Shinji Matou at Your Service

Waver suddenly found himself admiring the courage of this conductor named Rodin.

It takes a lot of bravery to stand in front of these two and tell them no.

Matou Shinji—perhaps that name had long been forgotten, but he had just taken down Forest of Einnashe. Even injured, no one would dare underestimate him.

Not to mention, following him closely was the Princess of the True Ancestors. The intimacy between them was unmistakable; no one would believe they weren't lovers.

A man who could kill one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and a True Ancestor who surpasses the Dead Apostles—such a combination would demand caution even from the Mage's Association and the Holy Church, let alone a train conductor.

Indeed, this was no ordinary train; it housed the largest Mystic Eye collection in history, the Mystic Eye Collection Train: Rail Zeppelin. But so what? Mystic Eyes do not guarantee invincibility. The true owner of the train was one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors. If these two were truly provoked, they might become the next Einnashe—especially since hunting Dead Apostles was Arcueid's job. She needed no reason to kill one.

Shinji squinted, scrutinizing the thin man who had the audacity to block his path.

"Conductor Rodin, correct?"

"Yes," the man replied meticulously.

"Do you know who I am?"

As he spoke, Shinji couldn't help but feel a sense of irony. The narrowed eyes and faint smile made him look like a classic villain.

"I do," the thin man responded, his posture unwavering.

"Do you?"

If you're going to act, you might as well go all the way. After all, no one on this train could oppose him.

"I do. You are the Azure Knight, the guardian of Lady White Princess."

The Azure Knight was a title Shinji earned in the Dead Apostle community, rumored to have been bestowed by another princess, the Black Princess Altrouge.

"My foolish sister and a man killed that boring pawn? How interesting! Does someone want to protect that idiot? What does he look like? Blue hair? Then let's call him the Azure Knight."

When The Night of Wallachia, Altrouge's subordinate, perished, she immediately knew and sent others to investigate. This title spread rapidly after she made her assessment—titles were a form of entertainment among the Dead Apostles, often created to stave off their eternal boredom. Hence, the name Azure Knight became far more widely known than Matou Shinji's real name or any details about him—an oddity typical of the Dead Apostle world.

"And knowing that, you still block me? Aren't you afraid I might force my way in, or worse, destroy your train? Don't doubt it—I have the capability. Even if I don't, Arcueid certainly does."

As he spoke, he glanced at Arcueid behind him, who was eager to act.

"Destroy the train? Sure, go ahead! There's a Dead Apostle smell in the air; let me smash it!"

Rodin's expression finally shifted, not out of fear but to make a plea. He turned to Waver and said, "Mr. Velvet, for the sake of our master, could you please ask your friend not to make things difficult for us?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I have nothing to do with your master," Waevr said, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"But our master did contact us recently, instructing us to ensure your safety. It's been a long time since our master last reached out."

"Wait," Shinji interrupted.

"Your master? She contacted you recently?"

"Yes, about three days ago, she instructed us to protect Mr. Velvet."

"Three days ago... I see."

Shinji nodded thoughtfully and then turned to Arcueid.

"Give me the phone."

"Oh, okay."

Before the battle, Shinji had stored all unrelated items in Arcueid's small world. He now retrieved a specially categorized contact list and selected a number that had recently been reactivated.

"Touko, it's me."

"I've been busy lately, just finished some things. Still, a few days to go."

"I need to confirm something with you. Did you get in touch with Rita Rozay-en?"

"You did? Then could you contact her again?"

"Yeah, it's about the Mystic Eye Collection Train. I want to board, but I don't have an invitation. Her subordinates are being stubborn, not letting me on. I'm even considering smashing the train."

"Huh? You're telling me to go ahead and smash it? No, no, doing what you did back then isn't a good idea, especially since she's still your sponsor."

At this, Rodin's expression twitched slightly as if he had realized something.

"Stop, stop, stop. Even if she doesn't mind, I do. I want to see the legendary Mystic Eye auction. If the price is right, I might buy a pair of Mystic Eyes as a gift for Mana-chan. Come on, do me a favor and put in a word for me."

"Alright, I'll wait for your call."

After hanging up, Shinji turned to Rodin.

"Can you wait a few minutes? I have someone working on pulling some strings."

"That won't be necessary."

A soft, ethereal voice suddenly spoke from above the two of them.

A woman in white appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She was like a phantom, or perhaps she was real. The air around her danced with vibrant flower petals, transforming the space into another world.

Roses.

Where the woman in white stood, dozens of scarlet roses bloomed. Her golden curls were adorned with a crown of roses, making her seem like the very embodiment of the flowers.

The woman slowly raised her head, her clear crimson eyes meeting Shinji's gaze.

"Sir Azure Knight is always a distinguished guest on the Mystic Eye Collection Train. You may board at any time, in any place."

"Acting Manager... as you command."

Rodin bowed respectfully to the woman in white, stepping aside to clear the way.

"Honored guest, please board."

Shinji, however, didn't move. He simply continued to scrutinize the dreamlike woman.

"Your condition... is quite interesting."

"Nothing is interesting about it," Arcueid muttered softly.

"She's just a shadow left behind by a Dead Apostle, clinging to this old train."

The woman in white was precisely such an existence. After Touko and Lugh Beowulf wrecked the auction in the '80s, the train's original manager departed, leaving behind this lingering thought, akin to a ghost, which continued to oversee the train.

"Keep your comments to yourself. We're not here to cause trouble."

Shinji skillfully calmed Arcueid, then raised his hand, pointing at the woman in white from a distance.

In the next instant, the ethereal figure began to solidify.

"Honored guest, what are you—?"

A look of surprise appeared on the woman's icy face. She could feel her existence becoming more tangible.

"A small gift, nothing much. Consider it compensation for what she did."

Touko might not care, and Rozay-en might not care either, but someone (a Dead Apostle) was indeed harmed by what she did. If they were enemies, it could be ignored, but if they were friends—at least let me do something.

—As a member of the Matou family.