"Can you tell ? What is a real catastrophe, a true apocalypse, like?"
Jenkins asked again.
"Apocalypses take different forms in different eras," the silver dragon replied, her words concise. "As for what they have in common... unless you find sanctuary, mortals have absolutely no chance of survival. It's not a matter of probability. It's binary—you either live or you die."
"Sanctuary?"
"A narrow refuge, purchased by the most devout believers who sacrifice themselves to their gods; ancient temples that still hold the lingering power of great beings; special creations whose properties happen to counter the forces of the epoch's end; outsiders who chance upon this world and stay to protect its people; sanctuaries in the mortal realm, legacies left behind by great ones who once walked the earth... Only the lucky manage to scrape by. But as ti marches on and the first generation of survivors grows old, how much of your civilization will anyone even rember?"
Jenkins suspected one of her examples was a direct reference to him. After all, during his struggle against that egg, he had indeed protected a number of intelligent beings.
"In short, an apocalypse capable of causing a civilizational reset certainly wouldn't allow us to stand here chatting. Judging by how this epoch is shaping up, I wouldn't be surprised if the sky started spewing steam or if every machine in the world ca to life to slaughter people."
The silver dragon raised her clenched fists high and stretched, the movent revealing her nearly perfect figure to Jenkins.
"What are you looking at?"
The silver-haired girl suddenly turned her head, her golden eyes eting Jenkins's.
"You."
His conscience was clear, so Jenkins didn't shy away. Perhaps sensing his lack of ulterior motives, the silver dragon made a sound like a scoff before slowly raising a hand to pat his shoulder.
"Things are looking pretty good right now, but what you're about to face is no easy task. Don't worry, though. Sophia and I will help you."
"Can you defeat the Difference Engine?"
He asked.
"Of course not. If I could, I'd be the Savior. It's not that I'm not strong enough to beat it; it's that I absolutely *cannot* beat it. You should understand what I an."
"Of course. It's fate..."
He paused, once again standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the silver dragon to gaze at the distant scenery. Under the shroud of black clouds, five in the afternoon was indistinguishable from the dead of night. The city below had already lit its streetlamps, their light struggling to pierce the gray fog. It seed Jenkins's push to popularize streetlamps last winter had been a very good thing indeed.
"I will succeed, won't I?"
He murmured.
"Losing your confidence?"
The silver dragon countered.
"It's not that I lack confidence, it's just..."
He couldn't find the right word. The silver-haired girl seed to sense his complex emotions and just smiled, shaking her head.
"You will definitely succeed."
(Chocolate was on the move...)
The question of what identity the silver dragon should use to enter the church required careful consideration. The most suitable approach was to claim she was a friend of Jenkins, an unregistered, level-eight demigod Benefactor who had co from out of town specifically to help. Thanks to the precedent set by Alexia, such a completely baseless story was, paradoxically, quite believable when it ca from Jenkins.
Anathasia was initially reluctant. She would have preferred to appear as a friend of "Miss Fabry," which would have allowed her to stay by Princess Sophia's side at all tis.
But this was a sensitive ti, with only one of the Believers of Lies supposedly left alive. The Church was already suspicious, refusing to believe anyone but Mr. Candle had actually died. They saw it as a conspiracy to conceal the fact that there had only ever been two Believers of Lies to begin with. Introducing another character who could potentially be one of them was out of the question; otherwise, the Church would start doubting Mr. Candle's death as well.
Fortunately, while Miss Silver Dragon wasn't the most mature of individuals, she was sensible. After a bit of persuasion from Jenkins, she agreed. The rest unfolded just as Jenkins had anticipated. He first dismissed his projection to return to the cathedral, then found Miss Bevanna to inform her that his friend had arrived.
Miss Bevanna simply gave Jenkins an odd look for a few seconds before agreeing to let Anathasia enter the cathedral.
"But she has to register."
"Of course."
The silver dragon had no intention of staying in the material world for long. She would likely leave with Princess Sophia right after helping Jenkins, so leaving behind a record of her identity was of no concern.
Anathasia had no interest in the decor of an 18th Epoch cathedral, nor in people of different faiths. After following Jenkins inside, she completed a simple registration, ignored the delegates the Church had sent to liaise with her, and just kept shooting Jenkins looks, signaling him to take her to Princess Sophia.
This, of course, was bound to cause so unnecessary misunderstandings. Jenkins had to wait until dinner, where he used the excuse of needing to confer with the Believer of Lies to get an opportunity for a private al with Miss Fabry, bringing Alexia and Anathasia along.
Most of the others were dining at a long table, but Miss Fabry had been given a private room. In the center of the room stood a wooden dining table draped in a pristine white cloth. At her request, the room's decorations had been replaced with more formal oil paintings, and the furniture had been swapped out for a set of expensive pieces brought over from City Hall, the kind reserved for hosting distinguished guests. The candelabra on the table was gilded, and the cutlery was a set of antique sterling silver that had previously been a re display piece in the Church's collection room.
These elaborate dining arrangents were certainly not part of Jenkins's script. They were Princess Sophia's own demands; she placed great importance on etiquette and, of course, even more on her dining atmosphere.
In the room with only the four of them, Anathasia dropped all pretense, pulling up a chair to sit beside Princess Sophia. Jenkins and Alexia sat on the other side. Nearby, Chocolate the cat lay curled up, lazily wagging his tail as he waited for Jenkins to place dinner before him.
"So far, so good. At least, everything is within my expectations."
"Was having only one Believer of Lies left also part of your expectations?"
Princess Sophia inquired.
"That's not important. The original script also called for only one of them to appear. The current situation actually provides a perfect explanation for why only Miss Fabry is present. Isn't that better? Oh, and Princess Sophia, thank you so much for this."
"There's no need to be so formal. Compared to the help you've given us, this is nothing."
The negotiations were still on the first topic, but in truth, there were only two major issues on the table. The Church and the kingdoms had already reached a tacit understanding on all the minor details.
Progress was moving along quite well. The Church was willing to take a step back regarding the relationship between the pseudo-god and Righteous God churches. So, while there were still disputes over specific clauses—such as how much of a role the followers of pseudo-gods would play in the coming apocalyptic war, or where their churches might be built if the apocalypse was successfully averted—the disagreents were minor, at least.
The pseudo-god churches, for their part, hadn't expected to get everything they wanted in one go. With both sides willing to compromise, it was likely that the discussions on the first topic would conclude before midnight.
That ant the negotiations with the Believer of Lies would likely begin after breakfast tomorrow morning. Jenkins went over the details with Princess Sophia one more ti, and she responded with equal seriousness. This displeased the silver-haired girl sowhat, but she knew it was necessary.
She wanted to find sothing to do herself. She first glanced at the cat, which was hunched over its plate, eating, and decided it wouldn't make for a very good conversational partner. So, she turned her gaze to Alexia.
"It's remarkable. Even in the era I co from, I couldn't find anyone who has reached your level. Truly remarkable."
She understood Alexia's situation with just a single glance. Alexia gave a reserved nod in response.
"Reaching this point wasn't just about ; luck played a huge part. If I had to do it all over again, I'm not sure I could reach this position again."
"Any journey from the mortal to the immortal is inevitably tied to fate. That's perfectly normal."
The silver dragon held her wine glass, glancing sidelong at Jenkins.
"Take your eting with him, for example. Do you believe that was fate?"
"My eting with him was the mont fate smiled upon ."
Hearing this, the silver dragon raised her glass in approval before asking another question.
"What are your thoughts on what Jenkins is about to face?"
"Things will unfold as they must."
"You aren't worried about the apocalypse."
"I am worried... but there will always be a way."
Alexia thought of the box she had received from the Dawn Express that winter. It was a gift from Jenkins's future niece, Kris Willatte, and it contained Jenkins's second chance.
"I believe fate will smile on Jenkins, too."
Just as Jenkins had predicted, a montous issue like "the relationship between the Righteous God and pseudo-god churches"—sothing that might not be resolved even after a year of negotiations on a normal day—actually resulted in a preliminary agreent before midnight.
It wasn't the complete picture, of course, but the contents of those twenty-odd pages ford the foundation for the final accord. The Church and the followers of the pseudo-gods each took a step back. In exchange for the freedom to openly establish churches in the next epoch, the pseudo-god followers pledged to give their all in the coming days, operating under the unified command and dispatch of the Church.
Although they would be limited to a single church, compared to the situation in the 18th Epoch, this was a right won under nearly impossible circumstances.
Miss Fabry played a significant role in this. She stood firm on the side of the pseudo-god factions, even using the subtle suggestion that "the missionary work of the pseudo-god churches could suppress the power of the Righteous God churches" to win over the secular kings.
This matter also concerned secular royal authority. From a legal standpoint, even setting aside religious laws, establishing a church in a town required considering issues like land use, taxation, and fire safety—all of which needed approval from the city hall.
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