"Shad!"
That Sunday afternoon, when Shad walked out of the basement, feeling that he had only been away from home for two days but it seemed like he hadn't been home for more than a month, footsteps were heard on the stairs, and then Dorothy rushed down and hugged Shad directly.
"I'm fine, don't worry too much."
"If you really have nothing to do, I don't believe you didn't go home last night."
The writer, who knew him well, wiped her tears secretly and said to him. Shad was choked by this sentence, so he had to put Mia down first, let it run upstairs by itself, and then took Dorothy's hand and walked upstairs.
"I'm really fine."
He repeated his words, and Dorothy nodded, still smiling:
"Now I know that if you are not in good health, you will definitely not have time to take a special shower and come back."
"Um... ... "
"Pastor Augustus came yesterday."
Dorothy did not notice that Shad was hesitant to speak, and she continued as they entered the living room on the second floor.
"Papa Augustus? What's up with him?"
"Of course I'm looking for you. Such a big thing happened in the Randall River Valley. It has now spread all over the world. I think everyone knows what happened in the early hours of Saturday morning, except for those guys who are not well-informed in the depths of the New World ruins."
She asked Xia De to sit down, and then she seemed to be in a good mood and took out a teapot from the kitchen. She seemed to have expected Xia De to come back at this time:
"Pastor Augustus knew that you had been active in the Randall Valley recently, so he came to see how you were doing and to confirm whether you were related to the Southland incident. However, when he saw that I was the only one at home, he almost understood."
Dorothy did not ask what Shard had done in the Randall Valley:
"By the way, are Luvia and the doctor okay?"
"Everything is fine. Luvia will be back in a day or two, and the professors who have returned to the academy will bring her back, so there is no need to take the steam train. As for the doctor, I think it will be a week before I see him again."
Shade said, then realized that it seemed like the doctor was the most unlucky again.
"I don't know what you've been going through, but it's good to see you again, Shade."
After pouring the tea, she sat down next to Xia De. She leaned towards Xia De, and when she sat up again, she was already Her Royal Highness the Princess:
"Oh, Shad!"
They are obviously two different souls, but their tones of speech are so similar. Leicia and Dorothy can share some memories before and after the soul exchange, so there is no need for Shad to explain again that he is in good health.
Compared to the more reserved Dorothy, Leisia gave Shade a passionate kiss. After the passionate kiss, she wrapped her arms around Shade's neck and asked in a very good mood:
"The Randall Valley incident has something to do with you, right?"
"Yes."
Xia De nodded directly, and Leixia tightened her grip on Xia De's neck:
"Luvia is over there, helping you a lot, right? That's great. If possible, Dorothy and I would like to help you. But I also know that even if the two of us join forces, we may not be able to beat Luvia."
Even so, the princess did not feel too disappointed. She knew that she could help Shade in other places, but Luvia, who was just a commoner, could not help:
"Now that the matter at Randall Valley is over, I guess you won't be as busy as you were a while ago in the spring?"
"Of course, I think I could use a break. How about we go for an outing outside the city while it's spring?"
Shade extended the invitation, and Resia nodded with a smile. Closing her eyes, Resia turned back into Dorothy. The joy in the writer's soul was clearly shown in her green eyes:
"Lecia forgot to mention that the last Red Butterfly Day was delayed because you were busy. She said that she would look for an interesting banquet soon so that you can free up some time."
Dorothy blushed as she finished speaking and asked softly:
"So, tonight, Shad, are you going home for the night?"
"certainly!"
As long as he could go home, Xia De never liked to spend the night outside.
"Well, I'll make the bed for you in advance... Leisia said she wanted to check the knight's body."
The blonde bit her lip and said, of course Shade understood what she meant. Luvia would be back soon, and both Dorothy and Lecia wanted to seize the last moment.
Speaking of making the bed, Shade thought of another thing:
"Dorothy, I remember that the glass slippers have been lying in the cloakroom since we last used them."
He suddenly said, and the writer smiled ambiguously:
"Yes, I'm glad you still remember it. Do you still need me to wear those shoes tonight? I never thought, Shade, that this is what you like."
"No, no, that's not what I meant!"
Shade said hurriedly, and the life ring slowly appeared behind him. While Dorothy was surprised that he had reached another level, Shade pointed to the rune emitting brass-colored light:
"Enlightenment-Cinderella."
"I find I'm not surprised at all. Is it still a puzzle lock this time?"
Dorothy asked, and Shad nodded:
"Because my mazes are interconnected, forming a larger composite maze, even though I have now been promoted to the sixth ring, I still cannot fully activate the maze's effect. But 'Cinderella' is a little special. I can use some of my abilities under normal circumstances. This is probably related to the fact that Cinderella herself has two different forms. As for the normal function of the maze, to put it simply, when I throw away a crystal shoe, I can return to the place that I consider to be 'home'. Of course, the discarded crystal shoe will return with me."
When the maze is truly opened, Shade can give the girls the power to "transform", and even bring back the surrounding environment.
The blonde nodded in understanding. She and Lecia had discussed this story with Shade every Saturday over the past few months, and had some guesses about the possible effects of the puzzle lock:
"This is indeed very similar to that fairy tale. Plus, you are good at spatial power, so your thaumaturgical properties are not very surprising. So, you can return home at any time in the future?"
"Not at any time. Using such an effect consumes a lot of spirit. Also, although I can bring living people back in the maze state, I can only bring myself and non-living things in the normal state."
Shade corrected:
"Of course, if it's in Tobesk, the cost of using magic is not a big deal, I can still afford it. But if it's a city far away, I have to consider the cost of spiritual energy. But fortunately, the closer to midnight the spell is cast, the less spiritual energy is consumed. If it's a few seconds before midnight, even if it's in the Randall River Valley at the southern end of the Old Continent, I can come back directly with almost no loss."
“That sounds great.”
The writer praised, got up and went to the cloakroom in the bedroom, and brought the crystal shoe for Shade's right foot:
"If Lecia knew that from now on, no matter where you go, you will carry her shoes with you, and you will take them out and use them from time to time, she will definitely be very happy."
She was joking.
"Dorothy, that makes me sound like a pervert."
Xia De said dissatisfiedly and threw the crystal shoes to the side. With a "meow", the cat that was originally lying on Xia De's legs fell onto the sofa, then got up in panic to look for Xia De, not quite understanding why Xia De suddenly disappeared.
At the same time, there was a noise in the bedroom, as if something had fallen on the bed. Mia ran over immediately, and soon, she saw Shad coming out with the cat on his back and the crystal shoes:
“The effect is pretty good, but the landing point seems to be a random location in the house, determined by the stars of the day, my own state, current location and luck.”
He sat down beside Dorothy again:
"By the way, do you have anything else to do this afternoon?"
"Yes, I have a scheduled interview mission. I have to go visit an old lady who lives alone, so let's meet in the evening. I'm relieved to see that you are okay."
The blonde said, and kissed Shad tenderly on the side of his face. Then, she saw Shad pick up the crystal slipper and kiss it gently. A blush appeared on Dorothy's cheeks, which was considered quite bold in that era.
So she said softly:
"I will be looking forward to the evening ahead... See you tonight, Shad."
She stayed with Shade for a while longer, asking more about the Randall Valley. Seeing that time was running out, the blonde said goodbye to Shade and left No. 6 St. Teresa's Square.
As for Shad, he did not return to the Randall Valley, but took Mia back to the basement. After entering the hidden space, he took out the cracked black stone mirror that Dr. Schneider gave him after the battle of Oxenfurt Manor on Friday night.
This is the remains of the demon. Due to the special nature of the mirror, it contains the "trophies" obtained from the stone mirror demon Goethe. Considering the safety issues, Shade did not take out the mirror until now.
The small stone mirror looks very old. Although it is covered with cracks, the reddish-brown protrusions on the frame of the stone mirror, like blood vessels, make it look like a dilapidated beauty.
Although the devil only gave Shade six kinds of rewards, in fact, the "wealth" of this ancient evil demon is far more than those things. However, because it involves the power of the devil, Shade cannot use most of the items casually, so Dr. Schneider only gave Shade things that he could use.
There was no messy stuff on this ancient evil spirit. After Xia De reached out to check the inside of the mirror, apart from the five "rewards" and special precious materials, the only discovery worth mentioning was three round golden coins.
"Clerical-level relic - Demonic Gold Coin."