Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1191

The woman's own frost power was no match for the sacred fire. Worse, the unique effect of Jenkins's ability, [The Stranger], prevented her from even containing the last lingering ember within her scorched arm.

Finally, with a strange sizzle, an intense chill seeped from her every pore. Her ice-blue eyes stared at Jenkins in utter disbelief before popping from their sockets. Save for the charred arm, her body rapidly turned to ice.

By the time the two frozen spheres rolled to Jenkins’s feet, the woman’s corpse had become a complete ice sculpture, utterly silent.

"I see. I know what's happening."

Alexia's voice drifted from behind him. Jenkins, still trying to channel sacred fire to dispel the frost from his arm, turned to see the diminutive woman levitate from the ground as if ascending an invisible staircase, coming to a stop at the edge of the roof.

"What was that? I don't recall my abilities being able to turn an enemy's corpse to ice. And there's something strange about this ice—my fire can't seem to dispel it."

"It's not your doing. I was wondering why, as a mere level six, she was able to block my attack and follow up with such vicious strikes. Now I understand. The power wasn't her own. I've seen something once before, but with lightning, not ice. That was many, many years ago... ahem."

She coughed abruptly, but seeing that Jenkins wasn't dwelling on the matter of her age, she continued:

"She must have signed A-01-1-0007, [The Frost's Victory Contract]. It's a special pact where one's soul is offered as collateral to borrow the power of the element [Frost]. However, if the signatory is defeated in any way while using that power, it's considered a breach of the contract's 'victory' clause. The soul is absorbed by the parchment, and the body transforms into the corresponding element."

"But the complete seven-chapter set of [Elemental Vow Contracts] was sealed by the [Church of All Things and Nature] in various locations across the material world. This was done partly for easier containment and partly to help the Church stabilize the elemental spirit tides. In recent years, the elemental balance of the world has been shifting subtly. I even suspect last winter's 'Snowman Legion' rampage was connected to an imbalance in the [Frost] element.

"Although [The Frost's Victory Contract] is indeed located in the north, no one should have been able to get near it. It's a highly important contained item; most people shouldn't have even heard of it."

Clearly, Jenkins was one of those "most people." He was certain, however, that Papa Oliver would know about it. And if Jenkins were to ask, his mentor would probably feign surprise and say, "You never asked. Why would I tell you on my own?"

"So who's responsible for guarding that contract? I mean, besides the Orthodox Church? Given the situation, it's safe to assume the Church isn't misusing its power."

Since he couldn't expel the strange chill, Jenkins tried absorbing it instead. After all, his [Frost Punch] had been acquired in a similar manner. The attempt was a success. When he tried to use [Frost Punch] with his frozen hand, the sinister cold energy immediately merged with the ability.

The ability's name and nature remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened. Yet, Jenkins had the strange feeling that this chill was remarkably similar to the one that had evolved his [Simple Punch] into [Frost Punch].

But the power of his Frost Punch came from the "Frost Emissary" of the [Club of Light Chasers], who had forced his advancement to demigod by embedding the Bestowal [Frozen Archer Chess Piece] in his own head. That chess piece was now in Dolores's possession, and Dolores was certainly not the culprit behind today's incident.

"The local church and the Stuart family guard the contract together. I know that much. In fact, the Stuart family is responsible for guarding numerous Cursed Items in the northern territories of the continent. It's a duty they've shouldered since the time of the ancient Sicari Empire. That's why, after the empire fell, the Church tacitly allowed the Stuarts to establish their kingdom here.

"In a way, the Stuart family serves as the 'Keepers of Secrets' for the far north. The only difference is that the family's faith isn't strictly regulated, and their duties are actually quite straightforward."

Dolores had told Alexia all of this. While the princess sometimes felt her tutor was competing with her for things, she trusted her mathematics teacher implicitly and wouldn't bother to hide such uninteresting secrets.

"So," Jenkins concluded, "if there isn't a traitor in the Church, then the problem lies within the Stuart royal family."

As he finished speaking, a sudden premonition made him turn and look back. The gloomy sky, filled with wind and snow, appeared no different than it had moments before. But when he activated his Eye of Reality, he could see three massive barriers, like celestial curtains, separating the city layer by layer.

Jenkins and Alexia were not in the core layer; the innermost curtain had sealed them out.

"It seems they were thoroughly prepared. At this rate, reinforcements from the Orthodox Church will be delayed for some time. Today's events were premeditated. Alexia, can you make any sense of it?"

As he spoke, he took off his overcoat and draped it over Alexia's shoulders. Whether due to the defeated woman's power or simply the snowfall, the temperature was dropping rapidly. Alexia's dress, while beautiful, offered little warmth.

Alexia tugged at the collar of Jenkins's coat:

"Clues? Members of the Tree House are backing several of Dolores's brothers; the Snowman Legion rampaged last winter; only members of the royal family could know all of today's security arrangements; the containment measures for [The Frost's Victory Contract] can't be opened by normal means, but that doesn't mean it's inaccessible; a steam cannon appearing in the center of Ruen..."

She listed the current clues in a low voice as she paced the rooftop. Some of them were news to Jenkins—like the king's critical illness, which meant the Stuart family's duties were about to be passed down along with its power. Updates are released by novel·fire·net

Soon, they reached the other side of the roof, gazing at the parliament building in the distance. The second cannonball had landed squarely in the parliament square. Though citizens had begun to flee before it struck, the crowd had been too dense... Jenkins could only describe the gruesome scene in the square as one of utter devastation.