Chapter 16: Concealment

Walking up to the blacksmith shop, Adelle silently produced an eyeglass case from within her clothes.

Her fair, slender fingers gently opened the case from the sides, and a darkness visible to the naked eye spilled out like a swirling mist.

Dounia’s eyes widened slightly as she stared intently at the eyeglass case.

‘Sealed by a special method, it’s an Anomalous Item!’

‘She just didn’t know what grade of Anomalous Item it was…’

Adelle reached into the black mist and retrieved a pair of black-framed glasses.

The frames seemed to be forged from a mysterious black metal, as if they devoured a sliver of any light that passed near them.

She placed the glasses on her face, pressing the bridge with her middle finger to skillfully adjust their position.

In an instant, the glasses seemed to merge perfectly with Adelle’s face, as if they had become a part of her body.

Her gray eyes swept toward Dounia; the gaze lacked its previous sharpness, yet it carried a new, hair-raising quality of being watched.

“Enter the shop. Do not speak unless I signal you to,” Adelle instructed.

“Alright.” Dounia nodded.

The blacksmith caught sight of the two re-entering his shop from the corner of his eye.
His heart leaped in alarm, but his face betrayed no sign of panic.

“Did you happen to leave something behind?” he asked with a friendly smile.

Adelle did not reply, merely sweeping her gaze slowly across the shop’s decor and furnishings, like a scanner.

A flicker of panic appeared in the blacksmith’s eyes.
He once again used the towel draped over his neck to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“What is this…”

Adelle did not answer, merely pressing an index finger to her lips.

In stark contrast to her politeness when she first entered the shop, she wore a cold expression, staring fixedly at the blacksmith without saying a word.

A silent stare breeds fear.
Having experienced it herself, Dounia knew this all too well.
She stood at Adelle’s side, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint smile.

The slightly provocative smile in her eyes seemed to say, ‘Trying to deceive us? Don’t you think you’re underestimating us a little?’

“Why did you lie to us?” Adelle asked softly, her tone cold.

The blacksmith’s eyes flickered.
He hurriedly wiped his sweat with the towel again, desperately trying to conceal his awkwardness as his mind raced to find the right words.

“Perhaps… I remembered incorrectly? Like I said, I don’t recall it all that clearly. In my memory, Violet should have headed south…”

In truth, Adelle hadn’t detected any suspicious energy signatures, even after using the Anomalous Item.

But having worked at the Anomaly Bureau for so long, she was well-versed in how to pressure an enemy into disarray and how to pry information from someone’s lips.

Adelle slowly turned her head to look at Dounia.

Dounia instantly understood the cue; it was her turn to speak.

Leaving aside how much favorability she hoped to gain from this, it was more important to make Adelle less obviously hostile and obstructive towards her.
For her first mission, making a good impression on Adelle was undoubtedly the correct choice.

“Don’t waste your breath. You know what we mean,” Dounia said, her face stern and arms crossed over her chest.

The blacksmith’s hand subconsciously tightened its grip on the hammer’s handle.

Adelle’s grayish-blue hair lay casually on her shoulders.
She gently tapped the left frame of her glasses with her index finger.

Each small tap seemed to hammer against the blacksmith’s own heart.

The surveillance officer’s patience was rapidly dwindling.

“If you’re unwilling to come clean voluntarily, we will seal your shop in accordance with regulations until this matter is thoroughly investigated.”
Adelle pushed up her glasses, her gray eyes behind the lenses growing even more profound.
“This shop is your family’s livelihood. Think of your son, your daughter-in-law, and your little granddaughter.”

“Alternatively, I could perform a ritual, briefly obtain a blessing from the ‘Mother of Darkness,’ and find out for myself,” Adelle delivered her ultimatum.

This warning made the blacksmith draw a deep breath.
He slowly released his grip on the hammer’s handle.

“My little granddaughter, Linda, saw a tall, slender, shadowy figure deep in the alley.”

“Ever since being frightened that day, she has been hiding in her room, terrified, and refuses to come out no matter how we coax her.”

“Because of this, I made a special trip to the alley to the north and searched around. There was no tall, slender phantom there, only an old antique shop. The owner there seems to be a witch.”

Adelle furrowed her brow.

“She only moved in recently and has a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood for helping the locals solve some minor problems… She is also treating Linda’s illness, and until that is resolved, I don’t wish to invite any other trouble.”

“After all, in your eyes, that witch must seem like a suspicious individual,” the blacksmith said anxiously, his hands clasped loosely together.

“Small black pebbles on her body, and faint golden threads visible beneath her skin, right?” Dounia stated, getting straight to the point. “Linda has Soul-Loss. That’s why you were hiding the truth.”

The blacksmith’s burly, muscular frame trembled.
He slowly lowered his head.

“Yes…”

The topic he had been desperately trying to avoid had been dragged into the open by Dounia.

Those who contract Soul-Loss are all locked away in the Anomaly Bureau, likely never to be seen again for the rest of their lives.

Furthermore, their families are not permitted to visit.

Adelle pinched the small black bow on her collar and muttered a few words.

“The Mobile Squad will be here shortly,” Adelle said. “Now, take us to see Linda.”

Silently, the blacksmith fished a key out of a drawer.
He walked toward the back of the house, leading the two of them to a wooden door.

“Linda, two big sisters are here to see you. Don’t be afraid, they’re employees of the Anomaly Bureau. They’re good people…” the blacksmith’s voice trembled.

He turned the key and opened the door.

Dounia frowned and silently maneuvered Adelle in front of herself.

She keenly scanned the surrounding exits, her calves tensed and slightly bent, as if she were ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Adelle kicked the door open.
Linda was sitting quietly before the window, her back to them.

A dim ray of sunlight streamed through the dusty window, falling upon her, but her world still seemed to be painted in shades of gray.

Her tangled hair hung haphazardly over her shoulders, and her small hands tightly clutched the hem of her robe.

She was trembling.

“Turn around. Slowly,” Adelle commanded coldly.

She showed no mercy just because the other party was a child.
The disasters wrought by Soul-Loss were still vivid in her mind.

Those were words written in blood.

Linda slowly turned around, revealing a paper-pale face and an emaciated body.

Small black pebbles had already appeared within her eyes, and her pupils were several times larger than normal.
Her messy hair stirred without a wind, floating and writhing as if they were snakes’ heads.

“She’s already transformed to the point of using her abilities unconsciously…” Adelle sighed.

This meant the influence of the Soul-Loss was immense; she was perpetually on the verge of losing control.

“Are you… going to take me away?” Linda asked timidly.

Adelle remained silent, but the outcome was already certain.

Linda rubbed her eyes.
Her irises gradually turned a horrifying blood-red and purple.

And at the entrance to the previously empty corridor, a tall, slender figure in a witch’s robe was now standing.

Its shadow was gradually elongating, slowly enveloping the shadows of the three of them.