside him sat a girl whose beauty couldn’t be ignored. Her long pink hair was tied neatly into a braid that rested on her shoulder.

Soft fair skin and warm green eyes gave her a gentle appearance, though her expression was far from cheerful.

Both students stood up immediately when they saw Selena approaching with Amon at her side.

"You’re finally here," the pink-haired girl said with a tired sigh. "We’ve been waiting for over an hour. What were you doing, Selena?"

"Sorry about that. I was helping this guy shop for supplies."

Amon offered the girl and boy a polite smile.

Her green eyes flickered toward him in curiosity, but before Selena could continue, the girl interrupted.

"Who is he? Wasn’t Arnold supposed to come with us?"

The boy beside her remained quiet, only observing silently.

Selena’s tone was casual, as if this wasn’t worth much explanation. "This is Amon. He’ll be coming with us instead of Arnold."

Then, she turned toward Amon. "Meet them. Her name is Vixra, and the other one is Jareth."

"Hello, seniors! Nice to meet you both. I’m looking forward to working with you."

Amon greeted them politely with a cheerful expression.

Vixra blinked at his friendliness, a little caught off guard.

Meanwhile, Jareth extended his hand toward Amon.

Surprised for a moment, Amon quickly smiled and shook his hand firmly.

"Yes, it’s good to meet you, Amon. Let’s work well together," Jareth said calmly. He didn’t seem bothered at all by Amon’s sudden appearance in place of Arnold.

Vixra sighed again, looking more frustrated than anything else. "Sigh... nice to meet you, Amon. But seriously, what happened to Arnold? Why did he suddenly ditch us and send someone else?"

Selena shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "Beats me. He just said something important came up and he couldn’t come. That’s all."

"Well, whatever. You bought the tickets, right?" Selena asked.

"Of course," Vixra replied, her voice softening a little. "I got four higher-class tickets. The trip will take about two hours."

So, it’s not a long journey after all.

"Wait! President, how many days will this mission take?" Amon asked suddenly, realizing he hadn’t reported his absence to the academy.

Selena gave him a side glance. "Don’t worry. I’ll report it. As for the mission, it could take just one day... or up to a week. It depends on our luck."

Amon let out a sigh of relief at her answer.

Just then—

Whistle!

The sound of the approaching train shook the platform as the tracks vibrated under the weight of the engine.

The large mana-powered train slowly came to a halt before them. Steam hissed from its side as the doors opened.

The group of four stepped inside their coach. After a bit of searching, they found their seats.

Selena sat by the window, with Amon beside her. Vixra and Jareth sat right behind them.

The train began to move, the steady rhythm of its mana engine filling the air.

Selena, who had been looking out the window, finally turned toward Amon.

Amon straightened, ready.

’She’s going to tell me about the mission now.’

Selena spoke in her calm, authoritative voice.

"Our mission is about an orphanage in Mistvale. It’s taken care of by a few nuns and an old man. The old man is the one who filed the request."

Amon nodded seriously, listening carefully.

Selena continued, "For the past month, children from the orphanage have been mysteriously going missing at night. No one knows how they are going missing."

Amon frowned, interrupting. "So the old man made the request. But what about the town guards? Didn’t they try to do something? How could children keep getting missing or kidnapped without anyone noticing?"

Selena’s eyes turned cold, her voice dropping slightly.

"That’s the suspicious part. They only get missing at night. Also the day or period is not fixed that when will it happen. If that’s not enough each time only one child goes missing. The number of children who had gone missing is quite high"She let out a deep breath before continuing.

"Up until now, seven children have already been abducted. Our task is to investigate and deal with it. That’s all the information we have for now."

Amon clenched his fists. Thinking something terrible night have happen with those children.

"I’ll give my best to help, President," he said firmly.

Selena’s expression softened, and for once, she gave him a small, rare smile before turning back to the window to watch the passing scenery.

Amon fell silent too, deep in thought.

Most of the villages and small town usually don’t have trained guards. Most of them have become one by fighting some low level monsters. So it can be understandable they were not able to find the culprit behind it.

Amon can’t understand it. Why only one child each night?

The more he thought about it, the stranger and suspicious it seemed.

The train rumbled steadily as the hours passed.

Finally, another whistle echoed through the air as the train slowed down.

With a sound of brakes, it came to a halt.

The doors opened.

They had arrived to their destination.

They had reached Mistvale.