kingnovel Chapter 161 Casual Chat on the Train
Chapter 161 Casual Chat on the Train
Just as Irina moved to seat number 12 in carriage C, she was startled by the person in front of her.
Someone she never expected to meet on this train, Morse, was sitting in the seat opposite her.
"Huh?" Irina exclaimed in surprise, her gaze fixed on him.
Morse maintained his usual calm expression as he slowly raised his head to meet Irina's gaze. This brief eye contact immediately drew the attention of the surrounding passengers.
After all, Irina attracted attention the moment she boarded the train. Her attire and demeanor suggested she was no ordinary person, and her beauty was the main draw for everyone's attention.
“You…” Irina began, surprised by Morse’s appearance.
Morse looked at the girl standing in front of him and said softly, "I should have known."
Irina's confusion deepened, and she grew somewhat impatient, glaring at Morse. "What did you think of?"
Morse ignored her gaze and calmly replied, "I heard the explosion inside the train; I should have guessed it was you."
Irina's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?"
Morse pointed outside. “Look outside, the burn marks are obvious. There aren’t many people in this world who use ‘transportation’ like you, and you attracted a lot of attention even before you boarded the train.”
Irina only now realized that her plan to escape her mother's plans had attracted attention, and a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
The main reason is that the person who discovered this was this annoying guy in front of me.
"Ugh......"
She sighed and sat down opposite him. But as she sat down, she suddenly realized something.
What is he doing here?
What could this guy be doing here? She looked at him with curiosity. He was dressed casually, looking the same as usual, but she sensed that something was different about him.
Has anything changed?
Her curiosity grew stronger. This annoying guy had been occupying her thoughts lately, and she hadn't understood most of what was going on about him.
"Since you're here, why don't you tell me what you're doing on this train?"
Morse remained expressionless, staring out the window. "I have my reasons, you could say it's business."
Irina raised an eyebrow, indicating skepticism. "Business? What business? Doing business on the train to Arcadia?"
Morse replied indifferently, "That's none of your business."
"..."
Irina rolled her eyes and began to regret getting on the train.
'That annoying guy.'
His cold attitude and way of speaking always annoyed her.
"I don't care anyway."
"You don't care? Then why did you ask?"
"...None of your business."
"None of my business?"
"Correct."
Do you think I believe this?
Believe whatever you want.
“I’ve always believed what I believe; you don’t need to say it.”
"you......"
'How annoying. '
Every time I argue with this guy, things always end like this. He always acts arrogant and contrite, and every conversation ends with him retorting.
It's like...
He needs to say one last thing.
Moreover, she realized from their past conversations that she felt like she had lost every time they ended.
'I can't take it anymore.'
“You know what, your attitude really annoys me,” Irina said, giving Morse an angry look.
“Likewise,” Morse replied calmly, his gaze still fixed on the scenery rushing past the window.
Irina snorted and crossed her arms. "If I had known you were sitting here, I would have preferred to sit on the roof of the train rather than in the same carriage as you."
"You'll freeze to death up there, won't you?"
"That's still better than sitting with you."
"Then why haven't you gone yet?"
Irina rolled her eyes. "That's because, annoyingly, I still want to get back to the academy unharmed."
Morse turned from the window to look at Irina. His expression remained unchanged, but Irina swore she saw a hint of mockery in his eyes, yet was also deeply attracted.
'So beautiful...'
For a fleeting moment, she was almost captivated by his eyes.
“You don’t need to admit that you want to be with me,” he said casually.
...but it was quickly replaced by anger.
"Ha, wishful thinking. I only care about myself."
“Yes, yes, let’s just keep comforting ourselves like this.” Morse’s tone remained calm, but Irina couldn’t help but wonder if he was secretly enjoying their banter.
He seemed to be in a good mood.
At first she was unsure, but as they continued to talk, she noticed that his words were somewhat different from usual.
Normally, he would interrupt others in a stern tone, but this time, he participated in the conversation in a different way.
'Should I ask?'
Lately, some questions have been lingering in her mind, and she really wants to know the answers.
She had limited information and didn't want to wait for another investigation. Since the opportunity was right in front of her, why not take advantage of it?
“By the way, Morse,” Irina cautiously began, “do you know someone named Trevor Phillips?”
Morse raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question, but his reaction remained largely unchanged. "Trevor Phillips? I've heard of that name. Why are you asking?"
'Doesn't Morse recognize him?'
Irina continued to observe Morse's reaction and was certain that he had no connection with Trevor Phillips.
Irina hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "It's nothing."
However, this reaction only piqued Morse's curiosity. He leaned back in his seat, his gaze sweeping over Irina. "Nothing? You're not the kind of person who mentions other people's names for no reason. What's wrong with Trevor Phillips?"
Irina sighed inwardly, realizing she had unintentionally piqued Morse's interest. However, she decided not to tell him the answer, still feeling annoyed by their earlier argument.
“I won’t tell you.” Irina looked at Morse defiantly.
Morse didn't seem to care about her reaction, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You're actually curious?" A sly glint flashed in Irina's eyes.
“Everyone has curiosity,” Morse replied expressionlessly.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Irina waved casually, unconcerned about his comments.
"You really won't tell me?" Morse pressed again.
“No.” Irina crossed her arms, appearing extremely stubborn.
“Understood.” Morse conceded, leaning back in his seat, seemingly unconcerned. Silence fell between them as the train continued its journey.
However, Irina's thoughts didn't stop. She couldn't help but ponder Trevor Phillips's motives. She sensed something different about Morse; he was still curious about the matter. But she knew that pressing him further would only provoke her more anger.
Boom!
The train continued its journey, and the scenery outside the window and the winter silence gradually made her feel the weariness of the week creeping over her. Instead of resting at home, she was busy fulfilling her mother's demands as the family heir.
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and my blinking slowed down until my eyes closed. The hum of the train engine gradually faded into a distant lullaby, and the scenery outside the window blurred into the background.
Irina let exhaustion overwhelm her, resting her head on the soft seat. Her breathing gradually calmed, and she drifted off to sleep. The train, carrying her and the other passengers, took them temporarily away from reality and into the realm of dreams.
......
'She actually fell asleep here.'
I was somewhat surprised to see the red-haired girl sleeping in front of me.
'Irina and the train...they don't match at all.'
I never imagined that the esteemed Lady Irina would be traveling on an ordinary train. Coming from a top-tier noble family, she would typically use a quick and convenient mode of transportation like a teleportation portal.
Although the portal was expensive, her family could afford it, unlike mine.
'But why did she mention Trevor Phillips?' I watched her sleep peacefully, but the name she had just mentioned kept replaying in my mind.
Trevor Phillips.
He is a villain in the game who made a deal with the demons and became one of the traitors within the academy and the human realm.
The Phillips family is a prestigious family. The head of the family is the vice president of the Hunter Association and the tenth ranked hunter in the world. He is also a member of the council.
According to information in the game, Irina has no relation to the Phillips family, and she has no interest in him whatsoever.
'Then why did she bring him up?'
What's more, it was quite unusual for Irina to ask me about someone. Most of our conversations were essentially arguments.
But she looked very serious.
Her tone of voice and subtle gestures revealed something unusual.
This concerns me.
Through our interactions in the maze and by observing her habits, I learned that whenever she was hiding something, she would press her middle finger with her thumb.
Furthermore, the way she looked at me, as if she was telling me I wouldn't tell her, suggested that I was at a disadvantage, which further indicated that this matter was related to me.
'What exactly is that?'
I started to wonder, what does Trevor Phillips have to do with me?
He was an upperclassman in the college, a villain, and there was no reason for me to have any contact with him.
If Irina knew he was a villain, she probably wouldn't have asked me.
'Perhaps she will, but certainly not now.'
Moreover, he's an upperclassman, so he shouldn't be interested in me at all.
'etc.'
Just as I continued to think, an idea suddenly popped into my head.
'If it were him...'
There is one possible reason that led me to contact him.
'That thing will spread among the older students...'
As my thoughts gradually became clearer, everything seemed to make sense.
'If it were him, he certainly has the ability to do that.'
But all of this is just my speculation; I have no evidence.
'But why would he do that?'
His motives remain unclear.
Let me see if I'm right.
Looking at the sleeping Irina, I decided to wait until she woke up before asking her.