Old Jack's annual demand for the butterflies was thirty, so the opportunity presented by early spring had to be seized. Jenkins was a man of his word, and having promised to help, he was determined to do the best job possible. Seeing no one around, he used a Real Illusion to leave a shimring afterimage of himself, constantly flickering into existence within the densest parts of the glowing swarm.
The thod proved highly effective. In just ten short minutes, he had already netted five of the butterflies.
He failed to notice, however, that the cat in his pocket was practically vibrating with excitent. As Jenkins leaped into the air, swinging his net, the creature shot out from its hiding place.
It landed nimbly on the ground, then sprang high into the air, pouncing toward the butterfly swarm. Jenkins's first reaction was to lunge for Chocolate.
In his hurried motion, the cloak slipped from his shoulders, and the cat missed the swarm entirely. But as his fingers closed around the feline, a small, beautiful butterfly brushed against his hand. Before the astonished eyes of both man and cat, they vanished from the canyon. Only the cloak remained, swaying gently in the evening breeze amidst the swarm, finally drifting down to the ground as the sun set.
This wasn't the first ti Jenkins had gotten into trouble because of Chocolate's disobedience. Although the cat always listened ekly to his scolding, it would then use its charm to get off the hook. But Jenkins knew his cat was just putting on an act. Inside that small, adorable head churned an endless supply of sches and plots.
He sotis imagined his cat as the mastermind behind all his current troubles, and he looked forward to a future day when Chocolate would take human form to face him in a one-on-one battle.
But this wild fantasy was always shattered when Chocolate would cuddle up to him or sneak so food. After all, a mastermind might live alongside the hero, but they would never sleep on the hero's pillow, waking him up punctually every morning to demand breakfast.
Jenkins was completely unsurprised to have been led into trouble by Chocolate yet again; he was already planning the lecture he'd give the cat when they returned. It was, however, the first ti he realized his cat even liked butterflies. Butterflies had been a rare sight in the seasons since he'd adopted Chocolate.
"Where are we being teleported?" he mused. "If it's sowhere close, I can just ride the unicorn straight back. I only hope it's not the Kingdom of Cheslan—after all, I only speak Hamparvo and Fidektri."
Jenkins was still mulling this over as he was hurtled through space. He held Chocolate tightly, ensuring they wouldn't be separated. The instant he landed, he found himself in a vast underground cavern, standing on a glowing portal that pulsed with an endless white light.
"Hm?"
Jenkins was beginning to suspect, once again, that his cat was the true source of all his bad luck for the past six months.
The familiar entrance to a Mysterious Realm, the familiar gate of light, the familiar bizarre illusions—but Jenkins still couldn't get used to the awful vertigo. He had the presence of mind to pull on his black robe the mont he fell into the realm, just in case others were present and he was unable to use his full powers.
Chocolate, for its part, cooperatively transford into the likeness of a white cat nad Vanilla. As Jenkins shakily pushed himself to his feet, he saw Magic Miss and Silver Flute Miss, and he finally understood why the cat had changed its appearance.
Both won were dressed in casual attire. The slightly older Silver Flute Miss wore the sa conservative outfit as when he had t her on the train, while Magic Miss was clad in a very fashionable winter dress. It looked like one of this year's new designs; Jenkins recalled seeing the style in a magazine at the royal palace in Ruen.
The won were grimacing, trying to suppress the urge to retch. Magic Miss was the first to notice the movent from Jenkins's direction, and she cried out in surprise.
"Mr. Candle!"
Silver Flute Miss's head snapped up, and she instinctively took a step back. She noticed the signature cat on his shoulder, but her expression remained incredibly wary.
"Why are you here?"
It was a aningful question. Based on Jenkins's observations, the entrance to this Mysterious Realm was in an extrely concealed location. The two won had obviously co here together for a reason; Silver Flute Miss's presence in Shire was probably connected to this.
As for his own presence, even Jenkins himself couldn't quite explain it.
"Mr. Candle, I'm less interested in how you appeared here than I am in your purpose for being here."
This question ca from Magic Miss, and it was essentially the sa as the last one. She was what one might call an acquaintance of Jenkins, and she knew the followers of the God of Lies were exceptionally capable. She was less concerned with the coincidence of their eting and more with the underlying reason for Mr. Candle's presence.
"I wasn't following the two of you..."
Magic Miss seed to believe him, but Silver Flute Miss's face was a mask of suspicion.
"And I have no purpose in being here."
Now, neither of the won believed him.
"Half an hour ago, I was conducting a dangerous experint... with a directional spatial teleportation ritual... and then... I ended up here."
He fabricated the story as he spoke. When he saw they remained unconvinced, he could only offer a helpless shrug.
"Believe it or not, there's no reason for us to be hostile to each other in a place like this. By the way... you two didn't co prepared for this Mysterious Realm, did you? I noticed you both have suitcases."
...
Magic Miss studied Mr. Candle's false face for a mont, then turned and shook her head at Silver Flute Miss.
"I think we can trust him," she said. "Besides, the two of us combined are probably no match for him."
The three of them and the cat found themselves in a bleak, unsettling wasteland. It was a small clearing surrounded by a boundless prairie, where wild grasses grew taller than Jenkins. The sky was heavy and gray, and a bone-chilling wind cut across the open space. In the center of the clearing stood a crude thatched hut, its roof sagging and collapsed in places. The straw was mostly withered and rotten, and as the three stood at the clearing's edge, the wind carried its putrid stench directly to them.
Before the hut's rotting wooden door stood a figure in a leather cap, beaming at the three of them. To call it human, however, would be a mistake. Humans, after all, do not have three pairs of eyes, six arms, and eight legs. Nor are they typically wreathed in a raging storm of vengeful spirits.
"Another soul storm!"
The scene reminded Jenkins of the Skull Sword, but he had already figured out a way to deal with the assault of a spiritual tide.
The trio had thus ford a temporary alliance. Before they officially began their adventure, Magic Miss shared so information about this Mysterious Realm. The entrance had ford two months ago and was one of the rare few that could remain stable for an extended period without collapsing.
Magic Miss had paid a high price to purchase the land where the entrance was located, all for the rewards inside the Mysterious Realm. She was willing to share what she knew, on the condition that whenever they faced a choice, she and Silver Flute Miss would have priority.
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