Chapter 37: The Doctor's Commendation

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Shade met the doctor in the same consulting room as before. Compared with “the lady” on the third floor of the club last night, Shade trusted the doctor considerably more, and so he told him everything that had happened. He saw no reason to conceal any details.

That naturally included the matter of the Dark Box, though Shade blurred the conditions under which the box’s containment had failed.

When the doctor first heard that Shade had encountered a containment failure involving a Relic, he rose in astonishment and paced around the room. Halfway through the account—when Shade mentioned a Sage-level Relic—he stood where he was and covered his forehead with one hand. And when he heard the “Silver-Eyed One’s” insane plan, he let out an entirely unrestrained groan.

“What a madman. I knew that the Blood of Mercury was in the New World, attempting alchemy with the unique minerals found there, but I never expected them to actually come to Tobesk.”

The doctor was quite satisfied with the way Shade had handled the Dark Box, though he did not consider the Silvermoon Light spell particularly valuable. There were simply too many spells of that sort. The light spell Shade had described was somewhat brighter than usual, but hardly unique.

As for Shade’s decision to trade the statue containing remnants of an Old God to someone else, the doctor believed he had done exactly the right thing. He was not especially concerned that the woman might have learned about their five-member correspondence group through Shade.

“There are actually quite a few people who know we exist. Otherwise, how could we exchange materials and knowledge with others, or find talented people to assist us? Are we supposed to wear masks every time? So long as she is not affiliated with one of the Orthodox Churches, there is no problem. The fact that she was willing to trade with a low-ring warlock like you means she is very friendly.”

As for the woman’s identity, the doctor could not guess who she might be either. However, he too believed that her ring rank must be very high. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for her to discover Shade in that manner, much less possess such detailed information about a Sage-level Relic.

“In any case, this is a good thing. You acquired a rare thaumaturgical spell and a rather fine Relic without putting your life at risk. I would call that good fortune. This world is not safe, and you cannot expect to be so lucky every time.”

The doctor finally gave his verdict.

“Good fortune?”

Shade asked, though after thinking about it, he realized that it truly had been fortunate.

Although Shade could acquire knowledge from the evil god statue containing remnants of an Old God only through his first contact with it, its actual value was unquestionably far greater than that of the Document-level ring. And if the free information and knowledge were taken into account, along with Shade’s unintentional role in causing the Dark Box’s containment to fail, there was no problem in calling the transaction a “fair trade.”

More importantly, “the lady” was far stronger than Shade.

The doctor did not pay much attention to “the lady” at the club. After all, this was the capital of a northern kingdom on the Old Continent, where any sort of warlock might appear without warning. What concerned him was the Blood of Mercury.

“In fact, the Academy recently issued a mission related to the Blood of Mercury. I was even preparing to take it... It seems I’ll have to think it over again. A Sage-level...”

The doctor muttered to himself, then raised his eyes toward Shade.

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“Shade, all things considered, you handled this matter rather well. You did not put yourself in danger, you dealt appropriately with a transaction involving an unknown warlock, and you provided the group with valuable intelligence. You have more or less learned the ropes. This is what your future life will generally look like.

“But this information is quite useful. Perhaps I should give you some compensation. Don’t refuse. Although the five of us belong to the same group and may very well cross the northern ice cap together in the future, some matters still need to be settled properly. Ordinary information can be shared freely, but this particular matter...”

He thought for a moment.

“How about four pounds? The other four will each give you one pound. That is roughly what this information is worth.”

Information this important would of course fetch more than four pounds if sold on the black market.

But within a five-person group, it could not possibly be priced that way. The four pounds were not a profit handed to Shade in return for the information, but recognition of the contribution he had made to the group. The distinction was fundamental, for it showed that the relationship between the five of them was not one of pure self-interest.

“Four pounds. That’s equivalent to bringing Little Franklin home from the club eight more times, or to one additional orange cat, Mia.”

Shade made the calculation in his mind, equating the three things. He did not crave anything more, and so he smiled at the doctor.

“Of course. That sounds good. But Doctor, I didn’t reveal any information about Mrs. Rasoya last night. Will that cause any problems?”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked for advice. Doctor Schneider shook his head.

“If she did not ask, you had no right to tell her. But do not have any further contact with the woman you mentioned. She is probably a member of the Blood of Mercury. Still, I have never heard that they possess a Relic capable of changing one’s sex. Presumably, they are preparing it for the Blood of Mercury’s alchemical formula. That Academy bounty is more difficult than I imagined.”

The doctor frowned.

“In any case, do not involve yourself in anything related to the Blood of Mercury again.

“I may take some action soon, but I am a Fifth-Ring warlock, and you are not. The Blood of Mercury is a group of madmen. They always believe they can create the legendary Angel-level Relic, but how could that possibly be?”

“That’s true. If Angel-level Relics could appear just anywhere, then this world would be far too insane.”

Shade agreed. He genuinely thought so.

The blue-eyed doctor seemed to have had some dealings with the organization, but he had no intention of sharing them with Shade. Instead, he changed the subject.

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“Shade, your task now is to learn more about ordinary life and get your detective business off the ground. Spend more time in the mundane world. Once you advance to the Second Ring—or once you possess sufficient power—then you can consider involving yourself in the shadows of Tobesk. This mad world will always be more insane than you imagine.”

“Then, Doctor, does the Academy always conceal crucial information from us?”

Shade took the opportunity to ask. To his surprise, Doctor Schneider shook his head.

“Don’t judge Saint Byrons Comprehensive Academy too harshly. Usually, they share the right information with us at the right time.”

“And when is the right time?”

Shade asked again. He then watched Doctor Schneider lean back slightly in the single armchair.

“That is something only they know.”

After leaving Doctor Schneider’s psychological clinic, nothing else happened that day worthy of Shade’s memory, apart from hearing at noon that an unexpected gas explosion had occurred the previous night in the alley opposite the Silver Parrot Milk Company.

No illegal organization came looking for him. No generous client rang the bell downstairs. None of Sparrow Hamilton’s acquaintances came to find him. Yet Shade’s solitary studies at home had unexpectedly yielded results.

He was still completely unable to draw upon any power of Space and Time. But as for the Silvermoon, perhaps because of his breakthrough use of it on the club’s third floor, Shade could now make the radiance of the Silvermoon cling to objects in the outside world, in addition to casting the Light spell.

His most successful attempt made the orange cat Mia, which was gradually becoming more affectionate toward him, glow continuously for ten seconds.

The act frightened the cat so badly that it tore around the house and even scrambled up the broken staircase to the third floor of the apartment building.

It took Shade a long time to coax the runaway cat back. This led him to wonder whether the detective had hidden his gun in the sealed-off first floor, the inaccessible third floor, or Room Two on the second floor, which no one occupied.

Unfortunately, he did not have enough tools to investigate any of those three places. Nevertheless, searching them had already been added to Shade’s schedule. He had to make certain that the house he lived in was absolutely safe.