Miss Louisa, who had lowered her head to browse through the documents by the glimmer in her hand, seemed completely unaware of what was happening behind her. Yet behind the man holding the short knife, Doctor Schneider, who should have left the room, appeared.
"Is it because we came too quickly? You fell for it far too easily."
The rumbling thunder finally exploded at that moment.
In the study, which returned to darkness after the lightning flashed, Doctor Schneider grabbed the knife-wielder's wrist. Miss Louisa, who had been looking down, spun around abruptly. Her flaming fist struck the attacker in the abdomen, just as she had struck the Fishmen that had appeared that night due to a relic losing control.
Flames scattered amid a muffled impact, and the stranger's left hand blocked Miss Louisa's right fist. Then, with an unbelievable movement, he leaped straight upward, broke free from the Doctor's hold, and clung to the ceiling like a gecko.
After making a quick assessment of the situation, the figure showed no intention of fighting the two of them. He quickly left the illuminated area beneath the gas lamp above the desk, then immediately darted out of the study and plunged into the thin silver mist filling the corridor. This cramped, confined terrain was perfect for Shade's illusions.
Shade was also standing within that silver mist. He watched the intruder scurry about wildly for a while before cautiously stopping. He was a medium-built blond man with an eyepatch over his left eye. Holding a knife in his right hand, he stood in the silver mist and warily waited for the illusionist's attack.
But Shade knew his own limits and had no desire whatsoever to engage in close combat with a Ring Arcanist who was certainly of a higher level than himself.