He and Miss Karina talked from two o'clock in the afternoon until five-thirty. Assuming that Shade did not know the specific details of the two deities descending upon Tobesk last night, she recounted the events that had shocked the entire world in great detail.
In truth, no one understood the events of last night better than Shade.
However, at the very least, Shade learned from Miss Karina that no one had linked last night's events to him; instead, everyone was wondering which deity the white-robed god actually was. In the current Sixth Epoch, aside from the five True Gods, there should be no other benevolent gods in existence.
The Church, however, had linked the mortal who summoned the Silver Moon deity to the "Masked Man under the Silver Moon." They had even used some unknown means to associate the Ring Caster who had recently used a Mind Lock with the "Masked Man under the Silver Moon," further confirming their belief that the mysterious figure was a Thirteenth-Ring Caster.
Since last night, the codename "Masked Man under the Silver Moon" had been officially changed to "The God-Caller," and the material world now recognized another Thirteenth-Ring Caster.
For a mortal to become a vessel for a deity almost certainly meant death, but a Thirteenth-Ring Caster had a chance of surviving after calling a god. Even if they survived, they would need to recuperate for at least several decades to recover; thus, the Church of the Five Gods felt a sense of pity for this "friendly" Thirteenth-Ring Caster.
"The Church must have gone mad."
This was Miss Karina's view. She knew that Shade was the so-called "Masked Man under the Silver Moon," but she also knew that Shade was currently only at the Second Ring. Even if she suspected that Shade might have a way to temporarily elevate himself to the Thirteenth Ring, he was sitting here in his entirety, without a single trace of injury.
It was indeed possible for a mortal at the First Ring to utilize the power of the Thirteenth Ring; such things had happened before. But for a mortal to be able to walk freely and sit across from her talking the day after becoming a vessel for a divine descent—Miss Karina refused to believe it. After all, the former was a difference between mortals, while the latter was a difference between a mortal and a god. Therefore, she believed Shade certainly wasn't the so-called "God-Caller," and that the Church had erred in stopping the cultists and erred again in identifying the person.
"Perhaps there have been too many years of peace, causing the Church of the True Gods to grow lax. They've truly made a grave mistake this time... Detective, you aren't the 'God-Caller,' are you?"
Naturally, the Duchess asked in the end, and Shade answered with absolute certainty
"Oh, why would you think that?"
He did not lie, because he didn't answer the question at all.
Before the conversation ended that day, the Great Witch finally brought up the topic of the *Whispering Verses* for the first time. The appearance of two deities in Tobesk last night had frightened her as well. After long deliberation, she decided to reveal this perilous matter to Shade, hoping he would be aware of the situation and not easily involve himself in danger.
Shade already knew most of what Miss Karina shared. In fact, the intelligence this Great Witch possessed was not even as much as what Luvia Annate had told him.
It seemed that Karina Cavendish was not intentionally hiding things, but truly only knew this much. This caused Shade to feel doubtful about Luvia; how could a female caster of only the Third Ring know more about the *Whispering Verses* than the nominal successor to the Witch?
Combined with the sacrificial divination, the secrets held by the female diviner were more numerous than imagined.
Following the events of Thursday night, almost everyone now knew that the first Chosen One was a female caster from the Church of the True Gods. However, Miss Karina didn't care about her; instead, she warned Shade not to get close to the other candidates for the Chosen
"The actual Chosen is not worth worrying about, because her identity is confirmed. She cannot betray the Church, nor can she be swayed, and there is no immediate benefit to killing her. Therefore, the ones to watch are the Chosen who have not yet appeared; they are the ones who might be swayed... It's a pity the first was female, yet the Council failed to make contact until the very end."
At five-thirty in the summer, the sky was still bright. Miss Karina intended for Shade to stay overnight at her manor, share dinner, and discuss other matters afterward.
But Shade had to return; after all, there were two ladies waiting for him at home.
"Then let Tifa escort you back. Bring the [Vampire's Fang] back with you, and take those 1,200 pounds. Oh, one more thing, Detective, prepare some more water for me. I think it's helpful for me."
Thus, before leaving, Shade summoned his Life Ring once more and used [Satiating Feast] to treat a full glass of clear water. Miss Karina merely took two small sips, just as she had a few hours prior, and set it down.
As he stood up to take his leave, Shade remembered one more thing
"Miss Karina, do you know the Chief of Police at Ridwich Field?"
"I do. Why?"
"The forged Philosopher's Stone is in his hands, and he is one of the supporters of [Mercury Blood]. I want to kill him and seize the item. Can you provide assistance?"
The Duchess thought for a moment
"If you act tomorrow, I can help you by moving the obstructive people in the vicinity. Act quickly; once the Church's investigation reaches him, that relic will no longer be yours to take. Based on the current progress of the investigation, that Chief of Police cannot hide for long."
This time, she did not mention a reward.
"Thank you for your help," Shade said softly, then rose and left with the maid, Miss Tifa.
The door closed, and the other maids did not disturb the resting Duchess. She stared blankly at the glass of water on the coffee table, which was emitting a silver spiritual glow. She picked up the glass and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Shade and her personal maid walk into the courtyard.
Tilting her head back, she drank half of the silver-glowing water. The red-haired Great Witch stood by the window, one hand stroking her stomach, letting out a long sigh
"Although I haven't fully recovered, to think it could heal to this extent."
She gazed absently at Shade's receding figure in her manor's courtyard
"Could you be a candidate for the Chosen? Oh, if you are, many doubts would be explained. After all, anything strange regarding a Chosen is... Returning to Tobesk this time was truly the right move."
A smile appeared at the corners of her mouth, and the Witch, her strength restored, once again displayed her original elegance.
She turned to handle the tasks that had piled up throughout the day, but suddenly stopped. She frowned beautifully for a moment, and then, uncontrollably, a sound escaped her
"*Hiccup!*"
*Crack!*
The glass in her hand was crushed instantly. Karina Cavendish covered her mouth, her face flushing slightly, and spun around to look at her surroundings. Fortunately, she was the only one in the quiet room.
(End of Chapter)