As Edward sat massaging his temples, lost in deep thought, Phoenix tore through the air and flew back into the room, gently dropping a letter into his hand.
He opened it. It was a reply from Edwina:
---
"Dear Edward,
I'm delighted to receive your letter.
I would be very pleased to join you in uncovering the secrets of Groselle's Travels, but I am currently engaged in a confrontation with Vice Admiral Dusk in the Sonia Sea.
I may not be able to spare the time in the short term. Once this conflict is resolved, I'll get in touch.
—Edwina"
---
After reading the letter, Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise.
What kind of treasure could be valuable enough to spark a fight between two pirate admirals?
Since Edwina was unavailable for now, the plan to explore Groselle's Travels would have to be postponed. Better to test out the collective unconsciousness first—if it could serve as a stable anchor point, there would be no need to enter the book world prematurely without a solid strategy.
"Lilith, could you do me a favour? Go to Audrey's place. Once her 'teacher' leaves, ask her to come see me. I need her help with something."
"Okay~!"
Lilith flitted off quickly.
Edward, meanwhile, made his way once again to the Harvest Church.
Father Utravsky greeted him with a warm smile. "Mr. Edward, you've been coming to church more and more lately."
"Oh, really?"
"I'm beginning to wonder if this is the Earth Mother's divine guidance—leading you to join our church."
Edward drew the Goddess' symbol over his chest. "Alas, my faith in the Lady of the Night has never wavered."
"What a pity," Father Utravsky said with a slight shake of his head.
Before the Earth Mother betrayed the God of War, their two churches had been allies.
Naturally, that meant relations with the Church of the Evernight weren't the friendliest.
Of course, as a Blessed of the Earth Mother, Utravsky wasn't qualified to know about secrets of that magnitude.
"Is Emlyn here?"
"He's in his room. I'll take you there."
Despite having visited the church numerous times, it was Edward's first time seeing the "residences"—a few simple rooms built into the back courtyard.
"This is the place."
Father Utravsky led him to one of the doors. Through the window, they saw Emlyn seated at a chair, changing outfits for two dolls. He was muttering something to himself as he worked, wearing a big goofy smile.
He seemed completely absorbed—so much so that he didn't even notice someone watching from outside.
Edward could tell that Emlyn's smile wasn't creepy or perverse; he genuinely treated the dolls like friends.
Which, honestly…might've made it even weirder.
What exactly are you getting out of this…?
Damn it, I forgot to ask Danitz about Emlyn's dolls again!
Edward immediately took out a notepad and jotted the reminder down—just in case he forgot again later.
Knock, knock.
He rapped on the wooden door.
There was a rustling sound inside, and after a minute, Emlyn opened it, visibly surprised. "Huh? You again?"
Edward peeked past him—sure enough, the dolls were gone. Probably tucked safely into the suitcase.
"I'd like you to introduce me to one of your clan's higher-ups."
"…What?"
Emlyn blinked. "How high are we talking?"
"Marquess, duke—something like that."
"???"
Emlyn's face filled with question marks. He pointed at himself. "Do I look like someone who has that kind of pull? If I did, you think I'd still be stuck here, working as a priest day in and day out? I'd have—"
"What was that, Emlyn?"
Father Utravsky's gentle voice came from behind.
"!!!"
Emlyn's face stiffened. "Ah, Father, you're here…I-I was just rambling nonsense, heh…"
The priest gave him a look and turned to leave.
Emlyn spun back around, furious. "Why didn't you tell me the priest was here?!"
Edward shrugged innocently. "How was I supposed to know you'd suddenly blurt out something so blasphemous?"
"…Tch."
Emlyn pouted. "Anyway, the most important person I've met in our clan is just a viscount."
"Then…could you ask that viscount for me?"
Emlyn rolled his eyes. "You think marquesses and dukes in the blood clan are easy to meet?"
Edward folded his arms. "Wasn't your Alicia…still paying off a debt to me?"
"You…"
"Come on, Emlyn. Just ask. You've got nothing to lose."
Emlyn hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. But let me make it clear—I don't even hold a title. I can only try."
"Understood. I appreciate it."
"Hmph. You say that now, but still send me running around."
He ducked back inside to grab a few things. "Wait for my message."
"No, I'm coming with you."
Emlyn frowned. "If I go alone and get rejected, it's just me getting humiliated. But if you're there too, it's both of us."
This guy's unexpectedly loyal…or maybe it's just because of Alicia.
"No problem."
"…Alright then. If you don't care, I won't either."
Edward lightly clapped him on the shoulder. "Which district?"
"North Borough. The Crimson Tavern."
"Oh, I've been there before."
The next moment, the scenery around them twisted. Emlyn's vision blurred—and suddenly, they were standing in the North District, not far from the Crimson Tavern.
"…Was that…spirit world traversal?"
Emlyn was stunned.
For the first time, he realised—After all this time, do I even know what this guy's real strength is?
Tsk, what a mysterious guy…
The moment Edward and Emlyn stepped into the tavern, the surrounding vampires turned to look at them. They had caught a whiff of the fresh, fragrant blood flowing in Edward's veins—far more enticing than the diluted drinks they currently held.
But after a brief glance, everyone returned to their conversations and activities. As a race that relied on human blood for sustenance, the vampires had managed to coexist peacefully in Backlund by adhering to a strict rule: never feed through assault or violence.
Even if you were tempted, the most you could do was mildly sedate your target and extract a small amount of blood—nothing more.
Judging from the current state of human-vampire relations, most vampires still abided by this rule.
Emlyn walked over to the bar and tapped twice on the counter. "One half-and-half."
The bartender served him a glass of red wine laced with blood, then turned to Edward. "And for you, sir?"
Before Edward could answer, Emlyn interjected, "He's good. Hey, has Viscount Ernes come by today?"
The bartender shrugged. "Not today."
"Do you know where he went?"
"Come on, Emlyn. I'm just a bartender. How would I know where the viscount is?"
Emlyn turned to Edward. "You heard him."
Edward frowned. "You seriously don't know anyone else?"
"Hey, I'm a lone wolf. The only reason I've even been coming to this place lately is to run errands for you," Emlyn muttered. "I'd rather be home with Alicia and Leona."
Leona…Edward remembered—wasn't that the name of the new doll he'd gotten recently?
Emlyn drained his glass of blood wine. "Let's go. I'll come back tomorrow and try again."
Just as they turned to leave, a mocking voice rang out. "Well, well, the doll freak. You actually came to a bar?"
The voice came from a sharply dressed man in an impeccable suit—Arlde.
"Hmph, suit freak," Emlyn muttered under his breath.
Arlde grinned smugly. "Please, it's Viscount Arlde now."
"…."
Emlyn's face twitched slightly. "Viscount Arlde."
"Hahaha!"
Arlde was delighted. He waved at the bartender. "Get Emlyn a Bloody Mary. It's on me."
Emlyn leaned close to Edward and whispered, "This guy's name's Arlde. He used to be just like me—no title, no status. Total idiot obsessed with suits. Blew all his money on custom tailoring."
His tone and expression were dripping with disdain.
Edward couldn't help but think: Being obsessed with suits is way more normal than your obsession with dolls…and you're looking down on him?
Wait—suits?
Hadn't Lilith mentioned that one of the vampires who'd captured her was wearing a suit?
Could it be this guy?
Emlyn continued, "Then, somehow—good luck or bad luck, I dunno—his parents, grandparents, and even great-grandfather all died in freak accidents. That's how he got promoted to viscount. His older sister also got bumped up to Countess. Everyone calls them the 'Lucky Siblings.'"
A peculiarity of vampire promotion: if your elders don't die, the younger ones rarely get a chance to rise. And the stronger their elders, the longer they lived. No wonder the younger vampires tended to just lie flat.
"Oh, right," Emlyn added, "That extraordinary material you got a few days ago? He was the one who delivered it."
Oh? Edward's eyes lit up. So Arlde was the one who delivered Lilith's anklet?
He looked toward Arlde—and their gazes met.
Unlike Emlyn, who was still mostly in the dark, Arlde had a vague sense of what had happened that night. First, he'd been ordered by Lord Nibbs to "kidnap" a cat. Then, before long, he was ordered to return the cat. Before they could do so, the cat escaped. The trio had slacked off, only to be dragged back for a thorough scolding. Afterwards, Arlde was made to deliver the materials and a sealed ring to Emlyn in the middle of the night.
He didn't know the full story, but he suspected—just from the events—that the ring was probably compensation. And for a Marquis to personally apologise? That could only mean the other party was not someone to mess with.
Now, standing face-to-face with that "other party," Arlde's first instinct was: Run. The farther the better. Getting involved with someone like this could only mean trouble.
"Uh, I've got something to do, so I'll just—"
"Viscount Arlde."
Arlde froze and forced a smile. "Yes?"
"Would you mind introducing us to—"
Before Edward could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt someone squeeze his butt.
His expression changed instantly, and he leapt aside in shock.
At the same moment, Emlyn clutched his own rear in fury. "Akasha, what the hell?!"
A woman with short golden hair, tight leather clothes, and a killer figure sauntered over, a wicked grin playing on her lips. Her beautiful features were marred by a greasy sort of leer. "Yo, Emlyn. Your ass is still just as soft as ever."
She turned to Edward and added, "This one's not bad either."
Edward: "….."
Emlyn clenched his fists. "You're a woman!"
Akasha laughed uproariously. "So what if I am?"
She crossed her arms. "To be precise—I'm a countess! I do whatever the hell I want!"
Arlde leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
Her eyes gleamed. She tilted her chin toward Edward. "Hey there, handsome. Wanna chat in one of the private rooms?"
She grinned wider. "Relax! I'm not into men! We're all just bros~!"
Edward's eye twitched.
So much for the Vampires being a noble and elegant race. What the hell is this chaos?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.