Chapter 26: Chapter 26: New Skill
"Is there something wrong with my Divination?"
Lloyd began to reflect after leaving the warehouse.
’I came out here to find a Spiritual Object, so how did I end up playing the hero again?’
’Sure, as a righteous young man, serving the public was my duty. It even earned me Madness Value and skill fragments. But still... what was this nagging feeling of disappointment and melancholy I couldn’t shake?’
MEOW, MEOW, MEOW...
The little kitten wriggled out of his pocket, scampered up to his shoulder, and stretched out a tiny white paw to gently bat at Lloyd’s cheek, as if to comfort him.
Ever since Lloyd had dealt with that toy Short Sword, the little kitten had finally stopped trembling and was now brave enough to peek out of his pocket.
"Thanks, but don’t worry. One of the few virtues I have is that I’m indomitable. I never give in to hardship or failure!"
As he spoke, Lloyd took out the matchbox again.
Upon seeing this, the little kitten immediately dived back into his pocket, refusing to peek out again.
The indomitable Lloyd left the warehouse district. Just as he reached the main gate, he brushed past a peculiar figure in strange attire.
The man wore a pointed, three-cornered hat with a long, thin feather tucked into the brim, looking as though he were about to go hunting. A mask styled after a cartoon dog covered his entire face, hiding even the color of his eyes.
He wore a uniform somewhat similar to Lloyd’s, though his was a darker navy blue. A wide cape, with fine tassels hanging from its edges, was draped over his shoulders.
Upon seeing Lloyd, the peculiar man stopped. Leaning on a slender metal Walking Stick with one hand, he adjusted the brim of his hat with the other, then gave Lloyd a nod.
Lloyd gave a proper nod in return. Then, they passed each other without a word.
This was a Hunter from the Saint’s Grace Judgment Court. Since he and Lloyd both belonged to the Radiant Sect, it was proper to nod upon meeting.
However, compared to the renowned and prestigious Holy Judgment Court, the Saint’s Grace Court was infamous and widely feared. Even others within the Sect were reluctant to associate with them.
As an organization that specialized in dealing with Cult Heretics, they were inevitably associated with things like a flagrant disregard for human life, abuse of power, and tyrannical behavior.
Since his inspiration had increased, Lloyd had heard many rumors about the Saint’s Grace Court. While it was difficult to discern fact from fiction, the claim that ’they’re even harder on their own’ was most likely true.
’So, I’d better contact them with an anonymous letter. Using my real name is out of the question...’
Lloyd waited a few seconds before looking back, just in time to see the Hunter from the Saint’s Grace Court talking with the warehouse manager from earlier.
’Uh... they couldn’t be talking about me, could they?’
Lloyd immediately quickened his pace, leaving the street. He only dared to glance back after he was a good distance away.
"He didn’t follow me. That’s a relief... Right! Onward. I have to find the Spiritual Object I need before this break is over. That way, I can protect my sister better!"
’With my current understanding and mastery of Divination, it shouldn’t be that hard, right?’
...
Vacations always seemed to end faster than you could spend an Intertwined Fate. Lloyd had to report back to work tomorrow.
He was sprawled on the sofa, his face a mask of frustration and melancholy, when he suddenly asked:
"Sis, have you ever had a moment where you suddenly realized you’re not actually a genius?"
"Huh? Nope. I’ve been pretty slow my whole life, not smart like you, Yi. So I’ve never thought of myself as a genius or anything."
Evelor said from her desk, putting down a reader’s submission. She turned around and asked with concern:
"Yi, did something happen? Do you want me to help?"
"It’s nothing. Just a theoretical problem I can’t quite wrap my head around right now."
"Oh, I see... I’m sorry, I’m not educated enough to help. Why don’t you ask one of your seniors at the Judgement Hall tomorrow? Like that Miss Weiya you’ve mentioned a few times? But... I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’ve never given me a single reason to worry about your studies, ever since you were little."
"It’s okay, Sis. I can handle it."
With that, Lloyd walked over to the desk and gave Evelor a warm hug. He then nuzzled the top of her head with his chin, like he was hugging a big, beautiful doll.
Evelor’s eyes crinkled slightly, a sweet, happy smile gracing her lips as she said in a soft, delicate voice:
"Hee hee~ It’s been a while since you’ve hugged me, Yi."
Her delicate feet, dangling over the edge of the chair, swung back and forth rapidly, looking exceptionally lively—the kind one might want to hold and admire.
"Sis, I will definitely protect you."
After saying one last thing that Evelor didn’t quite understand, Lloyd went back to his room.
The little kitten was doing sit-ups on the windowsill. The moment it saw him enter, it started meowing urgently, "MEOW, MEOW, MEOW," though what it was trying to express was a mystery.
Lloyd, of course, couldn’t understand it either. He just waved a hand, shooing it off to play with Evelor, then locked himself in his room. He sat down at his desk and began to write his third anonymous letter.
Over the two-day break, he hadn’t found the Spiritual Object he needed, but he had managed to serve justice a full nine times, gaining 4,500 Madness Value—enough for three upgrades—and had even picked up a brand-new skill in the process.
’So I guess it wasn’t a total waste of time, right?’
He just never would have guessed that the West City District—hailed by newspapers as the "new economic artery" and the "city’s new pulse"—could be home to so many malevolent Orbits capable of twisting human perception.
"Don’t the papers say the West City District is all finance and R&D? That it’s the perfect place for young people to make their mark? How can it not even guarantee basic safety? It’s worse than our aging South City District..."
Lloyd muttered to himself with a sigh of resignation.
He grew even more worried when he remembered that his sister and her employer, Miss Desda, loved to hang around the West City District.
’And to make matters worse, I still haven’t found that crucial Spiritual Object...’
The silver lining to all this bad news, however, was that these malevolent Orbits weren’t particularly dangerous—much "gentler" than the terrorist attack at the library.
Their main effect was to twist a person’s five senses, creating visual and auditory hallucinations, but they weren’t life-threatening.
As for the basis of his conclusion—
[Twisted Realm (LV. 2) — A basic skill of the Twisted System. It can Twist a target’s perception, thoughts, and Cognition, presenting different effects on different types of people. Continue acquiring related knowledge to increase the skill level.]
A line of small text was added below:
"I can’t tell... I really can’t tell the difference!"
This was the new skill Lloyd had acquired.
