Chapter 20: Breakthrough

Outskirts of Elior Forest: 7:15 hrs. 1/09/1538

Emilia was growing tired of Anastasia's expedition, so far it had been a monotonous journey doomed to not find any beast. She was especially tired of having to rush for any cover anytime a train passed by. 'I wonder if it's really necessary to keep Anastasia deceived…the train is going to reach the capitol soon after all…maybe I should just tell her...maybe it's better to ask Subaru? Could I…'

Julius: "Emilia-sama is something bothering you?"

Emilia: "Maybe? Tell me Julius what do you think this…thing is?"

Julius: "I was initially concerned that it could have been a great spirit what Anastasia wanted to take down, but now I don't know if it's an abomination that must be terminated or just a new type of benevolent beast albeit ugly and terrifying."

Emilia: "An abomination…anyways do you know what Anastasia's interest is with following it here?"

Julius: "As far as I'm aware Anastasia-sama wants to capture the beast and hopefully use it to boost the productivity of the Hoshin Company's artisans."

Emilia: "She is so greedy."

Julius: "Yes she is yet I am somewhat concerned that Anastasia may change this mission from a scouting one to the real deal…I don't think just us can subjugate the beast without killing it."

Emilia: "I just don't know what to do if we end up confronting the beast…"

Julius: "Considering that we are in your homeland and within your sponsors domain, you could stop Anastasia-sama from doing something reckless."

Emilia: "Yes…maybe that's the way to go…"

Emilia drifted into her thoughts once more and Julius decided to leave her to digest what he communicated.

Macragge: 7:40 hrs. 01/09/1538

A man was wondering through the factories, alongside him was his daughter. He had started to work yesterday and once he returned at night his daughter was quite lonely, so he brought her with him today.

Girl: "Papa look! Can we go in there?"

The small girl pointed at a store that had toys.

Tom: "Very well, lest see what they have but just 10 minutes."

Girl: "Yes papa!"

The two enter the store and see many types of toys and odd spheres.

Tom: "Excuse me mister, what are these?"

Shopkeeper: "Those are soccer balls they are to kick around and play, ideally one plays soccer, but one is free to play what he sees fit."

Girl: "Papa can I have one?"

Tom: "I'm sorry honey they are too expensive."

Girl: "How about these?"

The girl picked up too stuffed dolls, one boy with black hair and mean eyes and one girl with silver hair a purple eyes.

Tom: "Are they…?"

Shopkeeper: "Mhhm. They are in fact Lady Emilia and Sir Natsuki."

The little girl rejoiced upon hearing this, sure she had heard of the tales of the witch of envy, but this half elf was different from the witch, just like she was different from any bandits.

Girl: "Papa I want these heroes! Please…! Beatrice!"

The girl picked up another stuffed doll, this one was smaller than the other two and had yellow hair and a pink dress.

Girl: "Papa please!"

Shopkeeper: "Hear me out mister, your daughter is adorable and reminds me of my one, so I'll make an exception."

Tom: "Let's here this exception then."

Shopkeeper: "You may just take them, along with that whale over there."

The man points at a white whale stuffed animal hanging from the roof.

Shopkeeper: "And you have to pay in let's see…a month?"

Tom: "What? Are you being serious?"

Shopkeeper: "Indeed, but don't tell anyone of our small arrangement."

Tom: "If that's all it takes then we have a deal."

Girl: "Does that mean that I get to keep them?"

Shopkeeper: "You do little one, here you also take this."

The keeper brings out a stuffed white whale the size of the little girl.

The small girl's jaw drops in astonishment of the size of her new toy.

Tom: "Do you need help honey? We have to hurry, or I'll be late for work."

Girl: "I'm ok papa. Let's go."

Elior Forest: 9:00 hrs. 01/09/1538

Subaru: "I'm telling you this is Typhoid fever!"

Lead Healer: "And I'm telling this is a rare and yet to name disease!"

Subaru: "Then why do the symptoms align exactly with what my book says?"

Lead Healer: "Only you can read that book! Why do you expect us to trust you so blindly?"

Subaru: "If the treatments in my book work will you trust me?"

Lead Healer: "And you expect me to trust the lives of my patients to you and your book?"

Subaru: "Just hear me out."

Lead Healer: "If that will settle it…"

Subaru: "We could try oral rehydration therapy, but that will require stuff like glucose, do you know what that is?"

Lead Healer: "Never heard of it, but we do a good job rehydrating the patients."

Subaru: "It's basically water with sugar and some salt to keep people from dying of diarrhea."

Lead Healer: "We actually give a similar water solution to our most dehydrated patients."

Subaru: "Other than that we don't have much more to do unless you know what an antibiotic is. Do you happen to know what it is?"

Lead Healer: "No, but it sounds interesting."

Subaru: "You see, disease in most cases come from small invisible creatures that start to use your body to make more of themselves and spread further and…"

Lead Healer: "Seriously? Small invisible creatures are causing this much damage?"

Subaru: "Do you have a better explanation?"

Lead Healer: "…"

Subaru: "Thought so. Now, antibiotics are chemicals that slaughter these small creatures and prevent any further progress from the disease, since you didn't even know about their existence, I doubt you have any countermeasures."

Lead Healer: "Any other…treatment or advice from that book?"

Subaru: "Yes and it is something I see that has been neglected."

Lead Healer: "So at last something applicable."

Subaru: "Hygiene."

Lead Healer: "What?"

Subaru: "Once any of the personnel finish treating or even touch any patient you guys must wash your hands and any instruments used with soap and water."

Lead Healer: "I get that washing hands is good for health especially before eating but so often?"

Subaru: "Yes but not in those buckets your people are using. You have to use running water that has been previously boiled to kill all the germs in it and most importantly not use it again."

Lead Healer: "That is assuming your theory is correct."

Subaru: "If can get a microscope I can show you some germs right now."

Lead Healer: "A what?"

Subaru: "Forget it. You and all the personnel also have to change your cloth at least twice a day and will from now on not be allowed to use the same cloth you used in here outside without cleaning it."

Lead Healer: "Anything else mister clean?"

Subaru: "This place, the furniture and basically everything in here must be cleaned daily. The bed sheets and pillows of all the patients must also be changed daily. Since the staff it already overworked, I have assigned new personnel to help with all these new procedures."

Lead Healer: "For a second I thought you were expecting us to do all that. Anything else that you wish to add?"

Subaru: "The most important part, all of the feces and urine from the patients must be dumped into a pit I had made, you must have special care to not contaminate anything and do so as soon as they are made. They are not to be allowed to contaminate the air with unhealthy emanations."

Lead Healer: "I doubt most if any of the healers here will follow strictly these guidelines."

Subaru: "Then maybe the company doesn't feel like paying negligent healers."

Lead Healer: "Fine, I'll make sure they all abide. But when will we get the personnel needed to do all the cleaning?"

Subaru: "Do not worry, they will arrive on the train today in about two hours, for now just worry about cleaning your hands and instruments, Ram and Rem will bring clean water for that. Also don't forget that you are absolutely not allowed to leave with the clothes you are wearing in here I will bring some clean cloth for everyone."

Lead Healer: "As you wish, but if I see no changes in this week, I will request to just drop these guidelines."

Subaru: "Two weeks, if no changes are seen in two weeks, then you can drop the guidelines."

Lead Healer: "Fine have it your way."

The Lead Healer then proceeds to rally all of the personnel inside the hospital to inform them of all the new guidelines that they will follow, many seem quite upset but they end up agreeing after they are told that if the guideline are not followed they won't get paid.

Somewhere within Elior Forest: 9:40 hrs. 01/09/1538

Emilia, Ana and the rest were shadowing the rails 100 meters to the east, so far, they have had to scramble for cover some 4 times in the day. Emilia was lagging behind and was bored as always so she decided to check her metia wondering if maybe she was in range of the Village within Elior Forest. She saw that she was indeed in range of all the metias including Roswaal, so she reached out to Subaru, who after a few second answered.

Subaru: "Emilia-tan? Is Ana so close to the town?"

Emilia: "We are close to the town? How much is the range on these things?"

Subaru: "About 15 kilometers. Is something bothering you Emilia-tan?"

Emilia: "I didn't think it was that obvious…anyway I have a question."

Subaru: "Ask me anything, I am all ears."

Emilia: "Is it really necessary to keep Anastasia from finding or seeing a train? You said it was going to reach the Capitol in a day or two from now so I think that she will really find out regardless of what we do."

Subaru: "Hmm. I really want to keep her in the dark for as long as possible…"

Emilia: "Subaru listen this is the plan, I will play dumb and act like it's the first time I see a train, she doesn't need to know it's us who run them. We will arrive in the town, you will take us to see the train station and have someone from the station show it to us. Maybe we can even take a ride to Macragge and back."

Subaru: "Emilia-tan you are really serious, aren't you?"

Emilia: "Yes, being part of a boring expedition that will lead to nowhere and pretending like I don't know that is very tiring."

Subaru: "Ok then, once you arrive in the town you will find me in the shop, there we can play dumb."

Emilia: "Thank you Subaru."

Emilia closed her metia and put it back in her bag. She then shouted to the rest.

Emilia: "Hey recognize this place!"

Anastasia: "Really? Do you know where the beast might be heading for?"

Emilia: "So far it seems to be going to a nearby village. Follow me this way is a clear trail, we should arrive in half an hour following it."

Julius: "What do you say Anastasia-sama?"

Anastasia: "Let's go, it will also give us visual cover from the rails, right?"

Emilia: "Indeed, this way."

Emilia moves her dragon as fast as it can go on cross-country terrain covered by snow away from the rout they are currently following and onto a relatively clearer trail that will allow them to move faster.

Elior Forest: 9:50 hrs. 01/09/1538

Subaru rushed to the train station as soon as he finished to talk to Emilia, he informed the staff that they will have to act as if Subaru was just a normal person and not give any information about who their boss is or how the trains work especially the drivers and mechanics. Once Subaru was content with his staff he went outside and decided to call Emilia but before he could pull out his metia a clown came down from the sky.

Roswaal: "Subaru-kun, I am glad I found you, yesterday I flew to Macragge and couldn't find you anywhere, not even your staff knew where you went. How is Ram doing?"

Subaru: "Come to think of it, I didn't bother telling anyone that I came here. Anyways Ram is doing fine, not optimal, but fine. She is in that building over there."

Roswaal: "Thanks Subaru-kun, I'll be back to talk about some lords peculiar demands."

Subaru: "Please don't, can it wait until tomorrow?"

Roswaal: "It can. I'll leave you on your one then."

Subaru sent Roswaal off and then pulled out his metia to reach out to Emilia who after a few minutes answered.

Emilia: "Subaru make it quick what is it?"

Subaru: "Emilia-tan how much time do I have until you arrive?"

Emilia: "Some 20 minutes, maybe a bit less."

Subaru: "Alright, I'll go to the shop now remember."

Emilia: "Ok, see you in the shop."

Subaru cuts the connection and enters the shop where he decides to talk to the shopkeeper about Emilia. Much to his surprise the man didn't think too ill of Emilia before she was a candidate, she was just another client, albeit a very awkward one.

10:12 hrs.

Emilia enters the store followed closely by Anastasia and Julius.

Anastasia: "Finally we can buy fresh fruits."

Shopkeeper: "I'm sorry young lady, but we don't have exactly fresh fruits other than lemons."

Subaru: "Hmm, Emilia-tan, Ana and Julius what are you doing here?"

Emilia: "Subaru I've missed you!"

Emilia rushed towards Subaru and gave him a hug.

Subaru: "Ug. Emilia-tan this a little unexpected, but I think my insides will appreciate if you let go a bit."

Anastasia: "Subaru, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

Subaru: "Talking with this man and exploring the Mather's domain, how about you?"

Anastasia: "We are trying to track down the beast that we discussed about the other day."

Subaru: "Hmm. About that beast maybe you can finally stop searching for it."

Anastasia: "What do you mean?"

Subaru: "Apparently it's not a beast but a machine made by some inventor nearby."

Shopkeeper: "Indeed, rumors say that an inventor form the south made it."

Anastasia: "So it's not a beast?"

Subaru: "Maybe we could call it a beast made of steel?"

Anastasia: "But it's a machine!"

Emilia: "It does seem alive though. I can see it being called a beast made of steel."

Julius: "So what does this machine do?"

Subaru: "Move I guess, the man here knows more than I do."

Shopkeeper: "I personally know very little, but from what I heard it's a machine made to move stuff to and from a town in the south."

Anastasia: "Can we find this man?"

Shopkeeper: "All I've heard is that he is from the south."

Anastasia: "Mimi, go back to iron fang and have them head back, we can't afford to bleed money any longer."

Mimi: "Just let me get this."

Anastasia: "Fine."

Subaru: "What? You brought the Iron Fang?"

Anastasia: "We had the intention to capture the thing…but now…It's just a waste of money."

Shopkeeper: "You can still see the thing, it comes to the town several times a day, maybe you can even get on it."

Anastasia: "What? For real?"

Julius: "I don't think that a good idea Anastasia-sama."

Anastasia: "Do people already use it to move?"

Shopkeeper: "I haven't used it, but I heard that it is a pleasant journey."

Subaru: "There is a building where the tra-thing stops. Maybe we get on it there."

Anastasia: "Then what are we waiting for, let's go."

They all leave the shop, where Mimi immediately leaves to fulfill Anastasia's order while the rest leave for the station.

10:18 hrs.

The group arrives at the station where they go inside, they find a ticket booth. They buy four one-way tickets to the town called "Macragge" where they plan on buying more tickets to head back. After buying the tickets they go to sit on a bench in a weird part outside of the building, it was basically a concrete floor, one meter higher than the ground level that had a railway going on one of its sides and extending as far as the eye could see.

10:25 hrs.

The train appeared from the forest exhaling large amounts of black smoke and with a thunderous "CHUUUUU!". Anastasia's and Julius's jaws dropped at the huge size of the machine they were watching. While Subaru and Emilia were trying to act surprised as best they could.

Anastasia: "It's so big from up close."

Julius: "And so loud Anastasia-sama!"

The train came to a complete stop and let out fair bit of steam before people inside the carts opened the doors. People came off the train, but most of the cart are for cargo and many men could be seen dumping sacks of coal and metal pellets into them as well as pulling out what seemed to be meat and wheat sacks.

Subaru: "Come on let's get inside."

Julius: "How can we know it's safe?"

Subaru: "You just saw people coming from inside the train."

Anastasia: "Its fine Julius lets go inside."

The group then enters a passenger cart. Anastasia and Julius are surprised by the insides, they could see two rows of seats that had table in between them to leave groups of four people looking at each other sharing a table.

Anastasia: "This seems quite luxurious."

Julius: "I must agree, though the tables are not of the finest quality."

Emilia: "How about we have a seat that table seems quite nice."

Subaru: "Yes, what Emilia-tan just said."

The go to a table, where Emilia and Anastasia sit side by side and Julius and Subaru sit in front of them.

Julius: "Subaru about the book you gave me."

Subaru: "The one of the great war?"

Julius: "I have read all of the stuff you gave me, so far I was left at the start of the invasion of…Belgium?"

Subaru: "So what do think about it?"

Julius: "It's hard to believe that such large bodies of water can even exist, and the size of the armies I mean…how don't they starve? Don't they need all those men in the fields to make food?"

Subaru: "I forgot to add a note explaining that they used something called fertilizers to make the ground extra fertile, thus requiring less people in the fields to make food."

Julius: "I can go with that, but what about metal ships floating on the…what was its name?"

Subaru: "Sea? Ocean?"

Julius: "Yeah, I mean metal is heavy, and to use it to make ships is just…absurd…though…come to think of it…this thing we are on resembles something in the book…hmm."

Subaru: "Really? What?"

Julius: "I think it was called..."

The train makes a loud "CHUUU!" and all the doors are closed, a few moments later it starts to move. The time is 10:30 hrs.

Anastasia: "Hk!"

Anastasia was thrown on the table.

Julius: "W-what's going on?!"

Julius helps Anastasia back to her seat.

Subaru: "I think we are moving."

Subaru looks out the window and so does Julius and the rest confirming that they are in fact moving.

Anastasia and Julius where both on the side of the window and stuck looking outside.

Subaru: "Seeing that you are like that, we will leave you alone for the ride."

Emilia: "Yes, we will move to the table in front."

Julius: "I cannot allow that to happen the ground is too unstable."

Emilia: "Do not worry I will make sure that Subaru doesn't fall."

Emilia picks Subaru up in a princess carry.

Subaru: "What? Emilia-tan please let me down."

Emilia: "I'm sorry Subaru but this is to ensure your safety."

Emilia actually enjoyed carrying Subaru around like this and they leave to the seats on the opposite side of the cart where they start to chat about everything that happened in last few days.

The train continued north for a kilometer until it reached a circle that sent it back south to Macragge. Anastasia and Julius where sticked to the windows looking at everything and where very surprised to have such a smooth ride.

Anastasia: "I wonder how fast we are moving…"

Julius: "Look Anastasia-sama, is that Mimi?"

Anastasia: "What? We already cached up to her?"

They waved at Mimi, who saw them and confused waved back.

Anastasia: "We need to find whoever made this marvel and make more!"

Julius: "It will certainly help the kingdom to have such a fast a seemingly reliable way to transport people."

Anastasia: "Not just people, but stuff and information too."

Macragge: 11:00 hrs. 01/09/1538

Ivan: "Let's see if this works…"

Ivan turns a valve that makes an engine run, the engine in turn pushed a magnet through a copper coil that he had insulated with cloth. The copper wire ends where connected to the opposite ends of a pencil lead (it's not really lead, its graphite idk why it's called lead.). Unlike other times, this time the pencil lead started to glow.

Ivan: "Yes, we finally have electricity! Fuck!"

The pencil lead caught on fire due to the heat and the presence of oxygen.

(If you want to try at home, the generator is a "Faraday's Electric Generator", it's really simple and the basis of our electrical grid for almost all sources of energy be it coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydro, wind and some solar. Connect it to a small LED if you want to see it working. Just wrap a copper wire around a plastic tube, remove the tube if it doesn't allow for proper movement of the magnet, if you remove the tube then use something, paper, cloth, etc. to isolate the copper coil from the magnet. Move the magnet through the inside of the coil and that would be it.)

(For the light bulb, it's also simple, yet dangerous if one is to connect it to a house socket, use a couple AA (double A, not antiair) batteries please. Connect the two opposite ends of a mechanical pencil lead, the thinner the lead the better. Put the pencil lead inside of a jar or bottle of glass and seal it in before closing the circuit. Ideally put an ignited candle inside before closing it so it consumes all the oxygen inside though this step is not necessary. Once the circuit is closed the pencil lead will glow, if you did a good job in burning the oxygen in the jar/bottle it will most probably not burn but it will still suffer some decay over time.)

Ivan poured water on the flaming pencil lead, but was content

Ivan: "Finally a breakthrough, we can now make and somewhat see electricity. I must take notes immediately. Though…I don't know if this is alternating or direct current…and how do I even tell the difference?"

Ivan was thinking of a way to determine if the electricity he was generating was a direct or alternating current but couldn't come up with anything. He ended up dedicating to other projects on his to do list made by Subaru instead.

Ivan: "More machine tooling…this time for…agriculture?"

He read the words: "Wheat harvesting Machine", he then proceeded to read the short description and drawing left by Subaru. "This machine is made to be pulled by an ox or a dragon, as it moves the motion of the wheels will move blades and mechanisms as illustrated to cut and push the wheat to the side. If possible, make it so it can also thresh the wheat and put the grain into sacks though this is not urgent and can wait." (Link: mccormick-reaper-1773393)

Ivan: "Yet another thing that seems revolutionary…how many more are to come?"

11:30 hrs.

The train that Subaru and company where on arrived at Macragge.

Anastasia: "What? We are already here? Julius the map!"

Julius: "Here Anastasia-sama…We started to travel deep within Elior Forest and the distance to this town is…50…55…60…62 kilometers."

Anastasia: "And it took us just an hour to get here?"

Subaru: "Wow, this thing is fast."

Emilia: "Definitely but maybe it is unsafe."

Anastasia: "Dragon carriages are also unsafe Emilia."

Julius: "Though being such a big and I assume complex machine it must give some reliability issues."

Subaru: "Yeah, stuff like lubricants must be constantly applied I think."

Julius: "It makes sense…excuse me mister, what is this wonderful machine named?"

Man: "This one? I don't know its particular name, or maybe you mean the type of machine?"

Julius: "The type of machine please."

Man: "Oh, of course, everyone asks that, it's called train."

Anastasia: "Tran?"

Man: "Train, like training."

Anastasia: "Train. Where can we get one?"

Man: "Get one?! Uhh…this is the first time one askes that…I don't think you can…"

Anastasia: "Fine, we will be on our way back."

Subaru: "Ana, I don't think you can…"

Man: "I'm afraid you can't do that, you must first buy another ticket."

Anastasia: "Of course, let's go buy another ticket."

They descended from the train, this time the platform was a lot busier, unlike at Elior Forest here where many rails adjacent to one another and multiple platforms in between. Many more men also scrambled to the cargo carts to unload all the heavy stuff brought from the Forest.

Anastasia: "So much activity…maybe I am late…"

Subaru: "Over here, something tells me that this time the train will be stopped here for more time."

Some men could be seen attaching a water hose to the head of the train and some men also descended from the platform to look at the wheels of the train.

The group hurries to the ticket booth not wanting to lose the train ride back. They get the tickets without any issues and start to head back to the train.

Anastasia: "Is it me or is there a bit of smoke?"

Subaru: "I don't think there is that much smo…"

Julius: "Look Anastasia-sama those buildings are spitting smoke through those chimneys."

Anastasia: "But it's not even winter, why would they do that?"

Emilia: "Not all things need an explanation, maybe it's some type of religious celebration."

Julius: "If so, I have never heard of it."

Anastasia: "Neither have I…though we better get on the train I do not want to miss the ride back."

Subaru: "Let's go then."

They get on the train and start chatting to pass the time.

11:50 hrs.

Subaru: "Emilia-tan do that thing that we played with the other time."

Emilia: "What thing?

Subaru: "The small ice sculptures."

Emilia: "Oh, the Smolbarus?"

Subaru "Yea…"

A loud "CHUUUU!" was heard and everyone knew it was time for the train to leave for Elior Forest.

Julius: "Anastasia-sama hold on to something please."

Anastasia: "Do not worry, I am already doing that."

The train started to move and this time no one was thrown on a table.

Julius: "So what is this game you two are talking about?"

Emilia: "Let me show you."

Emilia made eight small ice sculptures of Subaru in front of her and had them walk in pairs to everyone.

Emilia: "Not tell me what weapons you want them to wield."

They all picked weapons for their "Smolbarus" and had them fight in a gladiator fashion the rest of the trip.

(About Rem: I'm absolutely not sure what to do with Rem, Heck I am not sure if I should even give her legs back. For now, I am considering making her something like the organizer of a red cross type organization using her experience as a field medic in Vollachia (the only one she has in this fic so far lmao). Maybe eventually she can be sent as a diplomatic envoy to Vollachia or form part of a general staff. If there is any relevant role that she can realistically perform with her limited experience within this fic that I am overlooking please tell me. Other than that, I'm just waiting to see what thing only Rem can do in arc 7 other than healing since it's common in Lugnica.)

(About this fic: This fic actually has a planned end right at the end of the royal selection, but we are still far away from that. This fic is also made primarily as a way for me to learn how to write a story so that the fic that I actually want to make come out good. But for those who dread the end of this fic do not worry, this fic is part one of a trilogy, being part three the fic that I originally wanted to write.)