These two conditions were not excessive at all, and President Lenormand agreed immediately:
"No problem. Once the Association has dealt with the trouble at headquarters, we'll send the information over at once. We have clues regarding the other Snake Fangs as well; we simply didn't search for them because we needed to use the Snake Fang immediately. But I guarantee that, unless our luck is truly terrible, you'll find the second Snake Fang within half a week at most."
Shade temporarily left, tossed the Crystal Shoes to return home, retrieved the Snake Fang, and then returned to the town.
President Lenormand thanked Shade, then departed with the Snake Fang and his companions. It appeared that he would personally take it back to headquarters to handle this matter. Old Mr. Charat had not appeared today; the old man had likely already left the island.
"It's just an Infinite Snake, yet it's reduced the Seer Association to such a sorry state."
Shade and Claire saw them off at the entrance to Snow Mountain Hall. As they watched the Prophets' receding figures, Claire said this.
Shade reminded her:
"That is, after all, a Calamity of the World—a harbinger of the end. Don't assume that the previous incidents were not too disruptive; that was only because we happened to find ways to deal with them. The stories of the Chosen Ones have reached their ninth occurrence, and no region has yet been completely destroyed by a calamity. That can already be considered a low-probability event."
"Because this world still has you."
Claire said with a smile, but Shade shook his head:
"I can only deal with matters around me. The Orthodox Church is the force that has played the greatest role."
"But hasn't the Church's strength remained so intact precisely because, in every major