Enhanced Evil Spirit

Carrying the corpse and the Black Handbag that had caused more than one murder, Shade did not linger in the city. Instead, he left the city and headed into the mountains. For safety, he did not go directly to the Abandoned Tower connected to the hidden space beneath the basement. After leaving the main mountain road, he found a small clearing in the woods.

After confirming there was no one nearby, he put the moonstone ring on his finger and activated Quiet Moonbeam to prevent any accidents. Only then did he restore the corpse:

"Soul Echo."

As the Thaumaturgy took effect, a chilly wind swept through the mountain forest at dusk. The Sun, already beginning to sink behind Sikar Mountain, grew even more dim and yellow. Wolves seemed to be howling higher up the mountain, but when he listened carefully, it sounded more like wind passing through the treetops.

In the quiet forest beneath the setting sun, Shade stood beside the corpse with a frown, watching a fragment of the spirit called forth by Spirit Communication appear above it. Strictly speaking, Soul Echo's spirit-summoning ability did not retrieve a complete soul. It merely summoned fragments, something like lingering echoes.

Thus, the soul that appeared was weaker than a normal soul, but because of that, it had also lost part of its memories.

"Guiding Death."

A cold Gray Light appeared at his fingertips as Shade touched the surface of the soul fragment. He closed his eyes, and scenes flashed before him one after another.

Though still incomplete, those images largely confirmed Shade's suspicions. The victim shot dead on the Fourth Floor of the inn a week ago, the merchant with two pistols, and Professor Higgins himself were all members of the Gray Gloves. Though not as highly ranked as the Gray-headed