Count Altair

Looking at the Magic Mirror, which had been directly "hung up on," Lucius felt that the King had been "acting strange" too. He could only give up on probing further.

Still, he could conclude that the Royal Family's scheme involving him was, at the very least, something they weren't afraid to let Uncle-in-law Lev know about.

For now, Lucius could only come up with a name for his new identity. In his previous life, he'd been terrible at naming things, so he'd have to use a name that already existed. He settled on "Altair Sheffield!"

Once he'd finished putting together the identity, he had Hahn leave it at the manor gate, then returned to his room to wait for Uncle-in-law Lev.

He was so bored. Why hadn't Roselle skipped the internal combustion engine and used electricity instead, then invented some forms of entertainment, like video games? If there were video games, he'd at least have something to do at night...

When Leif Strauss climbed in through the window and entered Lucius's room alone, he found his great-nephew half asleep.

After gently patting Lucius awake, he prepared to activate the Sealed Artifact and complete the Memory Modification.

Once Lucius was fully awake, he saw the Golden Pocket Watch in Uncle-in-law Lev's hand and asked directly, "Is this the Sealed Artifact?"

Leif Strauss introduced it as he triggered the pocket watch with his Spirituality.

"That's right. This is a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact, 2-14, the Hypnotic Pocket Watch."

"It can alter another person's memories and perceptions while they're unconscious, but its effectiveness varies depending on the target's strength."

"For example, it can make an ordinary person believe that ordinary water is poisonous. They'll subconsciously refuse to drink it until they die of thirst. But the higher the Sequence, the less effective it is, and by Sequence Six, it's basically useless."

"The side effect is that one of the user's emotions will be greatly intensified for a short time, such as greed, lust, anger, or jealousy."

After hearing Uncle-in-law Lev's explanation, Lucius was even more certain that this Sealed Artifact had been made from the Hypnotist characteristic of the Spectator Pathway, Sequence 6.

Once the pocket watch was glowing gold, Uncle-in-law Lev said, "Lucius, I've infused the Sealed Artifact with Spirituality. Now tell me the name, identity, and other details you've decided on."

What Lucius saw next was Uncle-in-law Lev speaking to the pocket watch: "Starting tomorrow, my name will be Altair Sheffield. I am the only daughter of my father, Reinhard Sheffield. Lucius Sheffield is my alias..."

After finishing, he moved through the house as if it were empty, opening every room and using the Sealed Artifact on the servants inside.

Once everything was done, Uncle-in-law Lev said, "Altair Sheffield. Not a bad name. Looks like I've gained another great-niece in my old age. I never thought my dream of raising a granddaughter would come true through you."

Hearing his uncle-in-law tease him, Lucius couldn't even argue back. After all, he'd chosen this path himself. He could only ask helplessly, "Uncle-in-law, are you all right?"

?Leif was taken aback by the question.

"I mean, did using the Sealed Artifact just now affect you?" Hearing that, Leif Strauss realized how unusually exuberant he was feeling. It had to be a side effect of the Sealed Artifact, so he replied, "Of course it affected me. But if Princess Altair gave me a hug right now, I'd recover immediately."

Lucius's face darkened. He didn't feel like dealing with his ridiculous uncle-in-law anymore.

Seeing Lucius's expression, Leif nervously stroked his beard to show that he was fine. "The effect of that Sealed Artifact depends on the user's strength. It didn't affect me too badly this time, but I might still do a few out-of-character things over the next few days."

"All right, it's already so late. I'll head back now, and come over again tomorrow morning." Seeing his uncle-in-law get ready to leave, Lucius walked him out of the villa. Uncle-in-law Lev said that was far enough, but Lucius still saw him off out of politeness, only turning back once he was out of sight.

On the way back, he saw this world's moon for the first time: a red moon. Thinking of the little rap on the moon, his body shivered instinctively, and he hurried home without looking back.

But as soon as he walked in, he saw Hahn, who immediately asked, "Miss Altair, why are you still up so late? Is something the matter?"

Seeing Hahn, Lucius felt guilty. "It's nothing, Butler Hahn. I was just looking in the garden to see if there were any stars out tonight. Why aren't you asleep? It's so late."

Hearing Lucius's explanation, Hahn rubbed the back of his head and said, "I think I forgot something. I clearly remember getting up once just now, but for some reason I fell asleep again. The back of my head also keeps aching."

Altair said guiltily, "You're probably just tired from the last couple of days. Get some rest, Hahn. The household can't do without you these next few days."

"Good night, Hahn."

"Good night, Miss Altair."

Hahn had just been about to go back to bed when he noticed what his young Miss Altair was wearing. Forgetting all about sleep, he began advising her, "As a young lady, you can't keep wearing men's formal clothes. If you really don't like dresses, you could try some other kinds of women's clothes..."

Hearing Hahn's words as he was heading upstairs, Lucius nearly slipped and tumbled down the stairs. But he'd brought this on himself. He'd just have to endure it!

He could only keep a straight face and say, "I understand, Butler Hahn. But you know I don't have any other kinds of clothes."

The next morning, Lucius was woken up again. It was the third time since he'd crossed over, and all three times he'd been forcibly booted up from sleep!

This time, there wasn't anything he needed to get up early to take care of. Uncle-in-law Lev had simply arrived early, and Lucius had to greet him. He'd also brought Lucius an outfit for the day, a gender-neutral one.

Lucius was puzzled by his uncle-in-law's behavior. What exactly was he planning? Had the Sealed Artifact affected him badly the previous day?

After they finished eating together, Lucius was made to put on the clothes Uncle-in-law Lev had brought: a fitted ruffled shirt with black suit trousers, a vest, and a jacket.

According to Leif Strauss, the outfit suited him well. It wasn't women's clothing, but it also wouldn't let anyone discover his identity.

Starting at nine, guests began arriving one after another. The Memorial Service officially began at ten.

Among the first to speak were Uncle-in-law Lev and Colonel Rael Duarte. They expressed their deep sorrow over Old Sheffield's tragic passing, followed by some of his friends and comrades.

Then Lucius thanked everyone for coming. A member of the Royal Family announced that he had been granted the title of Earl, and that brought the Memorial Service to a close. Afterward, he helped Uncle-in-law Lev see the guests out.

Once the outsiders had left, only their own people remained. Everyone in the Sheffield Family's Reception Hall now was truly "one of their own."

Uncle-in-law Lev introduced them one by one. They were the Sheffield Family's connections and assets, people who were worth more than Gold Pounds.

When asked why he had been granted the title of Earl, Lucius said that the family had been accumulating military honors for years, and that they had all been used to pass down the title this time. The old men couldn't make head nor tail of the decision, but they understood why the Sheffield title hadn't changed for so many years.

After they had all introduced themselves, Lucius said he hadn't prepared any gifts for their meeting, but would have the butler deliver them later.

After sharing a simple lunch, he saw the elderly gentlemen out.