Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After leaving the manor, the elf girl’s spirits were high once again. With Shard’s help, she no longer worried about the cursed letters being difficult to resolve, and she eagerly shared her impressions of Tobesk along the way.

As for their next destination, the address found on the letter from the footman’s relic pointed to the Hyde Club not far from Regent’s Park, east of the city.

The east of the city is where the wealthy gather, and the renowned "Hyde Club" is the favorite social venue for foreign emblems stationed in Draleon. Such a place is not easy for Shard to enter, so when Miss Galina sent a carriage to take them, she also gave Shard a letter permitting him to enter her private room.

Thus at ten o’clock this morning, Shard brought the curious Emilia into this nobles’ club that was not open to the public. Originally, Shard thought that even if he met someone he knew here, it would likely be his superior, Director Anlos, but he didn’t expect, as the servant led them to Miss Galina’s room, to encounter Lecia with Angelina and a group of maids in the corridor adorned with red carpet and golden walls.

"Look who’s here, why is the detective here?"

The elegant and noble red-haired princess flashed a charming smile, dismissing the servant who was guiding Shard, and walked toward him:

"Good morning, Hamilton of Rejed Detective. Heading to Aunt’s room, oh, with a stranger?"

She deliberately said this, making Emilia a bit embarrassed. But she wasn’t afraid of Lecia; rather, she curiously observed her, inwardly admiring her demeanor and appearance.

"Good morning, Her Highness Lecia, Her Highness Angelina. Emilia, this is Princess Lecia Cavendish, and this is Princess Angelina Cavendish. Your Highnesses, this is my client."

Shard introduced them, and upon hearing they were princesses, the elf girl immediately showed more interest. Meanwhile, the little princess, upon hearing the name "Emilia," also realized that the person in front of her was the elf.

Thus the young princess and the young elf exchanged glances and, for some reason, felt that they might get along well.

The group did not chat in the corridor; Lecia led her sister and maids along with Shard to Miss Galina’s private room. The princesses appeared here this morning not for leisure time in the city, but because their mother, Queen Diana, was already seven or eight months pregnant, and they were secretly meeting a noble lady from afar at the club in place of their mother.

Upon entering the room, Lecia listened to Shard explain the reason for his and Emilia’s visit. The red-haired princess pondered:

"So what level of relic is this?"

"Hmm?"

Both Shard and the elf girl were surprised, but Lecia had her own thoughts:

"I also know something about Circle Sorcerers."

Saying this, she patted Angelina’s shoulder and told Emilia:

"Although I’m a normal person, Angelina is a first-year student at Zaras Literary Academy this year, and she has told me about Circle Sorcerers."

Angelina then nodded awkwardly, and Shard roughly understood Lecia’s idea, so he continued his introduction:

"Keeper of Secrets Level Relic. The address on that letter is room 19 of the club. I originally thought of secretly investigating once I got in here."

"No need to investigate, I’ll take you directly to ask."

Lecia said nonchalantly, instructing Angelina to stay and talk with Emilia in the room, and then took Shard back to the corridor. Once ensuring the doors were closed and there were no others beyond their maids in the corridor, she lowered her voice and said to Shard:

"I want to find some Circle Sorcerer friends for Angelina. Now that her status has changed, she should have some Circle Sorcerer acquaintances. I’m not comfortable with her interacting with others; friends like Emilia are better."

Although she appears tough on her sister, Lecia truly cares for Angelina:

"Shard, once the situation is clear, let’s not rush back, let them talk a little longer. I feel their demeanor and temperament are quite compatible, especially in terms of physique."

But sometimes she is quite blunt with Angelina.

At least Lecia’s thinking was right. When Shard left the club with the elf girl, she had already exchanged addresses with Angelina. This way, even if Emilia later leaves Tobesk, the elf and the princess can communicate at any time.

Emilia truly hit it off with Angelina. As the carriage resumed its slow pace, she couldn’t stop praising the real-life princesses to Shard, remarking that they were as elegant and charming as the princesses in stories:

"The way Princess Angelina speaks is really amusing. Her manner just having become a Circle Sorcerer reminds me of when I first entered school. And that Princess Lecia, she is really beautiful."

She spoke with yearning and admiration:

"Is the Cavendish Royal Family’s bloodline always this refined? Although she isn’t as mature as Duke Galina, I think when she reaches Duke Galina’s age, she will be beautiful and poised like the duke."

Shard promptly reminded her:

"Under no circumstances should you tell Lecia that she’ll become like Miss Galina someday. Absolutely do not say that, never say that."

The young Elf girl blinked, not fully understanding the complicated relationships of the Royal Family.

The club investigation with Lecia’s assistance went quite smoothly. The room’s owner was the military attaché of the Duchy of Seth Embassy in Tobesk. This duchy was somewhat familiar to Shard, as Mr. Vigil Cameron, who competed against him for the "Big City Player 1853" championship last autumn, came from there.

Foreign embassies and consulates stationed in the Tobesk Region are mostly concentrated in Tobesk Eastern District, close to the city center. The morning had already passed the midpoint, and Shard was initially worried that the investigation would take even longer. However, as they got off the carriage again, Shard knew they had finally reached the end point.

Because Shard saw Iluna.

This time, Iluna wasn’t dressed in her police uniform but wore her casual attire. She had no teammates with her and appeared to be taking a solitary walk, yet Shard could tell she was observing the embassy across the street.

The eighteen-year-old girl quickly noticed Shard and then saw the Blonde Elf trailing behind him—she had heard about Emilia’s situation from Luviya.

Emilia certainly remembered meeting Iluna at the inn on the day she checked in, so when she saw Iluna approaching, she hid behind Shard again. Iluna gave Shard a knowing look, and the three of them walked into an empty alley nearby:

"Good morning, Shard. Here for an investigation?"

Iluna asked, glancing at the Blonde Elf:

"I let your friends go last time at the Three Cats Inn, why have you brought her out again?"

Shard guessed Iluna did not want to reveal their close relationship, so he replied awkwardly:

"Good morning, we’re investigating a relic."

He then introduced Emilia:

"This is Miss Iluna Beath, a Circle Sorcerer from the local Sun Church. I became familiar with her due to a certain matter, and she’s often helped me."

Iluna snorted softly and scrutinized Emilia:

"Foreign Circle Sorcerers should be more regulated locally, but if you encounter trouble, I can help."

Emilia nodded obediently, unaware why the other seemed to harbor a certain animosity towards her.

Iluna remembered the main issue and asked Shard about their reason for coming here, while also explained her own:

"The church detected strong curse reactions intermittently appearing near the Duchy of Seth’s embassy lately, so our squad was assigned to investigate. The captain directed me to confirm the situation first, and report to the church for a search warrant if there were issues. This is an embassy, after all; we cannot act rashly."

"It’s a curse, a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic—a Chain of Malicious Curse Letters."

Emilia spoke immediately, looking at Shard, who thought for a moment:

"Emilia only has seven days left; I’d like to resolve this matter now. Iluna, Miss Beath, how about joining us in using illusion technique for stealth entry?"

This does not align with church regulations, but Iluna never cared for such rules:

"Of course, I mean, there’s no other choice."

She glanced again at the Elf, contemplating displaying her power before the pretty Elf.

Iluna was currently on the Eight Rings, one ring higher than Shard. However, she wasn’t skilled in illusion techniques, so the three relied on Shard’s Red Butterfly Illusion to enter the embassy.

With Iluna holding a compass to locate the curse source—a standard church equipment—they circled a fairly large building before finally pinpointing the target in a second-floor room at the easternmost side.

After confirming there was only one person in the room, Shard opened the door with the Key of the Door. The three slipped inside to find the room incredibly dark. All the curtains were tightly drawn, preventing the morning sunlight from penetrating. When Iluna summoned a soft, warm yellow light orb for illumination, they saw the walls, floors, and curtains covered in dense, malicious curse inscriptions.

"Over here."

The room was a reception area in the embassy for those unwanted guests. The room was divided into inner and outer sections, and upon entering the inner room, the blood-red letters on the walls truly held the power of a curse.

And the "living person" in the room was just a blackened thing curled on the couch. Initially resembling a frail monkey, closer inspection revealed it was human. The body was so thin it was nothing but skin and bones, with limbs frail like matchsticks.