I wonder where Priscilla stays while he's at work. I remember Scart saying only Mr. Green and his daughter live here. Could his wife be... No, perhaps they're just living apart.
He hung the small gift on the doorknob and returned to No. 5. The instant he turned the key and the bolt clicked, Lilith's ears suddenly pricked up, and she raised her head warily to look around.
"...Tsk, don't tell me it's Christine again. Didn't we already settle things just now?"
Without betraying anything, Edward grabbed Lilith and slipped her inside his clothes, dropping her into the open Leather Pouch. Then he slowly backed away.
Just then, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He immediately realized someone was trying to pull him into a dream and quickly cast a Wakefulness Charm on himself, shaking off the sleepiness.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Chapter 50: Leonard: I Don't Believe You Can One-Shot Me!
"Protego."
With a clang, the bullet struck the floor at his feet and ricocheted away. It was only a warning.
Edward turned to see Leonard approaching with a revolver aimed at him. "Edward, don't resist. Please come with us."
Why is it Leonard?
Two more figures appeared in succession: a man in a black trench coat with deep eyes and a slightly receding hairline, and a woman whose black hair was smooth as silk. The three closed in on Edward in a triangular formation.
Why are the Nighthawks attacking me? Edward was bewildered. Is it because I only 'joined' the Church of Evernight yesterday, and they haven't heard yet? Shouldn't they send a telegram to Backlund to check first?
Oh well, since they're here, let's give the Nighthawks a greeting from a Warlock.
"Dazzling!"
With a hum, a translucent ripple spread outward. All four Nighthawks froze at once. By the time they regained their senses, Edward had vanished.
The next second, Leonard cried out in alarm, "Captain, watch out!"
Edward appeared behind Dunn with a crack. "Stupefy."
The moment Dunn heard the sound, he rolled sideways to dodge. Before he could make another move, however, the roadside plants and vines suddenly turned into ropes and looped around his legs.
In one fluid motion, he drew a dagger and cut the ropes.
"Tarantallegra."
Dunn lost control of his legs and began tap-dancing on the spot. The ropes transfigured from the plants seized the opportunity to bind him tightly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Leonard fired three shots in succession, all striking the same spot, finally punching a crack through the Shield Charm. Edward merely smiled and cast another one on himself.
"Damn it!"
Leonard cursed and moved swiftly, dodging several spells in succession. Just as he was about to fire a fourth shot, the revolver suddenly flew out of his hand and into Edward's.
"Nice gun. It's mine now. Dazzling, Petrificus Totalus!"
Another Dizziness Spell rippled outward. After a brief daze, Leonard's body rapidly stiffened and petrified, turning him into a statue.
Edward vanished again with a crack, evading Royale Reideen's attack from the side, then retaliated with a Petrificus Totalus that froze her on the spot.
With that, the Tingen Nighthawks team had been completely "wiped out."
Edward did not relax in the slightest, however. Instead, he turned toward his front door.
Click.
The door opened from inside, and Crestet Cesimir slowly walked out in a black trench coat and white shirt. In his hand was a white bone sword less than a meter long, carved with mysterious patterns.
Klein followed behind Crestet Cesimir, his face full of shock and doubt. Didn't Edward only become a Beyonder two or three weeks ago? How did he defeat the captain and the others so easily? Is everyone on the Apprentice Pathway this powerful?
GM! I want to report an unbalanced class!
As Edward studied Crestet Cesimir, Crestet was studying him as well. He had originally thought this would be an ordinary operation. Dunn and the others had not even brought a Sealed Artifact-according to the information Klein had provided, Edward had only become a Beyonder two or three weeks ago.
Yet the result had astonished him. The three Nighthawks had been defeated one by one in less than two minutes. Had their opponent wanted to kill them, Dunn and the others would already have been three corpses.
"You..."
Just as Crestet Cesimir began to speak, Edward unhesitatingly raised both hands in a French military salute. "I surrender."
"..."
Beneath the Blackthorn Security Company.
Edward sat inside a partitioned room, staring blankly ahead. Half an hour had passed since they had brought him back.
Leonard stood at the door, watching him through its window.
Klein approached carrying two cups of coffee and handed one to him. "Stop staring. Once His Excellency Cecimir's messenger returns, we'll know whether he's telling the truth."
"Right. I understand."
Leonard took the coffee and had a sip to conceal his true thoughts. Did Edward really discover the old man living inside me? How did he find out? Who is he, really? Even the old man said he'd never seen those abilities Edward used to defeat the Nighthawks.
But Leonard could only keep those questions to himself and mull them over alone.
Before long, Crestet Cesimir emerged from the alchemy room, holding a sheet of parchment and looking slightly surprised.
Klein and Leonard asked in unison, "Well?"
Crestet handed them the parchment. "I just confirmed it with His Excellency the Saint in Backlund. Edward did indeed join the Church recently, but he hasn't joined any official organization yet."
Klein finally breathed a sigh of relief.
For now, Mr. Fool's requirements for members of the Tarot Club were actually quite simple: they did not have to be entirely good people, but they had to show him a basic degree of respect.
After reading the parchment, Leonard asked in surprise:
"It says Edward is to be transferred to the Tingen Nighthawks team starting today?"
"That's right."
Crestet smiled at Captain Dunn, who had remained silent throughout. "Dunn, as captain, you should give him the news. I need to hurry up and assess Klein. I have other matters to attend to this afternoon."
Naturally, Crestet was very interested in Edward. After learning that Edward was only Sequence 8, he was even more curious about his strange and varied Beyonder abilities. But His Excellency the Saint had given specific instructions, so he had to swallow his curiosity.
"All right."
Captain Dunn took the parchment from Leonard and entered the partitioned room. With a serious expression, he said:
"Mr. Edward, today's operation was an error in judgment on my part. I apologize."
Dunn was voluntarily taking the blame. Given his usual way of handling things, he would certainly have confirmed Edward's identity with Backlund before taking action. But Crestet Cesimir happened to be here, and he had insisted there was something wrong with Edward. He had also made the final decision to arrest him.
"There's no need to go that far."
Edward was quite fond of Dunn: a man who frequently forgot things and liked saying "wait," who cared for his subordinates and possessed delicate feelings, yet whose inferiority complex kept him from confessing to the woman he loved right up until his death.
"Good. Then I hope we'll work well together from now on."
Dunn held out his hand. Edward shook it instinctively, then froze. "Wait, work together? What do you mean?"
"His Excellency the Saint in Backlund has transferred you to our Tingen Nighthawks team. We'll be colleagues from now on. I'm the captain, Dunn Smith." A little more of a smile appeared on Dunn's face. He was in quite a good mood. Previously, most of the Tingen team's fighting strength had rested on him alone as a Sequence 7. Now that they had a teammate who could "one-shot" him, he felt considerably less pressure on his shoulders.
"Huh?"
Edward quickly scanned the parchment. Its contents were simple: By the Goddess's will, Edward was to join the Tingen Nighthawks team immediately-Anthony Stevenson.
Tsk, after all that running around, you just wanted me to join the Tingen Nighthawks and become Klein's teammate? Why didn't you say so earlier?
Fine! Consider this repayment for helping conceal me.
His thoughts raced, and he soon made his decision.
Edward stood and bowed slightly. "Understood, Captain Dunn."
"Let me introduce the team members first."
Dunn led Edward out of the partitioned room. "This is Leonard Mitchell, a Sequence 8 Midnight Poet. You've already met."
Leonard nodded, though his eyes still held a wary look.
"This lady is Royale Reideen, a Sequence 9 Sleepless."
Royale Reideen responded with a cool nod.
"Klein has gone to the alchemy room with His Excellency Cecimir to undergo his advancement assessment. I hear you knew each other before?"
"That's right. Klein helped me become a Beyonder, actually."
Dunn had already heard about this supposed "help." He continued, "Besides them, the team has five other members. Frye, a Corpse Collector, is out investigating a case. Seeka Tron, a Midnight Poet, is guarding the Chanis Gate today. Old Neil had an accident a while ago and nearly lost control, so he can only remain behind the Chanis Gate."
"And there's me."
Rozanne raised her hand.
"That's right, there's Rozanne too."
Dunn made a rare joke. "You can tell her what kind of coffee you like. She's very good at making it."
"Captain, I'm a clerk, not a waitress."
After that small complaint, Rozanne turned to Edward. "Hello, Edward. I'm Rozanne. My father was also a full member of the Nighthawks. We'll be colleagues from now on. Um, although I don't like what the captain just said, I really am quite good at making coffee."
Edward placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"I'm Edward, a Sequence 8 Trickmaster. I'm very glad to join the Tingen team."
The Nighthawks were not a real company, after all, so there was no welcoming ceremony for a new recruit. Once everyone had introduced themselves, Edward officially became a member of the team.
When Klein emerged from the alchemy room, his face was full of smiles. He had just passed the assessment and successfully consumed the potion, becoming a Sequence 8 Clown.
Compared with Sequence 9, when he had possessed only the purely supportive ability of divination, the Clown Potion had not only granted him multiple supernatural abilities but also strengthened his physique. It certainly lived up to its reputation as a potion for combat. He was now confident that the next time he encountered a fight, he would not be relegated to watching from the sidelines as before.
As soon as Klein came out, he saw Edward, Leonard, and Royale Reideen playing Fight the Landlord... Fight Evil. Leonard looked at Edward with a casual air and sneered:
"I don't believe you can one-shot me with twenty cards!"
Edward glanced at him and silently laid down all his cards. "Airship."
"..."
At that moment, Leonard was possessed by the spirit of Grandpa Lu, and his words became a prophecy.
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