Chapter 2
Misdirection
“Not Madam…” Haina whispered, “I’m actually not graduated yet.” And this was merely an interrogation…
But before she could finish speaking, Eivass gently interrupted her. “You haven’t officially graduated yet but you’re already in the Inspection Bureau… I see, Miss Haina, you’re studying at the Royal Law University?”
Eivass’s accent was standard and clear, lacking the “Elven Tone” that the capital’s residents prided themselves on, which symbolized nobility. But this oddly made Haina, who had come from a small town to study, feel more favorably towards him.
So she nodded in response, “Ah, yes.” As she spoke, she puffed out her chest with considerable pride. “I was the former student union president, and also the top-ranked student in my fourth year. As an outstanding graduate, I received an employment permit from the Inspection Bureau a year early. Although my ceremonial sword hasn’t been issued yet, my name is already on the roster at the Inspection Bureau.”
“In that case, you could be considered my senior, then.” Eivass interlaced his fingers and rested them on his knees. He leaned back relaxedly, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I am also a student at the Royal Law University. A freshman this year.”
“…Really?” Haina sounded somewhat surprised, “But I haven’t seen you before…”
“It’s because my health hasn’t been good. Before even enrolling, I fell very ill. Because of that, I was bedridden at home and rested for three months.” Eivass’s somewhat pale complexion lent his words significant credibility.
*He’s quite a resilient child…*
“I understand. You are indeed innocent… I will report this to the Director when I get back.” Haina nodded repeatedly, feeling a pang of pity. The slight envy she had felt towards Eivass earlier dissipated. She felt ashamed of herself. As an inspector in the Inspection Bureau, she was practically a knight. To think she had forgotten the tenets of humility and compassion taught by her mentor… Envy is truly ugly.
“Then, senior,” Eivass suddenly asked, “Did you see what was in the fireplace?”
“The burning object…” Haina turned back, saying uncertainly, “I can’t quite make it out. It doesn’t seem to be firewood.”
“That was a diary.” Eivass said gently, “Perhaps it was the evidence of my collusion with the Demon Scholar. Just like this book in my hand.” As he spoke, he closed the book in his hand and tossed it into the fire as well.
Haina was startled by his words. She instinctively took a step forward, reaching out with her hand. Completely caught off guard, she managed to intercept the book in mid-air. Frowning deeply, she looked down and found that the book was titled “Eighty Selected Poems of Silidel.”
Haina recognized the book, of course. It was the textbook for the first-year “Elven Language” course. She flipped through it nervously, confirming that it was not evidence of collusion with a Demon Scholar at all. In fact, it was filled with annotations marking many key points and difficult passages in different colored pens.
“Just a joke.” Eivass’s lips curved slightly, “I’m the victim here, senior. You just said that yourself… Why are you suspicious again just because I casually mentioned it? Don’t you have any confidence in me?”
Haina suddenly realized that this seemingly gentle and refined young man harbored a hidden streak of malice.
“This is a very serious matter, not something to joke about.” She put on a stern face, lecturing him as if she were at school, “Demon Scholars often use living people as material for their sacrifices, and to silence witnesses, they kill the victims after the ritual. That is absolute evil; they will kill people indiscriminately, even those with whom they have no feud, as materials. How can such a thing be a joke?”
As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something, and her gaze turned sharp. “Speaking of which… if you were the sacrifice, how did you survive?”
“They tried to sacrifice me to summon a powerful demon, but unexpectedly, the demon was more drawn to me. So, I took control of the demon and ordered it to kill them all.” The young man said with a smile, his words becoming increasingly preposterous, “In fact, the Moriarty Family is steeped in evil. My father, Professor James Moriarty, is a Demon Scholar with dreams of world destruction. And I am not his adopted son, but a demon summoned by him from another world. I can destroy the Avalon Kingdom within a year.”
Haina listened, dumbfounded, and only halfway through did she realize Eivass was spouting nonsense.
“…What nonsense are you talking about?!” She shouted, a bit indignantly, at least half of the reason being her shame at having momentarily believed Eivass’s bizarre claims. This young man, who looked as gentle and beautiful as a poet, was as cunning as a fox, and his mouth was full of lies! She was furious, but she didn’t dare to speak loudly in front of the old butler, which only made her face turn red. “Tell me honestly—why were you at an evil ritual? Someone anonymously reported that you went to Stone Arch Park yourself and were not coerced.”
“I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, take me to the Inspection Bureau.” Eivass shrugged, seeming genuinely regretful. But Haina knew that was impossible. With the Inspection Bureau clearly showing a tendency to cover for him, she couldn’t arrest Eivass without evidence. If she took Eivass, who was currently in a wheelchair, away, she would likely be the one in trouble.
Then, Eivass slowly let go of his foxy smile. He wore a solemn expression and said seriously, “That’s what I said. But since you know that what I’m saying is nonsense, why do you believe an anonymous tip? What’s the difference between what I’ve said and that tip?”
“…So, what is the truth?”
“I can give you another version of the story—I was attacked while out for a walk and taken to Stone Arch Bridge Park. When I woke up, I was in a wheelchair. I have no idea what happened in between, nor do I know that I was used as a sacrifice for demons, nor how they were driven away, nor how I survived… But this version of the story is too smooth, too perfect. It’s like the defense of a Law Master in court. If I say it directly, you might become even more suspicious.”
Eivass sighed, appearing helpless and innocent again. He asked, “So, which one do you believe?”
…If the emotional aspect were excluded and judged rationally, the latter seemed more plausible. Haina immediately realized she had misunderstood Eivass again.
—Because Eivass was too weak. Haina could sense that he was indeed an Extraordinary, but his reaction was very faint. He had barely lit up one layer of his Path. Even if he had summoned a demon, it would have at most been the strength of a Familiar, and incapable of causing such a scale of destruction—even so, the dead confirmed at the ritual site were indeed wanted criminals who had fled into the capital. That person had sacrificed a small village and was now a third-tier Demon Scholar, capable of summoning Upper Demons.
…Could it be that after summoning the demon, the contract failed, and he was backlashed by the demon? It wasn’t impossible. In that case, with the summoner’s death, the demon would be sent back. Eivass would have only been severely weakened by the ritual and then picked up by the old butler. Logically speaking, this possibility was much greater.
…But why would Eivass tell her such preposterous lies?
Soon, Haina had an answer—She provided a very reasonable explanation: because her change of attitude was too abrupt. She hadn’t thoroughly interrogated him; she had simply declared Eivass innocent. And Eivass, as a truly innocent person, was angered by such a hasty attitude, thus deliberately saying strange things to mock her for being prone to preconceived notions and easily believing others.
So that was it.
It was also why the Director wasn’t too concerned about this matter… because he knew Eivass couldn’t be the culprit, and likely didn’t possess any important information, making the investigation a waste of effort.
Then it all fell into place.
Another case occurred yesterday—To perform large-scale rituals like demon summoning, Demon Scholars usually worked in pairs. And most of the time, paired Demon Scholars were mentor and apprentice. If the mentor Demon Scholar was backlashed by the summoned demon, it would be reasonable for the apprentice to escape and act alone. If Eivass was his assistant or apprentice, then who committed yesterday’s crime? If Eivass controlled the demon to kill one person, would he have let the other go?
…Sigh, what am I talking about? Upper demons aren’t that easily controlled by beginners.
“I’m sorry, I was prejudiced.” Haina thought to herself and then decisively apologized, “I’m also very sorry about my previous transgression. If you still plan to return to school, I can ask my juniors to make some arrangements for you. This isn’t compensation, merely an expression of apology. If there’s anything else I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Anything at all?” Eivass sounded almost tempted.
“…To be clear, I don’t have money.” Haina displayed a somewhat pained expression and added helplessly, “Except for monetary compensation—I can do some volunteer work if needed.”
“It’s fine, the misunderstanding is resolved.” Eivass smiled gently, “I was actually a bit worried. After all, if you were to hear a few words from someone after returning and become suspicious again, then come back to investigate, it would be troublesome for both of us. Not to mention, if you were to be late again…”
“Now, senior, why don’t you guess why I know about demons? Even though I didn’t interact with anything and was in a coma the whole time. Why could I guess, the moment we met, that this matter was related to a Demon Scholar?”
“…I think this must be the legendary deduction! Just like that famous Mr. Sherlock!” Haina’s eyes lit up, “I remember that Mr. Sherlock was also Professor’s favorite student. He seemed to excel at discerning details about people through methods like divination! I’ve collected newspaper clippings of the cases he solved—I cut out the parts mentioning Mr. Sherlock from those newspapers and pasted them into a book. This book is now one-third full…” The more she spoke, the more her logic felt sound. Feeling she had found a kindred spirit, she felt a sudden enlightenment, and many doubts were instantly resolved. Her brain seemed to clear up in an instant.
Watching Haina become excited and talk non-stop, Eivass, sitting in his wheelchair, narrowed his eyes slightly, a harmless smile on his face.
If Haina hadn’t been so careless and had observed carefully, she would have noticed that the old elf guarding him quietly remained unmoving in his shadow. But the shadow cast by Eivass’s wheelchair was trembling slightly, like a wild beast breathing steadily in its sleep.
*This was all “deduced” by yourself. I didn’t lie much. Such deduction, where one determines the conclusion first and then searches for evidence, is bound to be misguided. It seems you’re not quite qualified yet.*
—Yes, Eivass was indeed the sacrifice. But at the same time, “Eivass” was also a participant in the demonic ritual. What he said earlier was not a lie. If he hadn’t suddenly recalled memories from his past life, he might truly have been a “demon from another world” summoned in the ritual using Eivass’s soul as a sacrifice. This was because, along with those past life memories, a familiar glowing screen appeared before his eyes:
Eivass, Human Male, Overall Level 4
Base Profession—
Priest LV1: [Basic Prayer – Level 1 (93%)]
Demon Scholar LV3: [Demonology – Level 1 (13%)], [Basic Ritual – Level 1 (5%)], [Demon Contract – Level 1 (99%)]
Lit Paths: Devotion – Layer Zero; Transcendence – Layer One
Mana Pool: 1/1 (Light), 3/3 (Dark)
Free Experience: 24
Path Trait—
Transcendence – Shadow Affinity LV1: You have signed a life-bound contract with a Shadow Demon, allowing you to freely use Level One Shadow abilities.
