"She took water from here?"
"Is that so hard to understand? If people in Tobesk can pray to me for love, why can't there be girls like that in Vesta City?"
The Mermaid asked with a smile. She was likely referring to the Damaged Grandfather Clock. Shade and Iluna had both witnessed it firsthand:
"Everything had originally gone smoothly. The Death Apostle already had feelings for the beautiful Miss Bennett, and under the influence of that water, he fell even more deeply in love with her.
"But unfortunately, you defeated that Death Apostle and even froze his soul. You severed the connection between the two souls, so the poor Miss Bennett suffered the backlash of Love Lake's curse. That was why she came here at all costs, hoping to find true happiness in that eternal dream.
"After all, hadn't you personally cut short the happiness she had already obtained?"
She delivered that final sentence as though chanting a hymn. Starlight illuminated her fair face and black hair, making the scene look dreamlike beneath an invisible spotlight. But Shade found it terrifying. Though he was deeply grateful for Desire's repeated assistance, he trusted his instincts. This time, she definitely meant them harm.
"If this great lake possesses such cursed properties only because of your power, then please release this witch."
He pointed at Flora Winslet, who lay submerged at the bottom of the lake. Her eyes were closed, and her ash-black hair swayed in the water.
The Mermaid smiled and shook her head.
"Though this lake's power did indeed arise because of me, it has now perfectly fused with this miraculous woodland. Such ancient lands possess power that even I cannot contend with in my current state. My power remains strong even within this woodland, but if I erased it, the