Chapter 106
Lord Bishop Wants to Make Amends
Madam Mina’s “Revitalizing Medicinal Wine” was clearly effective, or rather, too effective.
After drinking the hot brandy, Sherlock became visibly excited, truly displaying the “excessive energy” he always talked about but was rarely seen.
Normally, this advisor from the Inspection Bureau would restrain his actions with his powerful rationality. Occasional hypoglycemia symptoms made him appear rather lazy and listless.
This was a contradictory trait. Behaviors that allowed Sherlock to vent his excess energy became awkward, like a sudden bout of neuroticism.
Sherlock was a celebrity on Glass Island, and many knew his habits. He favored high-intensity work, such as brain-burning cases that fully taxed his mind, or complex and dangerous investigations.
But he detested physical training, as Sherlock considered wasting energy pointlessly an meaningless act.
This was because exercise required sugar to sustain, and his hypoglycemia caused his body to weaken, and his brain’s vitality to decrease accordingly.
Yet, even so, his spirit remained in a state of high-intensity excitement, which caused Sherlock headaches—physical headaches, that is.
But now, after drinking the wine… as Sherlock himself said, his intellect was indeed disturbed by the alcohol, and that intense excitement, pride, and curiosity overflowed. Sherlock visibly became a chatterbox.
After chatting with Eivass about his grandfather, he began to talk endlessly about his brilliant cases.
These were cases he had solved privately and never told anyone about. Now, they served perfectly as conversation topics at the tea table.
Sherlock usually disdained discussing the details of these cases with others or explaining his work. But his current volubility proved that Sherlock himself had never forgotten these matters, he simply couldn’t be bothered to talk about them.
In less than twenty minutes, Sherlock gradually recovered. Eivass could clearly feel that his speech rate was gradually slowing down, and the time for silence and thought was increasing, indicating he was coming to his senses.
Sherlock finally realized he might have had a bit too much to drink. He immediately tidied his clothes, politely excused himself from the group, and returned upstairs to wash his face and sober up.
“Although Mr. Sherlock got drunk quickly, he recovered quite fast too,” Bishop Mathers laughed heartily.
In his impression, Sherlock had always been a gloomy and melancholic person. “Like a clear river flowing in darkness,” that was Bishop Mathers’ impression of him.
“Looking at him now, our always serious young gentleman is indeed still a young man. He just suppresses his true nature too much normally.”
Madam Mina sighed softly, “If he hadn’t been born in Avalon, but in a country where the Path of Wisdom is inherently legal… born in a place that allows him to display that powerful and pure curiosity, perhaps he would have been happier.”
“Let’s not talk about such things, Mina,” Bishop Mathers waved his hand, signaling to move on from the topic.
He looked at Eivass and asked, “How is it, Eivass?”
“What are you referring to?” Eivass raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Sherlock’s alcohol tolerance?”
“There’s no value in discussing that,” Bishop Mathers chuckled. “I’m talking about Eagle Cape Village in Shepherd’s Bay Country… are you going?”
“We do intend to go,” Eivass nodded. “But I probably won’t bring Yulia.”
By then, Eivass should have already extracted and sealed the Phantom Demon from within Yulia.
Even if Eivass left some power for Yulia, she would only be an ordinary girl with a bit of fire talent, not yet an Extraordinary. If they truly encountered danger, Yulia wouldn’t be able to unleash Phantom Demon power to protect herself.
If he brought her along, Eivass and the others would be restricted. With their setup, it would be a waste not to undertake some dangerous investigations.
Sherlock would then be a Third Tier mage and law master with dual professions. The abundant Mana Pool brought by the dual casting professions would significantly enhance his flexibility and strength. His power would far exceed that of an ordinary Third Tier mage or law master.
There was also Haina, who was around level 26 or 27, not far from Fourth Tier. This formed a very standard “tank, healer, DPS” golden triangle, with each member being an expert.
Finally, there was Lily, who, despite lacking combat experience, had a wide perception range and could simultaneously serve as a scout and a rogue, thanks to her True Eye. A perfect four-person light reconnaissance team was then formed.
“You are right, Eivass. Not taking a young underage girl on an adventure is the mark of a responsible older brother,” Bishop Mathers agreed. “But if you are going, I suggest you go after the middle of the month.”
“Of course,” Eivass smiled. “I will definitely wait until after my advancement.”
“It seems you are brimming with confidence about the Advancement Ritual,” Bishop Mathers heard the subtext in Eivass’s words.
He merely corrected, “To be precise, go a few days after the Advancement Ritual ends. By then, the Sacred Sword Technique stored within the small chapel’s key should have recovered its uses.”
Eivass was somewhat surprised, “Lord Bishop, didn’t you say you needed it back before January 1st?”
He had brought the key this time specifically to return it to Bishop Mathers. Because by the time it fully cooled down, it would be around December 20th… meaning the Sacred Sword Technique stored within would most likely not have a chance for another use.
“Yes, January 1st is the Candle-holding Ceremony. The Royal Family needs to pay respects to their ancestors, and I must use this key to activate the tomb guardian barrier of the small chapel,” Bishop Mathers nodded, his expression solemn. “But I heard from Sherlock that there seem to be some ominous shadows in Eagle Cape Village. So, I will lend it to you for a while longer… you can return it to me at the end of the year.”
“What if I tragically die in the village?” Eivass retorted. “What about the Candle-holding Ceremony?”
“Therefore, if you haven’t returned by the 25th or 26th… I will come looking for you,” Bishop Mathers said sternly. “To retrieve the key to St. Genevieve’s Chapel before the Candle-holding Ceremony, it is reasonable for me to temporarily leave Glass Island.”
“Although doing so will still cause some procedural trouble afterward. If possible, you should return as soon as possible.”
…Was lending the key to Eivass a way to give him an excuse to come to his rescue?
Eivass was struck speechless.
If before it was just a misconception, or perhaps Bishop Mathers was simply kind-hearted… then now it was evident that he truly cared deeply for Eivass.
From the previous conversation, Eivass easily grasped the source of the Bishop’s impulsiveness—it stemmed from guilt and regret, and an urgent desire to atone for his mistakes.
Although Eivass’s father was merely one of many students Bishop Mathers had tutored. Before Giulio’s death, their connection had ended when Giulio graduated.
But precisely because Bishop Mathers was absent that day, a piece of his heart remained stuck, unable to move on. Bishop Mathers always believed that the death of the Alexander couple was inseparable from his own actions.
However, at that time, he was genuinely afraid of the stranger who wielded demonic power and pursued the Alexander family, and dared not take charge of Eivass. Nor did he dare entrust Eivass to his parents or other acquaintances.
Fear when facing an unknown enemy lurking in the shadows is only natural for a human. The Path of Devotion is not filled with saints who sacrifice themselves for others, let alone Bishop Mathers, who was already dissatisfied with the Path of Devotion at the time.
Although the Bishop sent Eivass to an orphanage invested in by the trusted Professor Moriarty. But before Eivass entered the orphanage and was adopted by Professor Moriarty, Bishop Mathers hadn’t even visited him.
He clearly wanted to forget this incident that lasted only half a day in his life, to draw a line between himself and the unknown powerful enemy; he also worried about being entangled by Eivass, whose personality was unknown, and disrupting his and Mina’s peaceful and happy life.
But his overly perfect sense of morality made Bishop Mathers unable to truly forget Eivass’s existence.
He couldn’t convince himself to forget this matter, and the originally faint guilt tormented him day and night, growing ever stronger. Therefore, when conversing with Professor Moriarty, Bishop Mathers blurted out this matter from years ago.
It was only after Eivass was adopted by Professor Moriarty that he finally felt at ease and momentarily forgot about it.
Eivass had always believed that he was merely a gift for Yulia, adopted as a tool to appease her. But now it seemed that Professor Moriarty had inquired about his name from the matron of the orphanage. It was only when his foster father discovered that he was “Eivass Alexander” that he chose to take him along.
Perhaps Bishop Mathers played a part in this matter.
Therefore, later, when he received Professor Moriarty’s commission to teach Sacred Skill to Giulio’s child, Bishop Mathers personally arranged a day in the small chapel for Eivass.
This was not, as he claimed, a repayment for Professor Moriarty’s kindness—
In a sense, it was atonement. Atonement for a sin that only Bishop Mathers knew about, and only he cared about.
That was why the Bishop repeatedly comforted the wheelchair-bound Eivass at the time, fearful of damaging his spirit. And when Eivass was unable to protect himself, he chose to lend him the key to the small chapel he guarded.
It was his duty. It was the key to the sacred tomb that he guarded as its keeper… a very precious item.
—Because fourteen years ago, Bishop Mathers had already regretted it once.
Not regretting that his actions to seal the curse had led to the death of Eivass’s parents. But regretting that he had ultimately, due to fear and a desire to avoid trouble, chosen not to adopt Eivass.
He wanted to live only for himself. But Bishop Mathers was ultimately a good person; he couldn’t let it go. So now he regretted it.
To avoid regretting it again in the future, he tried hard to make amends, but it was clearly excessive.
Having perceived all of the Bishop’s thoughts, Eivass merely sighed silently.
Eivass did not try to persuade the Bishop or change his mind. Nor did he attempt to forcibly return the key… that would only cause Bishop Mathers sadness and worry.
He chose to respect the weight of the guilt and regret that Bishop Mathers felt day after day. He accepted this concern with open arms and would protect himself.
—What Eivass could do was to ensure that this elder who truly cared about him could truly stay away from the painful and tragic destiny that was originally his.
“Thank you for your concern, Lord Bishop,” Eivass put down his cup of milk tea and lowered his head, earnestly thanking him. “I will definitely take good care of myself and return soon. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
Bishop Mathers simply looked at Eivass with a cheerful smile, his eyes only slightly moist.
He had obviously guessed why Eivass suddenly said that.
Such a sensible and intelligent child…
“…To this day, I truly regret it.”
Bishop Mathers sighed inwardly.
