Chapter 1920: Chapter 1920

To answer the Church's questions about the incident in Honeywood Town, Jenkins planned to visit them later that day in his guise as a Believer of Lies and formally arrange a time for negotiations.

He couldn't wait any longer. After forcing Queen Isabella to abdicate over the weekend, he needed to unite the followers of the Righteous Gods and the pseudo-gods. If he delayed until the final emblem representing destiny truly appeared, it would be too late.

The only good news today was that the Cloud Whale Beast had been successfully sealed once more. During Jenkins's great battle with the Difference Engine, the chains that had been attempting to drag the beast underground all retracted back into the earth.

By then, the ugly, bizarre cat-like monster was utterly exhausted. The Church seized the opportunity and moved in. While it wasn't exactly sportsmanlike, the side of justice didn't need to trouble itself with such niceties.

Jenkins was no longer needed in the eastern suburbs, so he requested to return to the city, a request that was swiftly approved.

The city lights were already beginning to glow by the time he returned to Nolan. Utterly spent, he first went back to the church to give a verbal report to Bevanna about the afternoon's events.

He then found Fini and discussed the meeting with her friends that morning, along with the matter of him funding the establishment of a unified guild. Only after bidding farewell to Papa Oliver, who happened to be at the church on business, did he head back to St. George Avenue, starving and exhausted.

When he greeted Papa Oliver, the old man found it quite strange that Chocolate wasn't by Jenkins's side. In fact, everyone he had met since returning from the eastern suburbs—Bevanna, Fini, and every other acquaintance—had asked the same question.

Jenkins managed to deflect their inquiries with the excuse that the cat had an upset stomach, so he had sent it home early.

Briny and Julia, still unaware of what had transpired, saw Jenkins's weary expression. After asking if he had eaten dinner, they bustled off to prepare a fresh meal.

Jenkins sat on the sofa and played with his rather annoyed cat for a moment. Hearing footsteps descending the stairs, he braced himself against the back of the sofa and stood up. As expected, it was Hathaway.

She had changed into her house clothes and was wearing a pair of pink slippers.

"Briny and Julia are in the kitchen," he said, signaling that they could now speak freely.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Hathaway walked over to the sofa and gave Jenkins a hug. Noticing the obvious discomfort in his right arm, she then inquired about his injury.

"It's nothing. I think it'll be better in a few days, maybe two or three."

He was being truthful, but Hathaway seemed to think he was deliberately downplaying it so she wouldn't worry. She insisted on seeing the wound.

Just then, Briny came out from the kitchen, asking if she should prepare a portion of dinner for Chocolate as well. When she saw the hastily wrapped bandage on his arm and the blood seeping through, her eyes turned red.

As a teary-eyed Briny began to re-dress Jenkins's wound, Alexia made an unexpected appearance at St. George Avenue.

By the time she received news of the incident in Nolan's eastern suburbs, it was already over. Others might not have known what happened, but the moment she heard the God of Lies had appeared, she knew Jenkins had gotten himself into major trouble again.

Worried about him, she had rushed over as soon as she finished helping Dolores with her work. She and Briny cleaned the wound together and applied a magic potion that was said to be very effective.

Meanwhile, Hathaway and Julia brought Jenkins's dinner and Chocolate's late-night snack to the coffee table instead of the dining table. Seeing that his arm was injured, Julia even offered to feed him, an offer Jenkins immediately refused.

"It's just a minor injury. I'm not at the point where I need someone to feed me."

Chocolate rubbed against Jenkins's left hand, which was resting on the sofa, and was exceptionally well-behaved, not disturbing him during his meal.

However, only Briny and Julia stayed with him while he ate. Alexia and Hathaway had retreated to the first-floor study. The shorter woman could see that the atmosphere between Jenkins and Hathaway was strained and wanted to find out from Hathaway what had really happened that afternoon.

After dinner, Julia went to clear the dishes while Alexia and Briny sat in the living room drinking tea and discussing the latter's father, Marquis Mikhail.

Everyone tacitly gave Jenkins and Hathaway their space. The two of them, along with the cat, went into the study on the first floor. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N0velFire.ɴet

Jenkins sank into the chair behind the desk, leaning his body back against the soft cushioned backrest. He was truly exhausted today.

He could have left immediately after the battle with the Difference Engine ended, which would have kept his identity hidden from Hathaway. But he hadn't. In the past, he had worried about dragging the uninvolved young women into his world, even worried about frightening them. But things had reached a point where such considerations were no longer necessary. The final battle was not far off, perhaps even tomorrow, and he didn't want to go into it still hiding things from his family.

Neither of them spoke. Hathaway sat on the sofa against the wall, her head bowed as she stared at her own fingers. Jenkins, in turn, gazed at Hathaway's face.

The red-haired young woman knew he was watching her, yet she refused to meet his eyes.

"So, Jenkins, how many other things have you been hiding from me?" she asked, her voice low and heavy.

"This is the last one."

"So, you really are..." Hathaway lifted her head to look at him. Jenkins couldn't read the emotions flickering in her eyes; he never could.

"You're really a Believer of Lies?"

"Yes. I am a Believer of Lies."

"Oh, my God... But you're the Saint of the Sage, why would you... Are you Candle Mr?"

She looked up at Jenkins, and he looked back at her.

"You should probably prepare yourself."

Their eyes locked. Jenkins nodded.

"All of the Believers of Lies... are me."

Hathaway's expression remained unchanged. She couldn't comprehend the meaning of his words; it was a truly difficult concept to grasp.

He spread his hands, and the purple emblem of destiny materialized.

"The Twin Demons are me."

The red demonic emblem appeared.

"The Undying Man is me."

The white emblem of the Undying Man appeared.

The golden phantom emblem appeared.

"The original man in the black robe was me."

He then summoned all of his soul emblems at once. Red, white, gold, iridescent, blue, black, green, and purple—it was the first time he had ever displayed all eight emblems simultaneously. Hathaway, her face bathed in their radiant light, felt as though she was about to suffocate.