"Mm, thank you for the heads-up, ma'am." Syl leaned on her cane with her left hand and pressed her right hand slightly to her chest, expressing her gratitude to the middle-aged woman.
Having finished her inquiries, Syl said her goodbyes and left the bakery, heading toward 44 Buer Street.
Syl wasn't particularly worried about getting lost; although the roads in Ivisa South District were damaged and the houses were old, the street signs were still intact.
She wasn't the kind of person who was so bad with directions that she'd go the wrong way even while looking at a street sign.
"Buer Street... Buer Street... Oh, found it." Syl muttered to herself as she scanned the street signs, finally spotting the black sign for Buer Street at a crossroads.
Syl paused for a moment, looking at the somewhat winding and twisted street.
Previously, when she walked through Ivisa District using the physician card, she definitely wouldn't have entered a street like this that looked gloomy even in the early morning.
This was largely because the masked Physician's limited field of vision gave Syl a sense of insecurity. The rest was mostly a sense of awe toward the unknown.
But now, returning here a few days later, Syl no longer felt that insecurity at all.
It wasn't just Aishala, the support for her Saintess form, that made Syl feel safe.
Her growing understanding and proficiency with her card abilities were also part of the reason for her confidence.
Although the abilities carried by these cards were eerie, they were extremely powerful; Syl was already starting to look forward to what the next card's ability would be.
Of course, it would be best to draw a blue card or a white card. If she drew a purple card or a gold card, Syl wouldn't dare use it, no matter how harmless the description or how strong the ability.
Syl had a faint feeling that if she couldn't fully control a card and instead let it take complete dominance over her, something bad would happen.
Although there was no evidence to prove her theory, Syl just had this intuition... perhaps it was a woman's sixth sense; she had to trust it.
Syl confirmed the house numbers as she walked. Finally, she saw 44 Buer Street. It was a row of houses, one right next to the other, appearing as a single unit. Each connected building had windows facing forward only on one side.
And No. 44 was one of the houses connected to those around it.
The place didn't look very suitable for living. Rather than houses, Syl was more inclined to call them dormitories; after all, the feeling was too similar.
Just then, the wooden door of No. 44 opened from the inside. An Old Woman, leaning on a cane and wearing a somewhat old, beige bowler hat, was about to step out.
Apparently not expecting someone to be standing at the door, the Old Woman was startled by the tall Syl and took a small step back, clutching her handbag.
She breathed a sigh of relief only when she looked up at Syl while holding her hat.
The Joker's looks were universally appealing to men, women, young, and old alike, and they held an even more special attraction for women.
Humans are generally visual creatures, and this Old Woman was no exception. The moment she saw Syl, she had already decided in her heart that this beautiful woman was no villain.
So she smiled and asked Syl, "What is it, child? Why are you standing here?"
"Hello, ma'am." Syl raised her hand in a gentlemanly salute. "I wanted to ask if Edward and his sister live here?"
Upon hearing the question about Edward, the Old Granny's cloudy blue eyes clearly showed a hint of confusion.
"He... is here," the Old Granny said, looking at Syl with some curiosity. "Child, what are you looking for him for? He never mentioned knowing a beautiful young lady like you on the outside."
"In fact, I don't know Edward," Syl shook her head slightly. "It's just that a friend of mine asked me to pay a follow-up visit to her patient."
The "making up a friend" tactic was old-fashioned, but it was surprisingly effective.
"A patient... Miss, is your friend the doctor who saved Edward?" the Old Woman asked in surprise, stepping aside to make room for Syl. "To be honest, when I heard that Little Edward had injured himself in a fall, I found it hard to believe... How high would one have to fall from to sustain such serious injuries? Come in first, Miss."
Syl nodded, remaining slightly cautious.
Thinking back now, Syl also felt something was fishy. The streets near the bakery were all row houses about three or four stories high. It seemed only a fall from the roof would result in such a mangled state... but why would he go to the roof? Suicide?
Pushing her doubts to the back of her mind, Syl followed the Old Woman into the house and headed upstairs.
Upon reaching the second floor, there was a long corridor with many rooms on both sides. Stepping on the creaking wooden floorboards, Syl followed the Old Woman and stopped outside one of the rooms.
"This is Little Edward's room," the Old Woman introduced, then raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Little Edward, someone is here for you."
After a long while, a hoarse reply came from inside.
"Who?"
"It's a friend of your savior, Little Edward," the Old Woman said, nodding to Syl and stepping aside with a smile. "I'll leave you to chat, I'll just..."
Suddenly, the sound of thumping footsteps came from inside the room, echoing loudly in the old house with its poor soundproofing.
"Bang—"
The door was pushed open violently. The Old Woman was startled into taking several steps back until her back hit the wall, looking in shock at Edward, whose head was half-wrapped in cloth and whose left eye was bloodshot.
After Edward rushed out and saw Syl, he lunged straight at her.
"Where is she! Where is she!! I'm going to kill her!!!" Edward let out a beast-like roar as he lunged toward Syl.
Everything happened too fast, but in the Joker's eyes, this didn't count as a surprise.
Syl simply raised the cane in her left hand, which happened to press against Edward's collarbone, and then she shoved him back hard with the cane.
The immense pain caused Edward to curl up on the floor. The tattered cloth on his face loosened and fell off due to his violent movements, revealing two fingers inside his right eye socket.
"Kill me... please kill me... let me die..." Curled up on the floor, Edward let out small sobs. "Otherwise, I'll kill you... I swear..."
The room was dim, containing only a hideous, near-collapsing monster venting its despair.
Moreover, with a body modified by the blood of [Calamitous Fate], Edward wouldn't truly die even if a sharp knife pierced his heart... it could be said that he couldn't die even if he wanted to.
"If the Physician were here, she would surely be smiling very happily, she loves watching people's self-perception collapse." The Joker curled her lips, thinking with some disdain, "What a pervert."