Chapter 1304: Chapter 1304

Earlier last week, at Hooded Man's gathering, Jenkins had learned from Silver Flute Miss that the Fidektri Kingdom would formally declare war on the Cheslan Kingdom this Friday. Unexpectedly, the other side had struck first. The timing, on Wednesday night, was so precise that it was hard to say whether a spy had leaked the Fidektri Kingdom's military plans in advance.

But unlike the previous discussions in newspapers and among the citizens, this time, the war was truly coming. Returning to the study with Julia, a few words with the ladies was enough to know they held little hope for peace.

“We all know the Fidektri Kingdom and the Cheslan Kingdom have a generational feud. With the border disputes and all the friction, big and small, over the years, war would have been inevitable even without the incident in Nolan to light the fuse.”

As for how far the war between the two kingdoms would go, and which side would ultimately emerge victorious, no one dared to guess at this point.

Among the three major human kingdoms of the material world, the two great kingdoms occupying the east and west had now officially declared war. Meanwhile, the capital of the northern kingdom had suffered two severe attacks in just two short weeks, forcing even the king to begin considering the matter of his successor.

The world was truly beginning to descend into chaos.

On Thursday morning, every newspaper Jenkins could find reported the declaration of war as a front-page headline. Some even claimed the first skirmishes between frontline troops had already occurred the previous night, but this was unconfirmed news. Due to the turmoil and military blockades, not even Dolores's spies knew the current situation at the front.

Jenkins and his friends lived in a city far from the war, but that didn't mean the conflict had nothing to do with them. That morning, while checking his mailbox in Nolan and listening to the energetic shouts of newsboys a street away, he found a two-page conscription pamphlet lying inside. He later learned it was a city-wide distribution from the municipal hall; even though Nolan was not within the conscription zone, some matters had to be kept consistent with the rest of the nation.

Unlike Dolores and Alexia in the northern kingdom, the ladies in Nolan were all directly connected to the war. Hathaway and Briny's fathers were both key officials in the kingdom's navy. Even though the Nolan navy was currently preparing for a decisive battle against pirates on the outer seas, it didn't mean the kingdom would delay the navy's advance to the east out of consideration for their hard work afterward.

“To end the campaign in the Broken Isles as quickly as possible and free up the navy to join the war against Cheslan, my father, who was originally in Nolan, has also led a fleet to the Broken Isles to take command.”

Hathaway said, her voice heavy with worry.

“He actually disappeared a few days ago, and Mother wouldn't tell us where he went. Now I understand. The kingdom didn't want the plan exposed, so the force my father is leading is on a secret mission. Mother is terribly worried. She spends a great deal of time praying for Father every afternoon these days.”

Jenkins didn't know how to comfort his girl. When war comes, no one can stop it, and as a soldier, Earl Hersha naturally had a duty to go to the battlefield.

Even though Nolan was one of the cities furthest from the front lines, the news that war had broken out still filled its residents with panic. Everywhere, you could hear people discussing the matter, and regardless of whether they were optimistic or pessimistic, the majority of them disliked war.

The advent of war also brought a massive influx of outsiders to Nolan, as it had been explicitly designated a non-conscription zone and was far from the front. In just one morning, Jenkins saw many carriages bearing unfamiliar family crests, carrying all sorts of nobles and merchants into the city.

This was a common occurrence in times of war. People would always spontaneously gather in places they believed to be safe, little knowing that Nolan was, in fact, the most dangerous place of all.

Also, because of the news of the two nations going to war, the riot that occurred in Ruen on Tuesday night didn't even make it to Thursday's headlines. It seemed people felt that the disaster befalling a single city was not particularly important compared to the disaster befalling two nations. As a result, the stories the Church had gone to great lengths to fabricate in order to obscure the truth were paid little mind by anyone.

Hathaway had learned the full story of the riot in Ruen from Jenkins, and it was also from him that she knew that, thankfully, those shadow monsters were invisible to ordinary people. Therefore, although the citizens knew there was chaos in the city, most of them simply believed it was murderers running rampant.

The ones actually fighting on the streets, aside from the unfortunate pedestrians who died, were mostly those private soldiers of unknown origin.

“If something like that happened in Nolan, I think Briny would definitely guess that the supernatural truly exists. Speaking of which, I forgot to tell you, ever since the fire at the camp the other day, she's been searching for the lady who rescued them from the tower.”

Hathaway looked at Jenkins and asked:

“So, what face did you use when you did that?”

“I don't remember clearly either. It was probably an ordinary-looking woman? What's wrong, are you worried Briny will fall for her?”

Jenkins had made a joke—at the wrong time, in the wrong tone, to the wrong person—that even a cat would know was inappropriate, and it earned him an angry glare from Hathaway.

Compared to the incredibly busy Jenkins, Hathaway's life was much more leisurely. The red-haired lady was happy to listen to Jenkins recount his life and adventures. After he had openly confessed to being a Scribe for the Church, Jenkins was able to share more of his stories.

Although in his eyes, they were mostly difficult past experiences, they made for rather good stories, and Hathaway was happy to listen.

When he mentioned the new cane, Jenkins also brought up the matter of the elves and of Miss Capet. He sighed, lamenting how overly complicated the Williams family's past was, but he missed the surprised expression on Hathaway's face: Updates are released by NoveIꜰire.net

“You've actually investigated that far?”

“Yes, and if most of the people with knowledge of it weren't so unwilling to speak, I might have been able to find out more. Now that the war has started, conducting cross-regional investigations will be even more difficult.

But I already have a plan. Once I return to Nolan, I'll tell Robert and Mary about Miss Capet, and then use the two metal pieces I have to formally meet her. Perhaps seeing a new relative will prompt my father to share more of our family's past.”

As he spoke, he took the metal pieces from around his neck. They were now joined together, and while it was still impossible to tell what shape they formed, they looked much more orderly.