He directly seized the corruption of the Mother Tree of Desire that had invaded Reinette's body. After all, neither he nor the Sefirah Castle had anything to fear from such pollution.
Almost at the same time, Reinette's abnormal changes halted, the branches sprouting from her quickly withered and fell away.
She sat up with a face full of doubt and alarm, her crimson eyes darting around in search of the one who had just helped her.
"Tch…such a contradiction." Edward muttered to himself. "Interacting rashly with figures from the 'plot'…one careless move could alter the future, bringing unforeseeable consequences."
"But whether it's digesting the Secrets Sorcerer potion, or finding Lilith, I can't avoid dealing with those familiar names anyway."
Sigh—
Travelling back to the past, unless one hides in complete seclusion, how could it be possible not to alter history?
Every step leaves a trace.
No point fretting over it. Whether I stick out my neck or shrink back, the blade falls just the same. Overthinking only ruins everything.
Edward once again extended his spirituality. Reinette's figure instantly manifested at the left side of the long round table, sitting two seats away from him.
Reinette appeared somewhat dazed, clearly not comprehending why she had suddenly come to such a place—a small garden shrouded in endless grey fog.
Her body tensed as she quickly scanned the environment, before her gaze finally landed on Edward.
A man wearing an unfamiliar mage's robe, his appearance indistinct, his features blurred.
But Reinette could clearly feel it: this man was one with the mysterious domain itself, as if he was the boundless fog, and the fog was him.
Edward, meanwhile, reclined calmly in his chair, observing her every movement. Compared with the "Miss Exeggutor" of two centuries later, this Reinette seemed far more…human.
Of course—that was natural. Though the Temperance Faction was already being suppressed, it could still barely contend with the Indulgence Faction. The faction's members, and the citizens of the kingdom who still believed in her, served as anchors that helped preserve her humanity.
After a moment of silence, Reinette cautiously asked, "Was it you who helped me, mysterious being?"
"That's right."
Edward nodded.
"…Thank you."
She bowed politely, then softly asked, "May I know why you helped me?"
"Hmm. Let's just say—I couldn't stand the Mother Tree of Desire."
Reinette fell silent for a few seconds. Then she asked, "May I ask, what can I do in return, to repay your aid?"
"That's not urgent."
Edward imitated Klein's usual style and tapped lightly on the table.
"Before that…shouldn't you make a proper introduction? That's the most basic courtesy, isn't it?"
Reinette hesitated again.
One Mother Tree of Desire appearing in the Rose School of Thought was already overwhelming enough. And now—another mysterious being, quite possibly a 'evil god,' had appeared with his gaze fixed on her.
Do we really attract evil gods this much?
But still, this being had helped her first.
Thinking of this, she lowered her voice, "I am Reinette Tinekerr, leader of the Temperance Faction of the Rose School of Thought. Once again, I thank you for your aid, great and mysterious existence."
"No need to call me 'great.' At most, I'm mysterious, but certainly not great." Edward chuckled. "In the future, just…call me the Chairman."
"I may select a few people to form a small gathering, and I will be the Chairman of this meeting."
"For now though…the members aren't settled, the theme is undecided. Once I figure it out, I'll let you know."
He leaned slightly forward, a hint of playfulness in his tone, "But I can give you a little spoiler—this gathering will have a bit to do with the fates of all its members. If you don't attend, you'll definitely regret it."
"Fate?" Reinette's heart trembled. Could this mysterious existence actually be a deity of the Fate pathway?
But…why would a god want to organise such a gathering?
Her thoughts spun rapidly. Three possibilities emerged:
First: The mind of a god is unfathomable. Perhaps he simply wanted some amusement.
Second: He intended to form a group to spread faith, recruit believers, and build His own church.
Third: He had not yet fully ascended to godhood, and this gathering was somehow linked to His acting or ascension ritual.
But even if it were the third, even if he weren't a god yet—the power to effortlessly neutralise the Mother Tree of Desire's corruption, and to bring a Sequence 2 like herself to this incomprehensible domain, was already far beyond what she could resist.
Suddenly, a bold thought flashed through Reinette's mind. If…if I could set this mysterious being against the Mother Tree of Desire, could I use that to pull the Rose School out of the mire?
With that, she lowered her head and said softly, "Reinette awaits your summons."
"Good~ welcome aboard."
Edward smiled.
"To make communication easier in the future, I'll give you a simple nickname."
"How about…'No-Head'?"
"???"
Reinette froze, utterly baffled.
"Oh right, one more thing. If you ever need to contact me, you can recite these three phrases."
Edward recalled, then added:
"The Eternal Ruler above dimensions;
The Deconstructor of endless stories;
The Transcender of past and future."
Reinette's pupils trembled slightly. A three-part honorific prayer—he truly was an evil god.
"Well then, until next time, Miss No-Head."
Edward waved lightly, severing the connection. Reinette's figure quickly vanished from the Sefirah Castle.
"Heh. The Secrets Sorcerer potion truly is digesting faster now. Not as much as with Medici, but still pretty good."
He glanced into the depths of the fog at the countless crimson stars.
"Tsk. I haven't even decided what kind of gathering to hold, and already the first member has joined. Life sure is unpredictable."
Huh?
My Spiritcaster potion…seems to be starting to digest as well?
———
Southern Continent, Star Highlands
At the Temperance Faction's stronghold of the Rose School of Thought, Reinette opened her bright yet eerie eyes and slowly rose from the floor.
With her slender fingers, she brushed across the bark-like lumps upon her skin, restoring them to their fair, flawless state. Cold air surged at her feet, freezing and shattering the fallen branches littering the ground.
"Chairman?"
What sort of existence was He, truly?
She tightened her grip on the puppet of the Bound God.
And that "fate" He spoke of—what exactly did it mean?
———
Future, 1349. Spirit World
In her black castle, Reinette Tinekerr opened her eyes. At her ears, she seemed once again to hear that voice which carried no malice, yet unsettled her all the same:
"Miss No-Head."
Strictly speaking, that nickname was not very fitting—though she had no head upon her neck, she held four in her hands. I don't just have a head, I have plenty of them!
So, what you said back at that…"gathering," about my fate, wasn't quite accurate!
At that moment, Sharron entered, dressed in a black Gothic-style court gown with a small black soft hat perched atop her head. Compared with before, her complexion was no longer as deathly pale, though now it carried an odd sense of unreality.
"I've successfully advanced to Sequence 4," she said.
Reinette turned, all eight of her eyes focusing on her disciple in turn.
"Very good…A few days ago…the upper ranks of the Indulgence Faction…suffered heavy losses…It is time…for us to unite…the remaining members…of the Temperance Faction."
"I understand!"
"Here…is their current…location…Go with Maric."
"All right."
Sharron nodded. Her figure gradually faded, vanishing from sight.
Reinette was just about to leave as well when her blood-red eyes all focused in the same direction. Stretching out her hand, she tore open a rift in the Spirit World and stepped out from a cluster of candle flames.
Clutching four dazzling heads in her hands, she looked at the man whose appearance had changed before her.
"Is it…"
"…you…"
"…summoning…"
"…me?"
Klein hastily glanced left and right to make sure no one had noticed. Then he waved with a smile.
"Good to see you again, madam."
"This time…did you summon me…to make me your…messenger?"
"That's right."
Klein asked seriously, "Are you truly willing to sign a contract and become my messenger?"
Reinette's skirt hem fluttered slightly as the four blonde-haired, red-eyed heads nodded in unison.
"Yes."
"Each time…"
"One…"
"Gold coin."
"Huh?"
A gold coin for every single message delivered?
You didn't mention this before!
Can I…get a refund?
———
Trier, 1160. Past
Late at night.
When Edward was jolted awake by the prayer echoing in his ears, he finally experienced the same frustration Mr. Fool must have endured.
Really? You couldn't say it during the day?
You had to choose night?
You had to choose midnight?!
Rubbing his eyes, he entered the Sefirah Castle. The moment he looked up, he saw Bernadette's crimson star flickering.
"…Mysterious sir, good evening."
"I was already asleep."
"Sweet dreams, then~"
"Good night."
Edward stared at Little Bernadette's message with a blank face, and immediately felt the urge to retaliate—he would roar back in the loudest, most ferocious voice possible and startle her awake from her sleep!
But before he could, her star twinkled again.
Spirituality spread outward, and her image once more surfaced before him:
She was in adorable pajamas, curled beneath her blanket, squinting as she pressed her palms together in a posture of prayer.
"Mysterious sir, could you take me to see the real Little Mermaid?"
"Ah! I'm sorry, I was just spouting nonsense, I didn't say anything!"
"Good night!"
She twisted about, burying her head under the quilt.
Edward smacked his lips. "Where exactly am I supposed to take you to see a real Little Mermaid? They don't even exist, all right? Pure wishful thinking."
Not worth my time.
For a moment, he regretted using Bernadette as an experiment to test out the three-part prayer. Maybe…
Tomorrow I'll just Obliviate her.
But just as that thought surfaced, another followed immediately:
Wait…if Lilith were in the past timeline and encountered something like this, what then?
"Ah—"
After a long sigh, Edward flicked a coin into the air.
"Is it dangerous to visit Bernadette now?"
It landed with the number side up—negative.
He promptly returned to reality, retrieved his Invisibility Cloak, layered it further with False Reality, and stepped straight into Bernadette's room.
Having just made her "wish," Bernadette already regretted it. After all, even if that person wasn't an Evil God, he was still an unfamiliar stranger. And she—she had actually wished upon a stranger.
Too stupid!
She curled into her blanket, playing ostrich, muttering over and over:
"Didn't hear it, didn't hear it, he didn't hear me."
"I heard you."
Suddenly, a calm voice drifted into the room.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.