Chapter 1350: Chapter 1350

"What does this have to do with MrBirchwood?"

Having connected the clues to MrBirchwood, Jenkins wondered in confusion. Then he asked himself:

"Is it possible I've misinterpreted something?"

But the ordinary branch offered no further useful information. After a moment's consideration, Jenkins returned to Nolan, this time making his way toward MrBirchwood's home.

After MrBirchwood died, with no adult man left in the household, his family had moved out of their old alley residence. They now lived in a rented apartment on a street with better security, all crammed into a single room on the third floor.

The apartment was in an area of the city under curfew. Jenkins leaped from his unicorn to the rooftop, pressing himself flat against the tiles. He cautiously avoided the watchful eyes of the patrolling police and Enchanters below, and it took him some time before he finally located the attic skylight.

The skylight was locked. With a distinct lack of courtesy, he melted the lock and slipped into the attic. The apartment building was completely dark; it was late, and all the residents were asleep.

He crept down from the attic to the third floor. Just as he was debating whether he should enter the family's room, the door swung open of its own accord. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel(ꜰ)ire.net

Jenkins clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling his breath so the old woman emerging from the room wouldn't hear him. She was dressed in street clothes. It was MrBirchwood's mother, a woman in her fifties, and from her attire, it was clear she wasn't just heading to the lavatory.

"What could she be doing out this late? A romantic rendezvous seemed unlikely at her age..."

Hiding in the shadows of a corner, Jenkins's curiosity peaked. Before long, another man approached from the opposite end of the alley, moving just as furtively and keeping to the darkness along the wall. Jenkins vaguely recognized the man's face; he'd seen it in the local paper. He was some minor official from Nolan City Hall, if memory served.

"Mrs. Wood, it's been a long time."

The slightly paunchy, middle-aged man spoke, dabbing the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He looked extremely nervous.

"To be more precise," she began, "we haven't met since that fateful message was passed along twelve years ago. I'm surprised that after all this time, our superiors even remember I exist. By the way, what's happening tonight? Why the sudden curfew?"

Mrs. Wood, the mother of MrBirchwood—that is, Jack Wood—inquired.

"I hear some pirate king from the outer seas sent a small squad of murderers and rapists into the city... but that's not important. Mrs. Wood, for the organization to reactivate our line after so many years... as my superior, you must know why."

"Of course I know," she retorted. "The war has begun. We spies, planted in the Fidektri Kingdom by the Kingdom of Cheslan, have lain dormant for over a decade. Now, we're finally useful again."

The old woman's tone was dismissive, but she was oblivious to the young man in the nearby corner, hand clamped over his mouth, who was too stunned to process what he was hearing.

"Spies? MrBirchwood's mother... a spy from the Kingdom of Cheslan?"

If he hadn't heard Mrs. Wood admit it herself, Jenkins would never have believed that a woman in her fifties could be a spy. Their conversation made it clear they had both been agents for at least twelve years. It was staggering to think about when they might have been dispatched to his country to begin their mission.

"I honestly thought you wouldn't come," the man admitted. "It's been so long, and your last mission was completed years ago. If you had decided to live as an ordinary citizen and leave the past behind, I would have completely understood."

the man said to the old woman, a hint of shame in his voice.

"I still remember the oath I took before leaving home all those years ago. I may have lived in Nolan for more than thirty years, married a man from the Fidektri Kingdom, and even borne his children, but I have never forgotten my homeland."

Mrs. Wood said calmly. These were the words of a woman in her fifties.

"I know I'll likely never have the chance to return home in my lifetime. I might not even be buried there when I die. So all I can do, while I'm still alive, is contribute to my country once more."

The man was just as astonished as Jenkins, who was listening from the shadows. He seemed to search for the right words for a long moment, but finding none, he could only sigh in admiration:

"If our country had more people like you, we would have restored the glory of the old Sicari Empire long ago."

It was clear from their conversation that the purpose of this meeting was to reactivate an intelligence network that had been dormant for more than a decade. Mrs. Wood and the man whose name Jenkins didn't know were meeting to confirm each other's loyalty. Mrs. Wood was also there to relay decisions from their superiors, issue new assignments, provide a new codebook, and discuss stipends for the current special circumstances.

This information might have been vital to some, but it had nothing to do with Jenkins's current objective. He reminded himself that he was searching for a portal connecting the material world to the one beyond. Growing anxious, he began to wonder if he'd followed the wrong trail entirely. But just then, he heard the man ask Mrs. Wood a question:

"...There's something I shouldn't pry into, but... I heard that your son passed away unexpectedly last fall. I'm sorry. I should have sent a letter or attended the funeral, but I failed to make any gesture at all."

"You did the right thing," she replied. "Jack had nothing to do with our work. He always believed I was just an ordinary housewife, and there's no need to trouble his memory now that he's gone. And don't pity me. I have two wonderful grandsons. They'll grow up just fine under God's protection..."

Mrs. Wood's voice drifted to Jenkins on the wind. He wasn't sure if it was right to be listening in, but one thing was certain: MrBirchwood's family life was complicated beyond belief.

"You needn't worry about how I'm getting by, either. Even without the special monthly stipend from Shire City, my family and I are managing just fine. My Jack had a wide circle of friends—librarians, merchants, students... and after he passed, they were all more than willing to help us..."

Jenkins didn't pay close attention to the rest of their conversation; it had nothing to do with him. With a heavy heart, he started back toward the Wood residence, hoping to find a clue he might have overlooked. But as he rounded a corner, a pained groan echoed from a dark alley nearby.