Mystery: The Last Shepherd.

"Clang!"

The glasses clinked together, producing a crisp, melodious sound. The pale golden champagne, bubbling with fine bubbles, looked beautiful under the light.

In comparison, Lu Ze's glass, filled only with water, seemed rather inadequate. Because of what happened after he saw two dead bodies while drunk, he was now hesitant to try alcohol again.

"Hey, Lu Ze, aren't you going a bit too far? This is a banquet specially hosted for you, aren't you going to drink a single drop of wine?"

Leonard joked with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Lu Ze had no choice but to explain, "After I drink, I become mentally unstable and see strange things, so I can't drink."

After he said that, the atmosphere at the banquet immediately turned cold.

Out of control—one of the things every Extraordinary being least wants to encounter, and Luze just happens to be an Extraordinary on that extremely dangerous path. His explanation naturally stopped anyone from urging him to drink, but the atmosphere inevitably became somewhat awkward. Even Leonard, usually so frivolous, now wore an embarrassed expression, clearly having misspoke.

"It's okay, everyone doesn't need to worry about me."

Seeing this, Lu Ze laughed and said, "I'm usually fine, but I have some issues after drinking... It's probably because I still need to master the potion to reduce the effects. It should be fine after a while, and then we can drink together again."

After that, he frequently raised his glass, symbolically making a round with each colleague and exchanging a few jokes, which gradually eased the atmosphere. When Luzer and Klein clinked glasses, the latter seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something. But he quickly masked it, and Luzer didn't ask further.

Captain Dunn was the last to clink glasses with him.

"Old Neil sent me a letter."

Dunn chuckled and said, "He said he felt at ease working in the church of the goddess, that he had let go of his past regrets, and that he had been sleeping soundly lately."

"That would be perfect."

Lu Ze replied.

"If old Neil were still here, he would rave about this steak," Rosanne remarked after cutting a juicy piece and tasting it. But despite saying this, she put down her knife and fork, neither eating nor drinking, her eyes fixed on the meat on the table.

"It's a pity he's not here," said Ms. Sigia Tean, who has a writer's air about her. "So, let's eat a little more, just for his sake."

"But I still need to lose weight..."

Rosanne wavered a little.

"It's alright, these are for old Neil."

"Ms. Sega, you're right!"

Rosanne agreed with Sega's statement and then began to eat intensively.

During the gathering, everyone chatted and laughed, talking about recent interesting events and daily life, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Lu Ze sat back down and began to focus on the food in front of him. The fatigue from training had diminished his appetite, but reason told him he had to eat something. He could only cut the ribs into small pieces, stuffing a little into his mouth at a time, chewing haphazardly, and then using the broth and water to help him swallow. After eating slowly for a while, his appetite gradually improved, and he finally finished the food in front of him.

The waiters brought out dessert, and the colleagues, who had already eaten, began to chat. Sigia was talking to Rosanne about the difficulties of writing her novel, Klein and Leonard were discussing poetry, and even the aloof Luo Yao was exchanging a few words with the cold-faced Frye.

The food and drink were excellent, but everything had to come to an end. Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Dunn, as the team leader, raised his glass again, "Alright everyone, let's toast to Lu Ze one last time before the banquet concludes."

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their glasses at the same time and looked at Lu Ze, each with a smile on their face.

Lu Ze picked up his glass, stood up, looked at his colleagues' smiling faces, and let out a soft sigh.

Thank you everyone.

He said sincerely.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Besides loss of appetite, another consequence of physical training was muscle soreness. He was fine that day, but getting up the next morning was excruciating; even getting out of bed was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, his sister Cecilia, who had learned massage from caring for him, gave him a full-body massage to relax his muscles, which helped him feel better.

Because of what happened with Lanius, they couldn't go to the theater to see the performance last weekend, so they changed their plans to this weekend.

In the following days, Lu Ze's days became more regular. He would first report to the company in the morning, then study occult knowledge until lunch break. In the afternoon, he would first go to the shooting range to practice shooting, and then go with Klein to receive training from martial arts instructor Gawain.

"Your foundation in occult knowledge is almost complete."

That morning, Klein smiled at Luzer and said, "It's time to put it into practice."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

When Lu Ze heard him say that, he became interested for a moment.

"Don't get so excited, it's just an underground market for occult knowledge," Klein chuckled. "I'll take you there, buy some materials, and then we'll come back. I'll teach you how to make a Sleeping Charm."

"That's a great idea."

Lu Ze said happily, he knew about the Sleeping Charm, he had used it to control Hainas when Luo Yao controlled him. Although he had the more convenient Servant Bell to use, its origin was hard to explain, so it was best not to use it in front of his colleagues.

The two boarded a public carriage and chatted idly in the swaying carriage until they arrived at the dock area of ​​Tingen, where they disembarked.

"How's your control over potions going lately?"

As they chatted, Klein intentionally or unintentionally brought up the topic of potions.

"It's alright. As long as I get proper rest, I won't hear any strange noises."

Lu Ze answered casually, but inwardly he began to wonder what his colleague was going to say.

"Um."

Klein took a few more steps, turned to look at him, and said, "You know, I've been working as a fortune teller at a fortune-telling club lately."

"I've heard it from others."

Luze nodded. As a diviner with genuine magical powers, Klein's presence in such places was a game-changer. And the fact that he went there so frequently meant he must have made a considerable amount of extra money.

"When I'm doing fortune telling for others at the club and giving them guidance, I always feel that the effects of the potion in my body are diminishing."

Klein continued.

Ok?

Luze sensed something was wrong and stopped to look at Klein.

Is he... implying that I should play the role of a lawyer?

"What are you trying to say?"

"I mean, when I act according to the name of my potion, the potion seems to adapt to my body more effectively," Klein said with a smile, continuing to remind Luze. "So I think you might want to try acting according to the name of your potion... perhaps that way, the potion will have a much smaller effect on you."

He really knew about role-playing, and he even told me about it on his own initiative!

Oh, right, he probably had a similar idea during the last dinner party.

Lu Ze thought to himself, realizing the meaning behind his strange micro-expression earlier.