The highlight of dinner was undoubtedly the sturgeon roe caviar. It arrived from the dining car chilled in special cylindrical ice containers, presented to Jenkins on a shimring crystal platter.
Jenkins scooped a portion with a mother-of-pearl spoon, spreading it on freshly baked white bread with a dollop of cream. The mont he took a bite, he savored the softness of the bread and cream, followed by the delicate pop of the eggs bursting against his teeth. An exquisite flavor unfolded on his tongue.
Accompanying the al were champagne and wine, many of them vintages from before 1836 of the Universal Calendar, aning they had been aged for at least thirty years.
Unfortunately, Jenkins had never cared much for alcoholic beverages, so the complex, lingering finish of the red wine was largely lost on him.
The cat, however, seed intrigued by the red wine. After Jenkins took a single sip and set his glass aside, it began to circle the open bottle on the table. But Jenkins would never let it have a taste. Even though Chocolate had proven capable of eating most human foods, he couldn't bring himself to let a kitten drink alcohol.
After dinner, Jenkins relaxed for a while, chatting with the butler about current events and anecdotes from the Hamparvo Kingdom. The erudite Mr. Grate Reliant answered most of Jenkins's questions with ease, all the while displaying an unwavering loyalty to Dolores.
If this were a world where abilities were asured in numbers, Jenkins mused, Dolores's charisma and leadership would surely surpass the mortal limit of twenty. The young princess seed determined to vie for the throne, and he considered her chances of failure to be slim.
His sleeping quarters were in the final car of the train. It had been specially modified for a smoother, quieter ride, with enhanced shock absorption and soundproofing. While he could still faintly hear the train's whistle, it was a vast improvent over a standard carriage.
With nothing else to do, Jenkins turned in early. He briefly considered using his Spirit Lodestone to project himself to Ruen and et Alexia in advance. However, considering they were only a day away, and leaving his physical body unguarded was risky, he abandoned the notion. After washing up, he slipped on his pajamas and climbed into bed.
Before he retired for the night, the butler had discreetly asked if Jenkins required a maid to "attend" to his sleep, an offer Jenkins politely refused. The bed was certainly large enough to accommodate three or four more people, but he was not in the habit of casual flings.
The thought, however, inevitably brought back mories of what had transpired just twenty-four hours earlier. The young writer felt a blush creep up his cheeks. He tugged the covers up to hide half his face and rolled onto his side, avoiding the gaze of the ceiling.
As he turned, however, his eyes t those of the cat, which was curled up elegantly beside him, its small head resting on its paws. For a mont, man and cat stared at each other, and Jenkins could have sworn he saw a hint of scrutiny in Chocolate's gaze.
"Ahem..."
He cleared his throat to cover his embarrassnt and squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to et his cat's gaze. But his mind remained on Chocolate. He was well aware that the cat had played a significant part in his coming to terms with his destiny as a stranger in this world.
He resolved to find so ti during their stay in Ruen to spoil Chocolate. After all, the poor cat had endured a great deal, trailing after a master who seed to attract danger at every turn.
But tonight's rest was destined to be interrupted. Having gone to sleep so early, his first thought upon being roused by a knock at the door was that morning had co and the servants were waking him for breakfast.
He imdiately dismissed the thought. Waking him was the cat's job. If it were ti to eat, he would already be feeling the impatient taps of its soft paws on his arm.
Reaching over, he switched on the gas lamp beside his bed and picked up his pocket watch from the nightstand. The reflective face showed it was only just past midnight.
He called out to let them know he was awake before shuffling to the door in his pajamas and slippers.
From the pillow, the drowsy cat let out a soft ow and rolled over, exposing its soft belly, expecting a familiar pat that never ca. It opened its eyes just in ti to see Jenkins leaving the room. The cat sprang to its feet and darted nimbly after him.
"What's happened?"
The man at the door was the butler, still dressed in his immaculate uniform, looking as if he had not slept a wink.
"Mr. Williams, three minutes ago, the maids and guards on night watch reported sothing strange outside the windows. We felt it was best to inform you imdiately."
He seed to hesitate, but quickly gathered his thoughts and continued:
"Her Highness ntioned you required no additional guards, so your escorts are all ordinary folk. They cannot comprehend what is outside, and frankly, I don't know how to describe it myself. However, none of us ordinary people went mad from the sight of it, which is why we dared to wake you."
It seed the butler, though an ordinary man, possessed so basic knowledge of Enchanters. The fact that no one had gone mad at the sight ant that whatever was out there, it was unlikely to be a Cursed Item. With this in mind, Jenkins glanced toward the window. He imdiately spotted an impossibly long aura of mixed blue and gold light moving parallel to the train.
"I see. It's likely not a major threat. I'll handle it."
He gave a nod, oblivious to how astonishing his behavior must have seed to the butler and maids—drawing a firm conclusion from a single glance at the curtained window.
Coming from anyone else, such a swift judgnt might have sounded like reckless boasting. But the butler knew sothing of who Jenkins was, and he trusted his assessnt completely.
He scooped up the cat nuzzling at his ankles and headed for the dining car. The carriage was brightly lit, filled with anxious-looking servants. All the curtains had been drawn shut.
Jenkins pulled back a curtain and peered out into the deep night. Alongside their own was another train, a translucent locomotive bathed in a ghostly green light.
It traveled in the sa direction as their train, perfectly matching its speed. The exterior was adorned with decorative patterns unlike the Hamparvo style, but with all its curtains drawn, Jenkins couldn't make out anything inside.
The spectral train wasn't running on normal rails. Its tracks, too, were a translucent, ghostly green. With light snow falling in the dead of night, the green glow was surprisingly intense, almost dazzling to look at up close.
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