Chapter 104 - 104: The Woman Who Listens to Stories

"Is that alright, Father?" "Of course, no problem at all!" "Thank you! I'll come pick him up soon." Leaving that big oaf at the Harvest Church wasn't really about 'reforming' him—it was just a way to keep him in one place before they set out to sea. That way, he wouldn't have the chance to get bored and do something stupid again. Edward waved his wand and lifted the Transfiguration spell. "Alright, from now on, stay here and behave. Try to get along with Father and Emlyn." Danitz rubbed his arms, his expression flickering with unease. Edward looked over at Emlyn and smiled. "Emlyn, if our pirate friend here doesn't cooperate, I'll be counting on you to...look after him properly. As for the reward…ahem, you know what I mean." Emlyn raised his chin slightly and gave a snort of disdain. "Hmph!" ...What was he? A tsundere? You know tsundere types are out of fashion these days, right? Edward placed a hand over his chest and walked backwards into the darkness. "Everyone, see you soon." ——— [88 Minsk Street] At that moment, a little black cat returned from a successful hunt. It trotted cheerfully into the bedroom, when suddenly it dropped something on the floor with a plop and shouted— "Where's Miss Lilith's house? I spent half the day rubbing my scent all over the table, the sofa, the chairs…Where's all my stuff?!" Lilith was panicking. All she did was go out for a quick hunt—what on earth had she missed? She was furious! Her sharp eyes scanned the room. Who did this?! Come out and take a few scratches from Miss Lilith already! Just then, Edward returned. She immediately ran over to complain. "Edward!! Some big jerk wrecked our den!" Edward gently scooped her into his arms, stroking her soft back fur as he spoke helplessly, "Lilith, I'm sorry to say—we're moving again." After run-ins with the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the Zmanger gang, Danitz, and Edwina…Edward felt No. 88 Minsk Street was becoming more trouble than it was worth. Besides, he still had that folded Snake of Mercury's paper on him—might as well believe in a bit of superstition. "Wuwuwu…Miss Lilith finally managed to rub her scent all over this place. I don't wanna gooo~" Edward gave his wand a casual flick. "Reparo." The bedroom restored itself to its previous state, as if time had reversed. "Say goodbye to this place." "Meow~" With a click, as the gaslight went out, the man and the cat vanished without a trace. ——— The new place was a modest inn in the East Borough. Though the décor and amenities were average, the area was bustling—perfect for a change of pace. He was going out to sea soon anyway, so this was just a temporary place to stay. Besides, it gave him the chance to see another side of Backlund. He stood by the second-floor window, peeking through a gap in the curtains at the lively street below. Compared to Minsk Street, this area was much busier, with stalls lining the roads and the air full of everyday vitality. Of course, if you paid closer attention, you'd see the stark contrast underneath that liveliness—homeless wanderers, beggars begging for change and thugs swaggering down the street. That was the real East Borough. Squeak, squeak, squeak!! Sharp squeals snapped Edward out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw Lilith standing proudly with one paw planted on a fat, struggling rat. "Edward! There are so, sooo many rats here!" "I can't finish them all! I literally can't eat them all!" "This new home is…amazing~~" Edward: "..." Suddenly, she tilted her head and gave him a deadly cute look with her crystal-like eyes. "Why are you staring at Miss Lilith? You want half the rat?" "…Thanks, but no thanks." ——— The next day. Audrey, who had accepted Edward's invitation, emerged from her handbag. She looked around the unfamiliar room and blurted out, "Did you get into trouble again?" "…" So this is the impression you have of me? That I'm constantly getting into trouble? Well…I can't argue with that. Fair enough. "You didn't…smash the windows of some church again, did you?" "No!" "Good…" "…I just happened to meet one of the Seven Pirate Admirals—Vice Admiral Iceberg." "???" "It's like this…" Edward explained why he had to move, and by the end of it, Audrey was rubbing her forehead. "I get it now. This is exactly why you drew the Tower card." After a moment's pause, she asked, "That painting…do you really think it's of you? But…that doesn't make sense. Why would your portrait be in the hands of a pirate admiral? The timeline doesn't match." Edward had thought about that, too—maybe in the future, he'd use a time-turner again. But in this world, time-turners only let you go two hours into the past. "There just isn't enough information right now. We'll have to wait until she goes back and digs up more clues." "Mm." Audrey walked to the window with her hands behind her back. She looked at the lively street outside, interest lighting up her face. "I think…this is the first time I've come to the East Borough on my own. Can you show me around?" Edward smiled. "Of course." ——— Disguised and changed in appearance, the two strolled unhurriedly down the street. Everything around them sparked Audrey's curiosity. After all, for more than a decade, her activities had been limited to the Halls family estates and high-society venues like banquets, salons, and racetracks. She had rarely ventured even into Empress Borough, let alone anywhere more mundane. Edward stayed by her side. Whenever she showed interest in something small and portable, he would buy it for her. Soon enough, both of them had their hands full of trinkets. Audrey's face glowed with delight. "Ordinary life is quite fun, isn't it? So much delicious food, fun little things, and the freedom to go wherever you like and do whatever you want. You really should've taken me out like this more often." Edward made no comment, merely accompanying her with a smile. They arrived at a public carriage station. After twenty long, tedious minutes of waiting, Edward shielded her as they squeezed into a compartment with seven or eight sweaty, grime-covered workers. For Audrey—whose outings were usually via lavish private carriages—this was, of course, a rather unpleasant experience. But she had mentally prepared herself and endured it. The carriage creaked and rattled toward the dock district. The other passengers chatted merrily all the way, filling the space with laughter and local gossip. At first, Audrey listened with curiosity. But once the road began to dip and bump, jostling violently over potholes, she genuinely feared she might be thrown out the window if Edward didn't hold her steady. Then, motion sickness hit. "Drink this," Edward said. In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, there were plenty of potions to deal with strange and mild ailments. After gulping down the offered potion, Audrey finally recovered—barely. If she had thrown up in front of Edward, the embarrassment would've killed her. She quickly turned to look out the window, taking a deep breath of air—only to nearly retch again. The air here was a far cry from that of Empress Borough. Every breath brought in foul, complex odours and countless invisible particles. But the locals seemed used to it, still chatting and laughing cheerfully, discussing where they'd go drinking that evening. The buildings outside gradually became dilapidated. She saw more pedestrians in ragged clothing with numb expressions. Some fought over scraps of food. She saw police driving them off like stray dogs. She even saw one person collapse on the side of the road—and no one gave them a second glance. Audrey's face slowly shifted into a mix of confusion, shock, and disbelief. She bit her lip. Thinking back to her earlier words, she felt a surge of shame. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I did imagine the lower-class life in Backlund would be grim…but I didn't expect it to be like this. Do the upper-class nobles in Loen know about all this?" "Of course they do. But none of them can—or want to—change the status quo. What you're seeing now has been this way for centuries. The nobles not only know, but…some of them created this. Some for wealth, others for power, and some..." …for the sake of becoming gods. He didn't say the last part aloud. "But as long as they don't see it, then to them, it doesn't exist. It's like covering your ears to steal a bell—if they can't perceive the consequences or the reality of their actions, they act as if those things aren't real. They cover their eyes and pretend it's not there. And if they do accidentally see something, they just erase the memory—then go right back to pretending." Just then, a woman sitting across from them suddenly asked, "Covering your ears to steal a bell—what does that mean?" Edward looked up and saw a plainly dressed woman in her twenties, wearing an old-fashioned soft hat and a modest skirt. Her looks were ordinary, and strangely…he hadn't noticed her at all until now. Thinking he hadn't heard, the woman repeated herself, "Excuse me, what does that phrase mean? Is it a story or a proverb?" "It is," Edward nodded and explained simply. "Long ago, someone fancied their neighbour's bell and wanted to steal it. But he was afraid it would ring and attract attention. So, he came up with a brilliant idea—he covered his own ears while stealing it. That way, he wouldn't hear the sound." "But of course, while he couldn't hear it, everyone else could." The woman mulled this over. "Seems the nobles of Loen truly are fools." "Er…" Edward hadn't expected his quiet remarks to Audrey to be overheard. It felt awkward now. What he had said might've sufficed as a teaching moment for Audrey, but to someone more experienced, it was overly simplistic—even childish. He shook his head slightly. "The original meaning might point to foolishness and self-deception, but I think…it also speaks to arrogance. Because some people don't even bother to pretend anymore." The woman thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "You're right." Thwap. She flicked out a bundle of neatly folded banknotes, which landed right in Edward's hand. "That's your payment for the story. Thank you." "Ma'am, that's not nec—" He unfolded the bills and gasped. Ten neatly stacked ten-pound notes—a hundred pounds in total. "This is too much!" "Whether it's worth it or not," she said, rising to her feet, "is for the listener to decide." She moved to the exit and, with a light jump, leapt from the moving carriage—and disappeared. The carriage never stopped. No one else on board seemed to notice anything at all. Edward's face had turned serious. Audrey, watching him, asked in a small voice, "What's wrong, Edward?" "That woman just now…she was at least a high sequence..." "What? A demigod?" "Thankfully," he said, glancing down at the money in his hand, "she meant us no harm. But this bill—no way I'm keeping it. We'll spend it as soon as we can." Audrey hesitated for a moment before saying, "You might think it's childish of me, but…could we use some of it to buy food? And give it to those people we saw on the street? I mean—I'll pay you back!" "Of course we can." After all, I'm pretty childish myself. "Oh, right. This is something I got a couple of days ago." Edward handed her the gem-like Beyonder characteristic of the Psychiatrist. "It was meant to be a gift last time—but we didn't get the chance. It's a Sequence 7 trait." "Thank you," she said softly. ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.