Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1150

"So, we never figured out what exactly happened to the Carmel family, and now all the most effective witnesses are dead. I suppose this will just have to be one of the few unsolved mysteries of my life..."

This was Papa Oliver's summation of the Carmel affair, and he sounded rather wistful. Jenkins knew the full story, of course, but he couldn't share it.

Later that afternoon, Jenkins visited Fini again. He promised to attend the funeral for Louise’s family and their neighbors on Friday. Of all the people Diwo had murdered in that alley, only Louise could remain in the material world as an angel. The rest had to accept death's embrace.

It was painfully clear that most of the victims had no relatives or friends to cover their funeral expenses. Jenkins had just mentioned to Miss Bevanna that he wanted to make a donation, but she informed him that it wasn't under her purview.

He hadn't even finished his conversation with the girl when an apprentice of the Keeper of Secrets interrupted them. Mr. Smith needed to see Jenkins.

"It's about that item you helped the Church acquire, B-10-2-3491, the 'Curse of the Love Comb.' Do you remember it? Something strange happened to it this morning—a very distinct crack appeared on its surface. Just a little while ago, the comb shattered completely and lost all its supernatural characteristics. I believe we can officially retire its designation. However, since we located the item based on your intelligence, I'd like you to take a look when you have a moment and sign a form confirming it wasn't switched out and did, in fact, self-destruct."

That comb, entangled with love and tragedy, was the very source of the Carmel family's curse. With the curse now broken, the hatred of the lovebirds contained within it must have dissipated as well.

Jenkins hoped the innocent little birds from a millennium ago could finally find peace. He also made a point of repeatedly warning his cat that birds weren't very tasty at all—far inferior to turkey.

Soon enough, the Keeper of Secrets brought the comb, now in two pieces, to a private office. The last time Jenkins had seen it, the comb had looked pristine. Now, it appeared as though it had weathered a thousand years, resembling two pieces of rotted wood.

The cat let out a yawn, pretending, just like the Keeper of Secrets, to have seen nothing at all. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel⸺fire.net

Both birds were beautiful. Though they appeared as pure white spirits, their brilliant plumage invisible, their elegant forms and noble posture were unmistakable.

Sensing Jenkins's gaze, the lovebirds chirped and took flight, one to the left and one to the right. It was only then that Jenkins noticed their wings were damaged, looking as if they had been cruelly slashed with a blade.

The lovebirds fluttered unsteadily through the air, and Jenkins instinctively reached out his hands to catch them.

The old Keeper of Secrets watched Jenkins's strange gesture with a puzzled expression, but then his eyes widened in shock. The moment the lovebirds touched Jenkins's palms, they seemed to be reborn, their forms becoming solid and real.

They tumbled playfully in his palms, letting out sweet, melodious chirps. Beneath the glow of the gas lamp, their tattered wings began to mend, feather by feather. Once their wings were fully restored, resplendent with vibrant plumage, the two lovebirds flapped them and took to the air.

They circled Jenkins's head twice, their cheerful chirps expressing their excitement. At last, just before the cat, who had been watching them like a predator, could make its move, they wisely flew off together into the wind and rain outside the window, leaving a single black and a single white feather drifting down in their wake.

The feathers eventually drifted together, overlapping as they settled on the carpet. Upon landing, they transformed into a bracelet of two feathers. The tip of each feather met the other's quill, forming a perfect, seamless circle.

Jenkins bent down and picked it up. He found that its material felt like both jade and gold. In any case, it was hardly suitable for a young gentleman to wear; it looked more like a delicate piece of jewelry that a beautiful lady would cherish.

Judging by the color of its aura, it was undoubtedly a numbered item. Jenkins didn't recognize it, however, so he turned to the Keeper of Secrets, who was still recovering from his shock.

The Keeper of Secrets was still staring out the window at the gloomy sky, where the two lovebirds had long since vanished into the rain, not even a black speck remaining.

"B-11-05-9421, the 'Reversible Bracelet of Blessed Love'. Only a supernatural being that represents the purest of blessings can bestow such a gift upon a mortal. Its owner will enjoy tremendous fortune in love and marriage. However, should they betray that love, the blessing will reverse into a curse, inflicting the most severe punishment upon the wearer."

"The bad outweighs the good."

Jenkins considered himself a man faithful in matters of the heart, but given that his circumstances didn't exactly permit him to be exclusive, and considering how difficult it was to define "betraying love," he decided it was best not to wear the thing.

"This is just caution, not fear."

He told himself, then nodded, as if trying to convince himself of the fact.

The appearance of the lovebirds was entirely unexpected by the Church, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. Their arrival signified that the souls trapped within the cursed comb had been released, and with them, the curse itself had vanished.

This served as further proof that the Carmel family affair had truly reached its conclusion. While Papa Oliver still lamented that the truth was never fully uncovered, everyone else—especially the Keeper of Secrets, Mr. Smith, who had witnessed the lovebirds take flight—was relieved that the matter was finally closed.

The Church didn't ask Jenkins to surrender the bracelet, tacitly acknowledging that it belonged to him. Jenkins placed it in a box and tucked it away in a corner of his room at the church, just in case he was ever overcome by a foolish impulse to wear it.

Monday's torrential downpour had let up for a while on Tuesday morning, but by today, Wednesday, it had returned with a vengeance. Jenkins spent the days of pouring rain holed up in the church, killing time while he waited for Papa Oliver's order confining him indoors to be lifted.

His friends took the opportunity to visit him. Aside from Professor Burns and Captain Bincy, who was also unwell, the most surprising visitor was Miss Capet.

Although she lived in Nolan, as a follower of a different faith, she would rarely enter the temple of another god without a very good reason. To visit Jenkins, however, she had submitted a formal request.

"You don't look very injured."

Miss Capet sat in a chair beside his bed, peeling an apple with a small knife. Both Jenkins and his cat stared, unblinking, at the ever-lengthening strip of peel, mentally betting on whether she could get to the end without it breaking.