"Do the others on the team know I'm the Church's Saint?"
As he was discussing the venture with Mr. Gilbert, an important question suddenly occurred to Jenkins.
"We took that into consideration. We've already inford the other churches that we would be arranging for a Saint to enter the manor personally. This ti, your teammates are all aware of your identity. To support your operation, the Church of All Things and Nature, the Church of Sun and Justice, the Church of Destiny and Order, and the Church of Death and End have all sent their elites. In fact, two of them are acquaintances of yours from Nolan."
"Acquaintances of mine?"
Jenkins thought for a mont. He had a good idea of who they might be, but he couldn't quite figure out why they would be in Bel Diran.
"Alright, I understand. Are there any other instructions?"
He affird with a nod.
"Here's a file with the experiences gathered by the advance team during their exploration of the grounds. While the situation inside the building will likely be quite different, it should still be valuable for dealing with the cursed. You can review it before you depart. But please, you must rember that you haven't grown into a demigod yet. Do not take unnecessary risks in the manor. It may sound wrong, but if it cos to it... you can choose to abandon your teammates."
Mr. Gilbert urged once more.
"I'm actually quite cautious myself. As for abandoning my team... I'd like to think my luck isn't quite that bad. Oh, and one more question: can I use the Sage-given powers of a Saint inside the arcane lock?"
"If you locate the vampire who perford the ritual for the arcane lock and are confident you can kill her, then you may use that great power. Our current assessnt is that the pure power of a god won't provoke a major backlash from the lock. However, if you can't guarantee a killing blow, you absolutely must not reveal your identity. After all, in the entire material world, you are the only Saint below the demigod level. If you put your target on alert, things will beco exceedingly difficult."
Given the danger of the mission, Jenkins had no intention of bringing Chocolate. The manor was suffused with a curse, and the last thing he wanted was for his cat to accidentally turn into so vampiric feline.
As it happened, Papa Oliver heard about the situation and ca to visit. Jenkins seized the opportunity to ask him to look after Chocolate temporarily. But Chocolate was having none of it, digging its tiny claws into Jenkins's clothes and refusing to let go, no matter how hard he tried to pry it off.
"By the way, don't forget, Robert and the others are arriving in Bel Diran around three this morning. If you're out of the manor by then, you can et them at the train station. Just rember, Bel Diran has two stations, so don't go to the wrong one!"
Papa Oliver added, watching Jenkins struggle with the cat. Seeing how determinedly the feline clung to him, he knew he wouldn't be pet-sitting today.
"I won't lecture you about safety. Just be careful once the operation starts. Try not to touch anything inside the manor, and that especially goes for the bodies."
"Got it, Papa Oliver. I know."
Jenkins finally gave up on leaving the cat behind and showed Papa Oliver what the Church had just delivered.
"See this? Hemolytic Toxin," Jenkins explained. "The Nolan diocese prepared a huge batch a while back to fight the vampires. There's still so left that hasn't expired, and it should co in handy for this."
"The Church has prepared well, but we still have no idea what the vampire who spread this curse is actually planning. Rember to be careful."
Papa Oliver patted Jenkins on the shoulder, giving him one last word of caution.
Soon, the advance team had cleared the shortcut from the garden entrance to the main building once more. Before the cursed vampire servants could "revive," Jenkins's expeditionary team had already gathered at the manor's wrought-iron gate.
Of the five-person team, Jenkins recognized Miss Capet from the Church of All Things and Nature and Miss Knight from the Church of Sun and Justice. As for the lady from the Church of Destiny and Order and the silent Gravekeeper from the Church of Death and End, he had never t them before.
"Good evening," he began. "I have to say, I'm quite surprised to see you both in Bel Diran."
He had wanted to ask why the two won were in Bel Diran, but that would have been impolite. So, he settled on a gentler approach.
"I was in Bel Diran on personal business and just happened to get caught up in this," Miss Knight explained. "Mr. Williatte, I never would have guessed you were a Saint. I truly never would have."
Miss Knight was dressed in a suit of antique-looking armor, her helt tucked under her right arm. It appeared to be custom-made, the kind of gear only the knights of the Church of Sun and Justice wore in this day and age. In truth, she had known Jenkins was a Saint ever since the final battle with the Skull Sword in the Evergreen Forest, but she had been bound by a strict confidentiality pact and couldn't say a word.
"The Church transferred to Bel Diran a week ago on short notice. I have no idea why," Miss Capet said. "Good evening, Jenkins. So you're the Saint of the Sage..."
Miss Capet had suffered a grievous soul wound from the mirror world incident, one that was slow to heal, and had been recuperating in Nolan City ever since. Her sudden appearance in Bel Diran was certainly unusual, but this wasn't the ti to delve into it. Jenkins's distant cousin was dressed in the standard priestess robes of the Church of All Things and Nature, a stark contrast to the fully armored Miss Knight.
The silent Gravekeeper was the only other man in the group. He wore the black robes of his order and carried a small coffin on his back, which appeared to be a necessary component for so unique spell. The diviner, anwhile, was exceedingly polite to Jenkins. This was not just because of his status as a Saint, but also due to the extraordinary positions Miss Brolignans and Miss Audrey held within the Church, and Jenkins's own reputation as a scholar.
"Miss Brolignans is the only level 9 diviner in this era."
The young diviner explained the reason for her deference with this simple fact, and Jenkins admitted, sowhat sheepishly, that his own divination skills weren't even at a novice level.
The group set off shortly after. Everyone wore gloves to avoid touching anything in the manor, and, of course, the Hemolytic Toxin was essential. As for whether the others carried any Bestowals, Jenkins's eyes could tell at close range, but it seed he was the only one with such equipnt. After one last check to ensure they had all their supplies, Jenkins led the way. Together, they stepped through the manor's iron gate, which was shrouded in a thin mist—the very boundary between reality and the arcane lock.
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