Chapter 462
Spider’s Foot
Eivass rose from the sofa and directly addressed the princess by name, “Isabel…”
His face displayed a mixture of anxiety and surprise, as if he had just understood something. “Is something wrong over there…?”
“—Eivass!”
Isabel didn’t answer. Instead, with a near-sob, she threw herself into Eivass’s arms without hesitation, hugging him tightly.
One of her arms wrapped around Eivass’s waist, while the other held his back, clutching his long hair that fell over his shoulders. Her face was buried in Eivass’s chest as she greedily inhaled his scent. The trembling girl visibly began to calm down.
Eivass raised his hands to embrace Isabel in return, holding her by the shoulder.
After a while, Isabel, muffled by her sobs, spoke loudly from within Eivass’s embrace, “I won’t marry a Star Antimony person!!”
“Save me, Eivass! I have no one but you now…”
Her voice was incredibly sincere, filled with intense aversion and resistance, along with trust and longing for the sense of security Eivass provided… it was truly impactful.
Isabel didn’t explain what had happened. But precisely because of this, it felt incredibly real.
Such strong and dramatic emotional output was her forte.
And what she said at that moment was precisely what she had wanted to say, or had said, to Eivass before.
Her performance, nine parts truth to one part falsehood, made Madam Shafiya believe without hesitation in the genuine feelings between Isabel and Eivass.
Even if James hadn’t seen through Eivass’s identity beforehand, he would only have seen them as clandestine lovers, developing a relationship in secret.
—At that moment, Madam Shafiya’s heart was put at ease. It was confirmed that the Moriarty Family were indeed allies.
If Eivass had a high chance of becoming a prince, then the Moriarty Family would have no motive or standing to betray the royal family.
Because Professor Moriarty was undoubtedly an intelligent man, and also a merchant.
Since Eivass and Isabel were a genuine couple, handing Isabel over now would result in immense, irreparable losses… and even then, new masters wouldn’t trust him.
If the Round Table Hall wanted to hunt down Isabel, it would only be to silence her and solidify the identity of the “fake Isabel.”
And Eivass, having developed genuine feelings for Isabel, unless he was also silenced, they would have to consider the possibility of his future betrayal.
Therefore, unless the Professor cut Eivass loose and gave up the opportunity to surely make Eivass a prince… he would absolutely stand with them.
Whether the Professor had prior knowledge of or approved of this relationship, he had no choice now.
—In just an instant, Madam Shafiya found a breakthrough in the current situation.
At this time, the Professor merely looked at the two with deep meaning, a smile on his face that was not concealed at all.
Seeing their close relationship, he looked at them with great interest and anticipation, as if he had witnessed something exceptionally amusing.
Madam Shafiya stepped forward and quietly supplemented the story for Isabel, “Minister Dross poisoned Her Majesty the Queen. The Star Antimony people had already found a replacement for Isabel and prepared to have her marry the Star Antimony prince. The Round Table Hall is now in chaos… we managed to escape.”
“…Oh, heavens.”
Professor Moriarty exclaimed.
For a moment, his tone made Madam Shafiya wonder if he was being sarcastic.
However, James quickly grew serious, his attitude returning to solemnity. “How many Fifth Tier individuals did the Star Antimony people bring?”
Professor Moriarty didn’t ask foolish questions like “Is this true?” nor did he inquire about the specific situation at the Round Table Hall. Instead, he bypassed the logical steps and asked the most crucial question.
“Two.”
Madam Shafiya stated very clearly, “One of them is Leo Karl, Lieutenant General… the Avatar of the Flame Demon.
The other is an old man following the Twilight Path. He’s wearing the black robes of the Necromancy Academy, so he should be someone from the Black Phase.”
“Count Karl is acquainted with Count Leipzig, and Count Leipzig is someone from the Red Phase.”
When Professor Moriarty became serious, he was incredibly reliable.
He clasped his hands together in front of him, his ten fingers interlaced like the legs of a spider preparing to spin its web.
The old man calmly and rapidly analyzed the situation: “One person from the Red Phase, and another from the Black Phase. Queen Louise is one of the ‘daughters’ of the Red Phase, a Child of the Moon of at least Fourth Tier. She can also be considered a Fifth Tier individual with hidden power, and she’ll likely be carrying a Divine Artifact.
If Queen Louise is considered the representative of the Star Antimony royal family, then a balance has been achieved between these three… do you know what this means?”
“…They’re wary of each other? Is this conspiracy a collective decision by Star Antimony?”
Madam Shafiya answered vaguely, not entirely certain.
She was actually very intelligent. But at this moment, her mind had not yet fully cooled down from her anxiety.
Being appointed as the Grand Arbiter indicated that she was the most adept at handling information among the few Fifth Tier powerhouses.
“—It means that the other two parties have the opportunity to benefit individually from this matter, Madam Shafiya. But the traitor from Avalon can only be loyal to one party, so we will inevitably have another chance.”
Professor Moriarty spoke without any expression on his face, but this made him incredibly persuasive and reassuring.
“So, there’s no need to be too nervous, Madam. The situation is not as dire as you think.”
His words carried a certain persuasive power, and he suddenly shifted the topic in another direction: “Although the Moriarty Family is on the fringes of the Founder Families’ system, we are not weak. With the Round Table Hall now almost controlled by the Lloyd Society, the Moriarty Family, with its ample financial resources, is the only Founder Family completely free from the Lloyd Society’s control or influence.
—Do you know what this means?”
Madam Shafiya didn’t answer. She just shook her head, signaling Professor Moriarty to continue.
The Professor slowly said, “Although you haven’t elaborated, I believe a disturbance has indeed occurred within the Round Table Hall. Now, those knights within the Round Table Hall who are completely loyal to the royal family have likely all been killed… because they were few and would be attacked by everyone.
But Star Antimony absolutely cannot offer generous enough rewards to all the betrayers—you might not be aware of Star Antimony’s economic situation, but I can say with certainty that they simply cannot afford that price.
In other words, Star Antimony must be controlling others by supporting individual ministers and high-ranking members of the Lloyd Society, using them to set the tempo and create a ‘general trend’ to encompass others.”
“…Yes,” Madam Shafiya nodded solemnly, “I believe it was Minister Dross.”
While she couldn’t be certain that Dross was the one who poisoned the Queen, as she couldn’t discern his methods, Minister Dross’s reaction when the Queen collapsed was undoubtedly unusual. Even if he wasn’t the perpetrator of the poisoning, he was definitely an accomplice.
“Most likely, Madam.”
Professor Moriarty nodded slightly, “As far as I know, Minister Dross has obtained four manor estates and one viscountcy in Star Antimony.”
…Why didn’t you say so earlier?
Madam Shafiya was momentarily shocked and angered, and faint silver-grey flames flared in her pupils.
But before she could utter the words, Madam Shafiya swallowed them back.
It was useless to question him now, and it would only push away a valuable ally.
Seeing Madam Shafiya’s expression, Professor Moriarty clearly guessed what she was thinking.
He didn’t explain why he hadn’t said anything, but directly stated, “Diomedes just left before you arrived. He wanted to lure Eivass out and murder him, but I scared him away directly.
This can only be a command from Dross—the reason is that Eivass wrote a letter to Isabel, issuing a warning. Clearly, this letter was intercepted and fell into Minister Dross’s hands.
You should have seen him leaving Moriarty Manor just now. You should realize that his presence here at this time couldn’t have been to discuss anything good with me, so we are definitely not allies. I assume, Madam, you can see that I am telling the truth right now.”
“…Indeed.”
Madam Shafiya nodded with a hint of guilt, “I was agitated, I apologize.”
Eivass, however, looked at his foster father with some astonishment. The surprise in his eyes was not concealed at all, “How did you know…?”
“How do I know you wrote the letter?”
Professor Moriarty interrupted Eivass directly, a gentle and composed smile on his face, “You and that boy Sherlock are inseparable. How could I not know what you’re thinking? He is, after all, my most brilliant student.
As for your relationship with Princess Isabel… I don’t think there’s much to say. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes. I will naturally stand with Eivass, and thus the Moriarty Family will stand with the Princess… or rather, the future Her Majesty the Queen. Whatever ideas you have, try to share them with us.”
The first half of this was undoubtedly true.
In this timeline, Eivass harbored no suspicion towards his foster father. His every move was under Professor Moriarty’s observation and surveillance.
The latter part was clearly a preface to help Eivass conceal his identity.
The Path of Authority had a natural resistance to lies. For Madam Shafiya, who could discern lies by instinct alone, it only served to mislead her… and it was clear that the Professor was adept at this.
Like Eivass, he was skilled in the art of lying with the truth.
With the Professor’s setup, Madam Shafiya could only assume that Eivass and Isabel’s romance had existed for a long time and had already been exposed, observed by Professor Moriarty.
And since Eivass and Isabel had long been lovers…
Madam Shafiya hesitated for a moment.
Then, she no longer hesitated and directly revealed the secret of the “Shadow of Avalon” ritual.
Although it was a top secret… at this point, the ritual was either nearing completion or on the verge of complete failure.
There was no point in hiding it any longer.
To complete the Shadow of Avalon ritual, she needed Professor Moriarty’s support, and thus she needed to show her sincerity. It was impossible for her to continue to conceal the truth at this moment… it would be too foolish, as if she were treating Professor Moriarty as an idiot.
He was certainly not a fool.
Therefore, Madam Shafiya chose to treat him with sincerity.
