It was around noon when Charlotte and Sebastian finally entered the room together.
I was still in bed. Frederick and William sat nearby.
After Sebastian returned, Charlotte—smiling—said:
"Well… I'm done with him!!"
But Sebastian's exhausted face made it clear he hadn't enjoyed the experience at all.
The moment Sebastian reached to pick up his lantern, spear, and Night Explorer gear, Frederick stopped him.
"No… wait!"
Sebastian turned to Frederick in surprise and exhaustion.
"What now!!!"
But Frederick spoke calmly:
"Nothing serious. You're just coming with me and Mr. Everett. We're going to one of the airship construction companies to prepare a report on their current status!!"
Sebastian looked at Frederick, then at me.
"You got a new servant?!"
Frederick and William barely suppressed their laughter. After regaining composure, Frederick said:
"No… but His Grace is unwell. He can barely get out of bed!!"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
"He's lying to all of you. He's healthier than I am!!!"
I tried to hold back my laughter—but failed. Fortunately, it was silent.
But Sebastian noticed my silent laugh and pointed at me.
"See?! He's laughing!!"
The moment Frederick and William turned to look at me, I quickly placed my hand on my head and groaned:
"Ah… my head!!"
After seeing I was just holding my head, they turned back to Sebastian. Frederick said:
"You really are a terrible liar!!"
But Sebastian insisted:
"Believe me—he's acting!!"
William told Sebastian:
"His Grace isn't good at acting at all. You're the one trying to escape writing a report!!"
Sebastian protested:
"I'm a Night Keeper! At the very least I need to go to the Royal Knights section of the palace and file a report about last night's events… even if it's a lie!!!"
But Frederick replied:
"That doesn't matter… You're coming with me to prepare that report. Don't worry—Mr. Everett will be with us too!!!"
Frederick rose from his chair, stepped away from the bed, and headed toward the door.
Sebastian—visibly irritated—said:
"Who even is this Mr. Everett?!"
William answered calmly:
"Isn't it obvious? He's the Estate Manager of this manor!!"
I was genuinely surprised. I turned to William.
"When did he arrive?"
William smiled faintly.
"He arrived in London this morning. I'm sure—like you—he slept the entire journey from Manchester to London!!"
I nodded, but Sebastian snapped:
"I wish his train had exploded!!!"
William waved Sebastian off and ushered him out of the room, then said:
"Understandable…"
I looked at William in mild confusion.
"What's understandable? Sebastian's anger?"
William gave a short laugh.
"Yes, yes… probably because Charlotte made him do a full 180-degree split!!!"
The moment I heard that from William, I placed both hands on my knees—still lying in bed—and crossed one leg over the other. Under my breath I muttered:
"I hope I never have to train with Charlotte…"
William looked at me.
"Did you say something, my lord?"
I simply shook my head and told William:
"If possible… could you go to the second-floor library and bring me a book called Compendium of Spells?"
William's eyes suddenly widened. With strange excitement in his voice he said:
"My lord… you've finally decided to read spell books!?"
From William's reaction I realized the original Elias never read spell-related books. Still, I kept calm and said:
"Yes… in fact, I've already chosen one spell."
William's smile grew wider.
"Which one?!"
I answered in a single word:
"Sleepiness!"
William's smile almost vanished.
"As expected… you chose something that lets you do things quietly!!"
I looked at him.
"So… Sleepiness isn't an offensive spell?"
William raised an eyebrow and said bluntly:
"Of course not… All variants of the Sleepiness spell—in Tiers 1 through 4—are defensive or consciousness-weakening. It's written clearly on pages three and four of the Sleepiness chapter. Don't tell me you didn't read them!!"
I waved my hand quickly.
"Of course I read them… I just… forgot a little. That's all. But—how do you know this book so well?"
William narrowed his eyes slightly. When he heard my question his smile returned.
"I read and memorized that entire book. I wanted to recommend it to you the moment you showed interest in spells—and give you advice on your choices. But… it seems you read it on your own!!"
I gave a crooked smile.
"Well… now that that's settled—could you give me advice on choosing a second spell?"
William became visibly excited again.
"Yes, of course… Whenever you're ready to select your second spell, I'll help you!!"
I smiled faintly.
"Good… Now—if you would—please bring me that book."
William bowed his head.
"Yes, my lord…"
He rose from his chair, walked to the door, and closed it behind him.
Once again I was alone in my room.
I was about to close my eyes when William returned—this time carrying the book.
"Here you are!!"
I took the book from him. I was about to thank him—when William hurriedly said:
"Forgive me, my lord—I just remembered I have a meeting with the solicitors and other advisors. I'll come see you after it's finished!!"
He rushed out before I could even thank him.
Not that I needed to—being a duke means thanks aren't required—but politeness demanded it.
I exhaled deeply and opened the book again—this time from the end.
But the moment I reached the final pages, I remembered why I had asked William if the book covered other spells.
I closed my eyes briefly in self-pity, then opened them again and stared at the last page.
It read: "Tips"
I was surprised. I began reading that section.
Several hours later…
I had finally finished the entire book—169 pages in total.
I was utterly exhausted. It had taken so long that even the earlier pains had faded.
In summary, what I learned from the book:
To use all eight Tier 1 variants of the Sleepiness spell, I no longer needed to recite "Veil the Wake" or "Sleepiness" every time. Doing so only caused unnecessary headaches now that my perception and the spell had synchronized. Repeating those words would only cause more harm to my head.
I also learned that the Poison spell branch first requires studying alchemy—which I had neither the time nor patience for right now. That immediately put a red line through Poison as a future choice.
But the most useful information for the future was this:
In Tiers 3 and 4 of the Sleepiness branch, an offensive capability is added.
That surprised me—and intrigued me. I wanted to know what that offensive ability was.
I also discovered that in Tier 2 of the Wind branch, the ability to levitate is gained—though according to the description, it was more like gliding through the air than true levitation. Still—didn't matter.
That made me far more interested in Wind—but I couldn't break my promise to William.
After all, he had read the entire book just to advise me. So I would consult him about choosing my second spell.
I placed the book on a nearby table and rested my head on the pillow to sleep—when another knock came.
Without waiting to hear who it was, I said:
"Come in…"
This time Frederick entered—together with Charlotte.
Frederick spoke:
"My lord… Charlotte and I have been thinking about tonight's dinner—but we couldn't come up with any ideas. What should we do?"
I looked at Frederick, then at Charlotte standing behind him.
"Tell the cook to prepare a little extra food tonight…"
Both Frederick and Charlotte looked at me in surprise. Frederick asked:
"What do you mean—for whom?"
I smiled at Frederick.
"Tonight… I want all of you to eat dinner with me."
Frederick's eyes widened slightly. Charlotte looked like an excited child.
Frederick said:
"My lord… the best day of my life—after the day you were born—was today!!!"
I smiled faintly.
"Go… don't flatter me, old man."
Both Frederick and Charlotte burst into laughter, bowed in respect, and left the room.
Once again alone.
I wanted to test the spell again before sleeping—the one the book said didn't require reciting the incantation every time.
So I raised my left hand slightly and whispered:
"Sleep…"
This time the spell circle appeared perfectly in front of my palm—still blue, still cold to the touch.
I tilted my fingers slightly toward the center of the circle.
The circle suddenly shrank—then shot forward like a tiny arrow toward the reading lamp on the far side of the room.
Faster than I expected.
And this time—no headache.
The spell worked: the moment the arrow struck the lamp, its flame turned blue—then went out.
The smoke rising from the wick was blue.
I waited a moment. Still no headache.
The book had been right. No need to recite the incantation every time.
I exhaled deeply, rested my head on the pillow, and stared at the ceiling.
At least now I knew how to use the spell without pain.
I slowly closed my eyes. I really wanted to sleep.
───────────────────────────
Elias ate dinner that night together with Frederick, Charlotte, and William.
Late in the evening Sebastian returned to the manor and announced he had taken three days' leave. He planned to spend those three days in the manor.
Nothing particularly eventful happened that day or night—at least not for Elias. He spent the entire day in bed. That night Frederick stood guard outside his door.
For a while, it almost felt like imprisonment.
But that was only inside the Montagu manor.
Atop Big Ben, Harlequin and Onlooker stood together. Gray Man sat a little higher, swinging his legs.
Harlequin said calmly:
"Don't be upset… your rank just dropped from 5 to 6. It's not worth getting angry over!!"
But Gray Man replied irritably:
"Leave me alone…"
Harlequin spoke again:
"Your rank only affects your authority over the others—not your power. Nothing was taken from your strength, so why the anger!!"
Gray Man—still annoyed—said:
"I know… now shut up!!"
But Harlequin continued:
"Look at Onlooker, for example! He's rank 8 and he's not upset at all!!"
Gray Man suddenly stood, grabbed Harlequin by the collar, and said:
"Because he's always been rank 8… I was rank 5—and now I've been demoted to 6!!!"
Harlequin only laughed.
Onlooker opened his mouth to speak—when a voice came from the level below:
"What are you arguing about up there…? Isn't it time to break the seal?"
Harlequin—calm as ever—replied:
"I think we should do it tomorrow night…"
But the man below said:
"Tomorrow… might be a little late!!"
Harlequin, Onlooker, and Gray Man all descended at once—to the level of the great clock gears.
When they arrived, they found only a single letter lying on one of the chairs.
Gray Man read it—then held it to a candle flame until it burned.
The three looked at each other.
Gray Man said:
"Hey… Onlooker—go back to the circus and report to the boss. Harlequin and I will break the seal tonight!!"
Harlequin looked at Gray Man in surprise—but Onlooker simply nodded and descended the stairs.
After Onlooker left, Gray Man turned to Harlequin.
"Looks like we're breaking the seal tonight!!"
Harlequin—still surprised—finally nodded.
"So… he said so himself? How greedy!!"
He laughed.
Gray Man only gave a small smile, placed his green fox mask and grey top hat on his head—and dissolved into mist.
Harlequin remained on the gear level—still laughing.
But eventually he put on a clown mask—and vanished.