Demon Blood and the Raven Club

Not only was it raining in Tobesk today, but Middlesburg was actually raining as well. But when Shade had investigated Academy Castle yesterday afternoon, the sky had already been very overcast, so he had prepared an umbrella in advance.

Fortunately, the abandoned tower did not leak, so Shade completed this week's final hundred sword swings inside the tower before heading into the city.

He first went to the House of the Blind. The special blood Sister Devlin had promised was not ready yet, but Shade received Captain Rades's letter there and learned what happened after they solved the serial killer case yesterday.

Although the culprit was injured and completely unable to wake up, the evidence was conclusive, so there were no surprises. Captain Rades claimed all the credit for himself, and city hall was more than happy to publicize how a Kingdom Army captain and the police had worked together to solve a serial murder case.

Shade even saw a newspaper at the House of the Blind carrying a front-facing half-length photograph of Captain Rades. This might become the talk of Middlesburg's citizens throughout the autumn. While Captain Rades would not be promoted from a company-grade officer solely because of this, he would certainly receive a commendation.

In the letter, the captain once again invited Shade to visit Traveler Camp on Wind Arising Path next Thursday. Next Thursday was the captain's day off, and he could show Shade around Sikar Mountain or go hunting with him.

"Then I'll go into the mountains next Thursday to look for that sword. I'm not familiar with Sikar Mountain's terrain, and finding a specific cave in the mountains won't be easy."

That was why Shade had been wandering around Middlesburg without rushing into the mountains to search for the sword.

After leaving the House