Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"I can't find it directly now. I'm a character in the story, lacking subjective initiative. Moreover, if I open the cabinet or lift the bed directly to confront those thieves, it will choose to flee. In the face of strong opposition, even if I can utilize my power, I may not be able to catch it."

[So what do you want to do?]

"I want it to take the initiative to find me, and then I'll launch a shameless ambush."

"She" chuckled softly, without asking Shard how he would do it.

Shard tore out that page from the notebook, then tore it into three parts, each with a name written on it.

He stood up from the sofa and said exaggeratively:

"Oh, it seems I need to seek help from the police officers. Staying in a house that's been burgled is indeed too dangerous."

As he spoke, he waved his right hand toward the doorway, and the three notes silently flew to the staircase. Dr. Schneider didn't even use sorcery; the Six Rings Warlock's formidable spiritual power directly guided the three notes over. He saw the names on the folded notes and distributed them. After viewing them, the three individuals each initiated action.

"I need to change clothes in the bedroom first; it's too cold tonight."

Saying this, Shard entered his main bedroom and closed the door.

The living room lit by a gas lamp returned to silence, while the sound of a closet opening echoed in the bedroom. This was followed by the clatter of hangers colliding and the dull thud of clothes being tossed onto the bed.

The kitchen cabinet silently opened, and a short man of average build clad in a black trench coat emerged without a sound. He wore a hat, and his face was masked in shadow regardless of the angle. Upon landing, he listened intently, confirming that the house owner was still changing clothes in the bedroom. He then picked up Shard's antique knight sword, glanced briefly at the closed bedroom door, and held his breath as he exited the room.

He entered the second-floor corridor, choosing not to descend via the stairs but to head toward the third floor, evidently deeming escape through the front door unsafe. But he abruptly stopped just after setting foot on the fifth stair. He lifted his head and clearly saw an old man with charred wings extended standing in the shadows on the landing of the stairs leading to the third floor.

"Thief Jack," though he becomes stronger when faced with a challenge, has his limits. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been pulled into the story by the Angel-Level Relic, "Dice Story Collection." When encountering formidable foes, he often prefers to flee rather than attack. Thus, upon sighting Priest Augustus, he turned and escaped back to the second floor.

He still chose not to flee to the first floor but attempted to head toward room two on the second floor. Yet, barely stepping past room one, he saw a man standing at the end of the corridor, hands clasped behind him. Dr. Schneider stood on the boundary between light and shadow, his face partially illuminated by the gas lamp, eyes glowing with a peculiar crimson light.

Darkness writhed behind the doctor, as if something more terrifying lurked within its dense folds. "Thief Jack" turned again, unable to move on the second floor or ascend to the third floor, finally opting to go toward the first floor.

The descent down the stairs was soundless, but there were still people on the descending staircase.

Lecia's Ring of Fate rotated behind her, the Matchstick Girl standing on her left, and the Sleeping Princess holding a spindle standing on her right.

Mia perched on the shoulder of the blonde maiden, and the Princess held the "Night Watchman" with both hands, watching the bizarre humanoid being descending the stairs as if facing a great enemy.

Though she had anticipated the terror of the Sage-Level Humanoid Relic, when faced with something that appeared human but intuition insisted was definitely not, Lecia took a cautious step back.

The Night Watchman in her hand didn't glow, proving the entity couldn't be deemed an evil being. Lecia bit her lip and pointed her sword at it, trying to force it back to the second floor.

But unlike before when Priest Augustus and Dr. Schneider directly forced it back, this time the thief didn't immediately turn but hesitated at the top of the stairs.

"Indeed, I must show strength to drive it back."

With Shard's cat on her shoulders, the Princess from the House of Cavendish prepared to confront the Angel-Level Humanoid Relic head-on. The flowing spirit made the summoned fairy tale figures around her more solid. She stepped up one stair, and the Angel-Level Relic in her hand forced the Sage-Level Relic to retreat by a stair, yet it still refused to turn and return to the second floor.

Just then, Lecia vaguely heard footsteps behind her. Before she could turn to confirm who had arrived, a hand reached from behind and joined hers to grasp the "Night Watchman":

"[My heart is clear, the sword slashes demons]."

The standard Fourth Era common language was uttered by Luviya. The purple-eyed girl with short, brown shoulder-length hair arrived beside Lecia. Silvery swordlight emitted a glimmer on the surface of that silver sword, and runes on the sword blade lit up in a bright yellow hue.

Luviya stood alongside Lecia, and with the fierce glimmer seeming to slash upwards, "Thief Jack" was finally forced back to the second floor.

"Luviya, you... Oh, thanks. I wasn't in the best state, otherwise, I could have done it myself."

The Princess dismissed the Sleeping Princess and Matchstick Girl, gasping heavily and supported by Luviya. The Female Diviner glanced at Mia on her shoulder:

"Don't force it. What did you do earlier? Why are you so drained of spiritual power? I have a magic potion here... Besides, do you really need to thank me? In this house, we can count as sisters."

Lecia's face reddened, her thoughts unknown. She accepted the mint-flavored magic potion, sipping it, while Luviya continued:

"Has Shard finished this matter yet? I waited quite a while at the Prophet's Society, so I came over."

She walked upstairs with the blonde maiden, encountering Priest Augustus and Dr. Schneider coming from upstairs and down the corridor.

The Old Cleric and middle-aged doctor were surprised by Luviya's appearance but then realized it wasn't overly surprising, given theoretically, no one should have been here tonight.

Thief Jack, in a black trench coat, initially stood at room one's doorway, but upon seeing the four surround him, decisively retreated back to room one on the second floor, his footsteps remaining silent.

But when it re-entered the room and turned to look at the window, what greeted it was a fist and an angry rebuke:

"Oh, you damned thief! How dare you show up!"

[Mortal Luck] Shard Hamilton, entering the final stage of the battle.

"[Mortal Luck] Shard Hamilton returned home, and immediately keenly discovered the theft at his house. Roll the dice to determine if the stolen item is discovered. If the points exceed 90, a 20-point bonus is obtained for any judgment related to [Thief Jack] in the subsequent process."

"I must declare!"

The Prophet's Society, under the light, Iluna looked at the parchment in her hand:

"Due to Hamilton's trait [Home Sweet Home], any judgment made at No. 6, Saint Delan Square, receives a 1.2 times multiplier on the total value."

The people around all took a breath, and thus thought of the rumors about that house.

Clink~

Iluna read out the numbers:

"55 points. Symbol points bonus 20 points..."

Since at this time it enjoyed a 1.2 multiplier, it was still eight points short. Iluna's eyes swiftly glanced over the content on the parchment, and after Shard returned to No. 6, Saint Delan Square, the information in her hand increased by half. For example, the trait "Home Sweet Home" only appeared after Shard entered the house. The seventeen-year-old girl thus understood what Luviya often said, about Shard's obsession with that house:

"Special Scene Bonus – Hamilton Detective Office, providing an additional inspiration bonus of 20 points due to detective-like work. Total points 95×1.2=132."

Although they knew that such a simple judgment could not possibly fail, people still breathed a sigh of relief. After all, someone had just rolled three 1's consecutively, which shows that anything is possible in this story.

"The returning detective keenly discovered the stolen item was Rejed's Hamilton's Knight's Award Sword. Although the detective was angry about being robbed, this anger did not make him more perceptive to find the top-notch criminal hiding at home. What will Shard Hamilton do next?"

Iluna frowned and thought for a moment:

"Do not give instructions, let him act randomly according to his own thoughts."

After saying this, she was worried about being suspected, so she added:

"That thief must be in the house, but with Hamilton's reconnaissance, he cannot find him. Rather than giving him ineffective instructions, it's better to wait for the thief to take action on his own. I don't believe he can hide for the whole night."

After saying this, she waited for a moment and did not hear any doubts from her companions behind, so she sighed in relief. The voice in the dark continued to narrate the story of the detective and the thief, and this story was about to reach its end:

"Glancing around and pacing back and forth, suppressing his panic, guilt, anger, and unease, [Mortal Luck] Shard Hamilton could not comprehend his misfortune and was more infuriated by the loss of the precious symbol of his identity. He suppressed his inner thoughts, sat on the sofa attempting to calm himself, and after some writing and drawing, finally decided to go to Riddlevitch Field to report the burglary himself."

Everyone watched the tabletop scene. After Shard entered No. 6, Saint Delan Square, the original large area layout disappeared, now the tabletop was stacked with building blocks into the appearance of Shard's home.

"The detective entered the bedroom and closed the door behind him, which increased his sense of security. Conduct an additional luck judgment, if above 350 points, then detect the sound of the thief walking in the living room."

Clink~

"Judgment successful, the detective changing clothes sharply perceived the footsteps outside the door. He decided to walk out of the bedroom to take a look, note, since the gun holster was left on the desk, this weapon cannot be used in the following segments."

There was a sigh from behind Iluna, but the seventeen-year-old girl knew that this was Shard deliberately not taking it.

"The night was slightly cold, and panic occupied the young detective's heart. He did not know if the faint footsteps outside were just his illusion or the criminal who had not yet left, and at this moment, the bizarre and sinister monster images heard long ago, said to roam the city in the winter nights, seemed to flash just beyond that door."

Iluna thought this psychological description was quite amusing.

"He reached out his hand, pushed open the bedroom door, and the familiar and warm house now appeared extremely bizarre. Even though the gas lamp's light shone here, he still struggled to convince himself that everything was very normal when he took the first step."

"Did he discover Thief Jack? Should there be a judgment?"

Iluna asked, and the raspy voice narrating the story responded:

"Shard Hamilton came to the living room, checking around the fact that there were no clues at all. He found nothing, then carefully moved to the entrance of the first room on the second floor."

The voice paused slightly, then immediately said:

"Shard Hamilton encounters [Thief Jack] face-to-face, the battle begins."

Almost everyone held their breath except for Iluna, who let out a long sigh. The story had finally reached its conclusion.