"What did you think would happen?"
At five in the afternoon, the witch on the train asked Shade. They had been traveling for quite some time and would probably return to Aurora Manor before six thirty that evening.
Shade was holding the orange cat, which had been slightly frightened by the earthquake in the town—though Shade thought it was most likely pretending.
"Before setting out, I kept worrying that we might run into Daknis in town, or that Old Woman Ilal hadn't actually given up and was trying to sacrifice us to a god."
Shade answered.
"Daknis left Coldwater Port a week ago. There's no way he could appear here. As for Ilal, she's only at the Second Ring. Are you looking down on me too much?"
The witch asked with a smile. Shade shook his head.
"I just didn't expect things to go so smoothly this time. I thought every Spirit Rune had to be earned through some heart-stopping adventure."
"Most of the time, yes, but not every time. Just how dangerous is your life?"
Shade smiled sheepishly.
"When I touched the statue, though, I saw some visions. That Old God seemed to have merely been a powerful, strange creature that roamed underground in ancient times. But later, it devoured—devoured the power of an Ancient God within the earth, and only then became a god. So what exactly are the Old Gods? The Ancient Gods were the original gods. Were the Old Gods individuals who became gods after obtaining the Ancient Gods' power?"
Even Thirteenth Ring Warlocks would not discuss matters concerning gods like this. But the witch was even more powerful. The power systems had originated from the women of the previous epoch, and their courage was evidently greater.
Miss Aurora's expression became solemn.
"This question cannot be