Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1423: Counter-Curse and Disenchantment
Mr. Granger spoke briefly:
"Mr. Evans, you are responsible for sealing the entire building so that the sounds and lights of the battle do not affect areas outside this street, while also handling any possible assaults from outside. Professor Danester, Ms. Michelle, and I will enter from the first floor and proceed to the third floor via the stairs. Professor Stewart, please breach the rooftop into the third room on the east side in the fifth minute after we enter."
The four Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers nodded, while the rest of the church and academy personnel maintained a perimeter. Miss Danester was still worried about Shard, but she did not let him leave the street directly, instead having him stay with Professor Mason and Professor Lemar without wandering off.
Thus, as Mr. Granger pushed open the tightly shut door on the first floor of the Stonemason Guild, the operation officially commenced. The "Illusion Master" of the Peace Church, Mr. Chris Evans, after the three had entered, pressed his hand against the metal door, which was closed again. Then, like a soap bubble, a transparent film with a faint rainbow shimmer in the sunlight completely enveloped the huge stone building.
This top-tier illusion was not comparable to Shard’s "Red Butterfly Illusion" or the "Illusion of the Moon Shadow." Even Shard, at such close proximity, couldn’t see through to what was happening inside the "soap bubble."
Professor Stewart from Xerxes Higher Medical Academy meticulously calculated the time and arrived early on the rooftop of a commercial building opposite the Stonemason Guild. When he thought the time was right, he flew towards the guild, passing through the soap bubble as if entering a body of water, and entered the building from the rooftop.
The illusion covered up the changes happening inside the building, masking even elemental fluctuations completely.
In the seventh minute after the operation began, despite the illusion, people still saw the silver, desecrated glow emanating from a window on the west side of the third floor. Amidst a screeching sound similar to that made by Mia, a heavy object flew out from the illuminated window, falling not far from where Shard stood.
It was a stone head, a face Shard had seen before—one of the three stone statues of a child, a youth, and an elder carried by cultists last Tuesday, belonging to the youth. But now, only the head of the youth statue remained, and the face was clearly marked with gashes from sharp blades.
"Nobody get close!"
Mr. Chris Evans from the Peace Church immediately went over, but before he could seal it, the stone head melted directly into the soil. Mr. Evans then blasted the ground open, but the exploded pit bore no trace of the head.
If Shard remembered correctly, after last Tuesday’s battle, the heart of the child statue, which was voluntarily offered, also vanished post-battle.
In the end, the issue at the Randall Valley Stonemason Association concluded smoothly, thanks to the cooperation of the five Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers. The shattered youth statue was the cause of this massive petrification, but how this statue ended up on the third floor of the Stonemason Guild required further investigation.
Once the battle was confirmed to be over, the church finally sent people inside the guild to count the victims. Shard followed the two professors from Saint Byrons up to the third floor of the Stonemason Guild to meet Miss Danester.
More importantly, they saw Margaret, who was petrified.
The Princess maintained a posture as if holding a teacup, sitting motionlessly on the sofa. Prince William stood at the window, his mouth open as if speaking.
Because they were closest to the source of the incident, even though Margaret was a Five-Ring Sorcerer, she couldn’t react in time. Shard suppressed the urge to rush over and use the Holy Grail to make a "Universal Earth Elixir" and asked Miss Danester:
"Can she be restored?"
"Yes, she can be restored. The incident was sudden, and no one retains any memories. We can later explain it as ’cultists released a gas bomb to prevent reconciliation between the Royal Family and the Stonemason Guild.’ But the problem now is deciding how to proceed with the restoration."
Given that Margaret was technically with Xerxes, the professors from Xerxes were also quite concerned. Plus, with the prince and princess involved, the church had to take a stance. Thus, while the victim count was being tallied downstairs, a plan was devised upstairs to have a High Ring Sorcerer from the Sun Church use a counter-curse to directly resolve Margaret and Prince William’s malicious petrification state. As for the other victims downstairs, alternative solutions would have to be found later.
"However, since the specific nature of the Divine Arts used is unknown, there is a chance of failure when using the counter-curse against the malicious transformation spell."
As the church prepared, a more relaxed Miss Danester spoke to Shard again.
The earlier battle didn’t seem intense, as Shard didn’t observe any injuries or fatigue on the Thirteen-Ring Sorceress.
"What happens if it fails?"
Shard asked, somewhat nervously. Miss Danester pondered:
"Limbs may develop permanent abnormalities. But no need to worry, the church is always cautious, and certain unique relics, such as the rumored Sage-Level Relic [Saint’s Uncursing Stone] treasured by Zaras Literary Academy, can assist in lifting similar curses and transformation spells."
Shard knew about that; the ruby was always on Lecia’s ear.
"The local church must also have contained similar relics, so using them should help."
The issue for Shard, however, was to ensure that nothing went wrong with Margaret.
[Perhaps you could try something.]
As Shard contemplated testing his luck with "The Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny," "she" spoke softly.
"Try what?"
[Your Arcane Technique, Toy Making.]
"But in the current situation... could it be..."
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly and then said to his mentor:
"Miss Danester, may I give it a try?"
"Try what?"
The Female Sorceress asked curiously, noticing Shard’s intense gaze towards the stone statue on the sofa not far away, she finally understood:
"Do you have an Arcane Technique specifically for the Malicious Transformation Spell?"
"A similar Arcane Technique."
Shard replied concisely, and then glanced around while Professor Mason and Professor Lemar knowingly stepped aside:
"Actually, Her Highness Margaret... last winter when she visited Tobesk, she had met me."
"So..."
The red-haired Female Sorceress raised her eyebrows, and Shard cautiously looked around again before whispering a few words into Miss Danester’s ear.
As a result, a surprised expression appeared on the Librarian’s face, which quickly turned into a smile that she tried hard to suppress. She looked at Shard, sizing him up and down:
"Are you sure you’re not joking? Oh, you do seem quite impressive; I suppose young women might find a gentleman with your demeanor quite appealing, but, hmm... as far as I recall, rumor has it, you and that Grand Duchess... and your group’s Diviner..."
Her smile grew wider, and though curiosity bubbled within her to ask more, she managed to restrain herself:
"If that’s the case, give it a try. After all, you do seem indeed very anxious."
Normally, with Shard’s status, he wouldn’t be qualified to test his method in a setting with so many High Ring Sorcerers present. But thanks to Miss Danester’s influence, after some communication with the Church, Shard’s proposal was approved.
Shard didn’t need to prepare anything special. He simply tore off the floral curtains from the room’s window and covered Princess Margaret’s stone statue with the fabric.
After a moment, there was movement beneath the curtain. Then, the Princess lifted the curtain covering herself and looked warily and suspiciously at the dozen or so people in the room:
"This is..."
She immediately noticed Shard and traced his discreetly extended finger to the position by the window, where her brother’s stone statue was.
She tilted her head:
"Can someone explain this?"
She took a sip from the teacup she held, but frowned when she found the tea completely cold, placing the cup down without a single sign of tension from seeing so many strangers in the room.
"I see, instead of using a Counter-Curse for disenchantment, you used another high-level Transformation Spell of high mystery, which nullified the transformation evaluation and forcibly restored the normal human form."
Miss Danester understood the mechanism and also noticed Her Highness the Princess glancing at her student with a veiled, fervent expression. While inwardly marveling at how impressive the younger generation was, she didn’t forget to urge Shard to transform Prince William back as well.
Because Shard’s method of transformation was simpler, under Miss Danester’s arrangement, he managed to revert twenty people back to their original states before finally being granted a break due to his "breathlessness."
By this time, it was already dusk in the evening, but Shard did not leave immediately. Instead, he took a rest in a lounge on the third floor, considering his services might still be needed.
He had just settled on the sofa when a knock sounded at the door:
"Come in."
He said while pretending to breathe heavily with a hand over his chest. Since the association was full of people from the Church, he didn’t bother asking who was at the door. Yet, to his surprise, it was Margaret who walked in when the door opened.
The Maid closed the door from outside, and Her Highness the Princess quickly walked to Shard, embracing him suddenly.
"Oh!"
Shard was initially surprised, then returned the embrace to the golden-haired girl, though Margaret was evidently more emotionally stirred than Shard expected as, following the embrace, she kissed him. Her forcefulness pushed Shard to retreat until his legs bumped against the sofa, causing him to sit down. Margaret, not even removing her high heels, climbed onto the sofa too.
Shard couldn’t quite fully articulate Margaret’s feelings at that moment. A mix of fear, worry, and other complex emotions drove her to act so impulsively.
