HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

Edward was stunned.

"What kind of question is that…? So abrupt."

"Incredible intelligence?"

Did that mean his child would be born a genius?

Why would he mind that? Wouldn't that be a good thing?

But then, a sudden thought struck him, and he asked in alarm, "You don't mean…astonishing intelligence as in some big shot being reincarnated, do you?! No way! I definitely mind! Why would you suddenly ask something like that?"

Arrodes fell silent for a few seconds, then responded:

"It was just a question. Your turn to ask."

Edward frowned.

"Where do you think I should begin my search to find Klein?"

"Sorry, I don't know."

A sad and dejected emoji appeared on the mirror's surface—but quickly switched to a cheerful and encouraging one:

"But I won't give up trying to find my master's location. As soon as I have news, I'll tell you immediately."

"How do you plan to contact me?"

"I'll summon your messenger."

…A sealed artifact summoning a messenger? That was…new.

"Alright then. I'll start my own investigation in the meantime."

"Thank you, dear friend of my master."

"…"

Edward left the room with Lilith in tow, his expression darkening.

Even Arrodes doesn't know…

Could Klein's disappearance involve an angel-level entity?

Not impossible.

If Barron really had gone to the mausoleum being excavated for George III's ascension to the Black Emperor, then getting caught up in something at the angel level would be quite normal.

But Arrodes had also said Klein wasn't in the mausoleum.

So what's really going on?

Klein…where the hell are you now?

———

Klein stepped out of the washroom, passed through the old-fashioned living room, and walked outside.

Looking at the unfamiliar little town before him, a chill crept up his spine.

"I've been in this bizarre place for four days now…but if it weren't for Edward's prayer just now that let me return to the mysterious place above grey fog and recall everything, I fear I would've forgotten more and more as time passed—even the Grey Fog itself!"

"Four days…That means the new Tarot meeting didn't happen as scheduled. Miss Justice and the others must think something happened to Mr. Fool…"

He took a deep breath, calming the ripple of panic in his heart.

"But Edward just said I only went missing a day ago…Is time flowing differently here?"

From what Klein remembered, four days ago—from his own perception—he had gone to the Lime Bar in Backlund's Bridge District looking for Barron.

But when he arrived, he found the bar had closed two days earlier.

There were people—Barron's subordinates—searching for the bar's owner.

From them, he learned that Barron had left for the outskirts that morning. Klein had followed his trail…

And then suddenly, he found himself in this snow-filled world.

He knew full well it was impossible for it to be snowing in Backlund during this season.

So either:

He had unknowingly been transported to some far-northern region…

Or he had been trapped in a dream.

He tried using the Grey Fog to divine his location, but the vague clues yielded no useful results.

Then he tried divining a way out, but only caught a fleeting glimpse of a blurred, genderless face—

—and the dream collapsed.

With no better options, he had followed the snow-covered road forward.

Eventually, he arrived at this strange little town.

Despite the freezing blizzard outside the town, within its borders, it was as warm as spring—lush greenery everywhere.

A single step in either direction, and it was like stepping between two different worlds.

No need to guess—it was obviously supernatural in nature.

But with no other path, he had no choice but to enter this mysterious town…

And then…

"Then…"

Klein slapped his forehead hard, his pupils trembling.

"I…can't remember. Everything that happened after I entered this town—I can't remember any of it."

Impossible.

He had already restored his memories after returning to the Grey Fog—so why couldn't he recall anything that had happened inside the town?

He rubbed his temples, trying to force the lost memories to the surface.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, he noticed something written on the back of his hand.

He quickly brought it closer to read:

"Whatever you do, don't die!"

"Don't trust anyone—including yourself!"

"You'll need someone else's help."

The handwriting was unmistakably his own—probably written with the fountain pen he carried.

"Did I really write this?"

"The first line seems like a throwaway warning…The second one is vague, and the third…"

"Why would I need someone else's help? What could others help me with?"

Suddenly, a vision flashed across his mind—

A cleaver came swinging down at him, striking squarely in the forehead.

Red and white burst forth in a grotesque mix.

Then the scene twisted and vanished into nothing.

"Huff…huff…"

Klein was gasping for air, his breath ragged and uneven.

He instinctively reached for his forehead in panic.

"I…I died once?"

How was that even possible?

If he truly had died, then…what exactly was he now?

"Hey, hello."

A voice greeted him just then.

Klein looked up and saw a girl walking over.

She had loosely curled chestnut hair draped over her shoulders, looked to be in her early twenties, and wore a beige high-collared dress with ruffled trim.

She was average in height, exuding an air of laziness and decay.

A cigarette—unlit—was loosely held between her fingers. Her expression was one of confused irritation.

"I'd like to ask…Where exactly is this place? I just went out to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes, and then—bam—next thing I know, I'm here."

"I—I don't know either," Klein replied, quickly calming himself. "I came here for no clear reason myself."

Wait a minute…

This girl—she looked vaguely familiar.

Where had he seen her before?

Right—Miss Magician!

Klein began to suspect her identity, but said nothing.

Instead, he looked around at the bustling street and suggested, "Should we…ask someone for directions?"

The girl shook her head.

"No use. I already walked a loop around this place. So far, you're the only normal person I've seen."

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She turned around and called out to a couple walking past, "Hello!"

Whoosh!

The couple turned their heads in perfect sync and responded in unison:

"Hello there, Miss Fors Wall."

In that instant, a chill shot up Klein's spine.

The couple's faces bore a strange smile—one that defied explanation.

From the unnaturally curled lips, to the taut skin around their cheeks, to the eerie sparkle in their eyes—

It was a smile bright and sunny in appearance…yet disturbingly unnatural.

Then, to Klein's mounting horror, the couple turned to him—also in perfect sync—and spoke with familiar warmth:

"Hello there, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

Before the echo of their voices faded, another passerby turned and said:

"Hello there, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

Then another:

"Hello there, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

And another—

"Hello there, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

Every single passerby wore the same eerie smile, like porcelain dolls painted with joy that didn't reach the soul:

"Hello there, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

———

After lunch.

Edward checked the time.

Exactly four hours had passed—so he offered another prayer to Mr. Fool.

This time, the response came quickly.

"Understood."

Mr. Fool sat atop the dense, pale-grey fog, his chin resting lazily in his palm, looking as composed and unbothered as ever.

There was no trace of someone facing a crisis.

Moments later, the grey fog receded, and Edward returned to his room.

"Hm?"

Klein had lingered in the vision a few seconds after replying.

Was he hesitating—thinking about asking for help? But in the end, he chose not to.

Edward pondered this, then had a sudden theory:

Could it be…Klein didn't know where he was or how he got there.

And if he asked for help while still clueless, and Mr. Fool also turned out to know nothing, then the powerful and mysterious image Mr. Fool had painstakingly built up might start to unravel.

Edward let out a sigh.

Klein's still too green…

If this were the later version of Klein, he'd absolutely keep a straight face and say:

"This is a test from Mr. Fool. You must resolve this crisis on your own."

Or:

"The reason I cannot intervene…is because I'm currently blocking an evil god's descent."

As long as your skin was thick enough, excuses were never in short supply.

——

Edward walked toward the location Klein had last appeared in his dream-divination, and performed another round of divination.

After searching the surroundings, he still came up empty-handed.

He frowned.

The biggest problem now…was having no starting point at all.

The last thing Klein did before vanishing was chase after Barron out of Backlund.

On the surface, this looked like it might be connected to the tomb excavation linked to George III's attempt to ascend.

But then again—Arrodes confirmed Klein wasn't there.

If only he could find Barron—maybe there'd be a clue.

But Arrodes couldn't find him.

Divination didn't work either.

That meant he could only rely on traditional, manual investigation.

Edward wrote down all known information surrounding Klein's disappearance, then summoned Phoenix and had it deliver the message to Captain Dunn.

Through Miss Daly, the Church of the Evernight Goddess might be able to help investigate.

As for the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, he had already requested their assistance through Ikanser before leaving.

Then there was the Sanguines—Edward sent a letter to Akasha as well.

These vampires had lurked in Backlund for thousands of years.

Their underground intelligence network must be formidable.

Lilith lay curled up on Edward's chest, lightly pawing at his furrowed brow with her little paw pad:

"Edward, don't frown~ You look like you've aged ten years!"

Edward sighed.

"It's not that I want to frown…it's just…"

"The world of the Mysteries can't exist without Klein Moretti—just like Konoha can't lose Naruto…or the Survey Corps can't go on without Levi…cough, cough."

———

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