Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1026: MI6 and the Grey Glove

"I remember it was like a cat meowing, three short and one long, repeated twice."

It’s hard to say whether being discovered as a spy or being seen imitating a cat was more embarrassing. Shard pondered this as he walked back to the hall along the path. After climbing in through the window at the end of the corridor, he wrote a note in the hallway, indicating the bomb location and time, then pursed his lips and did his best to mimic a cat’s meow.

Living with a cat made him confident that his imitation was quite accurate.

The sound of meows~ inside the building was rare but could be attributed to a wild cat sneaking in. After calling out, Shard quickly dropped the note on the floor and left from the other side of the corridor.

Soon, a guard, who came alone to check upon hearing the meowing, saw Shard coming from the direction of the washroom. Together they discovered the note, and upon picking it up and checking it, the guard’s eyes widened suddenly.

"Sir, whether this is true or not, you need to notify your superior immediately."

Shard remained calm and informed the other of his identity:

"I am Rejed’s Hamilton. Quickly, inform your superior of this, who is in charge here now? I will take responsibility; let’s evacuate the crowd at once."

As he spoke, he straightened his tie to make himself look more imposing.

The two soon returned to the entrance of Hall No. 3, and Shard’s identity indeed worked, making the note taken seriously. By this time, Princess Margaret had already dispatched her personal maid to check the situation at the hall’s entrance. After clarifying the situation with the guards at the door, the maid quickly lifted her skirt hem and hurried back to the princess.

"Sorry, I must rudely interrupt."

So, while the gentleman on the podium was calculating conduction formulas with chalk, Princess Margaret stood up amidst everyone’s shocked gazes:

"Now, everyone leave here. Yes, immediately."

Although unaware of what was happening, since the princess spoke, people promptly and orderly evacuated. Fortunately, including the visiting group, diplomats, Tobesk City Hall officials, and accompanying professors from the school, the hall wasn’t very crowded, so within two or three minutes, everyone evacuated into the corridor.

Only then did people finally learn about the note regarding the bomb. Princess Margaret requested the note, and upon seeing it, trembled all over.

Her sharp eyes turned towards Shard, her mouth opened with numerous questions wanting to be asked, but just then, the muffled sound of an explosion and subsequent screams from the hall prevented the princess from speaking to Shard. She was quickly escorted through the corridor by guards to leave, as no one could guarantee there weren’t other bombs.

The planted timed bomb was a small manually crafted bomb, ultimately only destroying four tables in the front and back, with not much power. Yet, the explosion still caused massive panic, cancelling the morning’s academy visit altogether.

Everyone present, including Shard who was returning from the washroom, was searched and interrogated. Shard and the guard, who first discovered the note, were even questioned separately. By this time, Princess Margaret’s carriage had already left, and those scheduled to play Roder Card with Shard had to abandon that plan, each leaving with the shocking news.

"Have any findings?"

At twelve ten noon, Director Anlos brought Shard out of Riddlevitch Field. The case was transferred from the police to MI6, and Shard, who was under suspicion, was naturally released immediately.

He could have caused the disturbance himself by dropping a note to attract attention to the bomb, but after drawing Princess Margaret’s attention using the Grey-headed Eagle’s signal, MI6 predictably suspected the Grey Glove, without any thought of relating the incident to the loyal "Rejed’s Hamilton."

Shard nodded and boarded the carriage home with Director Anlos at the entrance of Riddlevitch Field. As the carriage slowly moved forward, Shard presented his fabricated story:

"Before discovering the note, I also heard a cat meowing. However, when I saw the note, there was nobody else in the corridor besides the young guard."

The usually composed Dark Anros had a somewhat grim expression at the moment:

"That guard is a Royal Guard, with a traceable lineage of three generations, he’s clean. The note described the bomb location, the bomber being from the Duchy of Lamia, and a murdered gatekeeper on the opposite side. The note is crucial but was taken by Margaret Anjou. There is ample reason to believe the one who wrote it is from the ’Grey Glove.’"

Shard controlled his urge to smile; his colleagues indeed suspected the wrong direction, suspecting his other colleague instead.

Director Anlos’s displeasure partly stemmed from the attempt on Margaret Anjou but more from the fact that the Grey Glove discovered the matter before MI6:

"There was no one else in the corridor at the time; that guy must have escaped through the window...Did you see anyone suspicious afterward?"

Shard thought for a moment:

"When I was leaving the hall in a scramble with other visitors, I did see an unfamiliar stranger mixed in with the crowd..."

He described the "suspect’s" specific appearance:

"A man, probably in his twenties or at least looked to be. He had a build similar to mine, dressed similarly too, but I didn’t see his face clearly. I was curious who that was at the time, but he quickly disappeared into the crowd."

"The agent must have taken advantage of the chaos to escape."

Director Anlos took a deep breath:

"This matter cannot be suppressed, tomorrow’s front page headline will likely be that hall where the explosion occurred."

He rubbed his temples, and so Shard curiously asked:

"They should soon catch the individuals involved in this assassination attempt, right?"

"I’m not worried about that, the rebellion organization from the Duchy of Lamia won’t escape this time. I’m troubled by the Grey Glove’s affairs, it’s clear that their influence in Tobesk City is beyond our original estimates. Although this time they indirectly did something good, we must still be vigilant... If there wasn’t a lack of evidence, I would even suspect that damned grey-headed eagle appeared again."

The carriage stopped, and Director Anlos was ready to disembark. Shard looked out the window, they were already at the street corner of Saint Delan Square. Director Anlos next would probably go directly to Yordle Palace to report to Larus III, and he expected to receive a harsh reprimand.

"Shard, in the next few days, you need to stay by Margaret Anjou’s side as much as possible. I suspect this matter isn’t over yet. I will organize people to be responsible for her safety, you need to focus on who is really in contact with her. I heard you have a good relationship with her? If possible, it would be best to retrieve that note."

Director Anlos instructed Shard, who had gotten off the carriage, from the window:

"Once Margaret Anjou and her entourage leave, I will arrange for your promotion."

Shard showed little reaction to the promise of a "promotion", instead, he asked:

"Will Her Highness continue with the visiting schedule this afternoon?"

"No, all plans need to be reviewed again. If a similar incident happens again, it would be an international scandal."

But in fact, the power of today’s bomb wasn’t enough to harm Princess Margaret, who was five rows away from the seventh row, not to mention as a Five-Ring Sorcerer, even if that bomb exploded at her feet, the harm wouldn’t be fatal. But people don’t know Her Highness’s power, nor would they be concerned with the exact parameters of the bomb; they only care that "princess" and "bomb attack" are linked together.

"Tonight, as usual, everyone from today will be invited to the banquet, where Margaret Anjou needs to console those who unfortunately got involved in the incident because of her."

Director Anlos said:

"Shard, will you attend?"

"Of course, I suppose the princess would like to have a chat with me as well."

Shard nodded, and Director Anlos gave a smile:

"I initially promised Miss Galina to bring you into MI6 as a way to... I’ll personally apologize to the Duke, but you’re really outstanding, young man, truly outstanding."

The steam bomb attack at the Third National Mechanical Institute auditorium, in this era of undeveloped communication, spread throughout the entire city in just a few hours. Naturally, Dorothy was the first to hear the news from Shard when he returned home, and subsequently, they exchanged souls, allowing Lecia, who had been handling matters all morning at Yordle Palace, to know the specifics.

Among his friends, only Dr. Schneider explicitly knew that Shard had inherited the title of the "grey-headed eagle", and even Lecia only knew that Shard was working for MI6.

In fact, given the relationship between Shard and Lecia, it wouldn’t matter to tell her about the "grey-headed eagle", but Shard decided that after protecting the princess during Princess Margaret’s visit, as a repayment for Detective Sparrow’s kindness, he would abandon this identity. And once Lecia knew of the "grey-headed eagle" identity, she would certainly use it in some way.

Rather than letting Lecia choose between him and her ambitions, he chose to say nothing, just as he promised Detective Sparrow, allowing this slumbering man in a foreign land to rest in serenity.

Therefore, Shard decided to be the bad guy himself.

But even with the thought of repaying Detective Sparrow’s kindness, Shard didn’t lie to Lecia. He narrated the incident from an observer’s perspective, telling Lecia everything he knew through the recollection of soul touch. freeweɓnøvel~com

Her Highness the Princess naturally understood that when Shard said "I saw someone", he was actually referring to himself.

The blonde girl propped her face with her hand, tilted her head, and looked at Shard:

"Seems like you have some little secret you don’t want me to know."

"I want to protect another person’s reputation."

Shard said, hesitating for a moment, then added:

"After Princess Margaret leaves, I will tell you what I’ve hidden this time, just hope you won’t be too shocked... Alright, you will definitely be shocked."

"As long as your secret isn’t that you’re actually a woman, I won’t be surprised by anything."

Lecia said with a smile, her hand reaching down, her eyes watching Shard, saying softly:

"Hiding secrets from your princess is improper behavior for a knight, and I will punish you for it."

Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce