Edward's first thought, of course, was to knock him off the throne. In the future, Roselle would indeed do just that—first hollowing out the King's authority and seizing real power as Consul of Intis, then later declaring himself Emperor and toppling the Sauron royal family entirely.
But all of that was still a decade—or even several decades—away.
Still, it was rather amusing. The current guiding principle of the Twilight Hermit Order was to shape the trend of times around Roselle.
"Intis" had loyally followed this directive, carrying out missions such as the assassination of Count Clair. Perhaps the Russian Priest had promised him something when pulling him into the gathering—but ultimately, the Sauron dynasty was doomed to perish in Roselle's hands. One could easily imagine how furious and despairing "Intis" would be when that moment came.
As expected of the Russian Priest indeed. Anyone could be sacrificed—including himself.
"Hey~ hey~"
A fair little hand waved before his eyes. Bernadette leaned in curiously. "Why did you suddenly zone out?"
"I wasn't spacing out. I was thinking."
"Huh?"
"That shows how much I trust you. If it were anyone else in front of me, I'd have found a safe place before I let myself think."
Her face instantly blossomed into a grin. She patted her chest lightly. "Exactly! You can completely trust me!"
Edward picked her up and set her down on the desk.
"Bernie, do you know what kind of man the King of Intis is?"
"What do you mean…'what kind of man'?"
"Mm, his personality, preferences, habits—things like that."
Bernadette furrowed her brows, recalling carefully. "At the time, he was very cheerful and warm in welcoming Daddy. He praised Daddy's inventions for their contributions to Intis, and even conferred a title of nobility on him.
"After that, it was like any other banquet—smoking cigars, drinking, eating, boasting. But the King himself spoke very little. He always stayed quietly in one spot, wearing a gentle smile."
Edward pressed further, "And your father? The others? How did they treat him?"
"I don't know…everyone seemed happy." She frowned. "That was over a year ago—I've forgotten most of it."
"Alright. Thank you, then! You've helped me a lot this time."
She immediately stretched out her small hand. "So where's my reward?"
Edward placed a figurine of a fairytale character into her palm. She examined it happily, then whispered, "Mr. Sparrow, please take me out to sea again. We still haven't seen a mermaid."
"I actually have something important to do later…"
"Then can you take me with you?"
"Of course n—"
Edward paused for half a second. "Well, maybe I can."
After all, he was only planning to hop from port to port. It would just be boring.
She shook her head. "Better than playing the same song and drawing the same lines over and over again!"
Before leaving, Edward made Bernadette apologise to her tutors. She then carefully demonstrated everything she had learned that day, proving she had indeed mastered it.
Once the three instructors departed, the little girl threw both arms high in the air and shouted gleefully, "Freedom! Long live freedom!"
Not long after, Dubois returned with a massive map.
The moment Edward unfolded it, he felt a wave of dizziness. He had seen maps of the Northern Continent before, but only the simplified kind. This one, however, was astonishingly detailed.
Just looking at the endless coastline dotted with densely packed ports made him feel dazed.
If I really tried to follow through with my original plan, I'd go mad.
And worse—the ports on this map weren't even exhaustive.
"No. I need to narrow the scope."
With no news from Pallez and no other leads on the Abraham family, he considered another option—
Should I just try contacting Mr. Door directly?
"Looks like I still need to visit Medici."
Of course, he could already predict that fellow would never honestly hand over a way to contact Mr. Door. Even if he did let something slip, Edward would still need gemstones, the hair of an Abraham descendant, and a full-moon ritual to attempt the summoning.
But then again—if he really got his hands on the hair of an Abraham descendant, would he even need to contact Mr. Door?
No. Contacting Mr. Door was mainly to confirm his current state: whether the uniqueness of the Door pathway was still with him, and how to act in accordance with potion digestion.
"Forget it. I'll first make a circuit of the ports along the Intis–Loen sea route."
According to the scant clues so far—like the Abraham that Pallez had once parasitised—there were indeed a branch of Abrahams living there in seclusion.
And there were also the usual supply islands: Damir, Bansi, Tiana, Longtail. At this point in history, there were still twenty or thirty years before Roselle pioneered the route to the Southern Continent. If the wandering Abrahams wanted to flee the Northern Continent, their only real destination was Bayam. A voyage that long would have to stop at these ports.
"Let's go. I'll take you out for some fun~"
Taking Bernadette's small hand, the two of them teleported straight to Constant City, a city in the Loen Kingdom of the Intis–Loen sea region.
Constant City boasted the largest northern harbour in all of Loen.
This was Bernadette's second true trip abroad. On earlier outings to "find mermaids," she had left Intis but never left the deck of the ship. And though they had gone to the Aurak Archipelagos recently, that place was still dominated by Intis natives.
Constant, by contrast, was filled with Loen citizens. The bustling docks rang with the Loenese.
Bernadette was stunned. She didn't even like learning piano or painting—let alone a foreign language. Walking down the crowded streets, she couldn't understand a single word.
But soon, the vibrant atmosphere and "exotic flair" captivated her. Her blue eyes roamed constantly, taking in the architecture, the clothing styles of Loen, and everything else around her.
From time to time, Bernadette asked curious questions, and Edward patiently answered them one by one. In this way, time slipped by as the two of them teleported between the ports around the Intis–Loen sea.
At noon, Edward treated Bernadette to a proper Loen-style feast. The flavour wasn't much different from Intis cuisine, but the novelty was enough for her to give it glowing praise.
In the afternoon, he took her to several of the supply islands in turn, letting her witness their unique cultures and styles. The little girl was beside herself with excitement, and their whirlwind tour finally ended with a speciality meal of blood curd in Bansy.
"Heehee! I ate blood curd before Daddy did!"
"Mm. By my estimate, if your father left Aurak Archipelagos straight for Bansy, even with the Black King's enhanced speed, it would take him at least ten days to arrive."
Rubbing her full belly, Bernadette suddenly sighed. "Ah…I wonder how Daddy is doing right now."
———
Out on the boundless, mist-shrouded sea…
The Black King surged steadily across the waves. Roselle stood at the bow, holding an ancient parchment map.
He had found it tucked beneath a floorboard in a corner of the ship—a treasure map pointing to an unnamed island. According to the markings, it was the final refuge of a powerful noble from the fallen Solomon Empire. Everything that noble had left behind was on that island.
What's more, Roselle had uncovered scraps of information about the "Western Continent" in old tomes. Fired with ambition, he scrapped his original plan and turned the ship toward the nameless island.
After several days, his confidence and spirit had returned in full. Gazing at the sparkling ocean, he spread his arms and laughed with pride:
"This treasure shall be mine!"
"The Western Continent shall be discovered by me!"
"And the first man to circumnavigate the globe—shall be none other than me, the great Roselle Gustav!"
He turned back and shouted, "Edwards, where's the wine? A scene like this deserves a full cup!"
Roselle had indeed issued a prohibition on alcohol a few days prior. But that was simply impossible at sea: with limited conditions of the era, fresh water could not be preserved unspoiled for long. Thus, sailors used liquor—far less perishable than water—as their staple drink.
Edwards hurried over with a bottle of blood wine, but after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Captain, best not drink too much—your butt might start hurting again."
"..."
Roselle's grin froze. Memories he had nearly managed to forget came crashing back to the surface.
"Damn it!"
———
Back in Backlund, on Williams Street…
This was Edward's third visit—or rather, his third time in this timeline—to the underground palace that sealed away Medici's fused form.
As the twin rows of floating lanterns illuminated the cavern, the dust stirred at once, spelling out a mocking greeting:
"Yo, little thing, you finally came back? I thought you'd died out there."
Edward casually transfigured a chair and sat before the sealed door.
"Rest assured, Lord Medici—unless something goes horribly wrong, I'll definitely die after you."
"Hahahaha!"
The dust trembled violently. "I died over a thousand years ago! And you still haven't caught up? Hurry up and drop dead!"
Edward thought for a moment, then slipped into spirit form.
"Done. Dead already."
"..."
After a long silence, the dust stirred again: "Little thing, you're not simple. That trick of yours just now wasn't the effect of a Sealed Artifact, was it? Every time you come here, you use the Traveler's Door of the Door pathway to teleport, and you can also use Theft."
Edward replied lightly, "That's because I'm only using recorded abilities."
"Heh. You think I can't tell the difference between recorded abilities and the real thing?"
The words scrawled in dust grew jagged, twisted. The last time I saw such a complicated blend of abilities was back in the Second Epoch, when I fought alongside my Lord against the ancient gods.
"You're not…some old monster who survived from the Third Epoch, are you?"
Edward grinned. "Close enough~"
—In fact, I could barely count as a remnant of the 'ancient humans' from before the First Epoch."
"Tch. So what are you here for this time?"
Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets, smiling slyly. "Why didn't you recite the threefold incantation I left you last time? Weren't you so desperate to get out? Or…are you afraid?"
"Don't use such a cheap provocation on me. Afraid? Hah!"
"You think being sealed here is as simple as not being able to leave? That was a god's seal. Even if Tudor was already half-mad, a madman is still a god.
"This seal doesn't just confine me—it confines everything about me. All that I am has been bound to this underground palace, behind this door. Whatever I do here cannot affect the outside world.
"Otherwise, what do you think I've been doing all these years? If I could, I would've tricked someone into digging me out long ago!"
Edward pondered.
Then how did Medici eventually lure Rafter Pound into breaking the seal in the future? Was it because time weakened it?
"Oh? Then if I shout the Tyrant's true name here, He won't hear it?"
"Go ahead. Try."
Edward shrugged. "No need. You said it yourself—you are sealed here, not this entire region."
"Little thing, that threefold incantation isn't your true name, is it? No…if you really were a god, you wouldn't be wasting time chatting with me.
"But… if you're actually a contingency of some ancient god from the Second Epoch, then it might make sense. A name without a throne or power—just a pitiful little insect."
Edward smiled indifferently. "No need to test me. That incantation points to a great existence I serve. I'm just His follower, running errands."
"Oh? And who is He?"
"You should know Him well from the Fourth Epoch. Back then, everyone called Him…Mr. Door."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.