Chapter 66
“The podium is yours, you can speak.”
“Who is that?” Eiv heard whispers around him, “He’s a cripple… but quite handsome!”
The voices grew noisy, and the students who had been asleep gradually woke up. Those who hadn’t been woken up were nudged by their friends to join in the commotion.
“That’s Eivass Moriarty!” Someone clearly stated Eivass’s name, “The great detective featured in the Glass Steps Herald a few days ago!”
More people heard the name and nodded in understanding, their expressions showing agreement. After all, he was Senior Haina’s partner, so it was normal for her to bring him along.
However, some people disdained such an old-fashioned hobby, “Ah, you still read newspapers?”
“Moriarty? Is he Professor Moriarty’s child?” Someone keenly noticed Eivass’s surname.
“It’s him, the ‘heartthrob’ Moriarty!” Clearly, Eiv was not the only one who remembered Eivass.
The only one concerned about Eivass’s physical condition was a worried girl, “His leg…”
Others were chattering, discussing Haina’s unprecedented, almost “pampering” concern, “Is it possible Senior Haina rejected Allen because she already has a boyfriend?”
“Most likely not. Eivass doesn’t seem like the type to date Senior Haina…” Eiv thought to himself.
He certainly recognized the person before him. He had identified him at a glance. Undeniably, this was Eivass Moriarty, his classmate from middle school!
Even back in middle school, Eivass always tended to be the center of attention. He was like Haina today, enthusiastic, cheerful, gentle, and always considerate of others. But even Haina’s most criticized flaw, her “background,” didn’t exist for him. Eivass came from a founding family. Although he was adopted, given that his father had no direct descendants, an adopted son was not much different from direct bloodline.
The difference between him and Haina was that Haina, due to her cheerful personality, mingled equally well with both boys and girls. Eivass, on the other hand, was the opposite. He clearly mingled better with the girls. It wasn’t that Eivass had any feud with the boys; it was simply that he attracted too much attention, leaving none for others. The most infuriating part was that he never truly dated, merely dispensing his gentleness and charm. This meant he didn’t have a confirmed girlfriend… so the girls were unwilling to back down, always holding onto some fantasy.
“He’s so nice to me, could it be that he actually likes me?”
But if someone confessed, Eivass would politely reject them while respecting their dignity, explaining that he was nice to everyone. Although some people understood this, what difference did it make? Compared to those immature, rude, and self-centered boys his age, Eivass, with his mature and reliable demeanor and understanding of people’s hearts, was simply more comfortable to be around. Even without dating or intimate contact, he was undoubtedly a good friend of the opposite sex.
From what Eivass alone knew, Eivass’s ‘deeds’ included helping a girl find her abducted sister, mediating misunderstandings between a young couple, skipping class to comfort a girl who had suddenly lost her parents due to misfortune, and helping a rebellious student mend relations with his family. Most absurdly, after a female teacher was heartbroken from a breakup, Eivass personally composed witticisms and played the harp for her, guiding her to see that being single wasn’t so bad.
And with Eivass as a comparison, raising expectations… those still immature peers seemed even more childish.
Precisely because of this, Eivass had a poor reputation among the boys. Many said that his girlfriends changed weekly—ranging from female teachers in their thirties to the elementary school sisters of his classmates, but those were just jealous rumors. Only those who were close to him and familiar with his private life knew that Eivass actually didn’t have a girlfriend.
Eiv was one of them. He even knew why Eivass didn’t have a girlfriend. Because that guy was a fool who constantly doted on his “Yuli,” his “Yuli”—and his “sister,” also an adopted daughter of the Moriarty family, was not blood-related to Eivass. Although he had never met the legendary sickly sister, and didn’t know what astonishing beauty she possessed… to make Eivass so infatuated. But Eiv knew that the girls who didn’t understand who their real rival was would definitely lose… because Eivass genuinely didn’t care about them at all. His eyes were only on his mysterious, perhaps non-existent sister.
Even when they spread rumors, Eivass didn’t pursue it. “It’s fine; it won’t have any effect on me anyway. Besides, there are indeed things I’ve done wrong… Fundamentally, it’s because my help to them overstepped boundaries, and I didn’t maintain a proper distance…”
At that time, two girls, after being rejected by Eivass, lied about him accepting them to save face; but they happened to run into another person with the same idea. The two of them got carried away, unwilling to admit they had lied, and accused each other… the story then spread, turning into Eivass juggling two romantic interests, leading to an internal conflict.
And Eivass? Eivass was playing cricket. After hearing the news, he wasn’t flustered. Instead, he seriously explained their behavior logic to his brothers on the cricket team: “They’re just still clinging to hope, unwilling to admit their failure, and also a bit vain. At this point, scolding them, loudly accusing them of lying and spreading rumors, might ruin their lives. They both love me, and I don’t hate them. I can’t do such a wrong thing. They are like standing on the edge of a dangerous high mountain, one step away from falling, and they can return to normal by calming down. At this critical juncture, what I need to do is not to push them, but to pull them up. Once they calm down, they will naturally help clear my name.”
At that time, Eivass sat on a table, with his brothers gathered around below, listening in stunned silence. —Are you sure this is okay? Will they really help clear your name? Won’t they turn love into hate?
But as it turned out, Eivass was right. They were the ones who didn’t understand. Eivass’s romantic rumors had no negative impact on his halo; instead, they made more people pursue him more actively. And those two girls indeed admitted their lies and rumor-mongering after calming down, working tirelessly to clear his name, and even becoming close friends with each other. Eiv was completely convinced. Master, what a master! Please teach me, master! I also want to find a girlfriend!
But shortly after that, Eivass, who had been admitted to the Seminary of the Royal Law University, mysteriously disappeared. It was said that he was unwell and recuperating at home. But no one believed such an absurd reason for leave. Some said he went to train at the Church headquarters of the Eternal Holy Kingdom, and some said he found his biological parents and left Avalon. Later, the rumors intensified, with some confidently stating that Eivass had probably gone to study at a university in the Iris Kingdom—his romantic demeanor suggested that his biological parents were likely Iris nobles, which explained his outstanding qualities in Avalon, a place with little romance; others said that one of his parents had elven blood, so he should be in a Church area now. The most absurd theory was that he was summoned by Princess Isabel. That princess, who was also a senior in their second year and had already embarked on the path of the extraordinary, might have chosen him because she needed a loyal, reliable, and not overly ambitious, yet meticulous and intelligent long-term ally, having heard of Eivass’s remarkable experiences.
—Now Eiv realizes that all those speculations were wrong. So Eivass was truly injured! Did he injure his leg while playing? Otherwise, why would he be in a wheelchair…
The students muttered to themselves, the noise in the classroom growing louder. Professor Bard also stopped his lecture and turned back.
“Good morning, Professor Bard!” Haina greeted the old professor energetically.
“Good morning, Miss Dain,” the short, frail old professor also held a good impression of this high-achieving and polite student. He turned off the loudspeaker button on the podium and turned back. A smile appeared on his stern face, and he politely addressed Haina by her surname. “And this is… Mr. Eivass Moriarty, isn’t it?” Unlike the students, Professor Bard clearly read the newspaper daily. Therefore, it was not strange that he recognized the young detective who solved the Pelican Bar case, indirectly resolved the previous demon sacrifice and warehouse explosion cases, and at least twenty-three smuggling cases.
“Hello, Professor Bard,” Eiv gave a polite nod.
“Actually, Eivass is also a student in this session of the Seminary,” Haina enthusiastically introduced him to the old professor, “You should know him already. He was just unwell before, so he’s been recuperating at home. But even so, Eivass has been self-studying at home—you know, his father is Professor Moriarty. So his coursework hasn’t fallen behind… Although the final exams are approaching, Professor Moriarty believes Eivass can try to take them. He, along with Miss Lily here, are considered transfer students in our class. However, he started two months late, so it’s a bit difficult for him to blend in with his classmates. Therefore, I wanted to borrow your loudspeaker, Professor, to help Eivass introduce himself.”
“Oh?” The old professor’s eyes lit up. He already had a good impression of the young and promising Eivass from the newspapers, and now, with such an enthusiastic recommendation from his trusted student Haina, his anticipation grew. His heart stirred, and he quietly inquired of Eivass, “Do you have any knowledge of the Star Antimony Kingdom and Hrasal?”
“Yes,” Eivass replied affirmingly, “I am familiar with the four countries that emerged after the Hrasal Empire’s division: Star Antimony, Iris Flower, Narcissus, and Black Eagle.”
It wasn’t just a superficial understanding—the background stories of these countries were what his screenwriter friend loved to babble about during meals. He was actually worried he might say something he shouldn’t…
“In that case then…” The open-minded old professor gladly made way, “You can introduce yourself here. After that, please talk about the establishment of Star Antimony. Here is the lesson plan, and here is the textbook… You can start from this section. You can read it or improvise, as you wish. I believe that once you appear, they won’t be able to concentrate on my lecture. And since you’re in a wheelchair, you can’t easily go up the steps, so you’ll have to sit by the podium anyway. Why don’t you give this lecture then… I’m sure the students will listen attentively.” Professor Bard encouraged him, “Don’t worry, I’ll point out any mistakes or omissions—this is a rare opportunity, isn’t it?”
Haina, standing beside them, was taken aback. For a moment, she hesitated, unsure if she should intervene. But Eivass readily agreed, “No problem.” This could only make her face fall, and she chose to stand by and watch. —At least with her here, even if Eivass didn’t do well, those brats wouldn’t dare to cause a scene in front of her.
