"Please forgive my untimely actions. Although we haven't known each other long, we've already forged a bond through our sparring... I only regret that it's not yet complete! I wanted to resolve this regret before I left!"
"I will prove my will with my weapon, and defend my honor with martial spirit; whether I win or lose, I will accept it, and with that, I bid you farewell..."
"My dearest friend... it is an honor to have the opportunity to spar with you!"
Seeing Xing and Argenti suddenly start fighting, this move is something March 7th wouldn't know how to do.
Wait a minute, how did they end up fighting again while they were talking?
Just as March 7th was about to go up and stop him, he suddenly sensed something and turned around.
The door to the guest carriage was slowly pushed open, Ye Yan appeared in everyone's sight with Fulisina.
After a moment of silence, March 7th and Pom-Pom rushed towards Ye Yan's location without hesitation, as if they had seen a savior.
The next second, Ye Yan pulled Fulisina in front of him, blocking March 7th's attack.
"Waaaaah~ Thank goodness it's Teacher Ye Yan and the Priestess! We're saved!"
" Saintess." It's clear that Fulisina really cares about this title.
"Passenger Ye Yan, I've missed you so much! Hmm... where's passenger Botenis?"
"He drank too much... The noises coming from the Party Car earlier were actually helping him sober up."
Fulisina explained, "Give him some time... don't worry about the Astral Express's predicament."
"Huh? Priestess, you wouldn't...?"
On March 7th, I thought of the Church's beating therapy. Let's feel sorry for Botenis for a second.
The contest in the center of the carriage also came to a conclusion, with Xing ultimately emerging victorious.
When she saw Ye Yan, she turned and nudged Argenti, who was about to give her remarks.
"The wing powder from this True Sting is too amazing! It's giving me hallucinations. I need to get back to reality."
"Sigh~ That's why Tayzzyronth so mischievous. Isn't this wing powder just a copy of ' The Masked Fools '? It's a mix of truth and illusion, and you can never tell if it's a hallucination or reality."
Ye Yan said helplessly, and greeted Argenti.
"Wait, so you two know each other?" Xing asked, standing between the two.
"I never expected to meet Mr. Ye Yan here. Hmm... is this what people often call 'fate'?"
Argenti easily changed the subject. Ye Yan's appearance was a real surprise to him. He had thought that the other party was a fellow [ Eternity ] Pathstrider who shared common interests with him, but he did not expect that he was a member of the Astral Express.
But now, Argenti has no time to investigate why Ye Yan joined the Astral Express.
"Star... your demeanor, strength, and battle etiquette... have completely won me over. If I were to evaluate this contest—it was absolutely brilliant and exhilarating! I was fortunate to meet such an opponent, and I proved the existence of [ Beauty ] with my own body."
"Please forgive my previous harshness, for I knew that when this battle ended, it would signify my departure from the story of the train, and now that moment has finally arrived."
Xing asked again and again, "Are you sure you can get away safely?"
"I assure you: I am not a reckless or impulsive person; I will be fully prepared and find the right opportunity to escape."
"There's no need to dwell on our meeting. I came to the train to help everyone resolve this crisis. Once my mission is complete, I will return to the galaxy. But... the galaxy is so vast, we might meet again."
As a knight, Argenti carries the determination and honor of certain victory; his body, tempered through countless training sessions, will not be easily broken.
"So brief... a chance encounter, the privilege of getting to know everyone on the Astral Express Crew, your emotions... so beautiful."
The long, crimson night of hallucinations is not yet over.
Even if this moment were to witness the grandest award ceremony in history, it would still be nothing more than a hymn from the universe, blooming and then vanishing.
"My mind is made up; there's no need for you to try to persuade me."
Welt wasn't surprised to see Argenti having such thoughts... He had to admit that seeing similar behavior occasionally reminded him of his younger self.
"Don't worry, I will shout: ' The Beauty goddess Idrila is unparalleled in beauty!'"
"After ensuring the train's safe evacuation, they found their own way out and escaped unharmed, awaiting our next meeting."
"If you could witness all of this... you would understand my fervent ideals."
After saying that, Argenti resolutely left the train, leaving everyone with only a dashing silhouette.
Fulisina picked up the disheveled Botenis and called to Argenti, "[ Beauty ] Traveler, there's no need for that... Let this fellow go and scout the water first."
Botenis was thrown out in a daze. The side effects of excessive alcohol consumption disappeared instantly, and he was so frightened that he took out the two soaps and threw them directly at the dark, indistinct object not far away.
"No... why did he throw out a harmless bar of soap?!"
Penacony, [ The Reverie ] Hotel
The receptionist looked up at the blond, blue-eyed man in his church uniform and hurriedly explained.
"I'm sorry, but your name isn't in the system. Your sudden visit puts us in a difficult position..."
He didn't even have an appointment; is he really not an illegal immigrant?
Blake pulled out a bar of soap. "And... how about this as payment?"
"Oh? Guest... no need for a return gift..."
Having escaped from the stomach of the giant True Sting, Argenti and Botenis soon reported back to the Astral Express Crew that they were safe and sound, a happy ending for all.
"Aren't those two bars of soap toiletries? Why did they explode?!"
" March 7th, you don't understand... it must be the hidden energy that every bar of soap has."
" The Knight of Beauty Order, a group of people accustomed to living alone in the Milky Way, are difficult to understand. They have their own thoughts and sorrows, and they are searching for the [ Beauty ] Aeon who may have already fallen."
"Huh? The Idrila that Argenti keeps mentioning? Didn't he keep saying he was going to find Idrila and protect Idrila as a knight?"
" Idrila's demise is a fact that some of the Knight of Beauty tacitly agree on, though some refuse to believe it, like the one you just met... He probably thinks Idrila has simply disappeared and is hiding in some place beyond the reach of ordinary mortals."
Himeko looked at Himeko, who was still savoring the experience of the [train carriage pest control], and said, "The crisis is over, and the unexpected visitor has left. I have some questions for you."
For example... what do you think... is [ Beauty ]?
" The Astral Express Crew, the bonds between everyone... or the obsessive way they watch the kittens and the Warp Trotter eat," Hoshi said with a serious expression.
"Oh? That's a very good answer. The forms of [ Beauty ] are varied and ever-changing, and everyone has a different answer in their heart... I'm very Curiosity, what exactly is the Knight of Beauty pursuing in the galaxy?"
"Suppose Argenti finds the [missing] Idrila, can he recognize her with human eyes? Or, faced with the [her] he is so attached to, is he like a blind man, completely oblivious, or even unaware of her presence...?"
"Yes, he really is like someone who would blindfold himself and then train by fighting against a wooden stake under such harsh conditions."