HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

At 2 p.m., a carriage departed from the Hall family's mansion, heading northward through the city before making its way toward St. Samuel Cathedral. 

Edward initially followed from a distance, but as soon as he saw the carriage heading toward the headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, he wisely chose not to continue trailing it. Instead, he positioned himself at a key intersection where the carriage would have to pass on its return journey. 

A few hours later, the carriage reappeared, heading back toward Empress Borough. However, this time, it did not take the same route home. Instead, it turned at an intersection and stopped in front of another luxurious mansion. 

Outside the mansion, carriages arrived one after another, and elegantly dressed young men and women entered in pairs—it seemed a noble ball was being held inside. 

Audrey stepped gracefully out of the carriage, dressed in an exquisite gown, assisted by her maid, Annie. A gentleman in a meticulously tailored suit greeted her with a polite air kiss on the back of her hand before escorting her inside. 

Trailing behind Audrey was Susie, who suddenly turned around and barked three times in rapid succession. 

Edward—having already changed his appearance—immediately understood the signal. He swiftly approached and cast a Confundus Charm to fool the doorman, slipping into the ball unnoticed. 

As expected, the moment he entered the courtyard, he saw Susie wagging her tail, waiting for him. 

Weaving through the lively crowd, Susie led him upstairs to a quiet bedroom. Once at the door, she barked twice more. 

The door soon opened, revealing Audrey, now dressed in a black hooded cloak. Her face lit up with a smile. 

"Good evening, Edward. If not for Susie, I wouldn't have recognized you at all." 

Her tone was cheerful. 

"Good evening." 

The moment Edward stepped into the room, his gaze landed on Annie, who was fast asleep on the bed. 

"What happened to her?" he asked. 

Audrey playfully twirled a white agate-like bone wand between her fingers. "Just a Sleeping Charm—saves us a lot of trouble." 

With a light step, she retreated and pulled up her hood, allowing a thin black veil to conceal her beautiful features. 

"You should put on a cloak too. Glaint is already waiting for us." 

Edward adjusted his cloak but couldn't help but ask, "Did your family put a bounty on me? Yesterday, not long after I checked into an inn, someone came knocking." 

"Huh?" Audrey looked genuinely puzzled. "But I gave my father a completely different portrait of you." 

"That's…strange." 

She suddenly covered her mouth in realization. 

"Could it have been my brother? Did he put out a bounty before my father even made a move? I'm so sorry, Edward!" 

"It's fine," Edward reassured her. "I'll just avoid going out too much for a while. And when I do, I'll make sure to take some Polyjuice Potion first. Let's go." 

"Susie, watch over Annie, alright?" 

"Woof." 

The two of them left the bedroom through a hidden passage and made their way downstairs to the side entrance of the viscount's estate, where a carriage was already waiting. 

"Wow, your outfit is really…hmm, as Emperor Roselle would say—very cool." 

Viscount Glaint, who was also dressed in a similar hooded cloak, couldn't help but admire Audrey's attire. 

"Thank you," Audrey said with a light curtsy, lifting her cloak slightly in an elegant gesture. 

"And this is…?" Glaint's gaze shifted to Edward. 

"This is my good friend, Edward," Audrey introduced smoothly. "Like us, he is also an enthusiast of the mystical arts." 

"A pleasure to meet you." 

Glaint extended his hand, and Edward shook it briefly. 

The three of them boarded the carriage. Without hesitation, Audrey took a seat beside Edward, further piquing Glaint's curiosity about his identity. 

"Mr. Edward," he inquired casually, "may I ask—where do you hail from?" 

"Edward is from…an ancient kingdom," Audrey answered on his behalf. "He only arrived in Backlund recently." 

Even as she spoke, she couldn't help but think to herself: Audrey, you've reached the point where you can lie without even blinking. 

"Oh?" Glaint frowned slightly. If that's the case, then how did Audrey come to know him? 

"By the way," Audrey continued smoothly, "Edward currently doesn't have a place to stay. Could you help arrange something for him?" 

"Of course. I'd be happy to." 

Glaint proceeded to ask Edward about his preferences regarding the size, location, and furnishings of his residence. Though Edward repeatedly emphasized that he was fine with something simple since he lived alone, Audrey insisted otherwise.

In the end, Glaint decided to find him a small, detached house with a garden in Empress Borough—one that would cost at least two pounds a week in rent. 

So this is what it's like to be rich…Pretty damn nice. 

Glaint then brought up the topic of hiring a butler and servants, but Edward firmly refused. As a wizard, he could handle cleaning and organizing with just a few spells—he had no interest in surrounding himself with people who would constantly be watching him. 

About ten minutes later, the carriage entered a secluded neighbourhood and stopped in front of an unassuming house. 

Standing outside were two figures—one tall and one short. They were none other than Fors and Xio. 

Fors had slightly curled chestnut hair, and her light blue eyes carried a natural air of laziness. A cigarette rested between her long, slender fingers. 

Xio, on the other hand, was much shorter—barely over 150 cm. She had delicate, soft features, shoulder-length messy blonde hair, and was dressed in a traditional knight's training outfit.

At first glance, her appearance seemed a bit mismatched, but the longer one looked, the more she exuded an oddly mature yet childlike charm. 

"Sorry for not notifying you in advance," Audrey said as they approached. "This is my friend Edward. He's also looking for an opportunity to step into the world of Beyonders." 

"Good evening, ladies." 

"Good evening." 

Since Edward had altered his appearance, neither Fors nor Xio recognized him. His plan was to reveal his identity after the gathering and finally get an answer from Xio about why she had attacked him back then. 

Without further conversation, Xio stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door—three long taps followed by two short ones. 

With a creak, the door slowly opened, revealing a dimly lit room filled with people sitting sporadically. Most wore wide robes with hoods or masks, concealing their features, while a few remained uncovered, not bothering to hide their identities. 

Audrey immediately switched into Spectator Mode. 

It had been quite a while since she last fully immersed herself in this state. The presence of Edward had interrupted her usual observations, yet oddly enough, she now felt as though she had digested a large portion of her potion. 

"It seems we have a new guest today." 

The voice came from a man seated on a single-person sofa. He wore a black robe and a hood that shrouded his face in shadow. His gaze, calm yet oppressive, swept over the newcomers from a position of superiority. 

The moment Audrey met his eyes, goosebumps ran down her arms. 

I really don't like the way this man looks at people… 

Edward instinctively stepped forward, blocking her from Mr. A's line of sight. He removed his hat and offered a slight bow. 

"That's Mr. A," Fors whispered. "A powerful Beyonder and the host of tonight's secret gathering." 

Audrey unconsciously compared him to The Fool, but immediately dismissed the thought. 

The Fool is a great existence on the level of a deity. How could some mere 'Mr. A' even be mentioned in the same breath?

She could attend a gathering hosted by such a great being every week—how wonderful! 

Hmm, at the next Tarot Club meeting, she must ask The Fool if Edward could join as well. 

Noticing Audrey's disregard for Mr. A, Xio solemnly warned, "Many Sequence 8s, and even some Sequence 7 Beyonders, have tried to target A, but in the end, they all vanished without a trace." 

As they conversed, the four of them entered the house, and the doorman immediately shut the door behind them. 

After adjusting to the dim gaslight inside, Xio led them to two large blackboards standing upright, both filled with handwritten requests from the gathering's members. 

"These are the needs of the members. As you can imagine, many people prefer to keep their possessions secret to avoid being targeted by greedy individuals. So instead, they write anonymously about what they wish to buy or sell, along with general pricing and item details." 

Audrey quickly scanned the board, internally marvelling at how cheap everything seemed. Unfortunately, aside from three pages of Emperor Roselle's notes, there was nothing she particularly needed. 

Thinking about how she could now learn what these notes contained from Edward before handing them over to The Fool, she became even more excited. Tugging at Edward's sleeve, she pulled him closer and asked, "There's a Sequence 8 'Sheriff' potion formula here. Do you need it?" 

Sheriff belonged to the Arbiter pathway. The person who needed it the most here was likely Xio. 

Edward shook his head and took a small sip of Polyjuice Potion before whispering, "I'm looking for formulas for Hunter, Lawyer, Warrior, Seer, and...Apprentice." 

"All of them?" 

"Hmm, whichever one I come across first, I'll take. I haven't decided which pathway to follow yet." 

"That works. They're not too expensive anyway." 

At the side, Fors was experiencing an existential crisis—so this was what it meant to be rich? Even if she wrote nonstop for an entire year, she wouldn't be able to earn a few hundred gold pounds! 

And besides, on cloudy days, she had to rest. On rainy days, she had to rest. If the fog was too thick, she had to rest. And when a rare sunny day came, she had to rest even more—so how could she possibly write for an entire year? 

Wait a minute…Did he just say he wanted the Apprentice formula? 

Xio, however, wasn't overthinking it. She leaned in close to Audrey and whispered, "Is there anything you want?" 

"For now, just Emperor Roselle's notes. I admire him. I believe the unique runes—or rather, characters—he created contain mystical power. We just haven't discovered the right way to combine them yet." 

As Audrey spoke, she sneaked a glance at Edward. Sure enough, she saw him raising an eyebrow at her as if to say, You're getting better at the art of shamelessness. Attagirl. 

She puffed up her cheeks and glared back at him. 

At that moment, a young man in a white shirt and black vest sitting nearby suddenly became excited. 

"Yes! Exactly! I've finally found someone who shares my view! I'm the owner of those three pages of notes—I can sell them to you right now!" 

Audrey was momentarily stunned but then responded with a smile, "Then allow me to express my gratitude." 

After obtaining the three pages, she carefully examined them, as if verifying their authenticity. The young man immediately protested, "I still want to live! How could I dare sell fake goods at Mr. A's gathering?" 

Xio flexed her fingers, eager to try something. "If there really is an issue, I can help you arbitrate it privately." 

"Thank you." 

Audrey re-entered her Spectator state, though Mr. A's aggressive gaze made her incredibly uncomfortable. 

Just then, one of A's attendants approached them and said in a low voice, "You may write your requests on paper and hand them to me. During the break, you may also use the side rooms to write down the items you wish to sell on the board." 

After a brief exchange, everyone handed in their written requests. Audrey asked for another Spectator formula, Viscount Glaint requested the Apothecary formula, and Edward wrote down all the formulas he wanted. 

Xio clearly desired the Sheriff formula but unfortunately had no money. 

———

"Seeking Spectator and Telepathist potion formulas. Price negotiable in person..." 

"Looking to purchase Apothecary potion formula at a high price." 

"Seeking Hunter and Lawyer potion formulas." 

"Looking to purchase Seer potion formula…" 

After the attendant read out all the requests, another one came over holding a stack of papers. First, he handed one to Audrey. Then, to the surprise of everyone present, he dumped six or seven sheets into Edward's hands. 

"I have the Lawyer formula." 

"Hunter formula, minimum 300 gold pounds." 

"Seer formula + all required materials, package deal for 900 gold pounds." 

"I have the Warrior formula. Let's discuss in person." 

"I have the formula and the materials you need." 

"Apprentice formula—won't sell for less than 400 gold pounds."

———

[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.