Chapter 185
Two Left
Time flew by, and it was now Sunday.
Eivass was still at the Grand Guardian’s home, but he would be returning to school by Monday morning or this evening.
He had already finished the books he had borrowed. The next advancement ritual was still a week away.
He now needed to read some occult books on the Path of Devotion to level up his priest profession.
Although Yulia had recovered her health and Eivass had one less person to spar with, he had been able to hone his Illuminate Spell proficiency at the Grand Guardian’s home these past few days.
After Eivass settled in, David and Emily’s training immediately intensified.
Under the swift attacks of their respective parents, their stances were nothing short of desperate.
But precisely because of this, their strength grew rapidly. After all, George and his Gryphon Philip were Fifth Tier powerhouses, while his wife and her Gryphon were Fourth Tier.
In other words, David and Emily were being mixed-doubles’d by a Fourth and a Fifth Tier powerhouse respectively—
Despite being beaten badly, this kind of training was something ordinary people could only dream of but never achieve.
Fortunately, their foundations, both person and Gryphon, were very solid, allowing them to quickly absorb sufficient experience. In just two days, they had made as much progress as in the previous half-month.
The Grand Guardian was not unable to afford a priest.
He did not train them like this normally because there was no need—if everyday training were this painful, David and Emily might develop resistance, which would lower their efficiency. They might even lash out at the priest who came to heal them.
David even skipped school. He would naturally skip training that was more painful than studying. A large part of the reason he wasn’t skipping now was his good impression of Eivass, so he didn’t want to show his shortcomings in front of this gentle and knowledgeable older brother.
Eivass was a guest, after all, and he would be leaving soon.
Because of this, the Grand Guardian had found an excuse to have David undergo intensive training—Eivass would be returning to class on Monday, so it was a rare opportunity.
David, of course, could not refuse. So, even though he usually resisted training fiercely, he had to obediently pick up his sword and spear and train for six hours a day at this time.
Eivass’s healing techniques also surprised the Grand Guardian.
Many priests who had graduated from the seminary two or three years ago did not have Eivass’s skillful and stable healing ability. He even noticed that Eivass could heal with both hands—not just the problem of using his non-dominant hand, but he could simultaneously use his left and right hands to heal David and Emily.
—It was no wonder Meg wanted Eivass to have a spot.
The Grand Guardian thought.
This time, the Church was only offering nine spots to teach humans High-Tier Divine Arts. Three were at the school, and six would be chosen from graduating bishops.
These six bishop spots were exactly filled by six Spiritual Council members. When Meg heard this news, she requested a spot for Eivass. At that time, there were only two spots left.
At the time, the Grand Guardian thought it was because Eivass had a close relationship with Princess Isabel.
Only a few people knew that Meg’s favorite among the current generation of royal family members was Isabel. This was because she had a bold personality and preferred straightforward actions, disliking being entangled with others. Therefore, many people assumed she supported Prince Andrew.
But only when they, as Fifth Tier Extraordinary individuals, gathered privately would they know that Meg detested him.
—Because he was too arrogant.
Andrew’s strength was indeed formidable.
He was in his early thirties and had already reached the Fourth Tier with a complete soul. He was not disturbed by temptations from other paths. It was estimated that he had a chance to enter the Fifth Tier by the age of thirty-five, and he could afford to fail two or three times.
In addition, he had obtained a double degree in Law and Philosophy from the Royal Law University. He had begun to interfere in politics five or six years ago and had even formed his own “Andrew Club,” recruiting many young talents—these were connections he had made in college, and they had now become indispensable pillars of Avalon.
He had no bad habits. He was neither lustful nor alcoholic and could even be described as self-disciplined.
Moreover, Andrew had a straightforward personality, spoke his mind, and had a strong attitude. He could also be described as just when handling disputes… although he sometimes favored his own people, he was generally the type the Grand Guardian liked.
But Meg did not like him.
When asked why, the old lady replied:
“Because long before he was the primary heir, he thought he could inherit the throne. And even with the royal family suffering such a curse, he had no intention of getting married and having children to continue the bloodline… as if he believed he wouldn’t be cursed to death. Such baseless confidence is annoying.”
She was actually being quite tactful.
To put it more clearly, Meg suspected that Andrew might be involved in the curse.
There was no evidence. But her intuition just felt a sense of vigilance.
The opinions given by the intuition of high-level Extraordinary individuals were worth considering.
Because of this, the Grand Judge and the Grand Guardian took a half-step back, not standing too close to Prince Andrew.
The old lady’s words were quite venomous. Regarding Isabel, who was also not cursed, her evaluation was: “She is too useless to be dangerous, and therefore sufficiently safe.”
Because Avalon lacked high-level Extraordinary individuals on the Transcendent Path, they were always unsure of the curse’s origin. They couldn’t even determine if it was a curse or poison. And the Round Table Hall was delighted by this, clearly unwilling to do anything for the royal family—they were controlled by oaths of loyalty, and the number of people who could control them was decreasing, which was naturally a good thing.
But at least one thing was certain: this cruel slaughter of the royal family must have come from the outside. Considering the border disputes, it was either the Star Antimony or the Iris Flower.
From the perspective of the Star Antimony people and the Iris Flower people, Isabel was the most suitable successor.
She herself was weak in personality, willing to heed advice, and was a student of Master Janis, so at least Avalon would not collapse from within. This would stabilize Avalon’s situation and make it easier to accept various trade agreements from the Star Antimony and the Iris Flower.
But she was not on the Path of Authority, so the core link of Avalon’s power control would be broken.
She lacked self-confidence and aggressiveness. Most importantly, she was kind enough—this meant that there was no need to worry that Avalon, after recovering, would proactively invade others.
The Gryphon Legion was strongest in its mobility.
If it were a defensive war, the threat of the Gryphons would not be so great.
—This was also why the Grand Guardians had never worried that the curse would lead to the extinction of the royal family.
Because if the royal family became extinct, Avalon would fall into chaos and warlordism—eventually, whoever regained the throne would be an uncontrollable variable. It was even entirely possible for the decadent Avalon to shed its shell and be reborn from the ashes… which was something they did not want to see.
At the same time, both the Star Antimony and the Iris Flower were in internal turmoil.
They could not occupy Avalon either… that would require sending a large number of officials away from their homeland to govern colonies. This could lead to new problems in the precarious power balance, and it could even lead to powers that were originally in a subordinate position moving to Avalon to escape the war, and then recovering their state through exploitation.
If it were the Avalon of the past, they would have long since participated in the war.
But since Prince Lloyd, the status of the Avalon royal family began to decline. Now, two hundred years later, Avalon’s economy, mineral resources, and light industry had developed quite well. But conversely, the power of the knights had been continuously weakening.
In their generation, there were only a handful of Fifth Tier Extraordinary individuals who were clearly loyal to the royal family.
In the first two hundred years after Avalon was founded, this number was more than double. And at its peak, it was twenty-eight.
In this world where top powerhouses could directly influence the course of war, a decrease in the number of powerhouses meant a decline in national power. The territory of the Church was less than one-sixth of Avalon’s, yet it had at least fifty Fifth Tier powerhouses, and the world’s strongest, the only Sixth Tier Extraordinary individual.
Because of this, the Eternal Holy Kingdom had the confidence to maintain permanent neutrality and actively mediate wars between other countries.
And because the Church intervened externally, the other parties could not launch wars of extermination, nor could they launch wars of aggression with too high intensity. From the perspective of the side that released the curse, their goal was to have the weakest successor control Avalon, this sharp sword that could attack but was difficult to defend.
—That is, Isabel.
Therefore, as long as Isabel did not change her personality, she would be safe. Avalon would not be extinct.
This was also why Janis was willing to take her as a student, and why Avalon had always remained silent about it.
Because the true successor was not Andrew at all—the Queen had only one chosen successor, and that was Isabel.
For this reason, Eivass, who was close to her, also saw his status elevated.
If Isabel became Queen, then this Moriarty would be the Prince Consort assisting her. Unlike Isabel, Eivass, this young man, looked smiling, but in reality, he was cunning, wicked, and good at manipulating people’s hearts.
Leaving aside the issue of being too philandering, he was the best candidate for Prince Consort.
Moreover, Isabel was already the Queen’s favorite child, and the only child who inherited the Queen’s enlightened thinking. They, the old men, looked at Isabel as they looked at Princess Sophia in her youth.
The only difference was that Sophia had been much more confident and mischievous than Isabel back then.
Confidence could be cultivated, and ability could be entrusted to others. However, personality and morality were difficult to change later in life.
This was also why the Grand Guardian treated Eivass very well, even introducing David to him proactively; and why no one doubted the excuse Eivass gave.
It was not just because Eivass was outstanding, but because they had no other choice.
Isabel liked him, what else could they do?
At most, they could ask Eivass not to be too philandering…
“Your Excellency, the Grand Guardian…”
But at this moment, George’s butler handed him a letter, his face anxious.
…What’s wrong?
The Grand Guardian thought to himself.
But he did not voice it, merely silently opening the envelope.
After reading it, his face changed slightly.
He immediately walked quickly to the courtyard, interrupting Philip and Amelie’s spar.
“Eivass, something has happened.”
“…Is it something I need to know?”
Eivass tilted his head in confusion.
“Indeed.”
George replied concisely, “The royal curse, which has not been activated for a long time, has recurred.”
“…Who?!”
Eivass’s face immediately changed, and his voice became a little louder.
His heart tightened—could it be that his changing history had caused something to happen to Isabel?!
Fortunately, another person had died—
“It’s Prince Andrew,”
The Grand Guardian said, “But I still think it’s best for you to go to the Silver and Tin Hall.”
“…With such a major event, is it appropriate for me to go now?”
Eivass hesitated.
“You must go,”
The Grand Guardian shook his head, “Princess Isabel is very scared… but Her Majesty the Queen is very busy right now.”
Hearing this, Eivass understood.
He relaxed slightly, nodded, and no longer refused.
“Alright,”
He responded in a deep voice, “Leave it to me.”
After thinking about it, it’s better to finish writing before eating!
Today is a 7,000-word update. The update is complete!
Chapter recommendation for new books: “Handbook for Recycling Witches”
Mysterious game, double traversal text in another world.
Apocalyptic atmosphere, hardcore action, riddles, and gorgeous and stunning witches.
