Although he had been immersed in the tenderness of Miss Writer and Her Royal Highness the Princess, Shade had not forgotten that he had promised to see Claire off early Sunday morning. The Witches were setting out at nine, so he said farewell to Dorothy at eight and brought Little Mia to the island.
Yesterday's heavy snow had stopped. The sky after the snowfall was exceptionally bright and clear, putting everyone in a good mood:
"The weather is quite suitable for climbing today."
Kael-Todd Town was livelier than usual on such a fine Sunday. When he met Claire at Snow Mountain Hall, she was making her final preparations.
Elder Harald, Elder Vilda, Elder Ursa, Elder Solin, and Elder Ule were all present. The five Great Elders appearing together once again showed just how important the Crown of Glory was.
The relic meant to suppress Claire's rank had also been brought over. After receiving permission, Shade carefully examined the black comb, only to discover upon holding it that it had not originally been black. The black coating on its surface was actually bloodstains.
The blood was half-congealed and felt quite strange to the touch. Shade looked at Claire, and the Witch reminded him:
"You don't need to tell me. I already know I have to stick something this filthy into my hair for an entire day. I'm troubled enough as it is."
The Sage Level Relic Day of Atonement was an ivory comb stained with blood. When used to comb one's hair, every complete three strokes lowered a Ring Arcanist's rank by one for twenty-four hours. During that time, one's total spirit, recovery speed, and physical condition were affected, while some Spirit Runes and Mystic Incantations were sealed.
If the rank reduction exceeded the user's actual rank, or if it was