Trier, the luxurious villa of the Roselle family.
After bailing out Edward and Dubois, Roselle returned to his villa. Not long after, William and Poli brought back the news.
The grandson of Count Clair had indeed been grievously injured—so badly that he was beyond any hope of fulfilling his marital duties. Currently, Count Clair was extremely furious, and the female housekeeper would certainly not be spared. Next, his wrath would definitely be directed at Klein Sparrow.
"Sir, your decision to bail out Klein Sparrow will surely make Count Clair, who already holds a great grudge against you, even angrier—he might even resort to some special measures."
Roselle crossed his legs and lounged on the sofa, smirking, "It's as if this never happened. That old man always had it in for me. It was only a matter of time."
"As for that female housekeeper, let him vent his anger there. After all, I have Klein Sparrow secured—if I can't even protect the man who saved my daughter, how could I ever survive in Trier?"
He pinched his chin, thought for a moment, then added:
"If push comes to shove, I'll visit the Archbishop, owe him a favour, and have Klein serve as a cleric in the church. I refuse to believe that old man would dare touch a church official."
"Ah, it's just a pity about that housekeeper. William, Poli, did you see what she looked like?"
The two exchanged speechless looks.
Grimm, sitting nearby, said, "It's said she was wearing that erotic outfit you invented—a stunningly beautiful woman with an exceptional figure. Otherwise, Count Clair's grandson wouldn't have been so blinded by lust."
"Erotic outfit?"
Roselle was dumbfounded. "Wearing an erotic outfit out in public? That Klein...knows ball. He even plays harder than I do."
"Oh wait, you don't mean an OL (Office Lady) uniform, do you?"
He massaged his forehead in disbelief. He swore that when he originally designed the OL uniform, it was just meant to be eye-catching—a playful tease of the classic uniform allure. It was definitely not meant to be some erotic wear.
Who knew how those nobles twisted his original idea? Truly...morals are deteriorating, and humanity's virtue is vanishing!
Condemn them!
Strongly condemn them!
In front of those noble ladies in OL uniforms, deeply condemn them!
Just as he was thinking this, his vision blurred for a moment. He straightened up abruptly and saw the thick grey fog spreading before him. Deep within, sitting on a high-backed chair, a mysterious entity loomed, observing everything.
"A free reminder—The Hidden Sage has set his sights on you and your family. Go to Stiano."
A few seconds later, everything dissipated.
But Roselle's heart raced wildly, his expression turning grim: Hidden Sage?!
Wasn't that the evil god from the Mystery Pryer Pathway?
He had first heard of it while studying extraordinary knowledge—a particularly malicious entity that loved to inject excessive knowledge into the minds of Mystery Pryer, driving them to madness, loss of control, and even death.
It also liked to exploit others' weaknesses, manipulating them into irrational actions—only for them to ultimately spiral into loss of control and death.
But our family doesn't have a Mystery Pryer pathway member. Why would that evil god target us?
Could it have been a deliberate ploy by the one above the grey mist?
Damn it!
"Prepare yourselves. We're heading to Trier Cathedral."
Roselle stood up and briskly gave the order, then strode out to find Matilda and Bernadette.
Today, Bernadette undoubtedly overslept again. Last night's experience had been far more thrilling than the last.
Although she still hadn't encountered a mermaid, the "collective dream" accessible through sleep seemed far more fascinating than any mermaid encounter.
For the first time, she discovered that multiple people could share the same dream, meet, and even communicate with each other within it.
The only pity was that, aside from Mr. Sparrow, the others seemed clueless and unresponsive, behaving as though sleepwalking and performing odd actions.
But me…I'm special!
I can remain fully conscious in dreams!
Every time she thought about it, Bernadette beamed with pride, eager to tell everyone. Yet, she knew better than to blurt it out.
If Dad found out, she might never get the chance to hang out with Mr. Sparrow again.
"Ah…I wonder why Mr. Sparrow suddenly reacted so strongly later on. What exactly did he see in that book?"
Bernadette curled up on the bed, pondering, "Could it be because of that strange 'special script' Dad 'invented'? But didn't Dad invent that writing? Why would it appear in a dream?"
"Oh…could it be because of me that it appeared?"
"If I stole…brought Dad's diary to Mr. Sparrow, could I help him somehow?"
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened, and Roselle walked in.
"Darling, are you awake?"
Bernadette immediately stretched and yawned: "Awake! Daddy, Good morning."
"Morning, huh?"
Roselle walked over. "It'll be lunchtime soon."
"Ah, is that so?"
She touched her stomach. "No wonder it feels flat…I'm a bit hungry."
Roselle sat by the bed and playfully pinched his daughter's nose. "Did you stay up late last night? Come on, tell me! What mischief were you up to?"
"I didn't do anything bad!"
Bernadette brushed away her father's hand and giggled. "Last night I went out to sea on another adventure with Snow White, Cinderella, and the others! I saw the blue sea, the blue sky, lots of ancient buildings, and even entered a wondrous dreamworld."
She spoke nothing but the truth.
Of course, Roselle didn't believe a word, chuckling as he said, "Oh? Sounds more like Alice in Wonderland."
"Alice in Wonderland?" Bernadette's eyes lit up immediately. "Is that a fairy tale too? Daddy, tell me, tell me!"
"No rush. First, come with me to the cathedral."
"Huh? To the cathedral? But it's not even Sunday Mass."
Roselle pretended to frighten her, "Because…a terrible evil god has set its eyes on us. We need to pray to the God of Steam and Machinery for His protection."
"..."
Bernadette's heart instantly leapt: Ah! Does Daddy know about Mr. Sparrow?
Seeing his daughter freeze up as though frightened, Roselle quickly rubbed her head. "I'm teasing you. We're just going for a walk. Come on! Wash up."
"Ohhh."
Beaming, she jumped off the bed, her fair little legs flashing as she ran into the washroom.
——
Half an hour later.
A luxurious carriage pulled away from the Roselle villa, heading for Trier Cathedral.
Inside the carriage sat the Roselle family of three. Matilda cradled her daughter, whispering things that made the girl giggle with delight. Roselle simply watched mother and daughter quietly, a faint smile tugging unconsciously at his lips.
He felt that even though he smoked, drank, chased women, and slept around, he was still a good father and a good husband—at least all that messy debauchery never crossed the threshold of his family home, and it hardly ever touched his wife and daughter.
"Matilda."
Roselle suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "Dubois admitted defeat to me this morning."
She gave a light smile. "Congratulations."
"Do you know what I plan to do next?"
Holding her daughter, Matilda thought for a moment before asking, "Invite him to dinner, drink, and then keep him as your dog?"
"???"
Roselle was dumbfounded. "You're a transmigrator too?!"
By now, she was used to the odd phrases that frequently slipped from her husband's mouth. With a smile, she reminded him, "You told me that once when you were drunk."
"Oh. Cough, cough. That's right!"
Bernadette's eyes shifted back and forth between her parents. She suddenly felt that ever since Mr. Sparrow had appeared, her father and mother seemed closer than before.
She tugged at her father's hand, then at her mother's, and pressed them together. Then she wrapped both of theirs in her own small hands.
This sudden gesture made Roselle feel a little awkward, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he looked at his daughter and said, "Bernadette, once we're at the cathedral, I'll need you to help Daddy with something. Can you do that?"
"Of course!"
"Mm, good girl~"
———
Year 1349, Future.
The past few days had been nothing short of thrilling for Klein.
He had encountered three of the seven Pirate Admirals: Vice Admiral Ailment, Vice Admiral Dusk, and Vice Admiral Deep Sea.
Vice Admiral Ailment, Tracy, could be considered an "old acquaintance." This time she had come for the "witch" on Symeem Island. They bumped into each other at the docks and exchanged brief blows.
But this clash was more like a "greeting." Afterwards, Tracy openly declared that he was the 'moody' Gehrman Sparrow. That proclamation helped Klein digest quite a lot of potion.
As for Vice Admiral Dusk and Vice Admiral Deep Sea, the former had attacked the passenger ship Klein was aboard. Klein was forced to defend himself and managed to wound him. The latter came directly for Gehrman Sparrow, only to be beaten back by the Sea God's Sceptre, his ship shattered and crew scattered.
At the same time, news of Gehrman Sparrow's defeat of Admiral Hell spread across the seas. His epithet was already shifting from "Moody" to "Pirate Admiral Hunter."
Of the seven Pirate Admirals: Admiral of Blood was dead, Admiral of Hell captured, Vice Admiral Ailment nearly slain, Vice Admiral Deep Sea and Vice Admiral Dusk wounded and routed. Only Admiral of Stars and Vice Admiral Iceberg had yet to cross paths with him.
A betting pool had even quietly started on the seas—when Gehrman Sparrow would strike at the remaining two Admirals, and when he would challenge the Four Kings.
Meanwhile, Klein persisted in wielding the Sea God's Sceptre, playing the role of the Sea God without flaw. And so, without him even realising, the Faceless potion was nearly fully digested.
In other words, it was time to prepare for his advancement to Sequence 5.
For the Seer Pathway, Sequence 5 was Marionettist. Its main ingredient had long been "sponsored" by Master Rosago, while the supplementary materials were already collected. What remained was the mermaid's song required for the advancement ritual, which meant he needed to visit the Queen Mystic's sea palace.
It was on a small island called Rhasya, located deep within the Fog Sea. Sailing there from the Rorsted Sea would take ordinary ships nearly twenty days, though certain ghost ships could halve that.
Thus, Klein decisively sought the Queen Mystic's aid. Three mornings later, at an abandoned dock on Blue Mountain Island, he met the fourth Pirate Admiral—Admiral of Stars.
Her ship was an enormous sailing vessel flying the banner of a lashless eye encircled by ten stars. This was her vessel, Future.
Future halted some thirty meters from the shore. Then, shimmering starlight cascaded down, condensing midair into a transparent bridge. A woman descended the bridge, walking as though on air.
She wore a black classical robe embroidered with countless symbols and arcane sigils. At her waist hung an astrolabe and a short staff.
She came to stand before Klein.
"Gehrman Sparrow?"
Klein maintained his aloof, forbidding demeanour. "That's me."
"Come with me. I'll bring you to Rhasya as quickly as possible."
"Much obliged."
Soon, the two of them crossed the starlit bridge and boarded Future. Klein immediately sensed the eyes of the crew upon him—curious, intrigued by this so-called "Pirate Admiral Hunter."
But the Pirate Admiral's first question was, "How did you come to know Her Majesty?"
———
[Note]: 950 Powerstones for an Extra Chapter tomorrow~ Go, VOTE!
And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~
Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]