"Having fun?"
Before the man who had successfully used his thaumaturgy could even celebrate, Shade's voice came from behind him. Before the startled man could turn around, a tremendous force hurled him to the ground.
Shade, who had used Laguerre's Leap to reach the air, gripped a Shadow Ball in his right hand and smashed it down at the man, who could not dodge in time. But before the Shadow Ball struck him, the Fifth-Ring Arcanist had already raised his hand in surrender:
"Ask whatever you want! Stop hitting me, I know you're strong now."
The black sphere vanished into thin air, and Shade landed lightly on the ground. He had not used Silver Moon's power at all during the fight, yet victory had still come so easily:
"So if you'd spoken up from the start, we wouldn't have had to waste each other's time."
He extended a hand to the man huddled on the rooftop floor. The latter shuddered in fear before finally reaching out and allowing Shade to pull him up:
"How was I supposed to know you were this strong? I can't beat you, I surrender. Ask away. What do you want to know?"
When dealing with a Ring Arcanist, Shade had no need to beat around the bush. He went straight to the point:
"About two or three months ago, you had the gangs under the Hawthorne Family search the Lower District for a relic. I want to know what you were looking for, and where that relic is now."
"Two or three months ago? Oh, you mean that matter."
The man braced himself against the ground and stood up, though his injured right leg made him unsteady:
"Ever since I set my sights on that relic, nothing good has happened around me. But it isn't