"I know a bit about Miss Knight's ancestors—on her maternal side, that is. If the records and the book *Ancient Glories: Heroes and Legends* are correct, then her ancestors were likely the long-vanished Dragon Knights."
Jenkins murmured, "That sounds impressive. So, she went to the Evergreen Forest to establish a connection with that Nidhogg?"
"I'm not entirely sure. You would need to ask Audrey about that, or Father Skolt, who is stationed at the Evergreen Forest. But I've spoken with the dragon. It is incredibly knowledgeable and remarkably gentle. I think you should try speaking with it as well, if you get the chance."
The Bishop suggested, and Jenkins realized he'd never actually spoken to the dragon. Perhaps he could take the opportunity to meet it during his baptism in the Evergreen Forest in a few weeks. It wasn't every day one got to meet a long-lived species that could hold a proper conversation.
The Bishop had a free afternoon, so he and Jenkins talked for quite some time. He was a font of interesting stories, something the original Jenkins had loved as a child. The current Jenkins also enjoyed these fantastical tales; he had a penchant for prying into secrets, as long as they were safe ones.
Somehow, the conversation drifted to the pseudo-god cults, and Jenkins mentioned the followers of the God of Music. Bishop Parrold was quite familiar with them—in fact, a little too familiar, it seemed.
"...and that's the gist of it. So, under normal circumstances, if a follower of the Great One, the 'Wondrous Musical Score,' comes to the Church for help, we never hesitate to provide assistance. The Legacy Sage Church and the sect of the God of Music have been on friendly terms for many epochs. Although there don't seem to be any such believers in Nolan City, in the kingdom's inland City of Arts—Arakel in Sekolim County—or in the Cheslan Kingdom's City of Music, Muermod, followers of the God of Music are frequent visitors to our churches." Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel•fire.net
"You have a question?"
Seeing Jenkins's puzzled expression, the Bishop asked cheerfully. He was always happy to answer questions for the younger generation.
"I always thought that the followers of the Righteous Gods and the pseudo-gods were completely at odds. I never imagined..."
"Ah, young man, it seems you still haven't read enough. But I imagine Papa Oliver has told you about the relationship between the followers of the God of Firearms and the God of War? The bond between the followers of the God of Music and our church is quite similar."
On that note, the Bishop added a word of advice:
"I know you've delved into a great many historical books and religious texts, but you seem to have little interest in recently published works. I suggest you read *A Guide to Distinguishing Church Holy Emblems* and *My Fellow Believers Are Near*, or perhaps *Seeking Help from Heretics: We Don't Need to Face the Barrel of a Gun*. These modern books are quite useful."
"Alright, I'll make a note of them."
He actually took out the small notebook he always carried and jotted down the titles Bishop Parrold had recommended with a pencil. The Bishop glanced at an oil painting on the wall and smiled. This was precisely the kind of attitude he appreciated in Jenkins.
He had planned to go to the refectory with the Bishop in the evening, but around five o'clock, a priest came to fetch him. Apparently, a believer in his eighties had traveled a long way from the Nolan countryside to the city, and everyone thought it best for the Bishop to meet with him.
Left with nothing to do, Jenkins still couldn't find Fini. He asked a passing nun and learned that the choir children were still in class.
He ambled back to the Hall of All Things in the basement. The Keeper of Secrets, Corinshir, was sitting on a wooden chair against the wall, head bowed and arms crossed over his chest. At the sound of footsteps, he reached up, removed the hat covering his face, and seeing it was Jenkins, greeted him with a smile.
Corinshir was the youngest of the official Keepers of Secrets in the Nolan suburbs. Despite his youthful appearance, his actual age probably surpassed that of Robert Williams.
Jenkins had originally come looking for Mr. Smith, but since he wasn't around, chatting with Mr. Corinshir was a fine alternative.
"Are you on duty today?"
"Yes, I am for the rest of the week. I heard something big happened at the docks? Papa Oliver stopped by a little while ago."
"Papa Oliver was here? Did he say anything?"
"He was complaining about the followers of the God of Lies who smashed a shop window, and then he looked up information on A-12-1-0044, the Skull Sword of the Departed Soul..."
At this, he looked at Jenkins:
"So, did that sword really reappear?"
"I don't know. Miss Bevanna isn't here, but... I hope not."
A worried expression crossed Mr. Corinshir's face.
Jenkins had actually wanted to ask about the woman with the mantis-hybrid bloodline. He had heard she took a potion to awaken her bloodline but hadn't heard anything since, and the matter had piqued his interest.
The investigation had indeed progressed. Corinshir told Jenkins that the main ingredients of the potion had been extracted from the woman's blood. With the help of some divination, recreating the full potion wouldn't be difficult.
However, the potion had been specifically formulated for a particular individual, so even if they replicated it, it would be of little value. The Church's main hope was to use it to track down the person who created it. After all, the maker of the potion was the true culprit behind the murders.
Before he left, Jenkins learned one more thing. It concerned the research materials he had found at the home of the doctor who was raising monsters, during his vacation in the snowy mountains. That research had also contained information about awakening ancient bloodlines, and half of the potion ingredients discovered in the woman's blood matched those materials.
The doctor's materials had come from an unknown individual in Shire City. This led the Church to suspect that the original owner of that research had now come to Nolan and was plotting something. Although the diocese's current focus was on the undead, the investigation into this matter had not been relaxed.
Since he couldn't enter the Hall of All Things with Chocolate, and the cat refused to leave his side, Jenkins decided against going into the Secret Trace Library to look up information. Instead, he took the cat back to the surface to get something to eat.
Passing through the courtyard, he and the cat took a look at the Fantasy Flower seeds. They were covered by a layer of snow, unable to advance to the next stage for now, as they hadn't absorbed enough life spirit.