“Is this a Witch's Sunlight Ray?”
Miss Aurora was somewhat surprised and hesitant.
“Among the current Ring-caster奇术 (miracles), many powers are similar to this, but no matter how you look at it, this seems like the secret art—Sunlight Ray—that only Witches can use.”
The voice in Shade's ear was explaining this brand-new miracle. The miracle belonged to the [Witch's Light] spirit rune; the positive energy beam it fired had an extremely powerful damaging effect on undead creatures that feared sunlight. Simultaneously, keeping the beam focused on flammable objects could ignite them.
Although its applications weren't diverse, it was quite practical for Shade.
“Shade can use the power of a Witch?”
Grandmother Cassandra was even more surprised; she didn't even know about the [Witch's Light] spirit rune.
“Grandmother, we'll talk about these things after we leave,” Miss Aurora said, glancing at Shade with a complex expression before continuing the final ritual repair work. “That Witch Emperor called you a Witch... It's enough that you can use the power of a Witch, just don't actually turn into one someday.”
Such an imagination was terrifying.
In short, although they encountered some trouble, the work of repairing the seal on the mountainside of the In-Between was finally completed without further incident, thanks to Shade's help. The Witches gained a great deal; the parchment scrolls left by the Witch Emperor, Violet Marshall, were their most important acquisition.
As for Shade, he not only obtained a new Time Key of unknown era but also acquired a second Echo and a new miracle.
When they left the In-Between, because the time in the In-Between did not match reality, it was already five o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.
Miss Aurora had originally planned to arrange a grand banquet and invite Shade to celebrate the success of the operation. However, Shade had to return home tonight to deal with the sealing of the boundary on the third floor, so he had to regretfully decline her invitation.
But he promised that before Miss Aurora left Midhill Castle, he would definitely attend one of her banquets.
On the small path down the mountain, the group of Witches watched as Shade disappeared into the woods, heading toward the faint setting sun amidst the thick fog.
The exhausted old Witch finally spoke
“Sivie, it seems there are many things that both you and Galina haven't been honest about.”
“Grandmother, secrets are secrets because they aren't meant to be known by many.”
“Then may I know?”
They were also preparing to descend the mountain; the carriage would be waiting for them on the main road.
“About that... I'll have to ask Galina's opinion.”
(Mia is running...)
Returning to St. Delan Square, Shade did not remain idle for the rest of the night.
First, he ran to Quill Street to pick up Mia, and then had dinner with Dorothy.
After dinner, the two of them, along with Luvia and Dr. Schneider who had come to the house, used materials Shade had acquired in Coldwater Port to set up a ritual to temporarily seal the boundary located on the third floor of Number 6 St. Delan Square.
As a price, three slender silver threads were pasted on the walls on both sides of the third-floor corridor, and a total of thirty-six small bells were hung from these silver threads.
As long as these bells did not ring, there would be no problem on the third floor. Once they rang, it meant Shade would have to perform the ritual again.
By the time the work on the third floor was finished, it was already eight o'clock. Dr. Schneider and Dorothy left, while Luvia continued her astrology on the third floor, anticipating the arrival of the Star-Sea Whale.
The exhausted Shade, however, had to head out once more, traveling all the way to an unnamed village cemetery in the northern suburbs of Tobesk. After being attacked by a wraith and resolving it with his newly acquired "Sunlight Ray," he finally met Mr. Corps.
“Your face looks terrible right now, as if you haven't rested for three days and then ran three laps around the perimeter of Tobesk.”
Perhaps because he had become slightly familiar with Shade, this gaunt, pale middle-aged man—who looked as if he had indulged in too many excesses—actually cracked a joke.
“I am indeed a bit tired.”
He had lingered on the edge of death for far too long today; even he was reaching his limit.
“Mr. Corps, I've come to sell some things. Do you remember what you said about the plants from the boundary of life and death? I've obtained them; the goods are piled up at the cemetery entrance.”
Shade certainly wouldn't carry the [God's Gift Box] here, so he used a bundle to wrap the "little toys" and restored them to their plant forms at the cemetery gate.
“So, your current state is due to death erosion within the boundary? If necessary, you can try pouring Church Grade 4 or higher holy water into a bathtub and taking hot baths for three consecutive days.”
Mr. Corps kindly gave a reminder, and then, under the cover of night, he joined Shade at the cemetery entrance to inventory the goods. While they were away for a moment, a crow that flew in from somewhere took a liking to Shade's goods, but it was immediately scared away when Shade pointed a finger and fired a Sunlight Ray.
Among the goods, the largest quantity was Nether-Dolan. This was because Nether-Dolan was more valuable than Corpse Grass and easier to find and collect than the Grudge-Woman Flower, which cost 20 pounds per bloom.
Mr. Corps carefully inspected the quality of the plants and concluded that although the collection method was crude, they were as fresh as if they had been picked minutes ago. Because he was very satisfied with the materials, he was even willing to increase the purchase price.
Compared to the stingy Father John, Mr. Corps was far more generous. In the end, over 20 pounds of Corpse Grass and 73 pounds of Nether-Dolan were purchased at a premium for 1,100 pounds (original price 1,028 pounds and 1 penny). The Black Grudge-Woman Flowers were priced at 22 pounds each; Shade had been lucky enough to find a large field of them and collected 42 blooms, totaling 924 pounds.
The sum of the two was 2,024 pounds. Mr. Corps brought a briefcase and handed the counted cash to Shade. During this process, the gentleman did not allow Shade to enter his gravedigger's hut.
Shade originally had over 6,000 pounds in savings. Adding this 2,000 pounds and the 1,000 pounds promised by the foreign princess that he had yet to collect, his savings were approaching five digits.
This made Shade think again about the [Scythe of the Death Messenger] offered by Priest Augustus. However, now that he had two Moonlight Greatswords and the relic [Night Watchman], his need for that miracle was not as high. Aside from increasing his "style points," the [Scythe of the Death Messenger] didn't offer much in terms of power enhancement or system construction.
“Anyway, having money in hand feels great.”
When the exhausted Shade returned home with a case of money, he still forced himself to stay awake to tell Luvia, who greeted him, about the day's events. Of course, the focus was not on the Witch Emperor, but on the fragments of the poem found on the back of the stone tablet regarding the ritual of the Chosen.
As for the Echo left by the Witch Emperor and the new miracle she gave Shade, Luvia did not comment. However, she could feel Shade's exhaustion and urged him to rest early tonight.
The purple-eyed girl helped Shade make the bed and prepared his pajamas and bedtime milk. By the time a yawning Shade stepped out of the bathroom in his slippers and returned to the bedroom, Luvia, wearing her pajamas, was already lying under the covers... beside her was an exceptionally dissatisfied orange cat.
Luvia's position occupied its spot, but the cat remained unhappy.
“Quickly, get some rest.”
She smiled gently and patted the bed.
“Do nothing tonight. I think you won't mind someone holding you so you can sleep peacefully. Goodnight, my knight. Time to turn off the lights.”
At this moment, the outsider truly felt that in this world, he finally had a warm home.