Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

It seems that Miss Galina disliked such banquets, and today she had other troubles on her mind as well. Miss Galina, who was extremely sensitive, detected Shard's gaze among the crowd below, and shook her head imperceptibly at him, the meaning of the gesture unclear. Instead of speaking from the staircase, Queen Diana, surrounded by the princesses, princes, and noble ladies of the Cavendish family, made her way to the second-floor terrace to the sound of music, along a cleared path from the stairs. Standing there, she was not only visible to the guests on the second floor and in the courtyard below, but even passersby on Silver Cross Avenue and people on the second and third floors of nearby places like Saint Delan Square could see her. This terrace was the very place where the king officially addressed the nation. Because the crowd was so large, Shard did not attempt to elbow his way to the front to watch Queen Diana's address. He helped Dorothy back to the sofa with care. Just moments ago, as Lecia had followed the Queen to the second floor and onto the terrace, Dorothy had come close to collapsing right onto Shard. "Really, if you knew it would be like this, you shouldn't have come to the banquet," he said. As Shard sat Dorothy down, he meant to use "Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing" for healing, but she waved off the offer with a gesture. "It's okay," she insisted. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her face was pale, and her voice was almost completely drowned out by the Queen's amplified speech. "It was just a moment of discomfort; I thought I was far enough away." She wasn't lying, as her complexion visibly improved before his eyes. The sweat on her brow remained, though, and the intentionally left-down fine blonde strands which framed her face now stuck to her cheeks due to the perspiration. "Is Lecia alright?" he asked, more concerned about the possibility of Lecia suddenly collapsing in full view of everyone. "Don't worry, she took pain medication in advance." "What?" Shard asked, frowning in surprise, but Dorothy pressed her lips together and shook her head: "That's the only way. It can't be helped. As long as we keep our distance, it won't happen... We probably won't be able to truly see each other for the rest of our lives." Fortunately, Dorothy's writer friends all stood on their tiptoes at the back of the crowd, trying to get a direct view of Queen Diana, who was delivering the speech, so Dorothy's unease went largely unnoticed. When the Queen finished her speech, the lively banquet officially began. Queen Diana did not leave, but instead took interviews with reporters and chatted with the familiar ladies of high society. The young princes and princesses of the Cavendish family were also doing their own things. Shard counted carefully and found that more than ten of the King's children were present just today. King Larus III's reproductive prowess was indeed the strongest among all previous kings. Marquis Grassley quickly sent a servant to ask Shard to join them at the gambling table by the second-floor wall. But before Shard and Dorothy could say goodbye to her writer friends, another maid arrived from the third floor. It was Miss Galina asking Shard to go upstairs. So he had to bid Dorothy a temporary farewell and send a servant to apologize to Marquis Grassley, saying he would be a bit late. When he met Miss Galina on the third floor, the Duchess, who was exceptionally beautiful tonight, seemed somewhat troubled. Only after Tifa confirmed that no one was eavesdropping outside did she softly reveal to Shard a somewhat alarming fact: "At this banquet, there is a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer." "What?" "Don't worry, it's a sorcerer from the Church, the 'Iron Right Hand' of the Church of Creation, Sari Pirot." Miss Galina sat in front of the dressing table with the chair facing Shard's position. She frowned slightly in dissatisfaction but, combined with the red ball gown trailing on the carpet and glittering hair accessories, she looked even more stunning: "I only learned of this at 7:40 p.m. The Iron Right Hand was originally stationed on the perimeter of the Dark Realm, and only came back to the city for a short while after taking turns with the 'Sunlight Greatsword' a few days ago. It was Queen Diana who invited him; quite unexpected, as the Royal Family rarely invites high-ranking Circle Sorcerers from the True God Church." "What does the Queen want with this gentleman?" he inquired. "Nothing in particular, just a simple invitation. It's normal for her to send out invitations to prominent figures in the city for her own birthday. But my nephew, Larus III, got somewhat angry because of this. He was supposed to show up just now, but he didn't appear because of the situation... He has always opposed members of the Royal Family bypassing him to privately contact high-ranking officials of the Church." "But the Queen is just..." Shard squinted his eyes slightly: "Did she truly invite him out of an impulse?" "I'm glad you didn't see Diana as a straightforward person," Miss Galina replied with a smile, and then motioned Tifa to rub her shoulders. Shard then brought up Daknis, as they had met in the afternoon, and due to time constraints, he hadn't managed to mention it: "Daknis has entered Tobesk. At least since last night, he had already made his way into the city perimeter." "You ran into him again?" Miss Galina tilted her head at him: "Is he really here for revenge on you? Oh, this is getting interesting." She tapped the carved armrest of the chair bearing the Cavendish family crest with her slender fingers: "I thought I could enjoy a few more days of tranquility, but now I can't relax. Honestly, the Council has ordered me to kill Daknis myself... Shard, after this is over, I will thank you for the information. If you get any more news, make sure to tell me immediately, and don't try to capture him on your own. You don't understand how formidable an Ancient Evil Spirit Demon is – even a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer could have a hard time winning a confrontation." "No problem, Miss Galina." The Duchess suddenly raised her eyebrows with a smile on her face: "Why not thank me now? Tifa, take the Detective to find Little Lecia. When I came back from the second floor just now, I saw her enter the east corridor; she's probably gone to her own rest room." Although part of Yordle Palace's main building is used as a residence for members of the Royal Family, it also serves a significant administrative function. Lecia, being a Princess already involved in government affairs, has her own study or rest room here. Among Larus III's unmarried daughters, very few have such a privilege. "Remember not to pass through the banquet hall to avoid being seen by prying eyes. Take the stairs on the east side, and if you meet anyone, just say I asked the Detective to go downstairs to fetch something." As she made arrangements, the Miss Maid nodded, and Shard rose from his chair: "Miss Galina, I should be staying in Yordle Palace until about eleven o'clock. If there's anything else tonight, you can find me on the second floor at any time." "I know, you have a Roder Card game scheduled with someone. Speaking of Roder Card, Queen Diana will probably give you a surprise tonight, you can look forward to it a little." She said with a smile, cradling her face in her hands. Guided by Tifa, Shard took a long detour on the third floor's east side until he came to the narrow staircase used by the servants. As he navigated through the maze-like building, he fortunately didn't encounter anyone. After stopping in front of the door marked "Lecia Cavendish," Tifa gestured to Shard to knock on the door himself: "Her Highness Lecia probably won't like to see me." The black-haired Miss Maid winked playfully at Shard; if a younger Iluna made such a gesture, it would be seen as cute, but Tifa's was playfully charming. After his stint as the Detective's Assistant last time, she seemed to have formed a different impression of Shard: "Then I'll go back first, Shard. There might still be things Miss needs me for." She whispered in a lower voice. "Alright then, goodbye, Tifa." "Enjoy your evening." With that, the Miss Maid smiled at Shard and turned to leave, her footsteps muffled by the carpet. Shard confirmed her silhouette had vanished around the corner of the corridor before he gently knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Lecia's voice came from inside; though muffled by the door, it still brought a smile to Shard's face: "It's me." He believed Lecia would recognize his voice. However, after he spoke, he didn't hear immediate footsteps. Instead, after a short wait, footsteps that clearly were not Lecia's approached the door. When the door opened, Shard saw a young man with auburn hair, slightly shorter than himself, dressed in a black tailcoat and a white shirt, with the chain of a pocket watch extending from his breast pocket and clipped to a button. The man's skin was a bit dark; he had thick eyebrows, and he looked at Shard with some confusion: "Sir, who are you?" "He's my friend." Before Shard could speak, Princess Angelina's voice came from the room. Shard looked inside the room and saw it was quite crowded, not just with servants but also with Princess Angelina, Lecia, and several other young men and women he didn't recognize. Among the young ladies, there were a few Shard had seen at the Prophet's Society, but since he didn't remember their names, he treated them as strangers. "Mr. Hamilton is my friend. I asked the servants to bring him here to wait with us for the ball to start," said Princess Angelina, and the young man stepped aside to let Shard enter. He looked at Shard skeptically as they passed each other, then realization dawned: "Rejed's Hamilton!" "Yes, that's me," Shard acknowledged with a nod. "You're the rumored lover of Miss Galina?" Shard stopped in his tracks and frowned at him: "Sir, that is impolite; please do not defame Miss Galina's reputation." It wasn't just him frowning; both Lecia and Angelina also frowned. Although the rumors were rampant, these things could not be spoken of so blatantly. This noble young man, whose name Shard did not know, clearly held some hostile attitude towards him. Although Shard didn't know where this hostility came from, he was not one to tolerate slander, especially when he was being maligned for something he hadn't done—this is what angered him the most: "Sir, please apologize to Miss Galina." "Yes, I spoke out of turn." Concerning the Duchess with real power within the nation, the other party clearly realized that the words blurted out in the heat of the moment were inappropriate. However, after her rather insincere apology, he sized up Shard, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Mr. Hamilton, I hear you're a detective from Saint Delan Square? Look, you seem quite the part." His tone was extremely frivolous; in other words, disrespectful. "So, Detective, why don't you deduce what we were just doing?" He said, smiling: "A detective from Saint Delan Square should have that kind of ability." Shard looked at the others, most of whom also thought this manner of speaking was very impolite, while a few girls tried to use expressions to inform Shard about what had just happened there. "I see..." Shard turned and walked to the maid by the wall, and with his back to everyone, he extended his hand to Ms. Hers, the Head Maid of Lecia, and said: "Ma'am, lend me a gun." As he spoke, he drew the Spear of Kindness from his waist. Although the scene was witnessed by Ms. Hers and two other maids, no one dared to make a sound. "This gentleman, besides being a detective, I am also a knight." Shard, with his head lowered, deftly opened the cylinder. Because the Spear of Kindness could generate bullets with the spirit of a Circle Sorcerer, he typically did not load it with bullets, and now all six chambers were empty. Shard reached into his pocket, then pulled out a bullet and showed it to the surprised crowd before pressing it into the cylinder. "What's most important to both a knight and a detective, you see, is courage." As he restored the cylinder to its proper place, he showed the pistol to the young nobleman with thick eyebrows at the door: "Since you're questioning my detective skills, how about we gamble a round? No, Roder Card games are far too boring, let's bet on this instead." With a flick of his finger, the cylinder began to spin. Once it was locked into place again, Shard gestured with the gun towards the other party: "Will you go first, or shall I? I think you understand what I mean." "Oh, you, you madman!" The young man in the black tailcoat couldn't believe what he was seeing with Shard, who shook his head: "This is a matter of honor, Sir. In the old days, knights were quite fond of using this method to uphold their reputation." "Mr. Hamilton, you don't need to take a risk for this person. This is the youngest son of the Dimock Earldom, Mr. Jason Dimock." The voice of Princess Angelina came from the side, but Shard had no interest in learning who the other party was: "So, Mr. Dimock, will you go first, or shall I?" "You..." "Very well, I will go first." Shard pointed the absolutely non-suicidal Spear of Kindness at his own temple and, before anyone else could react, he pulled the trigger. Click—a sound, and, as expected, no bullet fired. "Your turn." Shard quickly stepped forward and offered the gun, but Mr. Dimock clearly dared not accept it: "You..." "Oh, is it two turns each?" He was about to raise the gun again when the young man in the tailcoat immediately interjected: "No, no, I mean..." "Ah, it's one turn each, but you want me to pull the trigger?" Shard quickly raised the barrel, and Mr. Dimock immediately raised both hands: "Knight, calm down, please listen to me, why should I bet with you?" "Because you insulted the honor of Miss Galina and myself." Although Shard was smiling as he lowered the revolver, he still fixed his gaze on the other man: "Or do you want me to pull the trigger three times first, and then you try the last three?" Shard's face showed that he wasn't joking at all, so confident was he that the gun would absolutely not kill him. "No, I..." Jason Dimock looked around the room, trying to seek help from the others, but no one spoke up at this time. It wasn't just because Shard had a gun; it was also because Shard was making quite a lot of sense. Even if someone were to die in this risky duel, those who survived wouldn't face much punishment. "I, I... am feeling a bit unwell, sorry." Seeing no help forthcoming, the noble youth in the tailcoat backed toward the door, then pulled it open and slipped out, regardless of what his friends in the room thought. "Tsk." Shard shook his head, turned with the gun in hand, and looked at the line of people sitting on the sofa. Seeing that no one spoke, he flipped open the cylinder again and removed the bullet. The position of the bullet indicated that it would have been in line with the barrel on the sixth trigger pull. "You really are too impulsive," Princess Angelina immediately said from the sofa, and then she winked at Shard, a playful gesture. "I'm truly sorry for this disturbance. Please, head to the banquet hall first," Lecia, the true hostess here, told her friends. So the people sidestepped Shard and left the room, but most of them nodded and smiled at him as they went. It was clear that the incident just now would be all over the party. After the guests had gone, Lecia then turned to the servants standing by the wall. With a slight shake of her head, Ms. Hers led the servants out first. Once everyone had left, only she and Shard were left in the room, aside from Angelina Cavendish who was still sitting on the sofa. The Little Princess had been holding a porcelain teacup, but as she saw her sister stand up from behind the desk and quickly stride toward Shard—who was now tucking the gun at his waist—she subconsciously set the teacup down on the coffee table and craned her neck to watch them. Lecia reached out with her right hand to lift Shard's bowed head. With her left arm, she wrapped it around him and then kissed him. "Oh~" The Little Princess said softly, blushing and staring wide-eyed at them. "What exactly is your relationship with each other?" It was a while before she picked up her teacup again, holding it sideways and asking in a low voice. Lecia pushed Shard away, panting heavily. She brushed back some loose strands of her red hair, the blush on her cheeks too vivid to be concealed by any rouge. Her breath was still a little uneven as she spoke, but her smile was unmistakable: "Shard saved me. It was a gesture of gratitude." None of the three in the room believed this, but Angelina didn't push the subject any further. "I wanted to do that last time." Lecia continued, smiling at Shard, her eyes bright as she looked at him closely: "After our hurried parting in the west, I've been wanting to thank you. I meant to kiss you on Saturday, but all that damn business got in the way. Now I've finally done it, and it feels rather nice indeed." "Sister Lecia, that last sentence should typically be said by the male character," The Little Princess promptly pointed out, but Lecia didn't respond to her sister. "Shard, Angelina doesn't want to marry someone she dislikes for political reasons, imposed by our father. So she sought my help. She's trustworthy, so it's alright that she witnessed what just happened." Lecia continued: "Sometimes I have to leave Tobesk. If you can't find me but run into trouble in the city, you can also ask Angelina for help. She is always at Yordle Palace, but her maid can come and go relatively freely. Later, I'll have her give you a way to contact her." "I don't really run into trouble in this city. It's peaceful here." Shard said, carefully wiping the lipstick from his lips with the back of his hand: "So Lecia, there was no trouble when you went upstairs earlier, right?" He was still worried about that matter. "No trouble. Now, sit down and let's talk. I know you're itching to play Roder Card, but I suppose delaying for an hour or two shouldn't matter." "Whether I play cards or not doesn't really matter." Shard said casually, and Lecia covered her mouth to giggle, while Angelina also seemed as though she wanted to say something. However, at that moment, there was a knock on the door.