"There's such a thing? You needn't worry, I only wanted to return the ring."
He told her about how he had gone looking for the "Water Monkey" yesterday afternoon and ended up picking up a pile of junk. Miss Lathers had not seen Shade last night, so she did not know about it.
"Then Mr. Stone Osenfott is just an ordinary person?"
Before leaving, he confirmed it once more. Miss Lathers nodded.
"Yes, at least that's what I think."
Riding without a license was not permitted in the city center near the Wilde Opera House, so Shade led his horse out of the district before crossing the city and arriving at the northern outskirts.
Having grown used to riding in the snow, traveling alone through the snowy landscape was rather enjoyable. During the journey, Shade suddenly wondered whether using his Puppet Manipulation to control the horse would make it run faster. Thus, with the spirit of an experimenter, he placed his hand on the horse's head while it was galloping through the snow.
His spirit transformed into threads that manipulated a puppet, and Puppet Manipulation succeeded almost immediately. Then, the horse, unable to control its own limbs, came to an abrupt stop, and Shade and the horse both tumbled into the snow.
Fortunately, the snow was thick, and the horse's legs were not injured. The experiment taught Shade that it was best not to use Thaumaturgy recklessly.
Although he had known from the map that Osenfott Manor was remote, once he actually set out for it, Shade discovered that the place was far more isolated than he had expected.
After leaving the city, he first passed through a small village dependent on the city, then crossed a large stretch of beekeepers' land along snow-covered country roads. Afterward, he passed a