Chapter 1660: Chapter 1660

An evening breeze drifted through the Evergreen Forest. Though still a bit sultry, it was a welcome relief from the city's heat. The wind rustled through the treetops, filling the forest with a soft, whispering sound. Jenkins savored it, finding a sense of peace in its gentle murmur.

His thoughts on the fate of the Four King Souls led him to recall the newspaper he had seen during the "future-peeking incident." It had referred to Fidektri as an "Empire" rather than a "Kingdom," and he had also seen a portrait of "Queen Dolores" on display in a national exhibition hall. This suggested that while both the Fidektri Kingdom and the Hamparvo Kingdom were destined for change, they would at least continue to exist in some form. But the Cheslan Kingdom...

he remarked, then went back to sipping his juice, enjoying the rare forest banquet with Sigrid Capet.

His takeaways from the banquet, aside from a couple of harmless scratches from Chocolate, included some useful knowledge gleaned from his conversations with the other Saints.

Until now, Jenkins had always considered the title of Saint to be purely honorific, not placing much importance on the power it granted. Whenever he tapped into his Saint form, he typically didn't take the time to truly understand the nature of that power, instead using it as a raw wellspring to fuel his own abilities and overcome his enemies.

In reality, however, the power of the Saints came from the gods, and this divine gift was characterized by more than just a "vast amount of spirit." Official source ıs N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

The Saint from the Church of Creation and Machinery mentioned in passing that after his ascension, he could easily "feel the pulse of machinery." Meanwhile, the Saint from the Church of All Things and Nature spoke of "gradually becoming one with nature."

These were abstract descriptions, but they served as a reminder to Jenkins that as the Saint of the Sage, he ought to possess certain special abilities within the Sage's divine domain.

Advancing would be a bonus, but failing to do so wouldn't significantly change things. The crucial task at hand was to see if he could once again gather divinity on his own. That was the key to confronting the final day.

Although he hadn't consumed any alcohol at the banquet, the accumulated fatigue from days of toil sent Jenkins collapsing into bed the moment he returned home. By the time he awoke, it was nearly noon on Sunday—something that had never happened before.

He woke up groggily, fumbling on the nightstand for a moment before his fingers closed around Alexia's pocket watch. One look at the time, and he was instantly wide awake.

"Why didn't Chocolate wake me for his breakfast? He couldn't have gotten angry and run off, could he?"

His heart hammered in his chest, and his breathing became ragged. But as the last vestiges of sleep cleared from his mind, another thought occurred to him:

"Julia is managing the household now, and the hired maids are helping her. Chocolate must have seen someone was already preparing food and decided not to bother me."

Reassured, he slipped on his slippers and stepped out of the bedroom, just in time to see the cat leisurely hopping up the stairs toward him. A relieved smile spread across Jenkins's face.

It was Sunday, and with no other plans, Hathaway and Briny were both at home. When Jenkins emerged, he found the two ladies organizing their clothes. Their belongings had been gradually arriving over the past few days.

They weren't married yet, of course, so they couldn't move everything in. Still, they needed to have their frequently worn attire on hand. The sheer volume of a noblewoman's wardrobe, however, was something Jenkins could barely comprehend.

Seeing Jenkins was finally awake, they first expressed their concern for his health, remarking that he seemed to have lost weight recently. After a short while, the three of them headed out together.

Their first stop was Pops Antique Shop. When Papa Oliver saw Jenkins arrive with Hathaway and Briny, he naturally wouldn't ask him to stay and work. As it turned out, Papa Oliver was busy himself. The Church of Knowledge and Books was hosting many visiting believers from around the world, and he needed to go help out.

"You've got the day off,"

Papa Oliver declared with an understanding smile directed at Hathaway and Briny.

"You young people should go out and have some fun. The weather has been quite nice, and Nolan is bustling with tourists and performance troupes from all over the world. I heard there's a circus performing in the city square today. I imagine that would be quite fun."

The Church knew Jenkins had been under considerable stress, so they hadn't given him any new tasks after Saturday's forest banquet. Miss Windsor and Dolores were still arranging things related to the "tulip" affair, but Jenkins planned to check in with them later that evening. That left his entire day free to spend with Hathaway and Briny.

Jenkins wasn't exactly skilled at planning outings. His first thought was to suggest the circus Papa Oliver had mentioned, but in this summer heat, he knew the ladies wouldn't enjoy being packed into a crowd. Besides, the very mention of a circus always brought accidents to his mind, so that idea was quickly dismissed.

"How about a play? Several famous theater troupes have come to Nolan recently,"

he proposed as they sat in the carriage. He asked the driver to slow the pace, since they still hadn't decided on a destination.

"Are we always going to the theater?"

Briny grumbled good-naturedly, fanning herself with a small paper fan. Seeing this, Jenkins touched the inner wall of the carriage, and a thin layer of frost slowly coated the surface. There wasn't much moisture in the air, so it was the best he could manage, but the blonde-haired girl was clearly pleased. She took his hand and smiled brightly, earning a slight pout from Hathaway.

"Well then, how about we visit the church? The Church of the Sage is very large and quite nice,"

"We heretics had better pass,"

Hathaway refused, shaking her head.

"Do you know about the forest in the valley on the outskirts of the city? Oh, it's wonderful. I can take you there. You'll love the squirrels and rabbits... although we probably won't see any rabbits today. For some reason, all of them got beaten up last night. But don't worry, they're just minor injuries."

He said this in a joking tone. The cat, which had been dozing on his lap with its eyes shut, cracked open one eye at his words before quickly closing it again.

It was actually an excellent suggestion. The forest was not only cooler, but the air was also remarkably fresh. However, the Evergreen Forest was quite a distance away. If they wanted to get back before nightfall, they wouldn't have much time to spend there.

Seeing Jenkins was truly stumped, Hathaway finally suggested a concert. Not a formal one that required evening wear, but a small, intimate performance organized by some lesser-known musicians. This type of concert wouldn't involve any instruments loud enough to bother Chocolate's sensitive ears, so the three of them agreed to her plan.