Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The "Heaton Seal" is a very famous arcane technique of the Sun Church. Since the parchment could be carried by a High Ring Sorcerer of the Sun Church, the arcane technique is certainly not a simple matter.

Its naming is not based on the inventor. "Heaton" is a rune in an ancient language, meaning "immovable", "solid", "protection", and hence, the "Heaton Seal" is also known as the "Immovable Seal".

This kind of arcane technique, called a "Seal", mostly comes from the supernatural powers of the Fourth Epoch. The Fourth Epoch was a dark and terrifying era, with constant wars in the material world, cannibalistic exotic creatures rampant everywhere, and dark species enslaving people. Specifically, the "Seal" refers to making rune-like gestures with five fingers during casting. It was later improved during the Witch Age of the Fifth Era and then integrated into the system of ring mages in the Sixth Era.

This arcane technique can only be learned from 6 rings upwards. Spellcasting does not require spellcasting materials but requires the caster to hold a sword as the spellcasting medium. Both an actual sword, like the "Night Watchman", or a spiritual weapon, like the "Moonlight Greatsword", will work.

One hand inserts the sword into the ground at an angle not exceeding 30 degrees, while the other hand makes the seal gesture with the thumb and middle finger touching, the little finger bent, and the ring finger and index finger crossed.

After the spirit rune is activated, a circular golden shield will appear around the body. The shield can withstand almost any form of attack — naturally, fate attacks cannot be defended against. The strength of the "Immovable Seal" depends on the amount of spirit present. Moreover, if the spell is canceled at the moment of the attack, the broken metal shield will cause even stronger explosive damage to the enemy.

Counterattacking requires good timing, which necessitates repeated practice. The only drawback of this precious defensive arcane technique is that, during casting, one cannot attack the enemy and must remain still, waiting for the enemy to stop attacking to then cancel the seal and counterattack or use the opportune moment to shatter the shield and counterattack.

"But even so, it is still quite a good arcane technique and very useful for me."

Shard muttered to himself, looking down at the final learning requirements:

"'Sun', 'Power', 'Shield', 'Gold', these four spirit runes are needed, but they must be miracles or enlightenment, not whispers or desecration... 'Power'? Isn't that the last spirit rune of my Low Ring Ascension Words?"

Shard had already added the "Heaton Seal" to his learning list. His current arcane techniques covered almost all aspects, except for defensive techniques, and this filled that gap, allowing him to better adjust his spellcasting system after entering the Inner Ring.

After organizing his gains, at three in the afternoon, Shard took a carriage with his cat to Miss Galina's estate, where the witch was still waiting for Shard's story.

Some things could be told to Luviya, but not to Miss Galina. But at least this time, Shard confessed most of it, letting Miss Galina know that it wasn't Iluna who defeated Joey Barton in death, but him.

"Ha, I knew it must be you, otherwise, you wouldn't have had a reason to be there!"

Miss Galina, who had her suspicions confirmed, was very pleased. She twirled her red locks and listened to Shard's story from Wednesday night to Thursday morning. Afterward, she arranged for afternoon tea and told Shard more details about the aftermath of the Midshire Fort battle.

The interstice problem was essentially resolved, and Iluna brought news about the Chosen by Death, letting the church know this position belonged to the Spiritual Practice Order. Therefore, the most critical issue after the Milestone battle was not the next Chosen but the identity of the Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer "God Summoner" and the reason why two deities suddenly appeared and fought fiercely on Sicarl Mountain before abruptly leaving.

Some of the vampires involved in the God Summoning Ritual were, of course, captured by the church. But the problem was, most of them didn't know why the deity appeared in the form of a saint or why it left suddenly.

Though the Vampire God's recent descent only caused some destruction to trees and rocks without any significant damage, the church arrested those vampires on charges of "organizing illegal rituals" and "using contraband," and they would face the Inquisition's punishment.

Every descent of a deity in the material world is meticulously documented by scholars of the True God Church and the Magic Academy as part of the historical record. Shard was very curious how this event would be chronicled. After all, theoretically, no one but him, Grace, and Helen knew the whole truth this time.

Even if he spoke the truth, unless he deified himself to prove it, most people would probably refuse to believe it. The Vampire God's two-era-long scheme involved multiple deities, indirectly influencing many significant historical events, all ultimately for a cup of blood wine that failed to be obtained. Such a story would be too absurd for any rational person to accept.

"It is said that the church is discussing setting last Wednesday as a special day for Midshire Fort. Countless souls left the boundary of life and death under the guidance of deities, which is undoubtedly memorable."

The witch, sampling the afternoon tea, said this, effectively concluding the matter.

As for how Helen and Grace's serious injuries were concealed, with the help of Granny Cassandra and Sister Delphine, the two little red butterflies' actions that night didn't draw much attention. Besides those from the Cassandra Auction House, no one even knew of their existence.

"By the way, isn't the 'Night Watchman' your sword? Why does the church believe it belongs to the 'God Summoner'?"

At four in the afternoon, even during the late autumn, the sun had not yet set. Shard and Miss Galina were sitting at a round table on the terrace on the third floor of the estate, with a teapot and small snacks laid out on the table.

Mia was sleeping soundly on Shard's lap. As Shard lamented the cooling weather, he suddenly heard the witch's question and instantly replied:

"Because it was hard to explain exactly who gave the 'Night Watchman' to Iluna, so she just regarded me as the God Summoner."

"But according to my information, the 'God Summoner' who appeared at the Interstice Chapel indeed held the 'Night Watchman'."

The witch asked again.

"Oh, that was the church's mistake. In the Interstice, they thought I was the God Summoner and believed I was deliberately suppressing my power, but in reality, I am truly just a Three Ring Sorcerer. As for the God Summoner..."

Tifa poured fresh tea into Shard's teacup from the side. Shard softly thanked her, and the black-haired maid smiled at him. Catching the scent of Tifa's perfume again, Shard remembered the breakfast incident from Friday and kept his expression controlled:

"I guess the God Summoner has actually been waiting on the Sicarl Mountain in the real world since Wednesday evening, waiting for that vampiric Earl's Godfall."

People always avoid directly mentioning the deity's name, so "vampiric Earl" could stand for the Blood God.

"Is that so? It does make sense. But from the church's description, your performance in the Interstice was quite impressive. The power you displayed was at least that of a soon-to-be Inner Ring Sorcerer."

The witch continued, seeing no flaw in Shard's explanation. As Tifa, standing next to Shard, handed him a napkin, she smiled and said:

"Speaking of which, when Tifa came back this morning, she didn't come to see me right away but went to change her clothes. I suspect there's a story behind this."

"Miss, when I was serving Mr. Hamilton breakfast this morning, I accidentally spilled some on my apron."

Tifa explained softly. Of course, she was lying; the spill was in the wrong place and it was only steaming eggs.

"Is that so?"

The witch's fingers unconsciously tapped the table, and her gaze lingered on Tifa's chest before she suddenly asked:

"Shard, was breakfast satisfactory?"

"Hmm?"

Lost in the morning's memories, Shard tried his best to control his expression, but his face quickly reddened:

"Satisfied, very satisfied."

Miss Galina shook her head with a smile:

"A young knight and a blooming maid, mutually affectionate but hindered by the presence of a beautiful mistress, finding simple solace without being able to release the flames in their hearts. Even when sitting face-to-face with the mistress, they can only communicate their unfulfilled desires through sneaky glances, all the while trying hard to please their true love, enduring the torment of their raging desires for both ladies... Tsk, tsk, it's a plot I just thought of for a knight novel. Isn't it quite good?"

She was definitely not talking about a novel's plot; otherwise, Shard would be very interested in reading that book.

[How about calling it "The Tale of the Detective Knight"? Featuring an Outlander burdened with the great sin of "Licentiousness"~]

"She" asked with a laugh, seemingly in a good mood.

Dinner at the estate was around seven o'clock, and there was still a lot of time before dinner. They didn't discuss Midshire Fort any further. Miss Galina suggested going out for a walk since the weather was nice. So, they took Shard and the maids on a horse ride around the nearby farms, introducing Shard to the daily earnings of this estate outside the city.

Later, under the intense autumn sunset, the red-haired witch suggested a horse race with Shard. The accompanying servants, even Tifa holding Mia, could not join in. It was just Shard and her, racing along the country path from Little Hangleton Village back to the estate's main gate.

The sound of hoofbeats was urgent. Needless to say, Shard lost. Even though Miss Galina deliberately controlled her speed, her equestrian skills, honed from a young age, were no match for Shard's.

But as he strained to ride his horse, chasing after the witch, watching the sunset glow envelop the country path, seeing Miss Galina's figure gallop toward the setting sun, that scene, with its painting-like quality, was enough to portray the most perfect ending to this otherwise "lifeless" autumn.

The estate had a room specifically prepared for Shard, complete with fresh clothes and daily necessities. Shard thought there would be nothing more that night, but after dinner, while chatting with Miss Galina in the study about the dessert they had, Red Sun Fruits brought from Carsonrick, a knock came at the door.

Tifa went to open the door, and the maid outside whispered something to her. Tifa then returned to the sofa:

"Miss, Her Highness has arrived."

After speaking, she glanced at Shard. Shard assumed Miss Galina had some official business to attend to. He picked up the cat to leave, but the Duchess told him to sit down:

"Let her come in directly. Arrange for the accompanying ladies-in-waiting to stay on the first floor, and the personal servants can come along."

After Tifa softly responded and left the room, Shard asked in astonishment:

"Who's coming? Is it okay for me to be seen here?"

"Shard, what are you talking about? Right now, half, no, four-fifths of Tobesk City is spreading rumors that you're my lover. Do you really think your presence in my manor would make any difference to the rumors?"

Miss Galina laughed as she said this, then stood up and moved from sitting across the coffee table from Shard to sitting on his left side.

Mia, who was lying on Shard's right side, felt the sofa shake slightly, raised her small head to look around, then lay back down again.

She had eaten a big dinner, so she needed to rest a bit to digest her food, in order to be ready for Shard's midnight snack time.

Shard still wanted to ask who had come, but the nearby Witch asked instead:

"You spent the whole night running around Midshire Fort, surely you didn't come back empty-handed, did you? Come on, show me what new abilities you've gained."

Seeing her request, Shard did not refuse. He raised his right hand, palm down, and slightly curled his five fingers. With some red shadows flickering over his hand, in a short while, a crimson butterfly appeared on the back of his hand.

The butterfly flapped its wings slightly, very steady as it perched there. Shard gently shook his palm, and it flew over towards the Witch. When Miss Galina extended her right index finger, the red butterfly landed on her finger. The Witch revealed a smile more radiant than the butterfly:

"Very nice."

Compared to the now ineffective [Illusion of the Moon Shadow]used to awaken Miss Fiona Drago, the sorcery [Red Butterfly Illusion] was somewhat different. The latter drew strength from Silvermoon, focusing more on silencing sounds and hiding forms at night, while [Red Butterfly Illusion] could be used anytime and was oriented toward creating various magical illusions.

Although both are illusions, their similarities are actually minimal.

As Shard was thinking, the library door opened. But it wasn't Tifa who walked in first; it was a red-haired, fiercely imposing Her Highness the Princess.

Lecia Cavendish, wearing an elaborate princess gown, looked like she was attending an important business event. Her high heels made dull sounds on the carpet, and as she entered and was about to speak, she immediately noticed Shard and Miss Galina sitting closely on the sofa, as well as their intimate gestures.

She took a deep breath, and for a moment, Shard thought she was holding the [Higgs Dragonhead Stone] and they were both dragons.

Luckily, there was no dragon roar at this moment, as the Cavendish family is purely human:

"Good evening, Shard."

This sentence carried a very gentle tone.

"Auntie, did you call me here tonight just for this? To see Shard appear in your manor so late?"

This sentence was full of suppressed anger.

Shard noticed that Lecia used "Auntie" for addressing her, but usually, she called her "Miss Galina."

"Of course not. Didn't you recently obtain the logistics management rights of the New World Frontier Legion? The County of Saradiel plans to purchase aromatic flowers from the New World long-term as alternative spices, so I wanted to discuss business with you."

The red butterfly on the Witch's fingertip disappeared, and she gestured for Lecia to sit down:

"So, I called you here. But since it's already so late, I think it's better you don't go back to Yordle Palace tonight. You can stay here. By the way, since I returned to Tobesk City this time, you haven't stayed over at my place yet."

Lecia, calming herself, walked to the sofa and sat across from Shard, first smiling and nodding at her before turning serious and asking Miss Galina:

"If it's such an important matter, why summon me at this hour? Why not during the day?"

"In the morning, I had an appointment with my personal tailor to discuss winter outfits. I wanted to order a few new dresses since I don't plan on returning to the County of Saradiel this winter. In the afternoon, I discussed some...private matters and riding techniques with Shard. Yes, riding. I also had dinner with the knight. So, I was busy during the day."

The Witch laughed as she spoke and signaled Tifa to pour tea for Lecia:

"Lecia, you're a grown woman now. What? Still don't want to spend the night away from home? Oh, it's very safe here, and the bedroom is quite comfortable."

"No problem spending the night here."

Lecia looked at Shard again:

"Why is he here?"

"Lecia, have you forgotten your royal manners? He's my guest, be polite. And I've already mentioned, it's private business."

Judging from her expression, the Duchess was genuinely happy at this moment as she asked again:

"I heard that Shard is also your friend? Meeting him here should make you happy, right?"

Shard was worried that Lecia might start a fight with Miss Galina. Given the current situation, it was a very real possibility.

"Oh, ladies, may I say something?"

So, for Lecia's safety, as well as his and Mia's, Shard spoke up:

"Lecia, I'm here to discuss matters regarding Midshire Fort with Miss Galina, and I was there all Wednesday."

The Princess's face changed, but seeing that Shard didn't seem to be injured, she relaxed a bit:

"I knew it, you'd definitely go to Midshire Fort for some inexplicable reason."

"Moreover, I'll also be staying here tonight. I'm sleeping in the guest room on the third floor. Don't worry, it's just me and Mia in the room."

Shard picked up the cat next to him. The cat, Mia, stretched her body as she was lifted and then squinted at the familiar human. She softly meowed once to greet Lecia.

"Since you have things to discuss, I'll step out for now. But if you have time later tonight, I want to talk to you about something very important."

Shard said, then stood up.

Miss Galina said:

"But Lecia, you can't spend the night in Shard's room. If my nephew finds out that his daughter spent the night in her aunt's house and shared a bed with her aunt's lover, Diana surely won't invite me to her next tea party."

But this remark didn't anger Lecia. The Princess lifted her teacup with a reserved smile and even remembered to thank Tifa:

"If I wanted to stay in Shard's room, I wouldn't wait until now... Detective, what's that glowing on you?"

"Hmm?"

Shard looked down to see a light coming from inside his outer pocket. He unbuttoned it to find the manuscript page used to communicate with the Academy glowing.

Unfolding it, a new roll of parchment was transmitted over. After reading the text, Shard said in surprise:

"Miss Danester needs me. She wants me to project to the Academy Library using a ritual as soon as possible."

"Danester? That Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer?"

Miss Galina was quite surprised:

"Aren't you just a correspondence student at Saint Byrons? How come you know the Academy's librarian? Since it's a projection ritual, Tifa, help Shard prepare. Don't delay the matter."

Shard said goodbye to the two ladies and then hurriedly followed Tifa out of the library.

Miss Galina watched Shard's departing back and suddenly asked:

"Lecia, what do you think of Shard?"