Chapter 1244: Chapter 1244

"A purple star shimmers in the night, A stranger dances in mortal light.

Who is it that weeps?

A loneliness no mortal keeps.

From the heavens, an angel falls, As greed resounds disaster's calls.

To the distance, an angel flies;

A flower's grace, the divine espies.

The fifth act ends in a somber scene, The god above, with eyes so keen, Knows a future of deeper sorrow—

Jenkins found himself reciting the poem aloud, the words spilling out uncontrollably as he grasped their meaning. As he reached the final line, his mood suddenly soured, for the references to "weeping" and "loneliness" seemed to be describing him from not so long ago.

He asked himself, then supplied his own answer: "Of course not."

"Still, the slab hints that the next keyword is 'disaster.' Not long ago, Miss Brolignans said something similar... It seems that ever since I became Jenkins, I've been running into one disaster after another. Is this referring to a specific upcoming event, or is it just a general description of my life?"

He couldn't figure it out, no matter how he thought about it. But the immediate priority was to deliver this slab to a suitable place. While he could keep it at home, Jenkins didn't think he needed such a hot potato.

"Last time, I think I pretended to be... no, I *was* the man in the black robe. I threw the slab into the mouth of the river and even wrecked a boat to create a diversion. I can't do that again. The last thing I want is to stir things up and draw out Nolan's hidden criminals."

As dusk began to settle, Jenkins hoisted the slab onto his back and mounted his unicorn. Once more, they soared into the sky. He had initially planned to take the slab to the diviners for them to handle, but halfway there, he spotted Professor Burns walking down a secluded alley toward the south of the city.

"Oh, Professor. Long time no see."

He murmured a greeting from the sky, surveyed the terrain below, and then guided the unicorn into a slow descent.

The professor, enjoying a relatively quiet Sunday, had just finished scolding several students who were in danger of delaying their graduation. His plan for the evening was to visit his gravedigger friend at the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

He figured that cutting through the alley would be a shortcut, but halfway through, a strange feeling made him remove his hat and glance up at the sky. He saw nothing.

"Why did I think I heard Jenkins's voice?"

The professor, whose senses were exceptionally sharp, muttered to himself before placing the black round hat back on his head. Ahead was a fork in the path, and Professor Burns chose the left one. From here, another twenty-minute walk would take him beyond the city limits. He was already wondering if there would be hot tea waiting for him at the cemetery.

He rounded a corner, and there, standing in the middle of the path, was a stone slab half as tall as a man. The professor's steps faltered. He looked around in confusion, confirming that this was no stonemason's workshop. Then, he cautiously bent down, picked up a pebble from the uneven ground, and tossed it at the slab.

The pebble struck the slab with a faint clink. Startled, the professor immediately spun around to flee before realizing it was just a normal sound.

"Heh, the older I get, the more jumpy I become."

He said with a self-deprecating chuckle. Hugging the wall, he edged over to the other side of the slab and saw that there was writing on it. Like everyone who first encountered a new version of the Doomsday Document, the moment his eyes met the words, he found himself uncontrollably reciting the entire text aloud.

After reading the last word, he added a questioning sound, expressing his bewilderment at the situation.

The look of confusion on his face slowly hardened, replaced by expressions of gravity and astonishment. He took a few quick steps forward, his hand outstretched as if to touch the slab, looking overjoyed. But then he hastily retreated, bowing his head, closing his eyes, and making a holy sign over his chest.

He glanced around to make sure there were no passersby, spat into his palms, then strode to the slab and lifted it into his arms before heading toward the mouth of the alley.

Only after the professor had boarded a carriage and was heading toward the church did Jenkins, hidden on a nearby rooftop, finally let out a sigh of relief. He offered a silent apology for having startled the professor, then summoned his unicorn and took to the skies.

He had considered visiting his senior, Miss Stevel, but it was already dinnertime, and there were people waiting for him in Ruen.

He had just materialized in Ruen when the sound of a cat's cry reached him. Jenkins extended his hands to catch Chocolate as the cat leaped from a table, then gave its little head a couple of firm rubs before looking over at Alexia, who was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

Night was falling in Ruen. Only the last sliver of the setting sun remained on the horizon, but it was enough to make the distant, frozen city glitter with a crystalline light. The living room was brightly lit by both gas lamps and the crystal chandelier overhead. Bathed in this light, Alexia looked utterly beautiful as she read.

It seemed she had been sitting there all day, in the same position as when Jenkins had left.

"Good evening, Jenkins. Dinner will be ready soon."

She heard the cat's meow, closed her book, and looked up at the young man before asking playfully:

"Judging by your expression, you've had quite an eventful day, haven't you? Let me guess... you've already met with Miss Hathaway Hersha and told her what's happening in Ruen."

"So, how did she react?" Read full story at NoveIꜰire.net

"I'd hinted at these things before, so she wasn't as angry or upset as I'd imagined. It doesn't seem like she wants to stop talking to me over it, either..."

Jenkins thought for a moment. "But I had wanted to invite her to Ruen today, at least to meet you all, but she said she needs a little more time."

"Miss Hersha is a good girl... but you, you really are a big fool."

The petite woman sighed in assessment.

At dinner, Jenkins finally saw Dolores again. The princess seemed to be in her usual spirits, except that her cheeks would flush slightly whenever Jenkins looked at her, a clear aftereffect of last night's "proposal."

At the table, Jenkins told them about his day in Nolan. Alexia was most interested in his conversation with the book fairy, which she considered very important. Dolores was more concerned about Hathaway, and upon hearing that Jenkins planned to invite her to Ruen, she grew flustered, wondering how she ought to receive her.

"Miss Hersha is only the daughter of an earl, and your meeting will be a private one. You needn't worry about complex etiquette."

Julia advised dutifully from the side.

"That won't do at all! This is an incredibly important matter."

Dolores said, vexed. She was about to ask her tutor for help, but she found that Alexia was furtively watching the cat, which was sitting to Jenkins's left with its head down, eating a sausage.