Because Miss Goode's hometown was a coastal town in the eastern Old Continent, far too distant from Tobesk City, Shade took Mia to the Tobesk Post Office immediately after finishing the letter so that his client could receive it as soon as possible.
He had not dropped it into the mailbox at the street corner of Saint Derain Square because he also wanted to order some magazines from the post office. Having escaped the financial straits of his early days in this world, Shade wanted to improve his quality of life as well.
Since he had nothing else to do that day, after mailing the letter, Shade took Mia to Dawn Church and listened to Bishop Owen's sermon with Priest Augustus.
They did not return home until after lunch at the church. Shade had originally planned to borrow Priest Augustus's Magic Potion Workshop that afternoon and brew the hair-color-changing potion introduced in the second-year curriculum. But as soon as he reached Saint Derain Square, he saw Iluna standing before the door.
Over her white ladies' blouse with ruffled cuffs, she wore a brown coat. Below was a simply styled black skirt, and on her feet were the black leather shoes she usually wore.
"Did something happen?"
Shade hurried over. Iluna shook her head and waved the kraft-paper document envelope in her hand at him.
"Detective, would you mind sparing me an afternoon to complete a commission together?"
The seventeen-year-old girl asked.
"What commission?"
Shade asked as he took out his key to open the door. The two entered together, while Mia cheerfully sprang down from Shade's shoulder and leaped onto the stairs.
"Find a missing corpse."
Blackstone Security Company could always receive bizarre assignments from The Church, and aside from church assignments, commissions from ordinary citizens were often filled with