Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1435: Warning from the Past

"I won’t bring those last two stones to the table, as they’re not very clean anyway. One of those stones is also part of the sealing, and the other was left by a Circle Sorcerer from back then, documenting the whole event on a stele. Sadly, now only a part of the stone tablet remains, and even less information can be deciphered."

Shard said regretfully.

"What does it say on it?"

Miss Lathis asked curiously.

"A warning, the demon I have to deal with resembles a mirror, at least in the eyes of humans. Therefore, aside from its bizarre contract abilities, manipulative plots, and inherent combat power, it is very adept at hiding itself, transforming into any creature or inanimate object it reflects."

Shard said:

"So, that stele warns future generations that if the demon breaks free and they want to capture it again, they must pay attention to this hiding capability."

"Is there a way to break this ability? For example, some special relics?"

Miss Benanis asked, to which Shard shook his head:

"These are all that’s left of the stele that can be found. I searched through the mud for a long time without finding other parts. Moreover, it’s too late to search for relics now. Fortunately, my friend in Tobesk gave me a bottle of special eye potion to help enhance my tracking capabilities."

"Have you considered that perhaps everything, from encountering that maid yesterday afternoon, was a trap set by the demon for you?"

Miss Galina asked again, Shard shook his head and cut off a small piece of sausage for Mia:

"I’ve thought about it, so after I returned last night, I visited a ’demon expert.’ He and I analyzed it and thought that what the maid said is most likely true."

As he spoke, he put down the ring and then asked Iluna:

"Giving this to you, do you want it?"

The table suddenly quieted down, with all the ladies looking at Shard in surprise. Iluna was equally surprised, looking around at the glances, then softly asked:

"Giving me... a ring?"

"I already have one, so there’s no use for a second one. The fate of The Chosen One means you’ll encounter the demon someday too, so isn’t it appropriate to leave it with you?"

"I see..."

Thus, the table returned to laughter and chatter, with Shard looking at the witches in wonder, not quite understanding why they were so focused on this matter.

"Then leave it with me for now."

Iluna nodded, extending her hand, pretending to say casually:

"You help me put it on..."

"Ahem."

Miss Galina coughed, so the seventeen-year-old girl reluctantly took the ring from Shard’s hand, then noticed Miss Rita Swift chuckling, while Miss Haley Aflora was staring at the bacon, seemingly studying the artistry of breakfast.

"Speaking of which, is anyone else besides me attending Margaret’s banquet tonight?"

Shard asked curiously again.

"I’m going, as well as Ciris and Sylvia."

Miss Benanis said:

"I’m a baron, so I have some local fame."

She was simply too modest.

"Although Sylvia is traveling privately, she’s still the princess’s family teacher and personal doctor, so she also received an invitation."

"I received an invitation too, but I declined."

Miss Aphrola said:

"Tonight, Galina and I will take a trip to the Night Shrine you mentioned. Since we can’t rule out the possibility that it’s the location for the Chosen One ceremony, we’ll go ahead and scout the terrain. After we return, I’ll meet with Sister Delphine, and then report the situation to the Speaker in the Council."

"I came here in secret; the banquet and such are irrelevant to me."

The Baroness from the Northern Country said, while Miss Haley Aflora, Tifa, and Miss Rita Swift all had their own tasks, so they wouldn’t be attending either. Haley was to replace Miss Aphrola to sign a business deal with the local Chamber of Commerce, Tifa was accompanying the Grand Witch to the Night Shrine, and Miss Swift was waiting for contact with Granny Cassandra and needed to go to the black market to retrieve the information the witches spent a high price to gather recently.

As for Iluna—

"I can go, or I can stay. Her Highness the Princess gave the local church a few anonymous invitation letters, but you know, everyone is very busy these days. So, apart from a few ordinary clergy members who will attend to maintain relations with the Royal Family, the other invitation letters are useless... Oh, the Peace Church sent two teams to the estate to prevent the cultists from causing any trouble again."

Iluna glanced sideways at Shard:

"So, do you need me to go?"

"You should just rest well. Even if you go, we’re afraid we won’t be able to meet."

Iluna nodded regretfully:

"You’re right, then I’ll stay at the church. Enjoy yourself tonight, Shard. But, try not to stay too late at the banquet. We still have to deal with the demon matter tomorrow night."

The evening banquet arrived as scheduled, with the location still being the estate where Margaret was staying.

Since there wasn’t much to do today, Shard arrived early at the estate at six o’clock on this Thursday evening. He didn’t bring a companion, as neither Miss Sylvia nor Miss Benanis should have any contact with his identity.

This wasn’t the kind of wedding banquet held purely for enjoyment; due to the recent chaos on Stonemason Street and the attack on Margaret and Prince William at the Stonemason Guild, most local nobles understood the purpose of this banquet. Therefore, the guests arriving at the banquet mostly entered with serious expressions, whispering with companions or acquaintances, lending a somewhat solemn air to the event right from the start.

The brightly lit banquet hall was soon filled with well-dressed men and women. Despite most people knowing the purpose of the banquet, the tense atmosphere quickly eased with the band’s violin tunes flowing like waves under the lights. The glasses and silverware on the tables reflected the gas lamp’s glow, while ladies’ gold and silver jewelry shone brightly in the banquet hall.

Margaret and Prince William did not appear immediately in the banquet hall. Instead, it was the manor’s butler, along with the Royal Attendant accompanying the Prince and Princess on their visit, receiving guests at the door.

Shard knew that Margaret and her brother were likely having final negotiations with the representatives of the Stonemason Guild regarding the joint speech to be delivered later at the banquet. So, he didn’t seek out Margaret, nor did he approach Miss Benanis or Miss Sylvia. He merely watched from afar as the two Grand Witches chatted and laughed with local noble ladies on the sofa, while Miss Lathis was nowhere to be seen.

He once again came to the window where he previously spoke with Mr. Enriques, holding a wine glass and squinting, watching the people behind him reflected in the glass:

"What a quiet night it is."

The red wine in Shard’s glass was gently swirled, creating a subtle vortex on the surface. Seeing him in such a stance, people nearby knew he didn’t want to chat with strangers, so no one approached him.

While Shard was looking at the reflection in the window, he unexpectedly saw the figure of Ston Osenfort flash by in the shadows of the garden outside.

He had inquired with Margaret, and her original intention was to invite local nobles to this banquet, not someone like Osenfort, who only had a merchant’s status. However, Prince William, who had quite a good relationship with Osenfort, had given him an invitation, so seeing Osenfort’s figure was quite normal:

"What’s he up to again?"

It was now seven o’clock in the evening, with about an hour and a half until the scheduled time for the public speech. So, Shard planned to go outside and take a look, as he didn’t believe Ston Osenfort would dare fight him here.

Thus, holding his wine glass, Shard maneuvered past reporters selecting suitable photography spots in the banquet hall, past the group playing Roder Cards by the table on the right side of the door, and slipped out of the banquet hall entrance, then walked through the corridor to the outdoors.

The night in Randall Valley in March, though still with a biting chill, was much milder than the true winter cold. For reasons unknown, only a few gas lamps were lit in the estate garden today.

Shard thus walked through the darkness, quickly arriving at the spot where he had just seen Osenfort. He even glanced at the window where he stood a few minutes ago and was pleased to see that no one had yet taken his place.

"But where is he?"

Shard didn’t have the peculiar ability to track people by their footprints, but it was fortunate that even with a large estate, the garden’s area was ultimately limited. Moreover, most guests were indoors, waiting for the Anjou Family’s offspring to negotiate with the Stonemason Guild, so there was no one outside.

Shard relaxed, closed his eyes, listened carefully, then swirled the red wine in his glass again and walked toward the stable in the southeast corner of the estate.

Though many guests came today, no one rode a horse, so the stable only housed the estate’s own horses. The groom wasn’t there, nor were any gas lamps lit near the stable.

When Shard walked along the pathway through the evergreen shrubs, he only saw the faint light of a kerosene lamp leaking through the stable door’s crack.

He peeked through the door crack and saw Ston Osenfort standing in the middle of the stable, holding a pitchfork. On the ground lay a fat middle-aged man, one hand supporting his body against the ground, the other shielding himself defensively. The latter was continuously crawling on the ground towards the door.

Both were dressed in proper evening attire, but the fat man was in a modern black formal dress, while Osenfort wore a robe with some Randall Valley regional characteristics. A careful sniff in the mixture of feed and manure smells in the air even revealed the scent of spilled red wine.