HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

On the other side, Audrey and Edward escorted Mr. White and his son out of the villa.

"Thank you so much, Mr. White."

"Heh, no need to be so polite. I never expected that a potion I developed on a whim would one day play such a huge role," Mr. White said cheerfully, patting the thick wad of cash in his pocket. With this, he could not only buy the coffee beans he had his eye on, but also gift his wife a few new outfits.

Emlyn huffed in dissatisfaction. "Hey, I was the first one to save their lives. I was the one who spent the whole night getting my dad here."

Edward handed over a suitcase containing the doll. "Here you go."

Emlyn's eyes lit up. "Whoa! This case looks even more expensive than the doll. Why so generous all of a sudden?"

"The doll was what I promised you. The case is a bonus from Audrey."

Emlyn peeked inside and beamed. "Next time there's a good gig like this, don't forget to call me again!"

"…..."

The two exchanged a look: Hopefully there won't be a next time.

By the time they returned to the villa, the nobles and MPs had already left. Earl Hall was whispering something to Hibbert, while Lady Hall sat beside them, worry written all over her face.

Seeing the two walk in, the father and son paused their conversation and turned to Edward.

Edward quickly used transfiguration to return to his original appearance. "Good morning, Mr. Hall, Mrs. Hall."

Lady Hall now had a very favourable impression of Edward. If not for him helping to bring in a doctor last night, she might've been a widow by now. She gave a small smile. "Good morning."

Earl Hall nodded. "Thank you for last night."

"No problem." Edward smiled.

Hibbert gestured. "Come, let's sit and talk."

Edward sat down obediently, while Audrey walked over to Earl Hall. "Father, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine."

He looked at his daughter and gave a tired smile. "What do you two think about what happened last night?"

Edward thought for a moment before replying, "All the evidence so far points to it being an accident."

Earl Hall nodded. "That's what the Church believes as well. Two birds just happened to fall into the chimney and blocked it completely."

He stroked his moustache and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Edward, I was originally planning to officially meet you yesterday, but then that mess happened. Must have seemed like quite a joke."

Earl Hall sighed. "So let's skip all the formalities and testing the waters."

"I don't know your exact relationship with the Church, but I know you're no ordinary person. So all I want to say is…"

He glanced at Audrey. "Protect Audrey. Don't let her get hurt." He paused. "No matter what your relationship is now—whether it's friendship or something more."

Edward quickly nodded with sincerity. "I understand."

"Good."

Earl Hall cleared his throat. "After what happened last night, I've had another idea. If possible…cough cough, I'd like you to extend that protection to me, Audrey's mother, and her brother as well. The Church will send someone, of course, but usually, they only act after something happens. I don't want to end up like Duke Negan."

Oh...didn't expect the old banker to have a sense of humour.

"Of course!"

"Alright, then let's leave it at that."

Earl Hall stood up. "Hibbert, ask the butler to prepare a carriage. I need to visit the four families."

"Understood."

After the father and son left, Lady Hall gave a few more reminders before heading off to rest. She hadn't slept a wink since last night.

Once back in Audrey's room, Susie and Lilith came over and relayed what they had just overheard.

In short, Earl Hall planned to offer a share of benefits to appease the four angry noble houses—for one reason only: the New Party must not be divided.

The New Party was unlike the Conservative Party, which was made up of deeply rooted old aristocrats who had wielded power in Loen for generations. The New Party consisted mostly of newly risen nobles who had gained status under the king's support.

Only through unity could they maintain even a slight advantage over the Conservatives. Once fractured, the New Party could be easily crushed and devoured one by one, and in the end, no one would be left standing.

Hearing this, Edward fell into thought. The rise of the New Party should've been a part of a certain priest's "Tide of Times." After painstakingly removing Duke Negan, the mainstay of the Conservatives, the path ahead should have been smooth—further intensifying conflicts, igniting wars, and riding the chaos toward godhood.

Yet now, the New Party had stumbled into such a mess. If the Conservatives took this chance to strike a heavy blow, wouldn't that be like setting history in reverse? Would "He" allow that?

No.

Then how would "He" respond? Send someone to kill the Conservatives all over again?

Audrey suddenly asked, "Edward, was it really just an accident last night? Couldn't it have been a Beyonder who erased all traces of their presence?"

Edward frowned deeply. "What I'm worried about is—what if it really was just a 'coincidental accident'?"

In the world of the Lord of Mysteries, a "coincidence" was often a sign that someone had orchestrated it. But the only beings capable of such arrangements now were the Russian Priest and the Quill.

The Russian Priest had no reason to harm the New Party. That would go against "His" plans and objectives. That left only the missing Quill of Alzuhod.

If last night's accident was a setup, then it meant the damn Quill had likely fallen into the hands of someone from the Conservative camp—or perhaps someone unaffiliated, whose only aim was to sabotage the Russian Priest's plans.

After all, when a certain someone ascended to godhood, it would mark the end of the Quill's existence.

Which meant…the Quill's new master was openly challenging the Priest?

In the original storyline, although the Quill remained in Ince Zangwill's hands for quite a long time and he had successfully used its properties to repeatedly evade the Russian Priest's pursuit, in the end…everything he and the Quill did still seemed to have been orchestrated by the priest.

So what about this time?

At that moment, Audrey thought of something. "Right, Hibbert thoroughly checked all the maids in the house last night—nothing suspicious was found."

Edward wasn't surprised. "My current guess is that last night's incident wasn't related to that maid. Otherwise, why would she alert others to save you?"

"Mm." Audrey nodded thoughtfully. "But then…what was her original plan?"

A question with no foreseeable answer.

Edward gently said, "Alright, you've been up all night. Try to get some rest. You still have the Tarot gathering this afternoon."

"Okay."

Audrey bit her lip, hesitating slightly. "Edward, could you help me ask that mirror…about what really happened last night?"

"Sure," Edward replied. "But…I'm afraid it might not give us anything useful."

If this really had something to do with the Quill—or worse, the Priest—then even Arrodes probably wouldn't know anything.

"In that case…I'll make a request during the Tarot meeting later. Ask everyone to help find that maid."

"Good idea."

"But that would mean…my identity…"

Edward chuckled. "So what if it's revealed? Everyone at the Tarot Club is trustworthy. Still, that doesn't guarantee they can help you."

"The more eyes, the better."

"Fair enough."

Maybe with Klein under the blessing of the Sefirah Castle, he really could find that mysterious maid.

Edward stayed by Audrey's side until she finally drifted off to sleep. Then, bringing along Lilith, he returned home.

After a quick wash-up, he took out Will's origami paper crane while still groggy with sleep, and wrote down a single word: Help.

Then he quickly fell asleep.

Darkness descended—and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing on that same desolate plain. Not far away stood the towering black spire, and Will lay on his rocking chair, yawning with a helpless look.

"What is it now?"

"Do you know what happened at Earl Hall's place last night?"

"Nope."

Will shrugged. "I'm not omniscient, you know." Then he shut his eyes. A few seconds later, he opened them again. "Okay, now I have a rough idea."

"Could I trouble you to keep an eye on the Hall family from now on? I mean, just in case something like that happens again—just make sure they make it out alive."

Edward knew plenty of powerful people by now, but someone like the Snake of Mercury Will—strong, idle, and available—was still one of a kind.

Will crossed his arms and gave a little hum. "And what can you offer in return?"

Edward paused, then awkwardly asked, "What…do you want?"

Will broke into a laugh. "Haha, what do I want? Obviously, the right moment—the perfect chance to accommodate the Uniqueness and two Sequence 1 characteristics to ascend to Sequence 0."

"Then…is there anything I can do to help with that?" Edward asked earnestly.

Will akimboed dramatically. "Sure. Just go and catch Ouroboros for me."

"…"

He spread his hands. "See? You can't."

"So you mean…I could help you find the 'right moment' instead?"

"Maybe."

Will sighed. "I can only vaguely sense the tiniest shadows of it."

He waved dismissively, clearly losing interest. "Alright, alright. I'll take your request. As for what you owe me…"

He gave a sly grin. "We'll keep it open-ended for now. After all, a blank check is the most expensive kind. You know what I mean."

"Deal."

"Ah, someone's looking for you. I'm out. Don't come to me for nothing…no, actually—don't come even if it's something!"

Crack!

The next second, the dreamscape shattered. Edward woke with a start.

"Someone's looking for me?"

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door, followed by Bernadette's voice. "Is anyone there?"

Edward had just gotten out of bed when he heard a soft click—and then Lilith's voice came through.

"Edward is sleeping. You can come in first, but shhh, be quiet, don't wake him."

"Lilith, who is it?"

Edward already recognised Bernadette's voice, but still asked knowingly.

"It's that lady who likes stories—and someone I don't know."

Lilith came sprinting into the bedroom. "Edward, did I wake you?"

"Nope. Lilith's amazing—you can welcome guests all by yourself now."

"Yup!"

Edward picked her up and walked into the living room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. And this gentleman is…?"

Bernadette's outfit wasn't too different from last time, just a change of colours—she looked slightly more mature. Standing beside her was a tall young man with ocean-blue eyes and long chestnut hair.

To be honest, his appearance could only be described as strikingly handsome—and yet, there was a strange distance about him, as though he wasn't human, but a sculpture carved to perfection.

There was no need to ask. This had to be Bornova Gustav—Roselle the Great's youngest son.

So the angel of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery had really come all the way from Intis to Backlund.

"This is Bornova—my younger brother."

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