Chain of Traps

As Iver was immersed in grief and anger, he suddenly heard a knock on the study door.

An aged voice with an elfin accent came clearly and leisurely from the study doorway. "Young Master Iver, a guest is looking for you."

The voice was so familiar to Iver... but now, because he hadn't heard it in so long, it sounded somewhat unfamiliar.

That was Oswald, the Elf Butler had looked after Iver since he was a child.

Since he went to the Theocracy to search for old James, he has never returned to Avalon.

When Oswald left, Iver was still a frail boy whose life was threatened by Second Level Demon Scholar and who had to use a wheelchair. Oswald was also worried that Iver would be assassinated by the Noble Red.

Now, Iver is a powerful minister second only to Avalon... He even completely destroyed the entire Noble Red. Even the leader of the Noble Red was personally killed and utterly annihilated by Iver Iver.

In that instant, Iver felt a pang of nostalgia for Oswald.

He picked up a towel and wiped his face clean, sniffed, and cleared his throat. His eyes were still a little red, but his spirits had calmed down again.

Iver opened the study door and nodded politely. "Oswald."

The old butler, as thin as a wolf, appeared before him.

Standing at nearly two meters tall, he's actually considered rather short by Pure-Blood Elf. But to humans, he appears as a tall, slender ghost, exuding an aura of oppression.

Oswald stood with his hands behind his back, his face deeply wrinkled like tree bark. Even in his old age, his back showed no sign of hunching. His back, like his pride, was upright and unyielding.

His sharp, wolf-like gaze immediately fell upon Iver's eyes.

The old butler immediately realized that Iver had just been crying.

But he didn't ask about it; instead, he calmly looked away as if he hadn't seen anything.

He bowed slightly to Iver, then slowly walked towards the door with his hands behind his back.

Dressed in a red bishop's robe, Iver followed behind the old elf, his hands clasped together. His gaze unconsciously swept across the house... and naturally, the gentle, silent figure was nowhere to be seen.

—Lily is no longer here.

The moment he realized this, Iver lightly bit the air. As if slowly chewing something, the muscles in his cheeks instantly puffed up and then flattened.

When he walked into the living room, Iver saw another familiar figure.

Gray pupils, deep-set eyes, a gaunt face, and high cheekbones. Add to that his neatly combed-back, yet mostly balding, gray hair...

That was James, his adoptive father whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

For some reason, he didn't attend the luncheon at the Silver and Tin Palace... nor did he eat lunch at home. Instead, he put on glasses with two silver chains hanging from them, sat leisurely in the living room, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

"Please wait here while I bring the guest over."

Oswald turned around to signal.

Iver nodded politely and replied, "Yes, Oswald."

Seeing Iver come out and sit opposite him, James looked up and teased gently, "So, did you find the book you wanted? Can Dad go back to the study now?"

This polite old gentleman was not wearing formal attire at the moment. He was simply wearing a brown woolen vest and a white shirt underneath.

Although old James looked like a gentle, refined, and thin scholar, now one could see clear muscle definition on his body—at least his shoulders could fill out his shirt perfectly. He sat comfortably on the sofa, giving off a sense of unwavering stability.

Upon seeing his adoptive father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Iver instinctively paused for a moment.

A complex and nostalgic look flickered in his eyes, which he then dispelled, revealing a calm smile, "It's been found, Father."

This is the way Iver and LeBron James interact.

Old James would refer to himself as "Dad" in front of the Children, but only Yulia actually called him that. Iver and Edward would use the more formal grammar of "Father."

This doesn't mean their relationship was too distant; it was simply a mutual understanding and mutual support— James wanted his Children to be closer to him, while Iver and Edward both wanted to become independent and reliable adults as soon as possible.

If someone else were to play "me," they wouldn't be able to get past just the two obstacles of Oswald and his father.

This thought suddenly popped into Iver's mind.

Because Iver and Yulia were both very sensible. Although Oswald was just their butler, they would respectfully address each other as "Oswald" and, in most cases, as "you" (formal).

If he were to mistakenly call out the wrong person in both Oswald's and Old James's places, his identity would likely be immediately suspected by both of them. Once they discover that "this Iver is an Ascended One, and they are in a dream," Iver would be immediately eliminated and die. Even after his elimination, the others would hear mocking laughter.

Iver couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

At that moment, Oswald invited the guests over from the Reception Room.

Iver noticed this detail.

According to Oswald's custom, Iver should have been led to the Reception Room where the guests were settled... just like when Hai Na arrived early the next morning.

But he deliberately seated Iver opposite old James...

That's obvious.

Oswald didn't want Iver to meet the guest alone, so he wanted old James to be present during their conversation. He had two possible motives: loyalty to old James and concern for Iver.

When the guest appeared before Iver, Iver was immediately certain that it must be the latter possibility.

Because that visitor Iver, also knew him.

The Elf Butler appeared to be about twenty years younger than Oswald, with a square face, a serious expression, and considerably thicker hair. If Oswald was a man in his seventies or eighties, this man was more like a leader who hadn't yet retired.

—He is the guardian spirit of the Drost Family.

"... Mr. Diomedes".

Iver stood up and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The elf, known as Diomedes, bowed slightly and drew a triangle on his chest with his right hand. "May the candle keeper protect you, Bishop Moriarty."

"Is there something you need that you've come to see me so suddenly?"

Iver asked politely.

Diomedes simply smiled and replied smoothly, "It is the patriarch who wishes to invite you to the Silver and Tin Palace... Your mentor, Bishop Mathers, is unable to attend, but such a grand occasion still requires a bishop of high status to witness it."

"I think that in all of Avalon, apart from Bishop Mathers, there is no bishop more devout or holy than you. Please do me the honor of coming with me."

Upon hearing Diomedes' words, Iver raised an eyebrow slightly.

He then understood.

—Either Sherlock, who was captured alive, took the Word of Power and betrayed him; or his letter to Isabel was intercepted. It's also possible that both are true.

The Hermes Family was not the Founding Family, and in this timeline, Sherlock certainly hadn't reconciled with his family. Therefore, his disappearance wouldn't alert anyone.

However, leaving Iver, who knew the truth, out in the open could introduce unnecessary complications into Minister Drost's conspiracy. Therefore, Minister Drost dispatched Diomedes to "invite" Iver over.

If Iver simply refuses to leave the house and does nothing, then with Oswald's protection, he will certainly be safe—at least he can survive until the end of the ritual.

Those Fifth Level Transcendent from Star Antimony were clearly unwilling to directly attack the Founding Family for the sake of Drost's interests... After all, whether Drost's conspiracy was exposed or not was irrelevant to Star Antimony's plan. It was simply a matter of whether Drost would be unlucky.

Therefore, Drost had to resolve this matter on his own. He might not dare to kill Iver, or he might dare to... but in any case, he had to at least control Iver first to prevent him from going out to call for reinforcements.

If Iver hadn't figured this out and had naively thought that "following Diomedes would trigger the plot"... then he would have been locked up right from the start, or even killed in the chaos.

This is undoubtedly another deadly trap.

These two consecutive bluffs immediately made Iver's heart tremble and he became extremely alert.

So Iver politely declined with a smile, saying, "I won't go. After all, I'm just a young man. There are plenty of people more qualified than me. If I go, people will just say I'm not serious."

But Diomedes shook his head, firmly stating, "Only you can do it. The master specifically instructed that it would be a great pity if this banquet were to be without you..."

"If he doesn't want to go, then he doesn't have to go."

Just then, James, who was reading the newspaper, calmly said, "If he wants to go, I can't stop him. But if he doesn't want to go, you can't drag him away."

He put down the newspaper, his gray eyes fixed on Diomedes: "Do you understand what I mean, Diomedes?"

"As you wish, Professor Moriarty."

Diomedes did not continue his efforts to take Iver away, but instead immediately abandoned his plan without hesitation and bowed politely to James.

He didn't seem resentful at all; in fact, he seemed relieved.

He breathed a sigh of relief; the sight looked incredibly familiar to Iver.

—Lily once told him that she felt a sense of relief when Diomedes was forced to abandon his assassination attempt on Lily.