Chapter 1506: Chapter 1506

After the crowd had dispersed, Jenkins waved to greet his family as they were the last ones to emerge from the station. They were accompanied by three gentlemen sent by the church to ensure their safety.

Mary was the first to spot Jenkins standing in the moonlight with his cat. She unceremoniously shoved the suitcase she was pulling into her husband’s hands, then hurried forward to embrace him.

"Oh, my dear Jenkins! This is the longest we’ve been apart since you were born. You’ve gotten so thin. Is the food in the north not to your liking?"

"Mother has never spoken to me like that."

John remarked, standing beside Robert with a schoolbag on his back and a suitcase in his hand, bundled in a gray overcoat. The coat belonged to his older brother, Newman Williams, evidenced by the fact that Newman himself was wearing only a shirt, grinning sheepishly to the left of the family patriarch, Robert Williams.

"John, it’s not your turn to complain yet. When you leave us like your heartless brothers, Newman and Jenkins, then I’ll talk to you ."

Mary released the nearly suffocated Jenkins and turned to her youngest son. Then, her tone growing serious, she added a warning:

"You listen to me. In Bel Diran, you are to stay right behind me or your father. This isn’t Nolan. If you get lost, we won’t be able to find you!"

"I’m already ten this year..."

The family hadn’t expected Jenkins to be there to meet them; they thought he wouldn’t arrive in Bel Diran for another few days. Upon learning that he had gotten the news from Papa Oliver, Robert didn’t forget to ask about the old man’s well-being, adding that the hotel they had booked was the same one where Papa Oliver was staying.

"Actually, I have my own house in Bel Diran. You could all..."

Jenkins was about to suggest that the whole family stay with him, but Robert cut him off with a shake of his head.

"We came to Bel Diran for a vacation, and you have work to do for the church and Papa Oliver. What would it look like for us to stay together? The family has finally managed a trip together; let's not mix it with your work. You can come visit us when you have time. Wouldn’t that be much more convenient?"

It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but Jenkins’s Lie Godhood alerted him that Robert was lying. He didn’t know if the lie was about the "vacation" or something else, so he turned to Mary. He figured that as the mother of the three Williams brothers, she would surely object to them staying apart.

"Yes, your father makes a good point. So, Newman will stay at his fiancée’s home, Jenkins will stay in his own house, and we’ll take little John and stay on the floor below Papa Oliver."

"Newman isn't staying with you either?"

Jenkins asked, puzzled. He glanced at his older brother, who just shrugged helplessly.

"Don’t ask me why. Father and Mother insisted on it."

Even if Jenkins was slow on the uptake, he could tell that Robert sensed something big was about to happen and didn’t want all his children under one roof. Jenkins didn't know what his father was worried about, but if it was a matter of safety, then the most secure place for the family would be the church.

"But if one of us three brothers really could become king, staying at the Legacy Sage Church right before the coronation would likely cause trouble as well."

As this thought occurred to him, a wave of melancholy washed over him. Even before coming to this world, Jenkins understood that any family entangled in disputes over the throne and power rarely came to a good end. He had always tried to avoid getting involved with such worldly forces, but it was clear he couldn't control fate.

The carriage first dropped Newman Williams off at his fiancée's home in Bel Diran, then carried the rest of the family to their hotel in the city. Papa Oliver had already returned and was resting, but knowing the Williams family would be arriving around this time, he had made a point to come and welcome them.

During their conversation, he signaled for Jenkins not to be in a rush to leave. So, after settling his parents and younger brother, Jenkins didn’t immediately head home with Chocolate. Instead, he went up to Papa Oliver’s room on a higher floor.

"I heard about what happened at the manor. Very interesting."

"Are you referring to the three items the vampire demanded? I found that interesting too. I noticed all three are related to 'blood.' That can't be a coincidence. If the church investigates the connection between them, they might be able to figure out what the Countess is planning. Oh, and her backers, I imagine they’re some sort of cultist group."

As he spoke, Jenkins sat down in the chair by the desk next to the bed. He noticed an open book under the gas lamp. Its title was "Elven Annals," and it was written in Elvish.

"That’s not the only interesting part. You’re missing the main point, Jenkins. Do you remember what the source of this whole affair was?"

"And what is the mirror's beneficial effect?"

"It absorbs curses and diseases... but I remember you saying the mirror can’t absorb very powerful curses, let alone curse-type Cursed Items."

Jenkins was confused.

"Just because it can't fully absorb something doesn't mean it's useless. At the very least, the mirror can slow a curse's duration and effects. Do you really think the Blood Mosquito Curse is entirely beneficial? Even for a vampire, a Cursed Item is still a Cursed Item. There are always consequences when a normal soul and body become a vessel for a curse."

Papa Oliver explained, and understanding dawned on Jenkins.

"You mean the Countess Paramont—the vampire—can't actually control the Blood Mosquito Curse completely? The one-week deadline she gave us is really the limit of her own control... Demanding those three items might have other purposes, but we can be sure that at least one of them has the function of controlling the Blood Mosquito Curse. And the good news is, all three items are in the possession of the Orthodox Churches!"

Jenkins laid out his train of thought in a rush. Papa Oliver nodded in satisfaction, thinking Jenkins was quite perceptive.

"Those three Series B Extraordinary items have already been urgently transferred from Nolan to Bel Diran overnight. The airship that brought you here was perfect for the job. We’ll be able to see them tomorrow morning. Furthermore, your description of the manor’s main gate being surrounded by steam pipes sounds a lot like a special method for sealing curses. Both the Church of Creation and Machinery and the Gear Artisans' Guild are skilled in such techniques. Perhaps the vampire has already gotten in league with those cultists. Oh, and there's one more thing I'm curious about. In both your and Miss Capet's reports, you seem to have omitted the same thing."

Papa Oliver looked at Jenkins, who nodded in acknowledgment. Read complete versıon only at novel⸺fire.net