Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Let me correct you. First of all, I am a man. Second, this isn't something I learned through Ritual Studies, it was an inheritance passed on to me by Miss Feliana."

Shard understood this power in his own way, but Miss Galina shook her head:

"The conditions to learn and to use are one and the same; if you do not qualify on your own, the inheritance would be impossible. However—"

She gazed at Shard with a hint of confusion and dissatisfaction in her tone:

"Did Miss Feliana think that there were no witches left in the Sixth Era? It's clearly the power of a witch, yet she passed it on to a man..."

The last part of her remark was very quiet.

Shard didn't know how to reply. He turned to look at his Ring of Fate, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"The thing is, the problem doesn't lie with Feliana's Witch Light."

Shard said, setting the cat down on the couch before standing up:

"Please follow me to the corridor."

"Do you mean to..."

Miss Galina furrowed her brows slightly, rhythmically tapping her leg with her fingers:

"Shard, that just seems impossible."

"Have you ever heard of the Light of the Witch Spirit Rune?"

Shard asked, and Miss Galina shook her head:

"Runes related to witches only appear on Circle Sorcerers who possess witch power, of that I am quite certain."

"Yes, that's exactly why there is a problem. I feel it, this Spirit Rune is quite different."

Since Mia also lazily wanted to follow Shard to the corridor, he had no choice but to have Tifa hold the cat temporarily.

He and Miss Galina went to the corridor. The Duchess asked the nearby maids to stay away for the time being.

Shard cleared his throat:

"The Princess in the castle will never understand that our pursuit is the freedom to walk the world."

"Meeting a witch at the corner full of lavender, where do you go to gather that handful of herbs?"

Different from the witch's clear singing voice, Shard's masculine voice was somewhat husky and low. His musical talent was not good; the tune might have been off, but his voice made this somewhat sad ballad of the Fifth Era even sadder.

Shard walked in front, with Miss Galina following behind him.

The sound of their footsteps on the corridor's floor seemed to also keep the beat of the song. As they sang the third line, the corridor ahead abruptly darkened, causing a sudden shock in Miss Galina's heart; and when the two of them stepped into that ancient corridor, the ashes underfoot muffled the sound of their shoes against the floor, making the night seem even more dreamlike to the witch.

When they had passed through the ancient corridor and finally reached the White Mist Gate at its end, Miss Galina couldn't help but say to Shard, with a similarly complex expression:

"Thinking about it, it's also possible that this is a dream."

Standing before the White Mist Gate, the Duchess looked at him seriously with her golden eyes:

"You've brought Miss Mana Feliana from the past, and now you've suddenly managed to enter a corridor that only witches could enter; this all sounds very much like a dream."

"So it turns out that just the power of a witch is needed to enter this corridor."

Shard had an epiphany; he had thought that one needed to be led by the Grand Witch.

"Keep walking inside."

Miss Galina pushed Shard into the White Mist Gate. Then, within the white fog, she took off the golden necklace around her neck and handed it to him:

"Give it a try."

Shard understood her intention, so he clutched the necklace and softly spoke to the white mist:

"May the hidden chaos bless me, another witch!"

"Hm? How do you know this Ancient Spell Text?"

Miss Galina was even more amazed, and Shard hesitated for a moment:

"Um... I have a good memory. Miss Aphrola mentioned it once, and I remembered it."

The two of them looked around; the white fog did not change, meaning Shard couldn't enter the Witch Council with a witch's jewelry.

"Don't be too quick to celebrate. Under normal circumstances, only witches with a seat could use their jewelry to enter the Council, and thirteen pieces of jewelry correspond to thirteen individuals. It's quite normal for you not to be able to enter, and it doesn't prove anything about your gender."

Miss Galina said, squinting her eyes to scrutinize Shard in the white fog up close:

"Detective, tell me the truth, are you really a man?"

"Yes, I am assured by the gods."

Shard immediately nodded, and Miss Galina pursed her lips without speaking further. She waved the golden necklace, and a door appeared in the fog. The two walked through that door back into the manor's corridor, then returned to the study.

"Tifa, put the cat down."

The Duchess said, frowning, then gestured for Shard not to sit down yet:

"Then, stand behind Shard."

Miss Maid obediently moved behind Shard, while Mia also came trotting over, circling at Shard's feet.

"Now, grasp both of Shard's arms from behind."

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

Shard certainly wasn't keen on being restrained like this, but Tifa hesitated for a moment before complying. Her body pressed against Shard's back, her hands wrapping around his arms, a Six Rings Warlock's strength was not something Shard could contend with.

"Hold him tight, don't let him resist."

The witch said with flushed cheeks, then stepped in front of Shard. The two were almost pressed together, her face only a pinkie's distance away from touching Shard's, and Shard could even see his own reflection in her golden eyes.

"Sorry, Shard, I might be taking some liberties here."

"Hold on a secon..."

She kissed Shard on the mouth, and as Tifa behind him widened her eyes in surprise, her hand reached down.

Because his mouth was sealed by the kiss, Shard couldn't speak, but that didn't prevent him from feeling what Miss Galina was doing. He wanted to resist, but his body honestly didn't put up any fight.

"It seems Hevy wasn't lying."

She quickly released Shard, looking at her own hand with a slight blush. Tifa also let go of Shard. Shard touched his lips; though being kissed by a beautiful lady wasn't bad, he was genuinely a bit angry:

"So, you were still doubting me?"

"No, I believe you are honest. But I suspect you might not even be aware of your own situation."

Miss Galina said, looking into Shard's eyes, she saw that he was angry:

"Now I believe it."

"Then I apologize, but I might also have to take some liberties."

Shard placed his hand on Miss Galina's shoulder and, feeling she wasn't resisting, pulled her in front of him and then kissed her.

At that moment, the witch smiled, much more forthcoming than Shard who had been stiff just a moment ago. Yielding to Shard's force, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing their bodies closer. This kiss lasted much longer than the brief few seconds earlier.

Tifa pursed her lips as she stood behind them, while Mia looked up with eyes wide open, watching the scene unfold.

"Very good, if you had done nothing but get angry, I would have doubted that I misjudged you."

When Shard was almost out of breath, the Red-Haired Witch let go proactively, her cheeks flushed as she fixed the hair on her forehead:

"Even though there's a vast difference between you and me, if you can always overlook issues of dignity for this reason... then I would know that I have never misjudged someone."

"Miss Galina, do witches always have such unusual ways of thinking?"

What had just occurred was hardly something a normal person would do.

"We are witches, after all. Everyone says the Council's witches are not right in the head. Haven't you heard such rumors?"

Seeing that Shard was still regulating his breathing, she chuckled and said:

"What, do you need me to arrange for Tifa to visit your room tonight? She got a gift for you that even I am envious of, I think some gratitude is in order."

Seeing Shard struggle to catch his breath and trying to speak, she teased:

"I'm not blind; Tifa is quite fond of you. So, detective, don't you have feelings for my personal maid, this lady with such a fine figure?"

Shard certainly wouldn't lie, but he still rejected:

"Of course, I have feelings, but I don't think our relationship has reached that point yet. I don't want to pursue a relationship with a lady just because she wants to thank me."

"So you seek not just the body, but the soul too. Perhaps you are more demon-like than Daknis."

Miss Galina continued to tease, then looked up at Tifa who was looking down, blushing, with her hands clasped together, oblivious to Miss Galina's cue.

"Then let Tifa escort you to your diviner friend. I need to contact Hevy to update her on today's events. Your friend is in a guest room on the second floor. When I checked on her earlier upon returning, she was basically fine, just suffering from severe mental exhaustion and needing some bed rest. However, Shard, even though the prophet can help you, taking such a low-level Circle Sorcerer into the Dark Realm is exceedingly risky."

She had long since investigated the people around Shard and knew that Luviya was a Circle Sorcerer in the same group as Shard. But the witch had no idea that it was Luviya who had arranged Shard's entire campaign.

Shard did not elaborate further; he simply nodded:

"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning, Miss Galina. Don't forget to send a letter to Dawn Chapel informing my friends that I am safe."

After a slight hesitation, he added with a smile:

"Your lips are very soft."

"Thank you for the compliment."

The Duchess responded nonchalantly with a languid tone:

"However, I can't return the praise. Your kissing skills are really lacking.

Good night, Shard. You might be off to rest, but there are still many things waiting for me to deal with here. The reason you and your friend turned up, my whereabouts, the pacification team sent by the church... and, the Witch Council, upon receiving the news, will probably go mad. It's not just them, Miss Mana Feliana, because the second Chosen One briefly crossed the veil of time and came to the Sixth Era, which surely intensifies the struggle over the remaining eleven Chosen Ones.

After all, the powers displayed by the Chosen Ones are truly terrifying."