Chapter 214
Iris Kingdom: Why did you suddenly fight back?
With the air cavalry squadron stationed on Glass Island, Eivass could finally relax and focus on his studies.
Since Meg had been reincarnated as Lixia, Avalon no longer needed to rush to resurrect Lancelot to protect the country. Therefore, Queen Sophia was not in danger of dying anymore, which indirectly delayed the crisis of the Shadow Heavenly Envoy.
Queen Sophia now undoubtedly wished to stay alive.
Sooner or later, Avalon and Star Antimony would clash. Queen Sophia’s thoughts were similar to Eivass and Lixia… if handled well, this war could even be an opportunity for Avalon.
However, this came with a prerequisite. That was to ensure that Avalon did not fall into total chaos.
Although those old men and ruffians were incompetent, they still held power. The young Princess Isabel might not be able to suppress them, nor did she possess the sharp insight to select talented individuals from the younger generation.
However, Queen Sophia herself could handle it.
During this time, she could seize the opportunity to teach Isabel some things… and have Eivass mentor Isabel.
The reason why she had not taught Isabel the art of governance before was probably different from Isabel’s own thought of “I am not suited to inherit Avalon”—because if that were the case, she would not have sought Master Yanis to protect Isabel and teach her supernatural skills.
The curse had already begun to spread then. Queen Sophia did not ask Yanis to protect herself or to investigate the curser, but instead asked her to protect a young girl who was ranked very low in the line of succession and even lacked adaptability to the Path of Authority?
“—Looking at it this way, what Queen Sophia has truly been doing all these years is hiding a tree in a forest,” Sherlock replied after pondering for a long time upon hearing Eivass’s account.
Sherlock was currently “dead and not yet resurrected,” having missed many interesting events. Thus, Eivass had specially returned to the bishop’s residence to update Sherlock with the information.
Except for not mentioning his appointment as Minister of Affairs, Eivass had told Sherlock everything else—even the fact that Alastair had been transferred to his command. Of course, this was to prevent Sherlock from investigating aimlessly and uncovering himself out of boredom.
“Continue, I’m listening.”
Eivass sat on the sofa, sipping sherry, and listened with a smile as Sherlock began his analysis.
After Old Meg brought this wine, Eivass was pleasantly surprised to find it quite delicious. He had since bought more and given it to the bishop, ostensibly as a gift, but he also drank some himself when he had the chance.
He considered it as storage, though there was a slight loss during storage.
To be fair, Meg’s taste was indeed good. The wine she recommended was quite remarkable.
Perhaps the reason she usually enjoyed fried chicken and fried fish was indeed because there wasn’t much else to eat in Avalon…
Sherlock did not drink the wine. He simply held an unlit cigar in his mouth, his hands moving animatedly with rich body language as he spoke eloquently. “Her Majesty probably guessed long ago that the curse was not from a single source, which is why the royal family members died under different circumstances. It is precisely because the curser was not alone… the Noble Red of the Star Antimony people, the spies and assassins of the Iris people. Perhaps she didn’t know about the Lloyd Society, but the first two were enough.
“This is also why she has never revealed the identity of the curser—with Avalon’s Eye and Master Yanis present, it would be quite simple for her to investigate if she truly wished to. However, that answer would be unbearable for the people of Avalon. So, she could only pretend to be ignorant.
“If Avalon were to confront one country, it might be able to stir up the fighting spirit of its people. But if it were to face two enemies simultaneously, there would be no possibility of victory.”
“There are only four countries surrounding Avalon. Excluding the Church in the west and the barbarians of the Wolf Kingdom to the north, only Star Antimony and Iris Kingdom remain. And given our poor relations with those barbarians, coupled with the decadent Iris people and the sinister Star Antimony people, we could be said to be enemies of the world.”
Sherlock was undoubtedly a staunch supporter of the Queen.
However, he was probably correct this time.
Because looking back now, after confirming that Avalon could not easily remove the curse nor avoid being cursed, Sophia calmly made several preparations:
First, she began to publicize Isabel’s hidden adaptability to the Path of Beauty, keeping her away from royal social circles and the center of power, preserving her purity, and preventing her from interacting with her siblings. Then, she began preparing the Shadow of Avalon ritual, planning for Avalon’s protector. She also found Yanis to be Isabel’s protector and mentor, ensuring Isabel’s healthy growth.
Although Isabel’s artistic talent was outstanding, it was not enough to impress Yanis—therefore, Yanis, who loved traveling the world, staying in Avalon for so long could only be due to the Queen’s request.
From this perspective, arranging for Isabel to enter the Royal Law University to interact with outstanding talents of her age, the future pillars of the nation; showing favor to Sherlock, who was loyal to the royal family; and even giving Eivass the position of Minister of Affairs, were all for Isabel. All of it was paving the way for her future reign.
As Isabel had said, her relationship with her grandmother had always been good. However, Sophia’s love for her was not one of intimacy, indulgence, or gifts, but rather existed in a more rational and long-term manner.
“It’s so good,” Eivass sighed.
The only miscalculation by Her Majesty the Queen was probably that Isabel was driven to reclusion by the pressure.
After all, it was difficult for a social butterfly who often disguised herself to sneak out of the Silver and Tin Hall to watch plays in her teens, pretended to be a junior student wearing university clothes to roam the university while in middle school, and could easily connect with world-renowned artists on their first meeting, to the point where Yanis actively offered to paint for her, to understand why Isabel would become so withdrawn so easily.
“I suspect that from the very beginning, Princess Isabel was the most suitable person to inherit Her Majesty’s philosophy of governance,” Sherlock replied affirmatively. “Avalon urgently needs to open up and accept extraordinary individuals from other Paths.
“Her Majesty the Queen has done everything she could under the resistance of reform. She is an excellent and outstanding monarch, but she still lacks time.
“According to my calculations, it will take at least one more generation to truly see the results of the reforms and for Avalon’s technology to catch up to international standards. If we choose to stop or even regress at this point, we will miss the last window of opportunity.”
“Indeed.”
Eivass nodded, surprised by Sherlock’s acuity.
Once the Daffodil Duchy achieved independence… that technologically advanced nation, with its entire ruling class composed of mages, would unleash the technological foundation it had accumulated for a whole century. And as Star Antimony disintegrated, the Demon Scholars, Alchemists, and Necromancers, who had lost their checks and balances, would unleash their full potential.
Queen Sophia did not foresee the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, but her political vision could easily see through the instability of the Daffodil Duchy and the crisis within Star Antimony.
—In such circumstances, any monarch who could not resolutely withstand the political resistance from all sides and continue to reform at the fastest pace was actually extinguishing Avalon’s last hope. But Sophia could only trust Isabel.
Because other heirs might betray her, but Isabel could not. After all, Isabel herself was the holder of an illegal Path.
The Path of Beauty, which was controlled by the Iris Kingdom for most of its supernatural knowledge, could be used for covert surveillance through “artistic vision” and even for easy teleportation, was undoubtedly restricted in Avalon. Those rigid knights disliked—or rather, feared—such flashy abilities.
Now that the other heirs had been sidelined, the curser from the Iris Kingdom had been caught on the spot while “assassinating a minister,” Meg’s lifespan issue had been resolved, and Isabel had capable assistants like Eivass and Sherlock by her side… After Eivass revitalized Avalon’s deadlocked situation, the Queen immediately dropped the pretense.
She displayed the iron fist that had ruled Avalon for years—
The Queen showily presented Lixia, claiming that she had a close blood relationship with Meg, was a blessed individual favored by the Silver Crown Dragon, and also possessed Meg’s Dragon Blood Edict—therefore, she would succeed to the position of Grand Arbitrator in place of Meg, who was “unwell.”
Although Lixia appeared very young, she was actually an adult. It was only due to the power of the gods that she maintained such a youthful appearance.
And the Queen’s words had been approved by the Church. The high-ranking officials present could also sense that what Sophia said was the truth.
Following this, Avalon began to put pressure on Iris.
They presented irrefutable evidence that Dean Lars Graham, as the leader of Iris High School, had “slaughtered students,” “desecrated corpses,” and “assassinated ministers”—not mentioning the curse at all.
But the Queen specifically stated that when the Grand Guardian had ceased his attack and offered favorable terms if he surrendered, he not only refused to surrender but also intended to use magic to attack innocent people. If they had not intervened on the spot, the civilian casualties would have exceeded more than a thousand.
—And so, despite Eivass being attacked three or four times, which was a humiliating event, it turned into a grand achievement.
Subsequently, the assassin who had previously attacked Eivass was also identified—her transfer procedures to the Royal Law University were handled by Master Lars Graham. And they used the same techniques, suggesting they likely came from the same spy organization.
Due to Avalon’s sudden offensive, combined with testimonies that could be sworn under the Nine Pillar Gods in public to ensure their authenticity… under these circumstances, the Iris Kingdom was immediately thrown into a difficult and awkward predicament.
They repeatedly found themselves at a disadvantage in negotiations on other recent matters, and the Iris Kingdom’s newspaper outlets, like flies smelling blood, immediately boarded ships to Avalon for interviews.
By the time they returned to Iris, this matter would likely snowball further.
By using Lars Graham as a scapegoat, the previous assassination of Minister Dross in prison was also explained: a high-ranking official from the Inspection Bureau, who wished to remain anonymous, presented strong evidence stating that Minister Dross had come into contact with an extraordinary individual of the Path of Love in prison before being assassinated.
As everyone knew, the mainstream Paths in the Iris Kingdom were the Path of Love and the Path of Beauty.
Avalon, which had been on the defensive, suddenly began to fight back. Furthermore, they completely ignored the people of Star Antimony who were actually attacking them, and instead focused their full force on attacking Iris, who was secretly stirring up trouble—this left both Star Antimony and Iris bewildered.
This was the first suggestion Eivass made to the Queen after becoming Minister of Affairs.
—It was like a one-on-one fight in the top lane; if your jungler came, I could switch to another and kill the one who came to help first.
And Star Antimony and Iris were enemies themselves. They were happy to see this situation.
Star Antimony was also overwhelmed by internal chaos. Seeing Avalon suddenly engage in a fight with Iris… to avoid the conflict spreading to themselves, they retracted their actions and kept the spies within Avalon dormant.
They intended to watch Avalon and Iris fight. They even planned to add fuel to the fire, making their fight more spectacular.
Little did they know, this was a play orchestrated by the Queen.
This way, Avalon gained some breathing room.
With the aid from Star Antimony cut off, the Noble Red Society, facing the scrutiny of Avalon’s Eye and the attacks of the regular army, lost its ability to disrupt Glass Island.
This operation was codenamed “Bear Hunt.” Ostensibly, it was to “eradicate an illegal extraordinary organization that intended to subvert Avalon’s rule and had repeatedly massacred innocent villagers and townsfolk,” with no mention of support for Star Antimony.
Since the fire did not spread to themselves, the Star Antimony people did not agree to help Noble Red at this time.
Thus, within three days of the operation’s commencement, thirty strongholds of Noble Red were destroyed by lightning summoned by Gryphons.
And the Queen accepted an interview with the “Glass Steps Herald.”
She did not claim this was her long-prepared counterattack. Instead, she feigned ignorance, stating that these actions were the result of strong suggestions from the newly appointed “Minister of Affairs,” and that she was “quite surprised” by them.
However, regarding his true identity, Her Majesty the Queen respected the Minister of Affairs’ personal wishes and chose to keep it confidential.
For a time, the entire Avalon was filled with curiosity and speculation about this Minister of Affairs.
“—So, Eivass.”
After praising the Queen’s wisdom, Sherlock pointed at the newspaper and asked, “Who do you think this minister is?”
The first chapter is four thousand words, and the second chapter will have to wait until around 2 AM.
My runny nose has gotten worse; it feels like rhinitis coupled with a cold, or perhaps a cold triggering rhinitis… Compared to previous years, there’s just an added factor of bronchitis, which is a lingering effect of COVID-19 from last year.
In any case, it’s good that it’s not Chongyang Festival (Double Ninth Festival).
