Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1525: Ailena

"Hmm?"

Up until this moment, the ladies still hadn’t realized what Shard was doing.

And so, they saw a silver arc of light appear at Shard’s fingertips. He frowned slightly, listening intently to the guidance of the force she provided, then pressed his finger against his skin. With a gentle downward swipe, it was quite clean and crisp, as blood and flesh parted to the sides, blood splattering onto the table, staining his clothes, and shocking everyone.

Even the Twelfth Rank Grand Witch couldn’t immediately react to what Shard had done. It wasn’t until she saw Shard point his hand toward his own chest, pointing at his fervent heart, that she widened her eyes and instinctively leaned back into her chair.

"Although it hurts, it’s bearable. If my heart were to be pierced in battle, it wouldn’t affect my combat effectiveness."

Shard thought to himself, quite satisfied with the test result of the Arcane Technique "Heart of Stone." He looked at the Duchess in front of him, who was shocked and somewhat terrified, and then reached out and poked his heart, causing his mouth to twitch in pain:

"Please allow me to offer you my heart. May I ask, Duke Galina, do you wish to have it now?"

"What?"

The Witch instinctively asked. If she had seen such a scene on the battlefield, she wouldn’t even blink, but facing someone familiar doing this right in front of her, no matter how decisive and skilled, one would inevitably be taken aback.

"Miss!"

The loyal Head Maid behind her reminded, only then did Miss Galina react:

"Oh, my God! Shard, what have you done? Hurry, stop the bleeding! Are you mad?"

In a fluster, Shard smeared soil from the flowerpot on the windowsill onto the cut, and the sorcery "Active Soil" easily healed the wound. Then he asked for a glass of water, treated it with "Satiety Food," and poured the liquid emanating a desecrating Silver Light over the wound, making even the scar disappear.

"Very good, quite nice."

After the panic, the Duchess behind the desk held her forehead, looking quite frightened... indeed, she was frightened:

"Though those knights in stories eager for glory never hesitate to sacrifice themselves to princesses, queens, or other beautiful female characters, we don’t have to do that."

"Hmm... because everything today seems too much like a scene from a knight’s tale."

Shard said, and Miss Galina nodded with her eyes closed:

"Your task is complete, but I think I need to rest for a bit; this was too stimulating for me. Tifa, you take my place and go get Rejed’s Hamilton’s reward; I stand by my word. Knight, you wait here; after such an extraordinary adventure, you should rest a bit."

Hearing her say this, Shard knew things weren’t over yet. So he sat down on the sofa in the study, looking around for his cat.

Half of the maids left with Miss Galina, and the other half left with Tifa to get Shard’s reward.

But after quite some time, when the black-haired Miss Maid returned, she had nothing in her hands.

She regretfully said to Shard:

"Knight, you may need to get that gift yourself. After all, it is a treasure uniquely yours."

Shard nodded and got up, following Tifa out of the room. He followed Miss Maid up to the third floor, and strangely enough, encountered no one along the way, as if the mansion had completely emptied in those brief minutes.

Arriving on the third floor, Tifa headed toward the manor’s master bedroom. Shard subconsciously slowed his pace, but Miss Maid, who had long guessed he would do this, turned her head to say again:

"Isn’t it reasonable for the Baroness’s most precious treasure to be in the bedroom?"

"If I remember correctly, you said the same thing last time when you were getting me Magic Potion."

Shard pointed out, and then saw Tifa wink at him:

"Shard, do you really not know what we’re meant to do?"

Shard looked at the closed door—if he hadn’t realized it before coming to the manor, he certainly did now.

"You’re hesitating."

Tifa said and gave Shard no chance to interject, her black eyes watching him:

"Think carefully, Shard, since she has already made up her mind, are you the one hesitant, unwilling to move forward?"

Not allowing Shard any opportunity to speak, she directly took his hand and continued forward. Unforced, as she sensed no opposing force.

Following Tifa into the master bedroom, Shard found the curtains tightly closed, but red satin draping the entire room, making it like a maze of silk. None of the gas lamps inside were lit, with the light provided by short red candles on the floor, raising his concerns about fire safety.

The specially-made candles burned with a peculiar fragrance, and the incense on the table by the wall intensified the atmosphere of the pink maze-like room, making it hard to breathe.

With a smile, Tifa led Shard through layers of red curtains and past rows of red candles amidst the increasingly intense scent. Finally, they arrived at the bed. The soft bed was surrounded by thin gauze curtains, through which the silhouette of a captivating figure lying on her side was visible.

"Knight, you see, your reward is right here."

Tifa said with a laugh.

"Hmm..."

"I can’t tell if you’re really oblivious or just pretending to be."

The Duchess in her vivid red dress gestured to her close maid, who smiled and stepped back, then left the room and closed the door.

Galina Cavendish looked at the man standing by the bed, her golden eyes shining brightly at this moment:

"Is there anything in this manor more precious than myself? I thought you would have realized what this reward was this morning."

She sat up, pulling apart the sheer gauze, seeing Shard standing amid the background of red fabric and scattered candles.

She saw the expression on that face she’d hoped for, but also a somber look, like an angel judging a mortal, which should not appear at this moment:

"I hope you can comprehend this, rather than because of what others have done."

Shard rarely showed such a serious expression before her, yet in this momentary ambiance, instead of angering her, it made her feel as if a flame was burning in her chest.

Her face flushed, and the temperature on her cheeks rose, particularly in thinking of the young man before her, who was a true "God’s Favored One," having once borne the Sacred Silver Moon’s Old God’s power:

"I understand your meaning, but this is merely my own thought. I used to have many concerns, yes, many."

Her golden gaze held Shard’s eyes, she could see Shard’s thoughts there:

"But in the current situation, if I don’t take action, even Angelina might mock me one day."

"What does this have to do with Princess Angelina..."

"Don’t interrupt me, Shard."

Her voice was gentle, and her eyes were even more tender with emotion. It seemed a bit too warm here. Though Shard tried to maintain his composure, he still felt his heavy breathing.

"Originally, I still couldn’t make up my mind, so I chose to let destiny decide if this was the right thing to do. I give you five trials, and if you can accomplish them, it means fate permits me to do this."

Shard opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

"Tifa and the others know me well; she probably gave you hints. You only need to complete three, and I’ll consider it done. The Holy Grail consumes time, which shows whether you take this matter seriously; the Crown tests your skills as a Circle Sorcerer, examining if you are wise enough to understand and use power; your heart represents your feelings for me..."

This was her most genuine thought, and as the curtain was fully pulled back, Shard saw her attire at that moment. The red dress was actually a thin nightgown. Because of her sitting posture, the thin stockings clung to her legs like a second skin:

"As for the Fountain of Never-ending Wine, it’s a childhood dream of mine. Dreams also include ’Extinguished Fire’ and ’Unicorn’, but I know you have those."

Fire refers to the "Fire of the Primordial," and Shard could borrow a unicorn from the Academy.

"And the Philosopher’s Stone is what I believe to be an impossible treasure, even for you. So, you only need to bring three items to pass my test.

The Crown represents power, the wine represents dreams, the Holy Grail represents sanctity, the Philosopher’s Stone represents wealth, and lastly, your feelings for me. This isn’t a mystical ritual, but a ritual I chose for myself... a ritual of heart and emotion, which can be considered a unique, um, proposal. My proposal to you."

The expression on Shard’s face changed for a moment, and the witch laughed:

"Look at you, are you moved by me? Or are you sad out of guilt? Shard, if you continue like this, the daughters of the Cavendish Family will toy with you for the rest of your life."

It was not just five; about an hour ago, the black-haired Miss Maid had gently said she was willing to become an additional sixth trial, to pre-test the knight’s methods for the Duchess. Clearly, now was not the time to think about that.

Galina Cavendish reached out her hand to Shard:

"You unexpectedly completed all my trials perfectly, even better than I imagined. So, fate agrees with me; destiny doesn’t wish to contradict the will of Galina Cavendish. I need not hesitate; my soul tells me what I desire to do. Now, I need your answer."

She looked at him, and he looked at her:

"If you are ready, I will not retreat. Although I know I’m straying further down a wrong path, at least facing you, I won’t back down. This, too, is my wish."

The laughter in her golden eyes was more pronounced, as she slightly straightened her body, causing the fabric on her legs to inadvertently rub against each other as she rose:

"I like hearing you say things like that, always have... Shard Suren Hamilton, look into my eyes, please."

The two continued to gaze at each other, and the red-haired witch asked:

"Later, when we’re alone, can you just call me by my name?"

"I think so, Galina."

The red lips, purposely painted with lipstick, curved into a smile:

"In the summer of 1853, when I first saw you at the Lucky Southern Cross Club, I never imagined there would be a day like this."

She reached her hand out past the bed, hooking onto his hand:

"I don’t need any subtlety now. Tell me, do you like me?"

"Of course, not just the witch’s appearance, but your soul as well. In this boring era, it’s hard to find a soul so aligned and interesting to me."

Shard earnestly replied. Compared to the Outlander’s hometown, the customs and trends of the Steam Age were dull. But the soul of Witch Galina Cavendish was truly fascinating. Witches had never been bound by the times:

"My initial thought of you was gratitude for your help. But through repeated encounters, through various experiences..."

The witch licked her lips:

"I also like the way you try to speak but are unsure what to say. Alright, Knight, I didn’t bring you here to have you stand and talk with me. May I ask..."

She gently pulled Shard a bit, a touch of enchanting charm in her smile:

"Have you prepared to receive your reward?"

So Shard’s body moved forward with that pull, kneeling by the bed, but he had one more thing to mention:

"But..."

"Lecia knows about this, yes, Luviya Annette too, I won’t put you in a difficult position."

She leaned her head forward, softly sniffing near Shard’s cheek, as if she were inhaling something. Her nose brushed along the cheek’s skin, and the scent of the witch filled his nostrils—a scent slightly warm, the temperature of a living being, the heat of heart and soul.

It seemed even warmer than earlier.

"There’s one more question."

"If you dare to ask my age, even now, I’ll give you a punch."

"No."

He looked at her:

"I’d like to know your middle name."

In an instant, it was as if something plucked a string, the spirit in her golden eyes nearly igniting Shard. She pursed her red lips, then gave her answer:

"Ailena. It doesn’t hold any meaning; it’s my grandmother’s name."

"Galina Eleanor Cavendish..."

Shard pronounced her full name, and the witch touched his lips with her finger:

"I’ve also heard stories about you and a princess. Since you can serve a princess well, you should also be able to serve a Duchess properly?"

She laughed, pulling one of Shard’s hands onto her leg. Noticing Shard’s expression, amid soft laughter, she pulled him completely onto the bed. Soon after, the curtains around the bed fell, concealing all the scenes inside.

In the windless room, the red silk swayed gently, the candlelight flickering in a suggestive manner.

"The princess once praised the knight’s valor, but today, you face a true witch. Rejed’s Hamilton, are you ready? You have to put on a good performance."

At that moment, nearly all the candles in the room were extinguished, leaving only those at the four corners of the bedpost to illuminate the two passionate souls.