Diomedes's Admonition

With the help of the old butler Oswald, they quickly packed the things Yulia wanted to take.

This wasn't just going to school; it was essentially a move— Moriarty Manor was clearly no longer safe until Oswald returned. So, at Iver's urging, Yulia took everything she wanted to bring.

However, unlike other young ladies of the same rank, Yulia did not bring many clothes or jewelry.

What really took up space were her toolkits and material boxes. Even Iver books weren't allowed to be brought much; the Royal Law University's library was the largest in Avalon. Even Professor Moriarty's private collection wasn't as good as the restricted section of the university library.

Yulia only brought a few advanced books on specialized research in the field of alchemy, as well as a few notebooks related to university-level knowledge.

Fortunately, Yulia had organized everything systematically during her studies. She easily found her notes from self-studying university material—ten thick notebooks from her freshman to junior year, stacked higher than her calves.

Oswald also came along to help Yulia "move".

After recovering her health, Yulia was visibly full of energy, or rather, excited and restless—like a primary school student before a spring outing, chattering incessantly on the bus.

The only difference was that Yulia's chatter was quite substantial—she and Iver talked non-stop about everything from Extraordinary Profession planning and Promotion Ritual to the Dream Realm, astrology, and tarot, with some regret that she hadn't brought her telescope along. Then they went on to discuss alchemy, elixirs of immortality, plant breeding, and Avalon's land policies and economic taxes.

It is only because Iver is knowledgeable enough that he can keep up with Yulia's conversation.

She had almost no social experience—all her knowledge came from books and newspapers. But she read so much and had such a good memory that she practically became a search engine.

Yulia could even remember the date of Iver's first appearance in the newspaper, and what the article said— Iver himself had forgotten what the article was about. Anyway, he basically rambled on the whole time that day... because he never expected to be stopped by a reporter from the Glass Staircase Newspaper.

The girl's cuteness brought a rare smile to the old butler's face, which was as weathered as an ancient tree.

To retrieve Iver's wheelchair, they first went to the Inspectorate in the Red Queen District. It was very close to Royal Law University, just on the same street.

The wheelchair was placed directly in Edward's office. Iver and Yulia chatted in the car, while Lily followed Oswald to the Inspectorate.

This was Lily's first time entering the Inspectorate.

She had visited the White Queen District Bureau of Supervision when she retrieved the Grimoire. It was already evening, but the Bureau of Supervision was still very busy—inspectors in half-armored suits were walking around, and people were frequently heading to the Griffin Terrace at the back door of the Bureau of Supervision to ride away on griffins.

Some people were flipping through piles of documents, doing calculations, or calling out to their colleagues from a distance to discuss things that Lily couldn't understand at all.

Before that, Lily's impression of the Bureau of Supervision was that it was "responsible for arresting people." But then, she finally realized that they were also responsible for collecting taxes—and that tax issues were even more difficult to solve than law enforcement issues. The Bureau of Supervision gave the impression of being busy... almost everyone either had a furrowed brow or a serious expression.

At that moment, Lily was even worried that she might be blocking someone's way, so she kept to walk on the side. She looked so aggrieved, not like someone who had come to receive a reward, but more like a prisoner arrested by Inspector Hai Na.

However, the atmosphere of the Inspectorate is completely different from that of the Bureau of Supervision.

Overall, the place feels "cold and gloomy".

It's only 3:30 PM, not even time to leave work yet. But the spacious corridor is completely empty.

The old butler and Lily's shadows were reflected on the mirror-like floor, and their footsteps echoed in the corridor. A faint sense of unease permeated the air.

"... Oswald".

Lily whispered, "Why is nobody here? Aren't they at work?"

"If the Inspectorate is as busy as the Bureau of Supervision, then something really bad is going to happen."

The old butler, with his hands behind his back and without turning his head, calmly said, "The Inspectorate is responsible for investigating whether knights and officials are loyal, morally corrupt, or have accepted bribes or betrayed the Queen. They also monitor spies from other countries... and those who infiltrate other countries to become spies."

"There are so many rooms here, and each room could be used for interrogation or investigation, or it could be completely empty. For those businessmen, the increase or decrease in the number of officials being investigated can be used as intelligence for buying and selling stocks. The very fact that 'anyone is being investigated' is a secret."

"That's why all the rooms in the Inspectorate are equipped with soundproof doors, so that you can only hear a knock if you knock on the door when the door is closed."

The old butler could tell that Iver valued Lily highly, and was therefore trying to impart some experience to her. Coincidentally, he also quite liked this sensible and ambitious human girl... at least much better Hai Na.

He stopped and pointed to a door, saying, "This is Young Master Edward's office, remember that?"

"I've got it."

Lily nodded and replied, "I can come here to find Master Edward."

"Right."

Oswald answered simply.

He knocked on the door, and the connection between inside and outside was instantly established—like a blocked ear suddenly becoming clear. Lily clearly heard the voices inside pause for a moment. It seemed there was more than one person inside.

Is it urgent?

Edward's indifferent voice rang out. "I'm handling some business. There's a chair by the door."

The implication is that if there's no urgent matter, one should wait outside.

"It's me, Master Edward."

Oswald's voice rang out.

After a while, Edward opened the door.

He looked quite serious, but relaxed a bit after seeing Oswald.

"Are you here to pick up your wheelchair, Oswald?"

Edward asked.

Oswald nodded and looked into the room. He saw two other people besides himself in Edward's office.

One of them was a blonde woman in a red dress who looked to be in her thirties, yet still mature and charming.

The other person was an elderly elf with a rare square face.

"I had some good news to tell you, but you have guests here and it's not convenient."

Oswald said slowly, "Remember to go home tonight."

I'll try my best.

Edward nodded.

He turned to the woman and instructed, "Go and do it, Red Lady."

"You always dump these kinds of troublesome jobs on me, dear Inspector General... There are no good people in Lloyd's's."

Red Lady complained, but did not refuse. "Alright then, what can I do? I'm destined to be a laborer. But if I mysteriously disappear on my way back, you'd better remember me next year."

"I remember you every year. Go and do it," Edward said coldly.

The moment she brushed past Lily, Lily suddenly felt as if time had slowed down.

Her senses suddenly sharpened—she felt as if she had seen this person somewhere before.

...red?

Could it be...?

Lily thought of the Red Lady of the Path of Love from the Promotion Ritual. Although Lily hadn't met her during the ceremony, Lily had listened to her and others talk for over an hour in the waiting room as the "Grey-robed Woman."

Although his voice had changed slightly, his deep and languid tone left a deep impression on Lily.

As Lily looked at Red Lady, Red Lady also sensed Lily's gaze.

But she didn't mind and just smiled kindly at Lily.

And this old elf...

Lily also felt like she had seen him somewhere before.

"It's been a long time, Diomedes."

As it turned out, Oswald spoke first and greeted them.

"It has indeed been a long time."

The old elf known as Diomedes nodded to Oswald and smiled, a rare occurrence for him. "It must have been almost thirty years since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Indeed. The last time we met was before the master adopted young master Edward."

Oswald also felt a sense of nostalgia.

He smiled and said, "I'm planning to go back to the Theocracy. Do you need me to pass on a few words to you, or bring back any local specialties?"

"Can you really let go of those two in your family?"

Diomedes raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

Edward looked over upon hearing this, his brows furrowing slightly and a worried expression on his face.

The old butler shook his head slightly at Edward, indicating that they should talk about it at home.

"If I had to suggest anything, I'd recommend bringing some Rose Gold Brew."

Diomedes chuckled and said, "I'm craving some wine from my hometown."

"Looks like you have nothing for me to say to you, old man. You might as well die peacefully in a foreign land."

Oswald smiled and said, "I'm planning to meet His Pope Your Majesty."

The square-faced elf retorted, "You're the same, you old thing who's about to die... just don't talk bad about me."

Even by human standards, these two were at least seventy or eighty years old. If we consider the lifespan of elves, they would probably have lived for four or five hundred years.

If one does not use any Path Power to extend their lifespan, even as a long-lived species, an elf's average lifespan is only five hundred years.

If it lives a little longer, then it can be considered a companion of amber.

Oswald introduced Lily, "This is Diomedes, the guardian of the Drost Family. We're old friends. Before being sent to Avalon, we were both selected in the same batch of Pope Guard."

"It was he who introduced you to the Moriarty Family back then."

"... Ah, I remember this lady."

Upon seeing Lily, Diomedes ' expression turned serious. "We met once more than a decade ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Diomedes."

Lily bowed sincerely in thanks.

—So this is her benefactor! Without this old elf, she would have had a hard time entering the Moriarty Family and would never have met Iver.

But Diomedes ' expression as he looked at Lily was somewhat complicated.

He remained silent for a long time, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He just sighed and said softly, "Be careful during this time, child."

Upon hearing this, Oswald narrowed his eyes slightly and gently patted Lily's shoulder.

"I understand, you old man."

The old butler squinted as he spoke.