The inside of the workshop was a large and open space. Unlike the rest of Eastwatch, it felt cool inside. I assumed there were enchantments in place to keep everything a nice and even temperature. An acrid scent filled the air, one I didn't recognize.

Large metal cabinets lined the walls, no doubt filled with all kinds of tools. Four long metal tables occupied the center of the workshop. Glowstones embedded into the ceiling and the walls provided plenty of light.

However, despite the workshop's size, it felt cramped and cluttered because… Well, the best way to describe it was organized chaos. At first glance, the entire place looked like a mess. There were things strewn about everywhere, not just atop the metal tables. Tools, materials, half-completed enchanted items. Most of the latter were magical constructs, which varied in shape and size. Some looked human, others resembled animals, and a few looked alien and bizarre.

Despite this, I sensed that there was an underlying pattern to it all. It was a mess, but it wasn't a random one. It made sense, just not to me.

In the center of the workshop, next to one of the large metal tables, stood a man. He was tinkering with an incomplete magical construct, one that looked like a wolf, with his back turned to us. It looked like delicate work, the kind that required patience and precision. Not wanting to disturb the man, I took a moment to observe him. Kiki and Leroy followed suit.

The man looked a bit shorter than me, with a wiry build, pale skin, and short blond hair. He wore rough clothing beneath a leather apron, both of which were covered in stains. I sensed that he was an Awakened, about Third Ranked.

I walked around to get a better look at his face, though I kept my steps quiet to avoid distracting him. Not that I needed to bother. The man appeared so immersed in his work that he paid no attention to his surroundings.

To my surprise, the man looked rather handsome. I put him on par with Crawford. They seemed around the same age too. Both were in their early twenties. However, the man before me wore massive goggles, which somewhat ruined his image. They made his brown eyes look massive.

I watched the man for the next several minutes. He devoted all his attention to his work the entire time. Not once did he look up. Talk about dedication.

However, as interesting as I found this, I came here for a reason. I decided to get it over with. That way, I could get back to the others and this man could get back to his work.

I looked over at Kiki and gestured for her to speak up. She nodded.

"Master Dominic?" she called out.

The man, Dominic Ironward, ignored her and kept working. Or maybe he was so focused that he hadn't heard her at all.

"Master Dominic," Kiki said in a firmer tone.

Lord Dominic continued with his work, giving no sign that he heard her. Kiki sighed, before she walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Master Dominic!"

Lord Dominic started, almost dropping the tools in his hands. Instead, he placed them on the table and then put a hand on his chest.

"Kiki," he said, his voice much deeper than I expected. "You startled me."

"I apologize for interrupting your work, Master Dominic," she said. "I tried calling you earlier, but you didn't respond."

"I'm sorry," Lord Dominic said in a sheepish tone. "I didn't hear you." His voice grew serious. "What's wrong? You never interrupt me when I'm working, unless it's something important. Did something happen?"

Kiki gestured in my direction.

"You have a guest," she said.

Lord Dominic looked over. The moment he saw me, he panicked and hid behind Kiki. I raised an eyebrow at this, before sharing a look with Leroy.

"What is he doing here?" Lord Dominic whispered to Kiki in a panicked voice. "I thought I told you not to accept any visitors."

"I couldn't," Kiki whispered back. "He brought a letter from your brother, Lord Leonel. Not only that, but he's a Sturm."

"I don't care what family he's from! Tell him to go away!"

"Master Dominic! You know I can't do that. If House Sturm makes a complaint, Lord Ironward will punish you. What if he forbids you from making constructs?"

Lord Dominic paused at this.

"What should I do then?"

"I suggest you start by greeting him."

Lord Dominic peeked over Kiki's shoulder to look at me, before retreating behind her again.

"I can't!" he whispered.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Kiki said that Lord Dominic had difficulty dealing with people, but I hadn't realized it was this bad. At this rate, we would be here all day. I decided to make the first move.

"Greetings, Lord Dominic," I said, putting on a polite smile. "I am Gabriel Sturm of House Sturm."

Lord Dominic didn't respond right away.

"Master Dominic!" Kiki whispered in a chiding tone.

"I told you I can't!"

Kiki let out an exasperated sigh.

"Then use one of the constructs!"

Lord Dominic nodded, before he over and placed his hand on the wolf-like magical construct. Magic surged and the construct came to life. Leroy tensed when he saw this, but relaxed when the wolf-like construct remained on the table.

"Greetings, Lord Gabriel," it said with Lord Dominic's voice. "To what do I owe the honor of his visit?"

I blinked at the construct. That was a… creative use of magic. I looked over at Kiki and gave her a baffled look. She made a helpless gesture, as if saying that this was the best I was going to get. A part of me found it amusing that Kiki was such an expressive being even though her face remained expressionless.

Right. So what if Lord Dominic was using an unfinished construct to talk with me? I've dealt with stranger beings.

"I need your help with a task," I said. "Once it's done, I'll leave you to continue your work in peace."

"What sort of task?" the wolf-like construct asked in a skeptical tone. "I'll warn you right now that I don't make constructs or enchanted items for other Houses. My creations are for House Ironward only."

I shook my head.

"I want nothing of the sort," I said, before taking the invisibility bracelets out of my inventory ring. "I just need you to tell me if these two were made by the same person."

Lord Dominic peeked his head out from behind Kiki, his gaze focused on the invisibility bracelets.

"That's all?" the wolf-like construct asked.

I noticed that Lord Dominic's mouth didn't move at all when the construct spoke, which I found impressive.

"That's all," I said with a nod.

"Kiki, please retrieve the bracelets for me," Lord Dominic said, this time speaking with his own mouth.

Kiki nodded, before walking over to me and retrieving the bracelets. While this happened, I half expected Lord Dominic to try and hide again. However, he remained in place and waited for Kiki to return.

Afterwards, Lord Dominic took the two invisibility bracelets and started studying them. At first, he seemed impatient, annoyed even, and looked like he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. However, his impatience and annoyance faded away the longer he studied the bracelets.

Lord Dominic placed the bracelets on the nearby metal table and used a variety of tools to study them. Soon, he became so immersed in his work that he lost awareness of his surroundings.

Hmm, interesting. If the bracelets could elicit a response like this from an artificer, then there must be more to them than I realized.

"Would you like some refreshments, Lord Gabriel?" Kiki asked. "This may take a while. When Master Dominic focuses on a project like this, he loses track of time."

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The spirit sounded exasperated. However, I also detected a hint of fondness in her tone. Hmm, interesting.

"I would love some refreshments," I said.

Kiki nodded, before she walked out of the workshop. Lord Dominic was so focused on the bracelets that he didn't notice. While I waited, I found a chair and sat at one of the metal tables, taking care not to touch anything.

A few minutes later, Kiki returned carrying a tea set atop a silver tray. She made some room at the metal table, before she set the tray down and started preparing some tea.

"You don't have to go this far," I said. "I can handle this part myself."

Kiki paused, then looked at me.

"Yes, I do," she said in a solemn voice. "We don't get many-We don't get any visitors, giving me no opportunity to show off my skills to outsiders." She nodded. "However, you are our guest. Your preferences take priority. If you wish to make your own tea, then by all means. Just know that I will be sad and disappointed if you do."

I gave her an amused smile.

"I've never met a servant who would guilt trip her master's guests like this." I glanced at Lord Dominic. "Then again, from what I've seen, you're more than a mere servant."

Kiki nodded.

"Correct," she said. "Master Dominic and I are partners the same way you and your spirit are. I just pretend otherwise in front of outsiders."

Fair enough.

"In that case, continue as you were."

Kiki gave me a nod of appreciation, before she resumed making tea. When she finished, she placed the cup in front of me and started making another one. I took a sip of mine and let out a surprised sound.

"This might be the best cup of tea I've had in a long while," I said with complete sincerity.

While the tea here on Lumina was good, it couldn't compare to the tea that Teacher made. At least, that's what I thought until I tasted Kiki's tea.

"Thank you, Lord Gabriel," the spirit said, sounding pleased.

After Kiki finished making the second cup of tea, she held it out to Leroy. My bodyguard didn't accept it right away. Instead, he looked in my direction, as if asking for permission. I gestured for him to go right ahead. Leroy nodded, before he accepted the cup of tea and took a sip. He blinked in surprise.

"You're right, my lord," Leroy said, a hint of awe in his voice. "This is the best cup of tea I've had in a while. In fact, this might be the best cup of tea I've had in my entire life."

Kiki nodded in appreciation.

"You flatter me," she said. Despite this, she didn't sound displeased by Leroy's words.

"I'm a little jealous of Lord Dominic," I said. "Since he gets to enjoy your tea every day. He's a very lucky man."

Kiki shook her head.

"No," she said, looking over at Lord Dominic. "I'm the lucky one."

This time, there was no mistaking the fondness in her voice. I thought so earlier, but I suspected that Kiki was in love with Lord Dominic. Now that would make for an interesting tale. I hoped it worked out for them.

The next hour passed like this. Leroy and I drank tea while making idle chitchat with Kiki. She told us a bit about her experiences here in Eastwatch. While Lord Dominic never left home, Kiki often went out to buy supplies and such. Over the years, she learned a lot. She shared some tidbits that could prove useful later on.

At the end of the hour, Lord Dominic stretched and let out a groan

"Are you alright, Master Dominic?" Kiki asked.

"Yes," Lord Dominic said. "Just a bit stiff."

He turned around to face Kiki, but froze when he caught sight of Leroy and I.

"What are you still doing here?" Lord Dominic blurted out.

This time, he spoke to me directly instead of using a magical construct.

"I'm still waiting to hear the answer to my question," I said, stating the obvious. "Besides, did you think I'd leave those bracelets behind?"

From the expression on his face, Lord Dominic had indeed thought that. He rushed towards Kiki and hid behind her again.

"You've already spoken to me once, Lord Dominic," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Why not continue to do so?"

Instead of answering, Lord Dominic reached towards the wolf-like construct from before. However, he couldn't reach it since it was too far away. Lord Dominic moved closer to it, pulling Kiki along. The spirit looked up, as if beseeching the heavens for aid. When Lord Dominic touched the wolf-like construct it came to life again.

"You just wanted to know if the bracelets were made by the same person, correct?" the construct said with Lord Dominic's voice.

"Yes," I said in a dry tone. "Were they?"

The wolf-like construct nodded.

"Yes, they were," it said in an excited tone. "I've never seen such intricate enchantments before. Whoever made those bracelets was a genius. Who was it? Do you know their identity?"

I shook my head.

"No," I said. "I came across these bracelets by chance."

The wolf-like construct's head drooped in disappointment.

"Oh," it said. "I see. A shame. I would've loved to meet this person and asked them to take me on as their student. In fact, they wouldn't even need to go that far. A few bits of advice would suffice."

I raised an eyebrow at Lord Dominic, or the wolf-like construct rather.

"All this from a pair of invisibility bracelets?" I asked.

The wolf-like construct reared its head up, as if offended.

"These bracelets are not mere invisibility bracelets!" it said. "They have the ability to completely hide a person's presence. Do you know how difficult that is?"

I frowned.

"That's not true," I said. "While they hide a person from sight, they don't affect the other senses. I know because I've used one of them."

The wolf-like construct snorted.

"Then you used it wrong," it said. "Here, let me show you."

Lord Dominic removed his hand from the wolf-like construct, causing it to fall inert again, and picked up one of the invisibility bracelets. He put it on and disappeared from sight. I listened for the sound of his footsteps, but heard nothing. Either his claim was true, or he remained in place.

A few moments later, Lord Dominic reappeared right next to me, startling both me and Leroy. We exploded with killing intent, unable to help ourselves. However, the two of us managed to stop ourselves from attacking him.

"See?" Lord Dominic said with a proud smile on his face. He held up his arm. "I told you. These are more than mere invisibility bracelets."

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and retract my killing intent. While I could appreciate Lord Dominic's intelligence, he was also one of the densest people I knew. Did no one teach him that sneaking up on people was a good way to get hurt?

"Indeed, Lord Dominic," I said with a hint of irony in my voice.

Kiki walked over to Lord Dominic and smacked the back of his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Sneaking up on an Awakened like that? What if Lord Gabriel attacked you?"

Lord Dominic hunched his shoulders and gave Kiki a sheepish look.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't think about that. I was too excited to show off the bracelet's power."

Kiki poked his forehead.

"Next time, think before you act," she said. "What's the point of having a mind if you don't use it? Don't do something like this again."

Lord Dominic sighed.

"Yes, Kiki," he said.

"I swear, I can't take my eyes off of you," the spirit said. "Every time I do, something happens."

Despite her cross tone, Kiki almost sounded… Happy. Well, if she was in love with Lord Dominic, perhaps she enjoyed looking after him.

"Kiki is right, Lord Dominic," I said. "My bodyguard and I almost attacked you. We managed to stop ourselves in time, but what if we hadn't?"

Lord Dominic paled, before hiding behind Kiki once more. This time, I rolled my eyes. By this point, I was getting more than a little fed up with his behavior.

"Kiki," Lord Dominic whispered. "Can I borrow your body for a bit?"

"Yes!" she said with far more enthusiasm than I expected. She then cleared her throat and spoke in a more reserved tone. "I mean, if you must."

Lord Dominic placed his hand on Kiki's back. Unlike with the wolf-like construct, there wasn't any visible change.

"As you can see," Lord Dominic said through Kiki's body. "These are not mere invisibility bracelets. They are far more powerful than that. However, they do have their limitations. They hide one's mana and one's presence from the mundane senses, but nothing outside of that."

"So, they wouldn't work against a hunger's ability to sense living beings?" I asked.

Kiki nodded. Or maybe it would be more appropriate to say that Lord Dominic nodded.

"That is correct," Lord Dominic said. "Also, while the bracelets hide one's presence, they don't hide how one affects the world around oneself."

I sighed with relief. So, my trick of using mist would still work against anyone using these bracelets. Still, that was only if I knew or suspected that someone was around. If I didn't, then someone using one of these bracelets could still sneak up on me. That was a major problem.

The man I killed earlier hadn't used his invisibility bracelet to its full potential. Otherwise, I wouldn't have heard his footsteps. However, what if the next enemy did? I'd be dead before I even realized it.

"Is there a way to sense when there is someone nearby who is using one of these bracelets?" I asked. "I don't want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

Lord Dominic didn't respond right away.

"There is," he said slowly. "I could make an enchanted item designed specifically to sense these invisibility bracelets. A genius made them, but I'm a genius myself. If you want, I could make something for you."

"Oh?" I asked. "I thought all of your creations were reserved for House Ironward."

"Well," Lord Dominic said. "There are always exceptions."

I chuckled. It's clear that he wanted something big in return. Considering the circumstance, I had a good guess as to what he wanted.

"And what do you want in exchange?" I asked.

"One of the bracelets," Lord Dominic said right away.

Of course.

"Deal," I said after pretending to mull it over. "However, you have to make four of these enchanted items."

In addition to the one I wanted for myself, I wanted my companions to each have one as well. We didn't know how many of these invisible bracelets were out there, so I wanted all of us to be prepared just in case. Perhaps I was being paranoid. However, it was better to be safe than sorry.

I would've asked for more, so I could give them to the rest of my loved ones, but I didn't want to push Lord Dominic too far.

"That's not possible," Lord Dominic said, shaking his head. I mean, shaking Kiki's head. "The materials necessary to create this enchanted item are all rare and expensive. I have enough on hand to make one, but that's it."

I smirked.

"Trust me, Lord Dominic," I said. "Money is no issue. Did you forget which House I belong to?"

If my allowance didn't cover the expense, I could just charge it to House Sturm. Of course, I'd have to justify it to Father and Kaylee. However, I believed they would understand after I explained my reasoning to them.

"In that case, there's no issue," Lord Dominic said. "Give me a week. I should have the first one ready by then."

I nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Dominic," I said. "With that, our business is concluded for now. I'll return in a week."

I stood up and walked over to pick up the other invisibility bracelet. As I did, a naughty idea came to mind.

"Oh," I said, looking towards Lord Dominic. "Before I leave, could you teach me how to fully utilize this invisibility bracelet?"

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