Hanging from Angelica's neck, the amethyst pendulum glowed a bit, and she noticed that.

'Someone tried to look into my mind…'

She thought, looked away from the window, and looked around the car.

When her gaze went over the men, they blushed and tried to make themselves look more handsome.

Women, on the other hand, felt themselves turn uglier and wished they were invisible.

'No one shows any sign of discomfort…'

She then saw one person leave the car—it was just a young man, but she couldn't get a good look at his face—and she then turned back to the window.

'It doesn't matter. He must be under quite some pain right now.'

She took her purse, left her seat, and headed to the sleeping car—there, she entered her room, closed the door, and then looked around.

It was a small, cramped room with a bunk bed and a small window with the curtains drawn.

She lifted her veil, revealing her flawless-skinned face, and then put her belongings on the top bunk.

When she unzipped her bag, she took out a candle, a box of matches, and a small journal.

In the window, there was a wooden board under the drawn curtains—she was able to use it as a desk—and she put the candle and box of matches away temporarily.

She wasn't in need of those, as it wasn't dark just yet. Therefore, she just pulled the curtains aside to let in the sunlight and put her journal down on the wooden board.

With the pen in hand, she started writing.

"It is the 32nd year and 11th month of my life.

"I just left the Dark Jewel's Corner behind. I was there about eight months, and I worked in the School of Divinity and Mysticism.

"It took me a while to advance, so I spent the first seven months there as Enchantress. I became mistress to a couple of wealthy men there, but of course, I kept that secret life hidden from my colleagues and students.

"In the seventh month, I was finally promoted to Succubus. Thank you, Rose Goddess, and I found out that the strongest life force came from my students.

"Taking the life force from one of my students wasn't what I desired, but for the glory of the Rose Goddess, I couldn't let the power She gave me go to waste.

"I chose a student of mine, Jeff Quinn, to be my source of strength. He had shown the most potential among the students and had the greatest life force.

"It was easy to seduce him; all it took was a kiss, and he was immediately mine to do as I wished.

"I took about twenty years of lifespan from him. It helped me to increase my divinity, but it isn't enough anymore, and I need a stronger source.

"So, I am currently heading to Gehram, and I already know who I will take it from. The King of the Gamblers, Redici D'Arondale.

"I've heard that he has reached level 6 of the Magician Pathway. I think that life force will be more than enough for me to become Bride of the Flesh.

"I'll tell you how it went once I am done in Gehram.

"From Angelica Mercie, the Succubus of Sex Redemption."

…

Train, Sleeping Car, Room 65.

With a twist of the doorknob, Kael entered the cramped room and saw that Dorian was sleeping on the top bunk.

He was snoring so loud that he was able to hear him outside the room, and he was lying quite lazily, with one leg dangling over the edge.

It also smelled quite horrible in the room, so Kael opened the window and let nature's scent fill the room.

'It's a surprise that Angelica is taking the train. With her sensitive nose, this whole train must be a hellish experience, as it smells quite bad.'

Kael pinched his nose, used a newspaper to fan the air around him, and cursed under his breath.

After taking off his coat and putting his shoes away, he lay down on the bottom bunk and checked the time on the timepiece.

'I think we should be back in the Dark Jewel's Corner before Sunday. I've thought about the Society of Knowers for a while, and I'd like to give it another shot.

'It would be a waste not to. I don't think they're hostile, but alas, I don't really know them, so I still have to walk on eggshells around them.'

Kael put his arms under his head, closed his eyes, and also decided to have a nap since there wasn't much else to do.

…

Screech!

In the darkness of the night, the train's wheels let out sparks and came to a screeching halt with a loud noise that jolted Kael awake.

"Mmh, the hell?"

He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and heard some running outside the door—there was also a lot of shouting—and when he opened the door, the other passengers were also looking curiously.

The train's conductor and other train staff were running back and forth frantically. It seemed as if they were in a panic.

"It looks like something happened…"

Kael crossed his arms, then heard Dorian drop from the top bunk, and he was scratching his bed hair.

"W-what's going on?"

He asked sleepily.

"The train had stopped, and it looks like something has happened."

Kael said, walked back to the room, and checked out from the window—he couldn't really see much, except the dark wilderness of the Whitesky.

The crimson moon hung high in the sky like a watching eye, its red glow casting an eerie light over the deserted landscape.

"Everyone, please return back to your rooms!"

At that moment, the train conductor came, reassured everyone, and told them all to go back to their rooms.

"What has happened?"

Dorian stepped out and asked, but he didn't receive any concrete answer and was just told to go back inside.

With a frown, Dorian returned to the room and slid the door shut.

"I don't like this one bit. The trains of the Whitesky rarely come to a stop outside the train stations because of bandits and possible Rav'akari danger.

"With the train stopped, it's just a big target…"

Dorian said with a troubled look.

"Hmm…"

Kael flicked his wrist, summoned the Black Revolver to his hand, and looked out of the window for any possible escape route.

'I am not going to stay here and get slaughtered. At the first sign of trouble, I'll just jump out and run back to the Dark Jewel's Corner!'