Iver: I Can't Wait a Moment

Gordon remembered that person clearly.

Even now, recalling that wicked laughter still sends shivers down his spine, like needles pricking his heart.

During the Promotion Ritual, he was easily killed by a demon codenamed "Aleister" who wielded Shadow Spear that pierced his body.

His body was dissolved in the shadows in the blink of an eye, and the intense pain did not completely dissipate until he woke up; some of it still lingered in his memory.

Gordon is indeed getting on in years.

The weakness resulting from his failed promotion left Gordon recovering for several days. He still experiences frequent bouts of fatigue and mental instability, making it impossible for him to work normally. Even so, he remains at his post, performing only miscellaneous tasks, without taking leave to rest at home.

When he woke up after his Promotion Ritual, he clearly recorded the events of his dream, relying on his somewhat hazy memory. Since he himself was an inspector, even if the dream couldn't be used as evidence, it could serve as a reference for the team's investigation.

Gordon opened his dream logbook and turned to the latest ritual. He found Aleister's page.

This page was unusually well-written, with many notes.

Because it was also the first time the other party had participated in Promotion Ritual and they didn't know anything about it.

Not only did they disdain making up code names, but they also revealed their background information.

Old Gordon was a soldier who became an inspector after retiring. He now has some experience in handling cases and summarizing intelligence—pickpockets, thugs, and gangsters rarely tell the truth, but their fabricated lies also have value.

Even if some lies are mixed in, if you don't give the person time, you can still tell what information they want to hide and what they've taken as common sense from their instinctive tendency to fabricate lies. They can hide the truth, but they can't hide their unique perspective on things because they know the truth.

However, Gordon knew very little about psychology, while Inspector Edward was much better at it.

Without hesitation, Gordon told Inspector Edward everything he knew—including what he had seen in his dream.

Edward is currently feeling anxious because of Iver's disappearance.

He was woken up by a phone call at 2:30. He was still a bit irritable at the time, but when he heard that something had happened to Iver, he rushed to the Inspector General's office without even washing up or putting on his clothes.

The intelligence from Gordon reassured him perfectly.

It also provided Edward with a very clear direction for his investigation.

But to his surprise, Edward became noticeably more anxious after carefully reviewing Gordon's intelligence report.

"He was possessed by a demon from a young age. And he was a Shadow Demon with high intelligence and an independent personality."

Edward frowned. "That means that in addition to his teachers and parents, the Shadow Demon is also constantly educating and influencing him in his mind."

Gordon nodded. "That's right, his worldview is clearly different from that of normal people."

The reason why demons cannot be trusted is precisely this: no one knows what forbidden knowledge and erroneous common sense the demons have taught them.

Edward continued his analysis, "His parents were both followers of Nine Pillar Gods, but he only worshipped the Serpent Father... Nine Pillar Gods Master the most. This shows that he has no interest in the Path of Dedication, and may even be disgusted by it. He probably doesn't have any good feelings towards priests."

And Iver was a pastor.

A moment of silence fell between the two.

Edward suppressed his unease and continued reading, "He only attended school in the countryside, and his education level was only junior high school. After inheriting his father's estate, his first choice was mountaineering and rock climbing... dangerous and challenging sports. This choice suggests that he has a restless heart, ignoring external dangers and even willing to go for them."

"He doesn't understand the ideals of the Noble Red Society at all, but he doesn't resist it. So he was most likely tricked into joining... and he doesn't even know the identity of his guide."

"In other words, this Aleister is a country boy whose values are significantly different from those of normal people, who is cruel and rebellious, who is used as a tool by the Noble Red Society, who is uncultured and likes to seek thrills, and who also hates priests."

Edward frowned. "Without a doubt, this man named Aleister is extremely dangerous."

He was acutely aware that Iver, who had suddenly disappeared, was probably in real danger this time.

Their adoptive father, James, had only recently disappeared, and now Iver has also vanished. And they both seem to be in dire straits, yet he feels powerless to do anything about it...

A thought flashed through his mind: thankfully, Yulia was taken to the palace by Princess Isabel.

Hopefully, the Princess can calm her down. Yulia and Iver have always had a good relationship, even better than with her adoptive father James and Edward himself.

But that probably won't work.

... Because it seems Princess Isabel and Iver have a good relationship. Perhaps Yulia doesn't have a way of knowing this, but Princess Isabel certainly found out immediately. If she knows, Yulia probably knows too.

If Yulia knew that Iver was missing, and had been captured by an extremely dangerous person... she would probably lose control of her emotions, and the phantom demon within her would burst from her abdomen. It's best not to tell her this.

If Yulia's identity Phantom Demon Egg is discovered, then she will also be in danger...

But Edward soon realized that Yulia was no longer the Phantom Demon Egg.

The old butler Oswald, told him this news the night before last, before he left. Although he found it hard to understand, Edward was relieved.

—That's probably the only good news.

He didn't need to rush to bring Yulia home to try and hide her identity... and now that Oswald wasn't home, Yulia was much safer at the Silver and Tin Palace Moriarty Manor.

He had to go find Iver, so he had no time to protect or take care of Yulia.

Edward was always a man of few words and no skill at comforting people. If Yulia returned crying, Edward would have no idea how to console her.

This kind of thing was always done by Iver.

Just thinking about it Edward a headache.

It would have been better if I had simply disappeared! For now, he could only play dead and put Yulia in the Silver and Tin Palace. With Princess Isabel and Master Agnes taking care of her, at least he didn't have to worry about Yulia.

"Damn it!"

Edward was unusually anxious and depressed.

He clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. The thick solid wood table immediately cracked slightly.

Despite his aloof personality, Edward values his family very much.

At this moment, he felt an unprecedented rage raging within him.

—Aleister.

— Noble Red.

I've memorized those two names.

Edward murmured, "I have to find Iver."

"Wait for me... Iver. I will definitely find you."

"By the Candlelight God, by the Silver Crowned Dragon... Iver must live... as long as he can live."

Edward closed his eyes and prayed softly.

On the other side, Iver and Lily stood quietly in the corner in the dead of night.

They were both almost completely blended into the shadows, so much so that other low-level observers passed by them without noticing them.

"Young Master, shall we wait until tomorrow to take action?"

Lily's voice asked in Iver's ear, "There are more and more people under martial law."

It can only be said that the name Iver still carries some weight today.

Starting at two o'clock, the number of patrols on the streets increased at a visible rate. Griffins of various colors filled the sky, and those who couldn't ride griffins mounted horses and galloped through the city streets.

By 3:30 a. m., even Law Mage had appeared on the streets. They were seriously investigating the backpacks of suspicious passersby, paying particular attention to checking all the carriages that were operating in the dead of night. Every inn was being searched urgently, and armored knights suddenly broke into the hideouts of various organizations in the middle of the night, accompanied by stern-faced Law Mage.

Clearly, things are gradually being taken over by people at higher levels.

It is now 4:50 a. m., and the streets are already brightly lit.

In the last ten minutes, Iver had seen more than one White Griffin fly overhead.

It was still night, and the Shadow Fiend's concealment abilities were ineffective against these low-level observers and Law Mage. Only the White Griffin could detect the unusual shadow density. Therefore, whenever White Griffin flew by, they had to hide for a short while.

"We can't wait any longer."

Iver replied simply, "If we let them communicate calmly tomorrow, they'll definitely realize something's wrong once they compare their intelligence."

"The fire isn't burning big enough yet—we need to go and add some more oil."

"Who should we start with?"

"Of course, it's Lawyer York."

Iver narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, "Let's go avenge Sherlock first."

"The griffins are gone, charge!"

Chapter Two is only two thousand words long, I'll add some more words before posting! So the second update will be a little later—