Chapter 2283: The Manor Meeting

Chapter 2283: Chapter 2283: The Manor Meeting

Shard did not leave immediately; instead, he held the dagger while gazing at the sea view, sighing after a long while.

Even though he had always maintained vigilance, he still repeatedly intertwined with "desire." Now assisting her, there was hardly any unease in his heart:

"Just words can wield such power... I shouldn’t be subconsciously enchanted by her, should I? The matters in the desert..."

[You’ve been sun-struck, and at least in the realm of pretty girls, you inherently aren’t one to abstain from desires.]

"That’s good... I’ve been hurt by cats and desires; since exams are approaching, for now... abstain!"

The sea birds on the rocks were startled into flight by Shard’s sudden fist clenching motion, and "she" chuckled softly near Shard’s ear.

"Then please tell me, does this count as helping the bad guys?"

Shard asked again, and "her" laughter indeed was more gentle than the sea breeze kissing his cheek at this moment:

[It doesn’t matter who you help; as long as you believe it’s the right thing to do, and it’s what you should do, then go ahead and do it.]

Shard then tucked the dagger into the inner pocket of his coat. The dagger was warm; although not easily turned into a toy, Shard decided to carry it for the time being.

Being delayed at D’Armanin Mansion, it was almost ten in the morning when the hired carriage brought Shard to the gates of Belindel Estate.

Under the same gloomy sky, the ambiance of Belindel Estate was starkly different from D’Armanin Mansion.

As soon as Shard stepped off the carriage, the maids who had been waiting rushed out from the manor to welcome him. As Shard entered the house, Miss Benanis hurriedly approached to embrace him first:

"Shard, yesterday we hardly exchanged greetings; look at you, after all this time, you’ve... hardly changed at all."

The blonde lady spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Indeed, Miss Benanis, you haven’t changed either. Oh, good morning, Ciris."

Shard remarked to Ciris, who was descending the stairs, as the golden-haired girl smiled at him:

"Vanessa was guessing earlier this morning about when you would arrive, but you didn’t show up until Earl Belindel left for his affairs. If it weren’t for the little unicorn at the manor being so intriguing, Vanessa might have gone out of the city to wait for you."

She was explaining why the lady of the manor wasn’t present to greet him.

"Oh! Shard!"

Soon after, Miss Sylvia also came downstairs. The young witch in a black and white gauze dress approached Shard with a laugh, hugging him as well:

"I dreamt about you last night too."

"I wager it was quite an interesting dream then."

Miss Benanis teased from the side, though Miss Sylvia didn’t mind:

"Margaret returned last night; she’s quite the busy person nowadays."

She said, also leading Shard for a circle:

"Seeing you again is wonderful; this is what life should feel like, which makes Galina quite lucky."

Tifa soon came over to greet Shard; unlike Miss Sylvia who lived with Margaret and Miss Benanis who stayed with the Golden Dawn Opera Group at the city’s Goethe Grand Inn, Tifa and the maid squad from the north all lived here.

She smiled and nodded to Shard without hugging him.

Shard was curious why Dorothy hadn’t come to greet him, but then heard the large manor door opening again as Dorothy, Angelina, Emilia, and Iluna walked in together.

"Good morning, Shard, we were just in the back garden."

The blonde Miss Writer explained:

"Angelina wanted to try riding the unicorn, and Emilia and Little Liana communicated extensively to get her consent. Iluna arrived twenty minutes ago, but Little Liana seemed a bit afraid of Iluna, although she willingly lay down beside Iluna... once I develop the photographs later, you can place them at home."

The Little Princess was visibly flushed with excitement, while Iluna appeared slightly bashful. The eighteen-year-old young lady probably didn’t want to be perceived by Shard as being as childish as the underage elf and Little Princess... but the unicorn was indeed very adorable.

Although the manor’s hostess was absent, the maids were quite willing to follow Shard’s instructions. Thus, Shard had Miss Maid and others tidy the study, where everyone gathered to discuss business.

The maids tidied efficiently but didn’t let the "colleagues" from the Northern Country intervene; Tifa and the others took it upon themselves to bring in cups and snacks from the kitchen.

The sofa set that appeared roomy on ordinary days now could only seat Shard, Miss Benanis, Miss Sylvia, Dorothy, Ciris, and Emilia as guests.

Tifa, representing Miss Galina, should have taken a seat but insisted on standing beside Shard. Although Angelina was a princess, she was only considered a regular witch follower in the council, so she dutifully sat on the stool by the coffee table, alongside other High Ring Ladies from the Northern Country and the high ring followers of the two Grand Witches.

"Emilia, last night Miss Danester specifically visited my home to talk to me about your situation."

Shard brought this matter up first, and the pointed-ear young lady nodded nervously:

"So..."

"She agreed. Before the matters in Moon Bay are settled, you and Little Liana can stay here. But be careful, and don’t contact the headmaster and the others who have already arrived locally for now."

Emilia bit the inside of her mouth to stop herself from laughing, but everyone could tell she was laughing.

"Did the Witch of the Red Moon go to your place?"

Miss Benanis asked curiously. Dorothy chuckled at the thought of yesterday evening’s events with Lecia and Galina, and Shard responded to her:

"And she just happened to run into Luviya, Lecia, and Miss Galina. They wanted to inquire about my situation... Miss Danester even asked me if my house was always so lively at night."

The ladies joined in laughter, while Iluna remarked:

"It’s a pity Luviya can’t come right now; otherwise, things might go more smoothly."

She was referring to Luviya’s ability to confirm the Chosen One, a special ability known only to Shard and Iluna.

Then, Shard explained to everyone present about the Misfortune Demon - Fanarius. The story began when Emilia first arrived in Tobesk; Shard downplayed Dr. Schneider’s role, claiming most of the credit himself.

Everyone listened attentively, even the Little Unicorn pricked up its ears. After Shard finished, the golden-haired opera actress sighed and said:

"That’s why we say, you’re always getting involved in these dangerous matters. We don’t oppose you protecting Miss Sianod, but it’s best to inform us in the future rather than handling everything on your own."

"After all, it’s an Evil Spirit Demon."

Shard shook his head and then said to Emilia:

"Just like I said yesterday, if this matter is made public, you could be placed alongside the heroes of ancient legends."

The Elf Girl shook her head quickly:

"Shard, stop joking, I’ve done nothing."

"No, no."

Iluna corrected:

"I’ve read a lot of material on the Sword of Light. All those recorded Sword Bearers were genuine heroes, Emilia, you wouldn’t be an exception."

"But the sword has disappeared, and I truly did nothing."

The Elf Girl said softly, while Miss Sylvia, sitting next to her, held her hand; everyone was very caring towards this fifty-something-year-old but still young Elf:

"Have a little confidence in yourself. Since you could draw the sword once, maybe you can draw it a second time. Tell us, what were you thinking at that time?"

Everyone looked at her, and Emilia, blushing, secretly glanced at Shard:

"Of course, I thought Shard died protecting me, and I... I just thought, no matter what, I must avenge him. I was undoubtedly scared then, but I thought since Shard protected me, I could be like him, even if it meant... dying with him."

The two Witches glanced at Shard, while Ciris and Dorothy were laughing. Iluna gave Emilia a skeptical look, while Angelina nodded approvingly.

"Aside from that thought, I also felt that I couldn’t let that Ravenfolk harm others."

Emilia placed her hands on her knees, continuing to speak bashfully:

"It’s bad enough that I’m unlucky; I don’t want others to feel the same... saddened by the loss of something important."

"Almost understood."

Dorothy raised her teacup to summarize:

"The Demon is powerful enough, and it indeed poses a threat to civilization and intends to do so. Emilia happened to wield the Night Watchman; whether she’s righteous enough is hard to say, but she did have the thought to perish together with the Raven at that time."

Thus, she met the four-point criterion Shard proposed... which doesn’t sound difficult."

Tifa whispered:

"If you prepare the necessary items for other ceremonies in advance and let Miss Sianod use the Dragon Scales of the Golden and Black Dragons to gain Dragon Power, she could actually perform the Chosen One Ceremony at that time."

They all felt a little regret, but they also knew that the identity of the Chosen One cannot be forced:

"Even though it sounds simple, it’s difficult to do. Where can we find an opponent as strong as the Ancient Evil Spirit?"

Miss Sylvia added:

"Those Dragons seem powerful, but the Misfortune Demon - Fanarius, according to Shard, is almost the most ancient Demon. Can we currently find a similar existence in Moon Bay? If there really is, I suggest we retreat first."

But there really is, like Desire, but Shard naturally wouldn’t say it.

"Even if we do find one, facing it with the courage like Miss Sianod had when drawing the sword isn’t easy... Are we going to let Shard ’die’ again?"

Dorothy cracked a little joke, but playing dead is a tactic that’s best used once and not repeatedly.