Chapter 1268: Chapter 1268
Jenkins returned to Nolan, but he left his cat behind this time. He was going to meet the Corpse Gentleman later, after all, and it was best to avoid any unforeseen complications. The gathering was scheduled for the dead of night, and with the sun still high, he decided to visit Hathaway first after a moment's thought.
His luck was in; Hathaway was at her house on the Westminster River. Jenkins had the unicorn deliver him to the rooftop, from where he slipped in through an attic window. He nearly got himself captured by the ever-alert Hathaway, who mistook him for a burglar.
She had already made plans for dinner with Briny, even having booked a table at a restaurant, and was just about to head out. She was delighted to see Jenkins, of course, but couldn't stay with him for long. Read full story at novelFirｅ.net
"But I've made up my mind," she declared. "After you get back from Ruen, I'm going to tell her about us... and about Enchanters. I've already started planning it. Of course, I can't just come right out and explain everything over a cup of tea. I'm planning to stage a little 'incident'."
Hathaway said this cheerfully, looking quite excited for that moment to arrive.
Jenkins was also glad they could finally clear the air. He had his own plans as well. Once Hathaway had explained everything to Briny, he would start arranging for the young women from Ruen to visit Nolan.
They were all bound to meet sooner or later, and Jenkins could only hope his conscience wouldn't be too heavily burdened when the time came.
"Oh, and this," he added, "I found it in Ruen."
He took out a small piece of what looked like a tree root and handed it to Hathaway. She didn't recognize it and only understood what it was after Jenkins's explanation. But then she posed a strange question:
Last winter, Hathaway had mentioned wanting to teach Jenkins how to ride a horse. That was just as the season began, but since there were no suitable riding grounds available in winter, the plan was never finalized. Now that spring had arrived, she brought the matter up again.
"I know that princess of yours can teach you to ride, but this was something we agreed on. As soon as you're back in Nolan for good, we'll start the lessons. Did you hear me, Jenkins?"
"I know," he replied.
Jenkins felt a distinct sense of being threatened.
After leaving Hathaway's house, Jenkins went to visit the old elf for a while, listening to him recount many of the elves' interesting habits and customs. He was so engrossed in the stories that he completely forgot to ask about the strange piece of wood.
Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to head to the professor's college early to find him. After all, the professor had no idea Jenkins was currently in Nolan.
The old elf saw Jenkins downstairs, and the two chatted casually as they descended the staircase. The elf warned Jenkins not to wander about at night, reminding him that Nolan's streets were far from peaceful after dark.
"I'm not trying to get into any trouble," Jenkins explained. "I'm attending a gathering for Enchanters. The organizer is..."
As he spoke, Jenkins realized he had never mentioned the Corpse Gentleman to the elf before. An elf who had lived in Nolan for centuries might very well know something about the mysterious figure.
So he recounted the story of the Corpse Gentleman and the strange hospital. To his surprise, the elf immediately recognized the place Jenkins was describing.
"Are you certain it's that hospital?"
The elf asked, looking at Jenkins with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. We always climb in through a broken fence, but it's definitely the right place."
"That's very strange... Oh, Jenkins, do you know what happened there?"
"I do," Jenkins replied. "My friend, the professor, mentioned it. About thirteen years ago, some substandard reagent bottles reacted with medicine, causing a severe medical accident. They say an old earl who was recuperating there even died as a result."
This was something he and the professor had discussed the first time he was taken to one of the Corpse Gentleman's gatherings.
"That's only the official story. Oh, it certainly happened, but it's not the whole truth," the elf said. "I remember what went on there, and I haven't been anywhere near that place since. I'd wager that even the Orthodox Church doesn't know the full extent of what happened back then, and I certainly don't either."
He pulled Jenkins into a secluded corner of the stairwell landing. After confirming no one was eavesdropping from upstairs or downstairs, he continued in a low voice:
"There's an issue with the timeline you mentioned. Thirteen years ago was when the accident officially broke out. But the hospital was already having problems long before that.
Every inanimate object on that plot of land was undergoing a subtle change, leading to a state where if something bad could happen, it absolutely would. Starting in the summer fourteen years ago, the number of people who died in that hospital from freak accidents—being killed by a falling brick, slipping and breaking their neck, choking to death on their own saliva while talking—reached the triple digits. And that's not even counting the even greater number who died during minor procedures like blood draws. The figures were far beyond any normal statistical probability; it was clearly abnormal. It was as if every single object in that hospital, from the walls to the water to the chairs, held a deep and profound malice toward people."
"But why? There must have been a reason, right?"
"I don't know. I only heard the stories. The Church used every method at their disposal to investigate the hospital and tried to shut it down multiple times. But as soon as they made a move to close it, anyone even remotely connected to the place—patients, doctors, renovation workers, cleaners—would suffer a similar horrific accident, even if they were miles away. Eventually, it started happening to anyone who had simply heard about it. That's why the situation dragged on for a year and a half before they finally managed to completely abandon the site, using the 'gentle' approach of gradually laying off all the staff."
The elf still sounded shaken as he spoke of it:
"In all my years in the material world, it is without a doubt the most sinister thing I have ever encountered. After the hospital was abandoned, the Church couldn't even hire anyone to stand guard and prevent ordinary people from wandering in. Over the next decade, they had to abandon the adjacent village and roads as well. They erected warning signs far from the property, periodically planted weeds to erase any trace of human activity, deleted all official records of the hospital's existence, and forbade any surviving person with knowledge of the events from ever speaking of it again.
Only as it was forgotten did the malevolence of that hospital gradually subside. And Jenkins... you're telling me your gathering is held in a place like that?"
The elf's tone was that of someone telling a ghost story, and it sent a chill deep into Jenkins's bones. He took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves before giving a slight nod:
"That's the place. And I've been there many times over the past six months... You're certain it isn't safe?"
"'Not safe' doesn't even begin to describe it, Jenkins. I don't know the origin of this 'Corpse Gentleman' you speak of, but I implore you, never go back there again. It would be best if you forgot the place existed entirely."
This reaction reminded Jenkins of the time he had tried to commission the huntress to investigate that same abandoned hospital. She had quoted an astronomical fee and stated that even if he could afford it, she would leave Nolan permanently the moment her investigation was complete.
Putting the two accounts together, Jenkins began to grasp the true extent of the danger lurking within that abandoned hospital.
Moreover, although he hadn't known the old elf for long, Jenkins trusted him implicitly. The elf had no vested interest in the matter of the Corpse Gentleman, so his advice was entirely sincere.
After a moment's thought, Jenkins asked for a few more specific details before making a decision in his mind.
He bid farewell to the deeply unsettled elf, then left the city center and began the walk toward the college where the professor worked. The sky had darkened by now, and the gaslights along the street were being lit one by one.
It wasn't long before the professor appeared. He carried a black briefcase in his left hand, his right holding his hat down on his head. He kept his head lowered, cutting a low-profile figure as he crossed the street, only to be stopped by a sudden call from a nearby alley.
He jumped, startled. When he saw it was Jenkins standing in the dim alleyway, he grew even more cautious.
"Professor, it's me! It's really me!"
He quickly revealed his soul emblem, the image of a tiny sapling, and added:
"We first met in the Mysterious Realm, in that castle out in the country. You risked asking those questions, and you told me that if you died, I should come to the college..."
"Alright, alright, I know it's you," the professor interrupted. "You gave me quite a scare. A few days ago, I ran into a strange plank in an alley, and now you suddenly pop out of nowhere. My luck has been rather poor recently."
The professor held up a hand, signaling for Jenkins to stop. He let out a breath of relief but immediately shot a wary glance back toward the street. Once he was sure no one was paying them any mind, he took Jenkins by the arm and pulled him deeper into the alley.
"Oh, Jenkins, what are you doing here?" he whispered. "If I recall correctly, Papa Oliver said you'd gone to Ruen. Just the other day, we were discussing that incident you ran into on your way to the front."
"I... came back on my own because of a certain matter," Jenkins explained. "I won't be staying in Nolan for long. I'll be leaving again shortly."
"Just don't let Papa Oliver see you, or you'll be in for a world of trouble."
The professor didn't question how Jenkins had managed to cross half the continent to return to the city; he was just relieved to confirm it was really him. The two of them walked and talked as they made their way through the alley. Jenkins had used a cosmetic charm he'd gotten from Hathaway, so there was no fear of being recognized.
"Are you here for the Corpse Gentleman's gathering?" the professor asked. "It's that time of the month again."
"Actually, I came to find you about that very matter."
Keeping his voice low, Jenkins recounted what he had just heard from the old elf. The professor nodded along as he listened, his brow furrowing from time to time. When Jenkins had finished, he, too, lowered his voice to ask:
"So, what have you decided to do about it?"
"I don't think I'll be going near that place again. And I'm going to tell the Church that someone is hiding there. Of course, I hope you'll..."