Chapter 1993: Chapter 1993

Papa Oliver’s comment about Alexia was entirely off the cuff; he didn’t genuinely believe she was some secret successor groomed by the Church. Jenkins chuckled.

“Hearing you say that, I’m starting to think Alexia really does seem like one of us.”

“Do you know why she’s a non-believer?”

Papa Oliver asked again. In this world, there was always a reason for being a non-believer, as faith in a god was the norm.

“I asked once before, but as you know, it’s a very sensitive topic.”

“Yes, very sensitive,”

Papa Oliver admitted.

“Alexia said it was because of her family. It was something that happened long before I met her. She was vague, so I didn’t press her on it.”

“Then who taught her all these skills? I imagine that no matter how gifted someone is, it’s impossible to become a demigod through self-study alone.”

In the center of the square, Miss Brolignans raised her hand, and the choir immediately began to sing. Like the choir of the Legacy Sage Church, the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium’s choir was composed of young girls and boys, though the style and melody of their hymns were vastly different.

Jenkins and Papa Oliver both fell silent, not wanting to disturb the ritual. Jenkins searched his memories for his conversations with Alexia. The petite woman had indeed mentioned the person who set her on her path—her governess from her youth. Though just an ordinary person, her thirst for knowledge had ignited Alexia’s drive to move forward.

When the hymns paused, nine bonfires roared to life, their flames beginning to scorch the bone fragments. Jenkins tilted his head toward Papa Oliver and said:

“I remember now. Alexia said she started on this path because of her former governess, who taught her grammar and music. It seems Alexia comes from quite a good background. The lady passed away from illness a long time ago. Her name was... Oviya... hmm?”

It was as if a hammer had struck him on the head, and he was suddenly wide awake.

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Aside from the things Jenkins needed to know—such as that she had never been in an intimate relationship with anyone of either gender, that she had changed her middle name, and that she had once owned a cat that ran away on its own—Alexia rarely spoke of her past, seemingly to prevent Jenkins from deducing her age. What Jenkins did know was limited; he was vaguely aware that she had traveled the world and knew a few things about her childhood.

The name “Oviya” wasn’t particularly special. While not as common as a name like “Mary,” it wasn’t unimaginable for two people to share it.

So far in this world, Jenkins had an extremely deep impression of two “Oviyas.” One was the young diviner from the distant past, the founder of the divination school Jenkins had joined, a common ancestor to Miss Brolignans, Miss Audrey, and himself. Jenkins had only learned her name at Nightshade Manor. The other was the one he had just realized—the governess who had given Alexia her initial enlightenment, guiding her step by step to where she was today.

“What is it? Did you think of something?”

Papa Oliver asked, noticing that Jenkins had abruptly stopped talking.

“Papa, do you believe in coincidences in this world?”

“Coincidences? No. In my eyes, a coincidence is just another inevitability pieced together from countless other inevitabilities. It seems you’ve made an important discovery?”

Miss Brolignans’s grand divination ritual would take a considerable amount of time, so Jenkins temporarily left the public square and went to City Hall alone to find Alexia.

But with the Tri-King Summit nearing its end, there were no important meetings scheduled recently, and Dolores had not come to attend today. It was one of King Sarlis II’s attendants who informed Jenkins that the princess and her sisters had gone to see an opera.

He finally found Alexia in the corridor of the opera house. Without mentioning the name of the diviner girl from the past, he asked directly if Alexia had any suspicions about her tutor.

The petite woman’s face was expressionless.

“You think there was something wrong with Miss Oviya?”

“It’s just a guess. You know me—I suspect everything. There was a time I even suspected that Chocolate wasn’t really a cat.”

“Then what do you suspect about Miss Oviya? My tutor only gave me my first introduction to mathematics. It has almost nothing to do with who I am now. She didn’t guide me; I simply chose what I loved from the many options she presented.”

“Yes, I know. In that case, could you tell me what Miss Oviya looked like?”

Alexia nodded. She pointed and drew in the air with her right index finger, leaving behind a trail of blue light. The light formed the portrait of a woman’s head. Jenkins squinted, comparing it with his memory.

“I don’t recognize this woman at all.”

“So it was just a coincidence, then?”

“Yes, a coincidence.”

Chocolate knew Jenkins was lying.

There was no need to trouble Alexia. In her mind, “Miss Oviya” was just a simple passerby from her past, like the many people she had brushed past during her travels. Alexia didn’t hold any particularly deep feelings for this tutor, so Jenkins had no intention of dragging her into this.

But now that it was clear that Miss Oviya was indeed the young diviner Jenkins had met, things had just become very interesting.

“What is she trying to do?”

Leaving the opera house, Jenkins walked down the street, lost in thought. He scanned his surroundings, half-expecting the young woman with the crystal ball to emerge from the depths of the fog.

His encounter with the diviner girl had happened less than two months ago. Their time together had been short, but because of the notebook she had poured her heart into, Jenkins had thought he understood the girl, whose personality was somewhat eccentric yet exceptionally gentle.

Jenkins’s memory had long reached the point of being eidetic; every detail about her was crystal clear in his mind. Not long ago, in the ice temple, he had even asked the Lord of Ice and Snow for news of her and learned that she was now living quite well.

“But why would you become Alexia’s tutor?”

He couldn’t understand it. He didn’t even know what attitude he should have toward her now.

His eyes shifted forward, and then he truly saw a familiar friend appear—but not just one, two of them.

“Anathasia, Princess Sophia!”

He froze for a moment, then confirmed their auras before smiling and calling out a greeting. The silver dragon and the princess walked quickly toward him. Their reappearance was as sudden as their departure from above the Evergreen Forest. Their arrival in the material world was a consequence of Jenkins’s ritual with the Dragon Calling Flute. They had left Nolan together afterward, saying they would be back soon.

“You look a little disappointed to see us.”

The silver dragon teased. The silver-haired, golden-eyed girl was no longer wearing the white robe from her first appearance. She now wore a sophisticated white formal suit for women. The cuffs, collar, pocket edges, and buttons were all adorned with pure silver, and silver thread traced simple patterns on the surface of the fabric, giving her a dashing, heroic air.

Her waist-length silver hair remained unchanged, simply tied at the end with a golden ribbon that swayed with her movements as she walked.

Princess Sophia was still wearing the same dress she had on when they met in the Evergreen Forest, though she had removed the silver circlet from her head, likely to avoid any misunderstanding.

“No, why would I be disappointed? I couldn’t be happier to see two beautiful ladies. Does this mean you’ve finished your business?”

“Yes, our business is mostly done, and we’ve also taken care of some small troubles left over from many years ago. For the next little while, Sophia and I will be staying in Nolan. We did promise to help you, after all.”

The silver dragon replied, glancing at the cat on Jenkins’s shoulder but still saying nothing.

“We heard you’ve officially become a king? Sophia was in a hurry to have me rush back and congratulate you.”

“Yes, congratulations, Your Majesty Williamette.”

Compared to the silver dragon, Princess Sophia was the very picture of a perfect lady.

“No, oh, you’re too kind. If you’re staying in Nolan for a while, shall I find you a house? What kind of residence would you two ladies require?”

Jenkins invited his two friends into a Church carriage, temporarily setting aside the matter of “Oviya.”

The silver dragon was quite comfortable in the small space, showing none of the aversion large creatures often have to such environments. She sized Jenkins up.

“So kind of you. You don’t really have designs on Sophia, do you?”

Before Jenkins could retort to the jest, the serenely smiling princess beside her jabbed her elbow hard into the silver dragon girl’s side.

“Whatever you arrange will be fine.”

The princess said with a faint smile.

A silver dragon was different from a red dragon; she had adapted to living in a human body and thus needed to live in a human dwelling, not a cave. Although Jenkins hadn’t had his official coronation ceremony yet, it was still easy for him to find a house in Nolan for his friends, free of charge and complete with servants.

He said he would arrange it at once. After accepting their thanks, he remembered he still had many questions to ask the silver dragon.

The most pressing was the matter of the diviner girl. How could he possibly set such a thing aside?

“Anathasia, do you know of a book called ‘The Great Sins: Beasts of Calamity’?”

Sitting on the carriage seat, he leaned slightly to his right, rested his right elbow on his left leg, and shifted his upper body forward, bringing himself closer to the silver dragon.

The silver-haired girl, who had been gazing out the window, about to comment on her travels, froze. She glanced at the cat again.

“Why the sudden interest in Beasts of Calamity... Did you discover something?”