Chapter 1968: Chapter 1968

"The Sage is cultivating a mortal? Oh, I've only ever heard of such a thing in ancient myths. Could it really be... It's truly hard to imagine. Alexia and I have striven toward that goal for so long. I relied on luck, she on her talent, and we barely managed to find the path, let alone the door. The lucky person chosen by the Sage is truly... I'm sorry, did you say 'she'? Are you certain you used the right pronoun?"

Miss Audrey had assumed they were talking about Jenkins, so when she realized the other person was referring to a woman, her astonishment gave way to confusion.

"It's not Jenkins? We already know that Jenkins is the Savior. Is it not him?"

"He was not the intended Savior."

Miss Brolignans was still choosing her words carefully.

Miss Audrey blinked. She had lost count of how many times that evening she had found herself completely unable to follow the conversation.

"Teacher, just how much did you learn during your return to the Holy See?"

"A great deal. After all, the Church has all but decided that I will be the next keeper of the Millstone of Fate, and my Lord intended for me to know certain things. Do you understand now? Jenkins was not the intended Savior."

"No, I don't understand. What do you mean by 'intended'? Are Saviors chosen by the gods?"

"I had thought the appearance of a Savior was like a natural phenomenon. Perhaps one could discern the signs from past events, but no one could ever predict it with complete accuracy. I thought it was decided by fate."

"Gods do not choose Saviors, Audrey. I will stress this again: gods do not interfere with the End of the Epoch. You can understand it this way: the Sage 'saw' a very interesting human who would appear in our time, and this interesting human caught the Sage's eye. The great one believed that it was impossible for a human more powerful than her to appear at the end of the epoch, and therefore concluded she was destined to save the world."

It took Miss Audrey a moment to process this statement.

"I think I understand... A very special person. So special that even the Sage, who bears the title of omniscient, believed she was destined to save the world."

"My Lord told me that the Sage's assessment was not wrong, but an event, one that has never occurred since the birth of the world, altered the original trajectory of fate. The details are so complex that even I do not fully grasp their meaning, so do not dwell on what it was. It is pointless. The event only affects the gods; mortals cannot perceive it.

In any case, my Lord told me that the original Savior—the lucky one chosen by the Sage—would embark on the path to save the 18th Epoch as a 'Savior without a Savior's abilities' after the failure of the Savior who had gathered all the sins of the epoch."

"What does 'gathering all the sins of the epoch' mean? And can a Savior truly lack a Savior's abilities?"

For a moment, Miss Audrey felt as if she had once again become that young apprentice who knew nothing at all.

"Audrey, my student, your thinking is a bit too narrow. Think carefully. The possessor of a Savior's ability should inherently meet its requirements, not consciously strive to fit them. And what makes a Savior a Savior is that they truly save everything, not that they win a contest among the candidates."

Miss Brolignans explained, and Miss Audrey nodded, though she only partially understood.

"So what about now? Did something happen that made the Sage change the ownership of this card?"

"Yes. The originally chosen one was [The Erudite One], [The Wise One], [The One Who Does Not Believe in Gods], and [The One Who Will Be Omniscient and Omnipotent]. But now there is a better choice. The current candidate is [The Unexpected One], [The One Watched by Calamity], [The One Hiding in Shadows], and [The One Who is Neither Living Nor Dead]. This is the information I received, and only I know these specific descriptions of the Savior, and that the chosen one has changed.

All the Church knows is that my Lord, from beginning to end, simply instructed us to give this card to the Savior. So they really know nothing."

"So Jenkins is the current Savior?"

Audrey didn't even try to process her teacher's last words. The information was making her head spin, and it wasn't for her to know—even if the original "lucky one," the person chosen by the Sage, sounded an awful lot like her friend.

She cast aside the information that had nothing to do with her and focused only on the delightful fact before her:

"The Sage believes Jenkins is the Savior?"

A smile spread across her face, and it was so infectious that Miss Brolignans smiled as well.

"Don't be so certain. In any case, Jenkins will surely be the one to walk the Savior's path to the very end, but whether he succeeds will depend on him alone. Do not tell him of our conversation tonight. The great ones do not want him to dwell on matters unrelated to saving the world. Speaking of which, the nine Savior's Emblems are about to appear..."

"Wait, about [The Unknown Path]..."

Miss Audrey said hesitantly. Miss Brolignans nodded. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novęlfire.net

"During your time with Jenkins, you must have sensed it—his unbreakable bond with fate, his peculiar destiny. Perhaps it is time to tell him."

"Then I shall write to him at once."

As she spoke, she began to rummage through her handbag for a pen and paper.

"Audrey, don't be so hasty."

The diviner stopped her.

"It is not yet time. Wait until he has truly mastered the [Uncrowned King]."

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to prepare him mentally, to let him know that the [Uncrowned King] is the final Savior's Emblem?"

Miss Audrey asked, perplexed.

"Because everything begins with fate, so too must everything end with fate. You will understand in time."

Miss Audrey nodded and asked no more questions. But she still harbored doubts about her teacher's decision, so she resolved to drop some subtle hints around Jenkins. If he understood, it would mean he was meant to know now.

She thought of her friend, her hand subconsciously tightening around the All-Seeing Card that represented [The World].

"Because Jenkins appeared, she has lost..."

What the young diviner didn't know was that while her friend had lost something, she had also gained so much more.

The carriage brought the two diviners directly to the district where the metal black tower stood. The area had been cordoned off by the Church, and no carriages were permitted to enter. Thus, after verifying their identities at the checkpoint, the diviners proceeded on foot into the district, soon arriving at the base of the black tower in the public square.

The arrival of a level-nine diviner was warmly welcomed by all the churches. Miss Brolignans briefly familiarized herself with the current progress of research on the black tower and decided to organize a large-scale ritual in the coming days to peer into its contents.

This was a considerable risk, exceptionally dangerous even for a level-nine diviner, and so she would require the assistance of the various churches. The Orthodox Churches were unanimous in their support for this cooperation. After all, with the end of the world fast approaching, this was likely the most harmonious the churches had been in the entire epoch.

Jenkins didn't learn that Miss Brolignans had returned to Nolan until the following day, Monday afternoon. At the time, he was at the church discussing the matter of the King Soul with Miss Bevanna, complaining that since becoming a king, his life had somehow grown even more stressful. He couldn't even wander the streets openly anymore.

As the two were talking, Miss Audrey knocked and entered the office to discuss the details of Miss Brolignans's grand ritual with Miss Bevanna.

"When did Miss Brolignans return? How come no one told me? I was planning on going to greet her."

Taking the opportunity while Miss Bevanna went to retrieve something from behind the Gate of All Things, Jenkins asked his teacher from his seat on the office sofa.

"She returned last night. You were so exhausted yesterday, I thought it best to let you rest, so I didn't tell you. Besides, my teacher doesn't care for such formalities... I just paid a visit to Papa Oliver, and he mentioned something happened at your house this morning?"

"At home? Something happened? No, I don't think so."

Jenkins replied while stroking his cat. Chocolate was curled up on his lap, its body twitching with every gentle touch.

"Papa Oliver told me this morning that you showed up at the antique shop very early today. And it seems you didn't have breakfast at home, but with him instead? What happened, did the ladies of your house finally throw you out?"

That definitely sounded like Papa Oliver's teasing. Jenkins hadn't expected the old man to gossip about him, and his gaze shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"It wasn't really anything serious."

It really was nothing serious. To be specific, while Miss J and Miss Windsor could use Jessica's body for extended periods with permission, the time they could act independently using the bodies Jenkins had created for them was limited. And Jessica had remained in Jenkins's bedroom until that very morning. Last night, Jenkins hadn't considered the details, but the moment he opened his eyes this morning, he immediately recalled the many inconsistencies from the night before, such as the changes in her way of speaking.

He couldn't believe he had actually done something like that. Although Jessica said nothing after waking up, Jenkins couldn't shake the feeling that everyone in the house was looking at him strangely. Under the immense pressure of his own making, he had washed up and then hastily "fled" the house, planning to return that evening after emotions had cooled. By then, he hoped, the girls at home would no longer see him as a "bad guy."

Of course, there was no need to explain any of this to others. It would damage his image, and besides, it was a private matter.

Seeing him smile awkwardly without offering an explanation, Miss Audrey didn't press the matter.

"My teacher said she will also be present on the day you forge the King Soul."