Chapter 314: Edward, You Deserve to Die!

Edward couldn't help but laugh aloud.

Audrey immediately puffed out her cheeks and shot him a glare.

"So? When are you planning to set off on your 'wandering' journey?"

Her question made Edward hesitate.

When it came to playing a role, the sooner the better. But according to Bernadette, the disaster looming over Backlund was drawing closer by the day.

He was worried that if he left to play the role, the catastrophe might strike unexpectedly. Even with the Traveler's Door and the Portkeys, there was still a slight delay involved. And who knew? Even a few minutes of delay could prove fatal.

Hmm…Maybe I should consult Bernadette about this.

So instead, he said, "I'll plan it out first." Then after a pause, he added, "Oh, by the way, the Queen Mystic sent word earlier this afternoon. She's found several of the ingredients for your potion."

Audrey's eyes lit up.

"Which ones?"

"The spinal fluid and blood of the Black-hunting Giant Lizard, and the Mind Crystals needed for Sequence 6 Hypnotist. Also, the heart of a Dream Catcher for Sequence 5 Dreamwalker."

"Huh? I haven't even finished collecting the materials for Sequence 6 yet…"

Edward replied, "You've got the money anyway. Why not get them early and be done with it?"

She nodded.

"True. What about the fruit and sap of the Illusory Chime Tree?"

"No updates yet. According to her, the Illusory Chime Tree usually grows on remote, uninhabited islands…but those are getting rarer by the day."

Audrey let out a sigh.

"Ah…I'll write to Alfred and ask. Maybe he'll find one in the Southern Continent."

She stretched, clenching her fists with a yawn. Her increasingly mature figure was on full display before Edward, who reflexively glanced over. But the moment Audrey looked his way, he quickly played it off, scooping up Lilith and starting to tickle her with his fingers.

"Ah!! Let go of Miss Lilith, Edward, you're so annoying!"

"Edward, I'm sleepy. I'm heading back to bed."

Audrey rubbed her eyes and said softly, "Good night."

"Mm~ Good night."

Crack!

The girl and the dog vanished together.

Lilith squirmed out of Edward's arms and scampered up to his shoulder. Without warning, she bit his ear.

"Ouch—owowow!"

Lilith quickly eased up her bite and mumbled, "Serves you right for tickling me just now."

"I-I was just playing around with you!"

"Liar."

She snorted.

"Your heart rate sped up just now. You clearly did something guilty."

Edward's voice pitched up in protest.

"No, I didn't!"

"Miss Lilith's ears don't lie!"

He plucked her off his shoulder and narrowed his eyes.

"Lilith, when's the last time I checked your academic progress?"

Lilith: "???"

———

[Forsaken Land of The Gods]

Derrick had long lost track of how many bolts of lightning had torn through the dark sky. Ever since they left the depths of the temple, the team had marched nonstop, rushing back toward the City of Silver.

Except for him, the others moved like tireless machines. They never paused to rest. When they got hungry or tired, they'd simply pull out a tasty mushroom, take a few bites, and instantly regain their energy.

All throughout, they continued trying to tempt Derrick into eating the mushrooms. But he refused every time.

Still, he could feel it—their patience was wearing thin. If it weren't for Elder Lovia standing in the way, they probably would've force-fed him long ago.

Just as even Elder Lovia began struggling to restrain them, City of Silver finally appeared on the horizon. The moment it came into view, the whole squad abruptly snapped back to normal. Other than the occasional creepy smile that sent chills down Derrick's spine, they looked no different than usual.

They passed through the City of Silver's main gate and arrived at the edge of the city—at the training grounds.

This was a tradition stretching back thousands of years:

Every returning exploration team was required to rest here temporarily. It gave them a place to debrief and share the strange encounters they'd faced in the depths of the darkness. But more importantly, it served as a kind of quarantine—to prevent any eerie contaminations or entities from slipping in unnoticed and erupting later.

When Derrick finally laid eyes on Chief Colin Iliad and the other Elders, the tension coiled in his chest loosened at last. He couldn't wait to rush forward and tell the Chief that everyone—except for himself and Elder Lovia—had been corrupted in the temple.

But just as he took a step forward, Lovia stopped him and whispered, "If you speak up now, you'll only make the Chief suspicious of you.

If the inspection reveals anything, the Chief will know how to handle it himself.

But if nothing's found…how will you prove your claims?"

"And if they accuse you of being the infected one…how will you explain all the food you're carrying?"

Derrick froze, caught off guard. Doubt began creeping in.

His hesitation didn't go unnoticed. Chief Colin Iliad glanced over and asked gently, "Is something wrong, Derrick?"

"N-No, sir."

Derrick quickly lowered his head.

"…"

Colin's gaze lingered on him for a second, then turned away toward the others.

Lovia, watching Derrick's tall figure silently, sighed inwardly:

Until we're certain whether the mysterious being you revere is friend or foe to the City of Silver, it's best that the Chief doesn't know of "Their" existence—just like how I've never disclosed anything about my Lord either.

Yes—Lovia hadn't stopped Derrick for the reasons she claimed.

The City of Silver has waited thousands of years. A few more won't hurt.

Better to be cautious.

———

The next morning.

Edward once again arrived at the Saint Samuel Cathedral.

In the same familiar reading room, he lit candles, scattered essential oil, and began praying to the Goddess:

"Your Grace, Evernight Goddess…may I ask if I'm allowed to offer the books and technologies I handed to "You"…to the God of Steam and Machinery as well?"

He didn't ask whether the Goddess had already passed them on.

He didn't explain why he wanted to offer them again.

He simply expressed his desire.

A moment later, the Goddess responded once more through the dust on the ground:

"The books have been given to Stiano."

Edward was stunned—then realised that the Goddess had already delivered them to the God of Steam. A tinge of disappointment settled in his heart, but he still drew the Sign of Crimson Moon reverently across his chest.

"I understand. Thank You, Goddess."

Then, a question echoed back from the dust:

"Why did you want to deliver them personally?"

The Goddess asked again.

Edward didn't try to be clever or evasive. He simply admitted honestly, "My acting method requires me to pass on knowledge."

"I see."

She was clearly referring to the incident in the astral world when Edward had planned to teach her magic.

The dust on the ground reformed into words once more:

"You still have a chance."

Edward blinked in surprise.

"A chance? For what?"

But the Evernight Goddess gave no further reply.

He waited, hoping it was just a delay. Ten minutes passed, then more—but there was no response.

Sigh…why do all these high-ranking beings love to speak in riddles? Why can't they just say everything directly?

"Thank you, Goddess. Praise the Lady."

Edward drew the Sign of Crimson Moon on his chest once more, packed up his things, and left the cathedral.

Just as he stepped outside, a sudden idea struck him:

Even if I can't teach the God of Steam himself…isn't the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery still full of Saints and Angels? Surely they need that knowledge too, right?

But…how would that count as "wandering"?

Should I travel from place to place and summon them to attend my lectures?

That's asking a bit too much, isn't it? Not even Roselle Gustav, Steam's so-called "beloved pet," ever had such treatment.

If I really go down that route…I'll end up owing some massive favours.

———

At noon, Audrey brought good news:

She'd helped Edward acquire a new identity—he was now a professor at the Backlund University of Technology and Industry.

"Me? A professor?"

Audrey replied matter-of-factly,

"Well, you were a professor at Hogwarts, weren't you?"

Heh, this feels like using the Holy Grail to serve instant coffee.

Taking a title from Harry Potter and scamming people in Lord of the Mysteries. Brilliant.

"But wait…with a Confusion Charm, do I even need a new identity?"

Audrey said seriously, "It's still better to be safe. How can you be sure you'll never interact with other Beyonders again?"

"Hmm…fair point."

"Have you decided how you're going to begin your journey?"

"For now, I'm thinking of heading west from Loen, through Feynapotter, to Lenburg, with the Republic of Intis as the final stop."

She looked at him in surprise.

"Huh? You're not going to the Feysac Empire?"

"Nope."

As someone who now worked for the Evernight Goddess, heading to Feysac—which had always had tense relations with the Loen Kingdom—felt far too risky.

Feynapotter was the domain of the Earth Mother, also known as Lilith, the progenitor of the vampires. Given his current ties with the Sanguines, there shouldn't be any issues there.

Lenburg was under Dragon of Wisdom…but Edward hadn't had much contact with that one, so the risks were minimal.

As for Intis…Edward strongly suspected that the moment he stepped onto Intis soil, he'd "coincidentally" bump into Bernadette—who'd then drag him off to roleplay her weird fetish.

He continued, "If I finish that entire route and the potion still isn't fully digested, I'll switch to a maritime path."

"Okay~"

Audrey nodded, then asked, "So have you figured out how you're going to play your role specifically?"

"Not yet. I'll take it one step at a time."

Leaning back, Edward sighed.

"The biggest problem now is time. I've got less than three weeks left before I return to Hogwarts. If I travel on foot, I might not even make it out of Loen in time."

He picked up Lilith with a grin.

"But Lilith will definitely be happy."

Lilith blinked in confusion.

"Why's that?"

"Because along the way, you'll never run out of rats to eat."

"Miss Lilith never runs out of rats to eat!"

She proudly tapped the pendant around her neck with her little paw.

"I've already stocked up a lot~"

"But you're right. Rats taste different in different places. The ones at Hogwarts are especially tender and juicy, while most of the ones in Backlund are thin and dry. The flavour varies by region too. Like in Empress Borough and East Borough…"

Seeing her get all serious about rat cuisine, Edward and Audrey didn't have the heart to interrupt her. They just sat there, heads pounding, as she gave a comprehensive breakdown of rat-eating techniques—covering everything from skin, meat, bone, and tendon in painstaking detail.

Knock, knock, knock.

Thankfully, someone knocked on the door just in time.

Edward quickly got up. The moment his hand touched the doorknob, an image appeared in his mind—standing outside with an uncertain look on his face was Klein.

Huh. He usually contacts me through Mr. Fool. Why did he come in person today?

"Good afternoon, Klein."

Edward opened the door and greeted him. "Come in."

"Good afternoon."

Klein took off his hat and stepped inside—only to immediately spot Audrey coming out of the bedroom with Lilith in her arms.

In that moment, Klein knew.

The most beautiful girl he had ever seen in either of his lives was standing right before him. This was Miss Justice.

A few days ago, after accepting her commission, Klein had gone to the area near Earl Hall's villa to investigate. But he hadn't had the chance to actually go inside. This was their first meeting.

Her family was one of the wealthiest in Loen, owners of banks overflowing with gold pounds. She was known as the brightest jewel of Backlund.

Wait a minute…

She just came out of the bedroom?

And she's carrying the cat that took the Assassin potion?!

AHHHH!!

Edward, you absolute bastard—

YOU DESERVE TO DIE!

———

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