Chapter 339: Chapter 339

If Jenkins were a wealthy and powerful noble, he might have actually considered forming his own religious order to expand his influence. It would certainly make clandestine activities like collecting divinity and researching divine domains more convenient. He wouldn't have to handle everything himself and could fully enjoy his second life in this other world.

But the reality was, he was just a minor noble working in an antique shop. His most pressing concerns each day were what he should have for dinner, and what his cat should have for dinner.

For that reason, even as Captain Bincy discussed the pseudo-god's peculiar followers right in front of the pseudo-god himself, Jenkins was powerless to change the situation as the captain might have hoped.

“Miss Bevanna already told me that this morning's events were related to the followers of the New God. But the second matter—how did you make that connection? Was it through divination?”

“No, it's merely a conjecture for now. But the Church discovered the bodies of two women in the apartment directly beneath the anomaly, and their faces matched those of wanted fugitives from the Witch's House. During the explosion at the small house by the Rona River, the Twin Demons also clashed with members of the Witch's House. Add to that the fact that this incident possessed the same divination-jamming properties characteristic of the New God's followers, and that's our preliminary conclusion.”

“Then the owner of that apartment...”

“Completely untraceable. Everyone's memories have been wiped. The landlord is convinced he cleans the apartment every day, yet he's never seen anyone living there.”

That was Alexia Miller's handiwork. The woman was every bit as cautious as Jenkins. She had long ago prepared for the day she might be forced to abandon her residence, planning exactly how to handle the aftermath. That was how the two of them had managed to escape in such a short time; the cleanup had effectively begun the very moment they slipped out the window.

After bidding Captain Bincy farewell, Jenkins took his cat and rode a carriage back home. He quickly processed the materials he had received from Miss Miller, then slipped out by climbing over the back wall of his yard.

By the time he reached the small hill overlooking the Ponton Winery, Miss Miller had already been waiting for some time.

She stood without an umbrella amidst the withered trees, the falling snow vanishing the moment it touched her. Her hair swayed gently in the wind behind her. Her form was a chameleon-like blur, blending seamlessly with the surrounding white snow and bare wood. She reached out and placed a hand on Jenkins's shoulder, and in an instant, both man and cat took on the same strange, camouflaged appearance.

She offered a simple greeting, then began to report on the situation.

“It's exactly as you described. Because of the terrible weather, no one, not a single person or carriage, has left through the winery's main exit since noon. I can't see the rear exit.”

“Excellent. From my experience on the fourth 31st, the original owner of the winery was a follower of the heretical Undying Lord. He lived as an ordinary resident of Nolan, passing along bits of inconsequential information, until two months ago. That's when the heretical church's main force arrived to carry out a plan called 'The Undying Man,' and he relinquished practical control of the winery to them.”

“Yes, the legendary white basic ability. Unfortunately for them, the main church forces failed to acquire the data in time during the last loop. That means we still have a chance.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovelfire.net

As he spoke, Jenkins squinted at the small cluster of buildings nestled within the vast white landscape.

“According to Miss Audrey's divination from last time, the potential source of the catastrophe is a monster with terrifyingly potent life force, imprisoned deep in the wine cellar. Since we don't have the local church's assistance this time, I'll infiltrate alone. If all goes smoothly, you only need to wait here for me.”

“And if it doesn't go smoothly, I will create a disturbance at the main gate to buy you time to escape,” Miss Miller added.

He nodded, leaving the two umbrellas he was carrying under his arm with Miss Miller. Then, he stooped down, stepping out of the camouflaged area, and began running toward the hill farther back.

Miss Miller narrowed her eyes, watching as Jenkins vanished from sight. Only then did she open the umbrella the man had thoughtfully prepared for her. “I wonder if his emotional intelligence is really that low, or if he's just faking it.”

During the previous 31st, the cultists had escaped through a secret tunnel connected to the wine cellar. This time, Jenkins planned to use that same tunnel in reverse. He would go straight to the imprisoned monster, deal with the problem quickly, and then leave the way he came.

He ran through the snow for a time until his stamina gave out, his pace slowing to a brisk walk, then a stroll. After cresting two small hills, he found a rock wall on the mountainside, just as he remembered.

In truth, such a landform was highly unusual here. Nolan was a coastal city, surrounded by flat plains. The features that people called mountains were, for the most part, little more than large earthen mounds.

So, for a sizable rock wall to appear so abruptly in this region was exceedingly strange.

It certainly paid to have powerful backing. In their pursuit of the cultists, the Orthodox Church had already completely deciphered the traps, rituals, and wards at both ends of the secret passage. All Jenkins had needed to do was commit them to memory.

He waved a hand, summoning the Book of Memories. A complex diagram materialized on its pages.

He reached into his coat...

He had intended to grab his silver ritual dagger but had grabbed Chocolate instead. The cat began to squirm in his arms, clearly displeased. He gently soothed his pet, then, while studying the intricate hexagram in the book, began carving it onto the rock face.

He pressed his right hand onto the palm-sized engraving, slowly and steadily pouring his spirit into it. With a metallic click, the surface of the rock wall shimmered as if veiled in a thin mist. It then gradually cleared, solidifying into the form of a large metal door.

Both sides of the door were adorned with raised patterns of gears, shafts, and mechanical diagrams. This was clearly not the handiwork of the followers of the Undying Lord. In fact, this rather large secret passage had been converted from a section of Nolan's subterranean mine tunnels, and the door itself was a relic from the previous epoch.

The complex network of mining pits beneath the city and its suburbs had always been a known secret. However, because they offered little profit and had not yet presented a threat to the city, they were currently sealed. The Church had been actively exploring them, but to date, aside from some valuable ore left behind by their predecessors, they had found no information of any real value.

During the last 31st, with only a few hours remaining, the Church hadn't had enough time to fully determine the origin of this door.