ACMBC 31

Chapter : 31

The very center of the target’s head lined up in the sights. Cedric checked her stance once more as she held the pistol.

“Remember this posture. The angle of your arms, how far apart your legs should be—things like that. You’ll get used to it gradually. When you’re just pressing the muzzle under someone’s chin, it doesn’t really matter how you hold it. But aiming at something far away is a different story.”

He was clearly recalling Lauren’s suicide threat incident. She snorted.

“That wasn’t under my chin—it was under yours. Otherwise, the deal never would’ve gone through. You know that. …Besides, just like back then, the gun’s still in my hand.”

He shrugged at her words.

“May I touch you?”

“…What?”

“You told me I should at least talk before doing it.”

Before she could even respond, he reached out, grabbed Lauren’s wrist, and lifted the arm holding the pistol slightly upward.

“You’d do well to make sure your arm doesn’t droop.”

After making one last adjustment to her stance, he stepped back a couple of paces.

“And… when you actually find yourself in a situation where you have to shoot someone, you’ll probably panic and start firing wildly. You’ll see.”

Then he muttered something that sounded like a curse. After all, wouldn’t it be better if a situation where you had to shoot someone never happened?

Lauren let Cedric’s words go in one ear and out the other. Instead of replying, she pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed through the dining hall.

The first bullet grazed the target and buried itself in the wall. She wouldn’t be the one paying for the repairs, but she couldn’t help feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt.

She could practically picture Robinson—the chef in charge of the manor’s meals—looking at the dining hall in utter despair.

“…You didn’t intentionally shoot the wall, did you?”

“Of course not.”

She fired again. The second bullet cut through the air. This time, it punched through the target’s shoulder. A neat round hole appeared in the paper.

“See? Even if I hit the target, it still ends up hitting the wall.”

“…As long as you don’t bring the building down, I don’t mind.”

Lauren’s shots gradually became more accurate. With each round fired, new holes appeared closer and closer to the target’s head.

Cedric let out a quiet note of admiration. It was a short distance, but even so, this was skill one could call innate talent. If she didn’t slack off in practice, she could soon become a sharpshooter on par with him.

Maybe even better.

He didn’t say that out loud. He didn’t want to see the look on Lauren’s face if she got smug.

The magazine ran dry quickly. The dining hall wall, meanwhile, was a mess. Lauren looked at Cedric, still holding the gun.

“Well?”

Her cheeks were flushed. The vibration that traveled through her hand every time she pulled the trigger was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. Each time a bullet pierced the target, she felt a thrill.

“Well done. If this weren’t a dining hall, I would’ve moved the target farther back. That’s a shame.”

“Do you think I could hit a moving target?”

Since the opponent she would eventually face was a person, Lauren lowered the gun and asked him.

“With practice, it won’t be difficult. If you think you can’t, just shoot anything nearby.”

“Anything?”

“Yes. And then… say a few convincing words. Something like, ‘The next bullet goes into your heads.’ You’re good at that kind of thing.”

“Like, ‘I’m a master sharpshooter who can knock birds out of the sky, and that last shot was merely a warning’?”

“That might be a bit much.”

Cedric shook his head. Thanks to her quick retreat, Lauren ended up being the only one who looked strange.

Indoor shooting practice continued after that. They had to replace the target paper about twice.

She missed often, but half of the six shots pierced near the head. Each time she reloaded, confidence built in the hand pulling the trigger.

“Next time, I’ll prepare a moving target.”

“And please prepare a place where I can practice.”

Clearly, a wide space was more urgent than a moving target. When they finished practicing, the dining hall wall looked as though a gunfight had taken place. Cedric had no choice but to leave a note on the table: ‘Please do not worry about the wall.’

The next morning, Robinson wailed as if he’d been shot in the chest when he saw the bullet-riddled wall and the note—but Cedric and Lauren had already departed for the territory of Count Collins.

The train departed the station. Cedric slid a small suitcase into the overhead rack. It held clothes for the two-day journey.

Whether they had truly rented out an entire car, the compartment Lauren and Cedric were riding in was completely empty.

“How luxurious,” Lauren muttered as she looked around the train.

She had ridden trains before, but this was her first time in first class.

Instead of hard seats wrapped in cloth, the compartment was filled with soft velvet seats, padded generously with stuffing. The air inside even smelled pleasant.

“I heard they won’t sell tickets because there aren’t any.”

As he moved around the compartment, Cedric began drawing the curtains over the windows. Beneath the thick white curtains hung delicate lace. Every detail had clearly been chosen with care.

With each window covered, the compartment gradually grew darker.

“Do we go straight to the destination?”

“We’ll stop a few times, but this is the fastest route. From the arrival station, the manor is within walking distance. Father went through quite a bit of trouble to bring the railway in. Peter will be there to greet us when we arrive.”

After thoroughly checking the compartment, Cedric finally sat down across from Lauren.

The train, powered by magic stones, was remarkably quiet. If it weren’t for the occasional faint vibration, one might believe they were in a building rather than a moving train.

“The dining car is two cars over. You can go there yourself, or call someone to come here.”

“I don’t really feel like eating right now. Calling someone would be better than going myself.”

“Very well. Then eat whenever you feel like it.”

Lauren nodded and unfolded a newspaper she had picked up at the station. Today’s date was printed on it. The pages were filled with trivial articles.

“When did you get that?”

“Before boarding the train. They were selling them at the station. I happened to have some coins.”

She flipped through the newspaper briskly before opening it to the advertisements. As expected, the page was packed with ads—everything from job listings to ridiculous notices looking for a marriage partner.

“Cedric, do you see this page?”

With an unhesitating motion, Lauren tore out the page full of advertisements and handed it to him.

“What is this…?”

He narrowed his eyes and began reading each boxed advertisement one by one.

“Do you see an ad from the ‘Redrum Employment Agency’?”

“Where…”

Tracing the torn page with his finger, Cedric scanned it before tapping the lower-left corner. Just as Lauren had said, there was an advertisement posted under the name “Redrum Employment Agency.”

[Looking for two gravekeepers. Immediate placement available. Redrum Employment Agency.]

At a glance, it looked like a simple advertisement—but there was no address listed.

Cedric fell silent. An employment agency you couldn’t write to or visit.

After a moment of thought, he checked the name of the newspaper. The Black Eagle Daily. Its credibility was questionable, but it was a nationwide daily. Less a place for genuine recruitment ads, more a way to spread information…

“Noah, right?”

Cedric asked with about half certainty. Lauren’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“A hunch.”

“That’s boring. But yes, it’s Noah. I asked him. I was wondering if there was a faster way to get news than letters. The ad fee can’t have been cheap, so I’ll have to pay him well.”

“Did you decide on a code?”

“Yes. Anything related to death—like gravekeepers or undertakers—means everything’s fine. Things related to food, like cooks, candy shop clerks, or bakers… mean we’re in big trouble.”

“…Only two options?”

It was a far simpler code than he’d expected. At Cedric’s question, Lauren looked smug.

“Of course. That’s all you really want to know, isn’t it? Are we screwed, or are we okay. That’s what it all comes down to.”

She wasn’t wrong. Cedric nodded before he even realized it.

After thoroughly scanning the newspaper, Cedric said he’d get some sleep and told her to wake him if anything happened. He closed his eyes, and his breathing soon became steady.

Lauren pulled the curtain back slightly and looked at the scenery outside. Buildings drifted past the window at a slow pace.

It seemed they had reached the outskirts—the view was far more relaxed than the center of the capital.