In the middle carriage.
Ymir was meditating, but ever since hearing that Baron Askpa had rebelled, she had been unable to settle her mind.
The telegram had already been sent. Now they could only wait for confirmation from the other side about what had happened.
At that moment, Rein calculated the time. It was time to change her dressing and clean the wound again.
He took the gauze and medicine from his backpack and said as usual, "Miss Ymir, it's time to change your dressing again."
Although High-tier Extraordinary individuals possessed tremendous regenerative abilities, the strange Transcendent power inside Ymir constantly prevented her wounds from healing. Though Ymir had endured it without ever mentioning it, Rein had seen several times how that power tormented her until cold sweat poured down her body.
A doctor's apprentice was simply helpless against that sort of injury. Rein could only diligently change her dressings and clean the wounds, doing his best with physical treatment to help speed up her recovery.
"Mm."
Ymir nodded when she heard it was time to change the dressing.
She naturally removed her coat and undershirt, exposing her entire beautiful back before Rein.
The fractures in her arm had mostly healed, and the wounds on her back had left barely any scars. Her skin was smooth, as though she had never been injured at all.
Without a stray thought, Rein unwrapped the bloodstained gauze and carefully cleaned away the dirty blood around the wounds.
Then he moved to the front of her body.
Ymir covered her chest with one hand, concealing those proud peaks.
Even so, vast stretches of snowy-white skin were exposed without obstruction before Rein.
When she sat up, her proportions looked even more spectacular than when she lay down.
They looked heavy enough that one slender hand could barely bear the burden.
Rein had no idea that he was the only man in the world fortunate enough to witness such a breathtaking sight.
Not to mention touching her, Princess Oma's immaculate body had never been seen by anyone except her personal elderly court matrons.
Both of them had grown accustomed to changing the dressing. Rein's hands were practiced, while Ymir showed neither embarrassment nor discomfort, remaining perfectly composed.
They had been outdoors for the past few days, so changing the dressing had not been so troublesome. But this sealed little compartment was truly too cramped. With the two facing each other, even turning around was difficult.
Rein had no choice but to get very close. The faint fragrance on Ymir's body, like an ice lotus, kept drifting into his nose.
There was only a small red electric lamp on the wall. In the dim light, the tiny compartment looked somewhat like one of those shady hair-washing parlors from his previous life.
The lighting and the distance made everything feel rather intimate.
Thump. Thump.
Perhaps during certain accidental brushes against extreme softness, his heartbeat became unusually rapid.
Rein had no idea whether Boss Ymir had noticed.
Her expression remained cold, and she showed no intention of speaking.
Rein reined in his thoughts and carefully wrapped the wound.
"All right, Miss Ymir."
After changing the medicine and wrapping fresh gauze around her, Rein helped Ymir put her clothes back on.
This was a train, so people passing back and forth through the corridor outside was nothing unusual.
But then, with the sound of a key turning, someone was actually opening the door to their compartment!
"Someone's coming!"
Ymir frowned and swiftly put on her gas mask. She did not want anyone other than this doctor to see her true face.
"Train staff? Why would they unlock the door without knocking?"
Rein complained in dissatisfaction.
Before he had time to put on his gas mask, the two people outside had already unlocked the door and walked in.
The intruders wore tight black leather jackets and pants. One had an earring, while the other sported a green mohawk. They did not look like train staff at all, but rather gang thugs.
Rein asked coldly, "What are you doing?"
"Checking for wanted criminals!"
The green-haired mohawk guy gave him a roguish glance and said, "Take off those gas masks. We need to verify your identities."
"On what grounds?"
These two claimed to be checking for fugitives, but they looked more like punks trying to extort money.
Rein knew Ymir would never want others to see her face, so he refused. "What right do you have to enter our compartment without permission? We are passengers who bought tickets! Leave before I call a conductor!"
Besides, if those two saw her peerless beauty, it would likely cause trouble.
At that moment, Ymir had not yet put on her coat, but her plain white linen undershirt still roughly outlined her figure. Combined with the noble bearing she had been born with, she could instantly draw all attention even inside this small compartment.
"Heh?!"
The green-haired mohawk sneered. His gaze landed on Ymir, and he could no longer look away.
Even though he could not see her face, he was certain that the woman before him had an incredible figure.
He waved the ring of door keys in his hand and said, "We are the train staff! I'm telling you, cooperate with our inspection and nothing will happen. Otherwise, I'll throw you off this train!"
As he spoke, the mohawk, whose lust had been stirred, actually stepped into the compartment. Pointing at Ymir in her gas mask, he said with undisguised ill intent, "Take off your mask. I need to check whether you're a wanted criminal!"
Clearly, he had taken a fancy to her.
Rein's face darkened. He did not want trouble, but neither would he allow others to trample over him.
Just then, he noticed the actions of the earring-wearing man behind the mohawk, which made him even more suspicious.
That guy held a piece of paper that looked like a bounty notice. The moment he saw Rein, his expression abruptly changed, as though he had discovered something.
Then he covertly compared something on the notice, looked at Rein again, and his eyes trembled with excitement and barely restrained elation.
Rein quietly took in both of their expressions. He was very familiar with the look in the earring man's eyes. It was the greed of someone plotting murder for profit!
There was no need to guess. That notice was probably closely related to him!
These people seemed to recognize his face?
Rein's expression did not change, but his instincts had already led him to a silent decision: he absolutely could not let these two leave!
The earring man probably thought a target worth a hundred million in bounty money would be difficult to handle. He did not call out, apparently intending to withdraw first and find reinforcements. He tugged at the green-haired mohawk and gave him a look signaling retreat.
The mohawk clearly had not understood yet and snapped, "What are you doing?"
The earring man's expression turned awkward for an instant. He winked frantically at Rein, then secretly flicked the notice in his hand with a finger.
Only then did the mohawk suddenly understand.
No matter how hard he tried to hide his expression, he could not conceal the flushed skin caused by blood rushing to his face in excitement.
No wonder he had thought the guy looked familiar. Could they really be that lucky? A walking hundred-million bounty had actually run into them?
Seeing their clumsy acting only made Rein more certain that these two were up to no good!
Without further hesitation, every muscle in his body suddenly contracted. A cold glint flashed in his hand as he produced a scalpel as if by magic. The instant the two turned to leave the compartment, he darted forward in a single step.
The two gang punks—one a half-baked Transcendent and the other not even Transcendent—could bully ordinary people just fine. But against a ruthless assassin like Rein, trained by the Assassin Phantom Thief Gang, how could they possibly be a match?
Though the two had been on guard, in that split second they only saw Rein's figure flash, followed by the compartment door being kicked shut.
In close combat, a short blade clearly held the advantage.
Before the earring man even understood what had happened, Rein had already slit his throat with the scalpel.
The mohawk beside him was splashed across the face with steaming blood. Before the terror on his face could even fully spread, Rein drove another blade into his lower back.
Even at death's door, the mohawk reacted quickly.
He lunged forward, trying to overpower Rein with brute force before fleeing through the door.
Unfortunately, to his despair, the moment he slammed into Rein, he felt as though he had hit a wall. He stared in shock as he realized that this doctor in a white coat was actually stronger than him!
Everything Rein had learned in the phantom thief gang was meant for killing. There were no flashy, unnecessary movements.
If one strike could kill, he would never use a second!
Leaving survivors was clearly impossible now. If these men shouted even once, they might draw passengers from the neighboring compartments to investigate.
Rein hunched his back to block the mohawk's charge. Then his left hand shot under the man's armpit like lightning, seized his neck, and lifted him with Monstrous Strength before pinning him against the wall.
"Help—"
Before the mohawk could finish that cry, while he was kicking and struggling, the scalpel's cold gleam precisely pierced his heart.
Rein pulled it out.
Splat!
Blood sprayed out, flowing down the leather clothes and pooling across the floor. The man was already dead.
Killing the two of them took only three to five breaths.
Rein looked at the two corpses on the floor and slowly let out a deep breath.
Then he looked at Ymir on the bed.
Her expression was as calm as ever. The deaths of two people seemed utterly insignificant to her. Besides, in her eyes, they had already been dead men from the beginning.
Still, she did think more highly of Rein's methods and decisiveness. She had noticed earlier that he had only recently advanced into the Transcendent realm, yet possessed Monstrous Strength and powerful physical abilities.
She had thought he had advanced along some Fighter-type path, but she had not expected his methods of killing just now to be the skills of a very seasoned assassin!
That surprised the well-traveled Eldest Princess greatly.
With her insight, how could she fail to see that Rein's assassination skills belonged to a veteran assassin trained over many years?
But how had this man also become a doctor?
Rein felt somewhat uncomfortable beneath that strange gaze. He spread his hands and forced out an explanation. "As you can see, I'm a doctor. It's normal for me to know a few martial skills for self-defense."
"I've met many doctors who knew martial skills."
Ymir's tone was strange.
After a pause, she added, "But you're the first one I've met who can perform a Throat Slash so skillfully."
"Huh?"
Rein forced out an awkward smile and shrugged noncommittally.
The situation had been urgent, so he had not had time to hold back. He had used his skills at full force to kill the two men. He also understood that Boss Ymir had surely seen through some of his background.
However, Ymir still had no intention of probing Rein's secrets. She merely said calmly, "The Transcendent path you advanced along is not suitable for becoming an assassin. In the future, you should advance into the Martial Artist or Qi Master sequence instead."
"Mm, thank you for your guidance, Miss Ymir."
Rein also breathed a sigh of relief.
This noble lady might be somewhat cold by nature, but that was a good thing. At least she did not like digging into other people's secrets.
Only then did Rein bend down and pick up the notice beside the earring man's corpse.
The moment he saw it, he froze.
"Holy shit! Isn't that my portrait?"
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