Jenkins spotted Fini among the choir children. Her presence was a clear sign that the girl had successfully joined their ranks before winter's end. It ant she would never again have to worry about where her next al would co from. She would spend her childhood in the care of the church, and upon reaching adulthood, she could beco a nun or be provided with a respectable job. So long as she remained loyal, a life of comfort and fulfillnt was all but guaranteed.
It was a life of enviable security, a guarantee that even middle-class families, the very backbone of society, could not claim for themselves.
God alone is eternal. The Church alone is eternal.
As the group stepped into the clearing, the animals following them halted. They didn't advance any further, but instead lay down in an orderly fashion around the periter, quietly observing everything that unfolded within.
In the myths of old, such a sacred scene would only manifest in the presence of a saint. Jenkins had a painting hanging in his own ho, titled *The Advent of the Sage*. It depicted an exceptionally holy woman seated on a great rock by a lake, teaching the people gathered on the grass below about the earth and the art of cultivation. Around the grassy expanse, deer, goats, birds, and other animals rested in a harmonious semicircle, as if they, too, were listening to the lecture.
"What in the world is happening?"
Even if Jenkins were a complete fool, he would have known this behavior from the animals was anything but ordinary.
"My [Life Source] ability shouldn't have such a powerful effect... Could it be because I created this forest, and now it's resonating with my soul's origin?"
To a certain extent, he was correct.
"You know we contain so terrible things on the outskirts of the Evergreen Forest, don't you?"
Papa Oliver whispered.
"Of course, I do."
"The animals' instincts warn them of the horrors on the forest's edge. But for the past few days, while we were preparing for the baptism, we kept them away from the pool. Now that the area is open again, they've naturally returned."
"Is that really it?"
Jenkins found the explanation highly unconvincing.
"Probably. There's no better explanation, unless there's sothing else we don't know about."
Papa Oliver said vaguely, then asked:
"So what do you think? What's the reason for all this?"
"Could it be because..."
Jenkins racked his brain, and then, in a flash of inspiration, he felt he had stumbled upon the truth:
"Is it because of that wooden dagger the God of Music left ?"
The dagger was now broken into three pieces, steeping quietly within Jenkins's spirit.
"Could its real purpose be to attract small animals? Does the God of Music want to build an animal army and wage a bloody war against the legions of the undead? That's just... cruel, isn't it?"
Setting aside Jenkins's wild flights of fancy, the preparations for the baptism proceeded in an orderly manner.
And since it was a baptism, the part where he had to remove all his clothes and enter the pool was unavoidable. Jenkins was utterly opposed to this step, but it was a tradition handed down from ancient Epochs, a rule that not even the Saint Son could change.
The learning ritual for the divine art, [Blessing of the Books], was scheduled for after the baptism. Miss Bevanna seed worried that any delay might invite trouble—the longer they postponed the baptism, the more likely they were to encounter so unknown complication.
The early spring morning breeze rustled through the treetops and branches. Below, clergy mbers in sacred white robes stood in two lines before the pool, a path strewn with flower petals running between them.
The innocent, lovely children brought over stools, arranging them at a forty-five-degree angle to the petal-strewn path beside the pool, standing in three staggered, picturesque rows. A sacred, lodious hymn rose from their childish voices, and as they sang, the animals at the edge of the clearing chirped and humd softly in harmony.
The peaceful, gentle creatures lay in a natural, harmonious semicircle around the great tree, their soft eyes fixed on Jenkins, who stood at the head of the petal-strewn path.
Among the animals, the black-and-white fur of Chocolate was particularly conspicuous. He had wanted to climb a tree for a better view, just like last ti, but to avoid a potential fall, he reluctantly settled for a spot among a group of rabbits and wildcats.
The little cat looked exceptionally small among the other creatures, but he was quite popular. The rabbits "voluntarily" lifted Chocolate onto their backs, allowing the cat to briefly enjoy a soft cushion of rabbit fur.
"ow~"
He would have to make Jenkins buy him a rabbit-fur cushion in the future. It was definitely more comfortable than that outdated one he had back at the antique shop.
"ow~"
The cat opened its mouth wide and yawned, awaiting the inevitable accident. What was about to happen would be very interesting indeed.
Miss Bevanna was once again presiding over the baptism. As everything settled into place, the ceremony began in an orderly fashion.
Jenkins strode down the path between the white-robed priests, heading toward the pool. As he walked, the clergy continuously sprinkled him with holy water, flower petals, and other symbols of sanctity.
Just as he reached the edge of the pool, the morning sun broke through the dense leaves of the ancient tree, casting a single ray of light onto the water. The shimring surface reflected Jenkins's conflicted expression.
He really didn't want to strip naked in front of so many people, especially with Miss Bevanna standing right beside him.
The early spring wind brushed through the treetops overhead. In the week he had been away from Nolan, spring had well and truly arrived. Winter was finally over, and the gentle sunlight ward his entire body.
As if the sun and the great tree were playing a joke on him, two beams of light descended from the heavens through a gap in the leaves. One landed on the pool, the other directly on Jenkins.
"That's not right, I haven't even learned [Construct Stage] yet..."
The effect was just like a theatrical spotlight, which only added to the imnse pressure Jenkins felt as he was about to strip off all his clothes.
Seeing Jenkins hesitating by the pool, Miss Bevanna could only signal with her eyes for him to hurry. When the young author still didn't react, she reached out as if to touch the buttons of his shirt.
Jenkins flinched, then genuinely leaped into the air amidst a deafening roar. A mont later, he belatedly realized he hadn't jumped on his own; a powerful tremor from an explosion had sent his body into the air by pure instinct.
The thud of bodies hitting the ground sounded one after another. He glanced around to see the Enchanters staring at each other in bewildernt, while all the ordinary people had fallen into a deep slumber, collapsing to the ground like rows of cut straw. Dark clouds had drifted in from nowhere, obscuring the sun and plunging Nolan and its surroundings into darkness.
A foul stench tainted the wind, and a bone-chilling cold instantly replaced the warmth of the sun. In the sky, the black clouds swirled and took the shape of a roaring skull.
"Damn it, A-06-1-6269, [Goodnight, My Child], has been activated," Jenkins heard Miss Bevanna say beside him. At the sa ti, he realized that an anomaly of this scale could never have been caused by that single Cursed Item alone.
For the third ti, disaster had struck Jenkins's baptism ceremony.
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