My mind was still occupied with the matter of the "Month's End Whisper," wondering if it had been a re fantasy born from a dazed state or so form of genuine knowledge.
My eyes drifted forward unconsciously, and I saw the shimring auras that signified the presence of Enchanters. They were still quite far, so all Jenkins could make out were faint specks of light, but it was enough to confirm that, at the very least, Miss Bevanna and her group were unhard.
In truth, he had been worried just monts before that when he looked into the distance, he would find no auras at all.
To avoid being detected by the demigod's keen senses, Jenkins had the unicorn land a good distance from the river.
He sent the unicorn back, then, with his cat, crept stealthily across the grassy field. He climbed the low hill beside the river and peered toward Miss Bevanna and her team.
She had brought only two combat squads for this operation. A dozen or so Scribes held torches aloft, and in their midst stood a pitch-black altar. The earth around it was freshly disturbed, showing clear signs of recent digging.
The altar appeared to be fashioned from unpolished obsidian, its surface uneven and coarse, as if coated in grains of salt. The dark aura radiating from it identified it as a Mysterious Object, though Jenkins couldn't recall a corresponding serial number from mory.
Holding his breath, he and the cat peeked over the rise, watching the group clustered around the altar, trying to discern what they were doing. After a few minutes, Miss Bevanna tossed a dark object onto its surface. The altar seed to activate instantly, spewing a plu of black smoke from its center.
The black smoke billowed upward before splitting into dozens of tendrils that shot toward everyone present. Back at the church, only Jenkins had been able to perceive the smoke, but here, Miss Bevanna looked up directly at the wisp hurtling toward her. She opened the large book she was never without, and the swirling black smoke was instantly sucked into its pages.
Although not all the smoke was absorbed, the few remaining wisps were easily dispelled with divine seals.
"Looks like everything is under control. The Church can handle this."
He thought to himself, gently squeezing the soft fur on his cat's neck.
The cat shifted reluctantly in his arms, but it understood his intention and let out a lazy ow.
"ow~"
"Who's there?"
Just as he'd planned, Miss Bevanna, who was standing by the altar, imdiately noticed the unusual sound. As she turned, she caught sight of a figure on a unicorn soaring into the night sky.
After instructing the others to stand guard over the altar, she imdiately gave chase. They soared through the air for so ti before the mysterious figure on the unicorn finally managed to shake her pursuit.
Miss Bevanna watched the white speck vanish into the distance. She was about to head back to deal with the altar when she noticed sothing odd about the forest to her left.
Flying closer, she discovered that an area covering half the hillside had been burned to a crisp. Strangely, the charred ground was now covered in a layer of white frost.
Upon closer inspection, she spotted a dark shape lying in the center of the scorched patch. As she descended, she imdiately saw a tattoo on the corpse, one that seed to have been deliberately exposed to the moonlight.
"Hm?"
Her brow furrowed. She had no idea what the followers of the God of Lies were plotting now.
"Sorry, I'm just so tired."
Jenkins yawned as he sat on the sofa in Miss Audrey's ho. It was Sunday morning, and the weary expression on his face was a perfect match for the gloomy weather outside.
It was half-past seven. Since Miss Audrey had ntioned she would be preparing breakfast, both Jenkins and his cat had arrived on empty stomachs.
"Good morning, Miss Brolignans."
Just then, the middle-aged woman descended from the second floor. She was staying at Miss Audrey's ho during her ti in Nolan. Although teacher and student didn't always see eye to eye, Miss Audrey still held a great deal of respect for her ntor.
"Good morning, Williatte. Didn't you sleep well last night?"
The woman asked, glancing toward the kitchen where she could hear the maid preparing food. She sat down opposite Jenkins and picked up the teacup Miss Audrey had just been using.
"Did you spend last night with so beautiful lady?"
Miss Brolignans teased. Jenkins lowered his head, stroking his cat and pretending not to hear. Despite having gone to bed as late as Jenkins, Chocolate showed no signs of drowsiness.
The cat was eagerly anticipating a different kind of breakfast. Jenkins's cooking was delicious, to be sure, but the feline gourmand enjoyed sampling a variety of culinary styles.
"I've heard from Papa Oliver that Jenkins is the old-fashioned type, not exactly a social butterfly."
Miss Audrey chid in, then suddenly suggested:
"Since we're on the subject, why don't we do a little divination before breakfast and take a peek at Jenkins's love life? It could be fun. Divining matters of the heart is rarely precise, but we can just give it a casual try."
She said this with a smile, which reminded Jenkins of last autumn when Miss Audrey had divined that Briny might be in danger. She had stated very clearly at the ti, "Before the God of War departs, Jenkins's future love will encounter an accident—a truly terrifying one." Thinking back, that must have been referring to her kidnapping by the twin demons.
"A divination about my love life..."
Jenkins wanted no part in this divination. It wasn't that he doubted the skills of Miss Audrey and Miss Brolignans—quite the opposite. He was reluctant precisely because he knew their abilities were terrifyingly accurate.
"Well then, let's begin. It won't take long."
Miss Brolignans, who was also quite interested in the idea, cut Jenkins off before he could refuse.
The way the two won played off each other made Jenkins suspect they had planned this in advance. But he quickly dismissed the thought—surely no one would conspire over sothing so trivial. Even though Miss Audrey and Miss Brolignans seed to have plenty of free ti, they must have their own matters to attend to.
And so, Jenkins reluctantly agreed to the divination. The three of them discussed the thod and ultimately decided on a traditional pendulum divination.
Jenkins had never formally encountered this thod of divination before. He only knew the gist of it: one holds a crystal or another object tied to a string, suspends it over a pendulum chart, and interprets its movents to find answers.
His knowledge on the subject was cursory, a remnant from his past life. The original Jenkins, on the other hand, had never shown the slightest interest in such matters.
Miss Audrey's pendulum was not a natural crystal. Instead, it was one she had created herself through a combination of ritual and chemical processes.
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