Splash—
A handful of cool seawater splashed onto Edward's face.
Audrey asked, "What are you thinking about again? Your forehead's all wrinkled up."
"Nothing, just...zoning out a little."
She gave a deliberate huff. "Hmph! You're zoning out even when you're with me?"
Edward scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin.
Audrey turned her gaze back to the glimmering sea in the distance. "Thank you, Edward."
"Huh?"
She took two steps forward, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted, "I said—thank you, Edward—!"
"Why all of a sudden...?"
Audrey turned around, a bright smile lighting up her face. "No particular reason...Mm, if I really have to give one, then thank you for keeping me company tonight to watch the sea. Does that count?"
Edward nodded seriously. "It counts!"
She waded closer through the water, stopping right in front of Edward, blocking the starlit sky behind her.
No—at this moment, she outshone even the stars above.
Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and, to Edward's stunned surprise, gave him a light kiss on the lips.
Maybe because of the sea breeze, her lips were cool to the touch. The moment was brief, so fleeting that Edward didn't even have time to register the taste.
She wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug. "Thank you."
Edward stiffened for a moment before he hugged her back.
After a while, he took half a step back, gazed at the girl just inches from him, and said seriously, "Audrey, will you be my girlfriend?"
"..."
Audrey clearly froze.
Then she pursed her lips and said helplessly, "I...I really am silly, huh."
"Huh?"
She puffed up her cheeks. "I thought we already were!"
Edward was silently cursing himself for being an idiot, but she suddenly burst into laughter:
"Okay!"
———
Pritz Harbour
As the largest and busiest port in the Loen Kingdom, Pritz Harbour saw a constant flow of people and goods. Every few minutes, a cargo ship departed the docks, and another came in, fully loaded.
These ships carried Loen's specialities—either heading south along the coast to Disy Bay and from there to Feynapotter and Intis, or southeast to the Rorsted Archipelago, or even further to the Southern Continent.
Passenger ships, by contrast, ran far less frequently. After all, few people were willing to risk pirate-infested seas just for a pleasure cruise.
Inside a café, Klein stood by the window in a light-colored vest and white shirt, occasionally glancing outside toward the port where several cruise ships were docked—these were the only ships scheduled to depart Pritz Harbour today.
Since arriving at the port over an hour ago, Klein had already seen several ships leave. Yet Edward still hadn't shown up. This made Klein grumble inwardly: These lovey-dovey couples are always a hassle. They just have to be all clingy before parting ways. Unlike me—one bag, solo trip, come and go as I please. So free, so unburdened.
With a sigh, Klein returned to the walnut table, downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp, and pulled out a piece of stationery to write a letter to Mr. Azik, detailing the events of the past two days.
---
"...Lastly, I have a question: is there any way to remove the lingering spiritual pollution from a solidified Beyonder characteristic?
...I'm about to embark on a voyage. I wish you success in your journey to recover your memories—and wish myself safe travels as well.
Your student and friend,
Klein Moretti."
---
Then, he took out the bronze whistle—but just as he was about to blow it, a sudden chill crept up his spine. He instinctively glanced around—
Thankfully, this time, no monocle-wearing mage-robed Amon popped out of nowhere.
After handing off the letter to the massive skeletal messenger, Klein took out a pale yellow identity document. This was a necessary item for buying an official ticket on a long-distance voyage—he had asked Miss Sharron to help him get it through formal channels.
The photo on the ID was his current appearance: a rugged pirate hunter named Gehrman Sparrow.
Of course, this name was a playful mix of inspiration from Bloodborne and Pirates of the Caribbean—a sort of...homage?
When Miss Sharron had first heard the name, she visibly froze, seemingly surprised. But after some hesitation, she didn't comment further—though Klein had momentarily worried that this name, too, had somehow been corrupted by Emperor Roselle's infamous "naming touch."
Ding-ding—
At that moment, two girls—one tall and one short—pushed open the café door and stepped outside.
The shorter girl wore a long dress and looked awkwardly uncomfortable in it. The taller one was dressed in a more form-fitting outfit, her long hair tied simply in a ponytail—she seemed to be aiming for a sharp, valiant look, but no matter what, she couldn't quite hide the laziness in her bones.
How could Klein tell?
Because the moment he laid eyes on the tall one, he recognised her: Fors.
Which meant the shorter girl was clearly the "Miss Xio" she often mentioned.
Their disguises...were they trying to be undercover? That was so unprofessional.
Xio elbowed Fors gently and whispered, "Fors, don't you think our disguises are a bit...too obvious? We look totally fake."
Fors muttered back, "I know! But Emperor Roselle once said: 'To deceive, one must do the unexpected.'"
"…"
Xio rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Ugh, I just want to know when I can finally take off this damned dress."
Fors gave her a once-over, then pinched her chin thoughtfully and grinned. "Honestly, I think you look great in a dress. Why do you always insist on wearing that knight training uniform?"
"Force of habit," Xio replied offhandedly.
In truth, before her father's death, Xio had been the very picture of a noble family's pampered princess—wearing pretty dresses and basking in her parents' love.
But after that happened, her once-happy life had been brought to a sudden halt. And when it resumed, nothing was ever quite the same again.
As they spoke, the two of them crossed several streets and returned to Room 2215 of the inn they had rented in Pritz Harbour.
The moment they stepped inside, Fors immediately rushed to the window, pulled back the curtain, and peeked through a narrow slit toward the house across the street—yes, they had rented a room directly opposite Dorian Gray's home.
Two days ago, upon arriving in Pritz Harbour, they'd visited Dorian's house and noticed faint signs of someone having recently returned. This led them to suspect that the elusive Mr. Dorian Gray had come back for a brief stay.
So, on a whim, they decided to rent a room nearby and keep watch—planning to return to Backlund only after confirming that all was safe.
Unfortunately, two days of surveillance had yielded nothing. The house remained deathly silent, with no signs of movement.
Xio slouched on the bed, absentmindedly swinging her legs. After a while, she stood up and headed for the door.
"I'm hungry. I'll go grab a couple of Desi meat pies from the shop by the entrance."
Fors quickly said, "Bring one back for me too."
Xio nodded and opened the door to leave. As she turned, she saw a man dragging a suitcase step into the room next door. The man had an average build, with disproportionately large arms, but what caught her attention was his aged, weathered face—enough to make her glance back at him a couple more times as she passed by and headed downstairs.
Room 2216
The disguised Dorian Gray entered, set his suitcase down, and immediately went to the window. He drew the curtain tightly and peered through the gap at the house across the street—his former residence.
A week ago, when a sudden influx of unfamiliar faces had appeared in Pritz Harbour, Dorian had left out of caution. Now that things seemed to have quieted down, he had returned—only to find a handwritten note left behind by Fors.
Naturally, he didn't trust it outright. He had considered using divination, but feared it might lead him into a trap. So he had promptly left again.
But after wandering around for a few days, he remembered a detail from his brother Lawrence's last letter: that his health was deteriorating.
That thought brought new hesitation.
What if the note was telling the truth?
What if Lawrence had truly passed away, and before his death, entrusted someone worthy with his belongings and letters—someone now trying to reach out to him?
After wrestling with his thoughts, Dorian had decided to return to Pritz Harbour and rented the room across the street, intending to observe in secret.
After a long silence, he finally pulled the curtains shut, sat down on the chair, and took out a pocket watch engraved with the Abraham family crest. With a heavy sigh, he muttered:
"Ahhh—"
———
It was past 9 o'clock by the time Edward finally arrived, leading Lilith—whose face was full of curiosity—into the café.
Immediately, they saw a man with ordinary features, black hair, and brown eyes, his face bearing a somewhat scholarly air, dressed in a linen shirt. He waved them over.
"Klein?"
Edward walked up to him.
Klein cleared his throat and, in the characteristic voice of The World, declared: "Ahem. From now on, please refer to me as Gehrman Sparrow."
"..."
Edward fell into silence.
Back when he first picked that name to play the part of a lunatic, it had just been a bit of a joke. He'd thought it was clever and silly—after all, Klein had plenty of time before actually setting sail.
But now, in the blink of an eye, Klein had gone out to sea. And he'd really adopted that name—Gehrman Sparrow.
Had he truly never heard that name before?
"I mean..."
Edward was about to speak, but swallowed his words at the last moment. Not because he wanted to mess with Klein—but because the identity of Gehrman Sparrow was now infamous across the Five Seas. If Klein could successfully embody such a "seasoned" persona, wouldn't that accelerate his potion digestion?
Of course, inheriting this identity also meant inheriting its dangers. Risk and reward always came hand in hand.
So, after thinking it through, Edward said:
"I've got an idea for your Faceless persona."
"Oh?" Klein raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Turn into a woman."
"???"
Lilith perked up instantly, staring at Klein with shining curiosity. "You're going to become a woman too?"
Klein gave her a helpless look, then slid the plate of cake toward her.
"Thank you~"
Lilith happily picked up a dessert spoon and began eating with delight. Over the past two days, she had slowly discovered that as a human, food tasted far better than it ever had before.
Edward went on, "From what I understand, becoming a Faceless requires deep, immersive disguise—truly becoming another person and gaining feedback from that role. The greater the contrast between you and your assumed identity, the more difficult the impersonation, and the stronger the feedback."
"Think about it. What identity could be more drastically different from yours...than a woman?"
Klein frowned slightly. "Why do I feel like...you just want to see me cross-dress?"
"...I've got the most dazzling gem in Backlund sitting in my house. Do you really think I'd waste time fantasising about you in a dress?"
Klein gave Edward a wink. "Actually...I can turn into Miss Justice, if I want to."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.