Chapter 549
Freya · Mori · Moriarty
“Suicide? Gloria?”
Janis’s steps halted. She turned her head back, questioning in disbelief.
“That’s what I thought at first. But hearing you say that, I can conclude—at least she had no suicidal thoughts when she was chatting with you.” Sherlock said calmly.
Then, he told Janis the information they had just gathered from Cardinal Loki.
“…Gloria was friends with Grey and Mercedes?” Janis murmured, “She never told me… And she was a Candidate Saintess, but I never met her.”
“Because she was eliminated early, she didn’t have time to learn aesthetics from the Lady of Flowers,” Eivass explained, and then asked, “When did you get to know her?”
“…Decades ago, or maybe a hundred years ago, I can’t remember clearly. It was when I last returned to the Church and was organizing my teacher’s belongings.” Janis muttered, having digested the news for a bit. “I went to see the Blue Rose Lady, and she introduced me to Gloria.”
“You didn’t mention Grey to her either?” Eivass confirmed.
“How could I dare?” Janis gave a wry smile. “We only met twice in total. When I returned to the Church this time, you know when that was… not too long ago. I went to see her then.”
Eivass did remember. Because Janis’s departure date was easy to remember—she left on New Year’s Eve, not staying for the holiday. And today was February 18th. Less than three months in total.
Two and a half months ago, Gloria was still collecting materials and seeking inspiration from Janis, enthusiastically busy with writing a new book. Two and a half months later, she killed her childhood sweetheart and then committed suicide; she instantly solidified into amber in the air and shattered upon landing. Not only was it almost permanent amber, but she also shattered herself, allowing her soul to enter the Dream Realm and meet complete death in the Material Realm.
If elves that had solidified into amber might have a chance to revert in the future, shattered elves were destined to be reincarnated… Unless they could become a Disc of a great existence, they would only be crushed and become materials for new souls.
So much change in two and a half months… It wasn’t entirely impossible.
The Petrify disease was essentially a congenital genetic disease, and amber was equivalent to a psychological illness of short-lived races… Only that this psychological illness could be fatal if not cured in time. A psychological illness that had clearly improved in two months suddenly worsened… It wasn’t impossible to rule out. It was even possible that she was anxious about writing a new book, or pressured.
But could it be such a coincidence? Eivass tended to think not. Both Pillar Gods and Heavenly Envoys could enter dreams and subtly interfere with the Material Realm. Eivass had a lot to say on this matter. Not to mention, his foster father was now in the Eternal Holy Kingdom.
That old Troll knew Eivass’s father, and he suddenly sought refuge; the Pope was in a coma due to the Petrify disease, and the Controlled Fire movement was about to spiral out of control… If Gloria was an introduction, could she be directly related to this matter? If so, then Loki was highly suspicious. It was he who showed Eivass and the others Gloria’s suicide, and it was he who admitted that Gloria had killed someone. Gloria was indeed a member of Controlled Fire…
Thinking of this, Eivass hesitated. Should he tell Janis that Grey had contracted the amber disease? The Pope’s election was in two weeks, and this matter had a significant impact. Both Grey and Cardinal Matilda had repeatedly warned Eivass not to tell outsiders.
But the problem was, was Janis considered an “outsider”?
Eivass hesitated for a long time and decided not to say anything for now. He couldn’t decide for Grey; it was better for her to talk about it herself tomorrow.
“What’s wrong?”
Just then, the door suddenly opened. A woman wearing an iron helmet pushed the door open and said in a muffled voice, “A bunch of people are crowding the entrance…”
She said this, and with one hand, took off her helmet. Her voice immediately became clear and icy, “Are you holding a meeting in my room?”
Her dark gold long hair, as smooth as shampooed hair, cascaded from her helmet, the ends of her hair as neat as if cut by a knife. She was a rather tall young woman, only half a head shorter than Eivass, at least 1.75 meters tall. Her ears were slightly pointed, and her pupils were dark gold, the same color as her hair. Unlike the portrait in the Silver and Tin Hall, she wasn’t wearing glasses now, making her facial features appear gentler.
Upon seeing Eivass, who was dressed in an Archbishop’s robe, she didn’t bow. She merely cast a languid gaze and appraised him. She simply stared at Eivass for a few seconds—first with some doubt, then her expression gradually softened, “Eivass…?”
As soon as she spoke, her memories seemed to awaken. The ice-like cold and indifferent expression on her face instantly melted and dissolved.
“—Is that you, Eivass!”
Although this was a question, there was no doubt in it, only absolute certainty. Hearing this, Eivass could finally confirm that the woman before him was his sister, Freya. He finally had the tangible feeling that “Freya exists”… even though he had confirmed it repeatedly from others’ perspectives, Eivass ultimately had no memory of her.
But now, hearing her voice, Eivass’s body felt an urge to shed tears of joy—his heart seemed to have a vague sensation of a long-lost reunion, but on the other hand, his brain and consciousness were incredibly calm, with no memories or emotions surfacing.
Compared to the retouched portrait in the Silver and Tin Hall, seen from this distance… Freya’s facial features did bear some resemblance to Professor Moriarty.
“It’s me, Freya… Sister.” Eivass replied with a smile, politely. But when he said the word “Sister,” he still felt a sense of unfamiliarity and awkwardness. It was like the alienation one feels when meeting step-siblings for the first time after a remarriage. Both sides tried their best to express closeness, but the deep-seated unfamiliarity and resistance were genuine.
“…Why are you here, Eivass!” Freya exclaimed, excitedly holding Eivass’s hand—she gripped his hands tightly, as if confirming their temperature. Feeling that Eivass’s hands were warm, she immediately put on the rimless glasses hanging around her neck. She carefully examined Eivass, then breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked up, obviously wanting to embrace Eivass, but stopped in time. So she just took two steps forward, got close to Eivass, and then chuckled awkwardly and stepped back, “You’ve… gotten so tall.”
She extended her right hand, as if wanting to touch Eivass’s hair, but her hand awkwardly drew a circle in the air, and she somewhat awkwardly adjusted Eivass’s collar with one hand. Then, she elegantly swung the iron helmet she was holding in her left hand in a circle.
“Archbishop…”
At this point, she seemed to have just noticed Eivass’s attire. Freya murmured, “You’re already an Archbishop…”
She looked at Lily behind Eivass and went over to give her a gentle hug, “You’re… Lily from the Dross family, right? Long time no see.”
Eivass subconsciously looked back and saw that Lily’s expression was extremely complicated—he had never seen such a complex expression on Lily, who always wore a gentle, soft smile. Lily opened her mouth and closed it, opened her mouth and closed it again… like a suffocating goldfish, unable to blow bubbles or speak. Even the hands she held behind Freya’s back were twisted into fists in distress. Her palms, clenched by her fingertips, had turned blue from lack of blood, yet she seemed unaware of her own exertion. And when Freya hugged Lily, her left hand was still holding her strange helmet, clearly not thinking to put it down first.
As for Sherlock, he stood silently in the farthest corner, not making a sound, obviously not wanting to get entangled with this matter. Undoubtedly, this was a meeting that surprised and embarrassed both parties due to its unexpectedness.
Eivass suddenly realized something and looked at Janis, “You didn’t tell Miss Freya… Sister Freya?” That he was coming to find her—Freya’s current reaction clearly showed she hadn’t expected Eivass to be in the Church. She looked at Eivass for a long time before recognizing him, implying she hadn’t seen any news about Eivass either.
“No.” Master Janis shook her head decisively. Although she knew that saying such a thing at this time might backfire within twenty-four hours—she still answered honestly, “Because I just wanted to see this scene.” She originally wanted to smile. But thinking of Gloria’s sudden death, she twitched her lips and couldn’t smile. Although Gloria was just a friend she had met twice, and their relationship was relatively shallow… As fellow inheritors of the Path of Beauty of similar age, Janis had gotten along quite well with her. Thinking of this, Janis said to Freya, “By the way, Freya… Gloria is dead.”
“Who?” Freya replied nonchalantly, her voice devoid of emotion, “Never mind, we’ll talk about it later… Everyone, please come in and sit down. Janis, that idiot didn’t tell me in advance, so I don’t have anything ready to entertain you all.” She suddenly thought of something, “Eivass, do you drink?”
“Ah?” Eivass was momentarily stunned, “What kind of wine? I can have a little.”
“Wine of Eternity—it can extend your life. Come, have a taste.” Freya tried to be hospitable, though her efforts were somewhat unskillful as she entertained them.
(End of this chapter)
