"Whew..."
Seeing for himself just how gratifying his gains were, a faint smile appeared on Fang Li's somewhat weary face.
Moreover, the Iron Fortress had already started smoothly. Yomogawa Ayame and the people of Aragane Station were all here as well. As long as they continued along the tracks and passed through the city gate meant for evacuation, they would be able to escape Aragane Station.
By then, Fang Li's Main Quest would be completely finished, and this journey through the Instance World would come to a perfect conclusion.
Frankly speaking, this was far better than anything Fang Li had imagined at the beginning.
Immersed in his own joy, Fang Li failed to notice something.
Across from him, Ikoma was leaning against the wall as well. After watching Fang Li quietly remain beside the sleeping Mumei, his eyes flickered a few times before he suddenly spoke.
"Aren't you afraid?"
The sudden question caught Fang Li off guard.
Once he recovered, Fang Li turned to Ikoma and asked, "Do I have to be afraid?"
"...Ordinary people should be afraid, shouldn't they?" Ikoma met Fang Li's gaze, his expression exceptionally serious. "After all, everyone here except you isn't human."
Kabaneri. Ikoma had yet to fully trust in the existence of such beings, much less anyone else.
This boy, who had vowed to defeat the Kabane, understood better than anyone how much fear a being like himself could inspire in humans.
"Forget ordinary people—even the samurai would fear us. They would never allow us to travel with them." Ikoma lowered his voice. "What about you? Are you really not afraid at all?"
Fang Li fell silent.
After a while, Fang Li spoke with a sigh. "I thought you were going to say something important."
Fang Li's words made Ikoma pause in surprise.
"Well, I can understand what you mean." Fang Li shrugged, a smile on his face that was impossible to tell whether it was mocking or composed. "Unfortunately, no matter what kind of beings you are, if all you can bring me is death, then sorry, I really can't bring myself to be afraid."
"Can't bring yourself to be afraid?" Ikoma asked in surprise and confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it says. Don't overthink it." Fang Li shook his head, changing the subject. "Come to think of it, I haven't thanked you for saving me yet."
"...There's nothing to thank me for." Ikoma lowered his head. "Saving people is only natural. Our common enemy is the Kabane, not humanity itself."
Fang Li said nothing outwardly, but inwardly, he could not help feeling moved.
Clearly, Ikoma was the only one who thought that way.
This guy really was a hopelessly good person.
"No matter what, I still have to thank you." Fang Li looked directly at Ikoma, his expression turning serious. "Thank you for saving me."
Although Fang Li had no feelings toward death and did not fear his own death in the slightest, since he had been saved, he still had to give thanks.
Just because something was unimportant to him did not mean he had no reason to thank someone who had saved him. Fang Li did not have such an arrogant way of thinking.
Of course, Fang Li had no idea just how rare such a mindset was in this era, where everyone was only trying to protect themselves.
A faint smile appeared on Ikoma's face. "You really are a strange person."
"Am I?" Fang Li gave a wry laugh. "I don't want to hear that from you."
"True enough." Ikoma touched his glowing heart, his tone growing somewhat complicated. "Compared to you, I'm stranger."
With that, the carriage fell silent once more.
Seeing Ikoma's complicated eyes and expression, Fang Li hesitated before saying something.
"Do you want to become human again?"
"What?" Ikoma froze again.
"I said, do you want to become human again?" Fang Li said quite seriously. "If you want to become human again, perhaps I can..."
Before he could finish speaking, both Fang Li and Ikoma's ears twitched.
A chaotic mass of footsteps had reached their ears.
"This is..." Ikoma's expression turned surprised.
"So they came?" Fang Li, however, seemed as if he had expected this all along. His gaze turned directly toward the door leading to the front carriage.
The footsteps drew closer and closer, reaching the door before long.
Bang—!
With a loud crash, the door leading to the front carriage was violently thrown open.
Immediately afterward, a group of samurai holding Steam Guns flooded into the carriage. Amid a series of clicking sounds, they raised their weapons and aimed them at Fang Li and the others.
Kurusu Kunoichi and Kibito Aragane were among those samurai.
"You...?" Ikoma abruptly rose to his feet.
Fang Li slowly stood as well, lifting his gaze toward the samurai ahead.
Fang Li could clearly sense unmistakable hostility in their eyes.
Yet mixed within that hostility was a trace of fear that others would have found difficult to notice.
Only Kurusu Kunoichi and Kibito Aragane looked different from the other samurai.
There was a hint of hesitation in Kibito Aragane's eyes.
Only indifference remained in Kurusu Kunoichi's eyes.
After glancing at the sleeping Mumei, then at the grim-faced Ikoma, Kurusu Kunoichi finally turned his gaze to Fang Li.
Then, Kurusu Kunoichi asked a question.
"Are you with them?"
The atmosphere in the carriage instantly became extremely tense.
Everyone focused their gaze on Fang Li.
Ikoma included.
Under those circumstances, Fang Li did not answer. Instead, he smiled faintly and responded with a question of his own.
"Are you afraid?"
Kurusu Kunoichi's gaze darkened.
As for the other samurai, they seemed as though their sore spot had been struck, growing furious one after another.
"He's just a Wanderer. Does he really think he's some kind of savior?"
"Kurusu, ignore him! Shoot him with those two monsters!"
"Right!"
"If he's willing to stay with those two monsters, then he definitely isn't human either!"
"That's right!"
Amid the samurai's clamoring, the atmosphere grew increasingly dangerous.
Fang Li ignored them and merely watched Kurusu Kunoichi.
Under Fang Li's gaze, Kurusu Kunoichi closed his eyes. When he opened them again, clarity had returned to them.
Then, Kurusu Kunoichi drew his katana from his waist.