The Shadow Demon's Evolution

"You want me to go to the Round Table Hall meeting again? This is the third time, isn't it?"

Iver repeated softly, then couldn't help but laugh, "Looks like he really can't withstand the pressure."

Ligeia was also helpless. "You're putting too much pressure on them. The atmosphere in the Round Table Hall is more serious now than when the Iris People invaded."

It was now December 30th, five days after Queen Isabel's accession to the throne.

Isabel's tour of several major cities is nearing its end; today is the last day. She'll be returning to Glass Island early tomorrow morning, just in time for the year-end celebrations.

Sherlock has already written to Iver and his brother, saying that he won't be coming home for the New Year this year.

January 1st is the New Year in Avalon in this world, and Candle Holder Festival will be held. The ceremony is presided over by Bishop Samuel Mathers, the highest-ranking bishop of the Theocracy in Avalon.

The very next day after the Candle Holder Festival was over was Queen Sofia 'Queen's Funeral.

After the funeral, Isabel will be able to rearrange her Privy Council and ministers.

This is precisely why the pressure inside the Round Table Hall is increasing.

After Iver deliberately leaked a rumor through Camelot Minister that "half of the ministers would be replaced," the ministers became extremely nervous. They were eager to get a heads-up from Iver beforehand.

—The knights could easily grasp this fact.

Since Isabel isn't even in the Silver and Tin Palace right now, how did this news get out?

That could only have come from Iver.

In other words, Iver can at least influence Queen Isabel's decision on the selection of ministers.

Since he has the confidence to say such things, the knights have no choice but to raise their standards for judging Iver once again.

From "a greenhorn" to "the seductive Fox Spirit of Queen," then to "a ruthless character not to be trifled with," he has now finally been recognized as "a shrewd and powerful minister."

The fact that Iver would deliberately release such information... meant that, in the knights' eyes, he must have some ulterior motive.

They just want some benefits— the Moriarty Family isn't short of money, so they probably want things like Grimoire, holy relics, or holy swords.

The problem now is that Iver refuses to meet anyone or accept any gifts directed at him.

All the gifts given to Isabel were left unopened by Iver upon Isabel return. Under these circumstances, they couldn't bribe Iver at all.

Once Isabel returns and Iver Isabel, it's possible that his decision to "dismiss nearly half of the ministers" will be irreversible. Given Isabel's trust in Iver, it's highly likely that this decision will be enforced.

Therefore, the ministers were very anxious and wanted to contact Iver, explain the pros and cons to him, and persuade him to withdraw the decision; the knights on the other side were also very anxious - because they hoped that Iver would not withdraw the decision.

Most of these knights were not affiliated with any faction, or at least could be considered members of the High-Rise Faction who had received some money from Lloyd's and voted in favor of bills that benefited merchants. But they all had one thing in common: they had no real power.

These young knights were mostly under forty or fifty years old, with some even just over thirty. For "senators," they were remarkably young. The vast majority of them came from the Arbitration Hall controlled by Ligeia; the remaining small group were judges from the Court of Court of Justice, making them practically one of their own.

The Arbitration Hall requires at least Fourth Level to enter, and its main purpose is to serve as a talent pool for Fifth Level "Senior Generation" powerhouses.

If one or two ministers occasionally leave their posts, a civil servant might be promoted from among the subordinates and confidants of the symmetrical faction to maintain balance; but if a large number of ministers are dismissed, then in order to prevent imbalance, people will inevitably be transferred from the Arbitration Hall or the Court of Justice.

Avalon has a total of twenty-one ministers. The Chocolate Faction, though only a dozen or so, consists almost entirely of ministers; while the High-Rise Faction absorbed the majority of the remaining ministers.

The only one without any faction affiliation was the inconspicuous Minister of Royal Affairs, Mycroft —which was quite normal, since everyone knew the Hermes Family was purely the Queen's faction, and no one dared to bring him in. That meant they had directly recruited a spy of the Queen into the group chat, roughly equivalent to bringing the counselor into a dormitory group.

If Iver's policy is implemented, then without a doubt... even if the "nearly half" of the spots is only split 50/50, the High-Rise Faction will suffer a severe blow. With this lucrative offer, the powerless knights of the High-Rise Faction are tempted. They become less respectful of their faction's leaders.

—In a few more days, you may not even be ministers anymore.

Who knows, we might become ministers! There's no doubt that the decision to cut half the ministers is real. Although they seem to have submitted to Iver now, they may not necessarily maintain respect for Isabel.

Iver didn't need them to offer him anything, and he didn't care about what they had.

He has no shortage of money; he doesn't care about equipment; and he already has enough knowledge of the occult.

It's unlikely that anyone would dare to offer him women as tribute.

From this perspective, Iver could be considered the most difficult and powerful client to please. He dislikes this and doesn't need that, being as picky as a client who wants a perfectly colored black.

But actually, what Iver wanted was very simple.

That is their loyalty to Isabel.

When school resumes, Iver will go to the Theocracy. That will be about a month from now.

He'll probably have to go to Star Antimony again, and then accompany his mentor on an archaeological expedition. He won't be back in Avalon for at least six months.

During this period, Star Antimony could Self-Destruct at any time due to the Ouroboros Ring Ritual, or it could trigger a war.

He didn't want to be out there peacefully farming and developing his character, only to find his home gone when he turned around. Isabel was also gone.

Only with stability in the rear could he leave Avalon with peace of mind. Even with the restrictions imposed by Mycroft and Camelot, and with Ligeia and the Grand Guardian watching over him, Iver could not leave behind too many ministers with treacherous intentions.

A complete overhaul of Avalon's leadership is inevitable.

If Isabel is willing, Iver hopes to take the lead in this matter.

—In a sense, this can be considered part of HR's job.

While it's unlikely that there would be such a high-profile HR professional who could decide the top leadership positions in a country with just one interview.

Until this matter is settled, Iver will not meet with anyone. Any meeting could cause controversy, making his stance less pure and giving others an opportunity to frame him.

In other words, Iver had a few days of much-needed rest.

Everyone needs a break during the Chinese New Year!

Now, Iver's daily life is very regular.

Every morning, I feed Shadow Fiend a dose, then pray to the Candlekeeper to restore mana, and then glance at some documents for Isabel. There's not much, but it's useful for waiting for "Offering of Wings of Freedom" to trigger and restore health. In between, I help Yulia with some math problems, which gives Iver a headache...

Once my health is fully restored, I'll feed Shadow Fiend another bite, then have lunch. After a midday nap, my health will probably be full again, so I'll feed him another bite. In the afternoon, I'll read and study to restore health, and after praying in the evening, I'll replenish my mana and feed him another bite, then help Yulia with her studies for the day. Sometimes, when I feel like I'm in good shape, I'll pull Shadow Fiend over and feed him another bite.

Shadow Fiend now eats at least four meals a day, more than Iver himself.

The Shadow Fiend canceled the skill's animation after casting.

Under this cramming-style feeding method, Shadow Fiend's form has also changed significantly.

It's not that they've gotten fat... it's that they've become mushy.

The Shadow Fiend was now like a puddle of mud, completely silent. Iver could control the Shadow Fiend's body at will, while it remained unresponsive, as if completely drunk.

If Iver hadn't been able to sense the Shadow Fiend's presence, he would have thought the Shadow Fiend was brain dead—if demons have brains at all.

"Would you like to witness this?"

Iver invited Ligeia, "The evolution of demons—you've never seen anything like it."

Just as he revealed Aleister's identity to Isabel and Ligeia, he also did not hide the secret of the Shepherding Method from Ligeia and Yanis. Because as long as they lived in the Silver and Tin Palace, it was impossible to keep it a secret forever.

Is it tonight?

Ligeia was clearly looking forward to it. "Shall I go and call Yanis?"

"Okay, let's all come together. Let's invite Yulia too."

Iver readily answered, though with some regret. "It's a pity Isabel and Sherlock aren't here..."

What kind of demon will Shadow Fiend evolve into?

Ligeia asked curiously, "Is this controlled by you?"

"It's me. But actually, I don't need to control it."

Iver answered affirmatively, "Shadow Fiend's current Great Sin Imprint is the mark of envy. And on this evolutionary tree, there is actually only one kind of demon that is higher in rank than Shadow Fiend and also wields the power of shadow."

"—That's Night Demon."

Six thousand words, update complete! Waaaaah, it's a little late, kowtow... clang clang clang

The cat went to eat lunch.