Remaining Two

Time flies, and it's Sunday now.

Iver is still at the Grand Guardian's house, but he will be returning to school tomorrow morning or tonight.

I've already finished reading the books I borrowed before. And there's still a week until the next advancement ceremony.

He is now going to read some esoteric books on the Dedication Path to improve his professional level as a pastor.

Although Yulia has recovered, Iver has lost someone to practice on. But fortunately, he can still practice his Illumination Spell skills while he's at the Grand Guardian's house these past few days.

After Iver settled in, David and Emily's training intensity suddenly increased.

Under the relentless attacks of their respective parents, they appeared utterly pathetic.

But precisely because of this, their strength also increased rapidly. After all, George and his griffin Philip were both at the Fifth Level of power, while his wife and her griffin were at the Fourth Level.

In other words, David and Emily were respectively subjected to a mixed doubles attack by a Fourth Level and Fifth Level powerhouse.

Despite being badly beaten, this kind of training is something ordinary people dream of but can never achieve.

Fortunately, both they and their griffin had very solid foundations, which allowed them to quickly gain enough experience. Just two days were equivalent to half a month in the past.

The Grand Guardian is not unable to afford a priest.

They don't train like this regularly because it's unnecessary—if regular training is this painful, David and Emily might become resistant, which would actually reduce efficiency. They might even get angry at the priest who comes to treat them.

David skips even school, so naturally he'd skip the even more painful training. The reason he's not skipping now is largely because he has feelings for Iver and doesn't want to reveal his flaws to his gentle and knowledgeable older brother.

Iver is ultimately a guest; he will leave soon.

This gave the Grand Guardian an excuse to give David intensive training—after all, Iver had to go back to class on Monday, so it was a rare opportunity.

David, of course, couldn't refuse. So even though he usually resisted training, he had to obediently pick up his sword and gun and train for six hours every day.

The Grand Guardian was somewhat surprised by Iver's healing techniques.

Many pastors who graduated from Subordinate God two or three years ago did not possess the skillful and consistent healing abilities of Iver. He even noticed that Iver could heal with both hands—not just with his less dominant hand, but by simultaneously using both hands, one left and one right, to heal David and Emily at the same time.

No wonder Meg wanted Iver to take a spot.

The Grand Guardian thought to himself.

The Theocracy has offered only nine places to teach Advanced Divine Arts to humanity. Three will be allocated to the school, and six more will be selected from among the bishops after graduation.

The six bishop positions were filled by the six Spiritual Councilor. Upon hearing this, Meg demanded that one be given to Iver. That left only two positions available.

At the time, the Grand Guardian believed it was because Iver and Princess Isabel had a close relationship.

Few people know that Meg's favorite member of this generation of the royal family is Isabel. Because of her forthright personality and decisive, straightforward approach to life, she dislikes bureaucratic maneuvering. Therefore, many people assumed she supported Prince Andrew.

But it was only when these Fifth Level superhumans gathered in private that they knew Meg hated him.

—Because he was too arrogant.

Andrew is indeed very strong.

He's in his early thirties, already at the Fourth Level, and his soul is complete. There are no other impulses or distractions from other paths. It's estimated he'll have a chance to enter the Fifth Level around age thirty-five, and he'll likely fail two or three times.

In addition, he earned a double degree in law and philosophy from the Royal Law University. He began getting involved in politics five or six years ago, even forming his own "Andrew Club." It recruited many talented young people—connections he had cultivated since university, who have now become an indispensable force in Avalon.

He had no bad habits. He was neither a womanizer nor an alcoholic, and could even be described as very self-disciplined.

Furthermore, Andrew is straightforward, speaks his mind, and has a strong stance. He can also be considered fair when handling disputes... although he may sometimes side with his own people rather than stick to the facts, but overall he is the type of Grand Guardian likes very much.

But Meg didn't like him.

When asked why, the old lady replied, "Because he believed he could inherit the throne even when he was far from being the first in line. And even though the royal family was under such a curse, he had no intention of marrying and having children to continue the bloodline... as if he believed he wouldn't be cursed to death. This kind of unfounded confidence is disgusting."

She actually phrased it quite tactfully.

To put it more clearly, Meg suspected that Andrew might be involved in the curse.

There was no evidence. But her gut feeling told her to be wary.

The opinions given by the intuition of advanced superhumans are worth taking seriously.

That is why the Grand Justice and the Grand Guardian took a slight step back and did not stand too close to Prince Andrew.

The old woman had a sharp tongue. Regarding Isabel, who was also uncursed, she commented. "Because she's so useless, she's safe enough."

Because Avalon lacks high-level Path of Transcendence beings, they remain uncertain about the source of the curse. They can't even determine whether it's a curse or poison. The Round Table Hall, however, is delighted with this situation and clearly won't do anything for the royal family—they are bound by oaths of loyalty, and now that there are fewer and fewer people who can control them, it's certainly a good thing.

But at least one thing is certain: this brutal killing of the royal family must have come from outside. Considering the border disputes, it must be either Star Antimony or Iris.

From the perspective of the Stibnite Person and the Iris Person, Isabel is the most suitable successor.

She is inherently weak-willed and willing to listen to advice. Furthermore, as a student of Master Agnes, at least Avalon won't collapse from within. This would stabilize the situation in Avalon and make it easier to accept various trade agreements from Star Antimony and Iris.

However, she is not on the Path of Authority, thus breaking the core ties of Avalon's power control.

She lacks confidence, but also lacks aggression. Most importantly, she is kind enough—meaning there's no need to worry that Avalon, once she recovers, will actively aggress against others.

The Griffin Legion's greatest strength lies in its mobility.

If it's a defensive battle, the griffin's threat is actually not that great.

This is also why the Grand Guardian are never worried that the curse will cause the royal family to die out.

If the royal line were to die out, Avalon would descend into chaos and warlordism—and whoever regains the throne would be an unpredictable variable. It was even entirely possible that the corrupt Avalon would shed its outer shell and rise from the ashes... something they did not want to see.

Meanwhile, both Star Antimony and Iris were embroiled in internal strife.

They also couldn't possibly occupy Avalon... that would mean sending a large number of officials away from their homeland to manage the colony. This could potentially cause new problems in the already precarious balance of power, and could even lead to the previously weaker powers moving to Avalon to escape the war and then recovering their strength through blood-draining.

If it were the old Avalon, they probably would have joined the war long ago.

But since Lloyd Prince, the status of the Avalon royal family has begun to decline. Now, two hundred years later, Avalon's economy, mining, and light industry have developed quite well. But conversely, the power of the knights has been steadily weakening.

By their generation, there were only a handful of Fifth Level Transcendent were clearly loyal to the royal family.

In the first two hundred years after the founding of Avalon, this number more than doubled. At its peak, it numbered twenty-eight.

In a world where top-tier powerhouses can directly influence the course of war, a decrease in the number of powerful individuals signifies a weakening of national strength. The Theocracy, with a territory less than one-sixth the size of Avalon, boasts at least fifty Fifth Level powerhouses, as well as the world's strongest and only Sixth Level transcendent being.

This is why the Eternal Theocracy has the confidence to remain permanently neutral and actively mediate wars in other countries to maintain peace.

It is precisely because of the intervention of the Theocracy that the other side cannot launch a war of extermination, nor can they launch a war of aggression of too high intensity. From the perspective of the force that released the curse, their goal is to let the weakest heir wield Avalon, a sword that is difficult to defend but easy to attack.

—That is, Isabel.

Therefore, as long as Isabel doesn't change her personality, she will be fine. Avalon will not die out.

This is why Yanis was willing to take her on as a student. It's also why Avalon has remained silent on the matter.

Because the true heir is not Andrew at all— the Queen has only chosen one heir, and that is Isabel.

As a result, Iver, who was close to her, was also elevated in status.

If Isabel succeeds to the Queen, then Moriarty will be her Prince. Unlike Isabel, this young man, Iver, appears smiling, but in reality, he is cunning, wicked, and adept at manipulating people.

If we disregard his womanizing tendencies, he is the best candidate for Prince.

Moreover, Isabel was the Queen's favorite child and the only one who inherited the Queen thinking. These old folks looked at Isabel as if she were Princess Sophia in her youth.

The only difference was that Sofia was much more confident and mischievous than Isabel back then.

Self-confidence can be cultivated, and abilities can be delegated. However, character and morality are difficult to change later in life.

This is why the Grand Guardian treated Iver very well, even taking the initiative to introduce David to him; it is also why no one doubted the excuse Iver gave.

It's not just because Iver is good enough, but because they had no other choice.

Isabel likes him, what can they do?

At most, we could ask Iver not to be too promiscuous...

"Your Excellency Grand Guardian..."

But just then, George's butler handed him a letter, looking anxious.

"... What's wrong?" the Grand Guardian wondered to himself.

But he didn't say anything; he simply opened the envelope in silence.

After reading it, his expression changed slightly.

He immediately strode into the yard, interrupting Philip and Emily's practice.

"Iver, something's happened."

"... Is this something I need to know?"

Iver tilted his head, somewhat confused.

"Really."

George replied briefly, "The Royal Curse, which hasn't struck in a long time, has flared up again."

"...who?!"

Iver's expression changed immediately, and his voice became louder.

His heart skipped a beat—could it be that he had caused Isabel's accident after altering history?!

Thankfully, it was another one who died—

"It's Prince Andrew."

The Grand Guardian said, "But I still think you'd better go to the Silver and Tin Palace."

"... With such a big incident, is it appropriate for me to go now?"

Iver hesitated for a moment.

You have to go.

The Grand Guardian simply shook his head. "Princess Isabel is very frightened... but Her Majesty the Queen is extremely busy right now."

Upon hearing this, Iver understood.

He felt a little relieved, nodded slightly, and stopped refusing.

"Good."

He replied in a deep voice, "Leave it to me."

After thinking about it, I'll finish writing first before going to eat! Today's update is 7,000 words. Update complete!

A chapter recommendation for a new author and their new book: "The Witch's Recycling and Reuse Manual"

A mystical game with a dual transmigration theme set in an apocalyptic world, featuring hardcore action, riddle-like clues, and a gorgeous and stunning witch.