Little Vivian

Meiya's room was messy in some ways, but not so messy in others.

All sorts of things were scattered everywhere—wine bottles, barrels, and leftover food. Simply put, it was full of traces of daily life characterized by "frequent use in a short period of time."

But apart from that, everything else was very neat. They were all placed in their proper places in a very orderly manner.

This gave Iver a strange sense of illusion—

It was as if Meiya was still a little girl, and her parents had just gone on a business trip, so she indulged in a retaliatory eating and drinking spree.

"Ms. Maya," Iver began, "Do you live with your parents?"

"My parents live in the Red Queen District, but they don't live with me."

Meiya explained somewhat awkwardly.

As she spoke, she began tidying up. She worked very efficiently, and in no time she had almost finished tidying up.

She complained, "Because I wasn't planning on inviting you today... otherwise I would have definitely cleaned up properly. The main thing is that I didn't expect you to get promoted again, so I couldn't put it off any longer."

"I haven't bought any groceries these past few days, otherwise I could have let you try my cooking. But now I just need to get the food to you as soon as possible... I can't delay your meal."

"There's no rush," Iver advised.

Lily then asked softly, "Should I help out too?"

This can also be considered Lily's professional skill.

The exam finished at 11 a. m., so I had plenty of time.

"Need not!"

Ms. Maya, full of energy, replied decisively, "You are my students and my guests. How can I let my students and guests clean the house?"

Just then, the key to the door suddenly started turning.

"I'm home, Mom."

A childish yet clear and cold voice came from behind.

"... Mom?" Iver looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little girl with silver hair and silver eyes wearing a dark blue nun's dress standing in the doorway.

Although Meiya could be considered a vibrant beauty, her appearance and temperament were completely different from those of a girl.

Meiya has dark brown curly hair, the same color as Mathers's, tied in a ponytail and draped precariously over one shoulder. Her eyes are a gentle, watery light blue. Her age is hard to pinpoint; she may be in her thirties or forties, but she still looks like a vibrant young woman in her early twenties.

Despite being a university lecturer, she possesses a quality akin to that of an early childhood educator.

Now, Iver finally knows where this quality comes from—

The girl who entered through the door had slightly pointed ears, clearly indicating elven blood. Her features were exquisitely elegant, like a statue, and her skin was an almost plaster-like pale white. Even without any adornment or jewelry, she possessed an imposing air of nobility.

She didn't react much when she entered and saw Iver and Lily.

The girl asked softly, "Are there any guests, Mom?"

Ms. Maya rushed over, hands on her knees, and asked in a soft voice like a fool, "Why did you suddenly come back, Vivian? Aren't you staying at school for lunch?"

"We're on holiday now, Mom."

The girl sighed helplessly and walked past Meiya: "I finished my exams yesterday. I went to pick up my holiday homework this morning."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Vivian, Mom was busy and forgot again..."

"It's okay, Mom. I know you're busy."

The girl was very sensible and spoke calmly.

But as she walked, she suddenly saw the trash that Meiya had picked up.

The girl's eyes suddenly sharpened! "What's wrong, Mom? You've been eating this stuff again... and drinking alcohol? So much of it?"

"Oh dear, I only drank a little..."

Meiya chuckled and leaned closer, gesturing for Iver and Lily to shush them. Then, following behind the girl, she explained, "It's because Dean Meg came to ask me to drink, and I couldn't refuse, so I had some..."

"... Didn't Meg become Ligeia? "Iver tilted his head slightly.

But out of kindness, she didn't expose Meiya's lie.

But the reaction of Meiya and her daughter surprised Iver so much—it was even quite novel.

It felt as if Vivian was the mother and Meiya was her daughter...

"You need to control your sugar intake, or you should exercise."

Vivian said seriously, "Once you gain weight, you'll have to go on a diet again— the Sacrificial Fire Method isn't a panacea, you said that yourself. I'll cook for you these next few days."

She walked around the room checking things out, then approached Iver.

She briefly recognized the two men, then bowed slightly in a proper nun's salute. "Iver Moriarty and Miss Lily Drost, good afternoon. May the Silver Crowned Dragon watch over you, and may the candlelight illuminate you."

Wow, that's a really serious greeting. What's up with this girl? Iver suddenly felt a bit pressured.

So Iver directly adopted the same attitude he had towards his peers.

He placed his right hand on his chest, revealing a perfect smile, and said softly, bowing his head, "May the fire of the Candlelight protect your light, young lady. May I call you Vivian?"

"Vivian Mathers. It's an honor to have you address me by my first name."

The girl spoke in a cool, clear voice, her expression incredibly serious—more serious than any teacher Iver had ever met.

However, because of her slightly chubby cheeks, her serious expression actually looked cute.

"Vivian ..."

Iver murmured the name, looking at Meiya with a strange expression. "Did you name her? Or did your husband name her?"

That's not a good name in Avalon.

The story of Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is widely known in Avalon. Vivian a child Vivian is roughly equivalent to naming a girl "Golden Lotus." Leaving aside the issue of connotations... the main concern is that the child might receive unpleasant nicknames at school.

As a senior bishop and university lecturer, Meiya should not have made such a basic mistake.

"I'm not married."

Meiya stood with her hands on her hips, speaking with self-righteousness, "Although I'm not young anymore, I'm still a young girl."

"It means you can't get married," the girl added from the side.

"Vivian— "

"Of course, I think it's mainly because I'm here," the girl added again. "No one would want to take care of such a big daughter."

"... No, that won't happen..."

Meiya's voice, which had just risen, immediately fell silent. She moved closer to Vivian, a little uneasy, and said, "Don't say that, Vivian. Mom just needs you..."

"I know, I did it on purpose."

Vivian's lips curled up slightly.

"You little rascal—"

Enraged, Meiya bit Vivian's ear from behind.

Iver had already figured it out. "Little Vivian... is she the teacher's adopted daughter?"

Just like myself.

"Pretty much. I found her by the lake. She looked even younger then, but already like a little adult. But she has elven blood, so it's understandable that her intelligence doesn't match her appearance. Princess Highness is almost twenty this year, but she still looks like a sixteen-year-old."

Meiya was a little troubled. "I originally wanted to name her Annie or Anna, but she prefers the name Vivian. I can only go along with her."

"Could he really be Vivian reincarnated?" The thought popped into Iver's mind.

The main point is, it's not even impossible...

"Oh, right, Mom."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Our school is organizing a trip to Mubay County next week. Can Mom come with me?"

The girl said lightly, "It's a bit remote."

"No problem. It'll be winter break then, I'll go with them for protection."

Meiya thought for a moment before answering.

Iver, however, seemed somewhat concerned.

He began, "Speaking of which, we were also planning to go to Mubay County... Where are you going?"

"We're going to Bagpipe Town," the girl replied, looking at Iver.

"We're going to Eagle Cape Village —it's quite close. I can keep an eye on things then." Iver smiled gently.

"Eagle Cape Village?"

Meiya asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you going to such a remote place?"

"I'm here to investigate my grandfather's death."

Iver explained gently, "Sherlock told me that my biological grandfather eventually died in Eagle Cape Village. There might be something fishy about it. It just so happens that Senior Hai Na is from there, so we plan to go back and take a look."

"Maybe it's on our way."

Upon hearing this, Meiya clapped her hands happily. "That's great, at least we can look out for each other if anything happens. After all, Vivian is so young, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting her travel so far..."

"Speaking of which, how old is Vivian now?" Lily asked curiously.

"I am eight years old this year, that's what the school records."

Vivian answered fluently.

Upon hearing this, both Iver and Lily were taken aback.

—This guy is eight years old?

"When did Vivian get picked up by Teacher Meiya?"

Seven years ago.

"... How old were you when you were found?"

"About seven years ago, I was seven years old," the girl replied in a cool voice.

... I felt like I was being insulted in a very sophisticated way.

Iver touched his chin.

This girl is interesting...

"But speaking of which," Meiya suddenly remembered something, "The book I borrowed from you is also related to Vivian."

"I met Vivian because I was following this book."

"...Chase?" Iver was taken aback.

"Yes, the ' Morning Crow Grimoire ' can fly."

As Meiya spoke, she took out an exquisite gold-threaded birdcage from the house.

There were no food or water facilities in the birdcage, but there was a crossbeam for the bird to stand on, though Iver had never kept birds before, didn't know what it was called.

The strangest thing was that a book lay quietly beneath the birdcage. On both sides of the birdcage, there was a small window that allowed entry but not exit. Those outside could push their way in, but those inside couldn't get out.

This book is a few sizes smaller than a textbook, but about the same thickness. It's about the same size as the detective novels Iver read in his Previous Life.

It shimmered with golden light, like sunlight reflecting off a lake. It also featured raised reliefs resembling fish scales and wings.

On the golden cover, the Elven Language "The Morning Crow Grimoire" are written in a flowing Elvish language.

"It will turn into a crow and fly away. So you need to put your hand in through these two windows to look... Don't take it out to look at it if you want to save time."

Meiya instructed, "Also, remember to read it during the day. If it's at night, the words in this book will change to another script, and it will lose its function as Grimoire."

"As for its specific effects... take it back and see for yourself."

Update complete, meow!