A few seconds later, Audrey and Priscilla finally felt the same prickle of foreboding through their spirituality. They hurried to the window, joining the armoured man.
High above, amidst the layered clouds, dark shadows loomed—dozens upon dozens of airships, their hulls painted in dark brown, lined up in tight formation as they advanced through the skies toward Backlund.
On their sides gleamed the red, white, and yellow diagonal stripes of the Feysac Empire's flag.
Then, suddenly—
A metallic, iron-grey object detached from one of the airships and plummeted downward, slicing through the air with a shrill whistle.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion shattered the long peace of Backlund.
The ground trembled, the windows rattled, and a wave of hot air swept through the city.
Audrey's emerald-green eyes widened in horror, her pupils trembling violently.
In that instant, she knew—
War had truly begun.
———
Back in Time—Year 1160
Emerald Street No. 28
The past few days had felt like a dream to Dubois, the loyal butler of the household.
He had thought that after his heart-to-heart conversation with Roselle, after finally helping release the obsession that had plagued him for years, everything would calm down. He would finally be free of worry.
Until one morning, after his employer mysteriously disappeared yet again, two visitors arrived unannounced—
A woman and a young girl who claimed to be his daughter.
The woman was dressed in a black gown—elegant, composed, not exactly breathtaking, but hauntingly familiar. Dubois immediately recognised her: she was the same woman his master had glanced at just a bit too long during the move a while back.
At the time, Dubois had even suspected that the boss was interested in her type, though the man had vehemently denied it.
And now—
The woman had shown up with a child in tow, claiming to be his daughter!
"You really outdid yourself this time, boss," Dubois thought incredulously. "Even had a daughter hidden away all this time…and still pretended innocence!"
The little girl accompanying her looked about seven or eight, delicate and beautiful—almost like a porcelain doll, too perfect to be real.
Dubois had always thought that Roselle's daughter, Bernadette, was already impossibly lovely. But compared to this child, even she fell a little short.
Although he couldn't say for certain whether this girl truly belonged to the Sparrow family, Dubois didn't dare take any chances.
He immediately arranged for the highest level of hospitality, instructing every servant to treat the "mother and daughter" with the utmost respect and care.
Still, he refrained from making any public declarations about their identity. Such matters could only be confirmed when the master himself returned.
But three days passed, and Roselle was still nowhere to be found—instead, Bernadette showed up.
"Who are you?"
The moment she reached the front door of the villa, Bernadette saw a girl about her own age—beautiful, radiant, with a mysterious air—and couldn't help asking curiously.
The girl smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowing into crescents.
She stepped forward, and before Bernadette could react, she reached out and pinched her cheeks, stretching them playfully.
"Hello, Lil Bernadette~ I've been wanting to meet you for ages!"
"Aww, so small and soft—exactly how I imagined!"
"You're adorable! Not like in the future, when you're all serious and dignified."
"Mmph—! Wha…what are you—let me go!"
Bernadette struggled furiously, shaking her head like an angry kitten.
"You're too cute!"
Laughing, the girl finally released her grip and pulled out a lollipop, holding it out with a grin.
"Here, a treat from Big Sister Lilith."
Bernadette rubbed her reddened cheeks, glaring warily. She refused to take the candy, instead sidestepping and running into the house, calling loudly:
"Mr. Sparrow! Mr. Sparrow! I brought you some pastries!"
"He's not home~" Lilith replied, hands clasped behind her back as she followed her in.
"Mr. Sparrow~?"
Bernadette ignored her, placing the pastry box neatly on the table before dashing up the stairs to check the study and bedroom.
After confirming that Mr. Sparrow truly wasn't there, she stomped down the stairs again.
"I told you he's not home," Lilith said cheerfully, lounging on the sofa—and nibbling on one of the pastries.
"Mmph!"
Bernadette puffed her cheeks angrily and marched over, snatching the box right out of Lilith's hands. She hugged it protectively behind her back.
"That's for Mr. Sparrow! You can't eat it!"
"Feeding him or feeding me—same difference."
Lilith tossed the last bite of pastry into her mouth, clapped her hands clean, and grinned brightly.
"I'm Lilith, by the way. Mr. Sparrow's daughter. Nice to meet you, Lil Bernadette~"
"Eh?"
Bernadette's blue eyes widened like saucers.
"Mr. Sparrow's…daughter?"
She'd half suspected something the moment she saw her—but hearing it out loud still left her stunned. For a moment, she couldn't even speak.
Then, an irrational little sting welled up inside her heart.
So that's why Mr. Sparrow hadn't come to visit her these past few days!
His real daughter had shown up—and not only that, she was prettier, taller, and more charming! Of course he'd stay home to keep his daughter company.
And her?
She was just the lonely kid next door.
No—scratch that. Not even next door.
She didn't even count as a proper neighbour!
Well then, Bernadette thought glumly, I guess I shouldn't come by to bother him anymore…I wouldn't want his daughter to misunderstand.
After a long silence, she finally plopped down beside Lilith on the sofa and, after some hesitation, handed the pastry box back.
"Here."
Lilith accepted it without formality, plucking out another piece. Then, with an impish smile, she held the lollipop out again.
"And this—take it. For you."
"Thank you."
Bernadette's small face turned solemn, as though she were trying to make a good impression on this unexpected "big sister." She sat upright and asked politely,
"May I ask…where is Mr. Sparrow?"
"He went out on business."
"When will he be back?"
"Shouldn't be long."
"How long is 'not long'?"
Lilith rested her chin in her hand, pretending to think deeply.
"Ahh, I'd like to know that too. You know how grown-ups are—when they go off on 'business,' their timing's never reliable."
That line struck an instant chord with Bernadette, who nodded seriously.
"That's true! My Daddy always says he'll be back soon…and it's never before the next day!"
"Exactly! Same with Edward!"
"Edward?" Bernadette tilted her head. "Who's Edward?"
"My father—Mr. Sparrow, of course."
"Huh? But isn't Mr. Sparrow's name Klein?"
"Klein's just his nickname. His full name is Edward."
"Ohhh~ I see! But…why do you call your father by his name?"
Lilith tapped her chin thoughtfully, then nodded as though she'd come up with a grand philosophy.
"It's a habit. Edward said it represents equality between us—that we're not just father and daughter, but also friends. So, calling him by name is more fitting!"
Having spun that elaborate nonsense, she smiled and threw the question back.
"What about you? Don't you and your father have that kind of relationship? Or are you in one of those 'strict, old-fashioned households'?"
"O-of course not!"
Bernadette instantly lifted her chin in defiance.
"My papa and I are very close! We're best friends! I even…even gave him a nickname!"
Lilith's eyes widened theatrically.
"Wow! Impressive! What nickname?"
"..."
Bernadette froze. Her expression twisted in visible distress.
"It's, uh…um…something…like…"
She only remembered that other people sometimes called her father "Son of Steam" or "Friend of Women," but those hardly seemed like nicknames she could use!
Then she frowned.
Wait.
Why am I suddenly racking my brain to make up a nickname for Daddy?
Why does it feel like this Lilith girl's been leading me by the nose the whole time?
No way!
She only looks a year or two older than me—she can't possibly be that scheming!
Yeah. We're both kids.
Kids think simple. Kids don't plot.
Lilith suddenly clapped her hands.
"Oh! Speaking of nicknames, I gave Edward one too!"
"What is it?"
Lilith's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"Whenever I want to tell him I like him, I say: 'Old man, we're aura farming today!'"
"???"
Bernadette blinked blankly.
"What does that even mean?"
"It's just a way of greeting your dad affectionately. I'll teach it to you—it's my gift to you!"
"Eh? You can…gift a phrase?"
Lilith waved her hand nonchalantly.
"Of course! Don't be shy. You're welcome."
"..."
Bernadette scratched her head in confusion, then said quietly,
"Thank you…"
The two girls went on chatting for a while, mostly about their fathers. Lilith eagerly offered all kinds of outlandish "advice," and after several rounds of cheerful chatter and imaginary bonding, she finally sent Bernadette home, beaming like a saintly older sister.
As soon as the door closed, a familiar voice echoed through the room.
"You really are something."
Edward's calm, slightly weary tone carried from the study.
"That child's normally clever as a whip, but you just left her completely dazed."
Lilith chuckled, walking over to his desk.
"What can I say? I had to improvise. Besides, wasn't that the point? Keeping you emotionally engaged—slowing down your decaying humanity."
She came up beside him and took his cold hand gently into hers, concern softening her tone. "How do you feel?"
Edward sighed, his eyes dark and heavy.
"The humanity loss isn't the real problem. The real issue is that after my last death, the 'Madman to the Right' side effect didn't stop. The life drain continues."
He paused.
"Three days, at most. After that, I'll die again."
Yes—
Edward was already alive once more.
This time, he had chosen Lilith's memories as his vessel of rebirth. Within two days, he'd successfully revived in a stable state—no memory loss, no distortion.
But just as he'd feared—no, worse than he'd expected—Madman to the Right's side effect had followed him back.
The humanity issue, at least, could be mitigated. With no anchor in this timeline, his rationality was eroding fast, but that was a fixable problem. All he needed was to act quickly—manifest some "miracles," gather a group of followers, and reestablish enough faith to stabilise his mind.
But this—
This curse was something else entirely.
It clung to him like a parasite, undying, unyielding.
No matter how many times he died and revived, it would never fade—not until the moment of his true, final death.
In other words, the price of reversing Madman to the Right this time…
Was death itself.
A true death.
———
[Note]: 1450 Powerstones for another 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]