Chapter 394
Lily and the Eye Demon
Lily was currently not far from Eivass.
Or, to be more precise, the residence of the new Trade Minister, Griffith, was near the Iris Flower Restaurant “Serpent’s Embrace.”
The situation now was different from when Minister Dross was assassinated. Eivass no longer needed to closely follow Lily to remotely deploy Shadow Demons. This time, he followed Lily for a different plan.
He had invited reporters, but only left one spot for them. Consequently, his photographer had to remain at the entrance. The photographer was conveniently positioned to see Griffith’s manor. As soon as any commotion erupted within the manor, he could complete the capture immediately.
Concurrently, Eivass was being interviewed nearby. This approach was the exact opposite of the plan to stage “his own kidnapping” during the assassination attempt on the Trade Minister. If that incident was meant to prevent people from suspecting Eivass’s involvement, then this current situation was Eivass deliberately making them think he was involved.
Everyone knew Eivass had a solid alibi. At this moment, Griffith’s manor, located very close to Eivass, was attacked by Shadow Demons. Avalon had only one active Shadow Demon, belonging to Eivass’s “famed girlfriend,” Alistair. These events were clearly connected. At least, those ministers—especially the “Chocolate Pie” faction—were sure to make that connection. Otherwise, Eivass wouldn’t have needed to leave the Silver and Tin Hall at all. He came here precisely to put pressure on them.
As Eivass’s “Demon Contract” and “Shepherding (Essence)” extraordinary skills leveled up, Lily, who had obtained Shadow Demon essence, found her maximum range for carrying Shadow Demons increasing exponentially. Eivass himself was unsure of the exact range of the contract now. However, the most significant improvement for the Shadow Demon was Lily’s Shadow Affinity, which had already reached Level Four.
When Lily’s Shadow Affinity reached Level Three, she had completely mastered the Shadow Demon’s power without further conflict. At that point, Eivass could deploy the Shadow Demon in Eagle Cape Village while he went to subdue the Earthbound Spirits. Even if the range was exceeded, the Shadow Demon wouldn’t be forcibly recalled, but would instead fall into slumber within Lily’s shadow.
After Lily won the last Ascension Ritual and obtained the Path Trait “Shadow Incarnation,” her Shadow Affinity reached Level Four, just one level shy of fully accommodating the Shadow Demon’s power. This level of Shadow Affinity already surpassed that of the “Assassin Miss.” Coupled with the Shadow Demon essence Eivass bestowed upon Lily through shepherding with the Shadow Demon, and the shadow stealth abilities personally taught by the Shadow Demon itself—apart from the hard cap on Energy Level—Lily’s actual combat ability could be said to have surpassed that of the assassin from the “Eagle Eye” organization.
At this level, even if Eivass was in the Silver and Tin Hall, Lily’s shadow radiation range could cover the entire White Queen District. Essentially, for any Knight without a Guardian Spirit, Lily’s assassination attempts would be irresistible. Even veteran Knights of the Fourth Tier could be easily killed by Lily, relying on equipment enhancements and the Shadow Demon’s aid. If forced to reveal herself, she could transform into a Werewolf to gain direct combat and life recovery abilities. To put it simply, if the Butterfly, completely liberated under the Book of Law, was not considered, Lily was currently the most powerful member in Eivass’s team.
It couldn’t be helped; Eivass had too many resources at his disposal. He knew too many methods for obtaining equipment, rituals, professions, and skills. However, the number of people he could trust 100%, and who could also trust him 100%, was limited. And the foremost of these people was Lily. Under Eivass’s intentional and unintentional accumulation of resources, her development was completely ahead of schedule. Eivass was “tuning her up” entirely by player standards, and Lily was completely loyal—she copied everything Eivass gave her verbatim, without adding her own “special interpretations.” With Eivass’s assistance, by the time Lily ascended to the Fourth Tier, she might even be able to contend with Guardian Spirits. After all, in this world where knowledge of “optional Path Traits” was completely monopolized by the upper class, the advantage Eivass could provide in character building was immense. It was akin to a Yu-Gi-Oh! real card player entering the world of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.
Not long ago, Eivass also began managing Sherlock’s build. As Isabel’s successor to Janis, she didn’t require much management from Eivass in the early stages. However, by the time of her Fourth Tier Advancement Ritual, Eivass would need to help her with job transfer references—coincidentally, Janis should have left Avalon by then, and Eivass would become her teacher.
At this moment, Lily was concealed in the shadows of a corner in Minister Griffith’s basement. But she had delayed taking action. The reason was simple: she had made an unexpected discovery.
In Minister Griffith’s basement, there was a demon. It looked like a giant eyeball, with dense eye stalks floating like tentacles. At the end of each eye stalk was an eyeball of varying size. This was an Eye Demon. A demon with the power of Path Adaptation, possessing abilities such as clairvoyance, X-ray vision, invisibility detection, and precognition. If not for the Shadow Demon’s power suppressing it, the invisible Lily would have been easily detected. But even with the Shadow Demon present, as soon as Lily made a move, it would immediately sense her presence.
She had considered directly ambushing and killing the Eye Demon, but after careful consideration, she decided to play it safe. It wasn’t a question of whether she could win—it was that if she didn’t achieve a one-hit kill, variables could arise. Lily was, after all, an assassin, and Gryphons were patrolling everywhere nearby. If she were forced into a prolonged battle, her identity could be exposed by accident, potentially disrupting Eivass’s plan. So, she quietly crouched in the corner, waiting for the Eye Demon to leave.
Soon, Minister Griffith cautiously entered the basement. He closed the door and applied a silvery-white seal—an extraordinary item crafted using the power of the Path of Authority, capable of forming a rudimentary barrier. Minister Griffith asked respectfully and cautiously, “Your Excellency, I have completed what you asked of me…”
“Very good…”
The Eye Demon vibrated the air, emitting a somewhat ethereal voice. “But I still want to know… Master, what exactly do you want me to do?” Griffith was clearly confused. “If I don’t know my specific objective, I may not be able to guarantee that every step I take is correct… For instance, the attack on Minister Moriarty this time seemed baseless. I even suspect Minister Camelot and the others have already guessed something is wrong. Minister Moriarty and I have no conflict whatsoever, yet I am attacking him fiercely. And he is clearly a key minister trusted by the Queen. Attacking him at this time is not only meaningless but could also anger Her Majesty the Queen.”
His request was very reasonable. But the Eye Demon remained silent, not answering directly. It looked at Griffith, having already read his inner thoughts.
“You want more.”
“Yes, I want more, my lord,” Griffith replied without hesitation. “I want to become a Child of the Moon! What must I do to achieve this—”
“But you can no longer obtain it.” The Eye Demon provided a clear, devastating answer.
“…What?” Minister Griffith asked, trembling. “Why? Didn’t we agree? Isn’t obtaining Yulia Moriarty’s blood enough?”
But at this moment, a reverse summoning magic circle suddenly appeared beneath the Eye Demon. It turned into a dazzling purple light and dissipated into the air.
“Because he has already seen your future death.” The Assassin Miss’s sweet voice echoed within the sealed basement. Lily appeared with a blank expression, her lips sealed in silence. Black smoke billowed from her body, and shadows under her skirt constantly shifted into various distorted forms.
A sound filled with malice emanated from beneath Lily. Her pupils gazed at Minister Griffith, her fingertips resting on a hiltless, dark gold dagger. It was the “Hawk Feather” dagger.
“Sir, what did that sentence just mean?” Lily pushed up her glasses, her voice gentle and somewhat shy, like a young literary girl who enjoyed poetry, echoing in the basement. “Could you explain it to me in detail? Why is Miss Yulia’s blood needed? Whose subordinate is the demon you transacted with? Or… should I first show some sincerity? ‘Please rest assured, no matter what, I will not kill you.'”
Accompanied by a fragile and feeble lie, gray spiderwebs emerged from the void, binding the uncontrollably trembling Griffith in mid-air.
Update complete, meow~
