[Green Cemetery]
Edward helped Priscilla shovel dirt into the grave, one spade at a time. Lilith mimicked their actions, using her little claws to push clumps of soil into the burial pit.
With the final shovel of earth, the mother was laid to eternal rest.
Compared to most who were buried hastily in mass graves after death, she could be said to have had a relatively 'decent' ending. Of course, after suffering through poverty and illness, this mother—aside from her helpless son—likely didn't care much for such things anymore.
Priscilla drew the symbol of the Evernight Goddess across her chest.
"May you rest under the protection of the Goddess, among nightgrass and slumber flowers. May your soul find redemption."
She turned around to speak but suddenly looked past Edward with surprise and delight.
"Mr. Azik!"
Mr. Azik still looked the same as before—top hat, black hair, brown eyes and gentle features. However, his gaze was now clearer, indicating he had recovered more of his past memories.
He gave Priscilla a slight nod before looking at Edward.
"I thought you went to Bayam? When did you get back?"
"Mm, things in Bayam have been settled for now. I came back for some other matters."
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Not at the moment."
Edward then glanced at Priscilla, who was playing with Lilith and seemed to have regained some of her former personality.
"Mr. Azik, Priscilla's personality…seems to have changed quite a bit."
"Yes. It might be the residual influence from the Beyonder characteristic she consumed. I've done my best to suppress it."
Azik sighed lightly.
"The rest will have to be gradually eliminated through acting and digestion."
After a short conversation, Azik prepared to leave with Priscilla.
"Let's go, Priscilla."
"Okay, Mr. Azik."
She returned Lilith to Edward's arms and reluctantly said goodbye.
"Goodbye, Big Brother Edward."
"Goodbye."
She waved and ran to Mr. Azik's side, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! Papa is coming to Backlund in a few days. He wants to invite you for dinner."
"No problem. You can ask Mr. Azik's messenger to notify me."
"Okay!"
The tall and short figures quickly disappeared down the path.
Lilith looked up at Edward and asked, "Edward, Priscilla seems different than before."
"Mm."
"No, I mean…really different."
Edward gently patted her head. "It's because she became a Beyonder."
Lilith fidgeted, trying to explain herself.
"I feel like…like there's someone else inside her body."
"???"
Edward's heart skipped a beat. "Really?"
Lilith nodded firmly. "Yes!"
"…No wonder Mr. Azik had that expression earlier. What the hell kind of Beyonder characteristic did Priscilla consume...?"
———
[No. 8 Williams Street]
Under Disillusionment Charm, Edward quickly searched the house, once belonging to a descendant of the Tudor family, and found the entrance to the underground—a pale grey stone door.
It seemed Klein and Miss Sharron hadn't had time to blow this place up yet, so it was still accessible.
But inside…lay a merged Sequence 1 Idiot—ahem—Evil Spirit.
There was no reason for the Twilight Hermit Order to know he had prior knowledge of this place. So this mission really was meant to get him killed?
Suddenly, a smile crept onto Edward's face.
"I must've actually gone mad from pretending to be insane. My first reaction to danger was excitement…hmm, does that count as a Rule of Acting? Facing danger with excitement instead of fear."
He pulled out the green crystal.
"Entering the underground structure…will it be dangerous?"
"Entering the underground structure…will it be dangerous?"
After seven repetitions, the crystal slowly began to rotate clockwise—this indicated danger, but not to a high degree.
Edward immediately used Protego Diabolica as blue-black flames surrounded him, and used Alohomora to open the stone door, and stepped through.
"Zzzzzzhhh…"
The pile of snakes at the entrance instantly turned to ash under the blue-black flames.
Edward pressed forward, wand raised (Lumos), passing through a wide hall filled with ruins from the Fourth Epoch, until he arrived at the six statues of the true gods—where Klein's group had once passed.
Without looking around, he walked straight ahead to the innermost chamber, where two stone doors stood.
The one on the right was half-open and blocked by collapsed boulders and dirt. The left was slightly ajar, leaving a small gap.
Behind that blood-red double door…was the Evil Spirit formed from three Sequence 1s.
Edward stopped in his tracks.
Almost immediately, his spirituality began screaming warnings. A surge of malicious intent wafted from behind the left door.
"I am a Blessed of the True Creator!"
Edward called out loudly, once again waving the banner of the True Creator.
The swirling malice momentarily paused, then began circling around him again—he suspected the three spirits inside couldn't agree on a course of action.
"Lord Medici, I come under the Lord's command to retrieve the Card of Blasphemy in your possession. Give it to me, and I will find a way to break the seal and release you."
As soon as he spoke, the swirling malice surged forward. Edward immediately sensed the other party trying to corrupt him—but thanks to [Dullness], it had no effect.
Tch. Looks like this wasn't going to be easy.
And the worst part? He had no way to actually communicate with them properly.
Klein's group had only managed to speak with Medici and the others through that unfortunate baron.
Still, his objective today was already achieved: the name of True Creator did carry weight with Medici.
"If you don't believe me yet, I'll leave for now. We'll meet again."
With that, Edward's figure distorted and vanished.
Darkness returned to the underground world. The lingering malice thrashed wildly, as if roaring in fury.
———
Back at the inn, Lilith trotted over with the leather pouch in her mouth the moment Edward walked through the door.
"Edward, you're back! Miss Lilith did a great job keeping an eye on your bag~"
"You're the best, Miss Lilith! Here's a little fish treat as a reward."
"That's right!"
She tilted her head proudly, basking in the joy of a job well done.
The reason he'd left the pouch behind was due to concerns that the evil spirit underground might somehow use unknown methods to affect Audrey through the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Huh?"
The potion had digested—just a tiny bit, barely noticeable, but it definitely had.
Edward quickly pulled out his notebook and jotted down the rule for roleplaying that had come to mind earlier:
"When faced with danger, not only should one not be afraid, but feel excitement."
But he soon scratched that line out. It seemed to apply more to a 'madman' than a 'genius'.
Biting the end of his pen, Edward replayed his past experiences with potion digestion in his mind. After a long moment, he finally wrote down:
First: There is a thin line between genius and madness.
This summarised his frequent pendulum swings between the two states in recent experiences.
Second…
He furrowed his brow, slowly reconstructing every detail of what had just happened.
Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he penned a second rule:
Second: A madman fears no danger; a genius turns danger into opportunity.
A fused Sequence 1 evil spirit was undeniably dangerous, yet he hadn't hesitated long before entering. Maybe invoking the True Creator wasn't exactly 'genius,' but convincing a schemer like Medici to hesitate—if only briefly—was certainly one method.
And before that, leveraging the Sea King to summon lightning and complete the Animagus ritual? That definitely fit this rule.
So, to digest the Madman potion, he really did have to keep flirting with death!
"Phew—"
Well then, time to tempt fate one more time!
It seemed he'd just stumbled upon a third roleplaying rule:
Third: A genius seeks opportunity in danger; a madman embraces it with fearless resolve.
———
The next day.
After bathing, changing, and praying to the Snake of Mercury for good luck, Edward cast a coin.
Unfortunately, either due to insufficient clues or because his question involved a higher power, the coin rolled out a meter or two—then stood upright.
Even [Madman to the Right] couldn't help in this situation.
"Oh well. I've already made my decision. Time to see it through—let's go!"
He reached out and patted Lilith, who was obediently sitting at his side. "Lilith, stay here for now—or go play with Susie. I need to head out."
She tilted her head, puzzled. "Can't Miss Lilith come too?"
"It'll be dangerous. I might not be able to protect you."
"Miss Lilith can protect you!"
"Hmm, maybe after you finish digesting the Assassin potion."
"Humph."
She pouted. "Miss Lilith doesn't like you anymore."
Edward scratched her chin with a chuckle.
"Alright, be a good girl~"
———
Edward taking the initiative to visit was quite unexpected for Mr. A.
He knew very well that despite the seemingly 'friendly' rapport and tentative agreements at their last meeting, this man remained extremely guarded—toward him, toward the Aurora Order, and even toward the True Creator.
If the True Creator hadn't taken such an interest in Edward, Mr. A would've long since devoured this insolent fellow—flesh, soul and all—as punishment.
Mr. A maintained his usual pose, hands clasped, and said calmly, "The items you wanted—I've yet to receive any news."
"I'm not here for those," Edward replied with a smile. "I came today hoping to receive the favour of the Lord."
Mr. A raised a brow, nearly blurting out: Haven't you already received enough favour?
"You want to join the Aurora Order?"
"Not exactly."
Edward's gaze dropped to Mr. A's clasped hands. "I was wondering…is there a way to let the Lord briefly possess me?"
"…"
After a moment of stunned silence, Mr. A burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Now I understand why the Lord sees you in a different light—you're even more insane than I am!"
Uh…was that supposed to be a compliment?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.