Mental illness. Madness…
Why did those two words suddenly feel like such a good match for the Aurora Order?
"Meow~"
A shadow leapt onto the windowsill—it was Lilith.
She curiously glanced at the two people inside, tilting her head and parting her mouth as if hesitating to speak.
Audrey, recalling the scene she had witnessed in the garden earlier, quickly patted Edward and said, "I saw Lilith in my garden earlier trying to learn how to speak from Susie—she really did take a potion and became a Beyonder!"
"It's Miss Lilith!"
A soft, delicate voice echoed in the room, and Lilith earnestly corrected, "Miss Lilith."
Edward walked over and picked her up with a smile. "Why does it have to be Miss Lilith?"
Her gem-like eyes shimmered slightly as if she were deep in thought. "It means…respect."
"Alright then, we'll call you Miss Lilith from now on."
"Yes!" she replied proudly.
Turning to Audrey, Edward explained, "Miss Lilith took her potion just a few days ago. She's now a Sequence 9—an Assassin."
"What pathway is that?"
"Witch."
Audrey quickly recalled the materials she had purchased from Mr. Hanged Man for a thousand pounds. There had been a section on the Witch Pathway—it covered their beliefs, their origins, their mystical abilities, and the inclinations of those in higher sequences. But most of it was rather vague.
"The Sequence 9 Assassin of the Witch Pathway is, as the name implies, about playing the role of an assassin. Cats are natural hunters, and their hunting style matches that of assassins very well." He paused and shrugged. "At first, I was actually leaning toward giving her the Apothecary potion, but I really couldn't imagine how a cat would play the role of an apothecary."
Audrey tried to picture it too—and failed miserably.
The two chatted idly for a while until they noticed that the sky had grown dark. Audrey stood up suddenly.
"Oh no! I've been away from home for so long—Annie and the others must have realized I'm not in my room!"
She lifted her skirt and rushed toward the leather pouch at the side, ready to leave, but Edward walked up to her and asked, "Tomorrow's the day we return to Hogwarts. Are you coming with me again this time?"
Audrey blinked in surprise. So many things had happened in quick succession lately, and with Edward's sudden disappearance, she'd nearly forgotten.
She broke into a smile. "Of course~ See you tomorrow."
After Audrey left, Edward took out a gold coin and began testing his newly acquired divination abilities.
At first, Lilith was curious and sat beside him to watch. But before long, she grew bored, yawned, and pulled out her little toy ball, happily playing her own hunting game.
"Right…I need to plan out what to do once I'm back: silent wandless casting, playing the role of a Diviner, advancing Transfiguration, and…I should probably consider telling Dumbledore about the potion. I need some solid allies. Also…"
He jotted each item down in a notebook. Lilith jumped onto the table, first chasing after the wiggling pen tip for a bit, then becoming interested in the words on the page—even though she couldn't read a thing, she insisted on tilting her head to stare at them intently.
"Let Miss Lilith see."
Whenever Edward's hand covered the part she wanted to read, she would use her little paw to push it aside, eyes wide with focus.
What should've taken ten minutes to write ended up taking over half an hour. Finally closing the notebook, Edward sighed deeply. "As a newly promoted Sequence 7 Astrologer, shouldn't I have a star chart and crystal ball for divination?"
He glanced out the window at the darkening sky and walked toward the door. "Didn't even notice it got so late."
Edward took out a coin again. "The shop across the street—is it closed?"
With a crisp ding, the coin flipped through the air and landed perfectly in his palm.
Heads—yes, it's closed.
"Perfect time to test out 'Madman to the Right.' If I force the result to be false, will the shop magically reopen? Isn't that just like wish fulfillment?"
Five minutes later, Edward stood in front of the shop across the street.
The door was wide open—but the interior was empty.
He hesitated, then stepped inside, finding the place in complete disarray. Merchandise strewn about, shattered display glass—like it had just been looted.
Nice job, "opening the door"!
Just then, footsteps echoed outside—it was the police!
"Freeze!"
Both officers raised their guns. But in the next second, Edward vanished from sight, leaving the two policemen rubbing their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.
Meanwhile, Edward reappeared at home, a deadpan look on his face.
"'Madman to the Right,' huh? So you can make the result false…but the way that result manifests? Totally unpredictable?"
He suddenly recalled an old story: A man obtained a magical "monkey's paw" said to grant three wishes. Doubting it, he casually wished for some money. The next day, his son died in an accident, and he received compensation…
This was basically the same kind of twisted irony!
Damn scam of a power!
———
[Empress Borough—the luxurious Hall family Estate]
The family had just finished dinner, and the maids brought out dessert. Everyone began chatting about recent gossip from Backlund.
The Countess leaned in to whisper some rumors to Audrey—nothing new, really: who was cheating on whom, who turned out to be someone's illegitimate child, and so on.
At that moment, Hibbert Hall tapped his spoon against his glass and said with a chuckle:
"The other day, I heard a joke going around the Conservative Party about our family."
That immediately caught everyone's attention—including the Earl, who had been quietly reading the evening paper.
Hibbert continued, "A Conservative party member goes to deposit a thousand pounds at the Hall family bank, but he's worried about the safety of his money. His companion reassures him, saying, 'The bank will keep your money safe.'"
"But the man's still uneasy: 'What if the bank collapses?' His friend says, 'Don't worry—Earl Hall, the great banker, will guarantee your money.'"
"Then he asks again, 'But what if Earl Hall collapses too?' To which the friend replies, 'Then the Loen Reform Party will guarantee your money.'"
"He hesitates for a while, then says, 'What if the Reform Party collapses too?' And the companion snaps, 'With something that wonderful happening, you're still hung up over a measly thousand pounds?!'"
"Hahahahaha—"
The entire family laughed at just the right moment.
Earl Hall stroked his elegant handlebar mustache with a chuckle. "That must've come from Duke Negan's circle."
Audrey asked curiously, "Why do you say that, Father? We even helped him last time when someone tried to assassinate him."
"The Duke himself wouldn't spread such jokes, of course. But the people under him? That's another story. They still haven't found out who was behind the assassination. So, to cover up their incompetence, they're blaming the Reform Party and using these jokes to vent their frustration."
Hibbert let out a sigh. "But the assassination did worsen the conflict between the two parties…and His Majesty doesn't seem to mind that at all—he's made no effort to mediate."
"The fiercer the struggle between the two parties, the more stable His Majesty's authority becomes. It's always been that way. Before the Reform Party came into existence, the internal factional battles within the Conservative Party were far more intense than they are now."
"I've heard that in the Feysac Empire…"
Audrey rested her chin on her hand and listened. The Countess, clearly uninterested in such topics, yawned and retired to her room.
Tap, tap, tap.
Light footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Susie ran over to Audrey, rubbing against her leg affectionately. As Audrey reached down to pet her, Susie stealthily slipped a small note into her hand.
Audrey discreetly clenched her fingers around it and said, "Father, I'm getting sleepy. I'll go rest now."
"Alright."
"Annie, you can go rest too. No need to stay with me."
"Yes, Miss."
Audrey walked out of the dining room with Susie. Once outside, she unfolded the note.
Audrey, something urgent—I need to see you—Glaint.
"Huh?"
She looked around to make sure no one was watching and asked softly, "Where is Viscount Glaint?"
Susie, wagging her tail, replied, "Waiting by the roadside across from the villa."
"Why didn't he just come in to find me?"
Audrey and Viscount Glaint only arranged to meet in places like racecourses or ballrooms when discussing the occult—to keep their conversations discreet. For normal communication, there was no need to be secretive.
"Hmm, not sure."
Audrey cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and followed Susie out of the villa. From a distance, she saw a carriage parked by the roadside, and beside it stood a visibly anxious Glaint.
Lifting the charm, she walked briskly over. "Glaint."
"Phew—thank goodness."
Viscount Glaint quickly stepped forward. "I really didn't want to disturb you this late, but…I couldn't say no."
"Say no to who?"
"Princess Helena."
He looked resigned. "She suddenly asked me to find you."
Princess Helena?
Audrey searched her memory for the relevant information: Helena Augustus, youngest daughter of George III, sixteen years old, doted on by her father, had a good relationship with Glaint, and was also a fan of the occult.
She grew up alongside the Third Prince, Edessak, and was very close to him. After hearing that her brother was pursuing Audrey, she had proactively approached her several times—clearly, trying to play matchmaker.
Why is she suddenly looking for me now? Is it about Prince Edessak again?
"No, it's unrelated to Prince Edessak." Glaint lowered his voice. "From what I've heard, he seems to be pursuing another beautiful lady lately."
"Well, I wish him the very best."
"I think Helena's request has to do with the occult. I talked with her about it a few days ago and…well, I might've bragged a little, saying if she ever had questions, she could come to me. I also…happened to mention you."
Audrey gave him a flat look.
"So today, she sent someone to find me and asked me to set up a meeting between you two." Glaint looked a little awkward. "But I don't think it's a bad thing. Helena's willing to pay for it."
"Pay?"
Audrey's eyes lit up. Ever since she earned that estate worth eighteen thousand pounds from Duke Negan, it felt like some dormant instinct had awakened—she'd suddenly developed a taste for making money.
Still, she suppressed her excitement. "Can I think about it? You know my understanding of the occult isn't much better than yours."
"Of course."
Viscount Glaint left in a hurry.
Susie tilted her head and asked curiously, "Audrey, your friend's expression and tone changed when he mentioned Princess Helena."
"Mmm…He's probably interested in her. But whether it's genuine affection or just a way to revive the Glaint family's fortunes—" Audrey shrugged in a very unladylike way and laughed. "—isn't really our business."
She looked up at the crimson moon above. Her thoughts had already drifted to another magical world.
It would be her third time returning. What kind of surprises awaited her this time?
———
Elsewhere, at Viscount Glaint's estate…
By the time Viscount Glaint got home, he was completely exhausted.
Once a powerful aristocratic family in Loen, the Glaints now had nothing left but a single viscountcy. His father had died clinging to the dream of restoring their former glory—but Glaint himself longed only for the mystic arts.
He had little ambition and even less political acumen. The only plan he could come up with was this: Prince Edsak was highly favored, and Princess Helena was his beloved younger sister…
The moment he stepped into his bedroom, Glaint collapsed onto the soft bed. The fatigue in his body melted away at once—
Click—
The door suddenly creaked shut.
Startled, he turned his head.
A familiar man leaned casually against the doorframe, his expression somewhere between a smirk and a sneer. He wore a black cloak, his messy blond hair disheveled, brows sun-bleached and wild.
A revolver spun lazily in his hand, and those deep blue eyes gleamed with a cold, unsettling light.
"Well, well. We meet again, Viscount."
Glaint shot upright in panic. "M-Mr. Danitz? You—how…"
"Surprised? I'm back!"
Danitz threw his arms open and let out a hearty laugh.
"Uh…welcome back."
"Hahaha! What a funny little guy."
Danitz spun the revolver on his finger before flipping open the cylinder and loading it—click, click, click. Each bullet that slid in sounded like a hammer on Glaint's chest.
Once he snapped the cylinder shut with a sharp clack, Glaint was already drenched in sweat.
"I want everything you know about that bastard."
His expression turned vicious.
"The one who stole my favorite revolver…and wiped my memory!"
———
[Note]: We are crushing our Powerstone goals! Let's keep it up! Here is the promised Extra Chapter! Enjoy~ I'll post another one if we reach 625 Powerstones by tomorrow. Go, VOTE!