Through the Eye of Reality, Jenkins watched the ball of white-green spiritual light settle in the maid's stomach before rapidly spreading throughout her entire body. The aura was incredibly faint, yet it firmly coalesced into a pinpoint of light before her.
It hadn't fully materialized, but he was certain it was a success.
"Congratulations on stepping into the extraordinary."
He congratulated her softly.
The maid froze, not having felt anything herself. But a few seconds later, points of light and bubbles materialized before her eyes.
Miss Kingsley's expression was complicated; she likely didn't know whether she had made the right choice.
She still had one Spirit Flower left. It wasn't a numbered item and would lose its potency after a while. Gazing at the three silent figures in the carriage, she suddenly broke into a smile.
"Kitty, would you like this?"
She actually offered the flower to Chocolate!
The kitten was never gracious to anyone but Jenkins. It darted its head forward, and the petals in Miss Kingsley's palm vanished.
It chewed with great satisfaction, its tail beginning to swish back and forth.
"Miss Kingsley, that was quite..."
Jenkins was dumbfounded.
"It's fine. I've always adored cute pets like this, but I'm not allowed to have them at ho. It must be an extraordinary creature, isn't it? So adorable."
She reached out to stroke Chocolate's fluffy head, but he dodged in a flash.
Regardless, Jenkins's admiration for the young woman instantly doubled.
The carriage dropped Miss Miller and Jenkins at the residence before departing. Miss Kingsley hadn't asked about their relationship, but since they had both co from this address, it was only natural that she would return them to it.
Not bothering to rush inside and change, Jenkins shrugged off the ridiculous woman's coat he was wearing. Bare-ard, he watched the carriage leave two tracks in the snow.
Chocolate, perched on his shoulder, was also gazing in the sa direction.
The usual stern expression returned to the man's face, his gaze following the carriage filled with unspoken aning.
"Miss Kingsley likely saw how much I dote on Chocolate and wanted to win over, so she gave the flower to him. In doing so, she demonstrated her consideration for you, her friend, expressed her goodwill toward , and reinforced our impression of her as a 'naive and innocent noble lady'."
"Oh?"
The corners of Miss Miller's mouth lifted into a faint smirk.
"I'm surprised you saw that. I've noticed that as long as your feelings for a woman aren't involved, the wisdom you display is quite astonishing."
"My guide once told the sa thing... Her surna isn't really Kingsley, is it? I've read the file on that ice archer. The acquisition of her Bestowal, 'Frozen Archer's Chess,' had quite a bit to do with ."
"That's right. She's a daughter of the Stuart family—the third princess of the Hamparvo Kingdom."
Miss Miller turned and headed for the courtyard gate, where a maid had already co out to welco them.
The two returned in silence to the paper-strewn parlor. It seed unlikely they would be discussing mathematics tonight.
"Her identity is crucial, and surprisingly, she seems like a decent person. I intend to strengthen my connection with her. Right now, I'm using a half-true, half-false identity, but I despise making friends under false pretenses. Once I can fully confirm it's safe, I'll reveal who I really am."
A maid had already brought Jenkins a fresh set of clothes. He leaned back against the sofa, giving Chocolate room to move about freely.
"Tomorrow—no, she'll likely investigate our identities tonight. Young people raised in a royal palace never trust others easily. What are your plans for my identity?"
"No arrangents necessary. You're a mysterious Benefactor with no records to be found. That's enough. If she could find everything about you, that would be more suspicious."
Jenkins nodded. That matched his own thinking. Working with intelligent people was always so much easier.
He would leave the two potted flowers he acquired today with Miss Miller, asking her to look after them for the ti being and find a buyer. He had no room for them at his ho in Nolan, and converting them into cash was far more convenient.
As for the small, round bead, he summoned the Star Spirit Rakul to help send it back to Nolan.
When his consciousness returned, he opened his eyes to find himself back in his dark, cold ho. With a flick of his wrist, the fireplace blazed to life. Chocolate, as if on cue, stood up from a nearby cushion.
His clothes were perfectly intact, yet upon his return, a large portion of his Spirit had inexplicably vanished. His current theory was that his clothes were also part of the projection sent to Ruen. Any damage to them, just like any injury to his projected body, required his real body to pay the price in Spirit.
But in a way, that was a good thing. As long as he had sufficient Spirit, his projection was effectively immortal.
He was able to successfully recall the little green bead into his body, though he couldn't discern its purpose for the ti being. Seeing how much Chocolate liked it, he didn't put it away, instead letting the kitten bat it around. His pet seed quite taken with its new toy.
The brief trip to Ruen had no imdiate impact on Jenkins's life. The next morning, he still had to feign enthusiasm for another day of work at Papa Oliver's shop.
He had hoped the antique shop would be quiet, allowing him to sneak a nap on the counter. But first thing in the morning, Papa Oliver sent him out of the city to Augustus Manor.
While repairing ancestral tombs that had been buried in a landslide, workers had discovered a large cache of burial goods. The items were so ancient it was impossible to determine which tomb they originally belonged to.
Though Viscount Augustus respected his high-ranking ancestors, he felt no qualms about selling the artifacts. He needed the funds to repair the tombs, so he didn't consider it sacrilege.
It was a complicated affair, so the viscount had invited a group of professionals to appraise the find. Papa Oliver was busy today and sent Jenkins in his place.
Of course, his skills were hardly sufficient for the serious task of antique appraisal. His presence was rely to show that Pops Antique Shop was interested in the collection. Simply put, he was just a token representative.
He first returned ho to grab his Ouija board, then hailed a carriage and hurried to the manor with the cat in his arms. Just like the last antique sale at the old castle, this event had drawn a large crowd.
Viscount Augustus's poor health prevented him from spending long periods outdoors in the winter, so he remained at the manor to receive buyers interested in the antiques that had already been unearthed.
However, many attendees expressed a desire to visit the burial site. Viscount Augustus was initially wary, suspecting they might be tomb raiders. But after they jointly assured him of their purely academic interest in ancient noble mausoleums and even offered to provide restoration plans free of charge, the viscount dispatched his old butler and a few servants to guide and supervise them.
Jenkins was already considered a friend of the viscount's. When they t, they exchanged the customary pleasantries before moving on to discuss the sale of the antiques.
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