Already Late-Might as Well Skip Class

After being awakened by Bear Angel's nightmare, Iver saw that the sky outside the window was already slightly bright, so he simply decided not to go back to sleep.

He changed out of his pajamas and into a shirt, over which he wore a sleeveless cardigan, before leaving the bedroom and wandering aimlessly through the Silver and Tin Palace. The Flame Butterfly landed steadily on Iver's shoulder, appearing like a candle flame in the still somewhat dim corridor.

As Iver walked, he faintly heard the sound of a piano flowing like a spring.

He followed the sound and found it was Isabel's bedroom.

He smiled and nodded at the two Queen Guard standing at the door, then gently knocked on the door.

Although the two elves were the Pope Guard, they looked to be beautiful young women in their early twenties. They were much more lively than the group of Elf Butler from Oswald.

Although they appeared solemn to the point of reverence while standing guard at Isabel's door, that solemn and heavy atmosphere was immediately shattered when they couldn't help but smile as Iver approached and knocked. Their posture relaxed accordingly.

Compared to the rigid and Elf Butler, they were more like recent female college graduates. Although they were all probably around the same age as Ligeia, they possessed a purity and innocence untouched by society.

As the piano music in the room stopped, Isabel's puzzled voice came. "Iver?"

"Oops..."

"Your Majesty has figured it out."

They lowered their voices and teased each other in hushed tones.

Iver ignored them, simply smiling as he held up a finger to his lips and cleared his throat, "It's me."

Without waiting for Isabel's response, Iver pushed open the door.

Inside Isabel's room, two Pope Guard stood quietly in a corner. They appeared slightly older than the two at the door, probably in their thirties, like relatively young female teachers. Their personalities had noticeably become more composed; upon seeing Iver enter, they merely nodded slightly in greeting, without any expression or words.

Isabel, dressed in a simple pale yellow nightgown, sat upright at the piano.

When she saw Iver enter, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly. "Aren't you curious how I guessed it was you?"

"You can also be a little curious."

Iver chuckled, lying on the sofa directly opposite Isabel's piano, and stretched lazily.

Isabel gently pressed the keys with one hand, producing a melodious and calm sound—a sound reminiscent of summer waves.

"Actually, it's because of the rhythm of your knocking."

Isabel smiled and said lightly, "Knocking is also a kind of music. I can hear your feelings in it and sense who is knocking."

Iver tilted his head slightly, squinting. He rested his chin on one hand, his arm on the sofa armrest, and looked at Isabel.

At that moment, the Rising Sun rose outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden rays onto Isabel's profile, making her look as beautiful as if from a dream.

But what Iver was most interested in was Isabel's bright eyes.

Her eyes shone with light, and her face wore a light and confident smile.

That was an expression and look that Isabel would never have had six months ago.

Iver couldn't see the distant star, nor did he know the current state of the war between Narcissus and Black Hawk. But Isabel's transformation and rebirth were just around the corner.

"So what do you think I'm thinking right now?"

Iver asked Isabel with some curiosity.

He wasn't really sure what he was thinking, because Iver felt like he wasn't thinking about anything at all. Like a sound so faint it becomes almost transparent.

But Isabel was always sensitive enough to hear the voices of others from these subtle fluctuations.

She laughed and said, "Iver, your question is like that of a child seeking divination... I'm not talking about the real divination done by fortune tellers and prophets, but the kind of Tarot Card playing by students who lack adaptability outside of class. That kind of self-amusement divination."

You're seeking understanding and comfort, aren't you?

"So, what was the result of the divination, my diviner?"

Iver asked with a smile.

Seeing Isabel's relaxed reaction, he knew the outcome would be good.

But Isabel's answer still surprised him, "You're eagerly seeking reassurance. It's like when you've just finished your Final Exam, feel you did well but are still a little uneasy, and are waiting for the results to come out."

"That's true."

Iver nodded, acknowledging Isabel's "divination".

Isabel, of course, didn't understand divination. But she understood people's hearts.

As she gradually understood and absorbed the "Path of Beauty" ability of the Third Level, she finally gradually mastered the extraordinary power of the "All-rounder".

Isabel's promotion was so rapid that the application couldn't even keep up with the speed of her level increase.

Iver was actually quite familiar with this feeling. It was like a new player choosing to level up instantly, and with a "ding," their character's level was raised to just ten levels away from the maximum... Then, looking at the sudden influx of skills and unlocked new features, they were a bit bewildered, not knowing where to start.

Although he became Third Level superhuman, in terms of mindset, experience, and application, he was actually not much different from ordinary people.

The head of the Bureau of Supervision, elite overseers, and even the bishops of small towns are only at the Third Level level. Even Sherlock, before becoming a mage, was only a Third Level Law Mage.

However, their application of Extraordinary Ability is clearly far superior to Isabel's. The same energy level, the same supernatural power, even the same Extraordinary Skills, yet the effects produced by different people are vastly different.

... However, Mycroft deserves much credit for Isabel's significant progress.

For the past month, Iver hasn't even dealt with much government affairs.

At the first Round Table Conference Day of National Funeral, Sherlock's Mycroft Hermes, was placed in the position of Minister of the National Seal by Isabel.

He has now been granted permanent residency in the Silver and Tin Palace —this "Seal Minister"'s bedroom is even right next to Iver's room.

Just as Iver said at the time: Isabel basically put that thick stack of documents directly into the box marked "Please hand over to the Minister of the National Seal" every day.

When there were truly important documents, Mycroft would definitely show them to Isabel for review—and at this time, Iver was usually nearby, so he would read them together and offer his opinions.

However, given her goal of nurturing Isabel, Iver now no longer gives direct answers. Instead, she seeks Isabel's input in a suggestive manner, and then, at Mycroft's suggestion, lets her handle the situation herself.

Although some decisions were difficult, they weren't painful. It felt like being tutored one-on-one to solve a problem, and it was even quite challenging, stirring up her inner pride.

All of this was completely different from the resolute feeling she had when she first ascended the throne—the feeling of "dedicating herself to the cause until her dying breath."

As Queen, the pressure is actually less than when she was Princess! It's even a bit more relaxed! This is all thanks to the crucial point that Iver taught Isabel – back when Isabel first ascended the throne, Iver told Isabel that being Queen is actually like being an actor on a stage.

Simply maintaining a clear head, a smile, a proper distance, speaking logically, and being likable, accurately portraying the required attitude, and fluently delivering the appropriate lines is already making one an excellent monarch. To go further, one only needs to find and trust wise ministers... and the rest, the "wise ministers" will handle.

Iver was such a "wise minister," while Hermes was an even more truly wise minister.

Although Mycroft complains about troubles every day and always wants to take a vacation, he is never careless when it comes to handling important matters, and he has no selfish desires.

Nothing is more trustworthy than Path of Twilight Transcendent who is both self-disciplined and loyal.

Once she relaxes, Isabel can focus on improving her cultivation abilities.

If breaking through from the First Level to the Second Level tests one's compatibility with this path, then breaking through from the Second Level to the Third Level tests one's ability to learn the Extraordinary Skills required for that path...

Moving beyond the Third Level, a higher degree of compatibility between different paths is required.

In this process, one may lose control due to deviations from the right path, or fail to make any progress due to a misaligned mindset or an inability to rediscover one's original intentions. There is also the possibility of being brainwashed by the Path Power and becoming a fanatical person.

When Sherlock was still in school, his Path of Authority had already reached the Third Level. The reason he's been stuck for so long, his Law Mage profession still not reaching its peak, and not Path Urge when stuck at the level cap, is because he once lost his sense of authority and began to doubt his own path.

In the past month, Iver, Sherlock and Isabel have fully digested their abilities— Iver is doing well, as his adaptability to Path of Transcendence has long been maximized.

During this period, he mainly cultivated his affinity for the Dedication Path, quietly studied various kinds of knowledge in the school library, and practiced the Blessing Art, which he was least proficient in.

But Sherlock and Isabel are different.

Sherlock needs to focus on research and solving major cases to receive feedback from his Path of Wisdom. But before that, the level lock on his Path of Authority loosened on its own... reaching its limit without any prior training.

It was probably because he truly reconciled with his past self and his parents that he was able to remove the restrictions he had placed on himself.

Isabel gradually developed confidence under Iver's guidance.

A "All-rounder" is someone who can flexibly utilize various abilities in the Path of Beauty —a multi-talented profession that is not good at everything. In this case, if one cannot use different abilities in a targeted manner, one will definitely be much weaker than a specialist.

So Iver used himself as a target, a "stake" for Isabel to practice various abilities.

Buffs, debuffs, control, spell damage, healing, illusion, protection, mind reading, suggestion, detection...

And Iver always manages to provide precise "suggestions for modification".

After all, Iver wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the profession of All-rounder.

He knew what level of ability was considered qualified for Isabel, so even if Yanis left, Iver could still teach Isabel as usual.

—It could even be said that Isabel's progress accelerated considerably after Master Agnes left.

It wasn't that Yanis was a bad teacher. Rather, it was because Yanis was the kind of "mentor" who only laid the foundation for students, cultivated study habits, and taught learning methods and general principles—the kind who "teachs a man to fish." She did teach real "inner strength," but the results were just not visible.

This is also a common problem among immortal species.

She always assumed that her student Isabel was able to endure loneliness and calm her mind, so she made decisions about everything from an infinitely far-sighted perspective—and fortunately, Isabel really was.

Iver is the exact opposite.

He is the kind of "consultant" who directly provides different solutions for different problems.

If Isabel doesn't raise questions or make requests, he won't disturb her study session; but if Isabel has questions, he will patiently guide and repeatedly teach her until the problem is completely resolved.

Isabel also thoroughly enjoyed her one-on-one lessons with Iver. For her, learning wasn't a source of pressure or torture, but rather a form of relaxation.

When Iver focused all his attention and energy on her, carefully calculating, thinking and giving advice, Isabel felt an unprecedented peace in her heart.

It's like walking through a forest on a clear morning after a downpour... enjoying the comfort of the world slowing down and the sky becoming clearer.

Isabel wasn't the kind of girl who pretended not to know what she was doing; nor was she the kind of student who would just watch Iver daydream and not pay attention in class.

In this focused yet relaxed learning state...

Iver spent a whole month training himself into a top-notch support player! It's already February 12th, and the Full Moon Ritual is just a few days away.

After they part ways, they may not be able to stand together again—even if Sherlock can accompany Iver to the Theocracy as Iver's subordinate in the Minister of Everything, Isabel certainly won't be able to advance with them.

As the Minister of Everything of Avalon, Iver certainly could not use his status as a university student to Theocracy.

His status in Avalon is too high... This time, when he goes to the Theocracy, he must enter the country through proper diplomatic channels under the Minister of Everything visiting, exchanging ideas, and studying in the Theocracy.

This can also be seen as Avalon's response to the Theocracy's friendly attitude.

It could be said that Iver was visiting the Eternal Pope on behalf of the Queen... In a sense, he was Avalon's ambassador to the Theocracy. He also served as a guarantor of peace, proof of friendship, a hostage of sufficient importance, and a deterrent to the Stibnite Person —if the Star Antimony were to become desperate and prepare to attack Avalon, Iver in the Theocracy could act as a savior in an instant.

Then you can't just come and go as you please.

At the very least, they can't come back openly and honestly.

Therefore, Iver planned to advance to the Fourth Level with Isabel before leaving Avalon.

... I can't just let my top-tier support player, whom I personally trained, never play a single duo queue match and instead go solo queue on his own! After this Promotion Ritual, they'll probably both need to settle down at the Fourth Level for a while. Once they've both digested the experience, Iver might be back... and then they can probably promote to the Fifth Level together.

Although forming a team with too many people might result in being penalized for Vacancy Ritual, it's still best to try to form a team of three if possible.

Everyone else helped, but you didn't. Isn't that a complete loss? Maybe that's how Meg died in the original Timeline —other countries could gather several Fifth to Sixth Level transcendents from different paths, but Avalon only had the Path of Authority, so Meg couldn't even find a reliable teammate.

Not to mention... the Promotion Ritual from third to fourth grade is where the difficulty begins to increase.

Even in the Full Moon Ritual, failure and death could result in a death penalty.

Logically speaking, Iver should have gone to the Theocracy long ago. He should have gone at least last month.

According to normal diplomatic protocol, Avalon should have sent the Queen's confidants there as soon as the war began.

But Iver was worried about both Avalon and Isabel, so he stayed put.

Fortunately, the Eternal Pope fell asleep again after only two days of being angry.

Since they didn't arrive immediately, that was already impolite... They'll have to apologize when the Eternal Pope wakes up next time. Iver, however, wasn't in a hurry.

"Then why not take Sherlock and Isabel with you to advance before you leave!" Iver exclaimed. "Since we're already late, we might as well skip class."