On the pirate ship.
Edward sat cross-legged on a conjured sofa, watching the dozens of pirates kneeling on the deck before him.
The tricorn-hatted pirate looked up at Edward and snarled, "If you've got the guts, kill us! Our boss will definitely avenge us!"
Edward raised one finger. "First of all, I have no intention of killing you."
He raised a second finger. "Second, may I ask—who exactly is your boss?"
"Our boss, of course, is the man who strikes fear across all four seas, the one to whom even the Four Kings bow—moody and unpredictable, Gehrman Sparrow! And I am his number one lackey—Fire Fist Ace!"
...First time hearing someone proudly call themselves a lackey.
Sure, that flattery felt nice, but...when the hell did I get a gang of underlings like this?
Fire Fist Ace?
Could it be pirates recruited by Danitz? But even if Danitz gave up on simping and quit the Golden Dream, there's no way he'd gather a bunch of clowns like this, right?
"You'd better let us go now, or else—"
"Imperio."
Edward flicked his wand, casting the Imperius Curse.
"Your real name?"
The pirate captain replied in a daze, "Clarence Dale."
"Why are you impersonating Fire Fist Ace?"
"I was ordered by our boss to do it, to stir up trouble using that name."
"Who's your boss?"
"Captain of the Red Crow."
"What's his name?"
"Allen."
"This ambush just now—was that Allen's idea?"
"No. We overheard by accident. Rumour was that a few mistresses of noblemen in Backlund had absconded with a large sum of money. To escape their masters' wrath, they'd be sneaking off the White Agate in small boats last night."
"Was that intel from someone on the White Agate?"
"No. Not from them."
Edward raised a brow. "Then who?"
"Don't know. Just another pirate. We heard it four days ago while drinking in a bar on Damir Island."
Four days ago?
That early?
A secret escort plan arranged by a Backlund security firm had already reached a pirate bar on Damir Island four days in advance?
How was that even logical?
And this was all for just a few noblewomen's mistresses? Wasn't that a bit excessive?
Edward let out a sudden chuckle. Why do I care so much? I came out to sea to be a "guiding light" and mentor to pirates, to enlighten them with precious knowledge, and to act out the role of a Wandering Instructor for potion digestion.
Besides, didn't Klein stay behind?
Whatever happens—he can handle it.
With that, Edward conjured a massive blackboard and grinned.
"Alright, everyone. It's time...for a baptism of knowledge."
———
The next day, aboard the White Agate.
Captain "Just" Elland looked at Benjamin again and asked, "Are you sure you've checked everywhere?"
"Really! We searched thoroughly. It's like they just vanished."
"..."
Elland's face darkened with a mix of suspicion and realisation.
As an old comrade of Aldrich, Elvin had agreed to help him even before the White Agate set sail—partly out of loyalty, and partly because he didn't want anything to happen to those women on his ship.
Sigh…let's just hope those two weren't after the women.
After all, one of them was Gehrman Sparrow, and the other…someone tied to Queen Mystic herself. A true "big shot."
Elland shook his head and walked away.
Moments later, two figures stepped out from a rift in the Spirit World.
One wore a silk top hat and a black tailcoat. He had bronze-toned skin, an average build, black hair, and brown eyes. The other wore a simple black outfit, and her once-short hair now reached her ears.
It was Azik and Priscilla.
"Thank you, Mr. Azik," Priscilla said sweetly, bowing her head in gratitude.
Azik gave a gentle smile and walked to the edge of the deck, gazing out over the sea.
Priscilla tapped her forehead and asked, "Well? Did you find her?"
A dark sigil—the Gate of the Underworld—glowed on her brow. With a surge of wind, Medici appeared, clad in bloodstained black armour.
He frowned and sniffed the air, glancing around. "Not sure. She's using some method to mask her aura. We'll have to get closer to be certain."
He gave Priscilla an annoyed glare. "You're the one who's been slowing me down!"
Hands on her hips, Priscilla shot back, "Wanna test me? I can have Mr. Azik send me back to Backlund right now!"
"You—!"
Medici fumed, but couldn't think of a retort.
"…Fine, it's my fault for getting delayed. Happy now?!"
"Hehe, that's more like it~"
Priscilla smugly waved her hand. "Come on, I'll help you search."
"Hahaha! Medici's totally under this girl's thumb!"
"Is this really the same Medici we once knew?"
"Hahahaha, how pitiful!"
Sauron and Einhorn were the first to jump out and mock.
Medici crossed his arms and snorted, "How about one of you take over my body and you try standing up to her? Let's see who dares defy her then."
"..."
The two old geezers immediately fell silent.
"Cut the crap. Just don't end up fooling around again only for someone else to swoop in and steal the prize. That'd be a real embarrassment!"
"That was you fooling around. I was asleep."
"I was asleep too."
"So the embarrassment's yours, times two."
Medici: "F***!"
At that moment, Azik—who had been watching the horizon—suddenly spotted a black shadow on the vast blue sea.
It was a black sailing ship. A pale white sail bore the symbol of a black tulip, and the hull itself was pitch-dark with a faint sickly green sheen.
A glimmer flashed in Azik's eyes. He vaguely sensed something unusual. Just then, the ship abruptly turned—vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Azik murmured, "That ship...it seemed to hold something very important to me."
He glanced at Priscilla, who was still looking around curiously. In the end, he gave up on chasing after it.
———
Cecil Harbour, a relatively small harbour on the Berserk Sea, had once been a resupply point for early Loen fleets. But with the construction of Damir Harbour and Bansy Harbour, it had gradually faded from the main shipping routes, now only frequented by small passenger and cargo vessels.
Under normal circumstances, it might have become completely abandoned in a few more years. But due to the recent "Attack on the Governor's Mansion" incident in Bayam, a large number of pirates had been forced to flee and scatter across nearby islands—unexpectedly breathing new life into Cecil Harbour.
Early that morning, the harbour was bustling as usual. Locals prepared for voyages, and drunken pirates and travellers still lingered in their stupor from the previous night. At this moment, a young man with a black cat perched on his shoulder leapt off a small wooden boat and stepped onto the island.
It was Edward.
The night before, after finishing his "lessons," Edward had decisively eliminated all the pirates.
In other words, on just the second day of his voyage, over a hundred pirates had "graduated" under Edward's intense crash course in knowledge—and promptly set sail for the afterlife. His potion digestion had progressed significantly as a result. Truly a productive outing.
Having exhausted himself through the night, Edward rented a room at an inn as soon as he landed and fell sound asleep.
He slept until late afternoon.
What finally woke him was the smell of roasting meat. Sitting up, he saw Lilith crouched before a small grill, earnestly rotating two dried mice skewers over the fire. Every so often, she would pinch a few spices and sprinkle them on top, completely absorbed in her work.
"..."
Edward twitched at the corner of his mouth. No matter how adorable a child may be—once they start acting like a brat, they're nothing but trouble. Starting a fire to roast meat inside an inn? What was going on in her head?
At that moment, Lilith turned around with a bright smile. "You're awake! Miss Lilith's grilled meat is almost ready~"
She picked up a piece of roasted mouse and sniffed it. "Smells sooo good~ Come eat!"
Seeing her face full of anticipation, Edward paused for a few seconds. In the end, he dismissed the idea of scolding her, and instead flicked out a gold coin.
"Will eating this roasted mouse be harmful to me?"
The coin landed with the number facing up—no.
Sigh...He'd rejected her "kindness" so many times already. He didn't have the heart to reject her any more.
"Things I do to keep my daughter happy..."
Just this once, he'd indulge her.
Edward walked over, sat beside her, and took the roasted mouse she handed him. Closing his eyes, he took a bite.
Immediately, the rich, savoury flavour of grilled meat filled his mouth. He opened his eyes in surprise. This…is surprisingly not bad?!
She must've been secretly practising how to roast mice for quite some time now.
"Waaah!" Lilith was overjoyed, flailing her arms with excitement. "Edward finally ate mouse meat! Edward and Miss Lilith finally ate mouse meat together~~!"
Today is officially the best day of Miss Lilith's life!
"I told you! Mice are the tastiest food in the world!"
After declaring this, she took a bite of her own skewer with satisfaction. But soon, her brows furrowed. She stared at the roasted mouse in confusion.
"Huh? Something's wrong."
Edward looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"It just…doesn't taste as good as before."
Lilith hesitantly examined the meat, sniffed it again, even gave it a lick—it was the same smell and flavour, but…it simply didn't taste as good as it used to.
"Maybe that piece was undercooked. Try mine."
She took a bite of his skewer.
Her little face scrunched up even more. "Still not right!"
"Could it be…a different breed or quality of mouse?"
"Nope. Same kind."
The little one began pacing in circles, utterly flustered. "So weird! Why is this happening? Same mouse, same recipe—why, why does it not taste as good as before?"
Edward was struck by a sudden realisation—could it be because she advanced to Sequence 7 and became human?
Turning from a cat into a human was more than just a physical change—it was a fundamental biological shift.
Cats and humans had vastly different habits, preferences, and especially taste.
Take cats' love for mice, for example. Scientifically, it's largely because mouse meat contains taurine—a compound cats can't synthesise themselves, which is vital to their health.
So maybe Lilith's past love of mice wasn't just personal preference, but also influenced by her biology?
This change in taste could be seen as a kind of "evolution"…but for Lilith, it clearly wasn't a welcome one.
Watching the little girl stare blankly at the roasted mouse, lost and crestfallen, Edward's heart ached. He gently pulled her into a hug.
"There, there…It's alright. Maybe…it's just that being out at sea is affecting your taste buds."
"Really?"
"Really."
She blinked. "But…Edward finally ate mouse meat for the first time…and I didn't even enjoy it like I used to…It just makes me feel really sad."
No wonder Krismona said that turning into a human doesn't necessarily bring happiness.
If even mouse meat is no longer the best-tasting thing in the world…how can one be happy?
Yes, Lilith had already guessed the truth herself.
This change had everything to do with her transformation. Just like how, over the past few days, she'd found things like steak, lamb, and even bread much tastier than before.
Sigh…
Edward really isn't that bright, she thought to herself. Still thinking it's the meat or the environment's fault.
No, from now on, she would have to pretend that mouse meat still tasted amazing—so Edward wouldn't worry.
Lilith made up her mind.
"Edward, I suddenly think the mouse meat tastes great again~!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.