Yesterday, before Miss Felianna left, she had suggested that Iluna seek guidance from the witch who mastered the power of Balance. Coincidentally, among the Witch Council, the symbol behind Miss Galina's chair was precisely "Balance."
Iluna did not object immediately, and Miss Galina did not press her; instead, she glanced at Shade.
After thinking seriously, Iluna tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear, glanced at Shade as well, and then whispered
"Sorry, I like men."
The Witch Council was extremely mysterious and low-profile; even the Church could not be certain whether these women who called themselves witches truly possessed the power of the Fifth Epoch. The general perception in the outside world was that the Witch Council was essentially a "Handkerchief Enthusiasts Association," which was why Iluna was somewhat concerned for her safety.
"You can rest easy on that front."
Miss Galina smiled
"I don't like men."
Iluna looked even more worried.
"But I also don't like girls with no curves like you. Look at my maid."
She took Tifa's hand. The maid smiled shyly at Iluna; Iluna looked at her with a stiff face, then looked down at herself.
"Don't worry, I give you my word on my honor that Miss Galina is not a bad person."
Shade finally spoke. Regardless of Miss Galina's motives, if Iluna could follow her to go further on the path of "Balance," it would actually be a good thing. After all, judging by Darkness's performance, the potential of the Chosen was indeed terrifyingly immense.
"Very well, Ms. Galina Cavendish. But I must emphasize that I will not call you 'Teacher,' nor will I reveal any of your secrets to the Church. As payment for my studies, if you need me to do something, I will not refuse, provided it does not violate morality. Oh, and you cannot mention anything about me to anyone either."
As Iluna spoke, Miss Galina nodded
"That is fair. I will send you a letter in a few days to discuss your study plan."
She then said to Shade
"See, Detective? Although I failed to kill Darkness with my own hands as the Council requested, at least I've gained a decent student."
"I've been meaning to ask, where is Luvia?"
Iluna asked curiously
"Didn't Shade say in the letter yesterday that she was coming with us to find the Pus of Humanity?"
"She needs to rest right now."
Shade explained it this way, and Iluna nodded without thinking much of it.
Sitting opposite Shade, Miss Galina wore a smile.
For an ordinary person, dripping the "Pus of Humanity" into one's eyes would be no different from suicide. However, Shade's [Blood Echo] had the effect of automatically purging dangerous components from bodily fluids. Additionally, the Pus of Humanity had barely escaped by discarding all its power and was currently at its weakest, which was why he dared to do this.
Of course, having Miss Galina's care by his side was also a crucial reason.
The amount of pus he had collected was not much, only enough to maintain the effect of the occult art for a little over an hour. Therefore, after delivering Miss Galina to Yodel Palace, Shade, Tifa, and Iluna moved through the city by carriage.
Starting from the south of the city, a blood-red light formed a thin, haloed line in the air, representing the movement trajectory of the Pus of Humanity.
Shade wasn't sure if the extreme weakening of power would affect the entity's intelligence, but looking at the direction of movement, the Pus of Humanity was actually heading toward the center of Tobesk, where Yodel Palace was located.
"Could it be that because Darkness took it to meet members of the royal family at Yodel Palace, it has already decided on its next host?"
He informed his two companions of his discovery, but Iluna waved her hand, telling Shade not to worry
"The Church of the True God has an agreement with the Cavendish royal family. The Church protects the safety of the royalty; the Pus of Humanity in its weakened state cannot possibly break through the security measures set by the Church."
"The Miss hasn't received any news either; everything was normal at Yodel Palace last night," Tifa added.
The red halo entered the university district from the south of the city, but before continuing north into the core urban area, it abruptly turned east.
Thus, the carriage carried the three of them from the university district toward eastern Tobesk. After crossing nearly half the city, Shade saw the familiar streetscape of Röntgen Avenue
"No way..."
He came here every Saturday afternoon.
The trail left by the Pus of Humanity in the air entered the Schneider Psychological Clinic in the middle of Röntgen Avenue almost in a straight line. As the carriage passed the clinic's entrance, Shade was so shocked and surprised that he didn't even have time to tell the carriage to stop.
Ultimately, the carriage stopped at the intersection of Röntgen Avenue and Smith Commercial Street. After careful consideration, Shade did not let Iluna and Tifa get out to follow him
"Wait for me a moment. I have some things to handle."
He shouldered the [God's Gift Box] alone; he wanted to confirm what had happened between the Pus of Humanity and the doctor.
"What's wrong? Did you find the target? Why won't you let us follow?"
Iluna was very confused, and Tifa was also unwilling to let Shade act alone.
"I might have encountered some trouble, but it's not significant," he said with some hesitation. He took out his notebook, wrote down the address of Dr. Schneider's clinic, closed the notebook, and handed it to Tifa.
"Is my performance in the Dark Realm still not enough to convince you? Do not follow me. If I don't return within half an hour, you can give the address in the notebook to the Church and have them send a Thirteenth-Ring Sorcerer to resolve the trouble."
He took the umbrella Iluna had just used from the side storage box.
"Shade..."
"Don't worry, I can handle it."
He jumped out of the carriage, opened the umbrella, and looked toward the Schneider Psychological Clinic on Silver Cross Avenue.
Perhaps the demon within the doctor was weaker than the power of the Pus of Humanity, leading to a deeper level of possession; perhaps the doctor had long been in contact with the Pus of Humanity and was actually a bad person; or perhaps it was some other reason. But Shade wanted to face what came next himself. Even if Bill Schneider truly had a problem, he would solve it alone.
"The doctor's luck shouldn't be that bad..."
The moment this thought appeared in his mind, Shade suddenly felt that he should have anticipated this happening
"The doctor wasn't in the city yesterday afternoon either. Could it really be such a coincidence that he went to the south of the city?"
The people at the psychological clinic all knew Shade, who visited frequently. Shade inquired and found that the doctor was indeed in the clinic, and as it happened, the previous patient had just left, and he was likely writing clinical notes.
"He didn't suddenly go out of town; that's a good sign."
Thinking this, he met Dr. Schneider in the second-floor reception room. The gas lamps in the room were not lit, and because it was still raining outside, the room appeared exceptionally gloomy. The doctor was sitting behind his desk, frowning as he wrote; the gas desk lamp before him was the sole source of light.
Bill Schneider looked no different than usual. On the contrary, upon seeing Shade, he was surprised and thought Shade had encountered some trouble
"What brings you here? Please, sit. Oh, there's a problem with the gas lamps in this room; shall we go to another room to talk?"
"This place is fine. Doctor, I haven't encountered any trouble."
Shade closed the door behind him and looked at the doctor under the light of the gas lamp. He walked over in silence and extended his right hand to the doctor, who was standing up
"Long time no see, Doctor."
"What do you mean 'long time no see'? Didn't we go together on Tuesday night to get your Soul Crystal?"
The doctor asked in astonishment, very puzzled by Shade's attitude, but he still shook Shade's hand.
[Everything is normal.]
Shade breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart.
The two sat on the sofa. Outside the window, the drizzling rain beat against the glass. The dim light pierced through the clouds and the fog, and by the time it reached the second-floor room of the clinic, it was already quite weak.
Listening to the sound of the rain, separated by the coffee table, Shade didn't know what to say. Seeing Shade like this, Dr. Schneider became even more worried
"Shade, I am the one who led you onto the path of the supernatural. You can always trust me."
The doctor spoke very sincerely; perhaps to him, this was just an ordinary Sunday morning.
Shade nodded hesitantly, reached into his pocket, and took out the [Demon Hunting Seal]
"Doctor, I have a ring here. Would you be willing to put this on your finger?"
The doctor instinctively leaned forward, reaching across the coffee table to take the ring in Shade's palm. But halfway through, he saw exactly what the object in Shade's palm was, and the expression on the middle-aged man's face suddenly froze.
He opened his mouth slightly and looked at Shade, then slowly withdrew his arm. He pressed both hands onto his knees and sat there with a hunched back. He lowered his head, and it seemed as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Shade pursed his lips, looked at the ring in his hand, and put it on his own finger. For a moment, neither man spoke, but neither was at peace.
The sound of the rain seemed to grow louder, and the light in the room grew dimmer; the glow of the gas desk lamp seemed to drift further and further away from them.
After a long while, the doctor stood up and, under Shade's gaze, walked to the window. Today was the first day of September. Although it wasn't autumn in the strict sense, this rain had already added a touch of desolation to the air.
Outside the window was the streetscape of Röntgen Avenue. Today was Sunday, and despite the light rain, the street was very lively. Even with the window closed, the noisy sounds of the street could be heard through the rain, but that noise had nothing to do with the two people in the room.
"Detective, what do you know?"
The doctor asked, his back to Shade.
Shade remained seated on the sofa and did not answer the question. Instead, he asked his own
"Doctor, is the Pus of Humanity with you?"
The doctor looked out the window, while Shade turned to look at the doctor. The weather in Tobesk was strange; even while raining, the outside remained shrouded in a thin mist, like a faded streetscape oil painting that had been splashed with water. The doctor dared to keep his back to Shade at such a close distance; if Shade intended to use an occult art for a sneak attack, the doctor would certainly be dead.
Upon hearing "Pus of Humanity," the doctor's figure swayed slightly, and he nodded gently
"Yes, I... ate it."