"Ah!!"
Bernadette was so startled she nearly screamed.
She hurriedly poked her head out just a little, her bright eyes peeking around—inside the dim room, a figure stood only a meter or two away, arms folded as he gazed at her.
He…he really came!
Bernadette was terrified. Her voice trembled as she asked, "You…what are you doing here?"
Edward couldn't help but let out a laugh of exasperation. "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to see a mermaid? And now you're asking me what I'm doing?"
"Eh?"
She blinked, then suddenly sat up. "There really are little mermaids?"
"The kind in fairy tales…no. But mermaids are real. Do you want to see them?"
Bernadette hesitated, conflicted. "Mmm…I…I want to…but…"
Before she could finish, her body suddenly felt light. The surrounding darkness brightened in an instant, and everything within her sight was painted in vivid, vibrant colours, as though she had stepped into the pages of a fairy tale.
"Wow!!!"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked around, overwhelmed by the kaleidoscopic scenery. The fear and unease in her heart quickly melted away, replaced by excitement and delight. "This place is just too beautiful!"
Before long, she mimicked something Lilith had once done, reaching out her hand to try and touch the strange creatures and objects that seemed close yet far away.
Even though she couldn't touch anything, her curiosity and enthusiasm never waned.
Whoosh!
Just then, the dazzling colours faded, and her vision cleared.
"Eh? It's morning already?!"
Here at the Sea of Ruins, dawn came several hours earlier than in Intis. Explaining that would take too long, so Edward simply didn't bother.
Using the Sailor pathway's powers, Edward carried Bernadette as they soared through the skies.
"Tch, this is awkward…I only remember that the mermaids are hidden somewhere east of the Sea of Ruins in the Sonia Sea. But the exact location? No idea."
After all, he hadn't managed to find them the last time.
"Where are the mermaids?"
Bernadette craned her neck eagerly, glancing left and right below them.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation of weightlessness, her body plummeting rapidly downward. "Aaaaahhh!!"
On the surface of the sea, a pitch-black sailing ship appeared out of thin air. It was the Black Tulip, the vessel Edward had once seized from the Admiral of Hell, Ludwell.
Originally, he had planned to sell it. Who would have thought that two hundred years later (earlier), he would end up using it himself?
"Aaaaahhh!!"
Her shrill screams echoed as the two of them drifted gently down onto the deck. Edward tapped the top of Bernadette's head as she kept her eyes squeezed shut, still screaming. "Alright, enough. Keep yelling and I'll confiscate your mouth."
"Ah…mmph!"
She hastily clapped both hands over her mouth, then cautiously opened her eyes. Only then did she realise she was standing on a ship. "Eh? What's this?"
Looking up at the fluttering flag, she whispered, "…A pirate ship?"
Her eyes widened. "You're a pirate?!"
Edward gave a smug little cough. "That's right. I'm a pirate—Captain Jack…Klein Sparrow."
"Oooh~"
Bernadette let out a little sound of wonder, then skipped over to the railing of the deck, gazing at the vast expanse of blue ocean in the distance.
"Heehee, Daddy always said he wanted to go on a great voyage someday. But guess what? I set sail before he did!"
She ran back and forth across the deck for a while, until she was slightly out of breath. Then, curiosity returned to her voice. "But…weren't we supposed to be looking for mermaids?"
Edward walked over and spoke in a solemn, mysterious tone. "Bernie, often the journey itself matters more than the destination. Meeting the mermaids is the end goal, but the search for them—that's the real adventure."
"Really?"
She eyed Edward suspiciously. "But I just want to see mermaids."
"No rush. We'll find them."
"You don't actually know where they are, do you?"
Bernadette frowned.
Smack!
Edward rapped her on the head again. "Bernie, if you're too clever, people won't like you."
She rubbed her small head, pouting. "My name is Bernadette, not Bernie."
"That's your nickname—Bernie Huang."
"No way. How come I didn't know about that?"
"Well, now you do."
Edward froze mid-sentence, a memory suddenly surfacing. Back when he had first encountered Bernadette at the hot spring run by the vampire Akasha, her self-introduction had been "Bernie Huang." At the time, Edward had found it strange that she already knew this "nickname."
So…was it actually because he had told her?
"What's wrong?"
Bernadette reached out her pale little hand, waving it in front of Edward's face.
"Nothing~"
Edward let out a relieved smile. "Alright, let's go find the mermaids!"
"Eh?"
She scratched her head in confusion. "But with such a big ship…how are the two of us supposed to sail it?"
"Simple!"
Edward snapped his fingers.
With a sweep of Transfiguration spells and the overlay of [False Reality], the entire ship was instantly filled with "crew members," who quickly took up their posts and began working in perfect order.
Bernadette's eyes widened in astonishment as she recognised them one by one. "Snow White? Cinderella? The Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio…"
She recited them fluently like treasures from a storybook, her voice full of wonder. "Wow!!!"
"If this is a dream, then…please don't let me wake up too soon!"
Edward once again waved his wand, transforming both their outfits into those of pirate captains. Striding to the bow of the ship, he raised his hand and commanded: "Fairy Tale, set sail!"
Bernadette, wearing a pirate eyepatch, excitedly echoed at the top of her voice: "Fairy Tale, set sail!!"
In that moment, she had only one thought in her heart:
Compared to the mysterious gentleman who could bring fairy tale characters into reality—oh wait, Mr. Sparrow—her father, who only told stories…
…was far too weak!
———
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
Roselle, who had been carefully carving mystical symbols into a silver plaque with a burin, suddenly sneezed three times in a row. The tool slipped, leaving an extra scar across the surface.
"Arghhh! Failed again!"
He tossed the silver plaque and carving knife aside in frustration and collapsed back into his chair.
From daylight to nightfall, he had been working nearly ten hours straight, failing over and over again.
"Damn it, I refuse to believe I can't succeed. One more try!"
After resting for a moment, he pulled out a new silver plaque and picked up the burin again. But just as he was about to begin, his gaze fell on a block of wood at the corner of the table. He hesitated, then muttered, "Forget it…I'll make some dolls for my darling angel first."
"Hehe, she'll be moved to tears!"
———
The ship, now renamed Fairy Tale, glided across the Sonia Sea. The warm sunlight mixed with the moist sea breeze brushed against their faces, easily stirring drowsiness.
Especially for a child who had been woken in the middle of the night—and who had spent over an hour running tirelessly all over the deck.
By the time the Fairy Tale reached the waters near the ruins of the war of the gods, she had already curled up on a conjured little bed, clutching a doll, fast asleep.
Even in sleep, she was smiling, her lips curved in bliss, a glimmer of crystal-clear drool at the corner of her mouth.
"Heh, being a child really is wonderful."
Edward pinched her soft cheek gently. "Since you're already asleep, let's call it a day. We can continue another time."
He waved his wand, dismissing all the "crew," then shrank the ship down and pocketed it. Carrying Bernadette, he traversed the Spirit World and returned to Trier.
"Good night, future Queen Mystic."
He stepped back, his figure fading away.
For a long moment, Bernadette remained still—then she opened her drowsy eyes and murmured, "Thank you, Mr. Sparrow."
——
Eh?
Back home, Edward was surprised to discover that the Secrets Sorcerer potion had quietly digested a little further.
Could it be…because he had used False Reality?
The next morning.
Edward indulged in a rare luxury—sleeping in.
Although as a demigod of Sequence 4, a "not-quite-human," sleep was no longer a necessity, it remained one of life's greatest pleasures.
When he finally came downstairs, he saw Dubois spring up from the sofa, hurrying toward him. "Mr. Sparrow, I want to give it a try."
"Oh? You've thought it through? How do you plan on bringing it up to Roselle?"
"No, not Roselle."
"Hm?"
Dubois gave a self-deprecating smile. "I…have another way. My last bit of stubbornness, I suppose."
"Fine. I'll be looking forward to it."
Just then, Dubois sniffed the air in surprise. "What's that smell? It's delicious."
"It's Endili," Dubois explained. "Since there's no chef hired for the villa yet, and Endili said she knows how to cook, I let her try. She said it's a speciality meat patty from her homeland.
"The ingredients and spices were bought early this morning by Ossaine with the leftover money from yesterday."
Edward sat down at the dining table. Less than ten minutes later, Endili came in carrying a tray—on it, a plate of patties, two fried eggs, some vegetables and chickpeas, and a glass of juice.
"Master, please enjoy your meal."
Tch. After living in the world of Mysteries for so long, he had hardly enjoyed such service from attendants. Yet now, only a few days after returning two hundred years later, he had already started to indulge.
Edward picked up his knife and fork, tasted the meat patty, and found it to be quite good. Smiling, he asked Endili, "Can you cook anything else?"
"Yes! I can prepare every dish from our island, but as for Intis cuisine…not many."
"Alright. Then you'll be one of the villa's chefs from now on. Dubois, hire another chef to teach her more."
Endili bowed hurriedly. "Thank you, esteemed Master."
"Oh, by the way, have you two eaten yet?"
Endili and Ossaine shook their heads. In truth, they hadn't eaten anything since arriving yesterday, but as slaves, they dared not complain.
"Fine. Endili, make some more food later and share it with Ossaine."
"Yes."
"Dubois, you've got another task today. As you said before, get the villa fully staffed. Don't let it come to the point where you finally manage to connect me with Roselle, and I turn out to be missing everything on my end. That would be embarrassing."
"I understand."
To be honest, Edward wasn't used to having a house full of strangers. But in this environment, he had no choice but to play along with the rules of the game.
Besides, he had already decided to play the hands-off master, leaving everything to Dubois. As long as he met Arrodes—or obtained the information he needed elsewhere—this entire game of "playing house" could come to an end.
"Oh, and another thing. The new house. I'll trouble you to settle it as soon as possible, so we can move out of this haunted place."
"…Alright."
Dubois had already discerned Edward's intent—not just his plan to be a hands-off master, but also his eagerness to step into Trier's noble circles, clearly with a very specific goal in mind.
But what did it matter?
He too had his own clear purpose: to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—
—to become a Beyonder!
Just wait, Roselle!
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.