Shade still held the cross aloft with his arm straight:
"I know what you are, but I'm not afraid of you. Evil thing, crawl back into some dark corner. I'd wager that more and more Ring Arcanists from the Three Great Academies and the Five Gods Church will gather in this city over the next few weeks. Even if you have your own plans, what exactly do you dare do?"
"How arrogant, truly arrogant."
That slick voice praised Shade:
"But you're right. I appeared before you this time not to kill you, nor to do anything to you."
"You came to stop me from entering this manor? Is there really some secret hidden here?"
"No, no, young sir, I did not come to stop you from entering this manor. On the contrary, if Stone Osenfott and Haila Osenfott can give you commissions, why can't I?"
It asked with a smile, though that smile was truly chilling. Somehow, it also made Shade think of the demon scholar, Mr. Xiao En Asmon.
"A commission?"
Shade snorted. Even the heavy snowfall could not conceal the mockery on his face:
"I thought you'd been eavesdropping nearby from the very beginning. You should know what I said: one of a Ring Arcanist's common rules is never to make deals with any demon. I don't even want to deal with the undead corrupted by you, much less you yourself."
The demon Gothe still wore that smooth smile:
"No, I do not wish to make a deal with you. I wish to commission you to do something, just like Stone Osenfott and Haila Osenfott. I will not ask you to sign any contract, nor demand that you must complete it. But if you truly succeed, I can give you some... interesting things."
Shade frowned slightly:
"You think