"Of course, please, have a look."
The man, seeing Jenkins's interest, enthusiastically opened his briefcase and handed him a glass bottle filled with a thick, black, oily substance. The stuff looked utterly nauseating; it was hard to imagine how it had been made.
"Oh, sorry! Damn bugs!"
Just as they drew close, Jenkins suddenly brandished his cane. He muttered curses as he waved it around, as if a fly were genuinely buzzing near him.
The swinging Spirit Striking Cane "accidentally" struck and passed through the spiritual entity behind the salesman. The spirit, which should have been impervious to physical harm, instantly developed a horrifying red welt. Its body rapidly dissolved, starting from that swollen mark, and by the time Jenkins was apologizing to the startled salesman for his reckless behavior, it had vanished completely.
"It's gone... but it wasn't the old key keeper. Was that really just a coincidence?"
While listening intently to the salesman explain the merits of his shoe polish, Jenkins was still thinking about the spirit from a moment ago. He had initially thought the old key keeper was attempting a diversion—sending the gun from a distance while he himself approached in disguise. But on second thought, the old murderer couldn't have known that Jenkins could sense Cursed Items or similar phenomena. He would have had no reason to orchestrate such a complex ruse.
"Am I overthinking this?"
The salesman's shoe polish was exorbitantly priced—though it was also possible he was just trying to rip Jenkins off. There was no way Jenkins would spend three shillings on a jar of black gunk. He would rather buy a bouquet from a random flower girl on the street than purchase a bottle of trash.
"Oh, you're finally out. Let's get going!"
With that, he left the salesman, who was busy arranging his briefcase, and walked toward the girls. The spiritual aura representing the gun was still approaching, but for some reason, it had started circling the area. This likely meant the gun's owner had realized they'd been discovered and was now looking for a way to ambush them. Newest update provıded by novelFɪre.net
Jenkins stressed again, his lowered right hand forming the shape of a pistol. Hathaway nodded in understanding and played along.
"Yes, it's getting so late. We should go. We probably can't get back to Nolan tonight, but I think we could stay at..."
Before she could finish, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance. In the stillness of the long night, the sound made the very air tremble. Everyone in the shop heard it at the same time, and the red-haired girl instinctively pulled the blonde girl behind her.
"Damn it, is the security around here really this bad?"
Jenkins muttered under his breath, then was the first to step out of the shop to take a look before turning back to the others.
"From the sound of it, the shot came from a few streets away. I don't see anyone suspicious around here right now. I think everyone should be careful. There might be a crime happening in town."
In reality, the sound had come from that very gun—a fact confirmed by Jenkins's eyes and Hathaway's ears. The shot was, without a doubt, a warning meant for their group.
"You think I'm scared of you?"
Not counting the people in the herbal medicine shop upstairs, there were a total of six people on the ground floor of the grocery store. And if a fight broke out, they would all just get in the way.
Jenkins shot Hathaway a look, signaling for her to use her Lullaby ability to put everyone to sleep for a bit. Although he had a similar spell, an Enchanter's power was obviously more reliable.
"I think you all should wait here a while before leaving. The police should be passing by here soon. If you go out now, it would be terrible to run right into the culprit."
the grocery store owner advised. He meant well.
Hathaway had already taken out the silk threads she often used as strings, but before she could begin to play, Briny suddenly grabbed her right hand.
"Don't worry, Jenkins will protect us."
the blonde girl said, a complex mix of fear and worry on her face.
"I never expected something to happen. I thought this town was supposed to be peaceful."
the salesman remarked softly. He stood slightly closer to the wall, a little farther away from the others.
"I heard there was a string of midnight murders in Nolan City not long ago. I hope nothing like that happens in our town."
the grocery store owner continued, and Jenkins shot him a suspicious glance but said nothing.
Just as the owner had mentioned, a few minutes later, police officers who had heard the shot rushed past the shop's entrance, heading in the direction of the gunshot.
After confirming once more that the gun was circling in the near vicinity, Jenkins reached out and took Briny's hand. Her face immediately flushed red, and she glanced at Hathaway, but Hathaway offered no comment. She knew Jenkins was doing it to protect them.
"Let's get out of here."
Without so much as a goodbye to the others in the grocery store, he pulled Briny out onto the night-shrouded street. Hathaway followed close behind, and when the middle-aged salesman saw that his customers had left, he shrugged and exited the shop as well.
The air in the small country town was much better than in the city. The night breeze was filled with the unique dampness of the countryside and the fragrance of the soil. Jenkins wasn't sure if "fragrance" was the right word, but at least it was a significant improvement over the choking air of the city.
The grocery store had been especially warm thanks to its fireplace, but out here in the open, everyone couldn't help but shiver in the night wind.
Jenkins took off his coat and handed it to Briny, revealing the navy blue sweater Mary had knitted for him. Briny tried to pass the coat to Hathaway, but she refused, tugging at her own clothes to show she wasn't cold at all.
Jenkins took a few deep breaths of fresh air, first glancing up at the myriad stars in the sky, then narrowing his eyes in the direction of the gun.
"Hathaway, where did you say we could stay?"
"We can stay at Rose's house. She's a classmate of ours..."
She trailed off, then turned a suspicious gaze on the salesman beside them.
"Sir, would you please leave? We're not buying anything."
"Alright, alright, but are you sure? This is excellent shoe polish. I can give you twenty percent off. Look, that's a huge discount! You're going to make it so I can't even afford the carriage fare back to Nolan!"
As he spoke, the salesman waggled his briefcase at Jenkins again.