"Protego!"
Clang!
A bullet struck the floor at Edward's feet and ricocheted away—it was just a warning.
As Edward turned around, he saw Leonard walking toward him, his revolver aimed directly at him.
"Edward, don't resist. Come with us."
"Why is it just Leonard?"
Two more figures appeared one after another. One was a man in a black trench coat, with deep-set eyes and a slightly receding hairline. The other was a woman with long, silky black hair. The three of them spread out in a triangular formation, surrounding Edward.
"Why is the Tingen Nighthawks squad coming after me?" Edward was baffled. "Is it because I just 'joined' the Church of the Evernight yesterday, and they don't know yet? Shouldn't they at least send a telegram to Backlund to confirm first?"
"Oh well, since they're here, let's give them a proper wizard's greeting."
"Confundo!"
A translucent ripple pulsed outward. All four Nighthawks froze momentarily. By the time they regained their senses, Edward was nowhere to be seen.
The next second, Leonard shouted in alarm, "Captain, behind you!"
With a crack, Edward apparated right behind Dunn.
"Stupefy!"
Dunn reacted instantly, rolling to the side to dodge. But before he could counterattack, the flowers and vines by the roadside suddenly twisted into ropes, wrapping tightly around his legs.
With smooth movements, he pulled out a dagger and sliced through the bindings.
"Tarantellegra!"
Dunn lost control of his legs and suddenly broke into an involuntary tap dance. The enchanted ropes seized the opportunity to bind him up completely.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Leonard fired three shots in rapid succession, all hitting the same spot. Finally, Edward's Protego showed a crack.
But Edward merely smiled and cast it again, restoring the barrier.
"Bloody hell!" Leonard cursed, swiftly dodging several incoming spells. Just as he was about to fire a fourth shot, his revolver suddenly flew out of his hand and landed neatly in Edward's grasp.
"Nice gun. It's mine now."
"Confundo! Petrificus Totalus!"
Another Confundus Charm rippled outward. In the brief moment of disorientation, Leonard's body stiffened and turned to stone, becoming a statue.
Edward apparated once more with a crack, dodging Royale Reideen's sneak attack from the side. With a flick of his wand, another Full Body-Bind Curse immobilized her on the spot.
At this moment, the entire Tingen Nighthawks squad had been "wiped out".
But Edward didn't let his guard down. Instead, he turned to look at the entrance of his home.
Click.
The door opened from the inside, and Crestet Cesimir stepped out, dressed in a black trench coat over a white shirt. In his hand, he held a white bone sword, less than a meter long, its surface engraved with mysterious patterns.
Behind him, Klein followed, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Edward only became a Beyonder two or three weeks ago, right? How did he take down the Captain and the others so effortlessly? Is the Apprentice Pathway really this powerful?"
"GM! I want to report an unfair class balance!"
While Edward observed Crestet Cesimir, Cesimir was also observing him.
At first, he had assumed this would be a routine operation—Dunn and the others hadn't even brought any Sealed Artifacts. Based on the information Klein provided, Edward had only become a Beyonder recently.
Yet, to his surprise, the three Nighthawks were taken down in less than two minutes. If Edward had wanted to kill them, their corpses would already be lying in the street.
"You—"
Just as Crestet Cesimir opened his mouth to speak, Edward raised both hands without hesitation and gave a French military salute.
"I surrender."
"..."
———
[Blackthorn Security Company—Underground Holding Area]
Edward sat inside a partitioned room, gazing at the man across from him in a daze. Half an hour had passed since he was brought in.
Leonard stood by the door, staring through the window into the room, his expression unreadable.
Klein walked over carrying two cups of coffee and handed one to Leonard. "Stop staring. Once Lord Cesimir's messenger returns, we'll know if what he said is true."
"Yeah, I get it."
Leonard took a sip of coffee, using it as an excuse to hide his real thoughts—
"Did Edward really notice the old man inside me? How did he figure it out? Who exactly is he? Those abilities he used to defeat the Nighthawks—even the old man said he's never seen them before."
But these questions could only remain locked inside his mind. He had to digest them himself.
Before long, Crestet Cesimir emerged from the alchemy room, holding a piece of parchment in his hand, his expression slightly surprised.
Both Klein and Leonard asked at the same time, "What's the result?"
Crestet handed them the parchment. "I just confirmed with His Grace the Saint in Backlund. Edward did indeed recently join the Church, but he has not yet been assigned to any official organization."
Klein let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The Fool's requirement for Tarot Club members was simple: You don't have to be a completely good person, but you must at least show me the basic respect I deserve.
Leonard scanned through the parchment and exclaimed in shock:
"It says Edward is being transferred to the Tingen Nighthawks squad starting today?"
"That's right," Crestet confirmed with a smile, then turned to Dunn, who had remained silent. "Dunn, you're the Captain. You should be the one to inform him of the news. As for me, I need to assess Klein soon. I still have other matters to attend to this afternoon."
Crestet was, of course, very interested in Edward—especially upon learning that he was only at Sequence 8. He was even more curious about the peculiar and varied abilities Edward had displayed.
But His Grace had specifically instructed him otherwise. So, he had no choice but to swallow his curiosity.
"Understood," Dunn replied.
He took the parchment from Leonard and stepped into the partitioned room. With a serious expression, he said, "Mr. Edward, today's operation was my misjudgment. I apologize."
Dunn was voluntarily taking the blame. Normally, he would have confirmed Edward's identity with Backlund before taking action.
However, since Crestet Cesimir had been present and had insisted that Edward was a problem, it was he who had made the final decision to go ahead with the arrest.
"You don't have to be so formal," Edward said with a slight smile.
He actually had a favorable impression of Dunn—this man who often forgot things and habitually said 'Wait a moment', who genuinely cared for his subordinates, was deeply emotional, yet ultimately never found the courage to confess to the woman he loved.
"Alright then, I hope we can work well together from now on."
Dunn extended his hand toward Edward, who instinctively shook it before suddenly freezing. "Wait…work together? What do you mean?"
"His Grace the Saint in Backlund has transferred you to the Tingen Nighthawks squad. From today onward, we're colleagues. I am Captain Dunn Smith." Dunn's lips curved into a faint smile. He was in quite a good mood—previously, most of the Tingen squad's combat strength had relied solely on him, a mere Sequence 7.
Now, with a teammate who could instantly take him down, the pressure on his shoulders had lessened considerably.
"…Huh?"
Edward quickly scanned the parchment. The content was simple: "By the will of the Goddess, Edward is hereby transferred to the Tingen Nighthawks squad—Anthony Stevenson."
So after all that, I was just meant to join the Tingen Nighthawks and become Klein's teammate? Why not just say that outright?
Fine, I'll consider this as repaying you for keeping my secrets.
His thoughts spun rapidly, and he quickly made a decision.
Edward stood up and gave a slight bow. "Understood, Captain Dunn."
"Let me introduce the squad members to you."
Dunn led Edward out of the partitioned room. "This is Leonard Mitchell, a Sequence 8 Midnight Poet. You two are already acquainted."
Leonard nodded slightly, though his gaze still carried a trace of wariness.
"This lady is Royale Reideen, a Sequence 9 Sleepless."
Royale gave a curt nod in response.
"Klein is currently undergoing an evaluation for promotion with Lord Cesimir. I heard you two already know each other?"
"That's right. In fact, Klein was the one who helped me become a Beyonder."
Dunn had already heard about this so-called "helping". He continued, "Besides them, we have five other members. Corpse Collector Frye is out on a case. Midnight Poet Seeka Tron is on duty guarding the 'Chanis Gate' today. Old Neil had an accident recently and was on the verge of losing control, so he has to stay behind the Chanis Gate for now."
"And don't forget me."
A voice interjected as a woman raised her hand.
"Right, and there's Rozanne."
Dunn, in a rare moment of humor, added, "If you have a preference for coffee, you can let her know. She's quite good at making it."
"I'm a clerk, not a waitress, Captain," Rozanne huffed before turning to Edward with a friendly smile. "Hello, Edward. I'm Rozanne. My father was also a formal member of the Nighthawks. From now on, we're colleagues. Though I don't quite like the Captain's wording, I am rather good at making coffee."
Edward placed his right hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.
"I'm Edward, a Sequence 8 Trickmaster. It's a pleasure to join the Tingen squad."
The Nighthawks weren't exactly a corporate workplace—there was no grand welcome ceremony for new recruits. After the introductions, Edward was officially a part of the team.
When Klein emerged from the alchemy room, his face was alight with joy. He had just passed the evaluation and successfully consumed the potion, becoming a Sequence 8 Clown.
Compared to Sequence 9, which only granted a single divination ability, the Clown potion provided multiple supernatural abilities—his physical constitution had also been enhanced.
As expected of a combat-related potion, he now felt confident that, in a real battle, he wouldn't have to merely stand on the sidelines and spectate.
The moment Klein stepped out, he was met with the sight of Edward, Leonard, and Royale sitting around playing Fight the Landlord…or rather, Fight the Evil.
Leonard smirked at Edward with a lazy, mocking look.
"I don't believe it. You've got twenty cards left—can you really take me down instantly?"
Edward gave him a glance, then casually threw down his cards.
"Zeppelin."
"…"
In that instant, Leonard channeled the spirit of doom, his fate sealed by his own words.
"It's time to clock out."
Royale tossed her cards onto the table, stood up, and yawned. Such was the life of a Nighthawk—when busy, they had to put their lives on the line at any moment; when idle, they could be so bored they started growing metaphorical moss.
Of course, most members preferred the idle days—boring, but safe.
"I'm heading home then. I'll treat you all to a meal this weekend if I have time."
Edward had just gotten up when Klein and Leonard simultaneously called out, "Wait."
Both of them froze for a moment, then exchanged puzzled glances.
Klein looked at Leonard, curious. "I was going to talk to the Captain first. I had something to ask Edward."
"Alright."
It wasn't hard to guess that Klein wanted to discuss something related to The Fool. As a 'Blessed' of The Fool, now that he had chosen to reveal himself to Edward, he naturally had to explain a few things.
Edward turned to Leonard. "And you? Want to join us?"
Leonard grabbed his coat from the chair and slung it over his shoulder. "Another time."
Edward and Klein made their way to the Captain's office, where Dunn was reclining in his chair, leisurely enjoying his pipe. He glanced at Edward first.
"Seems like you're getting along well with everyone."
"It's mostly thanks to their personalities—easy to get along with."
Dunn nodded and then turned to Klein. "You're in good shape—not at all like someone who just consumed a potion."
"Maybe that's the advantage of thoroughly digesting the previous one before advancing," Klein mused. He then asked, "Has Lord Cesimir left?"
"Yes. As a Senior Deacon, he has other matters to attend to," Dunn replied before pausing for a moment. "Before leaving, he specifically mentioned that if you ever want to join the Red Gloves, you're always welcome. Oh, the Red Gloves are an elite force within the Nighthawks."
Klein blinked, caught between surprise and confusion. "Why? During the battle, I was just hiding behind him the whole time."
"Perhaps he has his own set of evaluation criteria," Dunn said casually, taking another puff from his pipe.
"Alright, as per regulations, since you've just advanced, you're entitled to a day of rest. Tomorrow is the weekend, so you can get a good night's sleep and enjoy a meal with your family."
Klein took a deep breath and shook his head.
"No need, Captain. I just finished my mysticism course, and I want to spend tomorrow morning learning more combat techniques."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at Edward with a serious expression.
"I don't want the next mission to be another situation where I can only stand by helplessly while everyone else is in danger."
Dunn looked at him for a long moment before breaking into a small smile.
"That's fine by me."
———
[Note]: We missed the Powerstone goal by 10. Again. Anyways, here's the Extra Chapter. Enjoy~ I'll post another Extra Chapter if we reach 280 Powerstones by tomorrow. Go, VOTE!