Velvet also went back inside to change. She was a lady, so she could take some time. Just not too much.

The shirt she wore yesterday was dirty and wet, and some blood still remained.

“Do you think the other mage knows it was me?”

Could they trace the curse they used back to her?

“No. To do that they would have to follow the paper figurine back, put a tracking spell on it or know beforehand it was you.”

“Or search for someone with a damaged hand.” Velvet rummaged through her suitcase, pulling a clean, long sleeved white shirt, “or for someone that visited the nurse.”

“There’s also the murder,” she added, dressing up with one hand, “I mean, obviously no one will see this,” she waved her hand, “and think it is related to that, but still.”

Done that, she pulled out a sheet of paper and made a ‘healing’/painkiller charm that she wrapped around her palm.

Pulling out another, she wrapped her hand again, and applied some magic, making the paper deform and cover her damaged hand and Esca. Soon, the paper changed color to be the same as Velvet skin, making it look as if she was perfectly fine.

“Hmm…” She decided to change hats, this time a brown boater hat with a green ribbon.

“There’s been a murder, I don’t think it’s the time.”

“Don’t you know Hyde? Girls like to change hats when they have inner and outer problems. It helps them mentally, you demon. Now,” she picked with care her previous hat, Hyde inside, and put it closer to the new one, “Get moving.”

A shadow behind the ribbon extended its tendrils, caressing the less darker shadow on the other hat. Then, slowly, as if it were the roots of a plant, extending, and burrowing itself on the shadow, the darkness moved.

Pocket dimensions was something all demons had. She didn’t know how big Hyde’s was, but, since he was small, even a place like the bedroom they were now would be considered big.

Once he finished moving, Velvet stored the old hat and put on the new one, before leaving the bedroom.

Outside, people were talking one over another, some tried to maintain order, but, with a murder just committed, and the train not stopping, the ambience was uncomfortable.

Velvet wanted to see the corpse, since the door was still open, but ten persons plus the staff and the supervisor made the corridor tight.

And she couldn’t even use magic, not wanting to reveal herself to the other mage. But she did see Nathaniel and Niko, who were close.

Niko, whose paper figurine said , looked scared, tired, and a bit excited, not really understanding the situation, while Nathaniel was sitting against the wall with a look of panic.

“Do you know what happened?” Velvet asked them.

“They won’t let me look!” Niko, angry at the adult’s efforts to save him from a potential trauma, needed someone to talk to.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“They won’t let me look either, it’s too cramped.”

“Oh! Well I know a few things they said,” happy at being the knowing party, the kid started spilling the tea, “they say he was stabbed in the chest,” he poked his own chest as a demonstration, “Nath saw it.”

At being named, Nathaniel trembled, dragging his hands from his eyes to the back of his head, pushing the stray hairs back in place.

“Why? Why are they not stopping the train?” He wasn’t asking anyone in particular, his voice low.

“Didn’t they say anything? Maybe they are waiting for us to arrive to a big city”

Nathaniel lifted his head to look at her.

“We passed Davio’s detour five minutes ago. It’s not stopping.”

“Did the supervisor say why?”

“Something about arriving at Wishbell on time. For Mirel, why?”

Velvet was gonna keep talking, but a loud whistle stopped all the chatter in the train. It had come from the supervisor.

“Please, return to your cabins until further notice. The service will bring breakfast to your rooms soon.”

“Do not, and I repeat, do not leave your rooms until I say otherwise.”

Some noises of disagreement ran through the people. Some did share Nathaniel’s feelings, wondering why they didn’t take the detour to Davio.

Making their opinions known, the supervisor tried to calm them down, to no avail.

Then, the man next to him cleared his throat, making everyone shut up.

That’s strange, he didn’t make that much noise to be so imposing.

Of course, that was as long as one was a normal human. If one was a mage…

“Go back to your rooms. This is an order.”

Velvet felt the need to obey, just like everyone else, as if they were agreeing with him.

“Wait!” Nataniel got up, breaking the submissive atmosphere, “Are you expecting us to stay two full days like this?!” Velvet looked at him, he was sweating and pale as a ghost “And what about the body?! I-is he going to stay there for those two days?! We can stop at River Hill!”

Niko hid behind Velvet, seemingly a bit ashamed of his usually composed brother, even when he was in the right.

“That won’t be possible,” the man said, not losing his calmness. “The Textile Assembly will be held in Idir in a week. If my time would be lost in this… murder mystery, I might arrive late.”

“Who cares about some assembly?! Someone got killed!”

The people inside agreed.

“A sad tragedy. But, the hundred families in Dodon whose work depends on the deals made there, care about it. Will you explain it to them?” He turned to the rest of the people, “will you do it? Tell them they had to be laid off because of a murder? That could be resolved both in River Hill and in Wishbell? Which one of you wants to give the news?”

As fast as the people riled up again, they calmed down. Even Nathaniel took a step back.

Looking better at the man, apart from his noticeable long curled golden hair and red eyes, Velvet noticed how expensive his clothes were. Or the golden rings he wore. It was no wonder the supervisor looked so submissive towards him. And that was without counting the probable chance of him being a magician.

“Any other things to add?” He waited for a few seconds. No one spoke. “Then go back to your cabins and wait.” The last word was an order that everyone followed this time.

Velvet looked lost for a moment, waiting for the people to dissipate, then, she quickly took a glance at the room of the murder, before being glared at by the rich man, and scattering between excuses back to her room.

She didn’t need any extensive observation of the body, since she was of the Knowledge paradigm. That little instant was more than enough to remember the whole room.

Except the bathroom, because it was closed.

And by looking at the corpse, it was normal Nathaniel had gotten so scared of being close to the murderer.

Saying that he was stabbed was selling it short. Whoever did it made sure the evidence ended up around the whole room, just by stabbing over and over the detective’s body.