Chapter 1535: Chapter 1535
For Jenkins, the fact that the Church was now aware of something lurking beneath Nolan was a monumental breakthrough. The activities of the Gear Artisans' Association had worried him since last year, and with the final hour drawing near, he had to do everything in his power to prevent the resurgence of that ancient Difference Engine.
It was a difficult task, but one he had to attempt.
Jenkins had many acquaintances in Bel Diran, but for various reasons, his injury couldn't be widely publicized. That morning, his only visitors besides his colleagues from the Church of Knowledge and Books were Hathaway and Briny.
The three of them had planned to attend a concert the previous night, but Jenkins had missed it entirely because of the incident with Carmel. The two young women only heard about what happened from Papa Oliver later, and they had waited impatiently until morning to rush over.
When they pushed open the door to his room, guided by a nun and carrying a fruit basket, they found Miss Capet sitting in a chair by the bed, talking with Jenkins. The awkwardness that followed was a scene Jenkins had no desire to relive. He only knew that despite having done nothing wrong, an inexplicable sense of guilt washed over him, so much so that he forgot to even introduce them to each other.
Hathaway and Briny had both taken care to dress up before visiting Jenkins. Although finding an unfamiliar woman in his room surprised them both, they masked their feelings well. Jenkins finally snapped out of it and introduced them. Miss Capet, likely sensing that these two ladies had a very special relationship with Jenkins, quickly made an excuse to leave, giving him and his friends some space.
"I heard from Papa Oliver that you got food poisoning from something you cooked at home. Are you feeling any better now?"
Food poisoning was an excellent excuse. It was difficult for visitors to verify, and Jenkins bore no external injuries.
Briny asked the question as she peeled an apple for Jenkins, while Hathaway bent down by the cabinet to arrange the gifts they had brought. When Briny was around, Hathaway rarely showed too much affection for Jenkins, instead yielding the opportunity to the blonde girl.
He spoke with a hint of guilt, patting the cat that was pretending to sleep on the pillow beside him. Chocolate meowed impatiently and swatted his wrist with its tail.
"How could you be so careless? You shouldn't cook for yourself for a while; it's better to eat at the church. Speaking of which, Jenkins, you're a grown man in your twenties with a successful career. Why don't you hire someone to cook for you? Your home is clearly missing a woman who can cook."
The blonde girl's words were laced with a hidden meaning. This was the first time they had met since that night, and their relationship had already taken a significant leap forward. Because Briny was sitting by the bed with her back to Hathaway, her hand was secretly grasping Jenkins's, a gesture Hathaway couldn't see.
"I won't be staying in Bel Diran for long. I'll probably return to Nolan with you two, so there's no need to hire anyone. As for now, Papa Oliver said I always seem to get into trouble when I'm living alone, so he suggested I stay at the church for a little while..."
In truth, the Church believed Carmel might seek revenge at any moment, and they had advised Jenkins not to wander about until the matter was resolved.
"Why isn't Papa Oliver here? We thought he'd be looking after you, but instead it was Miss Capet."
Hathaway finished arranging the cabinet and pulled a chair over to the bedside. Jenkins caught the undertone in her question and reiterated that Papa Oliver was busy, and Miss Capet, a novice from the Church of All Things and Nature, happened to be a friend with time to spare.
"We're just friends, please don't read too much into it."
He even said it bluntly. Hathaway assumed the explanation was for her, and Briny thought the same, so both of them were put at ease.
"Are all nuns so beautiful these days? I noticed Miss Capet's hair color is quite captivating, very similar to yours."
Briny's joke made Jenkins's heart skip a beat; he worried she might have noticed something. Hathaway then chimed in playfully:
"When I saw her from behind, I thought she looked a bit familiar, too. Now that you mention it, Briny, I realize she does look a lot like you."
Without enough information, neither of them could guess the deeper meaning behind the resemblance. Jenkins chuckled, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic. All he could think was that he hoped the matter of the royal succession would be over soon. He was tired of it all; he just wanted to live a peaceful life.
When Briny left for the washroom, Hathaway finally seized her chance to be alone with Jenkins. The moment she confirmed Briny was out of sight, she threw her arms around him. Jenkins thought he could hear the faint sound of her sobbing.
Briny didn't know the full extent of Jenkins's capabilities, but Hathaway did. She knew just how powerful he was as a Saint. For him to be hospitalized meant he must have encountered something truly terrible.
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry."
He held the red-haired girl, comforting her softly. Hathaway shook her head and pulled away, not letting him see her wipe the tears from her eyes.
"I know you're alright. When Papa Oliver told us you were hurt, he was completely calm, so I figured you couldn't be too badly injured. So, what on earth happened?"
Explaining yesterday's events from the beginning would require starting with Papa Oliver's errand, but Briny would likely be back any second. To keep it brief and to avoid worrying Hathaway too much, Jenkins vaguely mentioned encountering a demigod hostile to the Church, adding the lie that the demigod had already been dealt with.
"Of course. It's the absolute truth, I swear..."
He said it with conviction. Although he was worried Carmel might go after Hathaway and Briny, he didn't warn them to be careful—because Carmel was going to die today. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI~Fire.net
To conceal his enormous lie, he averted his gaze from Hathaway's eyes and looked down at his cat. Chocolate happened to be peering up at Jenkins, and their sudden eye contact startled the feline. So as not to reveal it had been watching him, Chocolate flicked its tail, curled up, and buried its face in its paws.