Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 1948: Farewell at the Inn

When Shard realized he was already in the hotel, he didn’t hear anyone greeting him at first; instead, he heard a rumbling sound.

Elements and spirits collided, and the light of arcane techniques flashed outside the hotel. Standing by the bonfire on the first floor, looking around, a few injured women were sitting by the fire, healing themselves. Tifa, Haley, and Miss Dector were not inside. Dorothy and Lecia stood at the door, with a Five Rings Life Ring hovering behind them.

Only Angelina, holding a cat, walked toward Shard. Although Angelina was here for "refuge" tonight, she remained as glamorous as ever...at least until the last time Shard left.

Now, the outer layer of her double-skirt dress was torn off. She wore a somewhat long but durable and fitted brown coat over her dress. Her red hair was completely tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and she wore standard fire- and corrosion-resistant leather gloves used by circle sorcerers when configuring magic potions. One hand held a cat, and the other carried a basket with empty potion bottles.

Shard had never seen Angelina dressed like this. Although he never praised her, in his impression, Angelina, who was not as tall or as well-built as her sister and aunt, seemed more like a carefree princess living in a fairy tale world. Shard could never have imagined her dressed like this, recovering potion bottles on the first floor.

If she had a few smudges of soot on her face, she would look even more amusing now.

But her outfit also meant the hotel’s situation was quite dire, requiring even Angelina to do something.

"Shard!"

She shouted to Shard, so Dorothy and Lecia at the door also turned to look at Shard.

This time, Shard initially intended just to greet the ladies and then proceed to the final banquet. Apart from a few more tears in his clothes, even the wound on his face had unknowingly healed in the rain.

"I’m fine,"

he said, patting Angelina’s shoulder, then walked towards the writer and the princess, carrying his sword. Seeing they were fine, Shard walked out of the hotel under their worried gazes.

As Shard expected, the situation was almost identical to when they had arrived over forty minutes ago. Countless grotesque chimeric monsters charged from the woods, attacking the hotel from all directions. More than half of them could use the power of space.

Under the shroud of dense fog, those chimeric monsters had become stronger than before. Although the number of women resisting in the hotel had doubled, they still couldn’t gain an advantage against so many enemies.

Among them, the most terrifying giant eight-armed monster that Shard had seen at the edge of the forest also arrived here.

Eighth Ring Tifa and several other high ring female sorceresses were at the hotel’s main entrance, confronting this enemy that could already be classified as an evil object. Without this entity, everyone in the hotel would still have had the capability to repel this wave of attack.

"Tifa!"

Shard’s voice pierced through the rain. The black-haired Miss Maid, who was trying to use trees in the forest as spellcasting materials to seal the monster’s left foot, turned around and saw a longsword flying towards her.

Reaching out to grab the "Night Watchman" that Shard threw, Miss Maid swung a fierce sword light, slashing down three mosquito and pigeon-like creatures flying over her head. Her long dress twirled like a blooming flower with her movements in the rain. The sword tip pierced the ground, and as the Eight Rings Life Ring behind her unleashed spiritual light, the large trees swaying in the storm finally awoke.

The buzzing activated treemen pounced continuously towards the giant’s right leg, taking root and sprouting after latching onto their target. Upon realizing his right foot was immobile, the giant had to look down:

"Roar~"

The roar wasn’t just an angry outburst; the sonic waves disrupted the mental stability of everyone nearby. Yet the flying women seized the opportunity to intensify their attacks, and Shard, standing at the hotel’s entrance, gripped "Yggdrasil’s Staff" and took a deep breath:

"Thunder Spear!"

Dazzling white thunder coated the surface of the staff, which Shard then forcefully hurled towards the giant’s head.

The thunder pierced through the rain, yet the giant caught it mid-air with both hands. The silver-white thunder briefly paralyzed those hands, but it didn’t influence the overall battle.

"Love God’s Sting!"

A pink halo suddenly appeared within the silver-white thunder. Accompanied by a scream piercing enough to nearly burst eardrums, even the monsters surrounding the woods retreated in fright.

This giant monster, after some unknown modifications, had a soul so powerful that "Love God’s Sting" couldn’t directly convert it into pink crystals. However, the soul-based excruciating pain still rendered it unable to control its body. Entangled by the treemen, it wailed and toppled forward.

Unknown sorceresses blinded its eyes with "Feliana’s Witch Light," and another unleashed shadow spikes piercing its heart. Amidst the spiritual light, everyone seized this precious opportunity for a final attack on the monster.

Shard didn’t even need to act again; the monster fell heavily to the ground shortly after, dying at the entrance of Green Lake Hotel.

Its corpse didn’t remain; instead, it gradually dissolved into blood, seeping into the dark red soil along with the rain.

Other monsters also retreated amidst the agonizing screams of the dying Giant, allowing the ritual at Green Lake Hotel to be restored once more. Spiritual Light spread from the basement to the walls and soon diffused around the hotel. Except for a few women who needed to continue reconnaissance outside, most of the drenched ladies finally returned to the hotel to rest.

Tifa also returned carrying Shard’s sword and staff.

Although she was of the Eight Rings, she did not use any means to avoid the rain for better combat. Even during battle, she remained in her black and white maid’s long dress, which was thoroughly soaked, with wet black hair sticking to her face.

Yet, due to the rain, the plain outfit clung to her body, accentuating her already impressive figure even more. Shard clearly noticed the strange look in the eyes of Lecia and Dorothy at the door as they welcomed everyone back. When Tifa followed him inside, Angelina greeted them with a smile, but her expression froze immediately.

Shard even thought that he had instantaneously acquired the ability to read others’ thoughts:

"How can it be so big?"

It was Miss Haley Aflora who understood the shocked expressions of the other ladies, hurriedly came over and dried the clothes of the black-haired Head Maid. Because everyone, including Shard, was too embarrassed to look directly at Miss Maid, no one noticed her faint smile.

In any case, the second wave of attacks faced by Green Lake Hotel passed safely. After most people returned, Shard placed a bottle of No. 1 Holy Water on the table for them, and explained what he was going to do next:

"Time is running out, I likely won’t be coming back once I head out. The Edwards Family Banquet is about to be held, and tonight’s matters will soon conclude."

He took out the invitation card, and everyone understood Shard’s intention.

Even though they knew this moment would come, at the time of parting, Dorothy and Lecia were still reluctant to let Shard leave just like that. Each of them hugged Shard, and Dorothy even took out the Angel Feather that Shard had left with her all this time.

Having understood the Edwards’ story, she knew clearly how significant the two remaining uses of this feather would be tonight:

"Come back soon."

She gently kissed Shard’s cheek.

Shard hesitated slightly, as he would never hide from the two ladies about what he learned from the Diviner. However, now wasn’t the right time to discuss these matters. Maybe it would be better to wait until he obtained a solution from the Diviner before telling them.

Everyone else also bid Shard farewell and accompanied him to the front of the hotel. But before leaving, Shard still gave some instructions:

"Lecia, Dorothy, no matter what happens tonight, please do not leave the hotel. Stay with Tifa and take care of Angelina and Mia."

"Meow~"

Having done nothing all night, the cat meowed.

Shard felt he might have spoken too definitively:

"If the Green Lake Hotel is invaded, follow the main group and leave. The Grand Witches will soon come here, and I should resolve the trouble quickly. Remember, absolutely do not approach the town, and especially not the Edwards’ Old House... If you indeed encounter an accident and are drawn toward there, do not believe anyone. Of course, the most important thing tonight is—"

He looked at Lecia and Dorothy before him:

"Do not attempt to unite as one."

Saying this, he stretched out his arms and embraced them together. Surrounding them were many other ladies; under normal circumstances, Shard would shy away from such a bold action, but tonight was exceptional.

"What if you really need us?"

Lecia’s voice came from the embrace.

Shard was silent for a moment:

"I have considered this possibility, if I truly need you, you should regroup with Grace and Helen before making any decisions. Also, if you encounter another Space Transfer, prioritize your own safety first, understood?"

Uniting Grace and Helen with Lecia and Dorothy was a special plan Shard conceived based on the "United as One" rule of the Chosen One Ceremony. Although "she" said that Shard was trying to confuse the Chosen One Ceremony, Shard thought it might actually work. After all, in this world, it’s rare to find absolutely certain outcomes.

With time running short, the embrace did not last long. After releasing them, Shard nodded to the surrounding ladies, before turning and entering the woodland again, disappearing swiftly amidst the fog with a few flickers.