Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1149

It wasn't yet dawn. By his calculation, Jenkins had slept less than two hours. The deeply slumbering Chocolate was curled into a ball of fur, nestled by his pillow. Half its face was buried under a paw, with only its adorable nose visible, breathing rhythmically.

Its eyes were slightly closed, its expression serene. Jenkins stared at the cat for a long while before finally easing his suspicions. The scene from his dream—of a giant black cat toying with a mouse—couldn't help but remind him of the time he'd turned into a mouse and been teased by Chocolate.

The cat peeked at the pensive Jenkins through one slightly squinted eye. Seeing that he was no longer suspicious, it relaxed and drifted back to sleep.

Around five o'clock, Papa Oliver burst into the room, utterly unconcerned whether Jenkins was still asleep.

He snarled through gritted teeth:

“Why was there a Lost Butterfly in the shop! Good heavens, do you have any idea that if I hadn't been wearing a precious pendant, I would have been teleported to a swamp in the southern forest!”

“Oh, I knew I’d forgotten something important.”

Jenkins admitted, embarrassed, his gaze shifting to the glass jar clutched in Papa Oliver's hand.

Chocolate's little paws kept reaching out, trying to touch the butterfly in the jar. But Jenkins knew his cat wasn't admiring the Lost Butterfly's beauty—it wanted to eat it. So he held the cat close, restricting its movements.

Papa Oliver bringing him the Lost Butterfly reminded Jenkins that he had encountered A-01-1-3411, the Rain Man, on Monday morning.

No one knew about this incident except for him and those cultists. If it hadn't been for the Lost Butterfly at home, and if Chocolate hadn't been clever enough to understand his intentions, it was hard to say how the whole affair with the angel would have ended.

After Jenkins explained the butterfly's origins, Papa Oliver glanced from the jar in his hand to Jenkins:

“Of course I'm sure. Otherwise, I would have joined the fight as soon as the angel appeared, instead of showing up at the very end like I did the day before yesterday. It's a good thing my cat is clever enough, or I really can't imagine how else I would have dealt with that monster.”

“Using a Lost Butterfly against the Rain Man... that's certainly unprecedented. Although the Rain Man is considered a natural phenomenon, it usually maintains a human form. I suppose that's why the Lost Butterfly was effective against it. But why would the Rain Man be after you...”

Jenkins shook his head, feigning ignorance. Fortunately, the cultists who had summoned the angel were all dead. The ritual had drained their life force completely. According to Miss Bevanna, the dead cultists all wore blissful smiles.

In short, no one had yet been able to determine who had summoned the Rain Man or what its purpose was. As a result, the fact that Jenkins was the city's most powerful remained a secret.

“You did very well on Monday.”

Having finished his scolding about the Lost Butterfly, Papa Oliver's mood returned to normal. He placed the small jar with the butterfly on the nightstand and sat down in the chair Miss Audrey had occupied earlier in the night.

“I’m proud of you, Jenkins.”

“I only did what I had to.”

He replied, his thoughts turning to Miss Stevel, who had been frightened away by the Rain Man. She would be staying in Nolan for half a month, and Jenkins planned to find her as soon as possible.

“Regarding the Rain Man, remember to write a report once you've recovered. I'll give the Keepers of Secrets a verbal account shortly. This might be related to the sacrificial offerings for the angel summoning...”

Jenkins wasn't even sure where he was injured. He was just exhausted; there was no real need to recover.

“Also, Matthew Gleve, the Saint Son of the Church of Creation and Machinery, wanted to see you, but we turned him down, using your recovery as an excuse.”

“Why does he want to see me?”

Jenkins didn't know the man, and because of the incident with the Gifted Clock, he was a little resistant to the idea of meeting him.

“I don't know. Probably just standard networking. Even though he's twenty-two years older than you, he's still considered a successful young man. He didn't originally know the Sage's Church had a Saint Son stationed in the Nolan diocese, but now that he does, a meeting is to be expected...”

“Then let the Church arrange it. I have no objection.”

Jenkins replied absently, his mind on last week's fierce battle on the beach. He wondered what had become of that animated steam-gear giant.

Before the angel's descent on Monday, Papa Oliver had been handling the matter of the Carmel family. Although Jenkins now understood most of their curse and history, he was still curious about what happened next.

Speaking of the Carmels, Papa Oliver's expression grew complicated: ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net

“After things settled down on Monday, I went to see Chulun Carmel yesterday at noon. She had aged terribly. She was once a noblewoman in her thirties, but now she's an old woman with a full head of silver hair and a face full of wrinkles. She told me the Carmel family had been forgiven, that they had found their redemption. The curse is over...”

“How did they find redemption?”

“Chulun Carmel said someone made a great sacrifice... I did some calculations, and the moment she said they were redeemed seems to coincide with when that white pillar of light appeared last night. We suspect that a member of the Carmel family, or someone connected to them, sacrificed their body and soul to kill three angels and severely injure a fourth with a single strike. That's how yesterday's victory was won, and that's why they were forgiven.”

“So that’s how the Church understands it!”

Jenkins had been worrying about what kind of lie to weave, even considering using his twice-weekly divine ability of [Lies].

But now that Papa Oliver believed he had found the answer, this was for the best. They could just say that Rynsarm Carmel had willingly sacrificed himself. Considering the outcome, that explanation benefited everyone.

The painting that sealed Chulun Carmel's husband burst into flames and turned to ash in the early hours of Tuesday, the very moment the arrow of light was fired. Because of the curse, the painting hadn't been stored in Nolan, so by the time Jenkins heard the news, it was already Wednesday noon.

Then, he heard from a Keeper of Secrets that Chulun Carmel, who had been living underground in the church, had died of natural causes today at 12:03 PM. Her death was peaceful, as if from old age. She said nothing before she passed, simply ate her lunch quietly, lay down for a nap, and never woke up.