Old Lady Milan, a Spiritualist who had made a living in divination for a long time in the city of Niarki, had been certain of this since the previous night.

It was a clear omen that anyone would notice if they had the basic powers granted by the Spiritualist Job that she possessed.

“So, you have come,” she said, addressing the customer who had opened the door to her small store. “Business has been terrible because of you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Vandalieu, the white-haired child who had come through the door.

The expression on Old Lady Milan’s wrinkled face changed as she laughed. “Are you questioning how I knew that you would come? Or why business being terrible for me is your fault? You would know the answer to both of these if you gave it some careful thought,” she told him. “Now that every spirit in the city has been taken away, even the spirits of the mice and insects, what is a Spiritualist like me supposed to do? And if you’re taking such a large number of spirits around with you, it would be noticeable even from outside the city.”

The eyes of Old Lady Milan, the eyes of a Spiritualist, could see the countless spirits surrounding Vandalieu. Their numbers were far beyond the hundreds or thousands; they swarmed around him like insects.
She was honestly unable to comprehend how the boy in front of her had managed to maintain his sanity.

“Some of the spirits told me that you were knowledgeable regarding the past,” said Vandalieu.