Chapter 1342: Chapter 1342

"Why would you so recklessly participate in an event like that? Never mind whether your friends are reliable—B-class transcendent events themselves carry unforeseeable risks. I remember you telling me yourself that you always thought B-class events and A-class Cursed Items weren't all that different, just with slightly less severe side effects. Why were you so careless this time?"

After hearing Hathaway's "story," Jenkins tried his best to make his tone harsh, to distance himself from the whole affair. In truth, he desperately wanted to hold the girl he loved and comfort her, but he couldn't let Hathaway know he was the "Believer of Lies" just yet. He saw no need to make her worry and fret for his sake.

Hathaway didn't get angry at Jenkins's accusations. She just lowered her head and remained silent for a long moment, and it was only then that Jenkins realized she had started to cry. He immediately pulled her into his arms, murmuring sweet nothings and words of comfort, which earned him a contemptuous grimace from the cat sitting nearby.

Hathaway had just been to visit Briny, who was confined to her home. Although all four explorers had escaped safely in the end, she was still worried that the game might have harmed Briny.

Fortunately, the rules in the book were real, and the Corpse Gentleman hadn't pulled any tricks. Briny had been at home the entire time, with no memory of any adventure and no strange feelings whatsoever. So, Hathaway's concern shifted to Jenkins. She remembered that when the writer had left the game, he had a curse on him.

"Aside from that one nightmare, I'm perfectly fine, Hathaway. You can rest easy. Don't worry about me,"

he said, reassuring her.

"It's good that you're all okay. If I could turn back time, I would never have touched 'Story within a Story'."

The red-haired girl leaned against Jenkins's shoulder, then noticed the cat watching her. Its gaze felt familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen it before.

she said softly, her left hand grasping his right.

"Are you free before dinner?"

Hathaway asked in a low voice.

Hathaway nodded slightly, her finger tracing circles in Jenkins's palm.

"In that case, would you like to come over to my place? I'll show you something... interesting."

The evening in Ruen was peaceful. The city's inhabitants, weary from a long day, had finally finished their work. Even though the city had suffered two major riots in half a month, it couldn't dampen the cheerful mood of people heading home.

In a living room on the second floor of a manor on the city's outskirts, Jenkins's figure slowly solidified. The cat, which had been watching the sunset from the terrace railing, immediately scampered over.

Jenkins had told it to stay in Ruen that afternoon, and the cat had been waiting for his return ever since.

"Just in time for dinner. Dolores said the kitchen got some scallops. You'll probably like them. Your cat, too."

Alexia entered the living room from the hallway just then. Noticing Jenkins's strange expression, she twitched her nose, sniffed the air, and tilted her head in thought for a moment.

"You had a very good afternoon, didn't you?"

the petite woman teased.

Jenkins didn't know how to respond. He stood rooted to the spot, unsure whether to stay or go.

Alexia simply smiled, hugged her book, and left the living room, seemingly heading for the study. Jenkins was sure she was angry; it was definitely not his imagination.

"Want to hear my story? It was an exciting day,"

he said, hurrying after her.

"I'm not particularly curious about your performance in bed."

"No, I mean the game today and the matter with the Titan! I even collected the Corpse Gentleman's body. It's in my basement now. Want to see? It'll be interesting..."

Jenkins could now confirm that she was genuinely angry.

So, after dinner that evening, Jenkins made a point of inviting Alexia to the theater in the city. It didn't matter what play they saw; what mattered was that it was one of the few times the two had gone on a date alone.

Jenkins hoped it would make Alexia feel better. In truth, she didn't really care what he had done that afternoon. Still, a private evening date was quite enjoyable. Alexia felt she would have been even happier, however, if Jenkins hadn't brought Chocolate along.

The next day, when Jenkins saw Hathaway again in Nolan, he mentioned Alexia's displeasure. Hathaway thought it was perfectly normal.

"If it were me, I'd be quite upset too. Jenkins, since you've decided to love more than one woman at a time, you have to be prepared for this sort of thing,"

the red-haired lady said, poking Jenkins in the chest. She then batted away the hand he had placed on her shoulder and sat down opposite him.

"Speaking of which, when are you actually coming back? I was planning for us to visit Briny together."

"I don't know for sure when I can return to Nolan. You know Ruen had another riot on Tuesday. The Church will most likely conclude that the Ruen diocese is lacking powerful individuals, so they might arrange for me to stay there longer,"

"Powerful individuals? Arrange for you?"

Hathaway asked with a frown, not understanding the logic.

He trailed off, suddenly remembering he hadn't told Hathaway that he was a Saint of the Church.

"You what? Jenkins, are you hiding something from me?"

the red-haired lady asked, her curiosity piqued. Follow current novels on novel⦿fire.net

They were in a private room in the restaurant, sitting opposite each other. At his words, Hathaway rose from her chair, walked over to Jenkins, and threw her arms around him, her face so close he could see his reflection in her eyes.

Jenkins held his breath, trying to keep his racing heart from giving him away.

"Yes. The truth is... I'm not a level-four Enchanter. I'm a level-five,"

"You've told me that before,"

the red-haired woman said, staring into his eyes.

"Yes, I did... I mean... this... alright."

He gave a resolute nod, gently taking Hathaway by the waist to help her stand up from her near-prone position on top of him. Then he stood up himself and walked to the window, looking out from the third floor over the city of Nolan.

The previous day's torrential rain and earthquake had left few marks on the city. The earthquake resistance of the buildings in the city center and the efficiency of the street drainage systems had proven excellent. But his home, the Dock Area to the west of St. George Avenue, was in chaos. Quite a few houses had collapsed in the first major tremor. Now, in addition to the dockworkers and sailors bustling about with the spring season's work, the area was swarming with construction workers. This spring, Nolan's Docklands would be even livelier than usual.

"I have indeed been hiding some things. Yes, actually..."

He wasn't facing the window to strike a pose, but to turn his back to Hathaway so she couldn't see the expression on his face.

"The truth is, I'm the Saint of the Church."