In the Sage's Church, inside "Miss Fabry's" room, Princess Sophia and the silver-haired girl pushed open the door and entered. The silver dragon casually kicked off her shoes, sitting barefoot on the edge of the bed, while Princess Sophia settled into the chair before the vanity with a gentle smile.
This room had been specially prepared for "Miss Fabry"; it was the finest guest suite the church had to offer.
"So? That writer we just t was quite beautiful, don't you think?"
The silver dragon asked this deliberately. They had just t the author of the "Detective Knight Biography," a young woman from the Kingdom of Cheslan. While Princess Sophia held the writer in high regard, Anathasia's focus lay elsewhere.
"You're acting just like a child,"
the princess remarked, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner.
"It's almost ti. Don't forget to tell Jenkins later that the writer wishes to et him."
"I won't forget. Besides, we still have a little ti, and it's not like there's anything to prepare for."
With no one else around, Anathasia stretched languidly, a movent that accentuated her figure.
"I've heard rumors,"
she added after her stretch.
"that Jenkins used divine power at the base of the tower."
"In front of mortals?"
Princess Sophia asked, tidying her hair as she gazed into the mirror.
"Yes, but it doesn't seem to have spread widely. There's only so discussion in private. Mortals dare not speak freely of divine matters, and the young nun who told about it didn't seem to fully believe the story herself."
The silver dragon propped herself up on the bed with her hands, tilting her head back slightly as her legs dangled and swung back and forth.
A sudden knock on the door brought their conversation to an abrupt halt.
The silver dragon glanced toward the door.
"It's Hathaway."
she told the princess, who then called for the visitor to enter.
As expected, it was Hathaway who walked in, still with a cat perched on her head, followed by Dolores and Julia.
"Jenkins appeared about ten minutes ago."
Hathaway announced bluntly. The silver dragon imdiately shot to her feet.
"Did he say anything?"
In that mont, Anathasia was the picture of valiant decisiveness, a stark contrast to her playful deanor just monts before.
"He went to the Evergreen Forest. It seems Alexia and the diviner from the Church of Destiny have prepared so better assistance for him. But before he left, Jenkins told us about the ninth Doomsday Docunt. I've already notified the Church, and they just dispatched a team to find it."
Hathaway briefly summarized the situation before turning to Anathasia.
"I know he'll ask for your help. When you go, will you be able to take all nine Doomsday Docunts to him?"
"Of course. But the Doomsday Docunts... I never thought you'd be able to find them all. That's quite an achievent."
The silver-haired girl nodded, then added a condition:
"Ti flows differently in a Mysterious Realm compared to the outside world, and he's navigating nine of them. I don't know when Jenkins will call for , so if you want to take those slates to him, you must find them as quickly as possible. I'm already breaking the rules by entering the Mysterious Realm and shouldn't be bringing any outside aid. However, those slates are a special case. Otherwise, my hands would be tied."
"Understood. A team is already on its way to retrieve the ninth slate; the Church knows the alley and the wall Jenkins described. The other eight are in the Evergreen Forest, and word has been sent to have them transported here imdiately."
Hathaway replied, then leaned weakly on Julia for support. Though it was as dark as midnight outside, it was nearly six in the morning. After a frantic all-nighter, her nerves frayed by Jenkins's departure, the red-haired young woman was reaching her limit.
"Why don't you go get so rest? I'll take care of things from here... Chocolate can even sit on my head for a while,"
Dolores suggested, steadying Hathaway.
"Nooo~"
The soft, plaintive voice ca from atop Hathaway's head. Everyone in the room—except for Hathaway, who couldn't look up—glanced toward the little black-and-white kitten. They were all taken aback for a mont, but no one comnted on the cat that had just spoken.
Hathaway, however, just smiled.
"See? Chocolate only wants to stay with ."
This ti, Chocolate said nothing more, likely too listless to comnt. The kitten was still mired in sorrow and worry over Jenkins leaving for such a dangerous place, unable to follow him.
The Mysterious Realm rejected a complete Beast of Calamity like Chocolate. In the past, it had managed to get by without revealing its power, but it could no longer bluff its way through. Just like the Star Spirits, Mr. Augustus, and the others who had helped Jenkins, Chocolate had only one chance to intervene. It planned to save that chance for the very end, to show Jenkins who was truly his greatest ally.
And even though the cat knew Jenkins wouldn't face any real danger during his ascent, it was still worried sick, which explained its low spirits.
"Speaking of which, has Jenkins already appeared to receive help?"
Princess Sophia deftly changed the subject, drawing everyone's attention away from the talking cat.
"We don't know what's happening in the Evergreen Forest, but since Alexia has made arrangents, everything should be fine. She seems to have received so help from the future..."
Hathaway thought of the yet-unborn girl of the Williams family.
"So I'm sure it will be fine."
"The future?"
the silver dragon asked dubiously, though she didn't press the matter. Princess Sophia, however, turned back to Anathasia.
"Should I go with you?"
"Of course not! What would you do in a place that dangerous?"
the silver-haired girl declared, tilting her chin up.
"I can handle it myself."
"Are you sure you'll be alright?"
Princess Sophia's tone was laced with concern.
Her concern was justified. After all, they were dealing with a portion of a Calamity Beast's power. Even if it paled in comparison to the real thing, it was still incredibly dangerous for a silver dragon. Though Anathasia had gained imnse power over her long existence, she was no match for those terrifying, sin-burdened creatures.
"I'll be fine!"
the silver dragon declared confidently. Hathaway and Dolores opened their mouths to thank her again for risking so much to help Jenkins, but Anathasia suddenly raised a hand, silencing them. She tilted her head, listening intently for a few seconds.
"The Dragon-Calling Whistle has sounded."
The ritual, the Dragon-Calling Whistle, ca from Papa Oliver's B-10-2-4291, the "Soml Esoteric Ritual Book." It was powerful enough to summon the silver dragon and the princess from beyond the material world, and it could also grant the dragon direct entry into a Mysterious Realm. Normally, rituals from this book could not be morized by their user. But just as with abilities like "Our God is Here," which could not be retained by those who passed them on, Jenkins often found that such rules simply didn't apply to him.
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