Aside from the matters of the relics, curses, and nursery rhymes, Miss Princess also wanted to buy some books from the lighthouse to pass her recent boring hours. Thus, after their conversation by the sea cliff ended, the two of them were finally invited inside the lighthouse.
The interior of the brick lighthouse was cramped, but at least it was clean and devoid of any strange odors. The bottom floor served as the lighthouse keeper's living quarters, while the upper levels were the work areas. Mr. Edmund hosted them with cheap tea, and in the end, Miss Princess spent 78 pounds to purchase two books.
One was the study notes of a Ringmaster proficient in the Enlightenment element, and the other was an old book that potentially granted the [Ocean] spirit rune upon reading.
That morning, Shade had acquired an old book related to [Wind] titled *The Windy Abyss* from Lemel's safehouse. While Miss Princess was selecting her books, Shade took it out and asked Mr. Edmund for an appraisal. The old man eventually offered a price of 41 pounds and 4 shillings, far lower than the *Records of the Sea Soul* purchased by Miss Princess.
After all, *The Windy Abyss* was considered a foundational text for the spirit runes of the Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire elements, and the copy in his hand was a handwritten manuscript that had already been translated twice from the original; thus, a lower price was normal.
Choosing not to keep it, Shade sold the book directly to Mr. Edmund. If he wanted to obtain the [Wind] spirit rune in the future, he could simply borrow a book from the Saint Byrons Library; it wasn't a particularly rare volume. Moreover, with his connection to the Red Moon Witch, he didn't have to worry about being unable to borrow books.
It was only a pity that Saint Byrons did not grant practical credits for returning similar occult books; otherwise, the pressure of Shade's 15-credit requirement would have been eased slightly.
The two spent the remaining hour and a half of the afternoon in the old lighthouse. By the time they bid farewell to old Mr. Edmund, the evening glow had already appeared in the western sky.
They did not leave immediately, but instead stood by the sea cliff looking out at the ocean and breathing a sigh of relief; after all, it had been far too stifling inside that lighthouse.
The calm sea surface was now reflected in deep red, the shimmering ripples almost blinding. Seagulls circled in the distant sky, and the sound of steam whistles drifted slowly from further away, overlapping with the sound of the waves.
"That curse..."
Shade hesitated to speak, while Miss Princess reached up and removed the mask from her face. Shade saw her face; she was a very beautiful lady, and her expression occasionally revealed a look that felt very familiar to Shade.
"No need to worry. Although it is a curse caused by a Sage-level relic, hasn't it been suppressed for now?"
She shook the golden ring on her right finger. The sea breeze blew, causing the stray hairs at her temples to flutter, and her emerald-green eyes reflected Shade, who was standing close by.
Shade looked back at the lighthouse behind him and also removed his mask. He hesitated, exchanged a glance with Miss Princess, and then turned to look at the sea. In neither his past life nor his new life had he lived in a coastal city. And although he had visited Coldwater Harbor before, he had never had the chance to quietly watch the sea under the setting sun as he was now.
Neither of them spoke. When a seagull flew overhead, bringing a distant cry that echoed across the vast sky, Shade suddenly spoke
"If you trust me... may I touch your forehead with my finger? I have a peculiar ability to detect curses."
Shade wanted to use close skin contact to investigate traces of the Whisper element. Although he had no particular relationship with Miss Princess, since they had met by fate and she had been so helpful, Shade thought he would do a good deed.
However, not only for ordinary people but for Ringmasters as well, allowing someone to touch one's head with a finger was a very dangerous act. Many mind-control and necromantic spells required touching the head as a condition.
"Of course I trust you."
Contrary to Shade's expectations, Miss Princess did not politely refuse; she didn't even pause to think before nodding in agreement. Seeing him standing there dazed, she asked with a smile
"What's wrong? Do you need to prepare something extra?"
"No, no need."
As the sun dipped lower, the sea breeze grew more urgent. Miss Princess raised her right hand to brush away the stray hair from her forehead, then tilted her body slightly and leaned her head toward him.
Her skin was excellent, with no visible pores or acne scars. As she drew close to Shade, a relaxed smile played on her lips, which actually made Shade hesitate
"Is her favorability toward me a bit too high?"
But remembering that she had helped him wholeheartedly and was doomed to die due to the Sage-level relic's curse, Shade extended his right index finger and placed it on her forehead.
The skin was warm, making Shade feel a bit shy.
"Please wait a few minutes," he said, then asked in his mind
*Is this contact sufficient?*
【Yes, the Whisper element has been sensed. It is indeed a very powerful curse.】
Shade waited quietly for a while, maintaining the position of his hand on her forehead. With neither of them speaking, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. At this close range, Shade could also smell the pleasant scent of perfume on her.
The scent was very faint and not at all pungent. He had never smelled anything like it on anyone else; even the three-pound-a-bottle perfume Iluna had mentioned didn't seem this fragrant.
【It is enough.】
"What is the result?"
【The Whisper element is very strong and is inextricably entangled with her soul. The ring she bought and the ruby on her ear can suppress this curse, but neither can completely cure it.】
"Is there a way I can help her?"
【Extract her soul completely from her body, then use your "Soul Echo" to tear the soul apart inch by inch, exposing it to moonlight.】
"Understood."
Shade nodded and withdrew his hand.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you."
"It's alright. If a curse spread by a Sage-level relic could be lifted so easily, we would have to question whether the relic deserved to be rated as Sage-level," the blonde girl said, a look of regret appearing on her face, though not because Shade couldn't help her.
"It's already evening... today has gone by so quickly."
The sunset by the sea was exceptionally dazzling, and Miss Princess's long hair shimmered under the sunlight. She sighed at the sea under the setting sun, then turned to look at Shade.
"Now, Mr. Watson, we have one last itinerary for today. Once this is finished, our employment relationship will end."
"Um, alright. Where are we going next?"
"There is a small Ringmaster auction locally, and I happen to have an invitation. However, attending an auction requires dressing more formally."
She looked at Shade's attire.
"How about we both go back to change, and meet at the entrance of Conch Street in the dock district in one hour?"
"One hour... I don't have formal wear in my luggage," Shade said somewhat awkwardly. An hour was not nearly enough for a round trip to his home; he was currently very far from the beach where he had landed.
"But any later and we'll be late," Miss Princess stared at him.
"Oh, actually, I could find a clothing store and buy a set of formal wear."
Shade was simply reluctant to spend that extra money. The price of formal wear for official occasions wasn't calculated by fabric and labor; a single outfit could cost an ordinary person several weeks' salary.
"Actually, renting one would also work," he said, nodding.
"No need for such trouble. I happen to have a set of men's formal wear; I prepared it for a disguised outing last time," Miss Princess said.
"But will it fit?"
Shade felt quite embarrassed; he was much taller than Miss Princess, and the young female caster had a relatively petite frame.
"It should probably fit," she said in a relaxed tone, appearing not to be worried at all.
Thus, the two first walked from the secluded old lighthouse cliff back to the dock district, then took a carriage back to the apartment on Robin Hood Street in the southern district of Coldwater Harbor.
Because the journey was somewhat long, by the time they pushed open the door and entered the apartment again, the streetlights outside had already lit up.
Miss Princess opened her wardrobe and actually produced a set of men's formal wear. Jacket, shirt, trousers, leather shoes, tie, belt—even a tie clip was included.
Since only the narrow washroom in the apartment was completely isolated from other spaces, Miss Princess told Shade to go into the washroom to change while she changed outside.
Shade naturally agreed, but once he had finished changing, he discovered that the clothes weren't just a fit—they were practically a second skin.
He looked at himself in the washroom mirror, adjusted his tie, and became increasingly bewildered by the lady changing outside.
"This can't be explained as a coincidence... could it be that Miss Galina, whom I haven't seen in a week, is playing a joke on me?"
But the lady outside was clearly not the Witch, nor did she seem to have any connection to that Duchess. However, Shade thought of the contents of the diary he had seen this afternoon, the inexplicable sense of familiarity he felt from Miss Princess, and all her abnormal behavior today.
"Could it be..."
Shade frowned.
Miss Princess changed into a very nice blue gown, though her jewelry remained the same. Once they were both ready, they left the apartment and took a carriage to the dock district.
The carriage brought them to the pier area of the dock district. The two put on their masks before getting off and walked side by side onto the pier.
The sun had completely vanished below the horizon tens of minutes ago; night had fallen over Coldwater Harbor. Being by the sea, even though it was still summer, the sea breeze felt somewhat cold.
Even a small-scale auction would not be boldly held within the city of Coldwater Harbor under the eyes of the Five Gods' Church. The specific location was at sea; a masked banquet for local noblewomen and gentlemen was being held on the deck of a cruise ship. Since it was masked, it wasn't hard to imagine what the attendees of such a banquet intended to do.
The Ringmasters used the guise of banquet participants to legitimately board the ship wearing masks. After the ship sailed away from the coastline, they would participate in the small auction and return to port at midnight. The noblewomen and gentlemen would use the cover of night to slip out of their cabins, bid farewell to strangers with a kiss, and depart, while the Ringmasters could similarly conceal their identities.
In a free, unrestrained, and chaotic port city, outsiders could encounter many more unimaginable things.
(End of Chapter)