Day Trip to Mecane

The long hand of the pocket watch that counted the minutes pointed at twelve and the short hand swung over to the hour.

Mattheus snapped the cover back and pocketed the timepiece before setting a timer as he focused on the necklace.

He was alone in the lab, Brunilda making the rather long trip to Marinell House to replace the necklace with a replica converted by the System in exchange for the rest of Baron Endlewood's miasma pearls.

Time ticked by at the witching hour and the necklace remained innocently lying on its setting behind the aura scanning machine. Not a flicker or a blip to the steady black dot from the miasma pearl.

After enough time passed to cover the chance the trigger time was not consistent, Mattheus leaned back and rubbed his eyes from staying up so late.

Whatever Brunilda did to it might have been permanent. Either way, her Title of Guardian of the Scales was ridiculously overpowered as usual. She could affect anything as long as it wasn't completely neutral or inert, which apparently included the metaphysical. The curse was doing harm, so she could enact Justice on it.

"Completely crazy," he muttered to himself as he shook his head.

Standing up, he stretched. Better to get at least a few hours sleep—he had a long day awaiting him.

…

Vincent glanced at Mattheus's bouncing leg, causing the twenty-year-old to notice the movement and force himself to stop.

"Are you alright, sir…?"

"Yes. I just drank a pick me up since I didn't sleep until the early morning and it's a bit too effective," Mattheus replied with words spoken at the pace of a machine gun.

Internally, he grimaced at how fast the words came out but it couldn't exactly be helped. The speaking speed would be harder to keep under control than the fidgeting, so he didn't bother. It was also true he was in a bit of a rush this morning.

Mattheus was only functioning because he drank a can of the energy drinks he'd been hoarding for emergencies. As this body hadn't exactly build an immunity to the stuff either, it meant that he was just a bit hyped up since he drank the usual amount before realizing the error of doing so.

"Ah. Taurine." The cat sounded amused, looking perfectly fine despite not returning until the morning. "You should just give in and let me teach you how to make an energy drink from scratch. With the amount of sugar you drank, you are going to crash very badly in a few hours."

Mattheus ignored Brunilda. "Vincent, did you make the arrangements?"

"Yes, sir, the staff will be ready for our arrival tonight," the valet informed the young baron.

Mattheus stood up as the train slowed to a stop. "Well, let's get this over with so we can get on with the plan for the day. We'll have to head back to Avalon Central Station to take the regional train line. The faster we finish, the earlier we will arrive."

"Of course, sir," Vincent agreed.

A short carriage ride later, Mattheus and company were at Marinell House. The baron acknowledged the butler that welcomed them.

"Excuse the intrusion during breakfast, Winston, but how is Countess Marcel doing?" Mattheus asked.

"She is well and had not regressed in her healing, Lord Crown," the butler replied with a bow. "The madam will be glad to see you."

"If it is possible, can you take me to her? My schedule is a bit tight."

With that, the Court Healer was escorted to Ophelia Marcel who was still partaking of her morning meal. Even upon just a visual inspection, the widow's complexion was rosy and, while she was in no way more plump, the noblewoman at least did not look like a strong wind would snap her neck anymore.

Mattheus apologized for the early visit and explained he wanted to check on the countess's condition to reassure himself. And that, if her condition was stable, he would head to Mecane to try to make sure the curse was truly gone for good. And, possibly, a method to protect a person from a curse.

Ophelia sounded understanding and thought it reasonable. The woman offered her hand and asked after a moment, "And how is it, Doctor Crown?"

"… You are definitely on the mend. I will leave a few more vials of medicine for you to help with your recovery before I go."

"That is a relief to hear. I feel better but to have confirmation from a professional. Well."

"Yes, perfectly understandable sentiment, madam."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Mattheus excused himself. The Marinell House owner and staff sent him off.

He did not cross paths with Baldroy Harloch—saw nary the hide of the older baron. Partially a perk to waking up so early, avoiding the other baron, though it was mostly because of the twelve-hour train ride to Mecane.

The three were quick in changing trains, mostly because they traveled light. Mattheus would have clothes waiting for him while Vincent could always borrow from other male servants of similar station if there weren't spares uniforms around. The most cumbersome luggage was, in fact, Brunilda's basket and blanket.

As Vincent had very much become a cat lover, the valet saw it as not a chore to carry the basket around. Mattheus thought it funny Brunilda could still charm men as a different species but then it made him wonder about Edgar.

Hm. Nah. Edgar just had that disgustingly handsome type of face one just wanted to punch. Since Brunilda couldn't easily punch as a cat, she did the next best thing.

Honestly, Edgar should have known better to manhandle a lady anyway.

It was halfway through the journey which would take roughly twelve hours by long-distance train that the energy drink crash hit Mattheus.

The twenty-year-old kind of wished his healing magic worked better on himself. It had been proven through experiments to be otherwise though—that it was simply harder to heal himself. It took even more energy than to heal Brunilda, who was a bit of a black hole when he used his healing magic on her, and Mattheus half-suspected was a zombie cat with her previous quirks (When did she sleep? Sometimes he also swore breathing for her was an option rather than necessity, especially when she acted as a neck warmer) and the latest revelation of her Color.

He tired himself out healing the headache which had the bonus of letting him sleep the rest of the journey—a boon when he planned on pulling an all-nighter.

…

"Mattheus. Wake up!"

The man jolted awake from scrunched up position on the bench, not having bothered to get a better compartment by waving his name around, before looking around and focusing on the cat, who was miraculously balanced on the window ledge and looking outside.

"Master Mattheus, we will be entering Mecane Regional Station in a few minutes, I think." This was Vincent.

Mattheus was confused for a moment, wondering at the urgency he heard from Brunilda's tone, before what was outside the windows registered.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw his first glimpse of Mecane, the city Earl Crown was responsible for and governed.

One would think magic or nobility would have made Mattheus feel this before. Maybe he did. But what he felt in the months since becoming Mattheus Crown was, in no way, as deeply as he felt it now, down to the marrow of his bones.

Seeing the high-rise metal and glass buildings that reached much higher on average than the capital when it came to the skyline. The sleek airships and the occasional walkways connecting buildings that made the High Line in New York City look like kiddie-level attempts at building blocks.

The transmigrator had truly, completely, found himself in another world.

"That father of yours really is an Einstein and Da Vinci mixed in one," Brunilda commented. She sounded impressed as her green eyes continued to take in the city as they pulled into Mecane.

Mattheus couldn't say anything. Actually, he shouldn't even be showing any surprise at the appearance of Mecane, considering Mattheus Crown technically grew up in this city and called it home when he hadn't been in school.

While he trusted Vincent on certain things, the twenty-year-old couldn't exactly expect the valet to stay mum if he revealed a fatal clue that he wasn't Mattheus Crown with amnesia.

Still.

When they got off the train and stood at the station, Mattheus couldn't help but take in the appearance of the locals that had an abundance of metal and leather intermixed with Victorian-esque clothing. There was just so much noise and character to the place…

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"I… do not really remember Mecane… but it feels like home."

Oddly enough, Mattheus's words were the truth. He wasn't sure why until they were taking a car to the Crown Estate and he saw more of the city.

Overall, Mecane had an eclectic mish-mash of opposites that somehow worked harmoniously, and a devil may care nonconformity compared to the capital.

It reminded him of New York City.

Only in the general atmosphere, of course.

When it came to appearance, he couldn't help but recall that offhanded remark from his friend a while back. When they were on a train in this world for the first time, heading to Noll's Hill. Brunilda had used a term he could barely fathom.

Until now.

Steampunk.

Mecane seemed to epitomize the word.