Chapter 557
The Second Ring
Finding Oswald was not a simple matter. He was not an active Pope’s Guard, so he wasn’t on duty. And at his age, he obviously didn’t need to work either.
Fortunately, Freya had lived in the Church State for so long that she still had some connections here. She first took Lily to the Sixth Ring and found a retired Pope’s Guard from the place that guarded the ruins.
Freya’s reason for looking for him was simple. She knew Oswald’s age, and the old man’s age was similar to his. Besides, when they chatted before, the other party had said that he had almost become the guardian of Avalon. That meant he most likely knew Oswald. As expected, she inquired with him, and he indeed knew that Oswald had returned. He also knew that the surname “Moru” that Freya used now was one she had given herself, and that her previous surname was Moriarty, which Oswald was responsible for. Thus, he very readily gave Oswald’s information to Freya.
However, Oswald’s whereabouts surprised Lily somewhat. She had a deep impression of the taciturn elf butler who was like a lone wolf. He was a solemn, aloof, and humorless old man. Oswald had not gone to the upper levels to live with the pure-blooded elves. Instead, he stayed in the Second Ring, which had a very large flow of people. Compared to the bustling and chaotic First Ring, which was even more chaotic and lively than the downtown areas of other countries, the Second Ring was at least not as outrageously chaotic—the biggest difference was that there were fewer people carrying luggage. But the streets were still crowded, and many shops had elderly people sitting on chairs in front of their entrances, waiting in line.
The Second Ring was a more affordable place to live, and many long-term residents of the Church State stayed here. A large number of apartment-style buildings were constructed here. With the interference of the elves, neither the rent nor the prices were too high, so many people lived here for years or even decades. Moreover, there were also some church schools here, where some priests taught the children of short-lived races. Those short-lived races born in the Church State often came here to study and work. Life here was quite stable. The pressure of studying was not high, and the working hours were not long. Although they wouldn’t be wealthy enough to have significant savings, they wouldn’t be unable to afford necessities. At the same time, there were no wars, nor disputes caused by economic pressure. Some people were even born and died in the Second Ring, never having been to other areas in their entire lives.
Lily scanned the area and found that the most common residents in the Second Ring were the elderly and children.
Lily had also been out when she was in Avalon. Compared to the children from knight families in the White Queen District, the children here were not as well-mannered—they wore simple clothes like villagers and would run around the streets noisily, shouting, arguing, and roughhousing with each other. But to say they were simple, it was only that these clothes lacked intricate embroidery, mostly being simply sewn single-colored fabrics. The fabric quality itself was quite good, and if slightly refined with elven craftsmanship, it could even be sold at a high price as fashion in Iris Flower. Lily even saw a group of human children playing with a lizardman child; a human girl was holding a young snake person in her arms; and troll carrying heavy loads on their shoulders could be seen in the streets, and people were very friendly towards them—at least much friendlier than in the First and Fifth Rings. The least common race here was goblins.
—And the most surprising thing was that Lily even saw dwarves. Elves and dwarves were mortal enemies. This was because dwarves were basically considered heretics as a race, and their racial belief was “waiting for a Pillar God belonging to the dwarves.” Especially Flame Heavenly Envoy—as a Heavenly Envoy of the Path of Devotion who was rapidly growing stronger, she posed a threat to Candlemaster. Even though the elves, through prayers, had inquired about Flame Heavenly Envoy’s thoughts on the Pillar God position, what was learned through prayer was not necessarily the truth, and even if it was the truth, it was not necessarily the eternal truth. Even if Flame Heavenly Envoy genuinely had no aspirations, at least the dwarves did.
—You push cannons to the border and say you’re just strengthening national defense; perhaps you are indeed strengthening national defense, but even if it’s just strengthening national defense, it means you consider us an imaginary enemy. This was the elves’ attitude towards dwarves. Although not as strong as the hatred humans had for giants, it was still a form of dislike.
And in the Second Ring, a dwarf couple was walking openly on the street. Not only did they not hide their racial characteristics, but they even brazenly greeted other elderly people on the street. Others also clearly recognized the dwarf couple, greeting each other, and were quite friendly.
“…These people are living such good lives.” Lily exclaimed.
“Indeed.” Freya nodded slightly, “Among all the regions in all the countries I’ve traveled, the Second Ring of the Church State is the most peaceful. If the Hrasal Empire still existed, perhaps only during its most prosperous times would ordinary people be able to live such carefree lives. Sometimes I think, if I get tired in the future and need a place to retire… I’ll find a house in the Second Ring and teach children alchemy for free. Compared to marriage and having children, this better fits my beliefs.”
“…The elf mentor system?” Lily murmured. Freya chuckled, reaching out to stroke Lily’s hair, “No, not quite. I’m not looking for a successor, just playing with the children to avoid being too lonely in my old age. And rather than giving children candy and cake, giving them knowledge would be better for their bodies and future.”
She then looked at Lily with interest, “It seems you still remember me, Lily.”
“…Of course I remember, Young Miss.” Lily said with a complicated expression, murmuring in a low voice, “I’m not Moriarty.”
“That you know that their amnesia is related to Moriarty… it seems you also know about that curse.” Freya smiled with satisfaction, “That’s good. The first time I saw Eivass, I knew he must have known about that curse, which is why he said nothing after seeing me… But you, even though you still remember me, you brought Eivass to see me.”
Lily didn’t reply, choosing silence. This was also why her expression was so strange when she saw Freya. Although she always saw herself as the one who “took care of Eivass when he was little,” she had to admit… when Eivass was young, Lily herself was not much older. She hadn’t taken care of anyone before that, and even she herself needed to be taken care of at first. And at that time, it was Freya who took care of Lily and Eivass. Freya was five years older than Lily and twelve years older than Eivass. She was only four years younger than her elder brother Edward. This was a true elder sister like a mother. Eivass’s many good feelings towards Lily were actually because he had forgotten Freya. Under the influence of the curse, many memories belonging to Freya were shifted to Lily, who was the closest to her. This was also why Eivass was very close and trusting of Lily, but Lily had always been very cautious and distant towards Eivass. Because she was afraid that one day, Eivass would realize he had mistaken her for someone else. If her pretense of identity was exposed, perhaps those good feelings would turn into bad ones.
—She never dared to take what wasn’t hers. Even so, when she truly met Freya, she still felt very nervous. Although she had been very careful not to overstep… she always felt guilty, as if she had stolen something.
“How have those two children been doing lately?” Freya asked.
“… Young Master is about to get engaged,” Lily replied, “Miss Yulia’s Phantom Demon Egg problem has also been resolved.”
“It’s good that it was resolved. I thought Yulia had already… but engaged… so soon? He’s only eighteen this year, isn’t he?” Freya pondered, correcting herself, “No, it’s not that fast. He’s already an Archbishop, he needs to have a child quickly.”
“…What does being an Archbishop have to do with it?”
“The higher the Energy Level, the lower the probability of having children. This is also one of the world’s balance laws—the strong are not good at reproduction. Elves have long lives, but their population has never exploded. Part of the reason is that elves are relatively indifferent to sex, and another part is that the average Energy Level of elves is too high.” Freya replied calmly, “Given Eivass’s status, he needs to leave behind his bloodline quickly. Otherwise, by the time he’s in his twenties, he might reach the Fifth Tier—it will be difficult to leave descendants then.”
“…Then we really need to hurry.” Lily clearly didn’t know this secret, and her features tightened, “He absolutely must leave descendants.”
“What, he can’t be planning to get engaged to the princess? And he *must* leave descendants—if my younger brother doesn’t want to have them, he doesn’t have to. I’m just saying, if he wants a child, it’s best to do it sooner rather than later,” Freya said lazily.
“It’s not the princess…”
“Hmm?”
“It’s Her Majesty the Queen.”
“…Huh?” Freya froze for a moment, her expression clearly stiffening. Then she suddenly realized, “Oh, right. The new Queen is that Isabel… How old is she?”
“Less than a year younger than Young Master.”
“…So young? Is it because of that curse in the royal family?” Freya exclaimed, “That curse is real? I thought it was just a ruse by Eagle Eye…”
As they chatted, they soon reached their destination. To their surprise, it was a bar. And upon lifting the curtain, they were met with the strong smell of alcohol, shouting, and cursing. The place was noisy—so noisy that Freya couldn’t help but frown. In the center of the bar, a large screen made of crystal was displayed. It was a ritual divine art similar to the surveillance mirror of the Thirteenth Ring, capable of directly peering into an area. They could only see a green expanse on the screen from afar, unable to discern anything else.
Suddenly, everyone shouted in unison: “Unicorn! Unicorn! Unicorn!”
“—Goal!” a heartbroken voice cried out. Then, the entire bar erupted into a joyous uproar, with shouts, screams, and the clinking of glasses filling the air. Freya, having drunk the Wine of Eternity, now had slightly pointed ears and excellent hearing. The noise made her eyes unfocus, and with aastly expression, she covered her ears with both hands—she hadn’t heard such a high level of noise in over a decade, and she could clearly understand every word.
…Could Mr. Oswald really be in a place like this? Lily, standing behind Freya, was also somewhat bewildered.
(End of this chapter)
