But…Edward's crimson star was still burning steadily, and so was Lilith's.
Could it be, like before, that he was simply trapped somewhere, unable to attend the gathering?
Tsk…why am I not even surprised or worried anymore when something like this happens to Edward?
After a moment's thought, Klein spoke calmly:
"Mr. Tower and Miss Empress are both fine. They simply cannot attend this week's gathering due to certain matters."
With that, he tapped his finger lightly against the bronze table.
"Let's begin."
The members exchanged uncertain glances. After a short pause, Fors the Magician spoke first:
"Honourable Mr. Fool, I have received three pages of Emperor Roselle's diary."
"Mm. Very good."
Klein stretched out his hand, and the three diary pages Fors materialised flew into his grasp.
Lady Strength, Bernadette, then added:
"Mr. Fool, I too have gathered two pages of the diary."
Klein smiled faintly.
"Same as last time—do you wish to know the contents?"
"Yes, Mr. Fool."
Seeing no one else producing diary pages, Klein lowered his head and began with Bernadette's two.
--
March 14th
Impossible! It makes no sense! That fairy tale book—I wrote it for Bernadette alone! Aside from her, Matilda, and myself, no one else should know of it! Damn it! Something must be wrong! Or…could it be Grimm and Edwards are playing a sick joke on me? They'd better not be, or I'll make them regret it!
Regardless, I need to test this somehow.
--
March 15th
Last night, I had people contact every newspaper in Trier. In the middle pages, I placed a "reward notice": 100 Felkin for the best name of my new mascot design.
That "mascot"…is none other than Doraemon—famous across the entire world of my previous life.
Of course, this is actually an invitation. If my suspicion is correct, and that person sees it, he will know I've discovered him…
But will he come?
I am too lonely in this world. As long as he isn't utterly vile, I wouldn't mind letting him soar with me!
--
Doraemon? An invitation?
What in the world is Emperor Roselle writing about?
Klein rubbed his brow. Suddenly, fragments of earlier diary entries resurfaced in his memory—giving rise to a startling guess:
Could it be that Emperor Roselle had already discovered another transmigrator at this time? And this "Doraemon" signal was his way of inviting them to meet?
--
March 16th
He didn't come. I waited an entire day, and he never showed up. Was he too afraid? Unwilling?…Or was it all just my imagination?
---
March 17th
Still no sign of him. Today, Bernadette seemed a little odd. But when I went to check, I found nothing unusual.
--
So, it seems this "fellow transmigrator" never responded to Roselle's invitation. Or perhaps, as Roselle himself wondered, it was all just his overthinking.
…Yet, when compared with the other diary from that later "predecessor," it seems Roselle was not mistaken.
--
March 18th
Suddenly, I feel unsafe at my current Sequence. I must ascend to Sequence 6, and then to Sequence 5, as quickly as possible!
My Appraiser potion is only a step away from being digested. Tomorrow, I won't attend Count Panner's banquet. I'll devote myself entirely to digesting that last trace.
March 18th, addendum
Madame Panner…truly exhilarating.
--
Klein's eyelid twitched.
As expected of Emperor Roselle…
--
March 18th (cont.)
I swear! I was dragged to that banquet by Count Panner himself! And it was Madame Panner who dragged me into the room! Green can testify for me!
I swear tomorrow I will focus on digesting my potion!
March 19th
I did it! To celebrate, I will host a banquet myself…(long passage omitted)…Madame Panner, truly astonishing.
--
Klein put the diary pages aside, rubbing his temple as he glanced at Bernadette.
How exactly am I supposed to summarise this for her? Either it's about transmigrators…or it's about Roselle sleeping around.
Emperor Roselle, you've really dug me into a hole here…
———
Half an hour later.
The endless grey mist dissipated in a surge of scarlet. Audrey returned to her room, troubled and restless.
"What's wrong, Audrey?"
Susie padded over from the door, tail swaying.
"Edward and Lilith…they're missing."
"Eh?"
Susie's tail dropped instantly, ears pricking in alarm.
"How could that be?"
"I'll try contacting his messenger first."
Audrey lit a candle, her expression solemn as she recited in Hermes:
"In my name, I summon—"
"The spirit that wanders about the unfounded,
The friendly creature that can be subordinated,
The messenger belonging solely to Edward."
Half a minute passed.
Nothing happened.
The candle flame flickered quietly, without the slightest change.
Audrey's face paled.
"Impossible…why can't I summon his messenger either?"
Forcing herself to calm down, she tried again:
"In my name, I summon…the messenger belonging solely to Edward!"
Yet again—nothing.
Susie hurried to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Audrey. Edward and Lilith must be fine."
"…Mm."
Audrey nodded faintly. She pulled out her suitcase and slipped inside, heading straight for the Vanishing Cabinet.
As expected—useless.
"If Mr. Fool said he's fine, then he must be fine. Just like last time…he's only trapped somewhere he can't contact the outside world."
"Don't worry. Don't worry. You have to believe in Edward!"
With repeated self-consolation, Audrey's heart gradually steadied.
She opened the door and strode out. Susie quickly followed.
"Audrey, where are you going?"
"Out—for someone who might know where Edward is."
"Who?"
"An angel who likes to eat ice cream."
———
The Past Timeline, Year 1160.
Ten minutes later.
Edward opened his eyes, disappointment plain on his face.
As he expected—even within the Sefirah Castle, he couldn't locate Lilith.
Not surprising, really. Klein, even with the Castle, could only divine a red chimney when searching for Ince Zangwill hidden by the quill. To try and trace Lilith, who fought Cheek for a godhood? Impossible.
He attempted divinations for Azik, Pallez, and others. Nothing.
Fortunately, when he focused on the bootlicking mirror Arrodes, he confirmed it was in Trier Cathedral.
Next, Edward imitated Klein and carried out a series of experiments. He discovered that aside from the usual abilities Klein wielded in the Castle, he also had some unique differences:
First: He could shift into a spirit form within the Castle, then directly travel anywhere from it. In other words, if he could summon a "Little Sun" from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, he could simply have the person open a bestowed illusory door and step straight through into the Forsaken Land himself.
Second: His ability [Madman to the Right] was greatly amplified within the Sefirah Castle.
Though its effect was nearly causal reversal, the more impossible the reversal, the heavier and more dangerous the backlash. Every time, without exception.
Like when he reversed Leodoro's lightning strike—it had hurled him two hundred years into the past. Unless absolutely necessary, Edward would never lightly use it again.
But inside the Castle, if he used [Madman to the Right], the Castle itself absorbed most of the backlash—how much depending on how much its authority could shoulder for that reversal.
For example: to kill someone outright. With the Castle's rank, the price Edward bore was negligible—since destruction lay within its natural capacity, [Madman to the Right] simply leveraged it.
But resurrection from nothing, or instantly elevating a mortal into a demigod or even angel—that exceeded what the Castle could truly sustain.
In short: destruction is far easier than creation.
The problem was, this strengthening worked only internally. Literal and strict. Edward had to bring the target into the Castle before using it.
Meaning: if he wanted to kill someone this way, the first step was dragging them inside.
This improvement meant that within the Sefirah Castle, Edward feared no one below Sequence 0. If Amon dared intrude here like he did with Klein, Edward could crush him with [Madman to the Right]—paying only a small price.
But beyond the Castle? Useless.
Still, at least he no longer had to worry about Amon sneaking in and wrecking everything.
"…Next, then—"
Edward rose, gazing past the endless grey fog toward the mysterious depths beyond.
He stepped forward, onto the radiant staircase that led upwards.
One step. Two steps…
Six steps.
He climbed atop condensed grey clouds, then leapt onto the mist-formed platform.
Before him appeared a radiant gate tinged faintly with green-black. It was woven of countless luminous spheres, each sphere a cluster of writhing, twisted worms—some transparent, others half-transparent.
From above the gate hung black threads, suspending cocoon-like shells, nearly invisible in their transparency.
"As expected—after Sequence 4, all three pathways can reach this…giant cured-meat factory."
Edward wove between them.
The cocoons swayed gently, each containing a soul. Some black-skinned, some yellow, some white. Some in jeans, some clutching phones, some in gaudy clothes, some strikingly beautiful. All exuded the vitality of the living—yet all slept with eyes shut.
Until he stopped before two broken cocoons, empty and swaying in the current.
Through these had left—the Evernight Goddess and Emperor Roselle, cast into reality.
Which meant…connected to them…
Edward's gaze fell on a cocoon nearby.
Inside, dangling by threads, was a black-haired, unremarkable young man with obvious eye bags and an inkling of a double chin in a T-shirt and casual pants. His eyes were closed, as if asleep—though he had been hanging here for thousands of years.
Klein.
No, more precisely...
—Zhou Mingrui.
———
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