Only now did he understand how expensive it was to be a Beast Master. But he had no time to dwell on his misfortunes.
He immediately set off for the Cursed Land.
The Cursed Land was not within the academy's territory, so he had to take a train that traveled from inside the academy through tunnels to the city outside, which was only available to students.
'Leaving is quite a process,' he thought, sighing after handing over his ID and other items at the Train Office.
Before long, he boarded a single-carriage "train" with approximately 15 passenger seats and considerable space for luggage or large beasts.
The 15 seats were not full; there were only 7 passengers, so he was able to travel freely in his seat while admiring the extensive tunnels.
The train wasn't really fast; it traveled at an approximate speed of 40-50 kilometers per hour, reminding him a little of the trains from the 1850s on Earth.
Although that speed was considerable in this world, where there were only horse-drawn carriages and the fastest things were flying ships powered by magic or the beasts summoned by the Beast Masters themselves.
But for him, it was nothing surprising. He was more surprised by the distances between stations, as he wasn't supposed to be going too far, since he was within the same city, but it still took him a considerable amount of time.
The train tunnel was quite large and, as he expected, sloped slightly upward, revealing that the academy was underground.
Approximately 35 minutes later, the train stopped, and the operator announced that they had arrived at their destination.
Edward wasted no time and got off the train. There were a few people at the station, just workers and about 50 passengers waiting for their respective trains to get to the academy.
He watched this with curiosity. He had always wondered why people with permits to go to the Central Academy took trains to do so, and now he could understand.
These days had been enlightening for him.
He quickly continued on his way and left the train station, walked to the station for normal horse-drawn carriages, and showed them a token that the Train Office had given him before he left.
"Oh, a new student who intends to challenge a Cursed Land." The man who attended to him smiled, after giving him a standard military salute, and looked at him. "Well, boy. You've got guts."
He stamped the token, returned it to him, then asked him to follow him. "I'll take you myself," he said as he allowed him to get into his carriage.
Two ordinary horses pulled it, and the carriage was not particularly elegant; it was common and simple, made of wood reinforced with metal.
Despite its simplicity, Edward couldn't help but admire it. Not only for the carriage he was now traveling in, but also for all the logistics of the Academy.
It was run from deep underground and, with precision, governed Lor City and its surroundings. At the same time, it had train stations throughout the city, so that authorized personnel could travel in and out of the academy daily in a matter of minutes.
At the same time, it had its own network of horse-drawn carriages that took star students to various places during their forays into the academy's own dungeons and cursed lands.
All free of charge for its students and authorized staff!
'No wonder it's the most prestigious academy in the province,' he thought, thoroughly amazed by this.
The carriage was naturally slower than the train. Still, he only had to use the academy routes to leave the city and soon reach the Cursed Land on the outskirts, near which a small academic village had been built, led by high-level professors and students, to avoid mistakes.
"Young man, we've arrived. I can't go into town because I don't want to damage the roads; this is as far as I go," said the man, stopping the carriage at the entrance to the town, where there was a carriage stop.
"Thank you very much, sir," Edward thanked him and, without stopping to talk, got out of the carriage.
"Good luck, kid, I hope your name will soon be heard at the academy!" shouted the carriage driver and began to drive away without looking back.
"I hope so too." Edward smiled and walked toward the village, but the moment his feet stepped inside the village grounds, his chest tightened.
His heart seemed to forget to beat, while his breathing slowed dramatically.
'W-what is this powerful oppression I feel?' he thought and looked up sharply to see, but there wasn't much to see. Small buildings covered his view.
"Haha, surprised?"
A young man was walking toward him; his shoulder was adorned with three stars.
'Three-star star student!'
Edward had to greet him respectfully. "Greetings, senior."
"Haha, greetings, Junior." He greeted him back without taking his eyes off him. "Do you feel that? Do you feel the tightness in your chest that suffocates you and prevents you from acting like yourself? Do you feel the... fear in your bones?"
Finally, his gaze shifted away from Edward's body and toward the village. He didn't seem to be looking at the small houses in his field of vision; he was looking farther back.
"It's the Portal of the Cursed Land. It's your body screaming at you about the danger that's close by... telling you to be careful, that you could die." His words were laden with a clear and heavy weight that settled on Edward's heart.
"Is it fear of cursed energy?" he asked.
"Looks like you've been paying attention in class." The senior nodded. "That's exactly it."
"I see."
The danger he would soon face... a deadly danger.
'But I can't hesitate,' he told himself.
"By the way..." The senior student looked at him. "Are you just here for sightseeing, or is there another reason?"
Edward took out the mission scroll given to him by Elder Owen and handed it to him. "I'm here on a mission. I have to enter that Cursed Land."