Chapter 1992: Chapter 1992

After their conversation, Miss Stevel turned and left almost immediately. Jenkins watched her disappear into the distance, then smiled and stroked his sleepy cat. He let out a whistle, summoning his unicorn to fly into the night sky.

But he had barely taken off before he descended again, dismissing the little beast for the moment. He drew his sword from thin air and padded silently down the alley. At the other end, he saw a gray, indescribable four-legged monster, crouched low to the ground, about to tear into a man who had fallen in a panic.

“A Crawler in the Fog?”

These strange creatures first appeared in the gray mist after its initial mutation. They were one with the fog itself; even if destroyed, they would regenerate after a certain time. In theory, these monsters could spawn anywhere the gray mist was present, which was why the Church had increased the frequency and intensity of its nightly patrols. Still, there were always a few unlucky souls.

With a single slash, a flash of his sword split the monster in two, carving a deep gash into the ground. No corpse was left behind; the creature slowly dissolved into gray mist, melting back into its surroundings as if it had never been there at all.

He grunted, sheathing his sword and turning to leave, but the fallen man stopped him. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⁂fire.net

“Please, wait, sir. Could you... help me up? My legs feel a bit weak.”

He was an ordinary man. Judging by his attire, he was likely a merchant who had just concluded some business for the evening, though it was unclear why he was walking instead of taking a carriage.

Jenkins glanced at his pocket watch before reaching out and pulling the man to his feet. Once upright, the merchant bowed, offered a quiet word of thanks, and then asked in a trembling voice if he was free to go.

With that, he limped away.

Jenkins turned to go as well, but the cat on his shoulder suddenly meowed.

“What is it? We're heading back now, no need to rush.”

Chocolate leaped down from Jenkins's shoulder. It had been a long time since Jenkins had seen the cat stand on the street.

The cat lowered its head and sniffed intently at the mark Jenkins's sword had left on the ground. Jenkins crouched down and ran his fingers over the gash, finding traces of black ash in the groove.

This was undoubtedly a product of the black smoke from the fissures that had appeared as the seventh level of the tower rose. Jenkins had thought the Church had sealed those fissures and that the black mist would slowly dissipate. He hadn't expected it to merge completely with the gray mist, even appearing in the remains of a Crawler in the Fog.

“This is not a good sign.”

He gazed at the dark tower in the distance, momentarily at a loss for what to even think.

Perhaps spurred on by the "efficiency" of the Believers of Lies, Miss Brolignans's grand divination ritual was prepared ahead of schedule, on Thursday.

He had woken up early that morning to welcome Pope Pontiff of the Church of the Sage, who had arrived on a steam-powered airship for tomorrow's negotiations. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jenkins didn't stay long, returning home for breakfast. He spent the entire morning indoors, playing cards with Hathaway and the others. It wasn't until noon that he learned Miss Brolignans was ready, which was why he was now standing at the foot of the tower that afternoon.

“Are you so idle you're playing cards at home now?”

asked Papa Oliver, who had appeared with Jenkins in the public square.

“I suddenly realized I don't seem to have anything left to do.”

He couldn't be bothered with the mundane affairs of being a king, even turning away the etiquette tutor Queen Isabella had sent for him. After waking up that morning, he had planned to review the divination girl's notes from his adventure in Black Town, but he couldn't seem to quiet his mind, so he'd ended up playing cards instead.

“You just don't want to do it. Whether it's secular politics or our Church's activities, you're needed everywhere. When the old pontiff from the Church of Nature arrived by train this morning, why didn't you go to greet him? And even if that wasn't important, I saw you this morning. Why didn't you stay at the church to speak with Pope Pontiff?”

“Wasn't he busy visiting the delegations from the other churches that have arrived in Nolan? And arranging meetings with the kings before the negotiations? How could he possibly have time to talk to me?”

“Have you forgotten that you're a king now...? Never mind. It's good to get some rest, but don't forget what's important.”

Papa Oliver said. Jenkins laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Before something big happens, I should be allowed a moment to rest. The negotiations are tomorrow. I was even planning on getting a family portrait taken, but it looks like there won't be time now.”

“With Robert, Mary, and your brothers?”

“No, just me and them.”

“The Church can arrange it. Just set a time.”

“Alright. How about Saturday?”

Although it was two in the afternoon, the gray mist obscured the sky, and visibility in the open-air square wasn't great. Neither Jenkins nor Papa Oliver were participants in the ritual, so they stood at the edge of the square, chatting idly as they watched the ceremony unfold step by step.

Jenkins was once again reminded of the water divination ritual Miss Audrey had performed half a month ago. He still didn't understand who the woman behind him had been, the one who warned him not to open the Millstone of Fate.

“I spoke with Miss Miller not long ago. We happened to run into each other in the Evergreen Forest.”

“She's a truly brilliant young woman. You're very lucky to have met a lady like her.”

“I feel very lucky, too.”

“I hear she's a non-believer?”

“She is... Are you going to ask me to persuade her to join the Church? Oh, Papa Oliver, when it comes to matters of religion, that's...”

“That wasn't my intention. As long as one doesn't believe in an evil god, being a non-believer is fine. I'm a very open-minded person.”

Papa Oliver nodded, his eyes still fixed on the ritual. Everyone was now in position, conducting a final check of the materials.

“I've noticed that her research, the very core of her abilities, seems quite close to our Church's path. The pursuit of mathematics is also a pursuit of knowledge. Her philosophy is actually very similar to ours.”

Jenkins thought for a moment.

“I suppose so. They're both certainly related to knowledge, it's just that Alexia specializes in mathematics.”

“Someone once had the idea of pursuing a path centered on the power of mathematics. Unfortunately, it's difficult to train a scholar and an Enchanter at the same time, as both require immense time and talent. Miss Miller is quite remarkable. If I didn't know she was a non-believer, I might have even thought she was some kind of secret heir the Church had been grooming...”