"That's impossible, of course. While I agree that the deaths of the other Believers of Lies—aside from Mr. Candle—are suspicious, I doubt they're related to this... Miss Brolignans, what are your thoughts?"
Jenkins decisively tossed the question to his teacher's teacher. The ninth-level demigod diviner subtly shot her student's student a look of disdain before continuing the conversation:
"The issue with the slate requires further observation. However, the other seven slates have already been transported from the Holy See by the Church of the Sage. If all the slates can be obtained, they would represent a formidable power."
As a symbol of the coming apocalypse, the combined Doomsday Docunts form an incredibly powerful artifact. Jenkins, however, had yet to discover what would happen when all nine slates were brought together.
"So, is there any news about the final qualification for a Savior?"
Jenkins pressed.
"Now that the [Uncrowned King] is fully ford, the Millstone of Fate should have offered a new clue."
"Jenkins, reality isn't a ga. Transmitting and verifying information takes ti... but there is indeed a new hint."
Miss Brolignans smiled at Jenkins:
"The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning."
It was the kind of statent that was utterly baffling yet sounded profound—exactly the style of a diviner offering a clue. Jenkins pondered it for a mont but couldn't pinpoint a specific ability:
"[Cycle] fits that description well, but [Cycle] is a white, basic ability, not a purple one related to destiny... Miss Audrey ntioned that her school has an advanced version called [Recurring Fate], which is a destiny ability. Could that be it? But it doesn't seem to be unique. Besides, [Cycle] has already evolved into [Four Seasons]. Regardless of whether this final ability is related, it can't evolve again."
He was completely baffled. For now, all he could do was take his cat and get so dinner. Miss Audrey and Miss Brolignans watched him go, their conversation far from over.
"Teacher..."
Audrey's voice held a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Yes, I know you want to tell him directly. But whether we tell him or not is irrelevant. He's already acquired the ability, and it won't fail to function just because he's unaware of its nature. As for the ninth slate... Audrey, did you know that in the countless epochs past, it has been exceedingly rare for a complete set of the Doomsday Docunts to be assembled?"
"Why?"
Audrey asked, puzzled. A smile touched Brolignans's lips; she enjoyed the look on her student's face when she sought answers from her.
"Isn't it obvious? The Savior candidates are rivals. Why would they ever reveal the location where they attained their status? That makes the Doomsday Docunts nearly impossible to track down. So, whether the ninth slate can be found depends entirely on whether Jenkins understands all of this before he enters that tower. Let us leave it to fate. As diviners, we must trust in destiny... Of course, that doesn't an we can't do a few things ourselves."
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist like a magician, and an ornate silver dagger appeared in her hand. It was forged from mithril and studded with perfectly placed gemstone fragnts. The engravings depicted vines, but their raised, pulsing appearance made them look like living blood vessels.
"The [Vampire Buster]."
Audrey recognized it instantly.
Jenkins had a deep history with the dagger. He'd first seen it when Dolores borrowed it from the Stuart family treasury to fight the vampires who had co to the material world in pursuit of the "Real Illusion." Later, during his experience in Black Town with the "Vampire Infatuation" story, he learned it had originally been a simple mithril dagger used for self-defense by a young diviner from antiquity. It was only after Jenkins traveled back in ti and slew a vampire in that distant past that the blade transford into a numbered artifact.
That young diviner was the founder of their school of thought, making the [Vampire Buster] an ancestral treasure. Later, after Jenkins arrived in Bel Diran, the dagger was transported from the northern kingdom all the way to the Fidektri Kingdom so he could use it against a countess who had ensnared her manor in a powerful maze-lock.
Audrey recalled ntioning back then that Miss Brolignans wanted to reacquire the lost treasure for their school. She hadn't expected her to have already succeeded.
"Are you going to give the dagger to Jenkins, along with that All-Seeing Card? There might be vampires in the tower," Audrey suggested.
"Of course not. The dagger's value isn't in its inherent power. Its true worth lies in those who have wielded it before."
As Miss Brolignans spoke, both she and Audrey noticed the dagger was beginning to glow.
"What's happening?"
The young diviner asked, still confused.
"The power of its forr master is nearby."
Miss Brolignans explained, but offered no further details as she put the dagger away.
"Prepare yourself. After you take Jenkins to the Evergreen Forest, we will perform a ritual. Even if we cannot accompany him into that tower, we must still offer him our aid. It's the last thing we can do—you as his teacher, and I as yours."
The conversation had taken so ti, and by the ti Jenkins reached the dining table, everyone else had already finished their al. Only Dolores remained, waiting for him. Julia, refusing the help of the church's servants, personally wheeled in a serving cart, making Jenkins feel a bit awkward.
"When I get back from the Evergreen Forest, I'll speak with your father alone," Jenkins said to Dolores, picking up his knife and fork. "I'll do what I can to treat him. Curing what's in his head won't be easy, but for now, it's not entirely impossible."
The princess replied, her voice tinged with lancholy:
"You've entrusted tasks to everyone else. Is there truly nothing you need from ?"
"How did you know...? I haven't given a task to everyone. Sigrid and Hathaway, for instance..."
"You'll ask Sigrid to look after your parents and brothers. Isn't that obvious? And as for Hathaway... Jenkins, who else would you entrust your cat to?"
Dolores remarked, a flicker of amusent in her eyes as she saw Chocolate look up with displeasure. Without waiting for Jenkins to reply, she pressed on:
"So, is there truly nothing I can do to help you?"
"Take care of yourself."
"How dismissive."
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