Barton and Drost

When Barton awoke, the shock of Mr. Aleister still lingered in his mind.

It was a kind of captivating and mesmerizing madness that he couldn't forget even after choosing his Path Trait. The image of Aleister's three outstretched fingers remained vividly in his mind.

My brain is trembling, and my spine is tightening.

Compared to the secrets and simple words that the clouds recounted, which fueled his discontent with the Path of Authority, Aleister personally showed him what a "Soul of Transcendence" truly was.

—I'm definitely not qualified.

Barton felt a pang of disappointment, but then he came to his senses. Some things weren't things he could do just because he wanted to... By now, he understood that all too well.

Fortunately, it's alright.

He got out of bed, turned on the lights in the room, and looked in the mirror on one side.

He was a boy who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old.

He had Olive -green eyes and short, golden hair that hung down to his shoulders and had been cut off with a single stroke.

His hair was fine and soft, lying close to his scalp. This made his head appear somewhat small.

He stared at the mirror, his fist clenched slightly.

Blue-purple lightning crackled and flowed from his palm, rapidly coursing across his body. At this moment, Barton no longer felt the slight numbness all over his body as before, and his hair no longer stood on end like it used to.

This is the second level of [Lightning Affinity].

It was the "key Path Trait" that his father had highlighted for Barton when he was teaching him! Compared to it, the [Storm Container] and [Heroic Courage] that appeared at the same time are basically incomparable.

"This is a gift that Mr. Aleister left for me..."

Barton muttered to himself.

His father had told him that it was difficult to obtain good Path Trait in the first two Promotion Ritual. Therefore, he should just choose from the twelve decent Path Trait that his father had designated.

The reason why the transition from the Third Level to the Fourth Level is a watershed is largely due to the fact that excellent Path Trait begin to appear at the third Promotion Ritual.

Profit can corrupt people's minds. Enough profit can drive people mad.

Everyone wants to acquire better traits, resulting in everyone striving to prove themselves and complete more tasks assigned by the Pillar God. However, this very desire can actually lead to a significant drop in the success rate.

So at least in Avalon, the number of participants in the New Moon Ritual increases as the season progresses—because teammates might drag you down or even betray you.

It would be better not to have teammates in the first place.

In the early stages of the ceremony, everyone is basically a newcomer, aiming to obtain blue Path Trait like "Container" or "Affinity." Since completing the ceremony guarantees at least one trait suitable for oneself, there's no incentive for anyone to sabotage the others.

This is also the source of Barton's confidence to secretly participate in the ceremony.

"...That's what they say," Barton muttered to himself, "But are there really that many newlyweds at this ceremony?"

Or is it that I shouldn't have participated in the New Moon Ritual?

But in any case... the reason he was able to gain the Lightning Affinity this time was because of the kindness of others. He actually felt unworthy of it.

If they had competed on equal footing, he would have been eliminated by Mr. Aleister long ago. It was precisely because of his initial talk of "alliance" that he was spared and survived by sheer luck.

This is also why Barton felt ashamed.

At that time, he didn't genuinely want to ally with the demons. Barton truly believed that since the antlers would seek an alliance with a newcomer like him... it meant that they must have invited others to join as well. Therefore, the antlers' words were unreliable.

Barton had met many such people. They would come to visit his father during holidays and festivals.

Many of them appeared to be gentle, cheerful, and kind. Barton also thought they were good people because they would bring Barton many valuable gifts.

But his father patiently taught Barton: "Because I am the Grand Guardian of Avalon, overseeing the nation's surveillance and controlling the entire army in times of war. That's why they come to curry favor with me, that's why they treat you so well."

"They may be good at putting on a show, but their attitude is worthless. Don't look at what they say or do, but look at what they ultimately do."

—But if we're talking about what was done, wouldn't we only be able to see it after the matter is over? Doesn't that mean that anything anyone says could be a lie?

Barton asked that question at the time.

But his father affirmed, "That's exactly right."

"Don't trust covenants, don't trust promises. Any contract, from the moment it's made, is subject to the possibility of being torn up..."

Having witnessed firsthand how the antlers betrayed the alliance, Barton muttered to himself, "I think I understand a little better now..."

Compared to the "Lightning Affinity" ability he gained, the experiences he had during this Promotion Ritual were far more valuable.

Just then, Barton suddenly heard the butler's voice.

It's three or four in the morning...

He cautiously approached the door and pressed his ear against it. Then he heard a familiar voice.

—It's Mom!

Mom's home! He panicked instantly and ran to the floor, wanting to start a frantic tidying ritual. But after only packing two items, he realized he should probably turn off the room lights first.

But as soon as he turned off the light, his bedroom door was opened from the outside.

With a snap, the light was switched on again.

A woman with black hair, black eyes, deep-set features, and a slightly large mouth stood at the door with a frown.

"Aren't you asleep yet, Little Apple?"

The woman frowned slightly, then looked at the Ritual Array in the room.

She immediately realized what her son had done. "You went to the Promotion Ritual?"

But when she looked at Barton, her eyes widened in surprise. "You succeeded?"

Upon hearing his mother's question, Barton immediately shrank back.

But he quickly realized—what's there to be afraid of? I got promoted! So Barton puffed out his chest again, beaming with pride, and said, "Yes! I got promoted at the New Moon Ritual, isn't that amazing, Mom!"

"Good."

The woman nodded slightly in praise.

But she then said, "You should go to sleep now; you're still growing. The sleep provided by the ritual isn't enough for your body to relax."

"Your room is so dirty, go sleep in your father's room. I'll have the servants clean it up tomorrow."

Why is the reaction so lukewarm...?

Barton pursed his lips. This was completely different from what he had imagined.

"Mom, I chose Lightning Affinity!"

Barton emphasized.

"Can."

The woman nodded.

Her abyss-like black eyes stared at Barton: "So I'll leave your truancy for now. We'll talk about it tomorrow when you wake up."

Barton shuddered.

So Barton chuckled awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "Mom, why haven't you been home for so long?"

"The assassin hasn't been caught yet. The Griffin Squadron will increase nighttime patrols this month."

The woman answered calmly.

She looked at Barton and earnestly reminded him, "Don't go out at night during this period. If you absolutely must go out, be sure to take ' Emily ' with you."

Emily is the name of the griffin that Barton kept.

Although she's only a teenager, she's far more formidable than Barton. Third Level superhuman might not be able to defeat her.

Rather than saying that Barton learned Light Cavalry tactics to cooperate with Emily in battle... it would be more accurate to say that he did it so as not to hold Emily back.

"And what about Dad?"

Barton asked, "Dad hasn't been home in a long time either."

"The matter of the Giant Remnants is none of your business."

"But I saw a giant during this ceremony!"

"That's okay. Go to sleep, and we'll have a meeting to discuss your absence when you wake up."

The woman said sternly, "Your teacher wrote to me saying that you haven't been to school for three days."

"... Because I was preparing for my Promotion Ritual," Barton said with a fawning smile. "See, I've successfully been promoted, haven't I?"

"No need. Just focus on your studies now. There's no point in you advancing to become a superhuman now. You'll still have to wait until Emily comes of age before you can advance to become Sky Knight. Getting involved with the Path Power now will only needlessly build up your Path Urge. But since you've already successfully advanced, there's no point in asking about it anymore, so I won't criticize you, but I won't encourage you either."

"Okay, Mom."

Barton looked a little deflated, but still nodded politely.

He didn't expect that he would not be praised after his promotion.

So Barton decided not to reveal the secret that Dark Cloud had shared, otherwise he might get scolded.

He needs his own little secrets too! But, the Giant Remnants ...

Barton brings to mind the Noble Red Society.

He asked somewhat uneasily, "Is Mr. Sherlock really dead?"

"It's hard to say."

His mother shook her head slightly, remaining reserved about the matter. "If you want to know... we will invite Iver Moriarty to visit us next week."

"George has something important to tell him. If he's still in the mood after hearing about it, you can ask him about it then. He previously claimed that he wanted to take over Sherlock's investigation, so he should at least be aware of it."

"What is it?" Barton asked.

"Professor Moriarty passed away unexpectedly last week."

The woman replied, "He didn't leave a will. And Inspector Edward, being in the Inspectorate, can't inherit the family business. That means the only heirs are Iver, or even Yulia —if Iver chooses to join the church after graduation, he also can't inherit the family fortune. And compared to the frail and sickly Yulia, Iver is more likely to keep them in check."

"George said that someone might take advantage of Iver's young age and ignorance of such schemes to trip him up. For the sake of the professor, we have to protect the Children he adopted. They are the pillars of the kingdom and cannot be touched by those petty people."

"Oh."

Barton answered absentmindedly.

He'd heard the name Iver so many times he was practically sick of it.

This is the quintessential "other people's child"—intelligent, decisive, mature, kind, righteous, and brave. He's even friends with his idol Sherlock Holmes ...

Barton was initially quite envious, but he eventually got used to it. After all, no matter how capable someone else was, it had nothing to do with him.

—Compared to Mr. Iver.

Barton thought to himself that he was now more concerned about Mr. Aleister.

Meanwhile.

On the other hand, some people are also paying attention to the name "Aleister".

At that moment, an old man awkwardly got off the bed.

The old man had a very large belly; if he stood up, you couldn't even see his feet. The muscles in his limbs had become loose and flabby, like loose fat. His round and huge head made him look like a fat seal.

"Diomedes".

He raised his voice.

Three seconds later, an Elf Butler with a square face, a serious expression, and a few wrinkles silently appeared from the doorway.

"Mr. Drost, you wanted to see me."

"Yes, my friend. Help me write two letters and send them out before dawn."

Minister Drost said, handing over his seal. "Send a letter to Boca, asking if there have been any new people named ' Aleister ' Lloyd's's recently. He might not be called that, but he's a demon who's made a pact with the Shadowfiend. Give me his information and contact details."

"Another letter was sent to the Sheriff of Grey County, looking for a young man named Aleister."

"He used to study in the countryside, and after finishing junior high he went to high school in Grey County. His parents were both believers, and his father later passed away, leaving him a modest inheritance. He may or may not have graduated... In any case, he left his hometown to go rock climbing throughout Avalon —that should make him easy to find. If you can find him, please give me his mother's contact information."

"Yes, Mr. Drost."

The Elf Butler agreed and took the stamp, "I've got it. Is there a deadline for the investigation?"

"Within a month... no, half a month."

Minister Drost calmly replied, "Give them half a month. I want a definite reply. I don't want to hear 'we tried our best but couldn't find him,' or 'there is no such person as Aleister.' He may not be called that, and the information may be inaccurate. But I want a result."

"I will write it in the letter, Mr. Drost."

His Elf Butler replied in this way.