The dagger had broken in two, but its spiritual glow hadn't weakened in the slightest. In other words, it was still a Bestowal, only now there were two instead of one. Jenkins was mortified by his earlier performance. He was certain that not long after returning to Nolan, he would be hearing news of "a follower of the God of Lies attacking an undead with a toy dagger."
"So, how in the world am I supposed to use this?"
He held a piece of wood in each hand and knocked them together, but aside from its spiritual glow, it seed to possess no other special abilities.
"Did I misunderstand the God of Music? Does saving the world not an defeating the Skull Sword?"
He spiraled into another round of self-doubt, but it was a question with no possible answer.
As for the new Bestowal he had acquired yesterday—the small stream of water that took the form of a bracelet—Jenkins felt he had more or less figured out its purpose.
Just like his [Inexhaustible Fire], he could control the stream of water completely with his thoughts, shaping, stretching, and moving it at will.
The force the water could exert was directly linked to Jenkins's own ntal fortitude. He could effortlessly transform the bracelet on his right wrist into a slender thread and lift all the furniture in the hotel room.
It wasn't difficult at all. ntal power was tied to the soul, and Jenkins was suprely confident in the strength of his own.
He played with Chocolate for a while longer before leaving, spending the rest of the morning shopping. In the afternoon, he headed to the Shire City train station to check on tickets for the following day.
At the station, he spotted Magic Miss and Silver Flute Miss from a distance. They both looked healthy, at least on the surface. The pair had co to Shire solely for that Mysterious Realm, and now that their mission was accomplished, they were naturally heading back to Ruen. Jenkins was relieved he wasn't buying a ticket for that day; running into acquaintances again would have been awkward for everyone involved.
"Speaking of which, there's been no news about Mr. Hood's gathering this month. I wonder if he's run into so trouble."
With this worry nagging at him, Jenkins arrived in the northern city of Ruen right on ti, just after dinner.
It was the sa familiar study; everything felt just like any other Tuesday.
The only thing out of place was Alexia, who had been sizing him up with a scrutinizing gaze ever since he had appeared, not even bothering with a greeting.
"I'm sorry, is there sothing on my face?"
Jenkins raised a hand to touch his cheek.
"No, Mr. Williams, your face is perfectly normal,"
Julia remarked from the side.
Last Tuesday's gathering had been canceled, as both Alexia and Miss Stuart had been occupied with their own affairs. Having not seen them for a week, Jenkins had to admit that he had missed them.
He nodded, then glanced at Miss Stuart, hoping she might offer a clue as to what was going on. But the princess was just as clueless; everything had been perfectly normal before Jenkins arrived.
"I think I understand..."
Alexia suddenly spoke, then posed a question that made all four people in the room flush with embarrassnt:
"Who did you sleep with?"
In an instant, a bolt of lightning seed to flash through Chocolate's little brain. It finally understood what Jenkins had been doing in that human woman's dream last weekend.
An intense feeling of its territory being violated left the cat feeling utterly humiliated. But before it could throw a tantrum, Miss Stuart's teacup slipped from her grasp.
The princess's cup was porcelain, and it landed on the soft carpet without breaking. She waved off Julia's offer of help and bent down to retrieve it herself, using the motion to hide her crimson cheeks.
"Um? Oh... I an... that is..."
There was no ti to dwell on Miss Stuart's subtle movents. Jenkins fumbled for words, but every thought that rose to his lips was promptly shot down by his own reason.
The cat silently contemplated how this turn of events might impact its life, while Miss Stuart remained bent over, taking an unusually long ti to pick up her teacup. Only Alexia stared directly into Jenkins's darting eyes, and he couldn't decipher the emotion swirling within their beautiful depths.
"There's no need to be so tense, Jenkins. It's quite normal, isn't it?"
the woman murmured softly.
"I..."
"Dolores, why don't you explain to our writer friend here what kind of life a young, handso, unmarried nobleman usually leads."
"Hm?"
Dolores was stunned to be dragged into the conversation. She looked to Julia for help, but for once, her maid offered no assistance.
"Yes, I... I suppose unmarried male nobles... most of them have rather chaotic private lives."
She spoke haltingly, her face burning as she avoided everyone's gaze.
"Before my father married, he had many mistresses... and after, too."
She had no idea how she had managed to utter that last sentence. But what was said could not be unsaid, and Dolores could only hope no one in the room caught the implication.
"See, Jenkins? You needn't be alard. It's hardly an immoral act. Now, let guess which lucky lady it was... Briny Mikhail? No, not her."
She studied Jenkins's expression, reading the answer he was trying to conceal.
"I do think Miss Mikhail is an excellent choice, though. Blondes are always so popular... Was it Hathaway Hersha? Oh, it seems it was. I imagine that charming noble lady made the first move. Jenkins, look at your face. I suppose this is what they call being shy..."
With that, she let out a soft laugh. The sound was light and cheerful, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down Jenkins's spine.
He sniffled, reaching out to pet Chocolate in an attempt to change the subject. But Chocolate was having none of it, batting his hand away with a paw.
"You don't have to be shy, Jenkins. When a young man and woman are mutually willing, it isn't a serious issue."
The shorter woman took his right hand in hers, patting the back of it a couple of tis. In the Fidektri Kingdom, it was a gesture used to comfort small children.
"Yes, it's perfectly normal."
He recalled that it was the fourth Tuesday of February. The month only had twenty-eight days, which ant it would end this Thursday. That was... the day after tomorrow.
"Damn it. After coming to Shire for this trip, I think I've completely forgotten what Robert asked to do."
For a fleeting mont, the thought of never returning to Nolan crossed his mind. The urge was so powerful that Jenkins was almost convinced.
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