"I've been fainting a lot lately. Maybe I should see a doctor."
With that thought, Jenkins awoke once more.
A refreshing, almost invigorating fragrance filled the air. Above him hung a white gauze canopy, and a blue quilt was draped over his body. The bed was soft, though not brand new—the quilt carried the same peculiar, pleasant scent.
Still a bit dazed, he pushed himself up from the ridiculously large bed, a profound weakness spreading through his entire body.
Chocolate leaped right in front of him.
The cat tried to stand on its hind legs, and Jenkins instantly understood what it wanted. He gently scooped it up by its middle and held it in his arms. Get full chapters from Nove1Fire.net
Judging by the decor, it was a woman's room. Beside the gauze canopy stood a small table, which held not only his own belongings but also a fox-shaped copper incense burner, its fragrant smoke curling into the air. A massive oil painting hung above the headboard, depicting a sun-drenched lavender field with a large white windmill in the background.
The desk, wardrobe, coffee table, and armchair all had a distinctly feminine touch. There was even a pink corsage on the table. Jenkins suspected he was, in fact, in a lady's bedroom.
He spoke her name, only then realizing how dry and raspy his throat was. His lips were stuck together from dehydration. Just the simple act of picking up Chocolate had drained most of his strength.
Seeing that Jenkins was awake, Hathaway quickly set the tray on the nightstand and urged him to lie back down and rest.
"How are you feeling now?"
It was the truth. Though his body was still weak, vitality was beginning to surge back—a sure sign of rapid recovery.
"Don't be silly. When I found you, you had nearly drowned."
She chided him gently, pulling the quilt up for him. A faint blush suddenly colored her cheeks, but Jenkins, his mind still clearing, didn't notice.
"No, it was Chocolate. I was on my way to run an errand when I saw your cat pushing a small metal block down the street near your house. At first, I thought Chocolate had gotten lost, but it led me straight to you."
She glanced at the cat beside Jenkins's pillow. It was curled up on the bed, its tail swaying lightly with a smug air.
"Is that animal intelligence potion really that effective? Maybe I should get some for myself..."
Hathaway murmured under her breath as she turned to pick up the tray. Jenkins struggled to sit up again, leaning back against the headboard and placing the tray on his lap.
He could feel the warmth through the quilt. In the time it took to exchange a few words, he already felt strong enough to get out of bed.
"What happened back there?"
He asked quietly, resolving to tailor his story based on what Hathaway already knew. He hated lying again, especially to the girl who had just saved him, but he had no other choice.
"One day, I'll tell her everything... the day I can truly reveal my divinity."
He made a silent promise to himself, while simultaneously despising his own shamelessness.
"That nameless, faceless new god appeared again, didn't he?"
The girl stood up, locked the door, and carefully drew the curtains before asking her question in a hushed voice.
"She's not wrong about that. The new god took a stroll in the woods to hunt today, and nearly got himself killed."
Jenkins thought with a self-deprecating sneer, but on the outside, he nodded grimly. "Yes, but please don't tell anyone."
"Jenkins, you're still so clueless. While Chocolate was leading me to the woods, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky right above you. It was the sign of a new Bestowal being created. Not every Enchanter would recognize it, but more than a few would. And I should add..."
Her tone suddenly grew serious. "In our material world, only a god can create a Bestowal. Jenkins, tell me the truth. Have you converted to that new god?"
"No, absolutely not!"
He shook his head decisively, looking straight into Hathaway's beautiful eyes. Whenever Jenkins had the chance to speak the truth, he was always this resolute.
After all, most of the words that came out of his mouth were lies.
A moment of silence passed as they just looked at each other. On the wall beside the angel-and-petal-carved headboard, a dimly glowing brass gas lamp stretched their shadows long across the floor in front of the wardrobe.
The red-haired lady's face flushed slightly as she turned away, feigning a renewed interest in Chocolate. She offered a quiet reminder:
"I have to warn you, no one knows if that new god is good or evil. He's maintained this veil of mystery, and his followers—that black-robed man who collects Cursed Items and the Twin Demons—are hardly paragons of virtue. It's not wise to worship such a being. Even though you're an unregistered Enchanter, you're still a proper believer in the Legacy Sage. It would be better to give it all up and become an ordinary bishop than to get mixed up with people like that."
After a pause, she remembered something else and added:
"Is the Twin Demons a follower of the new god? That's what people are assuming, but no one can be sure. I thought you might know something..."
Unable to bear deceiving her again, Jenkins nodded and told the truth:
"He's just like the man in the black robe."
She arched her long, graceful neck, a smile playing on her lips:
"I knew it. Rumors are spreading that the end of the epoch is near. A star of destiny has appeared in the sky. The next signs will be the morning star of the new epoch and the appearance of the Doomsday Document... You know what the Doomsday Document is, right?"
He nodded again, then glanced down at the tray on his lap. It smelled incredible.
"For a new god to descend at a time is definitely not a good omen. And he's appeared in this city twice in the last six months. Do you think a truly great being would descend to the mortal world so frequently?"
Seeing Jenkins focused on the food on his lap, her expression softened a little. "Even if you're unwilling to give up the path of the extraordinary, you should still try to keep your distance from those people."
"I understand. But what happened today was so sudden. No one could have predicted it..."
It was the first time Jenkins had ever been cared for by a woman younger than him. The feeling was a bit strange, but it was certainly a good thing.