HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

At 6 p.m., the luxurious Hall family villa was abuzz with excitement.

Carriages belonging to various nobles from all corners of Backlund steadily rolled into the estate.

Before the assassination of Duke Negan, this banquet had simply been a social event hosted by Earl Hall to maintain connections. But now, it carried a completely different meaning—

The upper echelon of nobility would use this opportunity to discuss Loen's political future with Earl Hall, while the minor nobles were mostly here to pick sides.

The worst off were the small landowners. The repeal of the Grain Act had bankrupted many of them overnight—ruined families, lives turned upside down. Those who remained had only managed to hold on under the leadership of Duke Negan, Loen's largest landowner, resisting the tide of change with great difficulty.

But with the Duke's death, the Conservative Party had become a hollow shell. These small landowners didn't even have time to join the New Party now—even if they wanted to. Their land was bound to depreciate again soon.

This was the tide of the era that the priest desired. It did follow the natural trajectory of societal development and would ultimately benefit human civilisation.

But along the way, countless individuals would be sacrificed—

"Such sacrifices are necessary."

To attend tonight's banquet, Edward had rented a luxury carriage. From his small villa, he leisurely made his way to the gates of the Hall estate.

Jumping down from the carriage, he glanced at the brightly lit villa and the steady stream of guests. Pulling out a mirror to check his hairstyle and appearance, he adjusted his look before stepping forward.

Tonight, Edward wore a neatly tailored black tailcoat, a gentleman's top hat, and held a golden cane inlaid with diamonds. He'd even added a pair of glasses, giving him the perfect air of a "cultured rogue."

As for his face, he was using the one from his previous life—something he considered a form of "honesty."

After verifying his invitation and stepping into the estate, he immediately spotted two familiar figures, one tall and one short—Xio and Fors.

One stood solemn and upright, while the other yawned lazily, exuding slacker energy.

Why are they here?

Given their demeanour, Edward quickly deduced they were likely hired as security for the Hall family banquet.

His gaze was soon noticed by Xio. She frowned and looked over, spotting a black-haired man in his twenties. When their eyes met, he even nodded and smiled politely.

Fors leaned in and whispered, "Xio, that noble-looking young man seems to have taken a liking to you."

"...Shut up!"

"Oh come on, you're not getting any younger. It's about time you found a boyfriend. This one's young, rich, and not too bad-looking—what's not to like?"

Lowering her voice, Fors added, "With him paying for your formulas and materials, your advancement would be lightning fast."

Xio actually paused to consider the idea—until she snapped back, "Then why don't you get a man?"

"Me? Sigh."

Fors sighed dramatically.

"Who would want a lazy woman who chain-smokes, drinks too much, barely writes a hundred words a day, and lies around doing nothing?"

"As far as I know, there are people into that type."

Just then, a voice came from behind them—it was Viscount Glaint.

"If you'd like an introduction, I'd be happy to help."

"No thanks!"

Fors waved him off and pushed Xio away.

"Come on, Xio. Time to patrol the other side. Have a wonderful evening, Viscount 'Cabbage.'"

"You too," Glaint replied with a chuckle as he walked off.

Edward followed the flow of guests and soon arrived at the banquet hall—a massive building designed specifically for such gatherings. The décor and layout catered perfectly to social functions. Audrey had once mentioned she barely visited it more than once a year.

The hall was already filled with guests. A heavy mix of perfumes hung in the air.

On stage, a band played soothing music.

Butlers and maids moved through the crowd—offering wine from trays or preparing food at long tables.

Most of the guests had gathered in small groups, chatting quietly about the latest events in Backlund.

A few wandered with wine glasses, eager to network with aristocrats and social elites.

Edward grabbed a glass of wine and retreated to a quiet, window-side spot.

His eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to spot some familiar faces.

He hadn't expected much—until he saw her.

A green-haired girl in a sky-blue gown stood among the crowd, her expression distant, wearing a cold social smile.

She was escorted by a middle-aged man in an olive-green military uniform.

It was the girl he had briefly encountered the night before—Hazel Macht.

Edward didn't actually dislike her.

Despite her arrogance and tendency to see herself as superior after becoming a Beyonder, she remained fundamentally kind-hearted.

A pity she'd ended up with a mentor who saw her as nothing more than a pawn for Reanimation Jutsu.

After he had intervened the previous night, the demigod of the Marauder Pathway had made no further moves. But knowing the other party had been exposed, they certainly wouldn't stay put—

That said, she couldn't easily escape either. Had she already parasitised Hazel in advance?

Worried, Edward slipped away toward the washroom, flipping a coin:

"Has Hazel already been parasitised by the demigod of the Marauder Pathway?"

The coin landed—No.

To be safe, he tried several variations of the divination.

The answers remained consistent: Hazel was still herself.

That made sense. From what he remembered of the original, the demigod had been seriously injured and was forced to parasitise a rat. She wouldn't be able to switch hosts again so soon.

Even if Hazel had been exposed last night, parasitising her wouldn't solve anything.

When Edward returned to the hall, he saw a stir at the entrance.

A round-faced, narrow-eyed young man entered with a pleasant smile, followed by a black-haired middle-aged gentleman with a wide forehead—likely Walter, who would later become Klein's butler.

Several nobles rushed to greet them.

Earl Hall himself stepped forward to receive the guest—Prince Edessak.

After a brief exchange, he raised his wine glass and moved on to chat with others, glowing with enthusiasm and a beaming smile.

Audrey followed her father closely.

She wore an unfamiliar gown tonight, and her makeup was more refined than usual—she looked stunning.

The moment she stepped into the hall, she attracted the attention of every male in the room, regardless of age.

She stayed close to her father, politely offering toasts and greetings to the elders.

Almost everyone who saw her complimented her beauty—and she always responded with a sweet, grateful smile.

When all the distinguished guests had arrived, Earl Hall, along with his wife and Audrey, ascended the staircase to the second floor.

From the balcony directly above the grand entrance, he raised his glass of red wine and declared:

"Thank you all for attending this evening's ball. First, let us praise the deities, the source of all that is good."

He then tapped his chest four times in reverence, offering a silent prayer to the goddess.

The guests followed suit, each blessing their own gods in the manner of their faith.

Earl Hall, still smiling, continued, "Secondly, praise to the Kingdom—Loen, the foundation of our long-standing prosperity and stability. Without it, we wouldn't be able to gather here in peace, enjoying wine and fine food."

"Praise the Kingdom."

He then looked around the hall, his gaze lingering momentarily on a few individuals:

"Lastly, let us have a moment of silence for the Duke's misfortune. Though we differed politically, I held great admiration and gratitude for him—admiration for his character, and gratitude for his contributions to the Kingdom of Loen."

"May he rest peacefully under the protection of the gods."

With that, he downed the red wine in his glass.

The guests echoed his sentiment, lifting and finishing their own drinks.

"Well then, please enjoy tonight's banquet."

As he finished speaking, Earl Hall took his wife's hand and descended to the main hall. As soft music began to play, they opened the dance floor with the first waltz. The gentlemen present began scanning the room for the partner they wished to invite first.

As expected, the moment Audrey followed her parents down to the first floor, she was immediately surrounded by a group of young men. Everyone wanted to seize the chance to win favour with the brightest jewel of Backlund.

Prince Edessak also approached, though instead of inviting Audrey, he simply nodded at her with a warm smile, then turned to invite another lady nearby to dance.

This small gesture brought visible relief to the others—none of them really wanted to compete with a prince.

Just then, Hibbert stepped forward and took his sister's hand, leading her onto the dance floor. It was the perfect way to resolve the tension—after all, a brother dancing the first waltz with his sister was perfectly appropriate.

"Edward!"

Lilith, now in her Persian cat form, leapt into Edward's arms. She was dressed in an adorable light-colored kitty princess dress today, which made her look especially cute and charming.

"Was this prepared by Audrey?"

"Yes! Susie's wearing one too, but mine's cuter."

She leaned close to Edward's ear and said proudly, "Miss Lilith is absolutely the prettiest tonight!"

"Yes, yes! Tonight, you're the most beautiful one at the entire banquet!"

"That's right!"

Edward patted her head gently, but suddenly felt a gaze on him. He turned—and saw Hazel.

She quickly looked away, but after a few seconds, turned back again, her eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity, as if trying to figure out who he really was.

But last night, in the dark and damp sewer, they had barely caught a glimpse of each other. Even if Edward hadn't changed his appearance, there was no way she could recognise him.

So why was she suspicious now…?

Oh. Lilith.

But she had changed form too—she was a cat now.

Edward simply pretended not to notice, silently walking off to a quiet spot and watching Audrey and Hibbert on the dance floor. Audrey occasionally glanced over at him, her eyes full of warmth and amusement.

Tap, tap, tap.

What Edward hadn't expected, though, was for Hazel to approach him with a glass of wine in hand.

"Mister, have we…met before?"

Girl, who taught you to be this bold in the world of mysticism?

Oh, right. Her teacher—other than teaching her potion-making and acting—probably hadn't taught her anything else. Her understanding of the mystical world and Beyonders was basically zero.

"Oh really?"

Edward raised his brows in surprise. "I thought that line was usually used by men trying to hit on women?"

She glanced at Lilith and said seriously, "That cat may have changed her appearance, but I can feel it—it's the same one."

Tch. Must you be this sharp?

"What exactly happened last night?" she pressed.

Hazel was clearly panicked. Her teacher had suddenly told her the place wasn't safe and urged her to dig through the wall—which was obviously impossible without explosives.

But explosives strong enough to do that would have severely injured her teacher further.

She'd kept digging until dawn, and only then did her teacher let her return. But thinking back on it this morning, she'd realised something about her teacher's tone didn't feel right. She'd rushed back—only to discover her teacher was gone.

Hazel had gotten used to growing steadily stronger through her teacher's guidance. She couldn't accept returning to being an "ordinary" person again.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're talking about."

Edward turned to leave—not because he was putting on an act, but because…was it really appropriate to discuss Beyonder matters at a public banquet like this?

Besides, he was planning to use her to track down the location of the Jacob family's demigod and hunt them down. If he revealed too much now, wouldn't that just scare the prey away?

But Hazel was used to being the one rejecting others—no one ever walked away from her. She immediately caught up.

Just then, a graceful figure stepped between them.

Audrey, her face perfectly made up, smiled sweetly and asked:

"Good evening, Miss Macht. May I ask if something's the matter?"

Hazel froze. "What?"

Audrey, ignoring the stunned looks from Edward and the people around them, naturally slipped her arm around Edward's.

"If not, I'll be taking him away now."

———

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