HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

Audrey lightly tapped his outstretched hand. "Not quite right."

"Huh?"

"Generally, you need to stand about half a meter away from the lady before making the invitation. Too close seems rash, and too far comes off as distant."

As she spoke, she actually pulled out a measuring tape.

"…"

Edward fell silent for a moment. "Being a noble is such a hassle."

"Next is the angle of your bow and the position of your hand—those matter, too."

Audrey went ahead and adjusted his posture directly. She thumped his lower back, then twisted his arm into a specific angle.

"Roughly like this."

"This pose clearly goes against human biomechanics," Edward muttered, but still silently committed the posture to memory.

"Now, we'll learn how to lead a lady into the ballroom. I'll be the gentleman this time, and you'll be the lady."

Audrey smoothly stepped in front of Edward, bowed slightly, and said, "May I have this dance, Miss Edward?"

"…With pleasure."

Edward extended his hand, letting her take it, and allowed himself to be "gently led" into the makeshift ballroom.

"When dancing, you must maintain proper distance."

"You should place your left hand lightly on your partner's lower back and use your right hand to support her left hand. Throughout the dance, it's crucial to match your partner's rhythm and steps."

"Especially during spins—the gentleman must have firm footwork and coordinated movements."

As Audrey explained the intricacies of partner dancing, she demonstrated each step. Edward felt like a marionette, moving wherever she led.

At first, Lilith had watched them curiously from the sidelines. Before long, she yawned.

"This is sooo boring."

She skipped over, nimbly dodging their slightly clumsy footwork, and looked up.

"Edward, Audrey, why are you two walking back and forth like this? Isn't it boring?"

"Frankly, yes, it is boring," Audrey replied. "But we have no choice. It's part of social etiquette—ah, you just stepped on my skirt again."

"Sorry, sorry."

Lilith shook her head. "You guys are weird. I'm going out to play!"

With that, she leapt onto the windowsill and zipped off.

——

Audrey's dancing lesson continued all the way till dusk. When she finally declared the session over, Edward collapsed onto the sofa, completely drained.

Anything tied to learning was exhausting—even if it meant spending an entire afternoon in close contact with a beauty like Audrey.

"You've got the basic steps down today. Tomorrow, we'll learn some more advanced techniques."

"At your service, my dear Miss Hall."

Edward straightened up and gave her a gentlemanly bow.

Audrey chuckled and patted his head. "Good boy~"

"Oh, right."

Edward suddenly sat upright. "This morning, I went to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery and asked that bootli—I mean—all-knowing mirror, Arrodes."

"You mean, about the devil dog's master?"

"Exactly! The devil dog's master has already left Backlund. He's headed to sea to seek a chance to advance to demigod. So, for now, we don't have to worry about him. But if he succeeds and returns…"

Edward's expression darkened.

"It'll be a big problem."

"A demigod on the Abyss pathway is called a Demon. Besides those terrifying demonic voice attacks, they can manipulate and detonate others' desires and emotions—and they gain a much stronger perception of danger. I suspect that without using sealed artifacts, even the saints of the major Churches in Backlund might not be able to defeat him."

The real issue was that Edward had never fought anyone on that pathway before. He still wasn't sure how to avoid emotional manipulation.

Hmm…So the best strategy was not to give him a chance to make a move at all!

In the original novel, Beria was nearly insta-killed the moment he encountered the silver-armoured knight.

Too bad my Scribe potion is fully digested now, but it can only record four demigod-level abilities at most, and only reproduces about 60% of their power. Otherwise, I'd have recorded more of Bernadette's Lance of Longinus—see if he can handle that!

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

Knock, knock, knock.

"May I come in?"

It was Bernadette's voice.

"Please do."

Audrey quickly added, "Help me change into something lighter."

Edward lightly tapped her with his finger, and her elaborate gown transformed into a simple dress.

Bernadette stepped into the room, her gaze lingering briefly on Audrey before she spoke with her usual calm, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Not at all."

Edward waved his wand, restoring the furniture in the living room.

"Audrey, this is Queen Mystic, Her Majesty Bernadette Gustav. And this is Miss Audrey Hall."

"Hello, Madam."

Audrey gave a somewhat formal greeting. "This should be our second meeting."

"Indeed."

Bernadette nodded. "The last time we met, you still seemed like a naïve noble lady. But now…you're quite different."

Audrey bowed slightly. "I must have made a fool of myself in front of you."

"No. I was once like you too."

A faint smile appeared on Bernadette's face. "It's something determined by a person's background and station. Later, someone showed me the truth behind all that hollow prosperity."

"My father once tried to change all of it. But unfortunately, one day, it was as if he had been struck by a massive blow…and after that, he never recovered. The ambition he once had was gone."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that."

"That was a long time ago," Bernadette said lightly.

Then she turned to Edward. "Shall we begin recording now?"

Edward quickly nodded. "Yes! Should we find an open area?"

"No need. Have you forgotten? I can create a separate space."

As soon as she finished speaking, peach blossoms began to bloom within the room. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by a lush peach grove, with green mountains stretching into the distance. The three of them now stood within a picturesque Peach Blossom Spring.

Audrey looked around in awe. "We were in a room just moments ago…and now we're standing in a valley filled with blooming peach trees. Is this space real?"

"It's not. It exists in the gap between reality and the spirit world. It both exists and doesn't, so generally speaking, it's difficult to break into."

She turned toward Edward. "So, what do you want to record?"

"One Lance of Longinus, one Emperor's New Clothes, and two…I haven't decided yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

She didn't answer directly. "You can start by considering your opponent's abilities."

Edward thought for a moment. This time, he was preparing to go up against a demigod from the Rose School of Thought—a Puppet. In addition to spiritual possession, this opponent could transform into magical puppets or enchanted paper dolls, and use various curses through these connections, even injuring himself to harm Edward.

What's more, the opponent possessed a sealed artifact from the Marauder pathway, one with a terrifying [Theft] ability—something Edward was all too aware of.

"The Emperor's New Clothes can help you temporarily avoid the Puppet's curse-based powers. But considering its duration, I suggest you record two of them," Bernadette advised. "As for the artifact from the Marauder pathway, you could record Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to counter it."

Huh?

That ability didn't appear in the original novel.

"What does it do?"

"It allows you to simultaneously have forty-one separate thought processes—each one is an independent version of you. Its original function is to aid rapid thinking and combat analysis so you can determine the best course of action in the shortest time possible. It also helps resist attempts to steal your thoughts."

Edward's eyes lit up in realisation.

"Alright, let's begin then."

Bernadette took a step forward. Without any visible movement, a long spear appeared before them—its ancient design engulfed from tip to hilt in layer upon layer of blood-red flame. The aura it emitted was enough to make one feel suffocated as it shot forward with terrifying force.

In front of Edward, a phantom notebook materialised.

"Record, record, record!"

—Failure.

—Failure.

—Failure.

That was the reality for a Sequence 6 Scribe. The success rate for recording demigod-level abilities was dismally low. That's why a powerful helper had to be patient and unrelenting, repeatedly using the same abilities until he succeeded.

Truly, both the Apprentice and Seer pathways relied heavily on connections. A Scribe and a Scholar of Yore were useless without good people around them.

——

An hour later, the three reappeared in the original room.

Two Emperor's New Clothes, one Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and one Lance of Longinus had all been successfully recorded. They even added a few mid- to low-level abilities like Starlight Cage and Starlight Leap along the way.

Bernadette didn't linger. Before disappearing into shimmering foam, she left just one message:

"I'll have you translate a few pages of a journal in a few days."

"Phew—"

Audrey let out a long breath. "Ah, the pressure is intense."

Edward chuckled. "But you're not like this when facing Mr. Fool, are you?"

"That's different."

She glanced around cautiously, then lowered her voice, "With her, I'm afraid of slipping up!"

"Hmm." Edward scratched his head. "Actually, I almost came clean with her today."

"What?"

"But…it felt like she didn't want that."

Edward mulled it over. "Maybe she sees me as a sign of hope. Something she's waited more than a hundred years for. And maybe she doesn't want to break that illusion, to avoid falling back into despair."

"But she doesn't seem like that kind of person to me."

True. In the original novel, Bernadette had once misunderstood Mr. Fool, but she cleared things up quickly and never showed much inner turmoil.

"Oh, right—she said her brother will be coming to see me soon," Edward added. "Her brother, Bornova, is a Sequence 2 Angel. His status in the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery probably isn't any lower than the Pope's."

Audrey blinked in confusion. "So this Pope—no, Angel—is also here to look for his father?"

"…."

She rubbed her forehead and sighed.

"Oh dear. I really can't imagine how this is all going to end."

———

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