The lighthouse had long been abandoned along with the island. Woods surrounded it, and the grave of Sloth Edwards's wife lay two hundred meters south of the lighthouse. The tombstone stood amid the white fog, and the forest was quiet. In such dense mist, it would have been difficult to find this place without knowing its location in advance.
Although it was far from all her relatives, at least the surroundings were fairly nice for a graveyard.
"I don't want to hear your lame joke about the surroundings being nice. I know what I'm doing—digging up my ancestor's grave."
The Apothecary Miss looked at the ancient tombstone and spoke to Shade first:
"You can begin now. I don't want to explain why I'm not the one digging. Defiling my ancestor's corpse may be necessary, but—"
"All right, all right, I'll do it. If you keep talking, I really will turn into some cold-blooded creature with no consideration for others."
He rummaged through his pocket, then took out an iron shovel and drove it into the ground. After rubbing his hands together, he took off his coat and tossed it to the Sorceress for safekeeping:
"Hold this for me."
She had not expected Shade to trust her so readily. Caught off guard, she caught his clothes, draped them over her arm, and watched him dig the grave.
The shovel struck the soil again and again. The Brown-haired Sorceress suddenly recalled the somewhat familiar scent she had smelled on Shade at Green Lake Inn. Looking at his back in the fog, making sure he would not suddenly turn around—and that the mist truly would interfere with Another Me's senses—she took a small step back, raised her arm slightly, and sniffed his coat.
"Megan, my dear younger sister, I truly didn't expect you