"You must have already obtained the other three King Souls; otherwise, you wouldn't be making this demand now. You move quickly. Very well, I admit the Inherited Sage Church has outmaneuvered us in the contest for the Uncrowned King. I can speak for the others. I agree to a deal."
The Believer of Lies was surprisingly easy to reason with. Bevanna had been prepared for a long, drawn-out negotiation.
"You must have known this would... never mind, it doesn't matter. So, what is it you want?"
Bevanna inquired.
Jenkins didn't want anything for himself. In theory, he could already access all the knowledge and artifacts the Inherited Sage Church possessed. He could, of course, make demands of the other churches, but that would put the Sage Church in their debt over the Dragon Soul—a significant favor.
Jenkins didn't want to create such a complication just for the sake of "giving himself sothing that was already his."
"What do we want..."
He considered for a mont:
"For Williatte to withdraw from the contest for Savior."
"That's impossible."
"Very well, a different demand then... Have the others leave. I will speak only with the representatives of the Inherited Sage Church."
Once only Mr. Gilbert and Bevanna were left, Jenkins stated his concise demand:
"The last ti I was here, I t a Mr. Oliver. We looked into the old gentleman afterward and discovered so very interesting things. The terms of the deal are simple: his key for the Dragon Soul. That is our only demand. We will accept no other conditions."
"What key?"
Mr. Gilbert asked, perplexed.
"Are you still playing dumb? It's pointless."
Leaning on the table for support, Jenkins sat down again.
"No, he genuinely doesn't know. But I do... still..."
Ignoring Mr. Gilbert's baffled expression, Bevanna hesitated.
The key was indeed dangerous and important, but compared to the Dragon Soul—an item directly tied to the Savior—it could probably be used as a bargaining chip. Yet, if such a perilous item fell into the hands of the mysterious Believers of Lies, who could guarantee an even greater disaster wouldn't follow?
The Dragon Soul itself was less important than the key, but securing the status of Savior was far more critical.
"Do you truly know what that key is? Are you certain you want it? It's incredibly dangerous. I'm not refusing out of hand—it's for the good of everyone. Please, ask for sothing else."
Bevanna urged.
"Of course we know what it is, and we know the curse its bearer must endure. But only an artifact of this significance is worthy of being weighed against a King Soul, the very symbol of humanity's royal power.
We learned from a dragon that when the key changes hands, its forr owner dies within three days. Therefore, we are not demanding the key right now, but that ownership be transferred at an opportune mont. The exact ti is yet to be determined, so you must swear an oath to your god: when we require the key, Mr. Oliver cannot refuse."
"I cannot make this decision on my own. Can you give us so ti?"
"That's understandable. In that case, contact your church's highest authorities at once."
He took out... the pocket watch his brother had given him. It had broken not long after he got it; only Papa Oliver and Professor Burns had ever seen it. And unlike Alexia's custom-made ladies' watch, this one from his brother, John, had been purchased from a clockmaker's shop. While its design was distinctive, it wasn't one of a kind:
"It's midnight. I can remain here until three in the morning, by which ti you must give your answer. I know it's a tight deadline, but we're all pressed for ti, aren't we?"
"Understood."
With that, Mr. Gilbert turned to leave. As a newly ascended demigod, he was no match for Bevanna, so she would remain to "watch over" Mr. Candle. Though he had no idea what key Papa Oliver possessed, he was perfectly capable of relaying a ssage.
"It will be dreadfully boring for us to just sit here until three, won't it?"
He rose again and, standing behind his chair, rested his hands on its back.
"Why don't we do sothing in the anti?"
"What do you want to do?"
Bevanna rose as well, her expression wary.
"Don't assu that just because we are cooperating, we will indulge your every whim."
"Madam, I simply wish to sleep. Could you provide with a quiet room?"
If the deal for the Dragon Soul was successful, the transfer would certainly require Jenkins's presence. He had anticipated that soone would be sent to his ho on St. George Avenue, so he had already left a spiritual lodestone there. His request for a quiet room was rely a precaution to prevent the Church from realizing that his projected form was amiss.
Once he confird the door was shut, Jenkins had Vanilla, the white cat, watch over his body and imdiately returned to his bedroom on St. George Avenue.
It was very late, and the lights in his house had long been out. Jenkins tiptoed to the window and peered outside. The people from the Church wouldn't arrive this quickly, so naturally, the street was empty.
He lay on his bed, waiting for the bell on the outer gate to ring. But half an hour passed, and St. George Avenue remained silent. No sudden carriage arrived to break the neighborhood's tranquility.
"If they set out from the church on foot, they'd probably be just crossing the river by now. But why would they co on foot? I wouldn't be surprised if a demigod flew here. What's going on? Do they not need after all?"
He canceled the projection and returned to the church. As he opened his eyes, he was t with two amber orbs. Startled, he instantly realized they were his cat's eyes and scooped up the curious feline.
"Were you watching ?"
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