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"Suah actually said in the divine revelation that he was going to practice asceticism. There must be something wrong with his brain."
"Also, I remember hearing that a small coastal town in the south was destroyed in a tsunami last month, yet the surrounding cities didn't see so much as a tide. I've never heard of such a localized tsunami."
Richard Ernst brushed the crumbs from his Corn Tortilla off his clothes, his tone somewhat mocking and amused:
"Poor Suah. Another blow to his already dim brain."
"But why have the Churches of the Seven Gods suddenly started bothering with him? During the High Priest rituals in the past, didn't the Churches' Beyonders and the ordinary people all have to fend for themselves?"
Saint Tenebrous did not answer that question. He chose to offer another piece of intelligence to continue the conversation:
"An oracle sent back a report of infighting within the Rose School in Backlund."
"An innocent passerby caught up in it reported the incident, claiming to have seen a monster and a ghost in the night."
Richard chewed slowly and carefully. Only after swallowing the food in his mouth did he ask:
"Did anyone see what they looked like?"
"Supposedly, the ghost was a blonde woman dressed in black."
"Oh, her."
Backlund, a Wraith, a blonde woman. Richard guessed her identity without effort-if he was right, she should be the last child Reinette had taught before her death, the little girl named Sharron.
The last time he had gone to Backlund to stop the Great Smog Incident, Maria and the Zombie under his command had also reported on their situation. Sharron had refused contact with the Pilgrimage Church, found a helper to wipe out the Indulgence Faction's pursuers, and successfully settled down.
*That little girl was already