The 【Traveler's Travel Door】 allowed Dr. Schneider to appear in Midhillburg for a short period of time. However, because any item possessing supernatural power could not pass through the door, the doctor gave Shade a suitcase containing casting materials and ritual components in addition to the door's key. He asked Shade to bring them to Midhillburg and set up the outer ritual in advance to help weaken the demon's power.
"Is the local group in Zalas willing to trade for this door?"
Shade asked while holding the key. The doctor nodded and patted his chest.
"Rest assured, I am very well-liked among the locals. They have indeed taken a liking to your mirror; it is an excellent tool for evading pursuit or eavesdropping. However, the amount of gold pounds they are willing to compensate you with does not exceed 50 pounds, so you shall discuss it with them tomorrow evening."
"Hmm?"
Shade had originally thought he would be the one compensating them. Now it seemed the value of the 【Corpse-Hiding Mirror】 was indeed greater than he had imagined.
"Fine, I'll come back tomorrow evening then."
As he spoke, he intended to leave immediately, but after a moment's hesitation, he asked Dr. Schneider, who seemed to have patients to see shortly
"Doctor, are you sure nothing else will happen tonight? If it's not safe, we can wait until Tuesday. We can act once a friend of mine arrives in Midhillburg."
"No, no. Other things might go wrong, but when it comes to demons, there will be no problems."
The slightly excited expression gradually vanished. The doctor shook his head and said with a hint of loneliness
"After all, it is a demon."
Because the agreed "opening" time with the doctor was seven in the evening, Shade couldn't worry about Mia's dinner. After leaving the doctor's clinic, he went to Quill Street to find Dorothy, asking her to look after the cat and promising to pick her up tonight.
"Shade, are you about to embark on another 'tense and interesting' adventure?"
The blonde girl stood at the entrance of the apartment building, holding a reluctant little Mia, and asked Shade suspiciously. The first volume of the *Hamilton Detective Stories* was about to be released to the public; while Shade was idling in Midhillburg, Dorothy had been busy with this.
"No, no, it's nothing dangerous this time. The doctor and I are going to contain a relic—a very fine one. Once I get my hands on it, you'll definitely be surprised."
The silver sword of the demon hunter was indeed beautiful.
"Is that so? You and the doctor certainly seem reliable."
She praised him first, then tested the waters
"Then, do you need me to temporarily return the 【Ever-Youth Leaf】 to you?"
Shade immediately shook his head.
"Of course not. This time I'm just containing a relic."
Besides, Shade still had two leaves in his possession.
"That's it then. I'll come pick up Mia around ten o'clock."
To prevent the 【Traveler's Travel Door】 from spiraling out of control, Shade had to return to Tobeisk by ten p.m. to return the key.
He waved goodbye to Dorothy. The blonde girl stared at Shade's retreating back, feeling that whatever he was about to do would not be that simple.
By the time he bid farewell to Dorothy, it was already four in the afternoon. Shade ate a piece of bread at home and immediately headed to Midhillburg via the basement. After an hour's journey, he arrived once again at the cliff in the mountains. Following the previous method, he plummeted from the cliff and entered the cavern opening that could only be seen by those holding the parchment scroll.
Passing through the narrow, quiet tunnel within the mountain, as waves of rolling heat hit his face, Shade saw the stone platform, the broken bridge, and the bonfire in front of the bridge on one side of the mountain hollow.
A longsword shone with a silver light, its blade engraved with the characters: 【My heart is pure, the sword slays demons】. The color of the characters was close to black; merely gazing at them allowed one to feel the great deeds the sword had once achieved and the complex stories it had experienced.
Below the sword, in the bonfire that had dwindled to ashes, faint sparks could be seen flickering.
"This sword is truly beautiful... and it's free."
Shade offered his most sincere praise in his heart. Then, amidst "her" light laughter, he prepared to set up the ritual the doctor had provided to weaken the demon's power.
Inside the black suitcase, besides the doctor's own casting materials, there were detailed ritual instructions and components. This ritual originated from the knowledge of evil spirits and demons and had no effect on the doctor; after all, demons understood demons best.
Among the materials, the most critical were Holy Water No. 3, the shell of a sacred scarab, holy silver, a church scripture used for fifteen years, and a blessed red ribbon inscribed with praises to the deity, which the doctor had obtained from some unknown source. According to the instructions, this ribbon was actually an ornament from the robes worn by the previous generation's Pope of the Nature Church during Mass.
"The doctor really spent a lot on this."
While Shade was busy, the bonfire beneath the longsword only occasionally spat out a few sparks, as if trying to reignite from the dead ashes. Shade kept a close eye on it, but until he finished setting up the demon-expelling ritual, no further anomalies occurred in the bonfire.
Of course, the incessant whispers in his ear, tempting Shade to throw himself into the bonfire and coexist with the flames, never stopped, and the temperature here was quite high. However, for an outsider accustomed to all sorts of grand scenes, these were not difficult obstacles to overcome.
His movements were relatively fast; by the time he finished the ritual, there was still half an hour left until the agreed seven o'clock. Restraining his curiosity about the area across the broken bridge in the mountain hollow, he stood at the edge of the tunnel and stone platform, preparing to welcome the doctor.
The奇术 (Oddity/Thaumaturgy) 【Time Perception】 allowed Shade to know the exact correct moment. When seven o'clock arrived, he followed the doctor's instructions, meditating on the 【Traveler's Travel Door】 in his mind, and then thrust the metal key into the air. He turned it two rotations to the left, then two rotations to the right.
With a "click" echoing through the air, Shade released the key and took a step back. He saw the key, which seemed to float in the air, "grow" upwards and downwards into an old brown wooden door with a metal base.
The door pushed open. The scene behind it was not this mountain hollow, but Dr. Schneider's warm and comfortable bedroom.
"Is it ready?"
The doctor peeked his head out from behind the door. Seeing Shade nod, he stepped across the threshold with relief.
"Is this Mount Sicar? This is my first time here. Look, it's truly dark."
The doctor snapped his fingers, and two fireballs flew out, hovering above the stone platform to illuminate the area.
"I don't even need to look; I can smell the stench of the demon."
Giving Shade a smile, Dr. Schneider bypassed the door. His black boots stepped on the ground as he rubbed his hands, appearing quite impatient as he approached the broken bridge and looked at the bonfire beneath the silver sword.
He took a deep breath and wore a satisfied expression.
"Correct, Detective. This is indeed the Evil Spirit—Pyromaniac Sophis, mimicking a Flame Demon!"
"Doctor, you have three minutes and two seconds left."
Shade remained standing at the edge where the tunnel connected to the stone platform. While reminding the doctor, he looked curiously at the open door. Behind the door was the third-floor bedroom of the doctor's clinic. According to the properties of this relic, only the user who came from the other side of the door could pass back through the opening side. Thus, although Tobeisk was only "one step away," if he wanted to return to Tobeisk, he would still have to walk an hour of mountain paths to that abandoned tower.
"Very well, Detective. Just stand there and do not move. No matter what you see next, please do not panic."
"Doctor, I am no longer the ordinary person who knew nothing when I first met you this summer," Shade said. He then saw the doctor take off his black coat and toss it to him, leaving him in only a white shirt.
"I hope... that my image in your heart is not damaged," the doctor said softly, his back to Shade.
"What imag—"
He shut his mouth just in time, for he saw the doctor roll up the sleeve of his right shirt to reveal his arm. Then, he supported his right hand with his left, pointing his right palm toward the bonfire beneath the silver sword.
The shadow on the wall clearly showed the doctor's right hand stretching and lengthening. Then, the palm suddenly split open; the massive mouth even caused his hand to swell by a full size.
"The Demon's Mouth of the Pus of Man! The doctor has even mastered this," Shade said to himself. Moreover, judging by the current state, Dr. Schneider's efficiency in utilizing the "Pus of Man" was even stronger than Ivan Darkness's had been.
【The Chosen of Darkness utilizes the talent of darkness to force a symbiosis with a demon. Your friend directly devoured the demon's power, turning it into his own. There is a fundamental difference.】
Shade nodded, watching as the wide-open mouth lunged toward the bonfire where the longsword was planted.
Within the gray embers that held only a few sparks, flames immediately leaped upward, attempting a final resistance. But the doctor's right hand, though licked by those terrible flames, seemed completely unaffected. He continued downward, attempting to swallow the ashes of the bonfire in one gulp.
【Be careful.】
"She" said gently.
"Careful of what?"
With a humming sound, the longsword planted in the bonfire began to vibrate. A silver light shot up into the sky, illuminating almost the entire mountain hollow.
Simultaneously, the black runes on the blade began to light up from bottom to top. It was a bright yellow light; the bright yellow runes appeared even more dazzling against the silver-glowing blade.
"My heart is pure, the sword slays demons!"
The doctor shouted, reciting the inscription on the blade in the demonic tongue
"This sword actually harbors hostility toward me too! I'm a good person! Oh, damn it!"
Thousands of silver sword-beams poured out from the vibrating blade in all directions like raindrops. Dr. Schneider let out a scream, retracted his arm, covered his head, and bolted headlong into the tunnel behind Shade without looking back. The silver sword-light followed close behind him; fortunately, the doctor had a layer of black hard-shell on his back, which blocked a few of the hits.
Shade was more prudent and stepped aside to hide behind the half-open door. Without the influence of spatial power, this door possessed an almost "indestructible" attribute while open, thus naturally blocking the attack for Shade.
"Doctor, there are 1 minute and 53 seconds left. What is the situation?"
The doctor's retreat allowed the sword to return to normal. Shade turned to check on Dr. Schneider; although he looked a bit disheveled, he hadn't actually been injured because he had run fast enough.
"No, this sword is more powerful than I imagined. Detective, the only option now is to pull out the sword first. Once the Flame Demon is released, I will devour it."
The doctor peeked his head out from beside the tunnel, signaling the two fireballs above to approach the sword. Once he confirmed it was no longer reacting to the outside world, he approached Shade with lingering fear, seemingly afraid to get any closer.
"Pull the sword? Who's pulling it?"
Shade looked at the doctor in confusion.
"What do you think?"
Those blue eyes looked at Shade.
"Detective, there is only you and me here. Do you think it's possible for me to touch that sword?"
The firelight overhead cast the shadows of the two men onto the ground. The shadows were severely distorted, and the shadow representing Shade's right hand pointed toward himself.
"You mean me?"