Free Web NovelChapter 2021: Chapter 2021: Reunion in the Council
"Megan, how come you arrived with Galina and Shard?"
On Wednesday morning, Miss Benanis, who was preparing in the council, heard the sound and turned around to see Shard, Miss Galina, and Megan walking out of the Mist Gate together.
Shard walked ahead, with the two absent-minded witches following behind. Emerging from the same door indicated that the three entered the council together.
"I was afraid Shard would forget the time, so I went to remind him, and coincidentally ran into Galina as well."
The wise Grand Witch calmly explained, then greeted Miss Aphrola. After speaking, she glanced at Shard, thankfully discreetly.
Granny Cassandra was still on her way back to Milestone, so she wasn’t present. Miss Sylvia had gone out in reality to find the Grand Witch of Time to ensure she wouldn’t appear in the council this morning no matter what.
It was the perfect guarantee. As long as Shard wasn’t discovered by Miss Isabella, the other witches would come up with a solution if found by Galina or the others:
"We have four Twelfth Ranks after all!"
After greetings, Miss Aphrola and Miss Benanis continued their busy preparations, not noticing Galina and Megan’s abnormality. The red-haired Duchess had tied her long hair up today, giving her a mature and charming look; it was rare for her to dress like this. Megan’s long dress was obviously not her own, but since she was similar in build to Miss Galina, it wasn’t too conspicuous.
In short, the three who appeared together maintained silence about the events of last night and joined the preparation work.
Using the Sublimation Incantation recklessly can damage the souls and bodies of the Circle Sorcerers, something Shard had been shown by the doctor when he first arrived in this world. Although Shard wasn’t using the full power of the Sublimation Incantation this time, merely hoping it would resonate with the relic, he still couldn’t let down his guard.
Fortunately, although rituals to use the Sublimation Incantation must be adjusted based on the type, there is a general template for the space-time type Sublimation Incantation.
After setting up the ritual base formation on the round table in the council with special chalk, Miss Aphrola handed one large and one small bottle of magic potion to Shard, and then the four Grand Witches left with different emotions.
Sunlight pierced through the high mist and cast onto the round table at the bottom of the council. As Shard sat on the chair representing "Balance" and looked at the empty twelve other chairs, he thought of the ladies he had encountered during the Fifth Era, who also once sat here looking at the identical scenery.
The witches come and go, and when the outlander reached here downstream the river of time, they had all disappeared.
"Hurry up, if we get caught by other witches due to wasting time, it will be troublesome."
With this in mind, he drank the small bottle of potion with pretty purple glimmer, tasting somewhat like grapes; then drank the large bottle with a red glimmer, which was all apple flavored.
Then he took out his Roder Card deck, placed it on the circular ritual base formation drawn with chalk on the table, and flipped over the first card, which was the [Poetry Cards]:
"Let’s see, the formal steps for using the Sublimation Incantation..." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Although he used the Sublimation Incantation relying on the power of Divinity Overflow in the Pantanal Swamp last time, that was far from normal. So this time, Shard carefully considered it, then used moonlight to cut his finger, letting the blood drip into specified places on the ritual base formation, as well as putting the bundled soft golden hair and Miss Feliana’s notebook on the symbol of "Time" of the ritual core.
The former was to borrow more power from the Witch Council, and the latter was calling the direction indicator:
"The activation of the Poetry Cards requires spell words, let me see..."
The spell words seen by different people vary, driven by the intentions of the circle sorcerer using the relic. The spell words with a metallic silver frame were on both sides of the card front, with ancient script written on the top:
[Proclaimed Objects, Legendary Persons.]
Shard cleared his throat, ensuring all preparations were ready. In the steam mist, the gigantic Seven Ring Life Ring manifested behind him as he pressed one hand on the table, resonating his spirit with the ritual base formation. When the chalk marks began to glow faintly, he recited the spell words he saw:
"In service beneath my banner,
Thy fate bound to thy sword.
Hero sung in poetry,
Answer my call.
I, in the violet of longing for times past,
Have witnessed thee and her in Academy City.
Guide us, O teacher~
Scholar of profound knowledge~
This moment proclaims,
Please heed once again the call,
"May you illuminate my path forward."
The spell words were somewhat peculiar, but there was no one else present, so Shard didn’t feel embarrassed. As he recited the incantation, he let the Sublimation Incantation resonate with it.
Dong~ Dong~ Dong
Although the bell of Sublimation Incantation rang, because this location didn’t meet the requirements for the ritual site, the echo in Shard’s soul did not resonate with them across Space-Time; furthermore, the Witch Council greatly suppressed the power of the Angel-Level Relic, and the relic did not summon the phantoms of past heroes.
In other words, aside from the table in front of him glowing, nothing seemed to happen.
"So, my idea was mistaken; this attempt won’t bring forth Miss Feliana?"
He thought skeptically, but wasn’t disappointed, instead wanting to try other methods. Suddenly, he felt his eyelids heavy and a wave of weariness surged through, with a sleepiness so intense the Outlander could not resist it.
"Sublimation Incantation has merely started, does it consume this much energy?"
It wasn’t just physical exhaustion; a deep-seated drowsiness arose from his soul. The last thing Shard managed to do, before falling asleep on the table, was to place his arms beneath his head to rest more comfortably.
The Poetry Cards slipped from his hand, landing beside the stack of cards on the table. At the center of the round table, golden hair and an ancient notebook floated, emitting a light that was soft even under the daylight.
"Shard~ Shard!"
It felt like dreaming, yet also like reality. This time, Shard did not find himself in the moonlit wilderness within his dream again, but was awakened from dreamless slumber, immediately realizing he absolutely should not sleep in the Witch Council, as this was not a safe place.
"Shard~ Shard~"
Trying to open his eyes and sit up, the sleepiness was still heavy. Yet the voice calling his name, repeating over and over, gradually cleared his chaotic consciousness.
As the voice became clearer and closer, almost directly in his ear, Shard finally broke free from the sleepiness and opened his eyes, realizing the familiar voice calling his name was Fiona’s:
"Speaking of which, a while ago I also dreamt, dreamt of Fiona calling my name. (Chapter 1911)"
His finger trembled slightly, followed by his body convulsing controlled by his consciousness. Several seconds later, completely breaking free from the drowsiness, Shard rose from the table with difficulty.
As he lifted his head, the red-gold eyes almost pressed against Shard’s face. Those eyes had a smile, causing him to slightly move his head back; the familiar face that came into view was undoubtedly that of the Red Dragon Witch Fiona Drago. A white shirt paired with a dark red long skirt, deep red hair, slightly pointed ears, and dragon horns on her head symbolizing the Red Dragon Nobility bloodline, were all signs of her lineage.
Her pale cheeks had lips slightly curved, and the unique "Witch’s Scent" perfume smell was her most potent identity proof.
"Fiona!"
Exclamations of surprise escaped, but Shard quickly thought of another issue:
"No, wait, wasn’t I calling for Miss Feliana?"
No matter if this is a dream or reality, Shard certainly didn’t travel to the Fifth Era. Therefore, the ritual circle prepared by the witches of the Sixth Era was still present on the council’s round table in front of him, and even his Roder Card deck was still on the table.
As for the girl with wings on her back, she had her hands behind her. She seemed to have leaned over to watch Shard sleep, so when Shard raised his head, they were almost face to face.
Upon seeing Shard finally awake, Fiona, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, wagged her big tail a few times, while Shard exclaimed her name and froze, she laughed and said:
"It’s been a while, Shard, how have you been these past years?"
Her expression was nostalgic, but this expression disappeared immediately. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, excitement replacing nostalgia, Fiona continued leaning forward, kissed Shard with chill lips which rapidly turned passionate.
Since Shard used the "Sleeping Princess" to awaken her in Gadis Library at the Valley of Dead Silence, the kisses between them were not a rarity, and further breakthroughs were made in their relationship at the City of Eternal Night.
The Outlander was never adept at reading the hearts of ladies, but at least this time, he understood very well what this kiss truly meant.
"So, what exactly is happening now?"
As the kiss ended, the dragon lady with the big tail straightened her waist, carrying a smile and a gleeful expression as if having stumbled upon something precious, looking at Shard at the "Balance" position. The tail tip gently tapping the floor expressed her excitement and joy for her master. It seemed this meeting hadn’t taken place much longer after their last encounter at the City of Eternal Night, with no changes in her appearance:
"It worked! I didn’t expect it to actually work! Teacher Feliana and Teacher Orland have been urging me to try communicating with the past and future, to find the witch who once met you in the Fifth Era. But recently, I received a sound from you through the ’Conch of Longing’, so the teachers told me to go to the future and try to find you directly, saying I am a talented Red Dragon of Space-Time."
She was referring to the matter Shard engaged in at the Black Mist Camp, where Shard had just barely connected with Fiona, who hadn’t yet summoned Miss Feliana and Miss Orland, before the communication was cut off.
"But this is truly difficult, I tried countless times, and this time it succeeded. This place isn’t reality, but part of the Dreamscape; breaking free from the Tree Father’s power, forcibly transcending time is forbidden, and can only be done with the help of dreams and the council’s power."
But the success this time might not be due to luck, but because Shard was trying to communicate with them within the Witch Council. Attempting from one side may not suffice, but when both sides make an effort, it is possible to establish this brief communication.
