With the Saint of the Sage joining the battle, the fighting in Ruen concluded before noon that very day. A third of the palace on the hill lay in ruins, but it was a worthy price to pay for victory: the three demigods from the Tree House had been slain by the combined might of Mr. Rosier, Alexia, and Jenkins.
The trio then rushed to the northern district of the city. Perhaps because the Tree House mbers controlling the snowman army had been defeated, the snown were already lting under the strange sumr sun by the ti they arrived at the front lines.
With little effort, the snowman army that had nearly conquered the entire northern district of Ruen vanished without a trace, leaving only the rapidly lting snow—a testant that the previous night's events had been no illusion.
That afternoon, Jenkins, having rushed back from Ruen, brought Alexia to the Evergreen Forest just outside Nolan. The Stuart family had already arrived. The old king seed remarkably composed about his residence being surrounded by the Church, and he showed no undue agitation when they escorted his family away.
"This is the first ti I've co to this forest since... that ti."
Stepping down from the Church carriage, Jenkins and Alexia strolled side by side down a small path into the woods. The forest was far livelier than usual, as most of the forces from the Twelve Orthodox Churches were stationed here to rest and regroup.
They encountered all sorts of people along the path. Everyone greeted Jenkins with reverence, and he returned their salutes with frequent nods.
The "that ti" Alexia referred to was the day they had worked together to foil the plot of the undying cult on the thirty-first day of the final ti loop. Jenkins's ritual, [Life's Breath], had spiraled out of control after absorbing too much life essence, giving birth to the very forest they now walked through.
Back then, Jenkins had been stranded at the very top of the giant tree in the heart of the forest. If Chocolate hadn't fetched Alexia to rescue him, Jenkins—who had yet to acquire his [Undying Man] ability—would have been stuck up there for a very long ti.
The mory made Alexia chuckle. She strolled through the forest, hand in hand with Jenkins, while a trail of small animals, drawn by his presence, followed in their wake. For so reason, however, there wasn't a single rabbit in sight. Jenkins was absolutely certain this had nothing to do with Chocolate, who was currently perched on his shoulder, "roaring" at the squirrels.
They eventually reached the giant tree at the heart of the forest. Only Miss Bevanna was there, with no one else in sight. Hands clasped behind her back, she was gazing up at the colossal tree and the inverted shadow hanging beneath it, obviously waiting for them.
"I thought Papa Oliver would be here."
Jenkins glanced around as he and Alexia approached Miss Bevanna. The woman turned to face them.
"Papa Oliver said this is an important matter for the Church," she explained. "He's just a semi-clerical antique shop owner now, so he felt he shouldn't get involved."
"So Papa Oliver used to be soone special?"
"Didn't Stevel already tell you?"
Miss Bevanna chuckled, then turned her attention to Alexia. She offered a kind smile, nodded slightly, and extended her hand.
"Susan Bevanna."
"Alexia Miller."
Their hands clasped together.
News of what had transpired in Ruen had reached the Church leadership by special ans before dawn. The appearance of an unknown demigod and the Saint of the Sage had, of course, not gone unnoticed.
Jenkins's involvent was simple enough to explain. He had struck a deal with King Salsi II: Jenkins promised not to break the oath he had sworn, and in return, the king would explain that Jenkins and his cat had been able to reach Ruen because of a certain chessboard.
Alexia's situation, however, required a more thorough explanation. The rank of demigod was the pinnacle of power a mortal could achieve in the physical world, and the total number of mortal demigods was barely in the triple digits. The appearance of any unregistered demigod—be they a friendly heretic or a servant of so dark god—was therefore a matter of grave importance.
Even in a complicated era like the end of the Eighteenth Epoch, the ergence of a previously unknown demigod was enough to command the Church's full attention. Fortunately, Alexia's relationship with Jenkins was already well known. As a result, the interview was handled discreetly by Miss Bevanna of the Church of the Sage, rather than treating Alexia like a terrorist and assembling a force capable of subduing her before initiating contact.
After a few pleasantries, they got straight to the point. Miss Bevanna was well aware of the close relationship between Jenkins and the short woman before her, so ahead of the formal questioning, she assured them that all they needed to do was speak truthfully; the Church had no ulterior motives.
Jenkins had intended to answer Miss Bevanna's questions for Alexia, hoping it would allow Miss Bevanna to steer clear of sensitive topics. But Alexia insisted on handling it herself and told Jenkins there was no need for him to stay.
"You can go for a walk in other parts of the forest. I see the squirrels have taken a liking to you."
The short girl said with a smile, while the cat eyed her suspiciously.
"You don't need to stay here?"
Jenkins asked to be sure.
"No. If you're here, Miss Bevanna might feel compelled to avoid certain subjects out of consideration for you. But we've co in good faith. There's nothing to hide."
She gave him a gentle push. Jenkins took a couple of steps away, but then glanced back, still uneasy. Shaking her head, Miss Bevanna said with a sigh of resignation:
"See? This is why Papa Oliver and the others didn't want to handle this. It looks like I'll have to be the bad guy."
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm leaving now."
Despite his words, he didn't actually move.
"Don't you understand the Church by now? It's just a few questions. What's there to worry about?" Miss Bevanna prodded gently. "You perford admirably last night. When Bishop Parrold heard, he was so impressed he decided to paint another portrait of you to hang in the cathedral. He's even co up with a title: 'Saint Williatte, Savior of the North'. Perhaps you could go and contemplate the painting's composition sowhere else."
Miss Bevanna said jokingly. Only then did Jenkins finally depart from the clearing by the pool, though he kept looking back over his shoulder as he went.
Today was supposed to be another day of the Tri-King Summit. Although the good news of the war's end had arrived before the earthquake two days prior, various other negotiations were still underway. But with the Stuart family having been "invited" by the Church to the Evergreen Forest, the summit was postponed for a day—the first pause since it had begun. The official excuse was a brief recess, citing the fact that the etings had been running for many consecutive days.
The Stuart family was also in the Evergreen Forest. With nothing else to do, and noticing Chocolate's profound disgust at his attempts to tease the squirrels, Jenkins decided to go check on Dolores and her siblings. In theory, the Church and secular monarchies were equals who did not interfere in each other's affairs, a relationship bound by treaty and tradition. But after the events of the previous night, the Stuarts had an obligation to explain their connection to the disaster that had nearly annihilated Ruen—and to the long-hunted illegal organization involved.
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