Leonard stared at him, itching to throw a few punches.
Edward simply patted his shoulder. "Say hi to your tenant for me."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Leonard made his way silently to the lounge area and sat down, pulling out his poetry collection and pretending to read.
"Well, old man? What do you think?"
Pallez Zoroast replied in his aged voice:
"He's indeed just a little Sequence 8, but he may know far more than he lets on. Still, he doesn't seem to harbor ill intent. That monocle trick he pulled earlier…ha, that was just for the sake of acting."
"Really?"
"Everyone's approach to acting out their Path differs, but when playing a Trickmaster, you can't escape two key elements—performance and audience. He's realized that the higher the audience's level, the faster the digestion. That's why he chose to act in front of me."
Leonard frowned, pondering for a moment before hesitantly asking:
"What exactly does the monocle signify? What could frighten even you, someone who was once an Angel?"
"Hmm…I suppose it's the relationship between a hunter and its prey," Pallez replied, tone light, almost joking. "He is a very skilled hunter. And I? Just a rather pathetic prey."
———
When Edward returned to No. 5 Tulip Street and slid the key into the lock, a crisp, childlike voice called out to him:
"Brother Edward~!"
It was Priscilla from next door, at No. 4. She waved her tiny hands with all her might while shouting into the house:
"Daddy! Daddy! Big Brother Edward is back!"
Steven Green quickly came out, wearing an apron and drying his hands on a towel.
"Finally caught you, Mr. Edward! That gift you gave Priscilla last time—she loved it! She's been pestering me to invite you over for dinner ever since."
Priscilla blushed slightly and mumbled, "I haven't been pestering him that much…"
"Do you have time now?" Steven asked.
Edward glanced down at the eager look in the little girl's eyes, then smiled and nodded. "Sure—can I bring the cat?"
"Of course!!"
———
Half an hour later…
Edward and Priscilla were seated on the couch, watching Lilith chase her own tail in dizzying circles. When she finally noticed the two of them staring, she plopped down on her haunches and stared right back, her round eyes wide and alert.
Whatever Priscilla did, Lilith would imitate. If there was something she couldn't mimic, she'd lower her head and study her tiny paws with a serious expression, as if trying to figure out why.
"Dinner's ready!"
Steven brought out the last dish—a beautifully roasted chicken. The aroma filled the entire room.
Edward had just sat down when Lilith padded over and began tugging on his pant leg with her little paw, meowing insistently: "(●''●)"
Priscilla bent down and peeked over. "Lilith must be hungry, right? Daddy, Brother Edward—can we give her a piece of chicken?"
"Of course."
Steven sliced off a small portion and placed it on his daughter's plate. She immediately set it down gently in front of Lilith. "Here you go, eat up!"
Steven poured Edward a glass of sweet iced tea and said gently, "Priscilla's mother passed away when she was very young. She's been traveling all over with me these past years and hasn't had much chance to make friends…That's why she's so fond of cats and dogs."
Edward glanced at the girl sitting attentively in front of Lilith, watching her eat. He asked, "Why not keep a pet, then?"
Steven sighed softly. "Honestly, just taking care of Priscilla is already overwhelming."
He paused, then added with a chuckle, "About two months ago, I helped the editor-in-chief of Tingen City Honest Paper with his chronic toothache. As a thank-you, he gave me a month's worth of free advertising in the paper. Ever since then, my clinic's business has exploded."
"That's a good kind of problem to have."
"Hahaha, I guess it is."
Steven laughed heartily, then gently patted his daughter's head.
"Alright, Priscilla, eat up before everything gets cold."
"Okay~!"
That dinner gave Edward a better understanding of Steven and his daughter. Though Steven was a native Loenese, he had lived in West Balam in his early years, where he met the woman who would become his wife. They fell in love quickly and soon had a daughter, Priscilla, forming a happy little family.
But happiness didn't last.
A few years ago, his wife passed away from a sudden illness. Unable to bear the memories, Steven left that place of sorrow with his daughter and returned to Loen.
"I'm sorry," Edward said quietly.
Steven smiled gently. "It's alright. It's all in the past now. We're doing quite well."
"That's right!" Priscilla chimed in cheerfully. "If Mommy sees me happy, she'll be happy too!"
After chatting a while longer, Edward rose to leave.
"Then I'll be heading back. Thank you for the lovely meal."
Steven and Priscilla walked him to the door. The girl waved with reluctant enthusiasm.
"Goodbye, Brother Edward! Goodbye, Lilith!"
"Meow~ φ(￣0￣)"
Lilith turned back and waved one paw in imitation, then trotted after Edward on her tiny paws.
Under the crimson moonlight, a faint red shadow stretched across the ground. Lilith was soon distracted by her own shadow, pouncing and swiping at it with gleeful little hops.
Edward lifted his gaze to the sky, frowning as he looked at the blood-colored full moon.
"Almost a full moon…"
When he had first consumed the Apprentice potion, he had nearly lost control after hearing what sounded like the whispers of Mr. Door. He couldn't help but wonder—on the night of the full moon, would he, like the members of the Abraham family, also hear the mad ramblings of that being?
Why could he hear Mr. Door's voice in the first place? Was it because of that door he had seen during the potion ritual?
"I'd better prepare in advance. If anything goes wrong…I'll call on Mr. Fool immediately."
———
The next day, at noon.
Edward had just finished his circus performance when he stepped outside and saw Christine waiting for him. She was dressed in her usual gentlemanly fashion, holding a small pouch in her hand.
"Here—five hundred pounds total. One hundred as payment for your performance at the asylum, and four hundred from me personally."
Edward hefted the pouch in his hand and smirked. "Only four hundred? Weren't you promising something like eight or ten thousand?"
Her gloved fingers clenched tightly around her cane. She pretended not to hear him.
"You're coming with me to the asylum. I just need you to introduce me to Director Depp."
"Sure."
Edward stuffed the pouch into his coat pocket and casually asked, "By the way, if you could use mental suggestion to convince the director to host a magic show, why not just suggest he hire you directly?"
She shot him a cold glare.
"Did you forget what happened to my notebook?"
"Er…yeah, I actually did."
Edward laughed it off. "Alright, let's go now."
———
The transition of performers went more smoothly than expected. Edward didn't even need to come up with an excuse. As soon as Director Depp confirmed that Christine was also a magician, he readily agreed to the change. Just as she had said, the asylum only needed a magician—it didn't matter which one.
After bidding Christine goodbye with a wave, Edward immediately returned to the Blackthorn Security Company and reported to the captain with no hesitation:
"Captain, someone's probably planning something at the asylum tonight!"
While the captain and his squad rushed toward the mental hospital, Edward headed straight for Backlund.
He didn't go anywhere special—just pulled out pen and paper, thought for a moment, and wrote a title at the top of the page:
"A Priest Friend of Mine: Ince Zangwill and His Feathered Quill"
It would be his first gift to that third-rate playwrighter.
———
[Note]: Here's the promised Extra Chapter. Enjoy~ I'll post another Extra Chapter if we reach 610 Powerstones by tomorrow. Go, VOTE!