## Chapter 32
## Preparation for the Ascension Ritual
“Sulfur, salt, mercury.”
In the evening, Sherlock Hermes was in his room, confirming the materials for the advancement ritual to be used tonight. He wore a monocle, peering intently at the hastily scribbled labels on the various bottles and jars.
Sherlock murmured under his breath, his fingers gliding over the containers on the shelf. “Sanctified silver powder, blessed holy water. A bundle of dried black sage, unused white crystal, six new red candles…”
Elsewhere, in the Silver and Tin Hall.
Princess Isabel was also pacing nervously in her room. She repeatedly recited the names of the materials required for the ascension ritual, her visible restlessness almost palpable.
“And Clove Essential Oil, Cinnamon Essential Oil, Cypress Essential Oil, Benzoin Essential Oil… and Immort Essential Oil, Chamomile Essential Oil… and… and…”
Janis, the elven artist sitting nearby, humming a tune and writing a melody, put down her pen with a helpless sigh.
“—And ginger, dill, and white bread. I say… little Isa, what are you so nervous about? You should trust your court ritualists. They’re much more reliable at setting up rituals than you are.”
“Yes, I know…” Isabel murmured, not even bothering to insist, “Don’t call me ‘little Isa’.”
She felt a slight difficulty in breathing and lightly clutched the neckline of her white gauze dress, as if trying to fan some air inside to relieve her tension. However, mindful of royal image and dignity, she dared not perform such a coarse action in front of others.
“Your first advancement is very simple, don’t be nervous,” Janis coaxed gently. “You need to believe in yourself. You are very strong, and your foundation is more solid than most. Your first advancement, during a full moon no less… there should be about six or seven people who will advance. So what are you afraid of?”
“…That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Isabel said with a worried expression. “If, out of nine people, six can advance and I cannot—then if that gets out, it will bring shame to the Royal Family. And people will gossip about Teacher, they will speak ill of you. They will spread terrible rumors…”
Her ability to walk the Path of Beauty was purely due to Queen Sophia’s indulgence. This was because the “Du Lac” royal family of Avalon, under normal circumstances, could only choose the Path of Authority. But among Queen Sophia’s six grandchildren, Her Majesty the Queen favored Isabel, who was the second youngest, the most. Only her two-year-old brother was younger than Isabel.
From a very young age, Isabel had displayed her exceptional artistic talent. When she was only four years old, she accompanied the Queen to an opera. Without understanding Star Antimony Language, she could hum the tunes from the opera after hearing it only once. Queen Sophia was overjoyed. Before becoming Queen, she had dreamed of becoming an opera master herself. Even after inheriting the throne, she had even written several operas in her spare time, though she had not released them due to her status. Among her many children, only Isabel had inherited her operatic talent.
Because of this, she had overruled all objections and set a precedent for Isabel, allowing her to step onto the Path of Beauty and formally study “Art.” The Path of Beauty was a path of harmony and art, flow and eternity. The key skill of the Path of Beauty was “Art,” encompassing opera, music, painting, sculpture, drama, dance, and poetry as mysterious arts. Art itself possessed a certain mystery. Great masters of art were, without exception, pioneers of the Path of Beauty. Just as the key skill of the Path of Authority was “Leadership”—the monarch’s skill in managing subordinates and orchestrating their obedience—this also held a mysterious quality.
To deepen one’s path, specializing in only one skill would not suffice. Perhaps due to her quarter elven blood, Isabel’s talent lay in singing and dancing. And since she was to embark on a path, she had to walk it steadfastly. Once extraordinary beings stepped onto a path, they became troubled by the desire for further ascent—they would become engrossed in digging deeper and rising higher. The longer they remained stagnant, the more prone they were to madness. It was like a promising young person in a certain field, possessing some talent but not genius. They would often despair at true talent—a chasm that outsiders could not perceive, but which was soul-shattering once one delved deeply into the field. Such powerlessness and shock, if experienced on an extraordinary path, could drive a person insane.
The Path of Beauty emphasized perceiving the beauty of the world and realizing its harmony and eternity… making it even more prone to madness. Those masters of art who specialized in one discipline had, almost without exception, gone mad. Thus, the Queen specifically invited Master Janis to teach Isabel the skills of painting, sculpture, and music composition. This was considered the safest ascent route. After all, Ivan would not succeed to the throne. Since the Queen was happy, she let the child play. That was what others thought at the time.
However, good times did not last. From over a decade ago, the Avalon Royal Family began to suffer from continuous illnesses. Initially, poisoning was suspected, and later it was confirmed to be a powerful curse of infertility—a persistent and potent curse that even the Church’s Illuminate Spell could not fully dispel, and which the sacred relics of past sages could not shield against. A curse that even the strength of an entire nation could not dispel or resist could only have originated from another nation. Who else could it be? Only the Star Antimony Kingdom.
Although Avalon had no evidence, common sense dictated… only ritualists capable of such a ritual could exist in the Star Antimony Kingdom. Therefore, several years ago—as the first royal family member succumbed to the incurable curse and died—Avalon and Star Antimony formally entered into a state of enmity. To this day, among Isabel’s father’s generation, only her father remained alive. And among her generation, half had already died from illness. Only Isabel’s elder brother, Isabel, and her two-year-old brother remained.
She had done nothing wrong, yet she had inexplicably become the third heir to the Kingdom of Avalon. If she were to truly inherit the throne, a major problem would arise. Avalon, a nation that revered the Path of Authority, would have a new queen who had no affinity for the Path of Authority. Currently, she was the third heir, but who knew if she might suddenly become the first? Because “third” was already a very dangerous position.
Isabel had done nothing wrong, and neither had Master Janis. Yet, due to the turn of events, there were even rumors among the kingdom’s high echelons that the Star Antimony Kingdom’s objective was for Isabel to ascend the throne—thereby throwing Avalon into chaos from within. The entire kingdom’s privileged class, all extraordinary beings in government departments, and even most soldiers, originated from the Path of Authority. How could a queen from the Path of Beauty gain their hundred percent loyalty?
Therefore, Isabel was under immense pressure. Any mistake on her part would be scrutinized and amplified, leading to criticism and blame. But she did not want to blame them either. Because she could sense that they were also under great pressure and worried about that future. She could also understand that their worries were valid—if she were to become queen in the future, Avalon might indeed descend into prolonged chaos. Yet, she truly had no adaptability for the Path of Authority… she had tried many times, but she simply couldn’t learn it. All she could pray for was that her brother and younger brother would not die. But there was nothing she could do. This was not something she had control over.
She could only do everything by the book, silently, and to the best of her ability—so as not to give others any reason to find fault. Because of this, she did not use her royal privileges. Instead, she enrolled in university and lived with other students. She only formally became an extraordinary being through the official channel after passing the comprehensive assessments of her first three semesters. Before that, she strictly limited her scope of study to the more peripheral aspects of “Art” that ordinary people could also access… Then she continuously honed her basic skills, never delving into studies related to extraordinary power. She patiently practiced basic skills for thirteen full years. It was boring and meaningless, so agonizing that she wanted to vomit, yet she persevered. Because she wanted to show that she would not casually abuse royal privileges. She hoped this would silence the dissatisfied voices. She tried to downplay her impression as a “princess,” hoping people would see her only as an ordinary person, not the third heir to the kingdom.
Only now did she suddenly realize—perhaps she had never truly become an “ordinary person” in the truest sense. She was still waited upon, pampered, and helped. While other extraordinary beings prepared their own rituals, she could only sit aside and drink tea. The royal ritualists would handle everything for her; she didn’t have to worry about drawing her ritual array incorrectly, nor did she fear purchasing inferior or counterfeit materials that would render the ritual useless.
“…I’ll do it myself, then.”
Isabel made up her mind. She bowed deeply to the ritualist. “Master Oswald, I sincerely apologize… It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just feel… perhaps it would be better if I watched from the side…”
Isabel couldn’t quite articulate the tension and anxiety she felt. But whenever she saw the white-haired ritualist preparing for her, she felt restless. It was as if her mistake was being taken on by someone else, carrying the burden for her. Her older brothers and sisters had doted on her, and when she accidentally broke something, they would always be the first to admit fault. At that time, although Isabel wasn’t scolded, she still felt restless—just like now. It felt like something was tormenting her heart.
“Please let me prepare the ascension ritual myself,” Princess Isabel repeated. Her voice became clearer, less timid. “You can assist me from the side, Master Oswald.”
The white-haired ritualist stroked his beard with a chuckle and nodded. “Of course, my little princess. Indeed, such matters… truly require one to do it oneself to feel the ritualistic significance. Remember this feeling well, Your Highness. Your first entry into the Dream Realm, your first contact with the other eight major paths. Truly shedding the status of ‘apprentice’ and becoming a true extraordinary being—”
Elsewhere.
In Moriarty Manor, Eivass, clutching his forehead, climbed out of bed. He was not yet fully awake. But his spiritual intuition told him that if he didn’t wake up now, he would be late—so he forced himself awake. The sunset was sinking outside. Eivass, with trembling hands, struck a match, trying several times before finally igniting it. He shakily lit the white candle placed by his bedside—this was obviously the “healing medicine” prepared by Oswald. Eivass grabbed the flame, feeling the life force continuously pour into his body from the candlelight, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately… because Eivass was interested in Occult, he had various materials prepared in his room. This would not cause delays. It was like saying, “a struggling student has many stationery items.” Although he didn’t know how to use them, he had bought whatever he could find. …The problem was, he hadn’t eaten all day. He was starving. He needed to find a way to fill his stomach first, and then hurry back to prepare for the ascension ritual.
The read count has exceeded five thousand, and Cat Cat is very happy—so today’s update is over eight thousand characters!!! You won’t see the comment section for this chapter yet, but I can see it in the backend, so if you have any complaints, or notice any typos or grammatical errors, feel free to mention them! Unless something unexpected happens, it should be back tomorrow~
