Chapter 1552: Chapter 1552: Humanoid Angel-Level Relic
Spending the morning sorting out the registration details, at noon Shard took Mia ho for lunch, and then went to the Prophet’s Society to find Luviya, requesting a portion of the "Eris Wool" he had taken from the gift box last week.
He carried the wool, sealed in a silver box to prevent its misfortune trait from affecting himself, and then went to see Old John at the pawnshop. After explaining to the old man that he wanted to mix the wool with normal thread to make a lady’s handkerchief, Old John looked suspiciously at Shard:
"I say, Detective, you aren’t planning to use so off-field tactics to win next week’s competition, are you?"
"What’s so strange about that? Which year’s competition doesn’t have off-field stories?"
Shard asked with a smile:
"Five pounds for the workmanship, and I need it by Sunday night."
"I won’t charge you for the workmanship. I want information."
The old man lowered his voice and slightly leaned over the counter:
"If a Circle Sorcerer like you wants to do tricks to win, no one can stop you. Tell , which rank are you aiming for?"
Shard didn’t answer but asked another question:
"What are my odds now?"
Old John laughed:
"Registration has just begun, so your odds are quite volatile. But your reputation is strong, and Luisa’s novels praise your excellent skills in cold weapon combat and horsemanship. I think the final odds should stabilize around 1 to 1.7."
"I thought people would think I’d definitely win."
"Detective, detective, don’t get too complacent. There are many skilled competitors in Tobesk. So, how about it, which rank do you want to achieve? Play it safe to avoid having your identity questioned by securing second or third place, or do you, young and bold, want to claim the top spot?"
Shard extended his right index finger:
"Since I’m entering, naturally I want to win."
The old man knowingly nodded:
"Is that so... I’m warning you, the Church of the Five Gods will definitely be invited to send representatives to watch the competition."
"I won’t rely on my Circle Sorcerer abilities. I’m genuinely proficient in horsemanship and swordsmanship."
Shard emphasized, and the old man then accepted Shard’s wool:
"So you believe you can definitely win, huh? No problem, co pick up your handkerchief on Sunday. This wool needs so processing before it can be used; I don’t want to get myself into trouble. If I see it in the corner of a newspaper accident report photo soday, I’m sure I won’t recognize it."
"I’m not planning to kill anyone, just want to teach an ill-mannered guy a lesson."
Shard shook his head, intending to take his leave, but unexpectedly Old John suddenly said:
"I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a humanoid relic has recently appeared in the city."
"Oh?"
Shard stopped and turned to look at him:
"Last late autumn, when Princess Margaret of Carsonrick visited Tobesk, weren’t humanoid relics also appearing frequently in the city?"
He was referring to the trials provided by the "Keeper of Secrets."
"It’s different this ti; it’s very dangerous. It seems Schneider hasn’t told you, there are actually two, both of angel level."
Discussing this, the old gentleman from the Guiding Light Hermitage beca serious.
"What? Angel-level? Two? In Tobesk City? Now? Oh, what’s going to happen here again?"
Shard turned to look at the pawnshop window, worried that he might see sothing strange on the street the mont he turned his head. But unfortunately, he wasn’t The Chosen One and wouldn’t suddenly get caught in a strange tangle of fate; there was no one on the street outside.
"Be careful yourself, those two angel-level humanoid relics, one is related to fate, even I don’t know what it is, but it’s extrely dangerous, might even be beyond just angel-level.
Another being born in the Fifth Era, known as the [Faceless Man], a man in his twenties claiming his brother is missing and searching for him. His true form lacks facial features but can assu the appearance of anyone he has co into contact with. The nature of this thing is simple; he frequently takes on other people’s appearances and then uses their identities, employing thods consistent with those identities, such as placing advertisents in newspapers, posting missing person notices, or asking passersby on the street to search for his brother. Once exposed to any information about his brother’s search but unable to provide an answer, even just seeing the news in the newspaper, one will die within three hours due to the relic’s trait. What he spreads is not rely a curse; the information itself that he disseminates carries malicious power."
The old man looked at Shard, understanding that he also realized how troubleso this relic was:
"The [Faceless Man]’s stealth trait is extrely strong; there is almost no quick way to distinguish him in his hidden state. The Church has already begun controlling the news and advertisent content in newspapers published in the Tobesk Region, while strictly inspecting tavern bards to prevent large-scale disasters."
Since it’s by ans "consistent with the replaced identity" to search for his brother, there is no worry of the relic suddenly running onto the street to loudly question everyone. Fortunately, this era does not yet have the convenient and fast information transmission thods that the outlanders rember; otherwise, the destructive power of this relic would be far from simple.
"Besides the trait akin to a curse, is the opponent very strong in combat?"
Shard asked again.
"Yes."
The old man nodded:
"The way to deal with him is to wait. Every ti he appears, over ti, unable to find his brother, he punishes himself by gnawing at his own body, until he consus himself entirely, thus forming self-containnt and will be reborn in a span ranging from 10 to 200 years. It is not wise to easily expose the opponent’s hidden identity; otherwise, this thing in a frenzy can devour anything, entities, energy, souls, and even concepts can be temporarily swallowed. He is not at all like those Keepers of Secrets from last year; contact with him is inherently extrely dangerous."
"I understand."
Shard nodded with so concern and said:
"Tobesk has been peaceful throughout the winter; is sothing going to happen again?"
"Don’t worry too much. Even in the old days, a major event like this would occur every few decades."
Old John shook his head:
"You know about the affairs of the Chosen Ones; although the Chosen of Balance, the Chosen of Darkness, and the Chosen of Knowledge and Wisdom have all left traces of activity in this city, that’s because Tobesk is the most prosperous city and transportation hub in the north of the Old Continent. I do not think the appearance of these two humanoid relics this ti is a sign of so major event, Detective, we should be a bit more optimistic."
Shard, however, was not at all able to be optimistic.
After bidding farewell to Old John, Shard took a carriage to Galina Manor to inquire about the horse prepared for him. Regarding the armor, although Tifa said this morning that all the armor in Miss Galina’s collection room was available for him to use, the Duchess even offered to introduce him to an armorer in town to temporarily buy a set. But Shard declined their kindness:
"I have armor of my own; I’d rather use that."
He planned to use the set of golden armor that Miss Gawder sent to him at the beginning of the Month of Rising Wind, which could be assembled into a lion shape.
The design of that armor is quite flamboyant, but if the chains and headgear were removed, aside from its golden color, it actually looked quite reasonable. Shard tried it on at ho; it fit him perfectly, as if tailored for him, so there was no need to use another set. The Witch even joked that Shard should borrow a unicorn from Saint Byrons for the competition and use illusion techniques to conceal the horn, but Shard refused:
"That would be too unfair. It’s already inappropriate for
to participate in the competition with my physical attributes. Now the armor should be ordinary, and the horse ordinary as well."
The above was the conversation at the dining table in the morning, and when Shard arrived at Galina Manor in the afternoon, both the Duchess and Tifa were absent, so he didn’t stay long and directly returned ho.
That’s how this sowhat uneventful Friday passed, and Saturday arrived, marking the ti for the group study eting.
Last week, since Shard was recovering from a serious illness, the eting place was relocated to his ho. But this ti, since he was already recovered, the eting place was back at Dr. Schneider’s clinic.
Since he received the doctor’s reminder Friday night, about professors conducting background investigations for the Academy would also appear in the afternoon, Shard dressed formally in advance and took Mia out.
He initially thought he would be the first to arrive but was surprised to find that when he t the doctor at one o’clock, Priest Augustus, Luviya, and Dorothy had already arrived.
Everyone was dressed very formally, and this ti the doctor did not ask again if they were prepared.
The group that ca for the background investigation inquiries for the Correspondence Circle Mage comprised three mbers; the doctor had the list in advance, naly Professor Andor from the Chemistry Academy, Associate Professor Kospaia from the Divinity Academy, and Mr. Luen, the secretary of the Student Affairs Office.
The professors arrived at the Schneider Psychological Clinic’s doorstep at precisely 1:30 p.m. on this day. They had booked a visit in advance under the guise of patients, so the young doctor at the clinic directly guided them to the reception room on the second floor.
Professor Andor appeared to be an elderly gentleman aged about fifty, sowhat short in stature, wearing a black hat; when Shard shook hands with him, he assessed him to be at the level of Eleven Rings or Twelve Rings. Associate Professor Kospaia and the recording secretary Mr. Luen appeared relatively younger, yet even the secretary of the Student Affairs Office was at a Five Rings level.
Dr. Schneider had already arranged the sequence for everyone’s individual interviews, with inquiries conducted based on the order of admission. Shard, being the most junior mber of the group, was positioned last.
Each person’s talk was scheduled for thirty minutes, but except for Luviya, others finished their individual sessions in just over twenty minutes. Luviya’s interview, however, extended to fifty minutes; when she ca out, her expression was quite serious, yet she was supposed to have the fewest issues among them.
When it was Shard’s turn, it was already close to four in the afternoon.
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