Though they hadn't managed to kill Skryu Pompey tonight, they had at least achieved their goal of rescuing Mr. Hood. Jenkins had considered summoning a Star Spirit to finish Pompey off, but given the man's habit of fleeing at the slightest disadvantage, he doubted the spirit's power could be brought to bear in ti.
The best way to handle soone like him was to lure him into a false sense of superiority, making him attack first, only to be crushed by overwhelming force. Otherwise, any fight with Pompey would devolve into an endless chase. For all his imnse power, the man was cautious to a fault, which wasn't to Jenkins's advantage.
Mr. Hood, along with White Cat and Silver Flute Miss, waited at the city entrance for the two companions covering their rear. The group of five managed to evade an Orthodox Church convoy, taking a wide, circuitous route through the mist before finally making it back into the heart of Nolan City.
"Eleven-thirty. I have half an hour left."
Jenkins muttered to himself, glancing at his pocket watch.
"What did you say?"
Silver Flute Miss asked softly as she walked beside him.
"Nothing. Just reflecting on tonight's events."
Mr. Hood's face was now completely exposed to the other four, but he seed unconcerned. Once the ropes binding him had been cut, he was still weak but had regained his mobility. Upon entering the city, he led the group to a small, two-story apartnt in the southwestern district—one of his safe houses.
"Just as I thought. Enchanters are almost never short on gold pounds."
Jenkins murmured under his breath.
"Thank you, my friends. Thank you for saving ."
Flicking on the custom gas lamps mounted on the wall, Mr. Hood retrieved a bottle from a liquor cabinet and filled a glass for each of them. The five of them stood in a circle, raising their glasses in a mutual salute.
"We're friends of a sort, even if we are strangers. It's nothing... Of course, if I’d known who we were up against beforehand, I absolutely wouldn't have co."
White Cat voiced what was on his mind, and no one blad him. It was, after all, the truth.
"You should really be thanking Magic Miss and Candle Mr."
Silver Flute Miss reminded him. At her words, Mr. Hood imdiately grabbed the bottle and refilled his own glass, forcing Jenkins to down the rest of his drink to make room for more.
Perhaps being considerate of his guests' tastes, Mr. Hood had served Jerez, a type of white wine. It wasn't unpleasant, but Jenkins, who had detested alcohol since his first life, still found it difficult to swallow.
Next, Mr. Hood explained the night's events.
It had started near the end of last month, when an old acquaintance asked him to investigate a series of recent disappearances within the kingdom. By a stroke of luck, Mr. Hood had discovered a hidden pattern in the birth dates of the missing persons. Following that thread had led him, astonishingly, to a young duke visiting from a foreign nation.
"I originally thought he was just involved in human trafficking, so I planned a surprise raid. I never expected the master of the Skull Sword to be there..."
Mr. Hood took a long swallow of wine to steady his nerves, still visibly shaken. Though a formidable Enchanter in his own right, he was not yet strong enough to face the wielder of the Skull Sword. He had managed to send out a distress signal just before his capture, and as it happened, Magic Miss was available. She had rounded up the others, which brought them to the events of tonight.
Everyone from their secret assembly, save for Hathaway, was now present, yet no one suggested holding their eting earlier. They all wore heavy expressions, though Jenkins couldn't guess what troubles weighed on their minds.
Before they parted ways, Mr. Hood thanked them all once more, promising they could call on him for help in the future. In this respect, at least, the middle-aged man was genuinely decent—Jenkins knew that every word he'd spoken tonight had been the truth.
Magic Miss looked as though she had more to say to Jenkins, but midnight was fast approaching, and he was anxious to get ho. Sensing his impatience, she simply handed him a piece of paper and a small bottle filled with a black liquid.
"I’m sorry for dragging you into tonight’s trouble."
"If this is a thank-you gift, I think it would be more appropriate coming from Mr. Hood."
"He’ll be giving a much larger compensation."
The woman pulled back the hood she always wore, revealing the face of Agnes Howard. She gave Jenkins a quick wink, then said:
"This is a single-use vial of River Styx Water, along with the learning thod for the ability, Construct Stage. I ntioned it at our last gathering. It's not worth much, but consider it a token of my gratitude."
"Alright, then."
Jenkins accepted it reluctantly. The ability, Construct Stage, a Yellow Spell, was practically worthless. Its only function was to make the user shine as if standing in a spotlight, making it just as useless as the B-10-5-7722, Appropriate Music for the Appropriate Occasion, that Hathaway had once acquired from a house robbery.
As for the River Styx Water, Magic Miss had ntioned a month ago that it was about to expire, which drastically lowered its value.
This mission had been a collaboration of sorts, so Magic Miss gave Jenkins a thod to contact her directly. In return, Jenkins gave her the address of the black market tavern—the sa mailing address he had used as "Miss Fabry." Now they could communicate outside of their clandestine etings, ensuring they wouldn't be left scrambling to find a friend in a crisis.
Seeing that he was running out of ti, Jenkins bid his friends farewell, summoned his unicorn, and galloped off toward St. George Avenue.
For safety's sake, he had naturally left a phantom at ho. But if he used his True Phantom ability to return, the cat would be forced to make its own way ho.
Jenkins didn't trust the city at night enough to let Chocolate wander ho alone, so he had to bring his cat along for the ride.
Jenkins's pocket watch was synchronized with the city's clock tower, accurate to the second. He counted down the final monts as he unlatched the courtyard gate. His hand trembled with urgency as he fumbled with the front door. The instant he turned and shut it behind him, his consciousness fled, and he collapsed onto the doormat.
As the man collapsed, the cat leaped gracefully onto a nearby shoe cabinet. Seeing that Jenkins's consciousness had already ascended to a higher plane, it hopped back to the floor, approached his still form, and nuzzled its furry cheek against his.
"ow~"
Though typically spoiled and greedy, Chocolate would never permit anyone else to harm Jenkins.
"ow~"
Another ow echoed in the quiet hall. Acquiring new divinity might be difficult, but defeating the Skull Sword... that wasn't entirely impossible.
The tolling of the midnight bells marked the beginning of the third month of the year. The arrival of the Month of Earth and Flowers signaled the coming of spring.
From March onward, even the frigid Hamparvo Kingdom would begin to thaw. Spring had truly arrived, but Jenkins was not yet prepared for it.
He had just beco aware of sothing he had long overlooked. As his physical body grew stronger, so too did his ability to perceive things while in his spiritual or pure-consciousness form. He could "see" so much more now.
He vividly rembered his first month-end experience. Not only had he gained nothing, but the excruciating headaches and nausea had nearly killed him. Yet, over the past half-year, as his power had grown, the details he could "see" and "hear" had beco increasingly rich. It was a welco change, a sign that the very essence of his being was transforming.
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