"Time to clock out."
Royale Reideen tossed down her cards, stood up, and yawned. That was how work went for the Nighthawks: when things got busy, they might have to risk their lives at any moment; when things were quiet, the boredom could drive them up the wall.
Of course, most of them would surely prefer every day to be quiet. It might be boring, but at least it was safe.
"I'll head home too, then. If you're free this weekend, I'll treat you all to a meal."
Edward had just stood up when Klein and Leonard spoke at the same time. "Wait."
Both paused in surprise. Klein gave Leonard a puzzled look. "I'll go see the captain first. There are a few things I'd like to ask you."
"All right."
As expected, Klein probably wanted to talk to Edward about Mr. Fool. As Mr. Fool's "Blessed," now that Klein had chosen to reveal his identity to Edward, he would certainly have to explain a few things.
Edward turned to Leonard. "What about you? Want to come along?"
Leonard picked up the coat draped over his chair and turned away. "Another day."
The two of them went to the captain's office. Captain Dunn was leaning back in his chair, gently sniffing his pipe. He looked at Edward first. "It seems you're getting along well with everyone."
"Mostly because everyone here has a good temperament. They're easy to get along with."
Dunn nodded, then said to Klein, "You're in excellent shape. You don't look like someone who's just consumed a potion at all."
"Perhaps that's the benefit of fully digesting it before Advancement." Klein thought for a moment, then asked, "Has His Excellency Cecimir left?"
"Yes. As a senior deacon, he has other matters to attend to." Dunn pondered for a few seconds. "Before leaving, he specifically mentioned that if you ever wish to join the Red Gloves, you're welcome at any time. Oh, the Red Gloves are made up of the elite among the Nighthawks."
Both surprised and bewildered, Klein asked, "Why? During that battle, I was hiding behind him the entire time."
"Perhaps he has his own set of criteria."
Dunn put his pipe between his lips. "All right. According to regulations, after your Advancement, you're entitled to a day off. Tomorrow happens to be the weekend, so you can get a good night's sleep and enjoy a nice meal with your family."
Klein nodded slightly and took a deep breath.
"That won't be necessary, Captain. I've just finished my mysticism lessons, and I'd like to use my mornings from now on to learn more combat techniques."
He paused, glancing at Edward with a serious expression. "The next time we go on a mission, I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines again, watching everyone fall into danger without being able to help."
Dunn gave him a long look, then smiled faintly. "No problem."
Chapter 51: I'm Supposed to Deal with the True Creator?
By the time they left the Blackthorn Security Company, the sun had sunk toward the horizon. Its lingering glow painted the sky a fiery red, complementing the crimson moon that had just risen on the other side.
Klein had intended to go to the stop and take a public carriage, but Edward casually hailed a hired carriage instead. As soon as they got in, Klein solemnly extended his hand to Edward. "Let me introduce myself properly. Klein Moretti, Mr. Fool's Blessed. I haven't joined the Tarot Club yet."
"Edward, Mr. Fool's faithful believer. I am willing to offer Him my entire life and soul! Wherever Mr. Fool's sword points, I shall advance. Wherever Mr. Fool's gaze falls, I shall strive to..."
"Ahem, ahem!"
Struggling to suppress his embarrassment, Klein hastily interrupted with a cough. "All right, all right, Edward. Mr. Fool is already aware of your devotion."
"Praise Mr. Fool."
Edward pressed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly.
"Uh, praise Mr. Fool."
What could Klein do? He could only follow suit.
"May I ask if you sought me out to convey some decree from Mr. Fool, Your Excellency?"
"No, nothing like that."
Klein immediately added, "Just call me Klein. I wasn't supposed to reveal my identity to members of the Tarot Club so soon. It's just that what happened today was rather unexpected."
"Thank you, Klein."
Edward meant that from the bottom of his heart. "Are you staying with the Tingen Nighthawks team to carry out some secret mission for Mr. Fool?"
Klein hesitated for a while, then nodded in acknowledgment.
"That's right, but I can't tell you about the mission yet." When I tell you will mostly depend on when I manage to make one up.
"All right. If you need anything, I'm ready to help at any time!"
Klein nodded, then asked, "By the way, weren't you living in Backlund before? Why did you suddenly move to Tingen?"
Edward sighed, looking helpless.
"Well, I don't know whether Mr. Fool mentioned it to you, but the True Creator has set His sights on me. I moved here to avoid any pursuit the Aurora Order might launch. I originally wanted to hide out at sea, actually, but Mr. Hanged Man advised against it." At that, Edward propped up his chin and muttered, "I wonder what price I could pay to have Mr. Fool deal with the Aurora Order for me-or even the True Creator."
Klein turned away to look outside, smiling bitterly.
I'm supposed to deal with the True Creator?
Brother, I only just advanced to Sequence 8! Something that ridiculous is genuinely beyond me.
Just then, he spotted his younger sister Melissa walking along the roadside and quickly called out, "Melissa!"
"Hm?" Melissa looked over in confusion. "Klein?"
Her little face immediately grew stern. "Klein, I know your new job pays quite well, but that doesn't mean you can throw money around! There are public carriages, so why waste money taking one of these? What you spend on a single ride would buy us a meal with meat."
"Uh..." Thoroughly embarrassed by the sudden scolding, Klein forced a smile. "This is my younger sister, Melissa. She's usually quite frugal."
Edward had the carriage stop, opened the door, and smiled. "We meet again, lovely miss. Klein was planning to take a public carriage. I was the one who insisted he come with me. Don't worry, he doesn't have to pay the fare."
"Ah."
Melissa instinctively covered her mouth, all her earlier fierceness gone. Her cheeks flushed as she stammered in embarrassment, "S-sorry, Klein. I didn't know..."
"It's all right. I know you're looking out for our family. But what about you? Why are you walking home again?"
Melissa pursed her lips without answering.
"All right, all right, Miss Moretti. Why don't you get in too?"
She declined softly. "No, thank you. I'm almost home."
"All right, then we won't take the carriage either."
Seeing Edward jump out of the carriage, Melissa hurriedly said, "No, no, you don't have to worry about me. Go on ahead."
After paying the fare, Edward looked at Melissa.
"Your brother Klein and I are good friends. You don't need to be so formal with me. Right, Klein?"
Klein came over and planted himself between Edward and his sister Melissa, looking as though he were guarding against a thief.
"Hmm, you two know each other?"
"We met when I was looking at houses a couple of days ago. I never imagined she was your sister. What a coincidence."
Klein breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, so that's it."
The three chatted as they walked, soon reaching the fork in Daffodil Street.
Edward waved and prepared to leave.
"All right, I'll head home now."
Melissa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Edward, it's almost dinnertime. Would you like to join us for dinner?"
Edward looked at Klein. "Would that be all right?"
"No problem, as long as you don't mind our simple fare."
"Not at all."
Just then, Edward slapped his forehead, reached into his coat, and rummaged around before pulling Lilith out. "I almost forgot about her."
The moment Lilith emerged, she complained at Edward, waving her little paws at him.
"Meow! ヽ(*.>Д<)o゜"
"???" Klein and Melissa looked utterly bewildered. Wait, where did you pull that cat from? Your coat was lying perfectly flat just now!
Is it his Beyonder ability? Klein wondered.
Edward placed Lilith on his shoulder, brought his hands together, and spread them apart, revealing a handful of playing cards in each. "As you can see, I'm a magician. A little trick like making an animal appear out of thin air is easy enough to understand, right?"
Lilith rolled her eyes. "Mrr, mrr. (*￣△￣*)"
"Ah, she's so cute."
Melissa's eyes lit up, and she could no longer tear her gaze away from Lilith. "Can I... pet her?"
"Lilith, say hello to this lovely young lady."
Lilith yawned and lightly leaped toward Melissa, who hurriedly caught her and gently stroked her fur. "So soft..."
Klein immediately eyed Edward warily. Could this fellow have ulterior motives? First, use a little animal to lower a girl's guard, then seize the chance to make a move and ultimately win her heart. He had absolutely no experience himself, but that was what all those guides to picking up girls in his previous life had said!
For no reason at all, an image appeared in Klein's mind: Edward, wearing driving loafers and dressed like some flashy young punk, casually telling him, "From now on, let's keep our titles separate. I'll call you Mr. Fool, and you can call me your brother-in-law."
What kind of absolute bullshit was that?
While Klein's thoughts ran wild, the three arrived at 2 Daffodil Street. Holding Lilith in her arms, Melissa went forward to open the door, then turned back with a lovely smile. "Please come in, Mr. Edward."
Cherwood Borough, Backlund.
Xio returned home looking exhausted and immediately saw Fors sitting upright at the desk, apparently writing furiously.
She glanced at the disheveled sofa and said glumly, "Stop pretending. The sofa's still warm."
"W-what do you mean?" Fors turned around and protested, her cheeks reddening. "I've been writing my novel all evening. I've already written... written..."
She looked down, saw the manuscript paper with only two lines on it, and immediately froze in embarrassment.
Xio sank back onto the sofa, her face full of fatigue. Fors hurriedly poured her a glass of water and brought it over, trying to please her. "Have some water. How did tonight go?"
"Not bad. I bought the ingredients I needed and got two pages of Emperor Roselle's Notebook."
Xio took the glass and had a sip, then stared blankly at the gaslight reflected in the water, lost in thought.
While purchasing ingredients for the Sheriff potion that evening, she had encountered a mysterious man wearing a golden mask. He claimed that the Sheriff formula in her possession had been sold on his instructions, with the aim of recruiting suitable people to work for him.
Xio had worried that refusing would anger the mysterious man, so she had not turned him down. After arranging a place and a method for their future meetings, he had left.
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