Saint Byron's Professors

Silver Moon Slash required no spellcasting materials; one merely had to use the body to draw a trail of light through the air. That silver trail could slash forward, taking on an offensive form.

Before midnight, Shade repeatedly practiced in the room with the curtains drawn, making trails of light appear and then sending them slashing ahead. He was extremely excited. Though he had previously tried Moving Objects Through the Air, Blood Echo, and Light Spell, Silver Moon Slash was what truly matched his idea of "power" and "mystery."

Unfortunately, Shade was only a beginner. His understanding of the Silver Moon Element Runes was shallow, and he possessed little spirit, so those light trails could not even leave noticeable marks on the walls.

But if all he wanted was to harm a fragile human body, they should be enough at close range.

Though this Thaumaturgy was not very powerful for the time being, the trail of light left in the air was exceptionally beautiful—more elegant and noble even than the form recorded in the book. It captivated the curious Orange Cat Miya.

Of course, these four Thaumaturgies from the courses were only provided by the Academy for free. If Shade wanted to acquire more Thaumaturgies from the Academy, he could search the library and then pay for the knowledge of those Thaumaturgies.

The professors each had their own collections of Thaumaturgies and spells. Earning high marks in their courses was also a way to obtain free Thaumaturgies and spells.

As for the Academy's Thaumaturgies and spells, Doctor Schneider believed the library's prices were unreasonable—an "exploitation" of Correspondence Students by the Academy.

Rather than buying from the Academy, Shade would be better off purchasing from members of his group or local Ring Arcanists. The Academy would only serve as a source for rare Thaumaturgies and spells.

But no matter what, the Outlander had now completely stepped through the gates of mystery and the supernatural in the strange Steam Epoch.

Reviewing his current situation, the Outlander realized that what he lacked most was neither time nor experience, but gold pounds. This only strengthened his resolve to run this Detective Agency. It was the best way he could currently reach to make money.

"Earn gold pounds through commissions, then obtain knowledge from Saint Byron's. Acquire the Four Elements Runes and keep advancing. Even if I can't go back, I'll still witness this secretive and magnificent world."

Now that he had a home of his own, Shade no longer felt the oppression he had endured over the past few days.

As for copying books from his former world, or profiting in the Steam Epoch with knowledge from that world, he would have to wait until he had established himself here and gained more power before making detailed plans.

The entire day was spent teasing the cat and reading. Even without any income today, Shade was still very happy after mastering his first Thaumaturgy.

Night soon arrived. Seeing that the clock showed eleven, Shade first locked the nocturnal Orange Cat Miya in the bedroom, then moved the tea table and sofa to make room.

He arranged the four chairs from beside the dining table in the living room, carefully corrected their directions with a compass, and finally placed a basin filled with water in the center of the four chairs.

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

Only then did he sit in the chair facing due north, holding matches in one hand and the elective course list scroll in the other. Staring wide-eyed as the clock finally neared twelve, he swiftly struck a match against the chair's armrest.

He used too much force, and the match snapped in half. Shade was slightly startled, then immediately pulled another from the matchbox on his knee.

Matches in this era were hardly safety matches, and there was no rough strip on the side of the matchbox for striking them. Pulling out a match and lighting it against the floor, the sole of one's shoe, or the wall was the usual practice.

The second match finally lit successfully. Shade looked up at the clock, and the moment he heard the first chime, he immediately ignited the scroll. The parchment scroll caught fire almost at once. As soon as the flames appeared, he tossed the scroll into the water before him.

Though he had prepared himself long ago, Shade was still somewhat startled when the scroll that entered the water turned into specks of blue light scattered throughout the basin.

"What is this?"

As he wondered inwardly, the woman's voice in his mind unexpectedly spoke:

It is not Thaumaturgy or a spell, but a more ancient occult power. This is some kind of ritual.

"A ritual?"

Before he could receive any further explanation, the entire basin of water began to radiate light. Wind rose in the room despite the closed windows, and amid that wind, three beams of light projected from the basin toward the east, west, and south.

Then, three translucent blue human figures gradually became clear from their initial blurriness, appearing in the chairs Shade had prepared. Shade could even see drifting characters within their transparent bodies, but merely interpreting one of them made his head ache and swell. Having learned his lesson from the Darkness Box, he did not indulge that intense curiosity.

The appearance of the three figures made the room suddenly turn cold and gloomy.

Sitting due south, across from Shade, was an elderly man wearing round-framed glasses. He wore formal black attire and was even taller than Shade. A pocket watch chain extended from his breast pocket and fastened to a button on his chest.

"Vice President of Saint Byrens Comprehensive College, Director of the Student Management Office, Hames Sanchez Professor of the Library Management College."

Professor Sanchez introduced himself in flawless Delarion Language and gave Shade a slight nod.

This was the name signed on the message. It was this man who had arranged to meet Shade in this manner.

The man seated in the eastern chair appeared to be in his forties. He was thin, but his expression was resolute. He wore the same black formal attire with a white shirt, and the buttons at his cuffs bore the emblem of Byronnes Comprehensive College: a book bound in iron chains.

His ears seemed somewhat pointed, unlike those of ordinary people.

"Vice President of History College, Hesseng Garcia Professor."

His Delarion Language was clearly not as standard as Professor Sanchez's. In the current world, the southern Kartherian Language and northern Delarion Language were both widely spoken. Perhaps Professor Garcia had originally come from the south.

Finally, seated in the western chair was a beautiful, curly-haired lady in her thirties. She wore a monocle over her right eye, a common blue Female Clerk's uniform, and held a writing board and pen in her hands.

She gave Shade a friendly nod. Her manner of speech was less solemn than the two professors'.

"I am Lakes Jones of the Academy Secretariat. According to regulations, whenever Academy professors communicate with Correspondence Ring Arcanists outside of teaching, a Secretariat secretary must record and archive the conversation. This protects you, and it also protects Saint Byron's secrets."

"I understand. Good evening, Professor Sanchez, Professor Garcia, Miss Jones. Would you like some hot tea? My black tea is quite good."

After his brief surprise, Shade politely addressed the three transparent figures. He wondered whether this ritual worked on principles similar to a projector. Yet the cold, gloomy atmosphere suggested that perhaps the ritual's original purpose had not been to hold meetings from afar.