Whispering Verse

"No problem, but when the fourth chosen one is about to appear, what extra divination do you want? Are you encountering trouble?"

Luvia asked with concern, Shade shook his head:

"The house Dorothy rented was robbed. It was suspected that [Jack the Thief] slipped into the study through the window. Since it dared to steal Dorothy, I naturally couldn't let it go. Oh, Luvia, I know this is very dangerous. It’s a waste, but I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

"You don't have to explain it to me, but I'm very happy that you can be so kind to Dorothy. This means that you still remember to care about the people around you on the road to pursuing the epic."

Luvia smiled, but did not pick up the coin:

"If you want to catch it, I don't think you need my help. The Church of the Five Gods is convinced that the relic is the 'invisible man' corresponding to the trial of Vinals. The church paid a price for the association to perform divination, as a thief , we can’t be sure of the other party’s traces at all, but they have divined the items it will steal within this week.”

"Oh? Is there such a thing?"

"Do you have the Tobesk map with you?"

"Of course."

Shade rummaged through the small toys in his pocket for a while, then restored the map and spread it on the table. This is the map left by Detective Sparrow. It is not only extremely accurate but also has unique annotations:

"If the divination results are not interpreted incorrectly, the thief will commit crimes repeatedly in this area within this week."

Luvia stretched out her hand and drew a circle in the center of the map, which roughly included Yodel Palace, Saint Teresa Square and the surrounding area, and even included a part of the other side of the Terrariel River. In other words, this is the core area of ​​the entire Tobesk Central District.

"The stolen items were related to the royal family and were directly touched by King Larousse III in 1853, and they themselves symbolized identity and status."

Luvia said, Shade moved Mia to the edge of the map and let it hold the map down:

"But in such a large scale, the things the king has touched may be more than five figures, right? Not only inanimate objects, but also the king's children, relatives, horses, pets, and mistresses, these are all 'symbols of identity and status' '."

Luvia said and nodded at the Yodel Palace. Little Mia lay aside and watched the conversation between the two:

"The scope is indeed quite large. The church is most suspicious of this place."

"Yodele Palace? Yes, this can be regarded as the most worthy place to steal in the entire Tobesk City."

"In addition to Yoder Palace, the House of Representatives and the nobles and senior civil servants living in this area may also become targets of theft. You know, noble medals and letters of commission, these kings have direct contact."

Luvia pointed to Saint Teresa Square on the map again:

"Of course, that includes you."

The girl with purple eyes said with a smile, and Shade was convinced.

He decided to tie a thread to Mia's paw and connect it to his wrist when sleeping in the past few days, so that he could know at any time whether little Mia was taken away by others. Divination only learned about one action of [Jack Thief], which does not mean that the other party will only commit one theft this week. Maybe after visiting Lesia's house, the thief suddenly became interested in the detective's cat.

"What does the church plan to do? Launch a large-scale ceremony in the surrounding areas that can turn the city into a sanctuary? Or urgently dispatch thirteen-ring warlocks from the surrounding areas to grid the areas and take care of them separately? Or find seven or eight targeted items. An angel-level relic to fight against this relic?”

"No no no."

Luvia shook her head hurriedly:

"[Thief Jack] becomes stronger when it encounters strength. If it uses too much power to defend, it may cause the relic itself to go out of control. But if it just defends according to ordinary people's strategies, the church will almost certainly be escaped by the opponent. Therefore, the current plan It is to maintain low-intensity contact warfare preparations and not set up large-scale sensory rituals, but requires the ring warlock team of the Church of the Five Gods to be fully mobilized."

"That's not bad, but I don't know if, besides the church, other organizations such as the Truth Society will also get involved. I heard from Yin Luna that there are many organizations involved in this matter."

Shade mused:

"It's a pity that I don't know the specific time and location of [Jack Thief]'s action, otherwise I would take action no matter what. Even if it's not for [Wise Man's Pyroxene], it's also for Dorothy. Luvia, you don't know Dorothy this morning Akane was so depressed when she came to my house.”

“Is it really okay to talk about a woman in front of another woman?”

Luvia raised her eyebrows and then said:

"But I do know the time of operation of [Jack Thief], I'm just not sure of the location."

She saw Shade's surprised expression with satisfaction:

"Depend on this."

Luvia took out a simple silver coin:

"Do you still remember it? [The fortune teller's silver coin] can assist the fortune teller in divination. Relying on this relic and the sudden inspiration, I had a glimpse of the upcoming fate. Today is Monday, two days later, that is, In the fog on Wednesday night, [Jack Thief] will do it again."

Shade frowned slightly, [Jack the Thief] itself has the power to resist divination. No matter how excellent Luvia's divination skills are, it is impossible for her to predict so accurately. He vaguely understood that this was related to Luvia's unique "other self", similar to what the big book in the hands of Miss Pavo, the vice-president of Luvia's Truth Society, was, but he did not reveal this:

"Wednesday night, I will be here, that is, the Prophet's Association, to attend the reading salon held by Princess Lesia. Yes, this location is very good, and I can directly see the Yodel Palace. If I can find any clues, I will try Take action. Even if there is no chance, I will help the church. Although I only have four rings, I should still be able to play some role. No matter what, the thief must be caught."

"That's fine."

Luvia helped Shade fold the map:

"I will stay at the association on Wednesday night, and I might be able to help you then."

Although she and Shade are both in the fourth ring, she has already acquiesced that Shade is more powerful in combat.

"OK."

Shade thought again that Dorothy said this morning that she also wanted to help, but Lesia would also appear at the Prophet's Association on Wednesday. Because of the resistance of their souls, Miss Writer would definitely not be able to come.

"Then let Dorothy go to No. 6 Saint Teresa Square on Wednesday night and help me take care of little Mia. I may encounter a fight on Wednesday and cannot take this cat with me."

Shade made up his mind, and then hesitated whether to let Luvia bring the [Night Watcher] to the Prophet's Association in advance. Although this sword is an [angel-level] relic, it is only extremely effective when fighting against evil. Otherwise, it is just an extremely sharp sword.

The information on [Jack the Thief] shared by Yin Luna shows that although the other party is a thief, he will not be judged as "evil".

"Do you want to have dinner together tonight? If you come back late, I can go to your house and wait for you."

The purple-eyed girl suddenly asked again.

"What? Oh, of course, I was distracted. I mean, of course, we're having dinner together."

Shade once again thought of the book with silver corners that recorded one-third of the knowledge. He couldn't show it to Dorothy last time. Maybe he could let Luvia take a look this time. Maybe she knows this. What is:

"I got a beautiful flying luminous object last week. After dinner, you can come to my house and have a look."

As soon as Shade finished speaking, Luvia immediately showed a narrow smile. Shade had seen this expression on Dorothy's face during the weekend:

"Xia De, isn't this reason a little too old-fashioned?"

Dorothy also said this sentence, but the next sentence is "original" by Luvia:

"But I also bought a very beautiful nightgown, you might like it."

(Little Mia is running)

[Jack the Thief]'s theft scope is the urban area of ​​Tobesk, so Miss Carina's manor outside the city is very safe.

This Monday, Shade plans to go to Huntington City to deal with Professor Drake's matter. Considering that this matter is likely to involve relics or something more terrifying, Shade goes to Miss Carina's manor to bring Mia back before departure. Leave it there for now.

It's just that Miss Carina took Tifa into the city, and the officials accompanying Princess Margaret indeed brought some trade proposals. Because Saladir County is also involved, Miss Carina will also attend the meeting.

But fortunately, little Mia is familiar with this manor, and the maids in the manor also like this cat very much. Shade fostered it here, so he didn't have to worry about Mia being wronged. However, when Shade was preparing to board the carriage back to the city at the gate of the manor, he saw the cat on the window sill of the study looking at him from a distance. At that moment, he Really worried.

After returning home, he took the [Night Watcher] with him, wrapped the scabbard with a strip of cloth and carried it in his hand, and then headed to Huntington City through the basement.

When we arrived at the White River Valley Vineyard, it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. Shade rode directly to the Bernhardt Manor, which was also in the west of the city. Unfortunately, Mr. Bernhardt was not here.

The old butler knew that Shade was a good friend of Bernhardt, so he directed him to the White King Club in the city. This was also the place where Mr. Bernhardt invited Shade to dinner when he first came to the city. .

Shade cannot directly enter the White King Club, which is the most exclusive club in Huntington. Only members or senior members can enter. Fortunately, it was allowed to find someone here. After Shade explained his purpose to the doorman at the door, a waiter immediately went to look for Mr. Bernhardt.

Not long after, Mr. Bernhardt came to the door to greet Shade in person. He seemed to be in a good mood:

"Oh, Mr. Holmes, we were talking about you just now. Come with me. I have found all the information you are looking for."

"Us? Do you have other friends here?"

Shade followed the upper-class middle-aged vampire into the low-key and luxurious club. Mr. Bernhardt nodded:

"Yes, I want to introduce you to my friend, Father Nobel of the Peace Church. He is an old friend of mine."

The two of them walked into the club's restaurant under the guidance of the waiter. The restaurant is very quiet, the local gentlemen are talking quietly to each other, and the distance between each table is very far. This is an occasion designed for secret conversations.

"Father Nobel? That's a rare surname."

At this time, Shade had already seen the middle-aged priest wearing a black uniform and robe, who turned to look at the two of them.

"It's indeed him."

Father Nobel was the eight-ring warlock who appeared in the battle that night before Princess Margaret left Huntingdon. The thaumaturgy he used on the roof of the building was similar to the "white dove suicide bomb", which left a lot of impression on Shade. deep impression.

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

PS: More to come.

It's been so hot recently.