Chapter 2227: [Footsteps at Midnight]

Chapter 2227: Chapter 2227: [Footsteps at Midnight]

Because early Tuesday morning, Old Man John sent a letter informing Shard that he had acquired a brand new Time Key for him, thus Shard arrived at Moon Bay somewhat later that morning.

The kingdom’s birthday party was to be held in Tobesk that evening, and of course, it was also the important Day of the Red Butterfly, so Shard planned not to return in the afternoon, visiting Moon Bay only briefly in the morning for the latest news.

He didn’t expect anything significant to happen overnight, perhaps just another victim of "luminosity." However, upon reaching the Witch’s manor, he sensed a strange atmosphere; the maids and servants working there exhibited visible fatigue, even the genuine Circle Sorcerers seemed groggy.

Miss Matilda, who guided Shard to the study, tried to maintain her composure, but as they walked through the third-floor corridor, a yawning maid passed them carrying a blanket to dry, prompting the Blonde Head Maid to stifle a yawn herself.

She raised her hand to cover her mouth, looking straight ahead and resolutely avoiding Shard’s gaze. Yet, Shard, walking slightly behind her, clearly saw her face and ears blush.

Once in the study, Shard refrained from exchanging pleasantries like "Why is Moon Bay so cold today? Is it going to snow again?" because besides Miss Belindel, there was a Little Unicorn curled up on the cushion, and Emilia sleeping soundly upon it.

Miss Matilda brought a blanket to cover the Elf Girl, as Emilia rubbed her cheek against the Unicorn’s mane, continuing her deep slumber. After placing the Silence Charm near Emilia, the equally exhausted Witch addressed Shard:

"Good morning."

"Good morning, what happened last night? Did you have a party until dawn?"

Shard approached the Countess, who managed a slight smile:

"A funny joke, but no party."

The fatigue made the lady, with a vermilion birthmark on her brow, appear even more languid and haggard than usual, her voice very soft:

"We usually retire at ten in the evening here. Last night, after everyone returned to their rooms, strange footsteps began to occur throughout the house. Initially, they were very soft and slow; even I couldn’t be sure if they were an illusion. But after midnight, the frequency increased, and they began to approach those trying to sleep."

She leaned back against the sofa, kicked off her high heels, and reclined, curling up on the sofa to gaze at Shard:

"The Poet-Level Relic ’Midnight Footsteps,’ was summoned by Emilia. This item is not very dangerous, merely inciting terror and insomnia in the nighttime. I hadn’t encountered such a relic before, and was unaware of its pronounced effects. Anyway, the women here, except those who left the manor for rest, ended up asleep—like me—only after five when dawn began to break."

Shard glanced at Emilia, considering checking on her, but the Witch halted him:

"Don’t disturb her rest.

After dawn, the relic’s effects dissipated, but according to records I’ve read, it reappears post-sunset. Emilia didn’t dare to sleep following the cessation of footsteps this morning; while we rested temporarily, she remained awake until we rose. She’s a good girl, just somewhat unlucky."

The Witch’s weariness was difficult to conceal. In truth, Circle Sorcerers could handle sleepless nights without issue, but the relic induced fatigue and unrest. Fortunately, the effects were limited to fear and tiredness, with no enduring harm if one could resist fright, hence its mere Poet-Level classification.

"Allow me to offer apologies on Emilia’s behalf. If the relic appears again tonight, might I take her out to spend the night?"

Shard suggested.

"What nonsense!"

The Witch responded softly, beckoning Shard to sit beside her:

"I anticipated potential surprises when agreeing to Emilia’s temporary stay. This is merely a Poet-Level relic; once I get some rest, I will handle it. She’s your friend, so she’s mine too."

Shard sat beside her, and the Witch wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head against his chest as if listening to his heartbeat.

Shard waited for some time without witnessing any further action from her; it wasn’t until he glanced down that he realized the Countess had curled up in his arms, asleep.

Amused yet worried about her comfort, Shard sought help from Miss Matilda but found the Blonde Head Maid equally fatigued, barely rested as the other maids were able to snatch brief moments of rest after dawn.

Shard gestured to her, suggesting she take a nap as well instead of standing beside the sofa waiting for the Countess’s orders. The Blonde Maid showed a hint of a smile, hesitated for a moment, then went to the tea table in front of the sofa. She sat down with a bow and leaned on the tea table, closing her eyes.

No one dared to intrude into the study to disturb them. It seemed that this Tuesday morning, there was nothing that required Miss Belindel’s personal attention, warranting the maids to knock on the door from the corridor.

And so, the Elf slept, the Witch slept, the Maid slept, and even the Little Unicorn slept. Only Shard, who had slept well last night, found no trace of sleepiness.

Worrying he might disturb the girls’ rest, he sat rigidly on the sofa, not daring to move. Later, when the Witch in his arms wriggled to find a more comfortable position, he took the opportunity to pull a book out of his pocket.

This dreary morning passed in a wonderful and peaceful atmosphere like this. Shard actually quite liked this leisurely time. While flipping through the book "Mind Compass," he compared the differences in the rhythmic breathing sounds but soon felt that such comparisons seemed somewhat inappropriate.

In short, the light sleep the girls took to restore their spirits lasted until around eleven o’clock. Based on the rate of breathing, the first to wake was the earliest sleeper, Emilia. The sleepy-eyed Elf Girl did not get up immediately but, upon realizing the current situation, continued to pretend to sleep, leaning on the Little Unicorn who had almost woken up with her.

About five to six minutes later, the Witch nestled in Shard’s arms also awoke. Since the two of them were leaning together, Shard could easily tell that she was also pretending to sleep, probably too embarrassed, like Emilia, to be the first to wake up.

[Is it possible that she just doesn’t want to leave?]

"She" laughed and asked.

The third to awaken was Miss Matilda. When the Maid opened her eyes, they met those of Shard, who was looking at her over the book. Both of them blinked, and then the Blonde Maid straightened herself in front of the tea table and stood up, holding onto the skirt’s edges.

She quite gracefully smoothed the wrinkles in her dress. Seeing Shard smiling at her, she turned her face away not to look at him. And when she moved to the window and opened it to ventilate the stuffy study after the morning, only then did Emilia and Miss Belindel almost simultaneously "wake up" upon hearing the window’s sound.

Shard found the scene even more interesting.

The Little Unicorn, whose head had been pressed by Emilia all morning, finally stood up, lively pacing around the room. Emilia, upon rising, stretched lazily, but remembering Shard was still there, she quickly withdrew her half-stretched arms.

As for Miss Belindel, although awake, she did not get right away out of Shard’s embrace. Lazily, after Matilda opened the door, she instructed the maids to prepare lunch.

Even after arranging lunch, she still didn’t want to get up until the Little Unicorn came to the side of the sofa and continuously nudged her, forcing her to sit up so Shard could reach and touch it; only then did she finally return to normal demeanor.

The Countess made no remark about this morning nap. Instead, she went with Emilia to the lavatory to freshen up. Half an hour later they reconvened in the dining room. Shard had thought the recently awakened girls might have no appetite, but apparently, it didn’t deter them from enjoying lunch.

"Miss Belindel, what about your mother and sisters? Are they not affected by last night’s events?"

Shard curiously asked again, as on the day Emilia arrived, these ladies and maidens were still at the manor, though they had not seen the Unicorn.

"Last night, it happened that they were not in town, as we have an estate outside the city. I sent a message this morning for them to stay outside the city for a few more days."

The Blonde Witch said. Emilia, wanting to apologize for the trouble caused by her arrival, intended to speak, but the Witch continued:

"It’s not a big deal. The city has been chaotic lately, so it’s better for them to stay outside for a while longer. After lunch, we should handle the ’Midnight Footsteps’ matter."

"You want to create a dark environment to simulate the conditions of midnight?"

When in Tobesk, Emilia had encountered three types of relics known as ’urban legends’ or, as classified by the Sage Level, ’Friendly Neighbor,’ by the Keeper of Secrets Level ’Chain of Malicious Curse Letters,’ and by the Scribe Level ’Ghostly Afterimage.’ Therefore, Shard was familiar with the Poet-Level ’Midnight Footsteps’... though he wasn’t sure why Emilia, targeted by a demon, only attracted such relics. But it seemed likely the most dangerous Angel-Level ’Body in the Wall’ might also appear later.

Miss Belindel nodded:

"Yes, the ’Midnight Footsteps’ trigger condition includes ’midnight,’ which in the night indeed relates to time, but during the day can also be triggered by light. Although it is just a lower Poet-Level relic, we must not be too careless."

She took a deck of Divination Cards from the maid behind her, shuffled them slightly, and then drew the first card.