Early the next morning, a knock sounded at the door. From outside came Bernadette's voice, "Mr. Sparrow, are you awake?"
Edward lazily replied, "No."
Though his mouth said so, with a wave of his hand he opened the door.
The little girl tiptoed in. She was still wearing yesterday's exquisite princess dress, but her hairstyle looked rather strange—dozens of tiny braids hanging down her back, clearly the handiwork of Endili, a local island style.
"Where did you go last night? I waited so long I fell asleep."
Edward, sitting on the bed, looked at her. "And what exactly were you waiting for?"
She leaned against the bed, pursing her lips. "I…I miss Daddy. I want to go see him."
Edward chuckled. "Didn't you swear last time that you never wanted to see him again?"
Bernadette lifted her chin. "I was angry then. Besides, didn't you already help me vent my anger?"
Her wide, glistening eyes pleaded with him. "Can you take me to see Daddy again?"
"Alright."
She barely had time to feel happy before Edward added, "But it'll have to wait three days. I have something very important to do, and I'll be away during that time."
"Where are you going? Can I come along?"
"It's dangerous. I can't take you."
"Oh…"
Bernadette looked a little disappointed. "Alright, then three days from now!"
At that moment, she pulled a small box from her pocket and handed it to him. "Mr. Sparrow, this is for you."
"What is it?"
"A little pastry!"
She lifted her chin proudly. "I made it myself!"
Edward raised his brows. "You can make pastries?"
"Mama often makes pastries for Daddy. Yesterday, when she was baking, I learned from her. It was my first time, but I think it turned out pretty well."
Opening the box, Edward saw a round pastry with a smiling face drawn on it. At first glance, it actually looked quite decent.
He carefully pinched it up, popped it into his mouth, and took a bite.
Bernadette immediately held her breath, her expression full of nervous anticipation. "Well? How is it? Tasty?"
"Hmm…"
Edward frowned slightly, dragging out his tone as though he were contemplating deeply, savouring it like a critic. After a long moment, he smacked his lips and said, "Can't really taste it."
"Huh? Why?"
He touched his chin thoughtfully. "Probably because I didn't brush my teeth."
"…"
The little girl instantly let out a wail. "Aahhh! Mr. Sparrow, you're awful!!"
Edward stuffed the rest of the pastry into his mouth, patted her head, and burst out laughing.
In truth, the flavour wasn't bad at all.
———
Quartier de Noël, 11 Yadin Street.
This was a rather old-fashioned house, barely qualifying as a detached villa.
When Edward arrived, having altered his appearance, he found it still occupied—a family of six: an elderly couple, a younger couple, and two children, a boy and a girl.
They were all ordinary people, of course, and had no way of realising that another person had quietly appeared inside their home. This made Edward frown. That Intis fellow knew witches might come here, yet never thought to temporarily move this family out?
To most high-sequence Beyonders, the lives of ordinary people truly were worth nothing.
I wonder…if I advance to an even higher Sequence, will I also start to lose my humanity like this?
The house itself was dated, its decor old-fashioned. Along the staircase walls hung numerous old portraits, each labelled with the subject's name and date of birth.
After looking through them, Edward discovered that the original owner of this house had once earned a count's title for his service in a war. That title had been passed down through the generations, only for the family to dwindle until nothing remained of its former glory.
This instantly made him think of No. 7 Rose Street, that villa where, according to the "rebooted" version of Henry's story, his ancestor had also been granted a noble title for military merit.
When the same pattern repeated itself, it was rarely a coincidence.
Could it be that the other locations hiding brass rods are also tied to such cases?
But what exactly was the special reason or purpose behind all this?
Soon, Edward finished making a round through the house—everywhere except the basement. He then appeared before the family, who were still gathered in the dining room for breakfast. A few Imperius Curses later, he instructed them to pack a change of clothes and move into a hotel for three days.
Afterwards, he used Space Concealment to hide the villa itself, supplementing it with False Reality to construct a "labyrinth." Only then did he follow his divination into the basement. As before at No. 7 Rose Street, he performed the same steps and successfully uncovered another brass pillar buried beneath the floor.
Confirming there was no danger, Edward retrieved it with an invisible hand. From appearance alone, it was no different from the previous one—its surface etched with shallow, circular patterns, giving off no aura of supernatural power.
Edward casually tossed it into his spatial pocket, then crafted a fake replacement and slid it back into the mechanism.
With that done, he strolled leisurely into the living room, stretched out on a sofa he had conjured, and closed his eyes for a nap—there was nothing left for him now but to wait.
———
The day slipped by quickly in that dull waiting.
Through the windows, Edward watched daylight turn to dusk, dusk to the glow of streetlamps. He almost felt like a lonely old pensioner, left behind in a large, empty house, spending the entire day in solitude and boredom.
After grabbing a quick dinner, he followed his habit of circling the villa. The full moon had only just passed, so tonight it still appeared nearly round. Crimson moonlight spilt over the streets, painting everything in a surreal, dreamlike haze.
It was nearly nine o'clock when—
Light footsteps approached. From the far end of the street, a figure cloaked in a billowing black robe slowly walked forward. He strode straight to the villa, and the eyes hidden beneath his hood seemed to pierce through Edward's layered concealments, meeting Edward's own gaze at the doorway.
Edward instantly grew tense, ready to bolt at any moment.
If it really is that witch, there's no way I can fight her head-on.
"Yo, is that you, Number Eight?"
The robed figure chuckled. "Turns out you really are a Secrets Sorcerer."
Huh?
That voice…wasn't it that "Hunter" fellow?
"Senior Hunter?" Edward's tone carried a hint of surprise, though inwardly he remained wary. "Weren't you supposed to be guarding a different site? What brings you here?"
"Eh, as long as the brass rod gets put back after three days, why should I sit obediently in one spot? That's boring as hell."
The Hunter leaned against the courtyard wall, arms folded, grinning. "You're not seriously planning to just stay here for three days, are you?"
"Of course."
Edward nodded. "Didn't Mr. Intis tell you what happens if that thing is removed?"
"Oh, you mean that whole story about Tudor-era pollution beneath Trier? Hahahaha! Why should I care? Besides, since when does that fellow ever speak the truth? Who would you rather trust—him, or me, a modest, gentle gentleman who never causes trouble?"
"…"
The Hunter smirked. "And anyway, you're not really leaving that brass rod in place beneath this house, are you?"
Edward gave no answer. "Senior Hunter, how do you even know this is one of Mr. Intis's designated locations? Didn't he only give each of us a single site?"
"That's easy. I spent the day wandering Trier. Not only did I find you, I also found the 'Witch' and the 'Coward.'"
"The Coward? Didn't he always claim he never gets involved in any trades during gatherings?"
"Hahaha! As long as Intis pays enough, even the most timid man can't resist temptation."
The Hunter shrugged. "Take me, for instance—I can't stand that guy Intis, yet here I am working for him. Didn't you nearly get killed by his map last time? And yet here you are, trusting him again." He chuckled. "So tell me, if that Demoness of Catastrophe really shows up here, what will you do?"
"Run the moment she arrives. No reward is worth dying for."
"Hahaha! Great minds think alike. That's exactly my plan." He paused. "Where would you run?"
Both men spoke at once: "The Church."
"Ha! A pity we didn't meet earlier, we'd get along so well!"
Edward laughed. "Indeed, indeed."
"Senior Hunter, do you have any idea what Mr. Intis's true identity is? How did he get his hands on so many treasures to hire us?"
"That's not hard to guess. Nine times out of ten, he's a royal angel of Intis. Only such long-standing bloodlines would have such wealth."
"And don't you wonder why he'd go so far as to use those treasures to protect these 'rods'? What exactly are they for?"
The Hunter's tone shifted, amusement flashing in his voice. "Number Eight, are you trying to sow discord?"
"Huh? Just pure curiosity."
Dropping his folded arms, the Hunter straightened up. "As much as that Intis bastard lies, on some matters, he's told us bits of the truth.
"Intis was founded atop the ruins of the Tudor Empire. Especially beneath Trier, countless secrets still remain from the Empire's fall a thousand years ago. Naturally, there would also be plenty of relics capable of attracting demigods—or even angels."
He paused. "But I know my limits. Whatever is buried down there, it's far beyond a Sequence 4 like me. Better to help Intis finish the job and take the rewards than let greed get me killed."
"Tsk. Don't tell me you're actually tempted by Tudor relics and planning to stab Intis in the back?"
Edward quickly waved his hands. "I don't even know who 'Intis' really is—how would I even backstab him?"
"Hahaha! I don't care what you really think. But…I do hope that at least until this commission is over, you don't cause trouble. Afterwards, who knows? If the chance comes, I might even help you kick a dog when it's down."
With that, he waved. "Alright, I'm off. I'll see if I can track down the others."
Then the Hunter sauntered away, soon vanishing into the night.
Clink.
Edward flicked a coin into the air. "The robed man just now was indeed Mr. Hunter."
The coin landed heads-up in his palm.
"So it really was him?"
A trace of doubt stirred in Edward's heart. The Hunter's words just now all carried a probing undertone. Either he was simply bored and talkative…or he was connected to the Witch.
Or perhaps—he actually was that Sequence 2 Witch.
After all, who said someone with the codename 'Hunter' couldn't really be a witch in disguise?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.