The manor's rules decreed that those departing would forfeit most of their mories, a asure to prevent its secrets from leaking and giving the Beast of Calamity an opportunity to escape.
However, those mories were specifically tied to the manor's layout and rules. All other recollections would remain intact, aning Briny still rembered everything Jenkins had done.
As the wielder of the [World Tree Seedling] and the sole Savior candidate among the Twelve Orthodox Churches, he was expected to resolve the issue with Miss Bevanna that very night. But Miss Bevanna, noticing Jenkins's anxiety over his "friends," allowed him to leave first. The demigods from the other churches were equally reluctant to discuss the Savior with the Saint. After all, even a heretic was obliged to show a Saint of a Righteous God the proper respect.
Thus, the matter of the [World Tree Seedling] was once again set aside. Having confird that the Sage's Church was indeed holding a formidable trump card, the other eleven churches would now have to adjust their strategies for the coming negotiations.
It was foreseeable that combat units and available demigods from churches around the world would now converge on Nolan with greater speed. Without a Savior as their own trump card, they had no choice but to rely on their church's raw power as a bargaining chip.
These negotiations, much like the [High Tower Accord] at the end of the last epoch, would shape the course of the next few thousand years.
Out of consideration for Jenkins, Hathaway and Briny's friends were not mistreated. However, due to their involvent in such a significant event, they were required to sign non-disclosure agreents and undergo a church ritual to guarantee they would not divulge the night's events. As for the Lawrence manor, although many had died, most were servants. The only family mber present had been Miss Lawrence herself, which greatly simplified the subsequent cleanup.
Miss Lawrence and her friends were detained by the church and would be relocated to a secure location. As for Hathaway and Briny, no one dared to cause them any trouble. Jenkins rely exchanged a word with the old nuns supervising them in the carriage encampnt before leading the two young won away.
He glanced toward a distant hill. Though his eyes couldn't see them, the points of light representing Dolores and Alexia still shimred in his supernatural sight. He hesitated for a mont, then waved in their direction and pointed toward his ho, confident that Alexia would see the gesture and bring Dolores along.
"We'll go to my house first."
He said to the blonde and red-haired young won behind him. Both nodded in silence—Briny because her mind was heavy with thoughts, and Hathaway because she was feigning it.
A church squad was to remain behind to conduct a more thorough inspection of the Lawrence manor, but they spared a few hands to escort the trio back to St. George Avenue. The carriage stopped at the corner, and the three of them walked the rest of the way to Jenkins's house in silence. He pulled out his key, unlocked the door, and ushered the two young won inside. As he turned the knob for the gas lamp on the wall, the quiet ho was filled with a welcoming warmth, as if they had just stepped into the most inviolable of sanctuaries.
Once they had settled onto the sofa, all three let out a long, simultaneous sigh, as if expelling all the night's anxiety, sorrow, and fear. Jenkins pulled out Alexia's pocket watch and glanced at it—one o'clock in the morning. Knowing Briny wouldn't be able to sleep, he rose and went to the kitchen to prepare so hot tea and pastries, grabbing a few treats for Chocolate as well.
"I went to find you as soon as the ball ended,"
he began, his voice raspy from exhaustion.
"Nolan has been getting a bit chaotic lately. I think it would be best if you didn't wander about unless absolutely necessary. For safety's sake... why don't you both stay here? My house is quite large, and it's usually just and Chocolate, so it feels a little empty anyway."
Hathaway had imagined dozens of things Jenkins might say, but this was a possibility that had never once crossed her mind. She stared up at the young writer in astonishnt, half-wondering if he'd been replaced by an impostor back at the manor.
Jenkins turned his gaze to Briny. She was still in her thin nightgown, blonde locks tumbling past her ears. She looked exceptionally delicate and vulnerable.
"So..."
The blonde young woman didn't seem to register his invitation—or at least, she didn't object to it. She simply raised her head and t his eyes.
"From the very beginning..."
"Yes. By the ti I t you, I was already an Enchanter with the Church. Oh, the term refers to soone who uses supernatural abilities. In ancient tis, they were called sorcerers, mages, or other such nas."
"Why..."
Before she could finish, Jenkins went on,
"Because this world is far more dangerous than you can imagine. To know of the supernatural is to attract it; to wield it is to beco a beacon for it. These powers never co without a price. Even when channeling the might of a god, one must be constantly vigilant not to be driven mad by a force that transcends human nature. And that's to say nothing of the foul gods lurking beyond the veil of the world, the abominations sealed in other dinsions, the Cursed Items that wander our own reality, or the sins that accumulate with every passing mont."
he said slowly, concluding at last,
"Not everyone is suited for the supernatural. In truth, I'm just one of the lucky ones. For most people—especially for Enchanters who weren't trained by an Orthodox Church—supernatural power is a one-way street."
He was speaking the absolute truth. The vast majority of Enchanters in the material world belonged to so church, be it an Orthodox Church or one devoted to a pseudo-god. As for those who beca Enchanters through sheer talent, willpower, or so cruel twist of fate—Jenkins had only ever t a handful.
Observing her through his special monocle, Jenkins could see it without a doubt: Briny possessed no talent for becoming an Enchanter.
"A one-way street?"
Briny questioned.
"Compared to the whole of existence, the scope of human understanding is but a tiny island of ignorance in a black sea of infinity. That ocean is vast and holds endless secrets—secrets of madness, blasphemy, and distortion; secrets of divinity, fanaticism, and profound depth. None of them are ant for the human mind to grasp. Knowledge has weight, and not everyone can bear it. I... am rely one of the fortunate few who can."
He rose and sat down beside Briny. She shifted slightly but didn't protest.
"I know it was wrong of to hide this from you for so long," he said, "and I won't offer you the empty excuse that it was for your own good."
He tried his best to weave his words into sothing comforting. After a mont's thought, he reached out and put his arm around Briny. The blonde young woman, in turn, rested her head on his shoulder.
"Now that you know, I don't want to hide anything anymore. Ask whatever you want. I'll tell you anything I'm allowed to, but this conversation absolutely cannot leave this room."
"I know."
she replied softly, her anger having mostly subsided. Everything that had happened at the manor was proof enough of how terrifying and strange the supernatural world truly was. For soone like her, perhaps it was best never to look in that direction at all.
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