HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

This guy's emotions are getting more and more expressive.

At that moment, Phoenix spoke again. "If I can evolve one more time, I should be able to locate him."

"I...believe you."

Sensing Edward's perfunctory tone, Phoenix quickly added in a serious voice, "I'll try again. I'll do my best to help you find that person."

"Alright, thanks. You can head back for now."

Once Phoenix flew back into the spirit world, Edward returned immediately to the small villa in Empress Borough. He pulled the curtains shut, lit a candle, and prepared to pray to Mr. Fool.

Lilith, sensitive to Edward's emotional state, obediently sat nearby without interrupting.

Edward sat on the sofa, fingers interlaced and forehead resting against them, and began praying devoutly:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;

The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;

The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck;

I pray for your gaze;

I pray for your attention;

I wish to contact Mr. World, but he seems to have gone missing since yesterday.

Even my messenger cannot locate him.

I am truly worried for his safety. The Great Fool, please grant me enlightenment."

After finishing the prayer, he maintained his reverent posture.

But no response came.

Did something really happen?

Edward's nerves tightened. He got up and began pacing the room.

Ten more minutes passed. Still no reply from the Fool.

"This can't go on. I have to do something."

He took out the strand of Klein's hair that he'd received last time and wrote on a piece of parchment: "Klein's current location."

Then, leaning back into the sofa, he closed his eyes and began his meditation.

After silently repeating the divination incantation seven times, he slipped into slumber.

His vision turned hazy, vague, and fragmented. He felt as though he were gazing down from the clouds. In the distance, he saw a figure walking out of Backlund—it was Klein.

Then—snap! Everything vanished in an instant.

Edward jolted awake from the dream.

The divination didn't fail. So why did it end so abruptly?

He tried again, altering the divination phrasing in multiple ways. But every single time, it would stop as soon as he saw Klein leaving Backlund.

"I don't believe this!"

He flicked a coin. "Can I divine Klein's current location?"

The coin landed with the "yes" side up. Edward immediately prepared to use 'Madman to the Right' to reverse the answer, but at the last moment, he paused and pinched the coin between his fingers.

"Wait—wouldn't it be more reliable to ask Arrodes about something like this?"

The moment this thought occurred to him, Edward's vision blurred—and he saw that vast and misty domain: the boundless grey fog.

At the deepest part of the fog sat a blurry figure, seated as though upon a lofty throne. A deep and calm voice echoed out:

"He's safe…for now."

After a pause, Mr. Fool added:

"From this moment on, pray to me every four hours."

Edward blinked, stunned. What kind of strange request is that?

He resisted the urge to question further and simply bowed his head. "Understood, Mr. Fool."

The grey fog disappeared, and Edward found himself back in his room.

"Pray every four hours—no purpose, no task, just a regular prayer? That's basically turning me into a walking alarm clock, set to ring every four hours. But ring for what?"

There wasn't enough information to speculate further. But one thing was certain: Klein had definitely run into some kind of trouble.

With that thought in mind, Edward reached out to Lilith.

"Lilith, want to go with me to find that mirror?"

"Yes!"

She leapt forward, wrapped herself around Edward's arm, and let him rest his hand on her shoulder. In the blink of an eye, they appeared outside Saint Hierländ Cathedral.

"Sorry again, Mr. Odom, I'm back."

As Dirac Odom came out to greet them, Edward apologised first. He was starting to feel a bit embarrassed by how often he'd been dropping by lately.

"I'd like to ask Arrodes a few more questions."

"No need to apologise," Dirac said quickly. "It's just that…Arrodes was taken out earlier by Deacon Ikanser, to assist in investigating that Bandit—the one who goes by 'Black Emperor'."

"Ah…Do you know when they'll be back?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor. Leading the group was none other than Ikanser, his hair as dishevelled as ever. He rushed in, holding a silver mirror reverently in both hands.

"...He's back."

Deacon Ikanser looked particularly upset. He'd just been working with the Mandated Punishers to track that 'bandit' who scattered tarot cards as MO, when Arrodes suddenly went haywire.

Everyone knew Arrodes was a living Sealed Artifact, but normally it behaved like a fairy tale magic mirror—answering questions, maybe being a little mischievous. But today, it had gone berserk without being asked anything, even zapping Ikanser with lightning.

It was the first time such a thing had happened under his watch.

"Deacon Ikanser, you've come at the perfect time," Dirac Odom said. "Mr. Edward wishes to consult Arrodes."

Ikanser forced a smile. "Sorry, Mr. Edward, but Arrodes seems to be…malfunctioning today. It might not be able to answer your questions normally."

"…Huh?"

Edward frowned and looked toward the silver mirror—only to see white words forming across its surface:

"I can see where my great master is."

This line of glowing white text seemed to be visible only to those Arrodes allowed to see it.

"Deacon, a friend of mine has suddenly gone missing. I'm very worried. I'd like to try asking anyway."

"Another disappearance?" Ikanser muttered, rubbing his temples. Then he nodded. "Alright. But we'll be monitoring the whole time. If anything seems wrong…I'll call the Archbishop in."

After all, Edward was someone Archbishop Horamick personally valued. If Arrodes zapped him to death, that would be a serious problem.

"Fair enough."

A group of people followed Edward to the private chamber where Arrodes was usually kept.

Ikanser placed the mirror carefully onto the stand on the table, then turned to Edward and said, "Please be cautious."

Edward stepped forward, gently brushed the surface of the mirror three times with his right hand, and then spoke:

"Respected Arrodes, my question is: where is my friend, Detective Sherlock, right now?"

The lighting in the room suddenly took on a deep hue, as if it had been soaked in post-rain haze. Strange ripples of watery light shimmered across the surface of the silver mirror.

Ikanser immediately tensed, ready to intervene and—if needed—save Edward.

But the expected frenzy never came. Instead, a scene gradually emerged on the surface of the mirror:

Snow.

Thick, blizzard-like snow.

The earth was vast and white, stretching out in all directions without end.

In the middle of that white expanse, a small town could be vaguely seen. The "camera" zoomed in swiftly, revealing that the town within was completely untouched by the harsh wind and snow.

It zoomed in again—Klein stood in the centre of that small town, speaking to someone beside him.

Just as Edward tried to focus and see more clearly, a sudden gust of wind roared through, shifting the snowfall's direction and sweeping straight toward the viewer's gaze.

The next second, the scene in the mirror vanished. The mirror returned to its normal reflective surface, shimmering faintly—along with a line of text:

"This is all I can see."

Everyone, including Ikanser, looked at each other in confusion. Had Arrodes gone back to normal? But hadn't it just zapped him again a few minutes ago?

Edward was astonished. "That's strange...It's only November. There's no way it would be snowing like that anywhere near Backlund."

He quickly asked, "Where is that place?"

Instead of answering, Arrodes wrote in blood-red script:

"According to the principle of equivalence, it's now my turn to ask a question."

Ikanser's heart skipped a beat. Normally he was the one getting publicly embarrassed by Arrodes. Now, finally getting to see someone else get humiliated, he couldn't help but feel...oddly excited.

"My question is…"

Ikanser's eyes widened.

"Do you intend to marry Miss Audrey Hall?"

Edward nodded. "Yes."

"???"

Ikanser was completely dumbfounded. What the hell?! That's not how this works! You're supposed to ask the kind of deeply private, shameful questions that make people want to die from embarrassment!

Audrey Hall? The daughter of the Hall family? Backlund's most dazzling gem? Of course anyone would want to marry her! That's perfectly normal!

Why? Why is this happening?

Ikanser felt like his entire worldview had just crumbled.

Edward continued calmly, "The place you just showed—where was that?"

The mirror shimmered for a few seconds, then displayed a few words: "I...don't know."

"Then how can I find my friend?"

"I don't know."

Edward thought for a few seconds. "Then…where did he go missing?"

This time, Arrodes did respond.

On the mirror's surface, Klein was shown leaving the city of Backlund. He walked along a forest path…and then abruptly vanished.

New crimson text appeared:

"According to the principle of equivalence, it's my turn again."

Ikanser perked up again, hopeful.

"What are Audrey Hall's two brothers' names?"

Ikanser stumbled back a step—he was broken beyond repair.

"Deacon Ikanser? Deacon Ikanser?"

Two Heart of Machinery members rushed to support him.

Edward glanced back. "Why don't you take Deacon Ikanser outside to rest for a bit?"

"But what about you—?"

Edward patted Lilith, who sat on his shoulder. "Last time, I had a cat as my audience too. It's fine."

"…Alright then."

Once the others had exited, Edward answered, "Hibbert Hall and Alfred Hall."

Arrodes replied, "It's your turn to ask, sir."

Edward asked, "Did Klein go missing while investigating the maid named Cynthia?"

"Yes."

Then came another line in bloody text:

"Would you like to know why my great master went to the outskirts of Backlund?"

Edward smirked. Yup, just as I expected. Once there's no one around, this bootlicking mirror goes back to its usual ways.

"Yes, I would."

The image flickered, and a man's face appeared: reddish-brown skin, clearly from the Southern Continent. When he opened his mouth to speak, it was evident that his third tooth on the left side was missing.

Then a line of text appeared:

"His name is Barron. He's connected to the slave trade. My great master discovered that he may be related to Cynthia's case, and so he followed him to the outskirts. However, I do not know where Barron intended to go, nor do I know where he is now."

Barron?

Wasn't that the guy Alger wanted to find at the last Tarot Meeting?

Wait…didn't this person also show up during the Great Smog Incident? Wasn't he the one helping George III build the mausoleum and trafficking people?

So Barron left Backlund for the countryside—and Klein followed him, and then vanished?

But then…what was with the snow-covered town?

"Your turn to ask."

Edward thought carefully. "Do you know if there are any Tudor ruins or a mausoleum near Backlund? And…is Klein there?"

The mirror shimmered violently for a few seconds. Then a line of broken, flickering text slowly emerged:

"Yes...but I...cannot see…clearly...however, the great master...is not there."

Not there?

Blood-red text slowly unfurled:

"Would you like to—"

Suddenly, the mirror glitched, then resumed with an entirely unrelated question:

"Would you mind if your child was born with astonishing intelligence?"

———

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