According to the description of the thaumaturgy [Satiated Meal], Shade had to choose an edible substance and begin consuming it from that night onward, completing four feedings before midnight.
The range of selectable food was broad, but it had to satisfy the basic condition that normal consumption could lead to a state of satiety. In other words, things like northwest wind wouldn't work, because even if one were to "drink" the wind, it would be difficult to feel full. However, theoretically speaking, if it were a handful of dust, as long as Shade dared to eat it, it would meet the goal of the thaumaturgy.
But Shade wanted to pick something "approachable" and ubiquitous, so he ultimately chose water. Among the three simple incantations he had mastered, one was the ability to directly summon water.
"I hope I don't die from gastric distension."
Thus, he began boiling hot water in a kettle over and over again. During this time, he repeatedly swatted away the cat that was crouching by the sink, trying to poke its head under the faucet to drink, all while worrying deeply about his own physical condition.
He placed learning materials—including the stomachs of viviparous animals, fetal hair, ox gall, and so on—into the kettle. After soaking them thoroughly, he began drinking water repeatedly while stirring and chanting incantations.
When the amount of water consumed exceeded a certain limit, the act of drinking itself became an extremely painful process. Shade was unsure exactly what the so-called "satiated state" entailed, so he could only drink as much as possible.
Later on, even the ignorant cat believed that if Shade kept drinking, something terrible would happen, so it stood on the dining table and used its small paws to stop him from touching the water cup. When Shade tried to push the cat away, Miya swatted him once more across the chest.
The small orange cat didn't have much strength, but it still nearly made Shade spray a mouthful of water, leading him to believe that he had certainly reached the satiated state.
"Oh, I'm even getting water intoxication."
That was his thought at the time.
By the time he finally finished the fourth round of drinking, it was already eleven o'clock at night. Leaning against the dining table, Shade had never felt such an intense loathing for water, yet he still forced himself to maintain his spirits for the final step.
He took a clean glass goblet from the cupboard, carefully poured a small amount of fresh water into the bottom, and then used a fruit knife to slit his finger, letting drops of blood fall into the water.
After letting it sit for a moment, he summoned the life ring from within the misty steam, aiming the glow of the [Gluttony] rune at the water cup. The blood dispersed in the water immediately emitted a strange luster, and Shade promptly picked up the cup and drained it in one gulp.
Subsequently, amidst a massive sensation of nausea, he rushed into the washroom, only emerging a long while later, wiping his mouth with a towel.
"Meow~"
Miya watched him from the dining table with concern. Shade managed a strained smile at the cat before sitting back down. He poured a small amount of fresh water into the glass again and pointed at it; as a silver light flashed, the surface of the water actually manifested a glow representing the power of a spirit rune.
Although he had vomited quite a bit just now, Shade didn't want to drink water for the time being. Instead, he poured the silver-glowing water onto his slit finger. Immediately, the wound on his finger writhed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye—it was much more effective than [Syndia's Silver Moon Grace], making it a perfectly good healing ability.
She was indeed right; the spirit runes obtained by devouring the divinity of an evil god were truly extraordinary.
She chuckled softly in his ear.
"It's a pity that [Satiated Meal] can only heal physical damage. With two types of healing abilities, my only remaining concern is suffering mental damage during the day."
Shade thought to himself, then saw Miya lowering her head to lick a drop of the silver-glowing water that had fallen onto the dining table.
The orange cat suddenly raised its head to look at Shade, its furry cheeks pushed upward. As its amber eyes met the detective's, its whiskers trembled from the movement of lifting its head. Its large eyes were very beautiful.
Then—
*Hic!*
Miya suddenly let out a hiccup. She tried to cover her mouth with her right front paw, but she still couldn't suppress the hiccups. Consequently, Miya fell into a state of being angry at herself, rolling around wildly on the dining table and exposing her soft white belly.
"As I suspected, it's not just that consuming a little bit reaches the 'satiated' state... it's only useful to oneself?"
Shade suddenly realized this, understanding that his special profanation, [Gluttony], had not only increased in power but had even made it so that the food produced by the thaumaturgy could be useful to other creatures.
However, the silver light in the remaining liquid in the cup had already faded to the point of being almost invisible. This indicated that while the special profanation rune enhanced the effect and expanded the scope of the thaumaturgy, it still could not, like manufacturing a potion, create a liquid that could maintain its effects for a long time.
In other words, Shade could not use this to turn a profit.
[The fact that the thaumaturgy's effect can make a cat feel full with just one lick is also related to your state of Divine Afterglow.]
The woman in his heart supplemented in his ear with a whisper. Shade nodded.
"This is also quite good. Although it's not an offensive ability, at least my survivability has greatly increased. As for offensive abilities, that moonlight is enough for now."
With a smile, he happily picked up his cat, who was still hiccuping incessantly. The bad-tempered cat immediately gave Shade a scratch, but she knew how to control her strength, so she didn't even leave a white mark on the back of his hand.
On Wednesday morning, because they had drunk too much water the night before, neither Shade nor Miya could eat much breakfast. Even when faced with her favorite goat milk, the orange cat merely licked a few times before leaving the table. Shade did not receive two more bottles of milk this morning because the milk Detective Spilo had ordered from the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company had expired. If he wanted more, he would have to order from the milk company himself.
The news in the newspapers remained uninteresting.
The earthquake that occurred in the southern part of the city over the weekend was no longer being reported. Now, the front page featured news that Queen Diana would attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the east hall of Tobesque Station next week.
In the advertising section at the back of the *Tobesque Daily*, there were several new wanted posters for the Redwich Fields. This made Shade think of advertisements for his agency, and he planned to ask Miss Louisa for some advice the next time he saw her.
"If it's a newspaper Miss Louisa is familiar with, maybe I can get a discount on the advertising fees."
That was, in fact, his intention.
After the major events at Lakeview Manor concluded, life seemed to have returned to a peaceful routine. With illegal organizations lurking, the current focus of the orthodox churches was not the "Masked Man under the Silver Moon." Likely, Tobesque would finally be able to enjoy some tranquility for these next few weeks.
This also allowed Shade to relax; living in a state of constant tension was unpleasant. Having come to this steam age, he actually preferred to observe more rather than always fighting to the death with others.
Shortly after breakfast, someone came to visit.
The first to arrive at the detective agency was the Rod-card enthusiast, Baron Lavender, whose purpose was, of course, that [Ancient Fairy Tale: The Little Match Girl].