Chapter 116: I want to go home with you
Not long after Eivass left the Lloyd Society building, Lily quietly reminded him that someone was following them.
Although the “Spider Silk Grimoire” enhanced perception abilities, Lily was only at the First Tier. If the other party was determined to track them secretly, it would be difficult for Lily in her current state to detect them.
In other words, this was “following in plain sight,” Vice President Boka’s way of showing Eivass an attitude:
“We, the Lloyd Society, are a large organization, yet we only sent a tracker you could detect to follow you, indicating our friendly attitude at this moment.”
This also implied that they didn’t fully trust Eivass and that there were always hidden spies following him—telling him that since there were eyes watching you in the dark… you’d better behave and not cause trouble.
However, Eivass gleaned another piece of information from this action: the Lloyd Society was currently under political pressure.
If it were in the past, with the Lloyd Society indirectly controlling two-thirds of the seats in the Round Table Hall, controlling large and small enterprises through loans, and owning major newspapers, how could they fear a young man like Eivass?
They had revealed a lot of secrets just now, but they hadn’t allowed Eivass to access any evidence or get any details.
If Eivass dared to speak carelessly upon his return, he would not only fail to pose a threat to the Lloyd Society but would also expose his own intentions. This confidence, unafraid of internal traitors, was proof of the Lloyd Society’s power.
But now, their actions had clearly become more cautious. From their perspective, Old Moriarty was already dead… Faced with the Moriarty family, whose patriarch was dead and had no relatives or in-laws, they were being so conservative. This indicated that their influence in the Round Table Hall was beginning to stagnate.
“Interesting.”
Eivass’s lips curved slightly.
Who was counteracting the Lloyd Society’s influence?
He pondered in his mind and finally found the answer.
—It was Head部长 Meg.
The old woman’s mission to investigate the “Alchemical Bomb Smuggling Case” through Haina indicated that this Grand Arbitrator likely intended to take action against the Lloyd Society.
Because she couldn’t possibly be unaware that the smuggling case was related to the Lloyd Society—all smuggling cases from the port area were related to them, as the Lloyd Society had long controlled the entire Lloyd District. As the Grand Arbitrator who controlled the entire Arbitration Hall, she must have known about this matter… After all, some arbitrators were high-ranking officials of the Lloyd Society themselves, or had kinship or friendships with them.
So, why was there a need to investigate?
Although this was the first time with alchemical bombs, many large items had been smuggled in previous years.
When had they ever investigated the Lloyd Society?
“She’s aiming for advancement…”
Eivass understood. It turned out that Meg had been planning her advancement since this time.
What a closed-door disciple, this was essentially finding a successor.
It was like making arrangements before death.
She might know that her advancement could fail… or even likely fail.
Therefore, she wanted to handle all the matters and resolve all the issues before the Advancement Ritual.
After all, there were only so many peak Fifth Tier Extraordinary individuals in this era, and they all knew each other. It was a purely social gathering. All nine initiators were acquainted, and more than half of them would be elderly. Perhaps decades ago, they had grudges or even kinship when they were young.
With a small enough group of people, becoming an actor was too easy. Such a situation didn’t depend on strength but on social connections.
Whether it was being targeted by others during a New Moon Ritual or a teammate’s betrayal during a Full Moon Ritual—even if Meg was powerful, it would be very difficult if others didn’t want her to advance.
The old woman clearly understood this, but her stubbornness kicked in, and she wanted to try.
Of course, there was another possibility.
“…Perhaps she felt her lifespan was nearing its end.”
Regardless of the Path of Authority, even Extraordinary individuals on the Path of Devotion, who could constantly heal themselves, would not live long if they were short-lived. The only Path that could clearly extend life or even grant immortality was the Path of Twilight, and Meg was already over a hundred years old this year.
Although she still looked robust… but who knew? Sometimes, only the elderly themselves knew how their bodies were.
Eivass felt a stirring in his heart and didn’t ask Lily to shake off the tails. Instead, he went home first to report his safety and hug Yulia, who was worried about him, and then returned directly to school.
He had Lily push him to the girls’ dormitory. He casually stopped a senior student from the Third Department, smiled politely, and asked her to bring Haina down.
Upon hearing this, the senior student’s eyes widened, and she instinctively covered her mouth, freezing in place for a moment.
But after just a moment’s pause, she immediately agreed without hesitation.
Eivass waited for less than twenty minutes. Haina, still dressed and not even having had time to comb her hair, was pushed down by her curious classmates, looking bewildered.
“Is there something you need, Eivass?”
Haina somewhat awkwardly touched her hair.
A girl’s hair could easily become frizzy if not properly cared for, but Haina had a lot of hair, and washing it was troublesome. It was also a bit cold in winter. Since it was the weekend, she decided not to wash her hair and stayed in her dorm room reading novels.
Recently, a novel called “Dracula” had become quite popular in Avalon. After reading it, she found it quite good and went to the library to find books previously written by Mr. Bram Stoker, planning to have a peaceful and uneventful weekend.
Unexpectedly, she was now mysteriously dragged down by her roommate, who said someone was looking for her.
And when she came down, it was Eivass!
“You’re not wearing makeup today, you look even better,” Eivass casually complimented.
He glanced at her classmates peeking from the windows and simply smiled, shaking his head, “Come with me for a moment, Senior.”
“…Eh? Eh? Where are we going? If I’m meeting someone, I should wash my hair first…”
Haina was somewhat reluctant and embarrassed, patting her frizzy, puffed-up hair, trying to flatten it. But Eivass didn’t respond immediately, so she merely ran behind Lily.
But she actually didn’t care much about where they were going.
Instead, she was more interested in Eivass’s previous words. “Mr. Eivass, were you serious just now?”
“About the makeup?”
Eivass turned back and smiled lightly, “Yes… In my opinion, you look better without makeup.”
“…So, it must be that my makeup skills are too poor.”
Haina felt a little dejected. “I only started learning this year… I was too busy when I first came to university. It’s only now that I’ve been accepted into the Inspection Bureau that I have time to study these things.”
“But this subject is too complex, like the chemistry knowledge taught in the Second Department, and some aesthetic knowledge from the Sixth Department—I don’t know how to put on makeup at all. Either it’s barely noticeable when I wear it, or it looks worse than not wearing it, it’s too ugly…”
She walked with Eivass for a while before realizing they were heading towards Eivass’s dormitory.
Haina immediately understood that this was probably related to Sherlock’s matter.
But just as she became serious, Eivass, without even looking back at her, said, “Don’t be too nervous, Senior. Being natural is better.”
“Yes, Mr. Eivass.”
Subconsciously, Haina obeyed Eivass’s instructions. Just like when they fought at the Pelican Bar.
After entering the dormitory with Haina, Eivass led her to the reception room and asked Lily to prepare tea and afternoon tea.
Eivass clasped his hands together and asked, “You didn’t come this morning?”
“Sherlock’s funeral?”
Haina nodded. “Yes, I didn’t go.”
Although the Inspection Bureau had asked her to attend Sherlock’s funeral today, she pretended to be deeply saddened and refused—mainly because Haina knew Sherlock was not dead, and she was not confident in her acting skills.
“I was afraid I might accidentally reveal a loophole and affect your and Mr. Sherlock’s plan, so I decided to do nothing.”
Haina replied.
As an excellent student of the Individual Tactics Department, she had studied warfare and swordsmanship. Therefore, she deeply understood the principle of “it’s better to do nothing than to make a mistake.”
—How many Third Department students had been accidentally cut by a classmate’s sword, bitten by a classmate’s uncontrolled gryphon, or run over by a classmate’s out-of-control horse?
Perhaps only the senior students from the Fourth Department, who watched the excitement from the side of the playground, preparing to practice the Illuminate Spell and flirt with juniors, could count them.
Eivass praised, “Very good, otherwise you might have been in danger.”
“…What’s wrong?”
Haina realized that Eivass was about to discuss serious matters. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she sat up straighter, her tone becoming reliable. “Do you need my help, Mr. Eivass?”
“Indeed, I do.”
Eivass nodded. “I need you to help me deliver a message to Sherlock—I don’t know if the phone will be wiretapped, so delivering a message through a reliable person is the safest.”
“Wiretapped?”
Haina was stunned for a moment. “An enemy that even the Moriarty Family can’t handle?”
This was unimaginable to her—the Moriarty Family was an almost “eternal” behemoth in her eyes. Moriarty’s annual income was more money than she could earn in a lifetime!
Not to mention, Edward was the Chief Inspector of the Glass Island Inspection Department!
What kind of terrifying enemy could this be that even they couldn’t contend with?
“The problem isn’t that big, I can handle it myself.”
Eivass said in a deep voice, “You mainly need to tell him that I’ve been forced to join the Lloyd Society and might have to fake my death again… Don’t let yourselves be exposed.”
“—You too?!”
Haina blurted out, not even bothering with politeness.
Almost immediately, she realized the problem on the other side. “What about Princess Isabel?”
“It depends on what Sherlock says.”
Eivass narrowed his eyes, lost in thought. “I’m also afraid that Isabel might not be able to handle it. So, I’d prefer to explain it to her personally beforehand, but as you know… the more people who know about such things, the more loopholes there are. However, strictly speaking, I’m not really going to die, but rather be kidnapped or go missing. Perhaps I can inform her in advance.”
“What about the specific time?” Haina pressed.
“The week after next,” Eivass answered without hesitation.
Regardless, he had to extract the Phantom Demon from Yulia’s body first. Otherwise, she would definitely lose control.
“Beginning of next month?”
Haina’s focus was somewhat peculiar. “Won’t that be the final exam period?”
“My faked death is different from Sherlock’s… It will only be a disappearance of at most two or three days, which won’t affect the exam.”
Eivass was not worried about this.
Besides, what if his exam results weren’t good? He was only here to read restricted books in the library, not like Haina, who needed to get the title of valedictorian to change her fate.
Moreover, the knowledge from this year was indeed not difficult. Eivass felt that he wouldn’t do poorly even if he took the exam with no preparation.
“Then, shall I help you tutor?”
Haina was eager to try.
She had always wondered if there was anything she could do to help Eivass.
She had already entrusted Head部长 Meg’s troublesome request to Eivass and Sherlock. But during their rapid discussion, she felt completely unable to join in—their logic leaped too quickly, even omitting a large amount of the process. Listening by their side made her feel like her brain was about to fry.
She had always been very intelligent and had good grades. But why did she still seem so slow-witted in front of them?
Haina sometimes doubted herself like this.
And now, she felt she finally had a way to reciprocate—entrusting all her important tasks to others while she watched from the sidelines… Although this might seem to align with the Path of Authority, she couldn’t quite do it. At least, she still felt a bit embarrassed to do so now.
“Although I may lack talent in handling complex events, or in planning and strategizing, I am very good at final exams!”
Haina was eager to try. “I’m great at exams!”
“That would be good too,” Eivass readily agreed. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Senior.
“—Oh, right. After the final exams, can I go back home with you?”
“…Huh?”
Hearing this, Haina’s eyes widened, and she froze in place, completely still.
Eivass couldn’t help but let out a slightly mischievous chuckle. Haina then realized she had misunderstood.
The fox-like young man waved his hand lightly, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, “Just kidding. Actually, I have something to do in Eagle Cape Village. Sherlock will also be coming. As the host, you’ll have to show us the way.”
“—Ah, no problem!”
Haina readily agreed. “You can come anytime, and I’ll treat you well! Although Eagle Cape is a small village, there are still many delicious and fun things to do!”
“Speaking of which,” Eivass asked indirectly, “I only recently learned that before my father adopted me… my biological grandfather was from Eagle Cape Village.”
“Eh?”
Upon hearing this, Haina’s eyes lit up. “Really!”
“Yes, his name was Jacob Alexander. He died of typhoid fever fourteen years ago. Do you know him?” Eivass asked seriously.
Haina thought for a long time before suddenly her eyes widened. “Are you talking about… Grandpa Jacob? Grandpa Jacob who wrote novels and poems?
“When I was very young, it was Grandpa Jacob who taught me to recognize characters!”
Today’s update is over seven thousand words!
I slept at 8:30 last night and woke up at 3:30 today. I feel like I’m almost on a normal human schedule—
