HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

"Anyway, I've always respected her. I never once asked her for anything without offering something in return, so I've got nothing to feel guilty about. Let's just leave it at that for now."

Edward shrugged, then added, "By the way, didn't you say yesterday you were determined to learn Apparition?" 

"Ah—"

Audrey was momentarily stunned. A trace of worry appeared on her face, but she still bit her lip and nodded firmly.

"Yes! Why don't we start now? You keep an eye on me and heal me if anything goes wrong."

Edward laughed. "Honestly, I think it's not difficult at all for the current you to learn Apparition."

She blinked in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"Think about it. After your first failed attempt at Apparition, you never tried again. Why?"

"Um…I was afraid of Splinching again. I was scared of getting hurt, maybe even dying. And more importantly…I just didn't have confidence that I could succeed."

"Exactly."

Edward snapped his fingers. "But aren't you forgetting something? You're a Psychiatrist now. With cues and self-placates, you can easily overcome this kind of psychological hurdle, can't you?"

"Eh?"

Audrey paused, then her green eyes lit up with sudden realisation. "Oh, right!"

She quickly took out her dragonbone wand, closed her eyes, and murmured:

"The three principles of Apparition…Destination, Determination, Deliberation. Fix your target location with absolute clarity. No hesitation, no fear. Believe that you will succeed."

Her calming techniques brought her emotions into balance, and psychological suggestion filled her with confidence in her ability to Apparate.

In the next second—

Crack!

Audrey's figure twisted and vanished, reappearing several meters away.

She quickly opened her eyes and looked down at herself:

No injuries. No Splinching!

She had succeeded!

With delight lighting up her face, she turned to Edward. "I did it!"

Edward gave her a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"

Crack!

She disappeared again, and then came in through the door.

After taking a few more steps, she Apparated once more.

About ten seconds later, she reappeared—this time with a bewildered Susie in tow.

"Eh?"

Susie quickly perked up and wagged her tail excitedly. "Audrey, you've learned to apparate too!"

"That's right!"

Audrey grinned. "Susie, once you're promoted to Psychiatrist, you'll definitely be able to master it quickly too!"

"Fantastic!"

Audrey rushed over, grabbed Edward by the wrist, and said, "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Eh?"

Before Edward could react, the two humans and one dog vanished on the spot and reappeared in Audrey's bedroom.

"Wait here a bit~"

She stepped out with a hop and vanished again, leaving Edward and Susie staring at each other in silence.

But then again, come to think of it, nearly every witch or wizard who just learned Apparition did the same thing—using it for everything, even just to go to the bathroom. He had done it too back in the day.

No wonder people always say the two most desired superpowers are flying…and teleportation.

——

Five minutes later—

Audrey reappeared. The already-messy room now looked like it had been hit by a storm. The residual shockwave from Apparition made her stumble as she arrived, and the dinner in her hands spilt all over the floor.

"…"

She stared blankly. "What just happened?"

Edward waved his wand to clean up the mess. "That's perfectly normal. Even now, when I use Apparition, there's still a bit of disruption. That's its biggest drawback—Apparition creates a lot of noise and movement. In battle, it's mainly useful for dodging or escaping."

"Oh…"

Audrey pouted. "But…our dinner's gone."

Edward reached out and smoothed her slightly tousled hair, smiling. "Shall we eat out instead?"

"Let's go!"

Her eyes lit up. She grabbed Edward's wrist again.

"I'll take you!"

"Alright~"

———

[The Berserk Sea]

Waves roared across the turbulent sea as the Blue Avenger was tossed about like a leaf caught in a storm. It was flung into the air one moment, then slammed down the next—but somehow it managed to maintain a perfect balance, never capsizing despite the chaos.

But on the deck, things were far less stable. The ship had suffered heavy damage. Both hull and deck bore deep scars from battle. Most of the sailors were injured—some slumped in corners tending to wounds, others groaned where they lay, and still others bled out on the planks, their fates uncertain.

Inside the captain's quarters, Alger sat with a stormy expression. He was wounded, blood streaking his face.

Opposite him sat a young, handsome man, his hair neatly combed back, glasses perched on his nose, giving off a scholarly, gentle air.

"I'm sorry, Captain. It's my fault you all got dragged into this," he said apologetically.

Alger clenched his fists. He very much wanted to shout "What did you think would happen?" But the situation had already spiralled out of control. If he lashed out now, all those earlier losses would've been for nothing.

This spectacled man was named Roy King, a member of the Life School of Thought. A few days ago, when the Blue Avenger had docked, he had snuck onboard while being pursued.

Of course, Alger had noticed almost immediately once they set sail.

Roy had come clean, explaining his identity and the fact that he was being hunted. Then he made an offer: 1,200 pounds if Alger would escort him safely to Bayam.

Alger had considered it—a bit of money, and a chance to build ties with the Life School of Thought. Why not?

But from that moment onward…everything descended into chaos.

The sails had inexplicably been blown away, the ship struck a hidden reef and started leaking, sailors fell overboard without reason, a storm hit, and they lost their way—one misfortune after another descended on them all at once.

That was when The Hanged Man realised something was terribly wrong. He then learned that Roy had been cursed by his enemies and was caught in a vortex of misfortune. The reason Roy had boarded the Blue Avenger was because, amidst endless bad luck, he had glimpsed a sliver of fortune.

Alger had been torn. If he abandoned the commission now, all the previous misfortunes would have been for nothing. But if he kept going…who knew what worse fate might lie ahead?

Just as he was hesitating, their luck turned—smooth sailing, clear skies, and every random cast of a fishing line yielded large fish. They even netted a crate full of gold coins.

Roy's explanation was that when misfortune piled up, sometimes luck would swing back around.

So Alger had decided to give it two more days.

Until today.

He'd arranged to meet a seller on Dinos Island for a transaction…and ended up not only losing the money and the goods, but nearly his life too!

Recalling it all now made Alger seethe with anger all over again. As someone who'd weathered the storms at sea, he'd already shown incredible restraint by not exploding earlier.

"Roy, how long is this curse of yours going to last? And when exactly is your contact from the Life School supposed to show up?"

Roy smiled bitterly. "I…I'm under a curse. Whether it's bad luck or good, I can't control it. If you'd rather… just drop me off on the nearest island."

After a pause, he added, "I swear, once I meet my teacher, I'll repay today's losses—double."

"This is the Berserk Sea. You think I can just 'drop you off' on a random island?"

Alger's voice was cold. "We'll discuss your compensation later. Aren't you an apothecary? Go help treat my crew first. I need some time alone."

"…Alright."

Roy nodded apologetically and left the room, heading to tend to the wounded sailors.

Alger, meanwhile, entered the ship's lowest hold through a hidden door. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to offer a prayer to Mr. Fool:

"The Fool that does not belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above the grey fog, the king of yellow and black who wields good fortune…"

———

On the other side…

After dinner, Edward returned home with Audrey.

The moment Lilith saw him, she huffed, "Edward, where have you been? When Miss Lilith got home, the whole house was dark, and there was no one here. I even went to Audrey's place, and you weren't there either!"

"We went out to eat," Edward said, scooping her into his arms and sitting down on the sofa.

Lilith looked shocked. "We? You and Audrey and Susie went out to dinner? And you left me, a poor little cat, all alone?! How cruel! I'm not talking to you anymore!"

She flailed all four legs, trying to escape Edward's hands like a proper sulking diva.

"But you were the one who went out to play first. Before we left, we came back to look for you, but you hadn't returned yet."

Lilith's ears perked. "Really?"

"Really."

"…Fine, then I forgive you. But next time, you're not allowed to go out without Miss Lilith!"

"Okay, okay~"

Edward said, pulling a wrapped steak from his pouch. "Here, I packed some steak for you. Want a bite?"

"Yes!"

She pounced on it with an eager "Awooo!"

Edward chuckled and was about to head to the washroom when a familiar grey mist appeared before him.

"Huh? Is Mr. Hanged Man here to deliver the goods?"

The next moment, he found himself surrounded by the thick grey fog of the ancient palace, seated on his usual bronze chair. Mr. Fool remained cloaked in mist, resting his chin on one hand, seemingly smiling faintly.

"The Hanged Man wishes to speak with you directly," the Fool said.

Edward immediately turned to The Hanged Man and asked, "What's the matter, Mr. Hanged Man?"

Alger stood stiffly, looking like he had something difficult to say. "There was…an accident."

"What happened?"

"It's about the mystical item you wanted to purchase. It was stolen."

His tone was filled with anger and shame.

Edward: "….What about the money?"

"I paid for it in advance."

"..."

Edward was silent for a moment. "So what's the situation now?"

Alger gritted his teeth. "Don't worry. I'll reimburse the 7,500 pounds in full—but…I'll need some time. If…if I can recover that item, then I'll sell it to you for half. No, a third of the price!"

The last part was clearly just an attempt to soften the blow.

Edward asked, "Who took it?"

"We're still not sure. It seems the other party was originally targeting the seller. I just got caught in the crossfire."

Edward thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you need my help?"

"No!"

Alger answered without hesitation, even sneaking a glance at Mr. Fool. Losing both the money and the item was humiliating enough—how could he ask other members for help? How would he ever face the Tarot Club again?

"....."

Alright then.

"I'm sorry," Alger finally said, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing slightly. "I promise—I'll return the 7,500 pounds you gave me!"

Even if I have to use the coordinates of that mysterious island to cover part of it…

———

[Note]: Enjoy the Extra Chapter~ 990 Powerstones for another one tomorrow. Go, VOTE!

And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~

Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]