Chapter 1985: Chapter 1985

"Is that all? You're inviting me to settle in Bel Diran just because they would be happy?"

If this were the old Sigrid, she would never have asked such a question. But the arrow she loosed at the 'Human Jigsaw Puzzle' last Sunday had given her a new wellspring of courage. So, despite the heat rising in her ears, she pressed on.

The cat, lounging lazily on Jenkins's lap, knew what the writer was about to say without even opening its eyes.

"Of course, I also hope you'll come to Bel Diran."

Chocolate's eyes snapped open. That was not what it had expected. It had assumed Jenkins would say something like, "Oh, and Hathaway and the others would be happy, too."

"Then, why do you want me to settle in Bel Diran?"

Sigrid tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, revealing the tip, which had turned a lovely shade of red.

Jenkins's gaze lingered on her earlobe for a few seconds. "Because Cold Spring Palace is far too large. I think with you there, it would be just right. And I can promise you, no one else will ever move in."

"Careful you don't fall."

Gently pressing the cat back down, Jenkins asked again, "So, what do you think? Will you come live with us—no, as family—in Cold Spring Palace?"

To maintain a shred of composure, Sigrid paused for a few seconds before biting her lip and giving a slow nod. Her head was bowed, and she could feel her face burning, but she couldn't suppress the smile spreading across her lips.

Jenkins let out a sigh of relief. The final battle was approaching, and regardless of the outcome, he didn't want to leave any regrets. He had a good idea of how the ladies of his household felt about Sigrid, and he himself was very fond of this distant relative, four generations removed.

Speaking the words aloud felt like lifting a weight from his heart, and a sense of joy washed over him.

With matters of home and heart more or less settled, he hoped to gather the whole family (cat included) for a photograph or an oil portrait before that crucial meeting.

His own Psychography could do the trick, but he wanted to use ordinary means to capture a memory, a moment in time. It was the most precious gift he had received in this world. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on noᴠelfire.net

Although Miss Bennett had given him free rein to do as he pleased in the city, she hadn't taken a holiday for herself. Instead, she was visiting the sanctuary of the Church of the Unlit Moon.

Compared to the other churches in Nolan, Jenkins didn't come here often. The church wasn't in the city center but near the embankment of the river in the northern part of the city.

Though it was called an embankment, it was really just a street along the river. The scenery here was quite lovely; the church faced the wide expanse of the water, offering a different, beautiful view in every season.

Miss Bennett knew of the 'Four Seasons' ability and told Jenkins with great confidence that even now, very few people in Nolan could answer his question.

"You're saying 'Four Seasons' evolved from another ability? That's quite interesting. We've always believed it could only be innately acquired."

They were speaking in the reception room of the church. Jenkins blinked.

"Yes. As far as we know, every single person with the 'Four Seasons' ability acquired it as a World's Gift the moment they became an Enchanter."

Unlike Jenkins, most people in this world gained two abilities the moment they became Enchanters: one was a World's Gift, usually a White Basic type, and the other was a Soul Trait Ability, tied to the Enchanter's own unique characteristics.

"It's not an ability exclusive to the followers of my Lord, though most of its wielders are. For some reason, however, it has appeared very infrequently in the 18th Epoch. To date, I've seen fewer than ten recorded instances. In the last epoch, the surviving records alone show over a hundred cases.

Hmm, it's generally believed to be due to a discrepancy between the development of civilization and the theme of the epoch. We have specialists who study this, trying to summarize the influence of the era on the extraordinary by statistically analyzing abilities that appear with vastly different frequencies in different epochs.

It's a major field of study, but unfortunately, due to a lack of data, progress has been slow, while the funding it consumes has been anything but."

She nodded as she spoke, and seeing Jenkins still looking at her, she remembered the question she was supposed to be answering.

"Yes, the effects of 'Four Seasons'.

It's a very powerful ability, with both active and passive effects. The passive effect enhances different types of abilities depending on the season. In spring, the holder's Green Life abilities are strengthened; in summer, Red Martial abilities; in autumn, Yellow Spell abilities; and in winter, White Basic abilities."

It offered no enhancement for Black Sacred, Golden Divine, Blue Anomalous, or Purple Fate abilities. This was likely because these four categories were quite specialized and not as universal as the first four.

"I don't know the exact degree of enhancement; you'll have to experience that for yourself. As for the active effect... hmm... it's difficult to explain. Give me a moment, I need to think about how to phrase it."

Jenkins nodded and glanced over at Sigrid. She was peeling an orange, and when she saw him looking, she offered him the peeled fruit. Jenkins took it, and the cat, which had previously shown no interest in the fruit in someone else's hands, was suddenly intrigued. Watching Jenkins playfully fend off the cat, Sigrid's lips curved into a smile.

Miss Bennett watched their interaction, her expression softening for a moment before she, too, broke into a gentle smile.

After all, Miss Bennett had looked after Sigrid when she was a child.

"The active effect of 'Four Seasons' is triggered under specific conditions. The ability requires materials to use."

Most abilities only required fixed incantations, gestures, or stances; very few needed 'casting components' in the traditional sense.

"You need four materials, each one representing one of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Once you have them, and they are all in contact with your body, you can successfully activate the ability. During its duration, you will gain all four seasonal passive enhancements simultaneously. Of course, that's just a side benefit. The true effect of 'Four Seasons' is to briefly grant the user the power to control the seasons."

"Control... the seasons?"

From what Jenkins understood, that was even more powerful than the divine art granted by the Storm Lord, 'Summon Wind and Rain'. But then he reconsidered. The wind, rain, thunder, and snow summoned through that divine art were not ordinary elements—otherwise, they couldn't have dispersed the gray mist. So, 'Summon Wind and Rain' was probably still stronger.

"Is it what I think it is? To change the season of an entire region?"