"Sigh, I guess I should start studying too."
Better head back to find Audrey—she might know Ancient Feysac.
Huh?
What would happen if I used [Madman to the Right] to forcibly reverse the divination result about me not knowing Ancient Feysac? In what way would it make me learn Ancient Feysac?
The moment this reckless thought surfaced, it couldn't be stopped.
Edward took out his divination crystal and wrote on a piece of parchment, "I know Ancient Feysac."
After hesitating for a moment, he scratched that out and rewrote a more conservative version:
"Tomorrow, I will be able to learn the basics of Ancient Feysac."
"Tomorrow, I will be able to learn the basics of Ancient Feysac."
"Tomorrow, I will be able to learn the basics of Ancient Feysac."
———
After silently chanting the sentence seven times, the green crystal, unsurprisingly, began spinning counterclockwise.
"Madman to the Right is, after all, a power with a certain power over causality. Just because the process is unknown doesn't mean I should stop using it."
Taking a deep breath, he activated [Madman to the Right], reversing the previous divination result to false.
Almost immediately, the green crystal spun clockwise.
"To learn the basics of Ancient Feysac in just one night...how is that even going to happen? I'm a little nervous but also kind of excited."
Maybe…Audrey has some unique method of teaching languages?
He consoled himself with that thought and turned to look at Danitz.
"Danitz…"
Danitz reflexively blurted out, "My name is Fire Fist Ace."
"I need to head back to Backlund. Are you staying here or coming with me?"
His face instantly lit up with both tension and excitement.
"Back to Backlund? Are we going to meet that angel again?"
"No."
Danitz was a little confused, but quickly made up his mind.
"Of course I'm going with you. Otherwise, once those guys track me down, how many lives do you think I've got to spare?"
"Alright."
Edward pulled a piece of stone from his pouch—a Portkey—and scooped Lilith into his arms.
"I'm going to count down from three. Touch the stone with me when I say one."
"Huh?"
"3…2…1."
"Wait—AH?! WHA—!"
———
[Backlund, Hillston Borough]
This was where Backlund's elite resided. Lawyers, professors, doctors, and even some lower-ranking nobles and officials were all concentrated here, making the environment significantly better than that of the Cherwood Borough.
Edward checked into a decent hotel. As for Danitz, he'd already slipped away at the earliest opportunity.
After confirming the room was secure, Edward used the Vanishing Cabinet to visit Audrey. Unfortunately, even after knocking on the trunk for over ten minutes, there was no response—she must've been occupied elsewhere.
As dinner time approached, Edward took Lilith to a nearby restaurant.
Lilith was clearly distracted. She ate whatever Edward gave her, not picky at all—completely unlike her usual self. It was obvious she was troubled by the whole learning-to-read situation. Her little mind was filled with regret: Why did I, a cat, agree to learn how to read just because Edward asked me to? Susie probably doesn't even know how to read!
But on second thought, if Suzie doesn't know how to read but Miss Lilith does, doesn't that make me even more amazing?
Still, those strange and complicated letters…just looking at them made her sleepy. So hard!
Sigh—
Life is tough. Even for a cat.
"Hello."
With light footsteps, a familiar figure approached.
"We meet again. May I sit here?"
It was that same woman who was likely a demigod. Her outfit had changed—she now wore a somewhat flamboyant and eccentric long dress with leather boots, but still had that same leather hat atop her head.
"Of course."
Edward quickly scooped Lilith into his arms.
"Would you like to eat something? Want me to order you dinner?"
"No need."
She sat down across from Edward, took off her hat and placed it on her lap. Then, with practised ease, she placed ten neatly folded banknotes in front of him.
"Do you have a new story?"
"If I say no, are you going to take this 100 Pounds back?" Edward joked tentatively.
"No." She shook her head. "Consider it a fee for bothering you. But I do hope you'll still tell me something."
Resting her pale chin in her palm, she stared absentmindedly out at the passersby beyond the restaurant window.
"Alright, let me think."
Edward's previous two stories were both popular within Oriental cultures, which, in truth, clashed a little with the Western cultural background of this world.
At that moment, he glanced down at the dazed Lilith in his arms and spoke, "Then today, I'll tell a fairy tale."
"A fairy tale?"
The woman's unfocused gaze instantly sharpened.
"Uh, is it too childish?"
She shook her head. "No—I like fairy tales."
"Alright then. This story is called—The Cat and Mouse in Partnership."
Lilith immediately looked up at Edward, as if a particular keyword had been triggered. But she remembered Edward's instructions and restrained herself from speaking.
"The Cat and Mouse in Partnership" was a lesser-known Grimm's fairy tale. Edward wasn't sure whether Emperor Roselle had ever plagiarised it, but at the very least, it wasn't included in his published works.
Edward's tone softened as he began telling the story like he was speaking to a child, "A cat once met a mouse, and the cat said it really liked the mouse and wanted to be friends. It hoped they could live together and get through the winter as companions. The mouse, seeing the cat's sincerity, agreed to live with it.
As winter approached, they bought a jar of lard to store for the season and placed it somewhere safe, where no one else could reach it.
But the cat was greedy and couldn't resist. It made up excuses like being invited to a christening as a godmother to sneak away and eat the lard by itself.
The first time it returned, the mouse asked what the godchild's name was. The cat said, 'Top off.'
The second time, the name was 'Half-gone.'
And by the third time, it was 'All-gone'. Although the mouse was confused by these strange names, it didn't think too much of it.
Then, when winter truly arrived and food was scarce, the mouse suggested they go share the lard together—only to find the jar was completely empty. When she beholds the empty jar, enlightenment dawns on the mouse: "First 'Top-off', then 'Half-gone', and then—"
Edward paused for effect, then grinned.
"Before the mouse could even finish saying 'All-gone,' the cat pounced and swallowed it whole."
He shrugged at the lady across the table. "That's the end of the story."
A beat passed.
"When a mouse tries to befriend a cat, all that awaits it is a tragic end. That's just how the world works."
Pat, pat, pat—
Lilith couldn't help batting Edward's hand with her little paw, clearly wanting to voice her opinion but unable to speak. She looked utterly exasperated.
Meanwhile, the woman across from him seemed thoughtful. After a moment, she suddenly asked, "Are you…implying something about the relationship between you and me?"
"Uh…not really," Edward replied honestly. "I mean, I do suspect you're a high-ranking Beyonder, but there's no real conflict of interest between us. We don't have that natural predator-prey dynamic. It's just a simple story."
She nodded. "I've seen many people as foolish as that mouse. But I liked this story. Thank you."
Then she placed another banknote on the table. Casually, she asked, "What do you think of Emperor Roselle?"
Edward answered without hesitation, "Emperor Roselle? He was a truly remarkable man—intelligent, wise, a genius! No words of praise could ever capture even a fraction of his brilliance. He was the protagonist of his era, destined to leave a dazzling mark on history and be remembered forever."
"..."
The woman froze, then murmured as if to herself, "Yes…But why would someone like that, in the end…"
She picked up her hat and stood up. After a long moment of hesitation, she asked in a soft voice, "Sometime soon…would you be willing to go somewhere and tell me more stories?"
"Where?" Edward asked.
"I can't tell you that yet."
Edward scratched his head, troubled. "Well…if I happen to be free at the time, I don't mind. But I should let you know—I might be leaving Backlund soon. If that happens…"
"Don't worry. I'll find you."
Damn, Edward thought. How am I supposed to feel reassured after hearing that?
She seemed to realise what she had just said and added gently, "I'll pay you handsomely."
With that, she put on her hat again and turned to leave.
"Edward!"
Lilith, who had been holding it in for so long, finally couldn't resist and whispered, "That story you told just now wasn't right! Cats aren't like that!"
Edward chuckled and patted her head. "I know. Of course Miss Lilith wouldn't be such an untrustworthy cat."
"No! That's not it!!"
She shook her head fiercely and said seriously, "Cats don't eat lard!!"
"???"
Edward's jaw dropped. He looked at Lilith, who was staring back at him with utmost seriousness. So that's what you were in such a rush to correct?!
"What about the mouse then?"
"Of course you eat the mouse!"
Edward facepalmed. "Don't you think it's wrong that the cat ate the mouse in the story?"
"Nope!"
"They promised to live together. How could the cat…"
"But cats are supposed to eat mice!"
"..."
Yeah, cats eat mice, dogs eat meat, Ultraman beats up little monsters. That is just the natural order of things.
Fair enough.
Vrrr—
A chill wind blew from behind as a small black bird emerged from the spirit world and dropped a letter on Edward's table.
"Your mail."
"Huh? Christine? What's she looking for me for?" Edward muttered. Though he had made some arrangements with Lawrence, he and Christine didn't owe each other anything anymore. Did Lawrence tell her about our agreement?
He thought it over, then wrote the hotel address on a slip of paper and handed it to the messenger bird. "Take it back to her."
Scooping up the leaping Lilith, Edward stood up and headed out.
"Let's go home."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.