Chapter 202
Royal Agent Alistair
It was evening at the Silver and Tin Hall.
This should have been the time for a banquet, but the highest-ranking individuals in Avalon were gathered in the tearoom, discussing something with solemnity.
Everyone except Grand Judge Arrius was present.
“The investigation results from the scene are out,” Grand Guardian said, looking at the report in his hand. “We’ve confirmed the presence of shadow traces… it was indeed a Shadow Demon.
“However, the secret chamber’s door was not opened. And within the secret chamber, we detected residual traces of the Path of Love. Arrius and I personally confirmed it; the type was flesh and blood magic.”
“—That means it was transformation magic, the witchcraft of a sorceress. It’s reasonable for a Shadow Demon to infiltrate, and a sorceress could also infiltrate… If I’m not mistaken, their entry and exit route should have been the ventilation ducts.”
The one speaking this time was a young woman, appearing to be in her early thirties.
She had long, light golden curly hair and deep blue pupils. Her fair skin, full figure, and slightly pointed ears gave her a noble and stern appearance.
She was Shafiya, the Grand Arbiter of Avalon’s current generation, the highest-ranking leader of the Inspection Bureau. She was also a half-elf.
Due to her half-elven heritage, Shafiya appeared younger than her actual age. In fact, she was considerably older than the Grand Guardian.
Even in front of Her Majesty the Queen, her posture was not particularly proper.
She crossed her legs, leaned back, and lounged on the soft sofa, saying lazily, “Wasn’t what I said before correct? The ventilation duct was right in the secret chamber, which is definitely not safe.
“Even if the culprit was sealed and couldn’t escape, you can’t rule out someone entering through the ventilation ducts—or, stepping back even further, it’s possible they could just release poisonous gas to silence them, right?”
“The renovations are indeed necessary,” Queen Sophia nodded in agreement. “The old dungeon’s secret chamber is too ancient. I think its location might have been discovered… You can have Isabel rebuild a new secret prison later. This isn’t something that can be done in a few months, so I won’t concern myself with it.”
With that, she clinked glasses with Meg.
Her drink was red wine, while Meg’s glass was at least three times larger—filled with bitter dark beer.
Meg downed half the glass in one go, letting out a refreshing belch.
The oldest-looking old woman picked up a piece of deep-fried cod with dipping sauce. While chewing, she casually asked, “Aren’t you drinking, Shafiya? This batch of Sichuan pepper beer is quite fresh.”
“No, I’m pregnant,” the Grand Arbiter refused. “We’ll talk about it after the child is born.”
“Pregnant again? Just giving birth won’t be enough then,” Meg laughed heartily. “Do you want the child to get drunk on milk?”
“Tsk,” the half-elf lady clicked her tongue and said irritably, “You’re so naggy.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll wait until you’re done with breastfeeding. We’ll celebrate together then,” Meg said with a chuckle. “If Sophia and I are still alive by then.”
“Then you must live long enough and don’t drink too much… take it easy,” the Grand Arbiter glanced at the two old ladies, who were drinking despite their impending demise. “I still need to find a good godmother for my child.”
Compared to the three casual individuals here, the Grand Guardian appeared overly serious.
However, he was clearly accustomed to this relaxed atmosphere.
Thus, he completely ignored the two women, and only began to read after they stopped talking: “The traces of flesh and blood magic were detected shortly before the Inspection Bureau was attacked. We can suspect that after someone reached a cooperation agreement with Minister Dross, they dispatched members of the already waiting Noble Red Society to launch a surprise attack.
“I even suspect that one of the reasons the Prince was suddenly cursed to death was to create an opportunity to rescue Minister Dross.”
“Speaking of the Path of Love, that would be the Iris people,” Shafiya somewhat indulged Grand Guardian, so he wouldn’t be speaking alone. “But rescuing a captured spy isn’t the style of the Iris people.”
“Indeed. If it were the Iris people, they would have directly dispatched an assassin to assassinate him… just like they did to his secretary,” Meg also nodded. “Then it must have been the Star Antimony people—where did they find a ‘sorceress’?”
“That’s not strange. The Path of Love faces great pressure within the Iris people. On one hand, they face assassination attempts, and on the other, their corpses may be stolen after death and turned into Children of the Moon. It’s normal for persecuted sorceresses to flee to Star Antimony,” the Grand Guardian said solemnly. “But if that’s the case… I believe Miss Alistair, codenamed ‘Alistair’, is likely innocent.”
A fiend possessed by a Shadow Demon is innocent?
A brief silence fell over the tearoom.
Afterward, Her Majesty the Queen asked kindly, “You have some ideas, don’t you?”
“That’s right. In the case of President Lloyd’s ‘disappearance’, we learned of Alistair’s existence. But we soon discovered that Inspector Gordon’s information was inaccurate—Alistair is not male, and their region of origin is different from what he said. So, I wonder, could it be that Alistair is not a member of the Noble Red Society?
“We prematurely assumed that Alistair was from the Noble Red Society. Therefore, when the ring was left behind, we considered it a provocation from the Noble Red Society—they have the ability to silently dissolve people in a secret chamber.
“And to verify this conjecture, I placed Minister Dross in a similar secret chamber,” the Grand Guardian said solemnly.
Shafiya retorted, “So what? Didn’t she come too?”
“But the Noble Red Society also came. If their goal was to rescue Dross, they wouldn’t have needed to dispatch Alistair for the assassination, because that would be a mission from Star Antimony, and even if the rescue failed, they wouldn’t kill him themselves; conversely, if they were assassinating Dross, there would be no need to send so many people to rescue him.
“It is from this point that I judge that Miss Alistair is not a member of the Noble Red Society—in fact, she may be confronting the Noble Red Society. The ring left behind previously was to divert our attention to the Noble Red Society,” the Grand Guardian analyzed calmly.
Meg’s interest was piqued. “Then how did she get the ring? Are you saying she killed a member of the Noble Red Society and took his ring to impersonate him?”
“It wasn’t that troublesome,” the Grand Guardian replied.
He looked at Shafiya. “I investigated and found that Inspector Edward had previously altered case files. In the Pelican Bar incident, a ‘Noble Red’ ring that should have been found at the scene was missing. And only Inspector Haina and Eivass were at that scene.”
“Are you suspecting Haina, or Eivass?” Meg frowned deeply, her tone becoming displeased. “We need evidence.”
The Grand Guardian immediately explained, “What I mean is… I suspect that Miss Alistair’s true identity is Eivass’s personal maid, Lily.
“Her original surname was Lily Drost. I investigated her background a few days ago and found that she is Dross’s illegitimate daughter, and her mother was assassinated by members of the Lloyd Society—possibly assassins hired by Dross.
“In other words, she coincidentally holds grudges against both the Lloyd Society and Minister Dross. And I checked the Grimoire she took from the Inspection Bureau; that book is the Spider Silk Grimoire, from the Path Adaptation. Miss Alistair appeared only after the Iris assassin with shadow stealth ability suddenly disappeared… that assassin was clearly an Extraordinary of the Path Adaptation.
“Is it possible that the assassin privately attempted to assassinate Eivass but was killed by Eivass and Lily in retaliation? Then Lily obtained shadow power from her—perhaps the Grimoire, or an extraordinary item.
“This would explain why ‘Miss Alistair’ appeared in Eivass’s dormitory. Because Alistair is Lily.”
The Grand Guardian analyzed seriously.
Meg grew impatient. “So, are you going to arrest Lily? Don’t forget, there’s another possibility—that Alistair *is* that assassin! Couldn’t she have been infatuated with Eivass’s charm, abandoned her mission, and chosen to serve him instead?”
“Then Eivass would have to be a Succubus or a Fiend; humans couldn’t possibly do that. That’s already in the realm of mind control,” the Grand Guardian quipped. “And I saw more direct evidence… As I was leaving the Inspection Bureau, I clearly saw Lily’s shadow trembling. Although it was faint, it was definitely there. When they stayed at my house, Lily’s shadow would sometimes tremble slightly.
“Not to mention, she was missing for a period… and after she returned, Minister Dross in the basement was dead. You could say she hardly hid her identity at all. And when Alistair first appeared, she happened to be near the Inspection Bureau.
“—Of course, I don’t intend to arrest Miss Lily. Because if Alistair is indeed Lily, it would mean she has done no evil and is completely controllable.
“So, is there a possibility…”
At this point, the blond man crossed his arms and said solemnly, “If the person’s character is not an issue. Could we, in the name of the Royal Family, specifically recruit ‘Miss Alistair’ as our agent?
“It’s always people from Star Antimony and the Iris people poaching our people… It’s time we poached some of theirs.”
“Interesting,” Meg said with a laugh, sounding pleased. “Then let me go—I’ll have a good talk with the two of them, master and servant.”
“When?” Shafiya asked.
Meg replied, “It’s too late today, so tomorrow. Tomorrow is Monday; he has to come back to school. After he gets out of class, I’ll go to his dormitory to find him.
“As the Head of Department, it’s perfectly reasonable for me to have a heart-to-heart talk with my student, isn’t it?”
“Then please protect Eivass as well, Meg. Don’t leave too early tonight; hide in the shadows and protect Eivass,” Queen Sophia mused, then issued an order. “I think the Noble Red Society has a certain obsession with Eivass. This might be related to Eivass’s origins… they might come back. A place where they can lie in wait for Eivass without attracting anyone else’s attention would be his dormitory building.”
“Then, shall I go too?” the Grand Guardian asked, somewhat worried. “They might dispatch real powerhouses this time.”
“What, you look down on me, kid?” Meg glared.
The Grand Guardian quickly apologized, startled. “No, I didn’t mean that…”
“I won’t go; I’m pregnant,” Shafiya yawned, looking regretful. “Otherwise, I’d want to join in on the fun.”
“Should we call Arrius?”
“The old geezer might not be free,” Meg replied. “It’s better to call Master Janis; her scrying ability is very useful.”
“Alright,” the Queen nodded readily. “Then I’ll go and speak with Janis.”
Chapter Two will be released around 2 PM~
