On the other side, after leaving Marcia's villa, Edward didn't go far. Instead, he lurked nearby, watching a little longer, hoping a bigger fish might show up.
Unfortunately, after waiting half an hour, nothing happened.
"Tch, why do these people feel even more cautious than the three coward families combined?"
Edward frowned.
Hmph…should I take a risk and blow up the waters again to see what surfaces?
———
The Intis Royal Palace
Though it was already late into the night, the palace still gleamed brightly.
Roselle's inventions and innovations had first and foremost benefited the upper echelons of the kingdom. Even the conservative Count Clair, a staunch opponent of Roselle, hadn't rejected the convenience of technology—so long as it remained a privilege for the few, and not something to be spread among the masses.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared above the palace.
His face was fully bearded, his body wrapped in a black hooded robe, and he made no attempt to conceal his aura or his movements.
Almost the instant he revealed himself, two figures blocked his way—one clad in resplendent royal armour, the other dressed in luxurious, regal robes. Though both looked like men in their thirties or forties, in truth they were ancient monsters who had lived far too long.
"Zaratul? What are you doing here?"
Edward, imitating Zaratul's hoarse tone, rasped, "I need this. I am willing to make an equal exchange. Name your price."
He produced the brass rod.
The two royal family angels frowned. "What is that?"
"Oh?" Edward's voice was calm. "Shouldn't your royal family know better than I?"
Flames danced in the armoured man's eyes. "Zaratul, do you believe I won't kill you here and now?"
The robed man, however, raised a hand to stop him. "Zaratul, why don't you explain more clearly? This is indeed the first time we've seen such a thing."
"The first time?"
Edward chuckled. "Impossible. I obtained this from one of your royals."
"Who?"
"Heh. Go investigate yourselves. Once you uncover the truth, contact me. I'll buy the rest at a high price—fair and square."
With that, Edward began to retreat, preparing to vanish.
"Zaratul, you mocking us?"
The armoured man growled. "Do you think the Royal Palace is a place where you can come and go as you please? Die!"
He shoved the other aside and turned into a blazing mass of flame, lunging at Edward.
But Edward remained utterly calm. Simulating the Scholar of Yore's powers, he reached out with one hand—and a man with a full head of curly blue hair appeared. If this were in the future, people from the Rorsted Archipelagos would surely recognise him as none other than the Sea King, Jahn Kottman.
The moment "Kottman" appeared, dazzling silver-white radiance erupted from him. Bolts of silver lightning burst forth, carrying a savagely destructive force so real it felt tangible. They lashed out in dense torrents, engulfing the area within a thousand meters, transforming it into a forest of raging thunder.
"Zaratul, how dare you!!"
BOOM!!!
The explosion of silver-white lightning illuminated nearly all of Trier, as if the entire city had been set ablaze with daybreak. The deafening roar jolted half the city's slumbering citizens awake.
When the thunderlight faded, Zaratul—Edward—was already gone, leaving behind only the furious bellow that echoed across the night:
"ZARATUL!!!"
———
Emerald Street, No. 28
When Edward returned home, he saw Dubois sitting on the sofa, smiling as he watched Bernadette sleeping peacefully, sprawled across the cushions.
Hearing footsteps, Dubois immediately looked up. "Boss, you're back."
"Mhm. When did this little girl get here?"
"Just after dinner," Dubois replied. "She said she was waiting for you to take her out to play. But she ended up falling asleep while waiting. Should I wake her?"
"Don't wake her," Edward said quickly. "I've been busy all day and I truly don't have the energy. Have Endili carry her to the bedroom, and let Matilda know as well."
"Understood."
Dubois nodded, then asked with concern, "Did everything go smoothly today?"
Edward rubbed his chin and nodded. "Hmm…hard to say whether it went smoothly, but it sure felt good."
"Felt good?"
Dubois fell silent. Boss, are you sure what you did tonight was serious business? That line sounded much more in-character for Roselle than for you.
But as a butler, he didn't need to know more. He gave a slight bow and quickly withdrew. Not long after, Endili tiptoed in, gently lifted Bernadette into her arms, and carried her off to the bedroom.
After a wash and change, Edward brought a few pieces of the puppet's remains into the Sefirah Castle:
"The origin of this puppet."
He performed another divination, sinking into the hazy dreamscape. Two or three minutes later, he opened his eyes again.
This "new" puppet was exactly like the last one—both originated from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. And in both cases, the trail pointed to the same person: that lavishly dressed young man—the King of Intis.
Edward studied the puppet fragments for a moment, then suddenly had a thought. He wrote out a new divination statement:
"The controller of this puppet."
Closing his eyes, he sank into the void once more. The mist grew hazy, then abruptly turned pitch black.
Half a minute later, the dream shattered, and Edward woke again.
"A divination failure? Or is the controller hiding in that darkness?"
The result genuinely surprised him. Either way, it likely meant that the one pulling the puppet's strings was not the King of Intis.
Otherwise, why would the divination reveal that the king had requested the puppet from the Church, yet fail to identify him as its controller? If someone was interfering, they wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole.
If "Tarik's" controller wasn't the King of Intis, then didn't that also imply the king wasn't "Intis" at all?
Then all that pride I felt over unmasking 'Intis' might have been nothing but foolishness.
Still, since the king was involved, "Intis" must be tied to him in some way. Could it be one of the royal demigods or angels?
No, that didn't make sense either. The royal family and the king were clearly at odds. Why would the king request a puppet from the Church only to then cooperate with them in its use?
Well, maybe tonight's bait will lure the real 'Intis' into the open.
Just as he thought this, Edward's spirituality stirred.
"Oh? Speak of the devil, and he appears?"
He drew out the faintly glowing silver cross. Injecting spirituality into it, the image of "Intis" once more emerged—waiting calmly inside the empty ossuary-like church.
As Edward poured in more spirituality, he once again descended into that sacred and terrifying church. Almost as soon as he landed, "Intis" said flatly, "The commission begins tomorrow, lasting three days."
"Oh? That soon?"
"The course of events has shifted slightly from what I expected," Intis replied. "For these three days, you must remain at a designated location around the clock. If anyone attempts to seize what lies beneath, you are to obstruct and delay them at all costs until reinforcements arrive."
"Ah, so this time I finally get to meet Mr. Hunter and Ms. Witch, is that it?"
Edward chuckled. "By the way, if I really can't stop them, can I just take the item and run?"
"You may."
"Then here's what puzzles me—why not just take the thing out now and store it somewhere safe?"
Intis answered calmly: "Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's best not to touch it, and certainly not to remove it from its resting place. The reason…I've told you before. What the Tudor Empire left behind is extremely dangerous."
"Heh. And you really think anyone's going to listen to you?"
"I don't. But if you want your payment, I expect you to comply." A brief pause. "I can assure you on behalf of the leader that the item holds no value for you."
Edward snapped his fingers. "Fine. Where's the address?"
"Quartier de Noël, 11 Yadin Street."
"Got it."
Edward extended a hand. "Now, about that Wanderer Beyonder characteristic I'm owed?"
Intis replied coolly, "Naturally, it will only be given once the commission is over."
Edward curled his lip. "Tch. Stingy." Then asked, "By the way, did Mr. Hermes ever agree to help you?"
"…No."
"Huh? Then where are you going to find the last person you need?"
"That is not your concern."
"Che. Fine, fine. Last question: who's the enemy? What identity? What strength?"
"A traitor of the Demoness Sect. Sequence 2—Demoness of Catastrophe, Krismona."
Edward: "???"
"Wait, what? Me—a Sequence 4—up against a Sequence 2? You've got to be joking."
Intis replied: "A Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristic doesn't come so cheaply. You may still back out if you wish."
"…."
After a long hesitation, Edward gritted his teeth. "Screw it. I'm in!"
Intis' voice turned cold. "I warned you before: true peril comes not from traps, but from greed—the kind that drives one forward despite knowing the danger. It was so with Amon's ruins, and so it will be with this commission."
Edward simply gave him the middle finger, then watched as the ossuary-like church collapsed and fell away, returning him swiftly to the Sefirah Castle.
"Krismona, Sequence 2 Demoness of Catastrophe…a traitor of the Demoness Sect?"
This was the first time Edward had ever heard the name. He had no recollection of her at all. In the original timeline, the most powerful witches to appear, aside from the Primordial Demoness Cheek, were the Mother of Admiral of Ailment, Tracy—a Demoness of Unaging at Sequence 3.
As for the purple-gowned witch he had once met before transmigrating—the one capable of summoning catastrophic tsunamis—she had undoubtedly been a Demoness of Catastrophe, her power unquestionable. If she fought without restraint, she could flatten the entire city of Trier.
But if she truly did so, the God of Steam would inevitably descend, obliterating her instantly.
Still, what weighed more on Edward's mind was this: since Krismona was a traitor to the Demoness Sect, that opened the door to cooperation. After all, the entire sect, including Cheek herself, could be counted among his enemies.
If a traitor within their ranks could be turned against them—let the dogs fight amongst themselves—well, that was no bad thing.
And besides, if something in Trier's underground could attract the covetous eyes of a Sequence 2 Demoness, then it could only be one thing: the Conqueror Beyonder characteristic buried below.
Which left one last question:
If such a grand event is about to unfold…will Lilith make her move as well?
———
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