Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After the treatment, it was lunchtime, and of course, Miss Belindel invited Shard to stay for the meal. By the time they appeared together in the dining room, the blond Countess showed no signs of her previous injuries.

The luncheon was quite sumptuous. Although Moon Bay City is a port city, to accommodate Shard "from Randall Valley," there was not much seafood or fish on the table. Shard was a bit tired after a busy morning, but he still noticed that Miss Belindel would glance at him now and then, withdrawing her gaze immediately whenever she was caught by Shard.

During lunch, she also raised her glass to express her gratitude to Shard. That tingling look Shard felt earlier might have been an illusion, but this toast confirmed that their relationship had finally progressed from "strangers, just acquainted" to "friendly, as friends."

"The [Source of Chaos] will probably stay in your shoulder for a month or two. During this period, having strange dreams is normal, but if those dreams become frequent and impact reality, you need to be cautious. As you know, the relic’s traits encourage exposure to the moonlight, which is beneficial for health."

Miss Belindel nodded and asked:

"What compensation should I offer you? Although you said no, you’ve nevertheless lost a Sage-Level Relic, not to mention all that Water of Moonlight, which is invaluable."

Shard shook his head:

"Please don’t mention it again. I won’t ask for any reward."

He and Miss Belindel shared an unspoken understanding and didn’t discuss where Shard had learned such healing methods. Even though Miss Belindel had no contact with the Truth Society, she could see that the procedure involved relics and the merging of human interiors and Human Alchemy.

Of course, they didn’t mention at all what happened last night when she leaned against him undergoing treatment, biting his neck, or when they shared a horse back to the city. Shard felt their relationship was moving positively, but recalling that earlier heart-throbbing glance, he wondered if his "goodwill enhancement" plan had gone too far.

As for the findings of last night, they discussed the Fragment of Poem Chapter, dragon scale, and female werewolf after the witch had recovered.

The Fragment of Poem Chapter read "hatchling dragon, seven-colored dragon scale," but it was too sparse to determine whether it pointed to the identity of The Chosen One or the content of a ritual; the powerful Golden Dragon Scale was likely related to the Poem Chapter, and actually, Miss Belindel had not expected such important finds before setting out last night, so the scale was temporarily kept with her as she carefully examined the decrypted family tome.

Concerning the female werewolf, after being brought back, she was kept in the estate’s basement and had now awoken.

Though she had displayed ferocity in the cave last night, upon waking, she was surprisingly calm. The maid who served her breakfast in the morning chatted with her a bit and discovered she seemed to have lost the majority of her memories.

After Miss Matilda inspected her with a relic and confirmed she wasn’t lying:

"She wasn’t living in the cave willingly; it was the wraith spirit attached to the tree that controlled her."

Though having lost most memories, she remembered her name as Maryca Frost, a resident of Moon Bay City. She didn’t recall her home address but remembered her "transformation into a werewolf" skill inherited from her father. As a child, she spent full moon nights with him, keeping the secret after his suicide. On an unspecified date, she entered Whisper Hills alone during a full moon night and was subsequently controlled by that tree.

After lunch, ensuring safety and she couldn’t see anyone’s faces, Shard and Miss Belindel also visited her in the basement. Since she was a werewolf, though not caged, her right hand and left foot were still securely shackled to the wall with a rune chain in the secret room.

Ms. Frost was very downcast, as her vague memories included being controlled to attack more than one person.

"So how do we handle her?"

After talking with her for a while and ensuring she knew nothing of the dragon scale, only that the wraith spirit attached to the tree had fortified her with a strange power, Shard and Miss Belindel left the basement together. The witch consulted Shard, but he shook his head:

"It depends on what’s on your mind; anything is viable. She attacked humans, so she’s guilty; but she was controlled, thus she’s innocent. Seeing her current state, I suppose even if you let her leave directly, she probably wouldn’t want to return to her old life."

Miss Belindel nodded:

"I thought you’d directly plead for her... There are doubts about this case. The cave was too deep within the hills; she said she’d never been there before. Why was she there on the night she was controlled? The tree and ghost’s influence range is small and unlikely to lure her from a distance."

"Investigate her true identity, something might come out of it. As for her future arrangements..."

Shard pondered:

"Evaluate this woman; if she truly has a kind heart, why not keep her here? It isn’t pitying her; such creatures are rare now. While she isn’t a Circle Sorcerer, she appears as resilient as a regular Low Ring Sorcerer physically. These times are tumultuous, and keeping her around might be beneficial and count as atonement for her deeds."

The Countess found Shard’s suggestion quite reasonable, but all this depended on the investigation of the woman’s identity. This wasn’t something Shard needed to handle; finding a person’s identity in Moon Bay City was trivial for the Belindel Family.

It’s still uncertain whether a Seventh Being Chosen will truly appear in the Moon Bay Region, and whether the legends and prophecies related to "dragons" circulating among the Seven Great Families and locally have any connection remains unproven... Though Shard believes there’s probably a connection. In any case, the undercurrents beneath the seemingly calm surface of the Moon Bay Region have already been partially detected.

The subsequent matters require investigation, and naturally, Miss Belindel wouldn’t let the "Light Worshipper Training Association" off the hook and would undoubtedly seek revenge.

That afternoon, Shard didn’t linger at the Belindel Estate for long. After visiting the female werewolf, he thought about continuing with the investigation into the prostitute’s corpse. Since Miss Lisa, also a professional present that night, yielded no leads, Shard’s next step was to approach Freeman Hawthorne. Although he had lost a week of memory, his body was unharmed and he was now active again.

However, before Shard left the estate, the witch bashfully asked:

"Can you play the Roder Card... Oh, you must be able to; I saw you carrying an expensive deck during the Dice Story Collection. Are you free on Friday evening after tomorrow? At the Senators’ Club under the Belindel Big Bell, I have a card game with Earl Martin Edington and Baron Harry Wood."

She paused slightly:

"It’s just a pretext for business networking, I’m not fond of it, as I can’t perform divination and play cards at the same time. A maid used to disguise as a man in my stead, but if you’re free, you could take my place at the table, and you mentioned wanting to investigate the Wood Family; this could be a good opportunity for that."

According to Mr. Benhart’s intel, among the three individuals who appeared at the bathhouse that night—Hawthorn, Wood, and Black—Herman Wood is the second son of Baron Wood. Though Mr. Benhart is responsible for investigating this person, Shard wouldn’t miss the chance since it represents an opportunity:

"Friday evening? No problem, I’m fairly good at the Roder Card... Is Herman Wood also attending?"

The witch nodded:

"Yes, he enjoys the Roder Card immensely and wouldn’t miss attending in person in such settings. You don’t need to worry about the stakes; I’ll provide you with a Special Rule Card, and you bet with it during the game. The winnings are yours, and if you lose, it’s of no consequence."

Feeling that using such an invitation might not be convincing enough for the man before her, she suddenly noticed Shard’s eyes momentarily shine. She hesitated and blinked to see Shard’s expression already back to normal:

"Special Rule Card... Rest assured, I’ll be there."

Bella Belindel smiled as if she finally understood what the gentleman liked.

Upon leaving the Belindel Estate, Shard first headed to the morgue in Spider Alley of the Lower District. Mr. Ptolemy Albert seemed to be eternally at work and provided Shard with fresh news:

"The church has begun directing its investigations onto the city, identifying the same clan members with us. Although my ties with the same clan are rare and the church can’t trace me, I can’t just ignore everything."

He washed his hands in a wall-mounted sink and invited Shard out to the corridor beyond the morgue, where the smell was slightly lighter:

"Mr. Watson, might you help me with a task? I’d like you to visit some of my formerly known kin to alert them to remain vigilant lately."

This man in the yellow robe seemed very uneasy:

"I don’t want to visit personally because it’s unclear whom the church surveils. Armand mentioned you’re a highly skilled Circle Sorcerer and not of the Vampire Kind, so I wanted to personally request your assistance."

It’s not a big issue. Though time-consuming, it’s merely a matter of running around the city. Remembering that at the police station during last week’s Dice Story Collection, this gentleman had significantly aided him, Shard agreed without hesitation:

"Happy to help."

The coroner didn’t send Shard all over town, handing over just three addresses and names, all within the urban area of Moon Bay City.