Mr. A hesitated for a moment before asking, "So what exactly are you getting at?"
"I need the Aurora Order—at least the Backlund branch under your charge—to provide me with protection."
He considered for a second, then nodded. "Fine."
"I need you to find a way to eliminate the Saint of Secrets who betrayed the Lord, so there'll be no future troubles."
"That goes without saying. I'll return every ounce of shame and pain he brought me."
"I also need you…to help me locate some materials. Hmm…a complete Brain of Azmann, a cursed object from an Ancient Wraith, the heart of a Spirit World Traverser, and a crystal of a Thousand-Faced Hunter."
"???"
Mr. A's eerie brows rose slightly. "And what does this have to do with the Lord or the Aurora Order?"
Edward answered righteously, "Because I also need to grow stronger. That's the only way I can stay alive!"
"Hehehe…Hahahahahaha."
Suddenly, Mr. A burst into laughter. He leaned forward, his posture resembling a venomous serpent, staring straight at Edward.
"Do you think just because you invoke the Lord's name, you can issue orders to me at will? Are you being clever, or do you think I'm a fool?"
No!
Edward would never assume that Mr. A—who'd managed the Backlund branch of the Aurora Order so successfully—was a fool. He was merely testing Mr. A's limits…Or rather, testing the attitude the True Creator had toward him.
Mr. A continued coldly, "Mr. Edward, you are not the first the Lord has asked me to 'invite' back, and you won't be the last. You…are not special, nor are you indispensable."
That might not be true.
Although that was what he thought, Edward still put on a surprised face. "I never meant to order you around. If you're unwilling, then forget it."
"…"
Mr. A fell silent for a few seconds, then said coldly, "I'll have someone keep an eye out for the materials."
After a pause, he gritted out a few words through clenched teeth. "Anything else?"
"Hmm…Recently I read in the papers that the Zmanger Gang was wiped out. Was that the Aurora Order's doing?"
"Yes."
"Then you'd better be careful. Behind the Zmanger Party was Intis's ambassador, Bakerland Jean Madan. It took them a lot of effort to drive that nail into Loen's soil, and now that the Aurora Order's destroyed it, he's sure to retaliate. Don't let him drag the entire Aurora Order down with him."
"Bakerland Jean Madan? I'll keep that in mind."
With that, his body melted back into shadow and vanished.
Whew—
Edward let out a long breath. Dealing with these fanatical lunatics was truly nerve-wracking. Who knew when they might just snap and go berserk?
Hmm…If Mr. A were a Madman, he'd definitely be an instant-promotion type—one bite and you're done!
"Sigh, I'd better reply to Fors first."
He first apologised for getting them involved. Then he told her the situation had been resolved and that she didn't need to worry about being bothered by Mr. A again.
Afterwards, he leaned back slightly, somewhat dazed:
So…my greatest crisis in Backlund…was just resolved like that?
———
That night, Backlund was unexpectedly quiet.
Neither the Nighthawks from the Church of the Evernight Goddess nor the Mechanical Hivemind from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery took immediate action, despite receiving clues from Edward. Devils were notoriously sensitive to danger, so they had no choice but to tread carefully and wait for the perfect kill shot.
———
Early the next morning, just as Edward was stepping out with a still-sleepy Lilith to grab some breakfast, a piece of explosive news was spreading through the streets with the cries of a paperboy:
"Intis's Ambassador Assassinated! Intis's Ambassador Assassinated!! Aurora Order Claims Responsibility!"
"Intis's Ambassador Assassinated! Intis's Ambassador Assassinated!! Aurora Order Claims Responsibility!"
Watching the paperboy vanish down the street, Edward couldn't help but marvel at Mr. A's efficiency: Truly worthy of a professional lunatic—he works fast!
No effort, no risk, just a few choice words—and the ambassador was taken care of for free. That was some slick manoeuvring.
Now it was time to report his achievement to Klein!
Edward turned back into the room, drew the curtains shut, and began his prayer to Mr. Fool.
———
[15 Minsk Street]
"I see."
Klein responded blandly, cutting off the connection with Edward.
Well done!
He had to admit—having such a powerful 'subordinate' really did ease the mind.
Phew. The Zmanger Party was gone, the Intis ambassador was dead.
No more need to worry about anyone constantly plotting his murder.
Klein relaxed into his chair and closed his eyes, feeling quite content.
"Wait a minute!"
A thought struck him: "Doesn't this mean…I'll have to pay Edward a huge sum of money?!"
Ah!
Mr. Fool's heart ached.
Ding, dong, ding, dong.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, echoing through the house.
A new commission? Klein blinked, got up, and made his way to the door.
Before his hand even touched the doorknob, a mental image of his visitor naturally surfaced in his mind. It was a refined middle-aged gentleman with a greying temple, a lean face, and remarkable poise.
That's…the private detective Isengard Stanton! We've met a few times. What's he doing here?
Perplexed, Klein opened the door and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Stanton. What brings you here?"
Isengard removed his semi-tall silk hat and returned the smile. "Good morning, Mr. Moriarty. I'd like to work with you. I believe you're an excellent detective—you uncovered the East Balam shipyard and the dockworkers' union case all on your own."
"Work together on what?"
"Finding the culprit behind the recent serial murders."
Klein hesitated. "But I…"
"The police have offered a reward—two thousand pounds."
Klein extended his hand without a second thought. "Pleasure to work with you."
———
[Empress Borough—Hall Family's Luxurious Villa]
Audrey was accompanying her parents and brother, enjoying dessert after dinner while chatting.
She took a sip of the reddish-brown tea, letting the faint aroma of malt and rose linger in her mouth. After a moment, she set down her cup and murmured inwardly, "Hmm…a bit too sweet."
Just then, Earl Hall gave his newspaper a sudden shake and exclaimed in surprise, "The Aurora Order is absolutely insane."
The Aurora Order? Audrey blinked, curiosity piqued. "What have they done this time?"
Earl Hall shook his head. "Oh, darling, you wouldn't want to know. They just wiped out a gang not long ago, and today, they actually assassinated the Intis ambassador, Bakerland Jean Mardan. I truly don't know what they're thinking."
Audrey's brother, Hibbert Hall, chuckled. "Maybe they're trying to sabotage relations between the Kingdom and Intis—but that's just wishful thinking."
"That might not be entirely impossible…"
The father and son delved deeper into the topic.
But Audrey's thoughts gradually drifted away—
The Intis ambassador was assassinated?
Wasn't that the mission given by Mr. Fool to "His" Blessed?
As she recalled, the ones who accepted the commission were herself, Edward, and The Hanged Man. Fors and Xio hadn't even had a chance to act yet, and now the Aurora Order had beaten them to it?
Soon, the father and son's discussion expanded to topics like the finances of Loen and the old versus new party conflict, and they left the room together for the study.
"Mother, I'm full too," Audrey said.
Lady Hall smiled gently. "Alright, dear. Your father and brother are always like this—talking about all that nonsense even during meals."
Well, technically, those topics were serious matters.
But of course, Audrey wouldn't say that. "Mother, I'll head to my room."
"Go ahead."
"Oh, right—can I take that newspaper with me?"
"Of course."
Audrey leaned over to kiss her mother on the cheek, picked up the newspaper, and walked toward her room. Susie, like a shadow, appeared silently and followed close behind.
Back in her room, Audrey quickly flipped through the Backlund Daily Tribune, then sighed and tossed it onto the desk—already stacked with several piles of newspapers from the past few days.
Yet not a single one mentioned the lives of those at the bottom rung of society—people from East Borough, South of the Bridge, the Docks.
"Ugh…"
Susie tilted her head and asked curiously, "Audrey, you seem troubled. What happened?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Why not? You always say I'm smart, not any worse than most humans."
Audrey rested her chin on her hand, thinking. "Then let me give you an example. Imagine there's a Dog King. In pursuit of its own reign, it ignores the people at the bottom—no, not just ignores them, but allows others to exploit them madly. These people suffer in poverty, in pain, and eventually die, all for some goal unknown to most."
"But on the surface, this Dog Kingdom appears prosperous. It looks like everyone is doing well. Then one day, you discover the truth. You realise this Dog Kingdom isn't what it seems. What would you do?"
Susie took a while to digest the story. After pondering, she asked, "Are you the dog that discovered the truth?"
"…."
Audrey didn't want to admit it—but Susie wasn't being mean. She could only nod. "Yes."
"No one can challenge the Dog King?"
"Challenge?"
"Yeah."
Susie wagged her tail. "In the dog world, the leader is usually the strongest. If another dog isn't happy with the leader, they can challenge them. If they win, they become the new leader. Can't humans do that?"
"Well…sort of," Audrey replied, recalling her history books. "But the succession of human regimes isn't as simple as just fighting. Besides, the leader isn't alone—they're usually surrounded by powerful and loyal followers."
"Ohhh…"
Susie lay on the ground, tail still wagging. "Then I would pretend like I didn't know anything. After all, worrying won't solve anything. But I'd secretly gather strength and wait for the right opportunity."
Audrey blinked. That's right—nothing can be solved just by worrying. So why waste energy fretting?
Audrey, Audrey…you've been outdone by a dog in clarity of thought!
She bent down and patted Susie's head. "Susie, you're right! You really are smart!"
"Of course!"
Susie perked up with glee, tail wagging furiously. "So when you go see Edward later, can I come too? Lilith hasn't visited me in ages."
"How do you know I'm going to see Edward?"
"You forgot? I'm a Spectator—and a Telepathist. Your thoughts are written all over your face."
"….."
Audrey covered her forehead.
Sorry, Humanity's Beyonders, I've embarrassed you all!
———
That evening, Audrey visited Edward and confirmed the ambassador's assassination. While the act was carried out by the Aurora Order, it was indirectly triggered by Edward. She also learned about Edward's experiences from the day before.
Although Edward downplayed the danger and only emphasised what he had gained, Audrey still looked at him seriously and said, "That was far too dangerous! You should have escaped right away and reported it to the Church!"
Uh-oh—ever since the Chamber of Secrets incident at Hogwarts, Audrey had adopted "reporting to the Church" as a go-to action. At the slightest sign of trouble, she'd want to file a report.
"I only talked to Mr. A because my divination showed it wouldn't harm me."
"…."
She said nothing, just stared at him—not with reproach, but with concern.
Edward immediately surrendered, raising his hands. "I won't do it again!"
Audrey said no more. She pursed her lips and asked, "Are we still studying Ancient Feysac tonight?"
The moment she mentioned that, Edward felt a strange headache. Still, he nodded. "Sure."
"And let's play a game afterwards. How about Super Mario?"
"Now that's a plan!"
Edward rolled up his sleeves. "Watch me speedrun it on one life!"
———
[Note]: What a shame. We didn't reach our Powerstone goal, so no extra chapter. But, if you guys want one tomorrow, we'd need to hit 235 Powestones. Go, VOTE!
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