Chapter 128: Startled Horse

Chapter 128: Startled Horse

Thankfully, those are not the mushrooms I ordered. Otherwise, I would have no choice but to waste that dish… I had originally more or less recovered from my psychological shadow toward mushrooms, but the smell mixed into that letter just now has successfully made me “relapse”…

Klein’s expression swiftly returned to normal. He withdrew his left hand, picked up the cup beside him, and gulped down the ice water inside.

“Another glass,” he said as though nothing had happened, turning his head to instruct the waiter standing at the entrance to the service room.

At the same time, he pressed one hand against the clothing over his abdomen, slowly rose, offered an apologetic gesture, and walked toward the private room’s independent washroom.

It was opposite the dedicated service room, both positioned on either side of the door.

Hiding inside the cupboard, Fors listened to the footsteps approach and the washroom door close. Unable to resist, she again leaned close to Xio’s ear and whispered with amusement in her voice, “The second time!

“They have only been inside this private room for a little over half an hour, and Dawn Dantes has already gone to the washroom for the second time!

“The first time was clearly urination. If this time is the same, then it means this gentleman’s kidneys, bladder, or prostate might not be in good condition.

“He’s coming out, he’s coming out. It really was just urination. Tsk. He also seems to drink a lot of water normally and often goes to the washroom. Sigh, rich men don’t have it easy either. Good-looking rich men especially don’t have it easy!”

Xio rolled her eyes at her friend.

“That has nothing to do with you.

“Be serious. Stay focused. We are on a mission!

“Also, that councilman named Macht seems to have fairly capable bodyguards. Perhaps they are Beyonders. We must be careful enough.”

Fors had no choice but to suppress her desire to converse, retracting her body as she said, “They are all guarding outside and have no defenses at all against someone passing through walls. Not professional in the slightest… Fine. We can talk after we get back.”

At that moment, Klein had already returned to the dining table and sat back in his own seat.

He drank some ice water, took a small sip of white wine, and smiled at Councilman Macht.

“I have been in Backlund for nearly two months, yet I have always been busy familiarizing myself with the environment here and never had time to start a new enterprise. Every day I wake up and watch gold pounds flowing out without a single one coming back. Heh. It is about time I did something.”

In a joking tone, he hinted at his willingness to get involved in the arms trade.

Councilman Macht rubbed his glass and said with a warm smile, “I can understand. I went through a similar stage myself.

“How much capital can you still draw on? I can introduce you to some friends for cooperation.”

Klein replied in a calm tone, “At present, at most twenty thousand pounds.”

“You are wealthier than I imagined,” Councilman Macht said with heartfelt feeling.

Under normal circumstances, a rich man capable of taking out twenty thousand pounds in liquid funds at once would definitely have a net worth measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Before Dawn Dantes could speak modestly, he casually said, “Didn’t you previously purchase three percent of Coim Company’s shares? You can use them as collateral for at least ten thousand pounds. That can help ease your capital strain.”

Klein immediately smiled and sighed.

“I have already donated that portion of shares to the Church, preparing to establish an educational assistance fund for the poor.”

“Donated to the Church?” Macht had not yet seen the pastors or bishops of Saint Samuel Cathedral today, and as he had been outside, he had not received an invitation. Therefore, he knew nothing of the matter.

Madam Liana and Hazel, who had been enjoying the food, also raised their heads and instinctively looked toward Dawn Dantes.

At their level, among their familiar friends, there were no small number of people who could take out ten thousand pounds in cash. However, those capable of directly donating such a sum were only a tiny handful. And among that tiny handful, perhaps not even one would be willing to donate that way.

No—now there was one. Dawn Dantes!

“Yes.” Klein nodded with an ordinary expression. “Without the Goddess’s protection, I would long since have died in the chaotic Southern Continent. And when I was young, if I had had the opportunity to attend school and read books, perhaps my life would have turned out completely differently. I want to give those children who long to change their fates a little hope.”

“Your character is as admirable as your generosity,” Madam Liana said sincerely, setting down her knife and fork. Hazel also nodded almost imperceptibly, her gaze toward Dawn Dantes softening considerably.

Seeing her parents begin chatting with him about charity, Hazel excused herself from the table and walked toward the washroom, her right hand seeming to press casually against her stomach.

When she reached the door, she was just about to turn right when she suddenly turned her head and looked toward the cupboard in the service room.

Her brows lightly furrowed, revealing a trace of confusion. Immediately afterward, she withdrew her gaze and opened the washroom’s wooden door.

After washing her hands and coming out, Hazel seemed to have forgotten the earlier abnormality. She touched the necklace on her chest and returned to the dining table.

Once all the dishes and desserts had been served and dinner ended, the four left the private room. With their respective servants, they met up with the two bodyguards outside and prepared to return home.

Just then, Hazel suddenly stopped and said, “My earring seems to have fallen inside. Sorry, please wait for me a moment.”

Without waiting for Madam Liana to order a maid to search, she turned around on her own, took a few steps around the corner, and returned to the private room from earlier.

Hazel lowered the hand covering her left ear, went directly into the dedicated service room, walked to the cupboard, and placed her hand on it.

She had intended to open the cupboard door at an extremely fast speed, but after thinking about it, she carefully held her necklace with her other hand and turned her body sideways, preparing against any sudden attack from inside.

Drawing in a breath, Hazel took advantage of the waiter tidying the dining table outside and pulled sharply, exposing the interior of the cupboard.

Inside, apart from spare utensils and tablecloths, there was nothing.

Hazel once again revealed a confused expression, as though unable to believe what she was seeing.

“I clearly sensed something very valuable inside…” she muttered softly. Before the maid could catch up, she closed the cupboard door and walked out of the service room.

…

Outside the Intis Serenzo Restaurant, Fors and Xio turned their heads at the same time and glanced back inside.

“That girl actually discovered us?” Fors whispered, quite astonished.

Had she not been able to “open doors” and slip away through the back of the cupboard in time, she and Xio would have been discovered and would have had to admit that they were secretly protecting Dawn Dantes.

Xio was likewise puzzled.

“When she went to the washroom, I remember you did not speak or move.”

“Perhaps… she is also a Beyonder and has some kind of spiritual intuition…” Fors guessed, uncertain. “Mr. Dawn Dantes’s life truly is difficult. On one hand, he often encounters oppression and schemes between nobles and rich men. On the other, not only is there a butler in his house secretly researching black magic, but there is even a Beyonder with mysterious powers living nearby. Right, what is her name?”

“Hazel.” Xio was looking for Dawn Dantes’s carriage, preparing to hide underneath it. Her gaze suddenly froze slightly. “Fors, look at that person. His behavior is a little abnormal.”

Fors followed her line of sight and saw a middle-aged man in black formalwear. He was pacing back and forth at the edge of the street, appearing very anxious and irritable.

“What is abnormal about him?” Fors did not have time to observe carefully and asked directly.

Xio answered simply, “He is dressed like a respectable gentleman, but his shoes are very dirty. It seems they have not been polished in some time. You know how much dust there is in Backlund.

“Also, he touches his armpit area from time to time. I would wager there may be a pistol hidden there…

“Besides that, both his expression and posture show that something is off.

“Mm… They are about to come out. I will go to the carriage first. Watch this man, and watch over Mr. Dantes.”

“Alright.” Fors felt the matter was troublesome, yet also rather interested. She retreated to a place with cover and watched the entrance of the Intis Serenzo Restaurant closely.

Twenty or thirty seconds later, Dawn Dantes and the Macht family walked out. They said goodbye to one another and prepared to head to their respective carriages.

Just then, a two-wheeled carriage rushed over from the end of the street at extreme speed, looking as though it might tip over at any moment.

The horse pulling it had a crazed look in its eyes. It seemed to have been frightened. In its panic, it charged straight toward the entrance of the Intis Serenzo Restaurant.

One of Macht’s bodyguards went forward, attempting to subdue the startled horse, while the other protected the councilman, his wife, and daughter, retreating to the side.

At that moment, the middle-aged gentleman who had been pacing suddenly approached from behind in large strides. He pulled out a revolver, his expression twisted, and aimed at Councilman Macht’s head.

Klein’s right hand lifted almost imperceptibly, then lowered again. He did nothing.

With a nimble leap, he avoided the frontal path of the startled horse. At the same time, Fors, hiding on the other side, lightly clenched her hand and pulled sideways.

The attacker’s footing abruptly softened, as though he had stumbled over something, and he fell directly to the ground before he could fire.

Panicked, he propped himself up with one hand and abruptly sprang to his feet, about to fire wildly without aiming.

However, when his finger pulled, he touched nothing.

His revolver had already fallen from his grip during the earlier fall and landed beside Hazel’s feet!

Immediately afterward, he and the startled horse were subdued by the bodyguards at the same time.

“Why did you attack me?” Councilman Macht suppressed the surging emotions inside him and stepped forward, asking in a deep voice.

The middle-aged man immediately laughed loudly. With a crazed expression, he shouted, “It was all because of you! All because of you people!

“You said it was for air pollution. You said everyone had to use smokeless coal! My factory went bankrupt, my child died of illness, and my wife killed herself!”