Chapter 1873: Chapter 1873

There was no way to sweep the matter of the godhood under the rug. The observation team from the twelve churches had witnessed the moment Jenkins sacrificed it. As soon as they returned to the temporary camp with him and reported what they’d seen, the Church of the Sage was swiftly inundated with reprimands and inquiries from the other orthodox churches.

Of course, none of that concerned Jenkins. After emerging from the fog, he didn't even have a moment to rest at the camp. Before he could return the All-Seeing Card, Papa Oliver had already dragged him onto a carriage, which immediately sped toward the church in the city.

There were only the two of them and a cat in the carriage. Once he was sure they hadn't been followed from the camp, Papa Oliver finally took a long, careful look at Jenkins.

"This whole affair... you truly exceeded my expectations," he began. "To think you actually succeeded."

"You mean you didn't think I'd succeed when you sent me?" Jenkins retorted. "Besides, I don't recall saying I did."

As he spoke, he tugged down his right sleeve to cover the silver 'bracelet,' making sure Papa Oliver wouldn't see it. Chocolate squatted nearby, watching Jenkins with a predatory gleam in its eyes, clearly hatching some scheme.

"A few minutes ago, when Bevanna was leading her people into the fog to find you, we received an urgent message from the church through special channels," Papa Oliver explained. "The holy emblem hanging in the main nave suddenly began to glow. Then, everyone inside the church felt a divine power descend. It was a blessing from the Sage. If you hadn't succeeded, I can't imagine what else could have caused it."

Papa Oliver said, then asked with great curiosity:

"How did you manage it? What did you see when you went into the basement?"

"What are you talking about? It's been less than a week since you reached the 7th level. Did you really think becoming a demigod would be that easy?"

Papa Oliver wagged his finger, but then hesitated for a moment before adding:

"Although, for you, it just might be that easy. After all, you went from being an ordinary person to a 7th-level Enchanter in less than a year. If my memory serves me right, the anniversary of the day we first met is in about ten days."

"That's right. So, Pops, are you getting me a gift?"

"Why would I be the one giving the gift? Shouldn't you be the one giving me something?"

Papa Oliver chuckled before letting out a soft sigh.

"Jenkins, my boy, you might just be the fastest human Enchanter to reach the 7th level in all of recorded history. But extraordinary gifts and a peculiar destiny often come with an extraordinary mission."

"I understand. Every gift from fate comes with a price. Don't worry about me, Pops. I'll be fine."

He clutched his right wrist as he spoke, his voice filled with an unshakable confidence.

"But about that key of yours..."

"Don't speak of it," Papa Oliver cut in. "You're already carrying more than enough. Until the day I die, the key is my burden to bear." Google seaʀᴄh novel★fire.net

Papa Oliver shook his head, though a smile remained on his face.

"Jenkins, you are my most brilliant apprentice. To have met a student like you at my age... it makes me truly happy."

"You... you probably shouldn't say things like that. I'm not superstitious, but still."

Jenkins shook his head.

"Besides, Miss Stevel probably wouldn't be happy to hear you say that."

"She would understand me," Papa Oliver said, "just as I understand why she hasn't contacted me all these years for the sake of her mission."

Jenkins sensed a distinct note of dissatisfaction in that statement.

"Miss Stevel must be busy lately, right? I haven't seen her since the incident with the evolving pixie."

"I hear she's busy with the Believers of Lies."

Papa Oliver didn't seem concerned about revealing such a secret.

"If you ask me, trying to deceive a pack of liars is like lighting a candle in a room full of gas. People always overestimate their own abilities. Heh, I'd wager that in the end, we'll find we've simply fallen into an even bigger trap set by the Believers of Lies."

Those who have lived longer truly do see things with greater clarity, Jenkins mused.

"If that's what you believe, why not stop Miss Stevel and the Church?"

"The Believers of Lies aren't evil."

Hearing this, Jenkins realized he had rarely heard Papa Oliver share his opinion on the Believers of Lies.

"They are merely another group of poor souls caught in the web of fate. As followers of a new god, they are undoubtedly burdened with a greater mission. If you were merely dragged onto the stage for this end-of-the-epoch drama, then they are the actors who were cast in their roles from the very beginning."

Papa Oliver slid open the carriage window and, rather uncivilly, stuck his arm out to point at a purple star in the sky.

"Ever since that star appeared, the followers of new gods have been inextricably linked to the calamities at the end of the epoch. Compared to everyone else, they are the truly pitiful ones. Everything happening now is merely a single act in the grand play of disaster and salvation. Why should I stop Stevel? There's no point. What is fated to happen will happen. And besides," he added thoughtfully, "the Believers of Lies are probably doing some good, too, wouldn't you say?"

Papa Oliver's assessment was remarkably close to the truth. Before Jenkins could voice his own thoughts, the old man asked another question.

"Come to think of it, why are you covering your forehead? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not injured."

He couldn't very well explain that while he was sacrificing the godhood, as the Sage's gaze descended from above, an unseen figure had kissed him again. And this was no simple kiss—it wasn't even like the blessed kiss he had received when he became a Saint.

A ceaseless tide of power was now surging from his forehead through his entire body, transforming his already formidable physique and suffusing the spirit within him with a faint golden sheen.

Jenkins knew this had to be one of the Sage's rewards for sacrificing the godhood, but he worried that admitting to being kissed by a deity would be considered heresy, so he kept it to himself.

"Chocolate scratched me a moment ago," he lied. "It got a little too excited to see me."

Papa Oliver didn't seem to doubt his explanation, but Chocolate was clearly displeased. The irritable cat only calmed down after Jenkins promised to fix it a late-night snack once they arrived at the church.

The carriage rattled on, carrying them through the city streets.

He had been whisked away by carriage the moment he left the fog, partly to avoid being interrogated by the other churches, but also because the Sage's blessing upon the church had come with a special gift. This gift was the reward for Jenkins's sacrifice, and as such, only he could be the one to open it.

Sacrificing the godhood of a foreign deity to one's own was an epic feat, one worthy of being immortalized in the Church's histories for all time. The Church would certainly reward the believer who performed such an act, bestowing both material prizes and intangible honors. However, that required a formal process, one that would take at least a month to complete.

A reward from the god itself, however, would not be so delayed. The last time had been an exception, as the preparations for anointing a Saint took time. But this time, the reward for the Saint could be bestowed directly by the deity. And so, the Sage had "delivered" the prize straight to the church in Nolan.

A Saint receiving a reward from the Sage was a sacred occasion that required witnesses, so the church members stationed in the Evergreen Forest were already on their way into the city. Jenkins and Papa Oliver arrived before them, so after meeting up with the Keeper of Secrets and Mr. Gilbert, they waited in Miss Bevanna's office.

Since Miss Bevanna was still at the temporary camp outside the fog, being questioned by the other churches, Papa Oliver went to help prepare for the upcoming ceremony. Jenkins was left alone in the office. The moment the door clicked shut, Chocolate pounced at his wrist, only for Jenkins to deftly catch its soft face in one hand.

Its soft cheeks squished, distorting its meow into a strange, muffled sound.

"I was wondering what you were up to earlier," Jenkins said.

Jenkins set his cat down and extended his right arm, revealing the silver 'bracelet' on his wrist. Chocolate, now perched on Miss Bevanna's desk, immediately locked its eyes on the object.

When Jenkins moved his hand to the left, the cat's little head tracked it. When he moved his hand to the right, its head swiveled to follow. That confirmed it: the cat's target was the bracelet.

"It's not for eating," he chided.

He ruffled the cat's head with his left hand. Chocolate purred, its eyes squinting in pleasure, and while it no longer seemed poised to attack the bracelet, it still looked rather disgruntled.

Here in the church, Jenkins could clearly sense the lingering traces of the Sage's power—not with his eyes, but with his innate sensitivity to divine arts. It told him that the blessing bestowed twenty minutes ago must have been incredibly potent.

The gift itself had materialized slowly on the pulpit in the main nave, descending in a pillar of white light. It was a square box that emanated a silver sheen, bright enough to be seen even in total darkness. The front bore the holy emblem of the Sage, and its edges were studded with multicolored gemstones.

The box itself was not the gift, of course. According to historical records, the Sage always used a box of this exact design when bestowing gifts upon the faithful. The box was a single-use container; though it appeared small, it could hold an object of any size, whether corporeal or not. Once the contents were removed, however, the box would lose this magical property.

Still, the metal and gemstones it was made from were the finest possible materials for conducting divine rituals. Naturally, no one would be so extravagant as to dismantle a god-given box just for a ceremony.

From what Jenkins understood, most of these boxes were kept at the Holy See. Aside from being used to contain Cursed Items that were susceptible to divine power, some were also repurposed as funerary urns.

If Jenkins were to meet an untimely end and leave a corpse behind, it was entirely possible that the very box before him could one day become his eternal home.

It was a rather grim thought, but for some inexplicable reason, the possibility made Jenkins want to smile.