A Premonition of the Shadow Fiend's Evolution

The moment Ligeia's voice came in, David shuddered violently, his face showing obvious panic.

It was like secretly playing a game at home and suddenly hearing your parents unlocking the door. You panicked and didn't know what to do, so much so that you jumped off your chair in fright—because the chair was too high, and you almost fell off.

Clearly, David subconsciously took Miss Aleister's words as a secret that he couldn't let others know.

His panicked expression only calmed down slightly when he turned around and saw that the person who entered was Ligeia.

Seeing David cowering before her, Ligeia's eyes narrowed, and she snapped, "What are you doing, you cowardly brat? Are you trying to steal something or harass someone? Are you breaking the law?"

"No, I didn't..."

David's eyes widened in shock at Ligeia's words, and he hurriedly tried to explain.

But before he could finish speaking, Ligeia retorted, "If you don't have one, then stand still! What's it to you, all flustered and panicking? Do you act like a man?"

"...yes."

David opened his mouth as if to explain, but after opening his mouth, he obediently and dejectedly lowered his head.

"Speak louder, I can't hear you!"

"Yes!" David stood at attention and answered loudly.

"Go stand outside."

Ligeia spoke, she shook the long dress in her hand. "Or do you want to watch me change clothes here?"

"... No, I didn't..."

David's newly gained momentum deflated again.

He wanted to leave, yet he was also reluctant. Having finally seen Ligeia, he hesitated, then tentatively began, "Your Excellency Ligeia, I was... introduced by Miss Aleister..."

Ligeia was so angry she laughed, "Get out of here!"

"...Why?"

David let out a helpless and confused voice.

He knew it might not be a good idea to ask here, but wasn't this a perfect opportunity? There was no one else around anyway. So what difference did asking here make compared to asking elsewhere? Besides, it would also serve as proof that Miss Aleister had indeed introduced him... after all, Miss Aleister hadn't offered any explanation or refutation upon hearing this...

After all, his parents had never taught him such things, and David didn't quite understand. But he could still comprehend the simple act of obeying orders, so he obediently bowed politely to the two of them, said goodbye, and left.

After David left, Ligeia hopped into David previous seat. She waved her hand to free Aleister from her restraints and then tossed her clothes onto the table.

She said irritably, "What an idiot, just like his dad when he was a kid... Is it fun to tease him?"

"It's quite fun."

"Aleister" chuckled, stretching his wrists, which were stiff from being bound for so long. "He may be a bit simple-minded, but he's still a very upright person."

"You think highly of him?"

Ligeia retorted, "You even taught him the Sevenfold Sacrifice?"

"I just think he has the talent and is well-suited for the path of Moulting Warlock. But I can't say exactly when he should embark on this path. However, I've already introduced you to him, so please keep an eye on things for him when the time comes."

This is completely different from when David and the Grand Guardian were present.

At this moment, "Aleister" made no attempt to disguise himself and chatted with Ligeia directly in Iver's tone.

—Because Ligeia is one of the very few people who know the true identity of "Aleister".

After all, Iver's plan needed to be communicated to Ligeia to ensure its smooth progress and prevent any problems.

In front of the reporters, Ligeia's silence struck the Minister of the Navy, leaving him speechless—a necessary step for the plan to proceed smoothly.

Iver could not place all his hopes for the plan's success on the enemy's stupidity and unforeseen circumstances.

If you want to eliminate any possibility of a comeback, you must also get the referee on your side.

However, Iver didn't use any honorifics—although he knew Ligeia was Meg, Ligeia had completely sacrificed her former self, representing Meg, during the Sevenfold Sacrifice. Since Ligeia herself had already abandoned her past, Iver wouldn't deliberately bring it up again.

"Do you know how to put on a skirt? Do you need my help?"

Ligeia swung her legs, her dragon tail swaying behind her, and casually asked.

"Not really, but it's not a big problem. Although I've never worn a skirt before..."

"Aleister" chuckled and replied, "But Miss Ligeia, with your head... let's just leave it at that."

"Hey, you little rascal..."

Ligeia helplessly, "I must find a way to grow taller next time I molt."

As Iver studied how to wear the incredibly complicated aristocratic dress given to him by the Twin Mirrors after transforming into "Miss Bayard," he casually joked, "I remember you were quite happy when you first put this body on you, weren't you?"

"That's because I survived, of course I'm happy. You idiot."

Ligeia frankly said, "But now I'm starting to get tired of it. It's too small, and it feels very inconvenient to move around."

"How long until your next skin shedding?"

"Iver asked."

Once Moulting Warlock begins shedding their skin, they cannot stop.

As Ring Angel's Contractor, they are constantly changing throughout their lives. Their lives and attitudes are not fixed.

"The next round of evolution can begin in three or four months, or at the latest, six months. If there is no evolution after six months, the body's functions will begin to gradually weaken."

Ligeia frankly said, "The problem now is that I don't know what else besides lifespan can put pressure on me about death... I can't exactly go looking for trouble with the Eternal Pope. If all else fails, I'll just go out to sea and find a dragon."

"Anyway, it's already good enough that I've been able to live this long and healthy. If I can find a way to complete another molt, I can live for another year. That would be a huge win."

Her words were so assertive. She even went so far as to comfort Iver.

This is probably the troublesome part of Ligeia's job change to Moulting Warlock.

Currently, the "Transcendence" path has not yet been changed to the "Transformation" path, therefore, Moulting Warlock must also conform to the rules of the Path of Transcendence —that is, facing powerful enemies. Only in this way can they extinguish the restless fire of transcendence within their hearts.

That's why Iver recommended that David change jobs before reaching the Fourth Level.

When you are weak enough, you can basically change anything and it can be considered evolution.

This is called "You still have a lot of room for improvement".

"Three or four months to half a year..."

Iver seemed thoughtful. "Then don't rush. There might be another way later."

"I knew you were full of tricks."

Ligeia remained completely calm, clearly knowing that Iver had a solution.

He is so magical that he can make himself young again, gain Sofia's approval, and drag Avalon back to life... Now, Iver dares to say it, she dares to believe it.

"How's it going with the Minister of the Navy?"

Iver casually asked, "What did he confess?"

"They've said everything they could, and offered virtually no resistance. They clearly understand the situation and want to negotiate for leniency."

Ligeia scoffed, "Don't be fooled by those old men's imposing appearance, wielding swords and clad in armor. They're just cowards who've never fought a bloody battle. Avalon has been at peace for far too long... When the Iris People invaded before, the navy was practically powerless to resist. They were landed in less than ten days."

"Although domestically, the Ten Day War is generally considered a victory for us, in my view it was a defeat, and a crushing one at that. If I hadn't intervened at the last minute, it would have been Avalon's fastest defeat yet."

"Avalon, an island nation with an area less than a quarter the size of Iris, was amphibiously landed on by the enemy's army on three fronts in less than ten days after the start of the war. What kind of level is that? If you ask me, it's the level of being dragged out and beheaded!"

Ligeia bluntly commented, "But precisely because we couldn't win, we could only publicize it as a victory, deliberately obscuring the details. And because of this, it became their achievement."

"Sofia is the kind of person who likes to plan everything in secret and change the country imperceptibly, like flowing water. She almost always goes with the flow... This means that while she was in power, these people were firmly under her control and no one dared to oppose her. But once her health declined, they started to cause trouble one by one."

"... I thought you were the kind of person who didn't like to get involved in these kinds of things," Iver, somewhat surprised.

"That's true. I really don't like getting involved, because it's too much trouble to deal with all the back and forth."

Ligeia waved her hand dismissively, looking weary. "These things aren't something you can just fix by pointing out the problem. If you want to object, you have to come up with a solution. Otherwise, you'll object, and everyone else will object. In the end, nothing will get done; you'll just be arguing in the Round Table Hall all day."

"In other words, if you object, this matter will fall into your hands. I have no interest in taking over their mess. They treasure it so much, but to me it's just a lump of rotting flesh."

As she spoke, she added with interest, "The letter you gave him earlier was crucial. It directly disrupts divination, and if others try to predict the future through rituals or prophets, they'll only get the result that ' the Minister of the Navy does indeed have private contact with Aleister.' They're probably going to be in chaos now... How did you come up with this idea?"

"Essentially, the way to fool divination is to 'lie the truth.' So-called prophecies are basically the same... Although the content will come true, it may not be in the direction that the interpreter hoped for. So, as long as you reverse it, it's anti-divination."

Iver chuckled and said, "Simply put, it's magic."

"Oh my, I didn't know you were a Magician."

Ligeia watched as "Miss Aleister" spoke with an air of pride and confidence, but her hands were still clumsily and confusedly fiddling with her several incomprehensible and complicated dresses. Finally, she couldn't help but laugh, "Never mind, I'll help you put them on... Your clumsy movements are hilarious."

Iver stopped resisting and sighed.

"... I don't know why the Twin Mirrors gave me such complicated clothes."

Iver has already tried it.

If the main body is switched to the Child of the Moon, his clothing will not change at all; whatever the main body wears, the Child of the Moon Iver will wear the same clothes. When he becomes No. 14, he wears the white dress he wore when Miss Bayard drained his blood.

It's nothing.

But when Iver first transformed into the "Beard" form, he was startled.

—Because it was an unprecedented "grand attire" for Bayard.

It wasn't just dresses and necklaces—it included a frighteningly large whole set of brand-new "equipment," including gloves, rings, bracelets, hair clips, hats, capes, and shawls. They were piled up to the point that they "looked unnatural," making her look more like a clothes hanger than a formal occasion.

Even Shadow Fiend himself felt a little confused.

It checked repeatedly before slowly recalling that these were all things it had used before.

Iver had to remove and store away any excess jewelry and clothing so that "Miss Aleister" wouldn't look too strange.

—These items, which were sent out of nowhere by the Twin Mirrors, were indeed genuine, not mere reflections that could be dispelled, according to a simple ritual performed by Iver. However, they showed no signs of having been used or ravaged by time.

It's as eerie as a "brand-new antique".

This makes it difficult for Iver to sell or give away his products.

The greatest significance of collecting these strange antiques is probably to allow Shadow Fiend to relive his childhood.

However, Shadow Fiend seemed rather strange after receiving Iver's care over the past few days.

It has become noticeably less active than before these past two days. Not only does it stop chatting with Iver or Lily for no reason, but it also doesn't become overly active or frenzied after receiving commands.

He even looked "a little sleepy." After using Shadow Fiend to impersonate Aleister, Shadow Fiend didn't comment on it or object to Iver using his body and identity.

Just like a cat huddled in bed in winter, it stretches out its paw, touches the ground, gets chilled, and quickly retracts its paw. Then it goes back to its warm blankets and curls up with its paws together.

The cat withdrew one of its paws.

Although there was no evidence, Iver had a vague premonition about this unusual behavior.

This may be a sign of Shadow Fiend's evolution.