Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1532: A Special Bodily Mechanism

Dorothy spoke, pointing in the direction of the living room:

"I’ve framed the certificate for your honorary degree and hung it up in the most prominent place along with your Knight’s award sword. This way, your clients will see it as soon as they walk in."

The witch sitting across from Shard also teased:

"If you’re interested, you can take a look at yesterday’s newspaper. It features a photo of Dorothy picking up the certificate for you with others. Now the town’s abuzz with rumors about your relationship with her, full of gossip."

"Actually, there’s always been gossip about a writer and a knight in this town, it’s just less attention-grabbing compared to other rumors."

Luviya, sitting beside Shard, also said. Shard just chuckled a few times, then frowned and recalled:

"I remember that on either Tuesday or Wednesday, the committee members from the Degree Committee came to visit my home. Among them was Mr. Siver Randall, the secretary from the University Federation, who I know."

He was a member of the Guiding Light Hermitage.

"That was on Monday, and Tifa received them at that time."

Miss Galina said, then shook her head slightly:

"It seems you’re truly very ill, otherwise, with your perception of time, you wouldn’t have gotten this wrong."

"But at least I’m fine now."

Shard emphasized again, then patted the little Mia who was eating with her head down.

"It’s good that you’re fine. The background investigation team for the correspondence students from Saint Byrons has already arrived in this city. The doctor and Priest Augustus will bring this up in a meeting with you this afternoon. If you appear ill when the investigation team meets you, they’ll definitely have suspicions."

Luviya added, putting down the glass of milk, with a smile at the corner of her mouth:

"However, with Miss Danester’s connection, even if you are investigated, you’re guaranteed to be fine. Who would suspect the only candidate for the position of the next librarian?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Shard maintains good relations with the female sorcerers. I recall that Miss Pawo, the vice president of the Truth Society, seemingly also appreciates him."

Miss Galina added, as Shard, handling the meat steak on his plate with a fork and knife, quickly shook his head:

"That’s a bit too exaggerated. I don’t know her at all. She probably appreciates the God Summoner."

Upon hearing "God Summoner," Dorothy remained indifferent. For an explanation of Shard’s serious illness, Shard, during his groans of suffering, had told Dorothy and Lecia what he had done. Of course, the two ladies had already guessed, otherwise, it wouldn’t be so coincidental that wherever Shard went, something would happen.

And as the topic turned to female sorcerers, the Outlander, who had walked out of severe illness, suddenly realized that the scene seemed a bit odd.

Of course, he didn’t think this warm morning dining room was fake, but was surprised to find Galina Cavendish chatting and laughing with Luviya and Dorothy.

Shard still remembered that he had admitted his mistake to Luviya before his illness and honestly confessed what he had done, but he didn’t think their relationship would suddenly become so good.

The girl with purple eyes seemed to read his thoughts from Shard’s pause:

"What’s wrong with us getting along well? Or do you want to see us in a bloody mess, with the last person decapitating you while you’re gravely ill, and escaping this sad place on a small boat?"

She said nonchalantly, while Miss Galina laughed watching the two, and Dorothy raised an eyebrow:

"If you weren’t sick, our relationship probably wouldn’t be this good. But when you’ve fallen that ill, how could we still be angry with each other? Oh, Shard, do you really not understand a woman’s mind? Although, someone indeed got upset, and that’s your princess."

"Lecia? What’s wrong with Lecia?"

Shard cautiously asked, suspecting it had something to do with the long-standing rivalry between Lecia and Miss Galina. Miss Writer tried hard to hold back her laughter:

"Shard, what were you doing before you got sick? I mean before the symptoms appeared, not when you were completely laid out."

Shard thought for a moment. He experienced symptoms of illness last Wednesday, after saying goodbye to Dr. Schneider in Randall Valley City:

"That was Wednesday morning, at the Dawn Chapel in Randall Valley. I went to visit an old priest and then took our doctor friend to the local train station."

"That wouldn’t cause your illness. Even if there was influenza at the train station, it couldn’t have infected you."

Luviya also tried to hold back her laughter.

"So, before that Wednesday morning, what else did you do?"

Dorothy asked again, and Shard recalled once more, blinking as he looked across the table at the beautiful witch. The Tuesday before Wednesday was the ’Duchess’s Commission,’ which led to an unforgettable heated night.

Even the Miss Maids standing nearby struggled to hold their laughter, for they had heard the Duke and Princess’s "quarrel" here. Only Miss Galina looked not so pleased, as the mature red-haired witch flicked her hair:

"Let me explain. Before we clarified the cause of your illness, Little Lecia believed that your illness was related to me. It was because of me and you... that led to your serious illness."

"Huh?"

"Lecia knows about the Witch’s Curse, so she thought that since Miss Galina’s, um, intimacy with you didn’t affect the witch herself, it’s possible that your body was affected by her influence."

Luviya said while cutting bacon on her plate, thinking the matter genuinely amusing. Indeed, it was very comical. Even she was conducting a divination to ascertain the exact cause of Shard’s illness, Miss Galina herself also wondered if Shard’s illness was not only related to Earth contamination but also to her.

Because Luviya couldn’t explain why her special divination was definitively correct, the Duchess had a lingering doubt in her heart, as this cause couldn’t be entirely ruled out.

"How could it be related to that matter? Ladies, are you... underestimating me?"

Shard earnestly attempted to salvage his reputation, yet his demeanor incited laughter among the women seated around the table and those standing beside it. The morning dining room’s atmosphere was just right, marking a unique morning at No. 6, Saint Delan Square, in centuries.

"But speaking of which, this isn’t the first time Shard has had a high fever. Didn’t he also have one recently in Randall Valley?"

Luviya mentioned it again, and then Miss Galina nodded slowly:

"But that time, the fever only lasted a day, and he completely recovered. If I remember correctly, Shard got sick that time because he consumed something odd. The Witch who specializes in magic potions at the Council said that the pink glowing essence he drank, although still capable of greatly restoring Spirit, was so highly concentrated that it was toxic enough to kill an entire dragon swarm."

Dorothy, the only one who hadn’t been to Randall Valley, summarized from an observer’s perspective:

"So, both of Shard’s sudden fevers were due to poisoning?"

"To be precise, it was a poisoning that threatened his life."

Luviya corrected, while handling the food on her plate with a dining knife and examining Shard with great interest:

"That’s quite interesting. Could it be that Shard’s body has some special mechanism, where life-threatening poisoning doesn’t kill him but instead converts into a fever? And once the toxin dissipates and no longer poses a life threat, the fever subsides?"

Shard recalled his arcane techniques, various blessings, and constant states, such as the Flesh of Desire, Daknis’s dark Chosen power, Phoenix Fire, the gifts of countless souls, Weeping Angel’s Power, God of Gambling’s Blessing, Sage’s Blessing, Winter’s Blessing, and Earthly Blessing, none of which seemed to have this effect:

"I don’t remember having such an ability, but maybe I can try it."

"Absolutely not!"

The ladies at the table said in unison, and Miss Writer even frowned:

"This is not something to joke about. Besides, could you even find something more poisonous than the two ’toxins’ you previously encountered?"

The others had already informed Dorothy of what Shard had actually been exposed to, and Miss Writer was right. Although Shard hadn’t fully digested and absorbed the Twisted Earth Origin yet, it had already greatly enhanced his ’anti-toxin’ abilities. To poison him to the point of nearing ’death by poison’ again, even he couldn’t think of how to do it.

"So now, can I drink a higher concentration of Fragrance of Desire?"

He thought to himself but didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, he said:

"Alright then... Dorothy, you mentioned earlier about having a meeting here this afternoon?"

"Yes, you still can’t go out, so everyone’s coming here."

The Golden-haired Girl said, and Luviya added:

"We know you certainly don’t want to stay at home all the time, so at least this weekend, you can’t go out. If your condition improves by Sunday evening, we won’t impose any restrictions on you next Monday."

"That’s good."

Shard nodded immediately. Staying home to read and catch up on the week’s missed studies could also be good:

"Speaking of which, what have you all been busy with lately?"

Shard asked them again, and Luviya shrugged carefreely:

"I just returned from Randall Valley and the Association hasn’t assigned me any tasks. But I did perform a ritual a few days ago, and now I’m at Six Rings, same as you."

"I’m still busy with the novel. The translation into Casenric Language is complete, and I’m in contact with the Southern Nation Publishing House. It really consumes a lot of time."

Dorothy said, but as for what Lecia had been up to recently, even if she knew, she couldn’t say now.

"I’m quite busy."

The Witch said lightly:

"But it’s not about County of Saradiel. I’m helping my nephew, our King, prepare for the negotiations with Carsonrick. As you can read in the papers, the topics of trade routes and border lines in Pantanal are what everyone’s been focused on lately."

"Have they decided on the negotiation location?"

Shard asked curiously, recalling how he had inquired at MI6 about the Stonemason Guild’s intelligence and heard that Director Anlos had secretly gone on a trip due to the negotiation location:

"I heard it was arranged at the border?"

"How can you be so well informed even while being sick at home?"

Miss Galina looked at Shard with considerable surprise and then nodded gently:

"Neither country is willing to concede, each wanting the negotiations to be held within its territory. But such a stalemate isn’t going to work, so a preliminary agreement was reached. It should be in the papers next week, with the location arranged in two cities straddling the border."

Luviya understood:

"On the national border, they’ve found two cities close to each other?"

"Yes."

The Witch nodded, and Dorothy thought of the specific location:

"The Old Continent’s east and west are largely mountainous, with few cases of two big cities being close together. Excluding the areas occupied by the Pantanal Region, I think the final location is likely in the great plains area at the center of the continent?"

"Yes, within Carsonick Territory is Mikaela Ironworks City, a city famed for its glass products, where the ’Glass Furnace’ is a well-known Steam Age marvel in the Old Continent. Within Draleon is Green Lake (Green-Lake) City in County of Leon, a very old city. Both cities are on the border, and being plains cities, if not considering the security checks when crossing the border, it’s just under half an hour by carriage between them."

"I know Mikaela Ironworks City, the fame of the City of Glass is widespread. But Green Lake City..."

Shard asked hesitantly. He had a deep understanding of the world’s history and natural environment, but less so about city divisions, and couldn’t possibly know the names of every city within Draleon.