Chapter 103
Eivass’s Real Parents
“Your biological father’s name is Giulio Alexander. He wasn’t a noble, but the son of a small-town poet. He also graduated from the same seminary you’re attending now.”
Bishop Mathers’s first sentence stunned Eivass. “And your mother, Annie Alexander, was a noble of the Iris Flower family. She abandoned her surname and eloped to Avalon.”
…There was too much information in these words. Eivass was rendered speechless.
“—Annie was my close friend and also my roommate. We came to Avalon together, and we were classmates when we were at the Iris Flower. At that moment, a gentle and mysterious female voice sounded from behind Eivass.
Turning around at the sound, Eivass saw someone he had never seen before, yet felt incredibly familiar with—
She had long, black, wavy hair that reached her waist. Her skin was fair, her chest was full, and her features were deep and defined. She looked a bit like an elf, with a taste of the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi. But what was most striking were her jade-like pupils that seemed to shimmer with the radiance of the starry sky.
She wore a black veil and walked barefoot on the soft carpet at home. Her wrists and ankles were adorned with jade bracelets.
This was Madam Mina, the administrator of the in-game mall—the one responsible for gacha pulls, limited-time banners, selling various gift packs, and offering discounts.
When she stood next to a younger-looking Mathers, the two of them were a perfect match—despite one being forty-six and the other thirty-five, visually they both looked like young adults in their early twenties. There were no traces of time on them.
Eivass didn’t remember her appearing in the plot at all. But he could guarantee that all players had a deep impression of her.
When the Nameless God Studio went a long time without promotional events, players would often tag the official account with frantic posts like “When is Madam Mina coming back?”, “Madam Mina, I miss you so much,” and “Madam Mina, you wouldn’t want me to spend my money on other games, would you?”
Now, her first words upon meeting Eivass captured his attention.
“You are… Madam Mina?” Eivass asked.
Bishop Mathers looked surprised. “How did you know her name was Mina?”
“I guess Maya told you,” Madam Mina said with a smile. “Didn’t she specifically visit my divination shop last year, earnestly persuading me not to lie?”
“That girl just likes to meddle,” Mathers grumbled with slight displeasure. “Just ignore her.”
Madam Mina looked at Eivass, a hint of wistfulness in her eyes, and sighed softly. “You really… resemble both Giulio and Annie. No wonder Mathers gave you the key to the small chapel the first time he met you.”
“Was my father also your classmate?” Eivass asked curiously.
“Giulio was our senior, two years above us,” Madam Mina said, smiling as she looked at Eivass. “Giulio was very popular with the girls back then. His father was a poet, so he had a special artistic temperament, but he didn’t have the frivolous personality of the men from Iris Flower. He was a steady, gentle, serious, yet romantic handsome guy. Even before he graduated, he had mastered the Illuminate Spell—I don’t know if you still have it now, but back then, when girls had menstrual cramps, they would seek help from the senior students at the seminary. Many girls had their eyes on Giulio.
He wasn’t good at sports, but he was skilled at singing, and a well-trained tenor.
Giulio and Annie met in a student theater troupe. He was the main actor in the troupe at the time, and Annie was a rising star with considerable acting talent. Your mother was optimistic, cheerful, gentle, and generous during her student days. Although she was an international student, she had many friends. Plus, her major was in theater, so she was elected the lead actress by a wide margin the first time she joined the troupe.
I remember the opera they first performed was ‘Lulu’s Magic Flute,’ which was very difficult. But their performance went smoothly, and even the royal family came to watch. Your parents played Prince Tamino and the Night Queen’s daughter, Pamina, respectively… It was after that performance that they started dating secretly.”
Mina glanced at Mathers as she said this. “But after that, Mathers and I got married and moved out of the dormitory into his house. I didn’t know much about what happened afterward.
I only know that Annie became pregnant before she even graduated. She took a long leave of absence to give birth to you, so she didn’t have enough credits and had to repeat a year. Your mother used to bring you to class with her… I even held you when you were little.”
Mina’s voice was gentle, but also tinged with sadness. “Annie had already changed her surname by then. She must have had a falling out with her family and forcibly married Giulio.”
Seeing Eivass immediately reminded her of her close friend who had died over a decade ago. The university memories that could never be reclaimed flashed before her eyes, along with the person she would never see again. After all these years, Mina thought she had forgotten. But upon seeing Eivass, those faded memories suddenly resurfaced, and all the past recollections regained their voices and colors.
The atmosphere among the four fell into silence for a while.
Mathers led Eivass into the living room and they sat down. A space for a wheelchair had already been cleared around the table, and Mina poured glasses of warm black tea that she had prepared for Eivass and Lily.
The bishop’s home was not luxurious at all. The only notable thing was that it was located in the Red Queen District. However, the house was small, even much smaller than the villa Eivass had at school. It had only two floors and three bedrooms. They entered from the front door and went to the living room, while “Madam Mina’s Divination Shop” was through the back door on the first floor, connected to the living room.
“Would you like anything else in it?” Madam Mina composed herself, had Lily sit next to Eivass, and then asked them.
“Just milk,” Eivass replied.
“I’d like milk too… and some honey,” Lily said softly.
While waiting for their milk tea, Bishop Mathers sighed. “Your father was my student, but Professor Moriarty also did me a great favor. So I was actually conflicted for a while about whether to tell you about your origins, and if it would be unfair to your adoptive father… But since you’ve been attacked by Demon Scholars multiple times, I think it’s time to tell you everything. Your parents were cursed to death by a Demon Scholar, and it’s related to the Jack the Ripper case ten years ago. The culprit was very likely Jack’s mentor, and the Contract Demon involved was Hooked Demon Jack.”
Mathers’s voice was hoarse. “At that time, the entire Alexander family was cursed, and many people died from this unknown curse. He came to me for help… but that specific morning, I wasn’t at the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder.”
He looked at the deep red key hanging on Eivass’s wheelchair. “You should know by now that this key seals a Holy Sword. But I must tell you, this Holy Sword is cursed, and the curse is potent. The night before last, the curse within it accidentally leaked. To prevent innocent people from suffering, I took it to an abandoned warehouse far from human habitation and found a few arbitrators to help me seal it. By the time I returned, it was already one in the afternoon.
It was too late by then. Your parents were murdered by Hooked Demon Jack, but they used their last ounce of strength to protect you. Since then, you had no relatives left in Avalon. I also seriously considered adopting you, after all, I knew your father, and Mina knew your mother. I had the opportunity… but in the end, I sent you to an orphanage instead. I apologize, Eivass.”
Mathers sighed with regret. “Because I was also having issues with my family at the time… Mina alone was already unacceptable to them, and adopting a student’s child—I’ve taught hundreds of students, and that reason wouldn’t convince them. So I backed down in the end… And I was truly scared, I worried about Mina, Maya, and my parents’ safety.
To this day, we still don’t know why the Alexander family was targeted by the Demon Scholars, because everyone in the Alexander family is dead—just two days after your parents died, your grandfather was killed for the same reason. The Inspection Bureau’s theory is that your grandfather might have contained a special secret in an unpublished poem. Because when he died, his manuscripts were also lost and vanished. Among all the deceased ‘Alexanders,’ only his belongings were stolen. But this reason clearly doesn’t hold water, because there would be no need to kill his children.
So I worried that you had provoked someone. That’s why I sent you to the orphanage funded by Professor Moriarty. Professor Moriarty is a good person, and an orphanage he invests in is at least secure. It’s not like other orphanages where children are sent to factories at nine years old, or sent to the Lloyd Society as newsboys or doormen, or directly into the beds of important figures. Later, when Professor Moriarty adopted Yulia as his foster daughter, I mentioned your situation to him. And he actually adopted you… which put me further in his debt.”
Mathers recounted the events before Eivass’s memories.
“Bishop Mathers… I want to know, where is my grandfather from?” Eivass asked seriously.
“He lived in Eagle Cape Village in Shepherd’s Bay Country, which is also your father’s hometown,” Mathers replied without hesitation, clearly having anticipated Eivass’s question. “I know you care deeply about this matter, but I don’t recommend you look for clues there now. Because although you are very talented, you are still too weak… and your talent increases your value. Those evil scholars who study Demonology will sacrifice you once, and then again.”
Mathers looked at Eivass with a complex expression. “I often wonder… if I had completed my advancement and reached the Fifth Tier two or three years earlier, would your parents have had to die? But no matter how I calculate it, the result is always futile… because I am merely an Extraordinary of the Path of Devotion. This frustrates me. If the curse of the Red-Hilted Sword leaked that day, I had to deal with it—I couldn’t handle the curse inside the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder, as it would only infect more people and spread the curse across Glass Island. I had to be responsible for more innocent people.
Moreover, the tenets of the Path of Devotion lean towards sacrificing those close to you to save those farther away. This is also a “benevolence” in a broad sense. That is to say, even if I could reach the Fifth Tier and foresee the disaster that befell your parents, I might still have chosen to save more ordinary people. That’s the result of being influenced and controlled by the Path. That state of being devoted yet heartless struck fear into me. I realized that even Fifth Tier Extraordinary beings can fail, can be manipulated, or can suffer tragedy due to coincidence. That’s why I stopped pursuing advancement. If a problem cannot be solved by the Fourth Tier, the Fifth Tier likely cannot solve it either… at least, that’s what I thought at the time.”
Mathers sighed, lost in silent recollection. Eivass slowly drank his warm milk tea, deep in thought. It was clear that the deaths of Eivass’s parents had left some psychological scars on Mathers as well. Bishop Mathers lost his desire for further advancement from that point on, choosing to drift along and live day by day. He later sought help from Professor Moriarty and became a Spiritual Council member—a non-official councilor representing the Church who could enter the Round Table Hall, participate in meetings, and vote without wearing armor like a Knight. To this day, there are only six Spiritual Council members in Avalon, a highly respected position. This also meant that Mathers’s energy was divided, and he no longer focused on improving his Extraordinary Abilities.
“—Eagle Cape Village?” At this moment, a somewhat sleepy but cold voice echoed from above.
It was Sherlock. Dressed in thin clothes and slippers, he slowly descended the stairs. His hair was dishevelled from sleep, and his expression clearly indicated he was still groggy. Sherlock, who had woken up but not fully, subconsciously remarked, “Isn’t that Haina’s hometown?”
