Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

After Professor Sanchez finished his statement, he paused to confirm that Miss Jones was continuing to take notes before speaking again:

"It was Mr. Bill Schneider."

Shard held his breath, not daring to release it. He had indeed been frightened by the abrupt pause in the conversation, a habit he truly found unsettling.

"Mr. Schneider's issue was only discovered when he was in his third year, he himself being a psychologist, and his Circle Sorcerer System also involves dreams and the mind, but he harbors something very dangerous within. The Academy cannot determine precisely what it is, only that it is considerably hazardous. The Academy needs someone to monitor him, or rather, to keep an eye on his condition.

Should Mr. Bill Schneider lose control, the Academy needs to be informed immediately for intervention," he continued.

Professor Sanchez looked into Shard's eyes, and knowing that the "person with the problem" wasn't himself, Shard relaxed significantly, yet he was still concerned about Dr. Schneider:

"Dr. Schneider... could he lose control?"

The doctor is a very nice person.

"Currently, his psychological stability is highly rated, but the possibility of losing control cannot be excluded, although it is just a possibility. He may never face such an issue in his lifetime. Moreover, we have not fully confirmed what is actually within him, so there are no solutions. Mr. Hamilton, are you willing to take on this task?

You don't need to do anything extra, just ensure that if any issue arises, the Academy learns about it the first time."

Shard did not immediately respond but instead glanced at Professor Garcia, who nodded at him. Shard thought it over; if it was just about reporting at the final moment, it seemed manageable:

"I think it should be fine, but may I ask, have you told anyone else about this? I have just joined the group..."

It would be more suitable for the other members of the group to handle this matter.

"Lat August also has issues."

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Compared to the serious Professor Garcia, Professor Sanchez from the Academy of Library Management was a bit more humorous. He gave Shard a regretful look:

"You might know the story of Priest Augustus, and the other members of the group should know too. But I can assure you, he has never shared why, after so many years, he remains merely a priest, because even he doesn't know."

The professor with round glasses suddenly lowered his voice:

"Thirty years ago, in the third year after Lat August joined the Dawn Church as a layman, he was involved in a high-level relic containment incident that went out of control. The details of that incident are known only to the Dawn Church and the Church of Nature, and Augustus was one of the few survivors.

To stabilize the psychology and spirit of the survivors, the Dawn Church erased that part of their memory."

"A high-level Relic? Was it an Angel-Level (Level 1) Relic?"

Shard asked, surprised, given that even the recently mentioned "God's Gift Box" was merely a Sage Level (Level 2).

But the professor shook his head:

"A higher level."

The young detective opened his mouth:

"So, even Angel-Level (Level 1) Relics have a standard measure, which really makes sense."

"I appreciate your acuteness, yes, Angel-Level is Level 1, but there is still a Level 0 above it, the Unclassified Level. The incident Augustus was involved in was an Unclassified Level Relic containment incident that went out of control," said Professor Garcia of the History Academy, with Professor Sanchez adding:

"Externally, the descent of an Evil God is equated with the loss of control of an Angel-Level Relic. But in reality, the Academy treats the descent of an Evil God and the loss of control of Unclassified Level (Level 0) Relics as disasters of the same caliber.

The Academy suspects that Priest Augustus may have gradually recovered that memory over the past thirty years and joined Saint Byrons to discover the truth about that past incident, rather than the Church. We cannot be certain that the Unclassified Level Relic hasn't had a long-lasting impact on him, so although comparatively less critical than the doctor, this priest must also be taken seriously.

Of course, all of this is conjecture; the Academy will not discriminate against this elderly gentleman."

"Should I also report to the Academy timely if Priest Augustus encounters any issues?"

Shard asked, to which Professor Sanchez nodded:

"The issue with August is a minor one, and if it's convenient for you, you can monitor him as well,"

"In that case..."

Shard hesitated as he looked at the other person, considering another issue:

"Miss Dorothy Louisa and Miss Luviya Annette aren't also problematic, are they?"

"Unfortunately, you are correct,"

As Professor Sanchez nodded, Shard noticed the secretary, who was taking notes, trying to suppress a laugh. If Shard hadn't been involved, he thought he might have laughed too.

"However, the issues with these two ladies are relatively minor.

Luviya Annette is a Circle Sorcerer jointly trained with us by the Prophet's Society. It's not that this relationship makes us distrust her, but the Prophet's Society has shared some information — Miss Annette is rather peculiar... She is a Diviner, but some of her divinations are too accurate. That's not a good sign, and you'll understand once you have a basic understanding of prophecies...

Anyway, Miss Annette's issue isn't serious, but we can't assign her the tasks of monitoring doctors and priests, and you need not be wary of her,"

Professor Sanchez explained.

"I understand, as if I never heard what you just said about her,"

Only then did Professor Sanchez nod with satisfaction:

"I appreciate someone like you, Mr. Hamilton, yes, that's the spirit. Lastly, there's Miss Dorothy Louisa, the novelist. The academy suspects her of being a spy, but that's the least of the problems,"

Professor Sanchez's tone became more relaxed when talking about Miss Writer.

"A spy?"

Shard was puzzled.

"Miss Luisa has connections with the royal family of the Draleon Kingdom that we can't trace at all. Moreover, just at the royal level, there is a relatively deep relationship with Zaras Literary Academy, hence the academy suspects she might be a spy sent by Zaras Literary Academy to Saint Byrons for our knowledge and secrets,"

Professor Sanchez raised his eyebrows to Shard:

"You understand, although the Three Great Magics Academies have good relationships with each other, this... isn't really anything significant since we would do the same, ahem. We just can't trust her with too many secrets, of course, it's still just a suspicion, so the academy won't treat her differently, but the tasks given to you can't be given to her."

"So, the academy wants me to stay in this group where everyone has issues and be responsible for reporting some matters in a timely fashion?"

After thinking for a while, Shard summarized the information given by Professor Sanchez. He somewhat believed the information, but it didn't cause him to feel resentment toward the other four in the group; instead, he marveled that those around an outsider were indeed never peaceful. Yet, the rest of the group seemed perfectly normal.

A woman's voice in his mind chuckled softly.

"No, this isn't a group where everyone has issues; you are without problems,"

Professor Garcia, who had been listening to the conversation, corrected:

"The History Academy has conducted a thorough investigation into your identity. Your background is very clean, whether it was your past as a wanderer, being taken in by Detective Sparrow Hamilton, or the awakening of your talent and the restoration of your normal intelligence, all clear. Therefore, the academy trusts you completely and has shared these secrets with you,"

"Completely trust me,"

Shard said sternly, continuing to listen to the soft laughter in his mind while nodding:

"Yes, I'm totally without issues; I am trustworthy,"

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the outsider burdened with secrets said.