“Yes, it is indeed a man.”
As he spoke, Priest Augustus also revealed a strained expression
“A Circle Mage. His original name was Jack Deon, male. According to intelligence, that ring capable of gender transformation comes from the [Blood Spirit School] you mentioned. They are always skilled in the occult arts of flesh and blood and possess a vast number of strange relics. Damn it, those madmen have all fled to the New Continent, yet they still haven't forgotten to cause us trouble.”
The professors of St. Byron had once said that the ancient organization, the [Blood Spirit School], was being hunted by the Church of the Five Gods.
“The Church has known about his infiltration of Tobesk City for a long time; for a while now, they suspected he was hiding in the Lark Club, the place you mentioned. It’s just that they didn't expect him to be able to completely change his appearance, which is why the Church has been unable to find him. As for his relationship with Mr. Lawrence, it is currently unclear whether his orientation was distorted by the influence of the [Relic] ring, or due to some other reason.”
“A Relic can distort... orientation?”
Shade asked. The old priest revealed a look of regret
“Relics can distort any human personality or thought; it depends on the function of the relic itself. For example, if the function of a [Relic] is to use excrement to manufacture food, then it is possible—forget it, I can't even say it myself.”
He and Shade adjusted their expressions simultaneously, then the priest warned the detective
“Since Madam Lasoya and the Church's official squad have both appeared, tonight will likely be when the Church carries out the arrest. Do not get yourself involved in this; it is extremely dangerous.”
“But the Doctor might not know that the Church's Circle Mage squad has appeared. Should we tell him?”
As he spoke, the sound of young women laughing and chatting drifted from the garden path facing the statue. The old priest and the young detective immediately circled around to the other path behind the statue
“Bill indeed might not know.”
Priest Augustus pondered for a moment, then looked at Shade
“I saw Louisa just now as well. I thought she was merely an accidental invitee like myself, likely here to help the Doctor. Since Lasoya has entered the Lakeview Manor mansion, do not go near it. Go to the front courtyard to find Louisa and inform her of the current situation. I will go into the mansion to find the Doctor. Since he isn't in the garden, he should already be inside preparing to act.”
“Alright, no problem.”
Shade nodded seriously. Priest Augustus asked again
“Do you have [Relics] and spellcasting materials on you?”
“I do.”
He patted his pocket.
“That’s good. But unless it is absolutely necessary, do not easily use the power of a Circle Mage in front of ordinary people. Detective Hamilton, you must be careful.”
“Priest Augustus, you stay safe as well. Speaking of which, my luck seems to be quite good tonight.”
He wanted to gain some insight from the old man, but clearly, Priest Augustus failed to understand just how good Shade's luck actually was
“The gifts of fate always come with a price, Detective. A Circle Mage cannot rely on luck.”
Thus, the two went their separate ways. Because they did not know exactly how far the situation had progressed, both walked with hurried steps.
After exiting the garden maze, Shade turned the corner at the end of the path and followed the shadows of the mansion to the courtyard in front of the estate. Before he had a chance to look around, he was suddenly grabbed by a burly drunkard beside him
“I’ve seen you! You told them—am I a deserter or not?!”
A burly, middle-aged man reeking of alcohol forcibly pulled Shade toward a long table. Under the light, Shade realized the drunkard was Captain Lades. The last time they met at the Lucky Southern Cross Club, he was being mocked by his companions for "firing eight consecutive shots at his own head in an attempt to commit suicide to demonstrate his loyalty to the King."
The situation this time seemed similar. The drunken Captain had somehow recognized Shade—or more likely, he had just grabbed a random person and, in a daze, pulled him into the crowd.
“Lades, your business is ridiculous enough as it is; do you really want to lose face at a banquet as well?”
A brown-haired man in his thirties, holding a wine glass, spoke. He was quite tall and dressed in black formal attire; as he spoke, he gave Shade an apologetic smile. Others tried to help this innocent passerby leave Captain Lades' side, but they were all pushed away by the drunken officer. He was already somewhat senseless, and his slurred speech made his words difficult to discern
“I am no coward! I truly did not want to suffer the disgrace of being captured, so I shot my own head! That gun... that gun was an antique I bought a while ago. I only carried it as an ornament; I didn't intend to use it!”
“But did you successfully fire that antique pistol?” the man with the wine glass asked.
“Of course! The bullet type happened to be exactly the same as the one in my hand!”
The drunken Captain replied. Under the dim light of the candelabra, Shade noticed that the man's chest was soaked through
“If the bullet was fired, how can you still be alive?”
“How should I know! Is God playing a joke on me? I pressed it to my head and fired—eight shots! Eight shots! The bullets actually hit the people next to me! I broke down! I truly broke down! Oh, God, do You no longer wish to look upon me?”
The Captain finally let go of Shade and leaned against the table, weeping. Shade wanted to leave, but suddenly saw the Captain reach into his coat and pull out an all-black revolver. It was clearly an antique; though well-maintained, the great power of time cannot be erased by mortal effort.
【You have come into contact with 'Whispers'.】
*Hmm? Is this truly a [Relic]?* Shade thought in surprise.
“Oh, why did you bring that thing to a banquet!”
Captain Lades' friends hurried over, worried that the Captain, who was waving the antique gun about wildly, would disturb the other guests. However, they weren't worried about the aim of the barrel; there should be no bullets in that revolver.
“Put it away, quickly!”
People urged him, but the Captain stumbled toward the people beside him, and then grabbed Shade, who hadn't had time to leave
“Sir, look! It's this thing! It wasn't me! I really did fire! I aimed it at my own head, but I just couldn't commit suicide! The enemy snatched the gun and aimed it at me, but he ended up...”
The drunken Captain exerted sudden force, and with a *rip~* sound, he tore the entire right sleeve off Shade's formal jacket.
Shade, who had been immersed in Captain Lades' miraculous story, failed to react for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts of how expensive this clothing could be. Finally, Captain Lades' friends could no longer endure it; they worked together to restrain the drunken Captain and disarmed him of his antique revolver.
“Sir, I am truly sorry.”
One of them apologized to Shade. After clicking the cylinder to confirm there were indeed no bullets, he held the cold antique in his hand and passed it to Shade
“Lades is truly drunk. Take this gun; consider it compensation for your clothing. Sir, please don't be quick to refuse. We believe that keeping this gun away from Lades might help him move on more quickly. We weren't mocking him just now; when someone gets drunk and starts talking about such things, who can say for sure?”