Chapter 131 - 131: Audrey and Will

A thought suddenly occurred to Audrey, and a hint of concern appeared on her face. "Edward, aren't you supposed to have dinner with your friends later? Is it really okay for me to tag along?" That morning, Priscilla had sent a message through Mr. Azik's messenger, informing them that her father, Steven, had arrived in Backlund. The new dental clinic he planned to open would be in the Cherwood Borough. The location had already been tentatively selected, and he was currently negotiating with the landlord. Things were looking positive. Tonight, he wanted to have a meal with Edward to discuss it. "What's not okay about it?" Edward chuckled. "Everything I've done lately has either been too dangerous or too urgent, so I couldn't bring you along to join the fun. But today is finally something light and pleasant. Of course, I want you there." Audrey squinted with a smile. "Mmm…alright then." The two of them chatted as they left the apartment. "What are you planning to do about Mr. World's commission?" Audrey asked. Edward thought for a moment. "I'll ask someone else for help first." "Xio and Fors?" "Yep!" ——— Steven had booked a nice restaurant in the Cherwood Borough—elegant ambience, attentive service and great food. Edward had eaten there once before and had a good impression. As soon as he walked into the restaurant, Steven waved and called out to him, "Over here, Edward!" "Big Brother Edward! Lilith~~" Priscilla had once again dressed up in a lovely princess dress, with an adorable hat on her head covering her short hair. "Huh? Mr. Azik didn't come?" Edward asked after greeting the father and daughter. Priscilla sighed like a little grown-up. "He said he had other matters to take care of." Just then, her eyes lit up as she looked at Audrey. "Oh? Who's this pretty big sister?" Considering Audrey's identity, she had changed her appearance a little. She looked about sixty percent like her original self. "She's Audrey, a good friend of mine," Edward introduced. Steven took Audrey's hand and gave a courteous air kiss. "Very pleased to meet you, Miss Audrey." "Likewise," Audrey replied politely. "Ooh~" Priscilla tilted her head thoughtfully and smiled sweetly. "Hello, Big Sister Audrey! Are you Big Brother Edward's lover?" Audrey blinked, turning to look at Edward. Edward quickly shook his head with an awkward smile, signalling that he knew nothing about this. Audrey smiled gently and replied, "Not yet~" "Oh…" Priscilla turned to Edward with a sigh. "Big Brother Edward, you have to work harder then." "....." Thanks for that. Edward shoved Lilith into her arms. "Why don't you just play with Lilith for now?" "Alright, everyone, take a seat." Steven gestured for them to sit by the window. "Please wait a moment. One more friend of mine is coming. He was a classmate from medical school. Thanks to his help, I was able to find a suitable property so quickly." As he finished speaking, a voice came from the restaurant entrance. "Steven~" "Oh! Aaron, you're here." Steven quickly walked over to greet the man. The newcomer wore gold-rimmed glasses, was tall and thin, and had a cool, aloof demeanour. Beside him stood a veiled woman in a long dress—likely his wife. Holding the woman's hand was a young boy in a little suit and tie. He wasn't very tall, and it looked like he had a leg injury, as he limped slightly with each step. The moment Edward saw the boy, he froze. Wait a minute…Isn't that the Snake of Mercury? According to the original timeline, shouldn't he be busy tormenting that kind-hearted doctor in preparation for his next restart? What was going on here? Steven was just as surprised. "Aaron, I didn't even know you had a child this age." Aaron smiled slightly. "No, Will is a boy I adopted not long ago. Will, this is Mr. Steven Green." "Hello, Mr. Green." Will bowed like a proper little gentleman. Steven led Aaron's family over and began making introductions. "This is my friend Edward, and this young lady is Miss Audrey, his companion. And these are my good friend Aaron Ceres, his wife, and their adopted son." Everyone exchanged greetings and took their seats. Whether by coincidence or not—and probably not—Will ended up sitting right beside Edward. While Steven and Aaron were discussing what dishes to order, Edward glanced sideways at the child who had lived for who-knows-how-long and asked in a low voice, "What's going on here?" Will blinked innocently. "What…what do you mean?" That was when Edward realised—he wasn't actually all that familiar with the Snake of Mercury. He hesitated, unsure whether to keep pressing the question. "Dr. Aaron is a good man," Will said softly. "After treating my leg injury for free, he learned that I was an orphan and immediately took me in. I think life like this is pretty good." "..." Edward paused, then hesitantly asked, "So today…you're just here by coincidence for dinner?" "No." Will let out a helpless sigh. "I had a sudden premonition today. Felt like a really troublesome being is about to arrive. I don't know whether "He" is here for you or for me." "He?" "Mm-hmm. The one you're thinking of." "....." The Tail Devourer, Ouroboros? But I've never had any contact with "Him". Why would "He" be after me? …Wait, maybe not. Could the True Creator have sent "Him"? "Oh?" Will grinned. "Judging by your reaction, the odds that "He" is after both of us are fifty-fifty. Well, take care. I've always been pretty lucky." Edward's face darkened. You little...! Just then, Will turned to Aaron's wife and said sweetly, "Mom, can I have some ice cream?" This old monster calling someone "Mom" sounded way too natural—and downright shameless. "Of course, darling," Aaron's wife said with a gentle smile as she patted his head. "Thank you." Soon, the ordered dishes were brought up one after another. Will, clutching a large bowl of ice cream, was happily eating away. After reminiscing about some school-day antics, Steven seemed to realise he had been neglecting Edward. He quickly said, "Dr. Aaron, Edward was my neighbour back in Tingen. He once risked his life to rescue Priscilla from human traffickers." Upon hearing this, Dr. Aaron immediately raised his glass warmly toward Edward. "Oh, thank you for stepping in! I can't imagine what might've happened otherwise." Ever since he'd had a child, his paternal instincts had exploded—anything involving kids drew his utmost concern. "I was just doing what I should." Aaron sighed. "It wasn't until I had a child that I started paying attention to things I'd never noticed before—those children in poverty, those who were abandoned." He shook his head. "I want to help them as much as I can, but I'm just an average middle-class guy at best. All I can really do is donate a little money regularly, maybe bring them some food." Steven nodded solemnly. "At least you're doing something." After a moment of thought, he added decisively, "Once I'm settled here in Backlund, I'll also contribute a portion of my income each month to help." "That's great!" said Aaron with genuine delight. Edward had no choice but to chime in, "Then I guess I'll…" But Steven immediately laughed. "Oh no, Edward, you're still not even of age. Leave this to us." "Uh…" Edward scratched his head awkwardly. Ironically, he probably had the most assets among the three of them—at least for now. With the Snake of Mercury around, the Aaron household might "suddenly get rich" very soon. At that moment, Lilith hopped onto Edward's lap, front paws propped on the edge of the table, peering curiously. "Meow~?" Her eyes had locked onto Will's massive bowl of ice cream, and she gave a soft, pleading meow in his direction. Edward quickly patted her on the head. "Stop that, I'll buy you one later." To his surprise, Will pushed the entire bowl toward her without hesitation. "Go ahead and eat." "So sweet, Will," Aaron's wife said, eyes crinkling in a smile. She waved to a nearby waiter. "Excuse me, could we have another serving of ice cream, please?" Will beamed sweetly. "Thank you, Mom." You...scheming little brat! Priscilla looked at Will with curiosity. "You know, too much ice cream will make your tummy hurt~" "I won't," Will replied calmly. "Really?" She looked sceptical and shrugged. "Okay then—good luck." Will grinned. "I wish you the same." The meal ended in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Then Edward turned to Will and said, "Didn't you say earlier you needed the restroom? I'll take you." "Huh? Oh." Will let himself be dragged away, clearly not too enthusiastic. "What's the deal?" he muttered. Edward lowered his voice. "Aren't you going to offer some kind of compensation?" "For what?" "For the fact that your mortal enemy might be coming after me, thank you very much!" Will shrugged. "I'm just an eleven-year-old kid. What do you expect me to do? Besides, if that guy really is my mortal enemy, and I try to bless you with good luck or something, won't that just make it easier for him to find you?" "Seriously?" "Why would I lie?" He reached up and patted Edward's shoulder. "You'll be fine. After all, five years from now…" "Five years from now what?" "Nothing." Will waved it off and quickly walked away. Dr. Aaron and his wife soon left with Will in tow. After asking Edward a few questions about Mr. Azik, Steven also got ready to leave with Priscilla. "Bye-bye, Edward! Audrey! Lilith!" Priscilla waved cheerfully. "Edward, you better work hard~!" "Precocious little gremlin." After the carriage carrying the father and daughter disappeared down the street, Edward turned to Audrey with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Audrey. I didn't know there would be other guests today. I thought it was just a private dinner." "It's fine," she said brightly. "I actually found it really fun. At least the conversation between Mr. Steven and Dr. Aaron was meaningful—unlike those dull balls I usually attend." Then her expression shifted into something more serious. "But you...you looked super tense after seeing that Will kid." "Kid, huh?" Edward let out a dry chuckle. "That 'kid' is a Sequence 1 Angel!" "!!!" Audrey froze, completely stunned. "He—he's a Sequence 1 Angel? And I…I petted a Sequence 1's head?! He even called me sister?! Oh my god." Edward rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, that guy who plays dress-up as a kid and shamelessly devours ice cream? That's none other than the Angel of Mercury under the Fool." "Ah! Then that makes him my senior!" Audrey pondered for a moment. "And he loves ice cream, huh? Got it!" Edward blinked. "Uh, what exactly did you 'get'?" "Hee hee~ Since we're both under the Fool, and he's my senior, and also a Sequence 1 Angel—my god! With someone like that, of course I should start building a good relationship early!" "Miss Audrey Hall…have you been reading some ridiculous bureaucratic playbook at Hogwarts?" She grinned proudly. "Edward, you're misunderstanding me! I'm not some clueless little girl, you know? My father is an Earl of Loen, one of the biggest bankers and politicians around. I grew up surrounded by nobles and political heirs. I don't need books to understand this stuff!" ——— That very night, the Aaron household received a gift from the Hall family—two large crates filled with various flavours of ice cream. Dr. Aaron and his wife were utterly baffled, having no idea what had happened. Will, on the other hand, happily sampled each flavour, utterly content. "Mmm~! This is amazing! As expected of the choice made by...Mom." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.