Chapter 1887: Chapter 1887

Leaving Miss Windsor in the cabin above, Jenkins quickly leaped down into the basement. The underground room had no light fixtures; only a candelabra on the table provided any illumination.

Magic Miss stood by the wall, a flicker of panic in her posture. Her back was to the candle, casting a long shadow that covered the relatively fresh corpse before her—a body so recent, Jenkins estimated the time of death was no more than an hour ago.

At least, judging by the face, it was the corpse of Magic Miss. There were no visible wounds on the exterior, but the heart had stopped beating. Although the chaotic auras of the Mysterious Realm severely limited his Eye of Reality, he could still determine if an Enchanter was dead at such close range.

"She's definitely dead."

Jenkins announced after crouching down to examine the body, placing his hand on her neck.

"I don't detect any poison. This feels like... a curse?"

"Mr. Candle, please step aside for a moment. I need to confirm that this is truly 'my' body."

Magic Miss spoke firmly. She seemed merely surprised, not panicked, a stark contrast to Miss Windsor's earlier state.

"Alright, then. Call me if you need anything."

But Magic Miss's examination took an exceedingly long time. Jenkins even called down twice to check on the situation, but she simply told him to be patient.

When he was finally allowed back into the basement, Jenkins immediately noticed that the corpse's clothes were in disarray.

Magic Miss retorted. Seeing Jenkins tilt his head without saying a word, she continued:

"It's confirmed. It's definitely my body. I checked the cause of death and did find traces of a curse. But it's not a conventional one. Have you ever heard of the 'Seven-Day Rebirth'?"

The old elf had encountered this very Cursed Item's curse not long ago, but it could be broken simply by staying awake for twenty-four hours. An idea began to form in Jenkins's mind.

"I just thought of something. In our reality, at this point in time, the 'Seven-Day Rebirth' curse is indeed in Nolan, but it was an elder of mine who encountered it recently. Since my fate has been altered in this possibility, perhaps that elder never ran into the curse, which is why 'you' did instead."

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Without the visitor from another land, the probability of Jenkins meeting the old elf would be very low. And if the two had never met, the old elf would have passed away several months ago, never having survived to this point.

"But how did you die from this curse? Didn't you know what it was? No, that's not right. The death from 'Seven-Day Rebirth' isn't supposed to be . Your body should have been possessed by an evil spirit."

"So, the 'Seven-Day Rebirth' was only part of the cause of my death. I'm sure there was a reason I died here. If we can figure out what that reason is, we can probably leave this story."

Magic Miss said, looking a little angry—angry that she had died so easily.

Jenkins wanted to bury "Magic Miss" before they left to return to the city, which wouldn't have been much trouble, but Magic Miss refused the "friendly" offer. Instead, she had Jenkins help move the body to the surface, gather some dry wood from the nearby forest, and then personally set the corpse ablaze.

"Alright, let's continue the investigation."

She watched, stone-faced, as her own body was consumed by the roaring flames, a sight that left both Jenkins and Miss Windsor deeply impressed.

The deceased Magic Miss hadn't left a diary or any letters next to her body. While this was generally a good habit, it was rather inconvenient for the three of them now.

Fortunately, they weren't entirely without clues. Magic Miss knew herself very well. She used a special method to handle the pyre, ensuring the body was burned completely to ash, and within that pile of cinders, she found a small copper tube.

"If I may ask, where exactly in your body did you hide that?"

Jenkins couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him, only to receive a light smack on the shoulder from Miss Windsor. This world of possibility had little to do with Miss Windsor, so her spirits seemed much improved. If it weren't for the constant environmental influence of the Mysterious Realm, even the color might have fully returned to her face.

She pointed to a spot just below her ribs.

"I know a very good female surgeon. After the operation, it's not hard to spend some money on the black market and find a way to make the wound heal quickly."

"I see. That's quite clever."

Jenkins remarked, then turned to Miss Windsor.

"Why did you hit me?"

Seeing his expression was earnest, not as if he was intentionally teasing her, Miss Windsor fought back a blush, turned away, and refused to answer the question.

Inside the copper tube was a letter written by Magic Miss to her friends in other cities—fellow believers of the god of rituals. In the letter, she asked her friends to help her get revenge.

[Queen Isabella killed me, or at least she orchestrated it. I don't know what means she used to bypass the restrictions of the High Tower Accord, but she hired me as an occult consultant and had me killed after I discovered one of her secrets. I cannot reveal that secret, but if you can, please avenge me.]

"Our order is very close-knit. Even if we only see each other once or twice a year, we trust and respect one another."

Magic Miss explained to her employer and friend, then clutched the letter in her hand.

"Let's go. Now we have a lead."

"Wait, I don't understand. How did you get involved with Queen Isabella?"

"Since Miss Windsor didn't hire me as her occult consultant, it was only natural that I'd find other clients."

Magic Miss said. Jenkins looked over at Miss Windsor.

"I'm alright. No matter what Her Majesty has done, I won't lose my composure like that again."

Despite her words, anyone could see she was once again stunned by a murder orchestrated by the elder she so respected.

Knowing this time that Queen Isabella was involved with Enchanter forces, their "visit" had to be far more cautious than their visit to Queen Windsor.

But at least their opponent wasn't an organized squad of Enchanters from an Orthodox Church. So, despite some risk, the three of them eventually cornered her in the residence where she was staying.

It was the same familiar study, only the main character had changed.

Jenkins gently closed the door and saw a decrepit Queen Isabella, wearing her crown, sitting behind the desk. She nervously sized up the three intruders. She looked even older than she did in the real world, whether due to stress or some other reason, he couldn't tell.

Her hand gripped a fountain pen with the cap removed, and her left hand was lowered, but Miss Windsor immediately pointed out that she was trying to pull a pistol from the drawer.

"It's useless. We are all Enchanters. Even if you had a steam cannon hidden in this room, it would be of no use."

Jenkins spoke as he rapped his knuckles on the desk. It was a simple trick of spirit control, but it reanimated the wood of the desk, completely sealing the drawer and making it impossible to open.

Queen Isabella said nothing, nor did she ask their identities. She simply pressed her lips together and watched them. So, Jenkins continued:

"I won't bother with pleasantries. We're here to investigate the death of a friend. You should recognize this woman, shouldn't you?"

He took a black-and-white photograph of Magic Miss from his pocket, placed it on the desk, and slid it toward Queen Isabella. Beside him, Magic Miss shot him a surprised glance.

The old woman's voice was cold as she replied:

"If you're only here for such questions, I..."

"We found the letter she left behind, so you don't need to spin any more lies. Did you hire someone to kill her or not?" The most update n0vels are published on novel-fire.net

Another lie. Entirely expected.

When dealing with Queen Windsor, considering Miss Windsor was present and that the queen might be reasoned with, Jenkins had refrained from using force. But with Queen Isabella, Jenkins knew that without resorting to certain measures, he would get nowhere.

He cleared his throat, signaling for her to pay attention.

"I am, in fact, the rightful heir of the Middleton family, the successor you yourself have chosen for the Fidektri Kingdom. Think about it—do you have a better option right now? Therefore, you should trust me. I am someone worthy of your trust. You can safely tell me all your secrets. Yes, all of them."

The speech was half-truth, half-lie, but it was laced with the power of his Lying Godhood. No matter the circumstances, the abilities granted by a godhood always took the highest priority. Thus, while it seemed to Magic Miss and Miss Windsor that their companion had just uttered a strange and unnecessary monologue, Queen Isabella immediately replied:

"Very well. I understand. I admit, I killed her."

Jenkins turned to the two women with a reserved smile, expressing his delight at the smooth progress. But he saw Miss Windsor's expression darken again, likely anticipating what she was about to hear.

"Then why did you kill her?"

"She discovered my secret."

"I have an illegitimate daughter."

Jenkins was very glad no one was drinking tea at that moment, or they would have certainly done a spit-take out of sheer shock.

"Excuse me? An illegitimate daughter?"

Jenkins sized her up. Queen Isabella's age made it seem highly unlikely she was still capable of bearing children.

"Sir, I don't know what sort of sordid thoughts are running through your mind. And no, did you not notice the tense of that sentence? My daughter, Jessica, is already in her twenties."

She said to Jenkins with her eyebrows raised, looking as though she was about to lose her temper.

Jenkins raised an eyebrow as well. That was also Miss Windsor's first name. In this world without Miss Windsor, there was still a Jessica by Queen Isabella's side. Perhaps it signified some sort of inevitability.