Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1027: Demon and The Chosen One

That evening, Princess Margaret’s banquet was held at the Canary Estate, where she was staying. The estate belongs to the Cavendish Royal Family and is specifically used for hosting foreign dignitaries. It’s located in the northern part of Tobesk Southern District, close to the University District, about a twenty-minute drive from Saint Delan Square.

Shard didn’t understand why the Vice President of the Truth Society was at the Third National Mechanical Institute that morning. To prevent her from reappearing at the evening banquet, he took advantage of some free time in the afternoon to visit the Blackstone Security Company and inform Iluna about Miss Pavo’s appearance.

Iluna then informed the Church, so there were more Circle Sorcerers from the Church at the evening banquet at the Canary Estate.

As Shard entered the Canary Estate at six-thirty in the evening, the warmth of the badge on his chest reminded him that tonight there would definitely be more than one witch present.

Miss Galina was unexpectedly also at the Canary Estate, but it seemed unlikely that she would make an appearance at the banquet.

Although located within the city, the Canary Estate covers a considerable area. Shard had been here several times to "learn foreign languages," so he was quite familiar with the interior of the estate.

Tonight’s banquet was held in the ballroom on the first floor. Though only those who were in the auditorium this morning were invited, a considerable number of people attended the banquet for various reasons, treating it as a diplomatic event.

Although the bomb attack was still being mentioned, people were more concerned with how the Duchy of Lamia would be punished later. Such heinous events are rare in a peaceful era. Even the street assassination attempt on Queen Diana in the summer didn’t cause as much reaction as this incident.

Princess Margaret made a brief appearance at the start of the banquet, then disappeared somewhere. Earl Helbos of the visiting group took over hosting the guests.

Shard didn’t see Miss Pavo appear again at the banquet. He intended to find time to go upstairs and see Miss Galina, to ask if the Council remembered Miss Schultz Teresa’s past. But just as he took two steps towards the stairs with his drink, he saw Princess Margaret’s personal maid walking over.

"Mr. Hamilton, did you see the person who dropped the note?"

Upon meeting in the study on the second floor, Princess Margaret urgently asked. She desperately needed the Grey Hawk defector, but since they met once in Midshire Fort in the autumn, the Grey Hawk hadn’t contacted her again, not even to collect the 1,000 pounds reward.

Now the mysterious Ace Agent had appeared again, and Margaret Anjou knew this was another opportunity.

"Oh, Your Highness, why do people always like to ask me this question?"

Shard shook his head:

"At noon in Riddlevitch Field, I almost skipped lunch. If Miss Galina hadn’t sent someone to get me out, I probably wouldn’t have been able to attend tonight’s banquet. So, what’s really going on, I’ve noticed that people are more focused on the note than the bomb."

"I’m terribly sorry, Detective, I’m truly sorry for dragging you into this... I can’t reveal the truth to you, can’t pull you into this troublesome political whirlpool."

The Princess, somewhat unsophisticatedly, pressed her palm against her forehead:

"This matter is related to the Grey Glove and MI6, Hamilton appeared, you should have heard of these two organizations. So, sorry, I can’t say much, only that the person who dropped the note is quite remarkable."

Shard nodded in agreement; he had always considered Mr. Sparrow Hamilton quite remarkable, no doubt about that.

"Once again, I’m sorry for pulling you into this, oh, and I must thank you for discovering that note."

"It’s nothing, I dragged you into the demon-related matter, and you didn’t accept my apology either, did you?"

Shard said, glancing around the study:

"The Third Era’s Evil Fiend won’t threaten us for much longer, rest assured, this will be resolved soon. But until then, I’ll still be visiting daily."

"No problem, we’re friends. From now on, you can call me by my name directly."

The Princess nodded, escorting Shard to the door of the study. After Shard left, she patted her cheeks, and as she reflected on the departing Shard, she sighed inwardly, now understanding why he could win the affection of that beautiful Duchess:

"Handsome, powerful, stable in doing things, without bad habits... If I weren’t interested in becoming a teacher’s apprentice, I might like someone like him too."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shard returned from the second floor to the first floor. At this moment, the atmosphere at the banquet was very lively. He picked up another glass of wine and looked among the guests, spotting Dr. Schneider, who absolutely shouldn’t be here.

"Hmm..."

This usually signifies something peculiar is happening.

The doctor was also dressed in formal attire for the banquet, holding a glass of wine and standing by the window in the ballroom, looking somewhat melancholic as he observed the people at the banquet. With the keen senses of a Six Rings Warlock, the doctor quickly noticed Shard when Shard turned his gaze upon him.

The expression on the doctor’s face was probably similar to Shard’s.

The two quickly met by the window, each holding a glass of wine, and Shard tilted his head to ask the doctor:

"Doctor, you’re not going to say that the demon is at this banquet, are you?"

The doctor controlled his expression with a tense face:

"Yes, aren’t you here for this matter?"

He asked with some surprise in his tone, while Shard was even more astonished:

"You found it, why did you come alone and not notify me?"

"I didn’t find it, I just suspect it’s here."

The doctor lowered his voice slightly, sipping a small mouthful of wine:

"Do you know why I haven’t found it yet? It’s because it’s more seriously injured than I thought, unable to exist independently, hence hiding in a human body to move. I discovered it once on Thursday, made it severely injured again, but it carefully switched to another body immediately."

The Evil Spirit Demon of the Third Era possesses the ability to cohabit with humans, exemplified in demonic tales by demonologists, or in the "Arsonist" possessed by the Flame Demon, and even the "Human Pus" has demonstrated this. This can be considered a "racial talent."

"I definitely can’t catch it tonight; it’s very skilled at escaping. Tonight, I want to mark it, so next time it won’t be able to escape."

The doctor finished his champagne in one gulp:

"The only trouble now is, I don’t know whose body it’s hiding in, so I’m still searching."

While talking to Shard, his eyes remain fixed on the banquet hall.

Even Shard cannot easily detect a demon in a possessed state. Initially, when he met Ivan Daknis at Coldwater Port, Shard didn’t notice his unusualness until Ivan removed the red glove, revealing the "Demon Mouth" in his palm.

Although Shard wanders around with his badge, detecting who is a demon through abnormal reactions, this would alert the other party. Dr. Schneider doesn’t have enough time to mark them.

Therefore, searching for the demon can only be done by the doctor; Shard can only await the doctor’s good news.

Thus, for the remainder of the banquet, Shard stays with Dr. Schneider. The doctor got the invitation from one of his patients and doesn’t know anyone at the party, so he accompanies Shard, listening to Shard’s talks with others about the Roder Card, discussing the nobles’ anecdotes, and about the continuation of this morning’s events.

Around nine o’clock in the evening, after Shard won three consecutive rounds at the Roder Card table, the doctor lightly coughed.

Shard knew that was a sign the doctor had found their target, so he said goodbye to the Baron he was playing cards with and walked towards the restroom.

"Found it."

The doctor concisely stated:

"It’s not a guest at the party; it’s possessed a manor servant. Follow me, shortly you’ll need to restrain him for at least twenty seconds, and I can mark it so it won’t disappear for at least a year."

Originally, the doctor planned to handle this alone, but since Shard is here, it’s naturally better to have help. And if the mark is successful, the doctor is confident to resolve this matter by next Tuesday.

Canary Estate, serving as Princess Margaret’s residence, theoretically restricts party guests from freely entering other areas of the manor. However, for Shard and the doctor, ordinary security personnel cannot stop them; they only need to avoid the Circle Sorcerers from the Church.

Shard followed the doctor, walking along the first-floor corridor to the left, then jumping out of a window to enter the mansion’s right-wing area. Traversing through winter’s evergreen shrubs, they entered a stony path and meandered into the estate’s back garden.

Currently in winter, even though the Royal Family funds its upkeep, the garden’s scenery doesn’t compare to the lush summer. Under the snowpile beside the grape trellis, the servant watched by the doctor was surprisingly speaking to another person. The gentleman opposite the demon-possessed servant, Shard and the doctor were quite familiar with—it was Sir Lakin Prisia.

"Power? Oh no, obtaining power isn’t that simple."

As Shard and the doctor carefully approached, the conversation between the two had already been going on for a while. Although the ground held a Silence Charm, the doctor just lightly jabbed with a finger and the sound transmitted over. Silence Charms are basic talismans, effective yet predictable for sorcerers who could naturally counteract them.

The speaker was Sir Prisia, and the doctor signaled Shard to silence himself while he prepared a spell, listening intently to the secret conversation of the two bathed in moonlight under the grape trellis.

"Pursuing power isn’t wrong, but relying on this."

The sir firmly pointed at his own head:

"Not relying on some unknown thing like you."

The servant looked to be around thirty, dressed efficiently, but wore an intentionally fake smile that no ordinary person could naturally show:

"Do you know what great power you truly possess?"

It inquired, causing both Shard and the doctor to frown immediately as the query was presented in demon language.

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