Chapter 404: Chapter 404

Squinting, Jenkins kept his breathing steady as he gazed at the floating stone slate, which emanated a pure white aura. It looked identical to the Doomsday Document he had found in the dungeon, though that one had glowed red.

"Thank goodness I reacted in time."

He complimented himself internally and closed his eyes again, feeling a sense of relief. There was still so much to consider, more lies to spin. But he was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

This time, he truly let his mind relax, listening to the gentle breeze whispering through the forest as his consciousness slowly drifted away.

"I'll deal with all that trouble when I wake up."

When his consciousness returned, in that fleeting moment before he opened his eyes, he found himself questioning the reality of his memories.

"Was it all just a dream? How absurd."

The confusion between dream and reality lasted only an instant. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the glowing motes that represented his abilities. The brand-new white basic ability, [Undying Man], had appeared alongside [Twin Demons], [Breath of Healing], and [The Unknown Path].

The moment he confirmed it, he felt not joy, but a sharp pang of regret.

Looking up, he saw Chocolate standing by the edge of the pool, gazing at him smugly. He immediately understood what had happened.

In any case, while the outcome had been favorable, nearly all of his belongings were destroyed. Thankfully, the [Life Pearl] Bestowal remained intact. Jenkins recalled flames erupting from his body to steam his clothes dry as he sprinted toward the corpse and collapsed, just as Chocolate was nudging the pearl around, playing with it.

"If I remember correctly, the eclipse was over when Miss Bevanna found me," he mused. "So we must have won."

At that thought, his foul mood lifted slightly.

He told himself to remain calm. He started by gently wiggling his fingers, feigning the first signs of waking. Then, he let his eyes dart about beneath his eyelids before finally opening them with a vacant expression.

"An unfamiliar ceiling."

Papa Oliver's voice spoke from beside him, as if he'd read his mind. He was holding a knife in one hand and an apple in the other—a familiar scene, just like old times.

"Papa, who sent the apples this time?"

His voice was genuinely hoarse; Jenkins guessed he must have been asleep for a long time. The source of thɪs content is NoveI-Fire.ɴet

"It's already this time of year," he added. "I remember apples being terribly expensive right now."

"For that to be the first thing you say upon waking proves you're in good spirits."

Papa Oliver shook his head with a sigh, setting the apple aside. He picked up a steaming mug and took a silver spoonful of colorful, fine sugar from an exquisite wooden box beside him.

"You're finally awake," he said. "Oh, don't move. You can keep resting. As for what happened that day... we have plenty of time to talk about it later."

The young man nodded, moving his heavy limbs with some effort. He shifted onto his side, just enough to see the church courtyard.

The weather was beautiful. Chocolate was sprawled beside the Fantasy Flower patch, busying itself with something, while a few nuns stood nearby, watching it with smiles and quiet chatter.

The winter sun was warm, the breeze was gentle, and all was well.

The followers of the Lord of Immortality had been utterly eradicated from the city. During the chaotic battle, they had made a desperate, all-or-nothing attempt to complete their ritual, hoping to at least seize the Savior's ability. But their efforts ended in an absurd tragedy, for they had been wrong from the very start.

The 'silver vertigo' was completely cured soon after, and the ruins of the Ponton Winery were officially renamed the Evergreen Forest. The white figure beneath the giant tree, however, remained a secret.

While the reason for the white, inverted figure's formation was being explained to Jenkins, he posed an interesting question:

"So, the 'Hanging Mother Goddess's Shadow' that the Witch's House worships is..."

Miss Bevanna rested her chin in her hand and looked at Jenkins, a light breeze ruffling her long hair and making it shimmer in the sun. "It should be easy enough to guess, shouldn't it? Especially after what happened. It's the shadow the Righteous God, Mother Earth, accidentally left behind when she entered the Shadow Realm during the 10th Epoch. Although it resembles a great being, it's ultimately just a shadow. That's why it was so easily frightened away by the New God that day."

During the few days Jenkins was unconscious, the Church discovered that the water in the pool beneath the figure had transformed into a special item, permanently imbued with spirit. It was now designated B-10-5-2885, Panacea. After being diluted ten-thousandfold and distributed to the city's patients, the curse-like illness was completely cured.

On that bright and breezy afternoon, Jenkins sat in Miss Bevanna's office and recounted the insane events of that day.

He told the truth, at least about everything up to the point of killing the imposter, merely omitting the part where Magic Miss had appeared. As for what came after, he explained that strangers calling themselves "Candle Mr" and "Magic Miss" had intruded. The latter left quickly, while the former knocked him unconscious.

"That's all I know... But the man seemed rather amiable and spoke gently. I don't think he's a bad person, right? At least, he didn't kill me."

He wore a handsome smile as he said it.

"He is a follower of the New God. As I thought, they're a strange group."

Miss Bevanna replied gently.

Nolan City returned to a state of peace. The followers of the Gear King went deep into hiding, and the members of the Witch's House were all but annihilated. Only a handful managed to escape, and it was believed the organization would not be able to cause any major trouble for the remainder of the epoch.

Jenkins had been unconscious for a long time. By the time he awoke, it was already the twelfth of November.

That Monday, he was subjected to a battery of medical examinations by various people and was only permitted to leave the church after they had thoroughly confirmed he was in good health.

On Tuesday, he visited Professor Burns and Hathaway. The professor was his usual self, overjoyed that Jenkins had recovered and eagerly joining him in cursing the ruthless followers of the New God. He found Hathaway and Miss Mikhail together at a club—a gathering place for young noblewomen, where Jenkins was one of the very few men permitted to enter, even for a short while.

Both young women looked to be in excellent spirits, having been fortunate enough to remain untouched by the recent turmoil. Hathaway tugged on his sleeve and quietly pressed him for details about what had truly happened, but Jenkins could only lower his head, pretend to stroke Chocolate, and repeat that he didn't know anything either.

However, not everything was quite so pleasant. Even during these few days of clear skies, tragedy had not been entirely absent.