If she told Daddy, he would definitely try to capture that person. Then her nose would grow longer, and she would never again receive those magical dolls.
But if she didn't tell him, what if that person wanted to harm Papa and Mama?
—No, no need to worry! Papa was so powerful. It was always him who harmed others, never the other way around.
Bernadette ran through a rapid-fire "brainstorm" in her head and finally decided to keep it secret.
It seemed like a carefully considered decision, but in truth, it was simply the inevitable result of Edward's [Secret Keeping] ability at work.
Thinking of this, Bernadette shook her head.
"Uncle Grimm didn't come to see me."
"Oh."
Roselle only nodded casually. "Alright, you two eat slowly. Daddy has other things to do."
"Goodbye, Daddy."
Bernadette turned to her mother. "Mama, I'm full~"
She hopped down from her chair and scampered out of the dining room, returning straight to her room. After making sure no one had followed her, she shut the door, locked it tight, and pulled out The Little Mermaid doll from the small cabinet under her bed.
She touched it gently—once more "arriving" at that increasingly beautiful island.
As before, after finishing a high, clear song, the little mermaid swam back to the beach. Her shimmering fishtail quickly transformed into a pair of legs as she walked toward Bernadette.
"Ah!"
Bernadette froze, then quickly shouted, "No! Don't go ashore! That prince doesn't even know it was you who saved him!"
But the little mermaid's figure suddenly rippled and twisted—becoming Edward.
"It's me."
"…"
Bernadette's anxious face stiffened. She grabbed a handful of sand and angrily flung it at him, but his figure was as if transparent, letting the grains pass right through.
"You again?"
Bernadette muttered, "Don't you know a gentleman can't just enter a girl's room whenever he wants? So annoying! This is the third time already, and you still haven't said who you are, or what you're doing in my house."
"I told you from the start—I just wanted to see the legendary 'Son of Steam.' You just happened to notice me. I only came to check whether you'd keep your promise with me."
"Then why not meet my Papa openly? Why sneak around? You must be a bad guy!"
"Haha. I'm just an ordinary man. But your father—he's a darling of Intis and the churches. How could I possibly meet him whenever I want?"
Edward walked over and sat beside her. "Since you think I'm not a good person, why aren't you afraid of me?"
"Why should I be afraid?"
She snorted. "If you came near me, it's only because you want to hurt Papa, using me against him. But before you actually try anything, I'm perfectly safe."
"Besides, my Papa is the strongest man in the world! He doesn't fear your schemes. The moment you expose yourself, he'll catch you in no time! So, I advise you to drop any funny ideas. Just hand over all the magical dolls obediently, and I can even say nice things about you in front of Papa. He might even reward you."
Her reasoning was oddly "logical and persuasive." She even finished with both a threat and an offer. The only problem was—she placed way too much faith in Roselle's strength.
But that couldn't really be blamed on her. At just five or six years old, it was only natural to believe one's father was omnipotent.
Especially when, for years, Roselle had indeed acted as if he were.
"Relax."
Edward smiled. "I've never thought of harming your father. Compared to Roselle, I'm far more interested in you."
"…"
"???"
"!!!"
Bernadette's expression went through three changes in a flash. She scooted backwards with a swish, glaring at him with her blue eyes full of wariness.
"You really are a pervert!"
Smack!
"Ow!"
Edward teleported beside her and knocked her lightly on the head.
"What exactly has Roselle been teaching you? What kind of fathering is this?"
She immediately bristled, looking ready to pounce. "Don't you dare insult Papa!"
"Fine, fine, Roselle's the best, alright?"
Edward couldn't be bothered to argue with a little girl. He waved it off and cut to the chase.
"Bernadette, I need your help with something."
"Hmph. And you still say you don't want to harm Papa? Your fox tail is showing now!"
She narrowed her eyes. "You want me to poison him? Or slip something onto him? Or maybe reveal his secret schedule?"
…Was the future Queen Mystic always this scheming, even as a child?
"It has nothing to do with your father."
Edward sighed helplessly. "I just need you to recite three lines after me."
"What?"
Edward intoned in Hermes:
"The first line is: The Eternal Sovereign Above Dimensions."
"???"
Bernadette blinked in confusion.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Oh, right—Hermes was a mystical language. At her age, it was normal that she hadn't learned it yet.
But looking at her blank expression, Edward couldn't help but wonder: was she really clueless, or just pretending?
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just repeat the sounds after me."
Bernadette frowned slightly, thinking. "Say it again."
"The Eternal Sovereign Above Dimensions."
"The Eternal…Sovereign…Above Dimensions."
Edward continued, "The Deconstructor of Endless Stories."
"The…Deconstructor…of Endless Stories."
And finally:
"The Transcender of Past and Future."
"The…Transcender…of Past and Future."
As he listened to her recite line by line, Edward couldn't help recalling the time in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, when Bernadette had followed his words just like this. Except, back then, what she repeated was The Fool's prayer.
Edward hadn't added all the flowery embellishments that normally came after the threefold invocation. Those were mostly symbolic anyway. The real power lay in just these first three sentences.
After finishing the last line, Bernadette tilted her head in puzzlement.
"What do these three sentences mean?"
Hearing her crisp little voice, Edward smiled faintly. "They're just an incantation to contact me. From now on, if you ever need me, simply repeat those three lines."
"Eh? But I didn't remember them."
"Then I'll say them again—don't forget this time." Edward repeated patiently, "The Eternal Sovereign Above Dimensions. The Deconstructor of Endless Stories. The Transcender of Past and Future."
Bernadette mumbled after him once more. "I still don't—"
Suddenly, she realised she was back in her bedroom. Everything she had just seen was gone.
"…He left?"
She waited a few more minutes, but nothing happened. Tossing the little mermaid doll aside, she ran to her desk, pulled out the Hermes dictionary she'd once pestered Papa for, and began flipping through it quickly.
After a while, she closed it with a frown. She hadn't been able to figure out the meaning of those sentences.
Bernadette was very smart, yes—but she was only six. Her only reason for even dabbling in Hermes was childish curiosity, seeing Papa use that secretive language so often. But she soon found it boring and had tossed the dictionary aside.
"Papa said…this language is a mystical one, used for magical powers. Then…the three sentences that man made me recite…are they also for using some ability?"
"He said it's…an incantation to contact him. Is that really true?"
Bernadette rested her chin in her hands, thinking.
"Maybe I should ask Uncle Edwards. He's always happy to teach."
———
Edward withdrew the spirituality he'd been using to sustain the [False Reality], then took four backwards steps to ascend to the Sefirah Castle.
As always, he was greeted by the boundless grey mist, where deep-red "stars" hung—some near, some far. But this time, one tiny star was pulsing faintly, expanding and contracting over and over, small but unceasing.
Edward released his spirituality toward it, letting the crimson mist spread out.
The moment they touched, his mind buzzed. Blurred, twisted visions swam before him, accompanied by phantom, overlapping voices of supplication:
"The Eternal Sovereign Above Dimensions.
The Deconstructor of Endless Stories.
The Transcender of Past and Future."
As Bernadette's crisp little voice echoed again and again, layered upon itself, the vague images in the grey mist slowly sharpened.
There—wearing a little dress, long soft chestnut hair cascading down, her face full of doubt and curiosity—was Bernadette. Word by halting word, she repeated those three lines of prayer.
"It really worked."
Of course. Standing on the shoulders of a "predecessor" always made things easier.
Now, not only could he enter the Sefirah Castle and wield its powers, but through this divine-style threefold prayer, he could direct the link toward himself. And he could see and hear the prayers of his "believers" here—he could even respond to them.
Could the Tarot Club really be founded two hundred years early?
Edward chuckled to himself.
"No…such a groundbreaking creation should still belong to Klein."
If he was going to use the Sefirah Castle to stir up trouble, he might as well invent something different.
With a tap of his fingers on the bronze table, the long rectangular slab dissolved into mist, reforming as a massive round table surrounded by twelve bronze chairs.
Around the majestic giant's palace, the grey fog receded, replaced by trees and flowers sprouting up rapidly. In moments, the barren world had become a lush, vibrant secret garden.
Even if Klein were here, he probably wouldn't recognise this as "Above the Grey Fog."
"Now that I have the Sefirah Castle, I should be able to accomplish much more in this timeline. My next short-term goal—is to infiltrate the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, and find Arrodes."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.