Chapter 216
Just the Right Kind of Good News
Eivass was not one to procrastinate.
Therefore, he brought Lily with him and, in his wheelchair, followed Mycroft to The Barrel Club.
It wasn’t far from the Bishop’s residence, so they didn’t even need a carriage. They arrived less than two blocks away.
“Don’t you need to ask for leave?”
On the way, Mycroft, wearing a black top hat, asked casually.
“The final exams are next week; most classes have already concluded.”
Eivass shook his head. “There are only three classes left this week… I didn’t have class today, which is why I came directly to find Sherlock.”
“I see. Are you confident about the exams?”
“There’s certainly no problem with that.”
Eivass chuckled, full of confidence.
He hadn’t fallen behind in many classes, and with Haina and Isabel helping him catch up, along with a book-borrowing pass from his mentor, Eivass quickly got back on track. He even had the leisure to start preparing for next year’s courses.
Perhaps getting a perfect score like Haina would be a bit difficult, but if he could achieve grades of “good” or higher in all subjects, he could pass even without reviewing.
“The lowest subject should at least get a five-petal flower,” Eivass mused, setting a clear target for himself.
Exams at the Royal Law University didn’t have explicit scores. Instead, professors would give different stamps after reviewing the exam content.
The stamp representing a pass was a three-petal flower, followed by a crying face for “poor” and an angry face for “very poor.”
As long as a flower was received, the course was considered passed, and no make-up or retake was necessary.
A four-petal flower signified normal level, a five-petal flower exceeded expectations, a six-petal flower was excellent, and a seven-petal flower was flawless. Haina was added to the talent roster because she graduated with seven-petal flowers in all subjects. Generally, about sixty percent of students received either three-petal or four-petal flowers. The number of failing grades was as rare as five-petal flowers, and those with five petals or more—students who received at least one of them across all subjects—accounted for less than 5%.
If Eivass could achieve a minimum of five-petal flowers in all subjects, with others starting at six petals… it would mean he was at least among the top twenty students in his department. He might even reach the top five.
“Truly admirable.”
Mycroft exclaimed, “You’ve only been enrolled for about a month, haven’t you? In just one month, you’ve completely grasped a semester’s worth of knowledge and can achieve near-top scores… If you had enrolled normally, you would certainly be the top student in your cohort next year.”
“That sort of thing is unimportant.”
Eivass looked up at Mycroft and smiled. “Even if I could get first place, I would control my score to let them have it.”
“…Oh? Why?”
“Because I don’t need it.”
Eivass shrugged. “I am the heir of the Moriarty Family, and now the Minister of Affairs… Basically, I’ve already reached the pinnacle of my career before even graduating.”
“This shows Her Majesty the Queen has a discerning eye.”
Mycroft lowered his head in flattery. “She can recognize true talent at a glance without needing to go through examinations.”
He certainly knew how to speak. With a single sentence, he praised both the Queen and Eivass. And it didn’t seem forced—because it was indeed the truth.
“…You’re quite skilled at flattering people, Your Excellency Mycroft,” Eivass chuckled lightly.
“It is the truth.” Mycroft replied calmly.
Indeed.
This current Minister of Palace Affairs was adept at using facts to flatter people, making it difficult for Eivass to even be humble. Because every word he spoke was the truth, without any exaggeration. To be too humble at this point would appear insincere; he could only accept his praise directly.
In this regard, Mycroft was completely different from his brother, Sherlock.
If Sherlock heard Eivass say this, he would undoubtedly retort. That was just how he was; he felt uneasy if he didn’t argue.
“Thanks to Her Majesty the Queen’s trust in me, I don’t need to rely on external achievements to prove my own excellence. In this situation—for the sake of Avalon—I believe I should help the Kingdom discover more talents.
“Just as Senior Haina was able to change her fate by becoming the valedictorian. Perhaps in our cohort, there are also children who need to change their destiny? No, should I say… everyone hopes to change their destiny, to walk towards warmer breezes, and to meadows with brighter sunshine and more open skies.”
Eivass said gently, “I can’t possibly compete with these children for opportunities. For me, it’s just adding icing to the cake, but for them, it’s like a timely arrival of snow-breaking charcoal.
“Does Your Excellency Eivass also understand Primordial Language?” Mycroft asked, somewhat surprised.
“Didn’t you understand it as well?”
Eivass turned his head and smiled. “Sherlock was also surprised in the same way back then.
“Yes, I understand a little Primordial Language. In addition to that, I also understand some Elven Language… at least enough for normal communication. Next year, I plan to find a mentor to study Ancient Horus Language.”
In a world where Occult Classics were recorded in different languages and supernatural strength improvement relied mainly on learning, the importance of linguistics was self-evident. Not to mention that archaeology also required a certain level of linguistic proficiency.
Mycroft marveled, seamlessly switching to Primordial Language. “When I taught Sherlock Primordial Language, he was very resistant. He said this script was too convoluted, like some kind of ritualistic text… a bit like Ancient Horus Language.”
“Ancient Horus Language is said to be quite difficult. But I don’t think it will be much of a problem,” Eivass nodded.
“So, you’re saying your Elven Language skills are quite good… right? Then I can rest assured.”
“How so?”
Eivass asked in surprise. “Do you need a translator?”
Compared to that, Eivass was more surprised that Mycroft didn’t know Elven Language.
“No, no, no…”
Mycroft smiled helplessly and switched back to Elven Language. “It’s quite the opposite. The matter is this: if you have mastered Elven Language to a certain extent, then I believe your further studies next year will be much more convenient.
“I was originally going to remind you that if your listening and speaking skills in Elven Language are still lacking, then this holiday break is a good opportunity to catch up.”
“…Further studies?”
Eivass also switched to Elven Language, though his pronunciation was slightly stiff, not as fluid as Mycroft’s. “What further studies?”
“You don’t know about this yet? Oh, perhaps I’ve overstepped my bounds… I thought Professor Bard had already informed you.”
Mycroft said smilingly, “At the end of April next year, the Church has granted Avalon nine spots, three of which are for current students, and the remaining six are for excellent and outstanding Bishops. The long-eared folk intend to teach you some more difficult divine arts.
“Since it’s through official channels, it’s designated for graduates of the Royal Law University. Barring any surprises, you should occupy one of those spots.”
…The matter of High-Tier Divine Art?
This was the first time Eivass had heard this news.
As he recalled, the Church had invited nine Bishops… why had they changed the personnel list this time and specifically invited three current students?
It couldn’t possibly be because of him that they changed the plan, could it?
Eivass shook his head. How could that be possible?
Don’t overestimate yourself—although he was quite famous in Avalon, he was still far from being known to the Eternal Holy Kingdom.
That was a nation of immortal beings. To them, Queen Sophia’s ascension was merely “recent history.” Eivass’s fame had only emerged in the last month.
While it might be impolite to say so, elves were somewhat out of touch.
They would consider things popular in human kingdoms thirty years ago as currently trending… Even Janis often treated rules she had accepted or heard about when she knew a young Sophia as still being in effect.
These things had actually been changed by Sophia decades ago.
Given this lag in information, how could they possibly know Eivass?
However, being able to directly learn High-Tier Divine Art was something Eivass was quite pleased about.
He had originally intended to ask Lixia for help. But he felt that after helping Lixia, immediately asking her to discuss with the Church on his behalf would be somewhat like exploiting her kindness.
This news from Mycroft came at the perfect time, relieving Eivass from his internal conflict.
“Thank you very much.”
Eivass expressed his gratitude.
“It’s nothing,” Mycroft said with a smile. “I suppose I’m just delivering the good news ahead of time.
“After you’ve examined these relics, if you can cause me less trouble… I’ll be perfectly content.”
As they spoke, they had arrived at The Barrel Club.
Mycroft extended his hand, signaling Eivass and Lily to remain quiet. Eivass nodded solemnly.
Even though Mycroft was the founder himself, he had to respect the rules he had established.
Chapter Two, Around 2 PM, Meow~
