Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Since the badge had to be worn on his chest to work, Jenkins asked Papa Oliver to help him firmly attach the pin to the back with a heated wire. From that day on, he never left home without it.

When he returned home that evening, a fine drizzle still misted the air. Jenkins changed his shoes, folded his umbrella, and handed it to the maid. As he looked up, he was surprised to see his older brother, Newman Williams. Newman had moved out and become fully independent long ago. He had been away on an academic trip with a university professor and had only just returned to Nolan, so this was the first time Jenkins had ever met him.

Before him stood a tall, smiling man with resolute features. He had inherited half of his father’s handsome looks, while the other half favored his mother.

Mary Williams, much like her common name, was an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman. She had been a girl from the slums of Nolan City, and as a young woman, she had a chance encounter with Robert Williams, who had fled to the city to escape hardship elsewhere.

Despite his own extremely handsome looks, which stood in stark contrast to her humble background, the young Robert Williams had fallen for the ordinary Nolan girl at first sight. Of their three sons, Jenkins most resembled his father, which was likely why Robert had always shown a particular fondness for his otherwise aimless son.

“My dear Jenkins, I heard you found a job with Bishop Parrold's help! Congratulations, that’s wonderful news. I want to get you a gift. Just tell me, what would you like?”

Newman gave Jenkins a warm, beaming hug. Having grown accustomed to interacting with his 'family' over the past weeks, Jenkins grinned and began recounting his work experiences for his father, Robert. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel_fіre.net

To celebrate the family's reunion, the Williamses had an especially lavish dinner that evening. Jenkins decided it was the perfect time, so he stood up and raised his glass of juice.

“I have an announcement to make.”

“Well, I’ve been working at Papa Oliver’s shop for two weeks now, and by the looks of it, I’ll likely be there for several years. The thing is, the shop is just too far from home. Taking a carriage to work every day isn’t very practical, so...”

His voice dwindled as Mary Williams’s sobs grew steadily louder.

“Please don’t cry, Mo—Mother.”

Jenkins felt rather awkward.

“I always knew this day would come,” she lamented. “My sons, whom I worked so hard to raise, grow up one by one and leave home. Eventually, none of you will want to come back. Every Reading Festival, it will just be your father and I, sitting all alone by the fireplace, reading to each other the fairy tales you loved as children.”

This plunged the whole family into an awkward silence.

After some comforting words from the head of the household, the sentimental Mrs. Williams finally managed to stop crying, though she still looked to be on the verge of a breakdown.

“Jenkins, I’m very pleased that you’re thinking about independence.”

Robert raised his wine glass in a toast to Jenkins. “But do you have enough saved to rent a respectable apartment? Or are you prepared to share a washroom with the filthy masses? I hope you’ll give this more thought in a few months, once you’ve built up some savings.”

As he spoke, he repeatedly winked at Jenkins, signaling that he should consider Mary’s feelings.

Newman Williams, sitting nearby, started to speak, but John Williams immediately tugged on his sleeve.

“What are you doing?” the youngest son whispered to his older brother.

“I work as a teaching assistant at the university, and I’ve saved up some money. I could lend it to Jenkins for the time being...”

“Brother, now isn’t the time for us to say anything. Don’t you see?”

Silence descended upon the dinner table for a moment. Jenkins steeled his resolve; he had to see this through. Moving out wasn’t just for his own good—it would also prevent his family from being dragged into any trouble that might find him.

“Actually, I came up with an idea for a book a while ago. Papa Oliver helped me get in touch with a publisher, and everything is more or less sorted out. I even have part of the advance they paid me.”

This was a lie. Jenkins hadn’t received a single copper penny for the publication; on the contrary, he had paid a good deal out of his own pocket. The money he had was what was left over from the bounty.

“Publishing? A book?”

Newman, who had been restrained by his youngest brother, exclaimed in astonishment.

In the end, Robert couldn’t find a suitable reason to object to Jenkins's plan. Fortunately, since Jenkins was still searching for a suitable apartment, the move wouldn’t be happening this week.

That night, the entire family gathered in Jenkins’s bedroom. Some sat on his bed, others leaned against the bookshelf, and a few settled cross-legged on the floor beside it, listening quietly as Jenkins read aloud the story he had written.

For many years to come, Jenkins would remember it as one of the warmest nights of his life.

In addition to being periodically whisked away to the hospital by the elusive Captain Bincy to treat patients with bizarre injuries, Jenkins also developed the habit of regularly attending church to pray.

This not only signaled his transformation from the 'wild child' he once was, but also provided a plausible reason for his frequent presence at the church—even if he entered through the back door most of the time.

At the church, he would occasionally encounter Bishop Parrold conversing with the other worshippers. When not attending to the daily affairs of the diocese, the bishop spent most of his time in the prayer hall or in the church’s library, which was open to all believers.

“I read that fairy tale you wrote,” the bishop said. “It’s quite fascinating, but your grammar and penmanship could use some work.”

The old man lavished praise on Jenkins for seeking independence through literature, declaring it the noblest quality a follower of the Sage could possess.

Having heard about Jenkins’s plan to move—whether from Robert Williams or Papa Oliver, he wasn't sure—the bishop even offered to lend him some gold pounds, an offer Jenkins declined with a wry smile.

“The day I can no longer afford the steam bills for my own apartment, I will be sure to ask for your help.”

The matter of the malevolent spirit at the hospital had been completely set aside. Although Jenkins’s arrival meant the injured Enchanters could recover quickly, the Church, despite its considerable efforts, had yet to find a way to combat the entity.

Jenkins had suspected it might be an undocumented Mysterious Object, but Captain Bincy dismissed the idea.

“It exhibits all the characteristics of a malevolent spirit... Besides, we’re already dealing with the octopus and the young flower seller. Nolan can’t possibly be so unlucky as to have three uncontrolled Mysterious Objects at once, can it?”

Jenkins was highly skeptical, but all he could do was pray to the Sage, hoping the Enchanter squad at sea would return soon, or that the reinforcements from the capital would quickly sort out their own problems and arrive.