"If I manage to hunt down Botis ahead of time, will I be a little safer?"
She shook her head. "There are too many variables. This already exceeds the scope of my prophecy."
"You seem to have thought of something?" Bernadette's eyes returned to their calm blue as she asked softly.
Edward pondered for a moment. "The disaster you foresaw...is likely tied to multiple factions—Aurora Order, Demoness Sect, Psychology Alchemists, the Loen royal family, and even the Rose School of Thought."
Bernadette fell silent for a while. "No wonder."
She had long sensed that something major was brewing in Backlund—that was precisely why she had come here. Her advancement ritual required her to stop a catastrophe. However, up until now, there had been no concrete clues. Her premonition had been vague and elusive. But today, through Edward, she had seen a clear glimpse of the looming disaster.
Edward's mind spun rapidly. Very quickly, he made a decision. He looked at Bernadette with firm eyes and declared, "I accept your offer! I'll help you translate those diaries, and you'll help me through this ordeal!"
She nodded slightly. "Very well."
———
Bernadette left.
Edward leaned back and rubbed his temples, troubled.
Lilith crawled out from under the chair. Rising onto her hind legs, she placed her forepaws on Edward's thigh and asked softly, "Edward, have you run into some trouble? I didn't quite understand what you were discussing with that lady just now."
"Yeah," he replied simply.
"Miss Lilith will help you!"
"Alright, alright~"
Edward scratched her under the chin, while inwardly thinking, "Judging from the original storyline, hunting Botis might mean preparing to face multiple enemies at once. Not to mention, he's in possession of a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact—Box of the Great Old Ones."
I need to start calling in favours.
"Let's start by contacting the ones I don't owe anything to."
Without delay, he arranged a ritual and summoned the black bird.
The little bird circled the room once before landing obediently. "Who do you want to send a message to?"
Its eyes widened as it stared at the twenty-odd feathers Edward was holding.
"If I give you all these feathers," Edward said, "can you appear whenever I call you and help me traverse the spirit world?"
The black bird gulped, thought seriously for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "I won't be super fast, but I can do it!"
"Good! They're all yours."
Edward handed over all the feathers.
The black bird was so overwhelmed by sudden happiness that it froze for a moment. "R-Really?"
"Of course! You've performed really well lately. These are your rewards!"
"!!!"
It immediately clutched the feathers tightly with its claws, then glanced at the resurrection stone ring on Edward's finger.
"I...I'll perform even better from now on!"
"I'm counting on you! Oh right, I forgot to ask: do you know what pathway you belong to?"
The black bird tilted its head and thought hard. "I vaguely remember...something called...the Phoenixes Pathway."
Phoenixes Pathway?
Isn't that the old name for the Death Pathway?
Its form matched—a bird—and it liked to eat phoenix feathers...Could this little black bird carry the bloodline of the ancient Phoenix Ancestor, Gegrace?
Edward had long suspected it, but still found himself a bit surprised.
In the original story, there were very few mentions of Gegrace. After being heavily wounded by the Ancient Sun God, she had fallen and died. Later, when the God of Death, Salinger, ascended, he seized control of the Death Pathway, causing Gregrali's attempted resurrection to fail and her imprint sink into the River of Eternal Darkness.
Unlike other ancient gods, who left behind various descendants, there was no record of Gegrace having any.
"Do you know who your parents are?"
"I don't."
"Do you have a name?"
"I don't know that either."
Completely clueless...like someone who had lost their memories.
It was oddly similar to Mr. Azik. Could it be that this bird had once been an 'Undying' as well?
"Alright." Edward sighed helplessly. "Is there a way to summon you without having to arrange a ritual every time? I know summoning rituals can be attached to items, but it's still pretty troublesome."
The black bird nodded. "Actually, you don't need a ritual to summon me. Just silently chant the last line of the summoning incantation, and I'll hear it."
"Uh, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The bird looked confused. "You never asked me."
Fair enough. My bad.
"Also, help me contact your headless friend...If she's unwilling to meet, tell her I'll need her to help me out once in the next couple of days, and the reward will be the conditions she proposed last time."
"Okay~"
"And, uh, do you know any other friends who are about as strong?"
The black bird shook its head. "Nope."
"Alright then. Go deliver the message."
"Bye-bye!"
Clutching the feathers happily, it flew back into the spirit world.
"Next up..."
Just then, a misty grey fog rose before his eyes.
High atop the bronze throne, The Fool briefly flickered into sight.
Then, Klein's figure appeared within the fog.
"Honourable Mr. Fool, please help me relay a message to Mr. Tower: I need to meet him immediately at my residence."
Klein wanted to see me? Because of what happened earlier?
Good timing. I was about to ask to borrow the Black Emperor card.
"I'll be right there. Thank you, Mr. Fool."
Klein's figure faded, and The Fool reappeared.
He paused for a few seconds before speaking lightly, "Good work tonight."
"Uh, Mr. Fool, did you send Klein to retrieve those two bookmarks?"
"That's right."
Edward feigned curiosity. "Is there something special about those bookmarks?"
"They are 'Cards of Blasphemy' crafted by Roselle."
———
[Empress Borough—Inside the Hall Family's Luxurious Villa]
Around the same time, Audrey also received the news from Mr. Fool.
She was instantly overwhelmed with shock and joy.
It was a Card of Blasphemy?
Edward had once said that each Card of Blasphemy equalled an entire pathway to godhood. Did this mean that the Tarot Club now held an entire divine pathway in their hands?
Which pathway could it be, she wondered.
If only it were the Spectator pathway!
But no matter which one it was, it meant that the Tarot Club had grown even stronger—and, more importantly, Edward would be able to borrow the Card of Blasphemy from Mr. Fool and acquire even more powerful mystical abilities!
"Edward is truly amazing," Audrey murmured to herself.
He was only at Sequence 7, yet he already possessed powers that only demigods—or even angels—could wield.
As expected, this era belonged not only to Mr. Fool, but also to Edward!
"Hmm, I wonder what he's busy with today, he still hasn't come to see me. Hehe, he probably has no idea what a show he missed today!"
———
When Edward arrived at 15 Minsk Street, Klein had just finished brewing a pot of coffee.
"Come in, have a seat," Klein said warmly.
He handed Edward a cup and lightly blew on his own before taking a small sip.
Edward, meanwhile, gripped his cup, activated his [Freeze] ability, quickly cooled the coffee, and took a large gulp.
"So, what's so urgent that you had to call me here this late?" he asked.
Klein set down his cup and said, "After how I looked tonight, how did you recognise me?"
"Pfft, you just had some greasepaint on your face. One look at your eyes was enough. Next time you disguise yourself, don't forget—eyes are the windows to the soul," Edward said casually.
Klein's mouth twitched. You think I didn't know that?
"As for that bookmark—the Card of Blasphemy—Mr. Fool must have briefed you about it, right?"
"Yup." Edward gave him a big thumbs-up. "Amazing work, Kitty Klein! Quietly pulling off such a big job under Mr. Fool's orders!"
"Don't randomly make up nicknames for people! What the heck is 'Kitty Klein'?" Klein grumbled.
He muttered, "It's all...thanks to Mr. Fool's guidance. I was just following instructions."
Edward chuckled. "You're selling yourself short. Escaping from the hands of a Sequence 3 Saint is no small feat."
"Sequence 3 Saint? That woman? Who was she? What exactly was going on there?"
"Well, her name is Bernadette."
"Bernadette?"
Klein froze for a second. "You mean Bernadette Gustav? The daughter of Emperor Roselle? The Queen Mystic, one of the Four Kings of the Sea?"
"Exactly."
"No wonder she reacted that way." Klein nodded in realisation. "But...why were you, of all people, hanging around such a big shot in the middle of the night?"
If I told you it was because we were cosplaying, you'd never believe me.
Edward shrugged helplessly. "To be honest, I only found out who she was tonight. Before that, I just knew she was a powerful and mysterious figure I'd gotten acquainted with for...certain reasons."
Klein could easily tell Edward wasn't giving him the full story. But out of respect for boundaries and privacy, he didn't press further.
Instead, he asked, "So...how did she react to the bookmark being stolen?"
Edward pondered for a moment before answering, "She suspects that the person who took the bookmark might be connected to her father, Emperor Roselle."
"Eh?"
"I mentioned before at the Tarot Club that Bernadette firmly believes her father didn't actually die. She's been tirelessly searching for every clue he left behind, and the Cards of Blasphemy are crucial to that. Now, all of a sudden, someone shows up and makes a beeline straight for the bookmark—as if they knew its significance in advance."
Klein nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
"And," Edward lowered his voice, "what's even more coincidental is that Mr. Fool also understands Roselle's mysterious language."
"..."
I swear I have nothing to do with that playboy Roselle! Klein cried silently in his heart.
Edward leaned in and whispered, "I have a theory: maybe Mr. Fool really did know Emperor Roselle personally. Maybe, after Roselle was assassinated in White Maple Palace, he didn't truly die. Maybe he was only half-dead...and Mr. Fool is collecting his diaries in hopes of uncovering the truth and finding a way to save him."
Uh...Mr. Tower, that's a fascinating theory.
Unfortunately, I don't know Emperor Roselle personally. At best, I admire him from afar.
Collecting his diaries is more about uncovering hidden knowledge from the mystical world.
Of course, if it ever turned out that he was still alive and trapped somewhere, I'd definitely do my best to rescue my...fellow countryman.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.