"I acquired this sealing core from an ancient enchantnt. The creature it contained self-destructed, so now it's mine. Any idea what it is? A genuine sapphire, perhaps?"
With that, he offered the gemstone to Miss Stuart. She accepted it, studying it for a long mont before passing it to her mathematics tutor.
"From its texture, it appears to be a sapphire. If you wish for a more thorough appraisal, the royal jeweler can assist. You can absolutely trust Miss Sandra."
The third princess suggested.
"I can't be certain if it's a pure gemstone either, Jenkins. If you want to know its composition, you'll definitely need a professional jeweler to appraise it."
With that, she passed the gem to Julia. The maid took it, looking flustered and unsure of where she should place it.
"Why don't you hold onto it for now, Miss Stuart? I'm in no rush for the results. But please, be cautious when you have it appraised—it would be best to observe the process yourself. It was, after all, the core of a powerful seal. Even though I can't see any spirit... that is, even though it seems like an ordinary object now, we have no idea if so chanism could reactivate it."
"Not a problem."
The princess replied with a smile.
Everyone in the room could see her delight in the gemstone. She was, after all, still a sixteen-year-old girl, so her fascination was understandable. By the ti she reached Alexia's age, she would likely be more composed.
Speaking of which, Jenkins realized he had no idea how old Alexia actually was.
"I believe you're thinking sothing rather impolite."
The petite woman seed to read his mind, her gaze sharp. Seeing the surprise on his face, she added:
"I've told you before, Jenkins. If everyone in the world were as transparent as you, life would be much simpler."
When asked about her whereabouts over the past week, Alexia explained that she had traveled to the desolate plains far north of Ruen to visit so of the indigenous peoples living on the ice fields. They wielded so strange powers but were wary of Enchanters from civilized society, which was why she had left without most of her special items, including the lodestone. The week-long visit had been very fruitful, she ntioned, though she didn't elaborate on the specifics, likely due to the lie she'd told Miss Stuart about her level when they first t.
Both the princess and her maid were familiar with the ice field settlents. Those people were the original inhabitants of this land; most of the current population of the Hamparvo Kingdom had migrated from the warr south in a much earlier epoch. The migration was a history filled with major events and tragic stories, but most of them had long since been lost to the river of ti.
Soti ago—it felt like last year—Jenkins had promised to serve as the princess's guard during the royal hunt. The event was set to begin next Wednesday, the 23rd of the month, and last until Saturday afternoon. During that ti, the royal family and select nobles would be staying at the royal hunting grounds.
Jenkins certainly couldn't find an excuse to take four full days off, so he could only co over in the evenings and leave late at night. Alexia would be responsible for her safety during the day. His invitation for his friends to join wasn't a foolish whim; he was considering the fact that Miss Stuart's brothers still harbored ill intentions, and there was no telling what they might try to pull during the hunt.
Afterward, they briefly discussed the plans for the coming week. It was clear the third princess was very much looking forward to it.
And so the next day arrived, a Sunday morning. With a sleepy Chocolate in his arms, Jenkins excitedly pushed open the door to Pops Antique Shop. Between Papa Oliver's trip to Bel Diran at the start of the month and Jenkins's own travels mid-month, he hadn't worked a single proper day here since the new year began. Everything was back to normal—no strange creatures, no evil gods, no cultists, and no illegal organizations. Jenkins enjoyed a long-overdue, ordinary day as an antique shop apprentice. But after his work was done, it was ti to don his black robe once more and attend a perfectly legal gathering.
This ti, the gathering was held in an abandoned warehouse in the Dock Area. The coastal waters had frozen over for the winter, preventing cargo ships from docking, so the district was practically deserted at night. While warehouses full of goods might have a guard or two, the empty one Mr. Hood had chosen had nothing of the sort.
Snow had begun to fall again in the evening, but it stopped once the sun had completely set. With the sky shrouded in clouds and fog, visibility was extrely poor. Coupled with the lack of streetlights in the Dock Area, the deathly silent industrial zone looked truly terrifying.
As was his habit, Jenkins made his way through the fog, arriving a half-hour early. Mr. Hood, who was always earlier, had already opened the warehouse door and was waiting inside.
The place must have stored sothing like vinegar. As Jenkins squeezed sideways through the gap in the iron door, he was hit by a thick, sour stench. The cat, who had been perched on his shoulder, caught a whiff of the awful sll and frantically burrowed inside his coat. This montarily confused Mr. Hood, who didn't recognize Jenkins and thought he was a stranger who had stumbled in by mistake. After all, for a long ti now, the mysterious Mr. Candle had always appeared with his beloved white cat, Vanilla.
Jenkins had never learned Mr. Hood's true identity. Of all the participants who had been attending since late sumr, he was the only one whose real self remained a mystery. He'd once spotted the man in the black market but hadn't said hello. Considering Nolan's massive population, the odds of running into a specific person with his Eye of Reality active were slim. As an ordinary man, Mr. Hood's life probably had no overlap with Jenkins's own. In his day-to-day routine, the writer had never noticed anyone with a similar disposition.
Jenkins didn't know Mr. Hood's original reason for organizing these etings, but the man was clearly happy to act as the host. According to what he'd learned from Magic Miss, the gathering had already been running for so ti when she happened to join two years ago. The small group had lasted longer than Jenkins would have ever imagined.
While they waited for the other participants to arrive, the two of them chatted about recent events in the city. Most of them, in fact, could be traced back to Jenkins, but he was curious to hear another perspective on things. During their conversation, Jenkins unintentionally let slip a few details that Mr. Hood wasn't aware of. In return, Mr. Hood shared so information that Jenkins might not have noticed, including the appearance of a Mysterious Realm entrance in Nolan's eastern slums while he had been away on his trip to the snowy mountain villa.
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