Chapter 18 - 18: Responsibility

[Inside the Red Agate Room] Edward finished his cup of coffee just as Klein finally returned. "Apologies, I must have eaten something bad yesterday. Sorry to keep you waiting." Klein sat back down, a confident smile on his face. "But while I was in the washroom, I performed another divination. If you trust my judgment…" He tapped his finger on the Apprentice slip. "This pathway might suit you better." "I trust you!" Edward responded firmly and without hesitation. "Uh…" Klein was momentarily stunned. Didn't you just display severe decision-making anxiety? He had prepared a whole list of justifications, expecting Edward to be reluctant and indecisive. But now, the guy accepted it instantly? "Oh, Mr. Moretti, I really must thank you." Edward stood up and grabbed Klein's hand in gratitude. "Otherwise, I might have agonized over this for another ten days or half a month, only to end up choosing a pathway completely unsuitable for me." Then, he pulled out a 10-pound note and handed it over. "A small token of appreciation." "Uh…you're too kind." Klein wasn't used to this level of enthusiasm, but he quickly drowned in the joy of earning another 10 pounds. Being a Diviner was truly a profitable profession! Edward put on his hat, took a step back, and politely saluted, preparing to leave. At that moment, Angelica arrived again, an apologetic expression on her face. "Sorry to interrupt again, Mr. Moretti. Another visitor is here for you—Miss Megose." Edward instinctively glanced toward the reception area. There stood a girl with golden hair, wearing a ruffled bonnet. Her complexion was unhealthy pale white, and her slender fingers absentmindedly caressed her slightly bulging abdomen as she muttered something under her breath. Sensing Edward's gaze, the girl looked up at him. Her lost and dazed expression suddenly turned to excitement. "Is it you?" She stared straight at Edward, murmuring the question like a sleepwalker. In that instant, Edward felt as if he had become a frog caught in the stare of a venomous snake. Terror consumed him, yet his legs refused to move. "Is it you?" She stepped closer, her voice rising slightly. "Not me, not me!" Edward screamed in his heart, yet his mouth refused to utter a single word. Despair. Horror. A chill that seeped into his bones. At this moment, he finally understood how Klein had felt in the original story. "Mr. Edward, what's wrong?" Klein stepped out and gave him a puzzled pat on the shoulder. Edward's body trembled violently, snapping him out of the trance. He immediately turned and bolted in the opposite direction. "I…I'm going home. You—be careful." Before Klein could react, Edward sprinted away. Once he reached a place where no one could see him, he vanished away with a soft crack. "...That way leads away from the exit." Klein muttered in confusion before turning to Megose. "I'm sorry, Miss Megose, but I still have no leads on Lavenus." Megose didn't even look at him. She kept staring in the direction Edward had fled, her expression becoming lost once more. "Gone. Gone…" She gently stroked her belly. "Alright, let's go home." Muttering to herself, she turned and walked away. Klein was left completely bewildered. "What the hell just happened?" ——— [Outskirts of Tingen City] Edward suddenly materialized out of thin air. He stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground. "That scared the hell out of me!" He hurriedly pulled out the Secret Supplicant formula, tore it into pieces, then incinerated the fragments into ashes and scattered them in the wind. Without stopping, he teleported multiple times in quick succession, only relaxing once he reached his villa in the Empress Borough. "That was too close…I was almost done for!" Collapsing onto the sofa, he grabbed a teapot, flipped open the lid, and chugged the liquid down. His frantic thoughts gradually settled. "Megose…the vessel of the True Creator's descent. The first boss-level enemy Klein faced in the original novel…But why did she seek me out?" "This must be connected to Mr. A…No, he shouldn't have that much power." "Could it be…that the Evil God has discovered my true identity?" Edward's breath hitched. As an "outsider intruding into this world," and with his current weak strength, he had long prepared himself for the possibility that the gods of this world might discover him. But now that it had actually happened… An overwhelming sense of despair and helplessness crashed down on him. "Please…let this just be my overthinking." "Let Megose have been drawn to me by something else—like the Snake of Mercury." He froze for a moment. "Wait. What if the Snake of Mercury also already knows I'm an outsider?" A horrifying realization hit him. It felt as if he had been running naked in broad daylight under the watchful eyes of powerful beings. Quickly, he smacked his forehead multiple times, forcing himself to stop overthinking. "No use dwelling on this. Right now, my priority is to consume the potion and become a Beyonder." That being said… Edward didn't rush it. Instead, he first went out for a lavish meal, then had a good night's sleep to fully restore his energy. Along the way, he also visited Audrey to carefully memorize every detail of potion brewing. By the time he returned to the villa, night had already fallen. Through the bay window, the half-moon cast its blood-red glow onto the floor. Even after living here for nearly a week, the sight still made him uneasy. As usual, he first cast an Expulsion Charm, then pulled out the Apprentice pathway formula. Sequence 9, Apprentice— Main ingredients: - 20ml of Hornacis Gray Mountain Goat Blood - 30g of Star Crystal Supporting Ingredients: - 100ml Purified Water - 7 Golden Mint Leaves - 4 drops of Poison Hemlock - 7g of Dragon Blood Grass Powder. Edward retrieved a cauldron and carefully added the ingredients in sequence. The liquid inside gradually began to boil, releasing an illusory mist that quickly filled the room, shrouding everything in a hazy fog. A few seconds later, the mist dissipated. Inside the cauldron, only a small lump of pinkish-violet bubbling concoction remained—like a single droplet of water on a lotus leaf, hovering close to the cauldron's walls without truly touching them. Edward carefully poured the droplet into a glass. Through the transparent surface, he saw that the pinkish-violet shimmered faintly, as if countless stars were hidden within, emitting a subtle radiance. "So…this is the Apprentice potion?" "Alright, time to give myself a buff first!" Edward pulled out a small bottle of Felix Felicis and took a light sip. Instantly, a sense of renewal coursed through his body. "Alright, let's do this!" Without hesitation, he grabbed the potion and downed it in one gulp. A cool sensation slid down his throat and into his stomach. Before he could even register the taste— His entire body convulsed violently. His vision blurred as everything around him split into overlapping red, yellow, and blue shadows. An indescribable, mystical flood of information surged into his consciousness. His body felt like it had been tossed onto a trampoline and launched upward. Forcing his eyes open, he saw another version of himself lying on the sofa, convulsing. "Out-of-body experience? No…soul detachment?" All around him, radiant streams of different colours floated, each one brimming with life and unfathomable knowledge. Edward suddenly understood— As long as he reintegrated his consciousness into his body, it would signify a successful potion absorption—his official ascension to an Apprentice. Without hesitation, he forced his mind downward, merging with his body. The moment his eyes snapped open— "Success!" Just then, a crimson moonbeam shone through the window. In an instant, his entire world turned blood-red. A cacophony of endless whispers surged from all directions— "Don't save me! Don't save me! Don't save me!" "Don't save me!" "DON'T SAVE ME!" "DON'T SAVE ME!" The shrill, piercing voices scraped against his mind, sending a torment akin to nails dragging across a blackboard or silver needles stabbing into his fingernails. It was ten times worse than the pain he had felt when returning to the Harry Potter world. For a split second— His brain felt like it was about to explode. "This is…Mr. Door's whispers!!" Edward let out a pained scream and rolled off the sofa, writhing in agony. His hair and fingernails began to grow at an unnatural speed, leaving bloody scratches on the floor. "I'm losing control?! "Why…is this happening?!" The pain intensified—it felt like his entire body was boiling, on the verge of turning into vapour, ready to be expelled not just through his seven orifices, but from every pore in his skin. "No! I can't let it end like this! There has to be another way!" Suddenly— A searing pain flared on the back of his hand. The next second, he found himself standing in a pitch-black night sky. In front of him— A vague, illusory door. "A door?" "Is this…the very door that brought me into this world?" No time to think. He reached out and pressed his palm against it. In an instant— His mind cleared. The excruciating pain, madness, and despair vanished like a phantom illusion. ——— [Tingen City] Klein was immersed in a beautiful dream where he was earning thousands of pounds daily. Suddenly— A layered, echoing prayer rang in his ears. "Who the hell is praying to me at this hour?!" Frustrated, Klein sat up, irritated by whoever had rudely interrupted his dream. But then, he quickly realized— Someone was using the three-phase format to send a prayer. He listened carefully— It was a male voice, hoarse, seemingly suppressing immense pain. "The Hanged Man? Or Little Sun?" Without hesitation, he got out of bed, walked four steps counterclockwise, and entered the grand, towering palace. A scarlet-red, pulsing star immediately caught his attention. "A new person?" Sitting at the ancient, weathered bronze table, Klein hesitated briefly before reaching out with his left hand, channelling his spirituality to touch the rippling red star. The scene shifted abruptly. He saw— A dishevelled, wrecked room. And inside it— A man wailing in agony. Judging by his state, he was clearly losing control. Not only was his hair rapidly growing, but his skin was also turning an eerie, unnatural shade of pale white. Then— The man suddenly went completely still. He rolled over slightly, allowing Klein to see his face more clearly. "Wait a second…" "Isn't this Edward, the guy who came for a divination earlier today?" So… He had followed Klein's advice, taken the potion— And promptly lost control? Klein's mind went blank. "Shit." "Does this mean I'm…partially responsible?!" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated. [P.S.] - We've reached 10 reviews! As promised, you guys will get an Extra Chapter tomorrow! 1 Extra Chapter for every 10 reviews!