Chapter 45: The Professors of St. Byron's

Using [Silver Moon Slash] required no casting materials; one only needed to trace light trails in the air with their limbs. Those silvery light trails could then be slashed forward to manifest an offensive form.

Before midnight, inside the room with the curtains drawn, Shard had practiced repeatedly, making light trails appear and then slashing them forward. He was extremely excited; although he had previously attempted Telekinesis, Blood Echo, and Light, [Silver Moon Slash] was the only one that matched his mental image of "power" and "mystery."

Unfortunately, Shard was merely a beginner. His understanding of the [Silver Moon] elemental runes was shallow, and his personal spirituality was scarce; consequently, those light trails could not even leave a noticeable mark on the walls.

However, if the goal was merely to harm a fragile human body, it would likely be sufficient at close range.

Although this thaumaturgy's power was currently mediocre, the light trails left in the air were exquisitely beautiful—even more elegant and noble than the forms recorded in books—which attracted the curious orange cat, Mia.

Of course, the four aforementioned thaumaturgies from the curriculum were merely provided for free by the Academy. If Shard wished to obtain more, he could consult the library and pay for the knowledge of those spells.

The various professors also held private collections of different thaumaturgies and incantations; achieving high scores in their courses was another way to obtain them for free.

Regarding the Academy's thaumaturgies and incantations, Dr. Schneider believed the library's pricing was unreasonable—a form of "exploitation" of correspondence students by the Academy.

Rather than buying from the Academy, Shard found it better to purchase from members of his own group or local Circle Practitioners. He viewed the Academy solely as a channel for acquiring rare thaumaturgies and incantations.

Regardless, the outsider had thoroughly stepped through the gates of mystery and the supernatural of this eerie Steam Age.

Summarizing his current situation, the outsider realized that what he lacked most was neither time nor experience, but gold pounds. This strengthened his resolve to run this detective agency; it was the best way for him to make money at his current level.

"Earn gold pounds through commissions, then acquire knowledge from St. Byrons. Obtain the four elemental runes and continuously advance. Even if I cannot return, I shall witness this mysterious and magnificent world."

Because he now had a house of his own, Shard no longer felt the oppression he had experienced over the past few days.

As for transcribing books from his past world or using past-world knowledge to profit in the Steam Age, he would wait until he had established a foothold and gained more power before making detailed plans.

He spent the entire day playing with the cat and reading. Having mastered his first thaumaturgy, Shard remained very happy even without any income today.

Thus, night fell. Seeing the grandfather clock indicate it was already eleven o'clock, Shard first locked the nocturnal orange cat, Mia, in the bedroom, then moved the coffee table and sofa to clear some space.

He moved the four chairs from the dining table into the living room, strictly corrected their orientation using a compass, and finally placed a basin filled to the brim with water in the center of the four chairs.

He changed into the only formal suit in his wardrobe, closed the curtains, and adjusted the living room gas lamp to a dim, warm yellow glow.

Only then did he sit in the chair facing due north, holding a box of matches in one hand and a scroll of elective courses in the other. Staring intently at the clock until it neared midnight, he quickly struck a match against the chair's armrest.

Due to excessive force, the match snapped in the middle. Startled, Shard immediately pulled another from the matchbox on his knee.

Matches of this era were not "safety matches," and the boxes lacked the rough striking surfaces used for sliding. The common practice was to strike a match against the floor, the sole of a shoe, or a wall.

The second match finally lit successfully. Shard looked up at the clock and, upon hearing the first chime, immediately ignited the scroll. The parchment scroll caught fire almost instantly; seeing the flames appear, he immediately tossed the scroll into the water before him.

Despite being prepared, Shard was still somewhat shocked to see the submerged scroll transform into scattered specks of blue light within the basin.

"What is this?" he thought.

Unexpectedly, the woman's voice in his mind spoke

【It is not thaumaturgy or incantation, but an even older mystical power. This is a type of ritual.】

"A ritual?"

Before he could receive further explanation, the entire basin of water began to radiate light. A wind rose within the closed room, and through that wind, three beams of light projected from the basin toward the east, west, and south.

Consequently, three blue, transparent human figures gradually materialized from a blur into clarity, appearing on the chairs Shard had prepared. Shard even saw swimming characters within their transparent bodies, but the mere attempt to decipher a single one caused a throbbing pain in his head. Taking a lesson from the [Box of Darkness], he refrained from indulging his intense curiosity.

The appearance of the three individuals caused the room to turn abruptly cold.

Sitting directly south, opposite Shard, was an elderly man wearing round-rimmed glasses. He wore formal black attire and was even taller than Shard; a pocket watch chain extended from his breast pocket, tethered to a button on his chest.

"Vice Dean of St. Byrons Comprehensive Academy, Director of the Student Management Office, and Professor of the Library Management Department, Hamus Sanchez," the man introduced himself in standard Delarian, giving Shard a slight nod.

This was the name signed at the end of the message; this was the person who had arranged the meeting.

Sitting in the eastern chair was a middle-aged man in his forties, thin in build but with a resolute expression. He wore similar black formal attire with a white shirt, and the buttons on his cuffs bore the crest of St. Byrons Comprehensive Academy—a book bound by iron chains.

His ears seemed somewhat pointed, unlike a normal person's.

"Vice Dean of the History Department, Professor Hegens Garcia."

His Delarian was clearly not as standard as Professor Sanchez's. In the current world, Southern Carsonric and Northern Delarian were the common tongues; perhaps Professor Garcia was originally from the south.

The final person, sitting in the western chair, was a beautiful woman in her thirties with curly hair. She wore a monocle over her right eye and a common blue clerical uniform, holding a clipboard and a pen.

She nodded kindly to Shard, her manner less solemn than the two professors.

"I am Lux Jones from the Academy Secretariat. According to regulations, when Academy professors communicate with correspondence Circle Practitioners outside of teaching hours, a secretary from the Secretariat must record the conversation and archive it. This is to protect both of you and the secrets of St. Byrons."

"I understand. Professor Sanchez, Professor Garcia, Miss Jones, good evening... Would you like some hot tea? The black tea I have here is quite good," Shard said politely to the three transparent figures after his initial surprise. He wondered if this ritual functioned similarly to a projector. The chilling atmosphere suggested that perhaps the ritual's original purpose was not intended for remote meetings.