Chapter 1721: Chapter 1721

The conversation inside quieted, and after a few seconds, Mr. Hood's voice called out. Jenkins seized the opportunity to peer through the door with his Eye of Reality, spotting two familiar figures.

"Sir, that lady is here to see you. She's brought another guest... and a cat."

The woman who had led them here announced.

Mr. Hood echoed, puzzled. Footsteps drew closer, and when the door swung open, he saw the familiar feline and immediately recognized the friend who came with it.

"Oh, I never expected you to visit! Please, come in."

He welcomed them inside, his voice laced with genuine delight. The other guest already in the room had risen to his feet and was peering toward the door. Jenkins spoke first.

"Welcome back to Nolan, Mr. Black Cat."

All four of them were well-acquainted, close friends even. Since none of them had seen Mr. Black Cat in a long time, they all sat down, eager to hear the reason for his return. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Mr. Black Cat had, in fact, just arrived by train. He had come to see Mr. Hood first, both to say hello and to sort out the affairs of the property he had left in his friend's care. As for why he had returned—

"Nowhere is safe anymore. You wouldn't believe what I've been through recently in Turin—no, Candle Mr, this has nothing to do with you. Your commission caused me some trouble, but it wasn't dangerous."

He looked weary from his journey, his black suitcase propped against the wall, clear evidence of his recent arrival. Taking the glass offered by Mr. Hood, he downed a large mouthful of wine, his expression suggesting he was reliving a frightening memory.

"It started a month ago. Every night, I would dream of things... things I dare not speak of, for fear they would shatter everyone's sanity. The nightmares were relentless, following me even when I tried to flee Turin. Candle Mr, that commission you gave me last time led me to an enigmatic woman. She introduced me to someone, and I ended up paying a hefty price for a sacred artifact from the Inherited Sage Church. After that... I completely lost my memory of that night."

His expression was a mixture of terror and relief.

"But it's for the best. I haven't had that terrible dream since. Still, it made me realize that when your luck runs out, you aren't safe even if you flee the material world. And since Nolan has been so lively recently, I decided to come back. To be honest, I've really missed this place."

He chuckled as he spoke, then added:

"Nowhere is safe anymore. Have you heard? The fire in the southern primeval forest has been burning for half a month straight. And it's the rainy season! Then there are those obsidian ruins in the desert, the resurgent snowman legion in the north, and those unspeakable things frequently appearing from the deep sea... Coming back to Nolan now is no different from staying anywhere else."

He looked at the three of them, a genuine smile on his face.

"I'm so glad to see you're all safe. I wonder how Miss Skylark is doing? While I was in Turin, I heard quite a few rumors about Nolan. It's wonderful that you haven't been dragged into any of the dangerous events of the past six months."

Hearing this, the other three exchanged awkward laughs. Their lives in Nolan had been anything but smooth sailing.

Jenkins hadn't forgotten the reason for his visit, and Magic Miss quickly recounted the day's events. When it came to the plan of "apprehending" Queen Isabella, Mr. Hood was just as awestruck and hesitant as Magic Miss had been. But Jenkins's powers of persuasion won out, and he reluctantly agreed to help, on the condition that no one would be harmed.

Mr. Black Cat wanted to join them, but the other three persuaded him not to. He had only just returned to Nolan; there was no reason for him to be immediately embroiled in such a dangerous affair. It would be better for him to use the remaining daylight to settle into his residence and sort out his living arrangements. As for the Queen, the three of them could handle it.

Although Jenkins's plan seemed incredibly reckless, upon closer inspection, it didn't seem to have any flaws. So, even though they all felt like Candle Mr was joking, they ultimately decided to go with his scheme.

After disguising themselves, the trio approached the city hall in the center of town from the east. After bypassing the cordoned-off blocks around the public square, they soon noticed an increase in patrolling police officers, and mixed among them were people who looked like Enchanters.

"Don't worry. To ensure the Tri-King Summit proceeds smoothly, both City Hall and the Church have tightened security. Today's heightened patrols are an exception. I heard the main topic of discussion recently has been placing regular limits on steam factory emissions, which has drawn more nobles to the city, hence the increased security."

Jenkins said in a low voice, then led the other two forward. He always managed to find the perfect positions to avoid the patrolling officers, even managing to completely circumvent the patrols that included Enchanters.

Once or twice could be chalked up to coincidence, but by the time they could see the main entrance of the city hall in the distance, they hadn't been stopped for questioning even once. This aroused the suspicion of Mr. Hood, who had never given a thought to Candle Mr's true identity.

"Do you know their patrol routes?"

Mr. Hood asked as soon as the thought occurred to him.

"I know a little... This way!"

With that, he quickened his pace toward the back of an alley. He lifted the white cat, Vanilla, from his shoulder and set her on the ground. The cat gave a soft, obedient meow before trotting over to a nearby lamppost. In preparation for the Tri-King Summit, the surrounding blocks were swept by a special crew every day, and the lampposts were polished to a gleam—they were shinier, even, than the doorknob at Jenkins's house.

The cat stood there for a moment, and seeing that no one was paying it any mind, it cheerfully ran off into the distance, disappearing around a corner in no time. Jenkins looked at his pocket watch, silently counted a few seconds, and a carriage bearing the Middleton family crest passed in front of them. As it passed the alley behind the lamppost, Vanilla leaped up as if flying and dove straight through the carriage window.

Jenkins waited a moment. When the cat wasn't thrown back out the window, he turned to the others with a relieved expression and said:

"The plan is going smoothly. Only the coachman is driving; there's no one in the carriage. Just as I thought, she had her servants wait inside city hall instead of leaving with the carriage."

"How do you know there's no one inside? Maybe whoever is in there really likes your cat and decided to keep it."

"No, no, no. Cho— I mean, Vanilla, acknowledges only me as her master. She'd never let anyone else catch her. And..."

He lifted his head with a touch of pride.

"My cat is no ordinary cat. Not only have I fed her an animal intelligence-awakening potion, but she also saved me from drowning in a lake the other day. She's a very capable cat."

Neither Magic Miss nor Mr. Hood understood what was so pride-worthy about being saved by one's own pet. But seeing Candle Mr's strange expression, they didn't question him.

But Magic Miss was once again reminded of a casual conversation where her employer, Miss Windsor, had complained about the strange relationship between Mr. Williams and his kitten, Chocolate. She remained silent on the matter. After all, it was known that Mr. Williams was a Church Scribe and suspected of being the Saint Son of the Sage. It was also known that Candle Mr was a believer of a god of lies, suspected of being a pseudo-god cultist at the demigod level. If these two were one and the same person, telling anyone about it would likely end very badly for her.

The rest unfolded exactly as Jenkins had planned, so smoothly that both Magic Miss and Mr. Hood were left with the mistaken impression that Candle Mr had arranged everything in advance.

The three of them were now aboard Queen Isabella's luxurious private carriage, huddled in a corner under the protection of a spell's effect. It was the first time either Magic Miss or Mr. Hood had been in such a place, and their whispered conversation betrayed their admiration for the royal coach.

Jenkins stroked his cat, thinking things over as he waited patiently.

"After we force the truth out of her, what should I do?"

The "her" in this case was Queen Isabella. Magic Miss had long since noticed that Candle Mr never once used the title "Her Majesty" to refer to the most prestigious woman in the kingdom.

"What else? Leave immediately, of course."

Magic Miss spoke before Mr. Hood could offer his opinion. She spoke quickly, as if afraid Mr. Hood would beat her to it.

"Since this is a task given to you by that Prince Williams, you should of course report back to him after you've finished, not make the decision yourself. After all, he's the most suitable person to handle this matter."

"Don't use the title 'Prince'."

Jenkins cautioned, giving Magic Miss a thoughtful look before nodding.

"You're right. This is indeed something that Williams should handle."

Mr. Hood found the phrasing of that sentence a bit strange, and the conversation between the two seemed to carry a hidden meaning only they understood. It left him feeling a bit lost, but since neither of them wanted to kill anyone, he had no objections. In fact, he was glad to see the situation heading in a non-violent direction.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Hood, how's your arm? I noticed the tulip seed I planted in it is still working."

Jenkins asked with concern.

"Much better. The mechanist from the Church of Creation and Machinery wasn't able to completely fix this arm, but with his help, and with your seed constantly healing the flesh, I don't think it will be long before it recovers naturally. Look, bending and stretching are no problem at all now. I just can't lift anything heavy."

He said cheerfully. Jenkins and Magic Miss were also happy that their friend's injury would soon be fully healed.

Magic Miss even joked about the tulip seed Jenkins had buried in Mr. Hood's right arm, laughing that the arm was probably worth several hundred pounds now, and might be worth even more in a few days.