After briefly describing the effects of Shattered Light Ray, Angel looked at Edwina, half hopeful and half anxious.
She did not know which answer she wanted to hear.
"First, let's be clear about one thing. I'm not a believer in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom as you understand it. My relationship with them is more like that of a collaborator."
Edwina put away the pages, rested both hands on the desk, and spoke slowly.
Then why did you say you'd ask them for me? Angel paused. Ah, she said she'd 'make inquiries through her channels.' She never said she'd ask the church behind her. What a cunning woman... She nodded.
Angel did not entirely believe her. Above the Five Seas, Pirate Admirals rarely admitted to their affiliations outright, even when everyone knew who backed them. Doing so could make them a target for rival factions.
So she could understand why Edwina denied being a believer in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
"As for the special bullets you mentioned, I can't tell you anything."
Huh?
Angel had been ready to listen, but Edwina had dismissed her in a single sentence.
I even gave her the designs for the Calamity and Betrayal charms... Angel's mouth twitched. She wanted to lunge forward and snatch the pages back, but after a moment's thought, she understood what Edwina meant.
"I can't tell you anything," not "There's no such thing."
Bound by some oath or contract, Edwina could not reveal the information to anyone outside the church. But in gratitude for what had happened today, she had phrased her answer to indirectly confirm that the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom did possess a way to make similar bullets.
Talking to these 'clever people' is exhausting...
Once she understood, Angel stood and