Chapter 417: Chapter 417
Inside Compartment Two, the old gentleman sat at his desk, a leather case of firearms spread open before him. He meticulously wiped the body of a gun with a white silk cloth. Beside his elbow rested a bottle of expensive oil, and an array of disassembled parts, all polished to a mirror shine, littered the tabletop.
The man on the roof wondered as he crawled backward, turning his attention to Compartment Three. Down below, the old gentleman cleaning his weapon casually aimed it toward the ceiling, then lowered it with a knowing smile.
Compartment Three belonged to a middle-aged gentleman who was currently lying naked on his bed. In one hand, he held a book filled with exquisite illustrations; his other hand rested on...
Jenkins had that very book, tucked away under his own bed.
"Damn it," the man on the roof cursed inwardly. "Ever since I took this job, not a single thing has gone right."
He swore again under his breath, completely oblivious to the fact that the man in the compartment below was looking right through the pages of his book, his gaze fixed upon him.
Compartment Four was occupied by a plump noblewoman. This time, at least, he wasn't met with a sight that assaulted his eyes and spirit. But the lady was sitting cross-legged on her bed in a peculiar posture, her eyes closed, with three silver spheres floating before her.
A long moment passed in which nothing happened. Only then did he cautiously peek into the final compartment.
The young woman had already fallen asleep. Just then, her attending maid carefully pushed open the door and stepped out. The curtains were drawn, leaving the compartment in complete darkness, but the man was certain this was his target.
He began to formulate a plan to get inside the carriage.
The service in the VIP carriage was impeccable. To better serve the guests who had paid in gold pounds, a dedicated attendant was stationed at the front of the car, ready to resolve any issues at a moment's notice. Although the attendant wouldn't be there constantly, entering through a window from the main corridor was still far too risky.
"The best way is to enter through one of the other compartments and wait for the attendant to be called away," he mused.
He knew that while his target was an ordinary person, she carried a special item, unknown even to herself. This item gave the woman a preternatural sense for danger. Moreover, her window was too close to the Enchanter's, making a direct entry through her window absolutely out of the question.
He once again sized up the other four compartments. The old gentleman with the guns in number two was clearly not someone to be trifled with. The Enchanter in number four could be dismissed outright. That left only the two perverts in compartments one and three. Chapters fırst released on noᴠelfire.net
After a long moment of deliberation, he decided that the man in Compartment One seemed physically weaker, and with his student-like appearance, he would probably be the easiest to handle.
He crawled cautiously across the roof once more, even holding his breath to avoid being detected by the woman in Compartment Four.
By the time he was directly above Compartment One, it was already past midnight.
Leaning his body over the edge of the roof and bending down, he saw through a crack in the window that the man and the cat were still in the same position. They must have fallen asleep.
The tremendous roar of the train completely masked the incantation he muttered. His fingers neared the wooden window, passing through the solid structure and into the room. With a deft flick to the side, the latch clicked open.
His fingers plucked a lullaby from the air, a melody to make his actions even safer. Then, grabbing a protrusion on the roof, he flipped himself into the compartment.
The moment his feet steadied on the bed, he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol.
At that exact moment, the train's steam whistle shrieked again. Aside from the old gentleman next door, who simply shook his head with a smile, no one was aware of the murder that had just taken place.
Jenkins stroked Chocolate's head, then glanced at the corpse sprawled on his bed. His sheets and quilt were utterly ruined. The man's face, frozen in an expression of shock, stared sightlessly at the ceiling.
"My luck really is terrible today..."
He had just made an awkward escape from Ruen, and before he even had a moment to process what had happened, he saw Chocolate pawing at the air. Following the cat's gaze upward, he had clearly seen the man on the roof above his compartment.
"Who on earth wants me dead?"
He couldn't find a single clue to answer that question. "Could the conflict between the Church and the royal family have escalated to this point?"
Looking down at the corpse, he searched the body and removed a wallet, then took a bone whistle from around the man's neck, which was emitting a strong yellow spiritual glow. He left everything else untouched.
"Right. Once I get to Bel Diran, I'm not leaving the church. Good heavens, this is far too dangerous."
He placed a hand on the corpse's face, and a burst of flame seared the features beyond recognition. He then took off the man's outer coat, cut it in half with a pair of scissors, bound the hands and feet, and pushed the body out the window.
The corpse had the misfortune of being sucked under the wheels. After the last carriage passed, only a few mangled limbs lay silently on the tracks beneath the twin moons.
Making up an excuse, he asked the attendant for a fresh set of sheets and a quilt, and the night passed simply enough. The assassin's appearance was a complete mystery, and he seemed to have no accomplices, but his arrival guaranteed that Jenkins would spend the rest of his trip on edge.
The remainder of the journey was peaceful. Although Jenkins had to travel to Ruen two more times to complete his etiquette lessons, and Miss Miller showed no signs of anything unusual, his ears would turn red whenever their eyes met.
Miss Stuart was still very fond of asking about Mr. Williams, and Miss Miller even hinted that Jenkins could reveal a bit more. Their plan was for the princess to discover his identity on her own, so they weren't too concerned about being exposed.
Since he had mentioned his new book in his last letter, Miss Stuart was now quite interested in "Frozen."
As it happened, Jenkins was already planning to ask Miss Miller to proofread the manuscript, so he used Psychography in conjunction with his Book of Memories to write out another copy.
He could tell that the maid, Julia, was already starting to doubt the authenticity of his "Mr. Pollo" identity. It was only a matter of time before he was exposed. He could only wonder what kind of expression Miss Stuart would have when she found out her pen pal was right in front of her.
Besides reading, Jenkins would occasionally play card games with the two gentlemen from his carriage. None of them were serious gamblers, so the stakes were only one shilling. After several days of playing, their wins and losses had more or less evened out.
The books he had brought with him became his best form of entertainment. Papa Oliver and Miss Audrey had both given him study assignments, and he also had to read through Hathaway's notebook. If he didn't, and she brought it up one day only to find that he knew the etiquette but was unfamiliar with her notes, that might just be the end of their friendship.