Jenkins felt a bit awkward in the dragon's lair.
"No, sorry. I wasn't asking why Miss Knight didn't want the Dragon Soul. That's none of my business... I was trying to ask why you favored in this so-called ga."
Jenkins explained, and the dragon nodded in understanding.
"Because I believe that even if I had given it to that human female, Knight, it would have ultimately ended up with you. Don't argue. I'm not suggesting you would force her to hand it over. I trust that the Saint of the Sage is a man of outstanding moral character. My point is, she is truly not suited to possess one of the Four King Souls. She is different from you. She is rely an ordinary human, completely unaware of the secrets of the Epoch's end. Saint of the Sage, do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I think I understand."
Jenkins wasn't entirely sure what he understood, but since he was the one benefiting, he figured it was best to just go along with it.
"The origin of the Four King Souls is ancient. They are abilities created by humanity to forge myths for its own race. Humans hoped to learn complex magic from the elves, so they created the legend of the Tree Soul. They wished to possess the physique of a dragon, so they created the legend of the Dragon Soul. They wanted to conquer the bitter cold and face any hardship, so they created the legend of the Ice Soul..."
It paused deliberately, clearly wanting Jenkins to ask about the Dark Soul.
"Then what about the Dark Soul?"
"Ah, an excellent question!"
the red dragon declared with satisfaction, then explained:
"The thirst for power is also a sin. These seemingly insignificant sins form the legend of the Dark Soul. That is why the other three souls can be constructed directly, but the Dark Soul must be nurtured. It is an excruciating process, but it is the only way for the Dark Soul to be born."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Of course. It must be done."
The dragon affird, but added that it didn't know much more. After all, it was only a dragon.
The so-called "Dragon Soul" wasn't a spirit, or even a physical substance. Ordinary thods couldn't make it manifest outside a human soul, but the higher being who had given the red dragon its task clearly had other ans.
The Dragon Soul was sealed within a bronze, vase-sized flask. The dragon lifted one of its scales, hissing softly as it carefully extracted the flask from its own flesh. Then, it breathed a gout of fire, lting the soft, clay-like stopper at the mouth of the flask.
A crimson mist billowed out, flying with clear intent toward Jenkins. It passed through his forehead without resistance, rging into his body. In that instant, he thought he heard a draconic roar—the true cry of a pure-blooded dragon, the likes of which he had only heard in the stories of Black Town.
But after the roar faded, Jenkins only felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body. There was nothing else out of the ordinary.
"There, it is done. My task is complete. I can return ho once this epoch concludes. To be honest, this place isn't half bad, but it's still no match for a lair built with my own claws."
The red dragon let out a long breath, looking considerably more relaxed.
"Now that you have rged with the Dragon Soul, the success rate of any draconic rituals you perform will be greatly increased. The effects of your dragon-related abilities will also be enhanced. It's a decent boon for a human, though it might not have much effect on a high-level Enchanter... Oh, and Saint of the Sage, please take your trash with you when you leave."
it added, not forgetting the small details.
Jenkins nodded, then pulled a small, freshly drawn mirror from his pocket. He put on his monocle and peered at his reflection. Just as he'd expected, a tiny, inconspicuous flicker of red fla danced over his chest. It was remarkably similar to the ice-blue fla over Dolores's chest, and both were larger than the tiny spark over Miss Windsor's.
"So this is the Dragon Soul?"
he thought, pressing a hand to his heart. Chocolate found the gesture most ungraceful.
"Now, only the Tree Soul remains..."
The sky was just beginning to lighten when he left the Evergreen Forest. It was still early, and the city was fast asleep. Jenkins, in a rather good mood, first went ho to grab a few things. Then, much to Chocolate's displeasure, he rode a unicorn to the Church of All Things and Nature's encampnt near the forest.
The Church of Nature's delegation included a number of ascetic monks, so Jenkins had to evade their keen senses to sneak into Miss Capet's room.
The mont he slipped through the window, however, Miss Capet nearly bludgeoned him to death with a pillow. She had apparently mistaken him for so sort of deviant, and she did not hold back.
"Jenkins, what are you doing here so early?"
A slightly disheveled Jenkins sat on the chair by the bed, his right hand covering his left arm. A faint green light emanated from his palm as he healed himself.
"The dragon's ga is over. I wanted to tell you what happened last night."
he explained, while the cat, which had shalessly sprawled out on soone else's bed, thought he got what he deserved.
"It's over? You won?"
"Of course. Miss Knight conceded, the man from the Tree House was incinerated by dragon's breath, and then I won."
"Are you all right?"
Miss Capet seed less concerned about the dragon's ga and more worried about the injury to Jenkins's arm. An ordinary pillow couldn't have done that kind of damage, but Miss Capet's was filled with rocks.
It was a unique thod of accumulating spirit. According to Miss Capet, it was a way of "staying close to the earth."
"It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Jenkins said, releasing his right hand. He then unpinned the white flower from his lapel and offered it to Miss Capet. While climbing the outer wall, he hadn't had a good place to keep it. He couldn't trust the cat not to get peckish, so he'd pinned it to his coat. As for why he hadn't carried it in his own mouth—well, this flower was ant for soone else to eat.
"Why are you giving a flower so early in the morning?"
Miss Capet, still in her nightgown, walked from the bed to her vanity and sat down. Her room was unlike that of an ordinary nun; after all, her status as a royal descendant had changed her position within the church.
"I asked you to give up the Dragon Soul yesterday without any explanation. Naturally, I have to compensate you. I don't like taking advantage of people."
He casually placed the flower in a vase on the vanity. With a gentle touch of his hand, the other flowers in the vase, which had been starting to wilt, blood anew.
"We're family, not just ordinary friends. You don't have to be so formal. If you'd like, you can call Sigrid from now on."
She glanced at the blooming flowers in the vase, marveling inwardly at Jenkins's extraordinary healing abilities. Then she picked up a comb and began to style her hair, watching Jenkins through the mirror.
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