You Are Not Iver Moriarty!

Minister Drost led Iver to Queen Sophia's bedchamber.

Even Diomedes didn't go inside—he stood guard outside the door, preventing anyone from approaching.

The Queen had only been dead for less than an hour, and the place was still full of life. It was just that the maids and guards had all been removed, making it seem rather empty.

Sherlock was certainly not imprisoned here, since there were windows.

Considering that Drost doesn't want Sherlock to be found, he's most likely in the Underground Ritual Room. The Ritual Room is isolated from the outside world to prevent outsiders from interfering with the ritual.

Therefore, even if divination, precognition, or similar rituals and prayers are used on Sherlock, it would be difficult to pinpoint his exact location. Furthermore, this place is underground, making escape difficult even if one wanted to take him with them. Placing the traps underground eliminates the risk of accidentally harming friendly forces.

Conversely, since this is the most suitable prison, given Sherlock's importance to Drost, he will most likely be imprisoned here as well.

As for putting it outside, that's absolutely impossible.

As Kingslayer, Drost has amassed immense hatred. Not only do several Senior Generation superhumans want to kill him, but even the knights might want to kill him. It's not impossible that even an Elf Butler could suddenly appear and kill him.

So until everything settles down, Drost will only hide in the Silver and Tin Palace. At least there he has the protection of the Stibnite Person.

But the Queen's bedroom must also have some significance.

Drost is a thoughtful man; he is unlikely to do anything pointless.

When Iver saw Drost enter and draw the curtains without turning on the lights, he almost burst out laughing.

He was even certain that Drost's next move would be to walk to the tea table and turn on the lamp.

That was the table Isabel usually used when she had snacks and afternoon tea. It was also the place where Iver and Yulia played cards and chess.

Isabel usually has afternoon tea in her study, sometimes in her dollhouse, and sometimes back in her bedroom.

Like other girls of her time, Isabel loved playing with dolls. She had her own dollhouse, with a collection of miniature palaces built to scale, and hundreds of dolls of all kinds. From knights, King, and Princess to dragons, griffins, and pegasi... she even had a miniature wine cellar, a miniature study, and a miniature round table.

This was originally a dollhouse shared by all the Children of the royal family, but now it belongs to Isabel alone.

On this lamp rests a "Truth Fire" used to detect lies. Unlike the silver version used in the Arbitration Hall, which instills psychological pressure, this lamp's flame is deliberately obscured. It looks just like a normal oil lamp, only brighter.

It was a tactic the Queen used to detect lies when inviting high-ranking officials to conversations.

Later, Iver felt it wasn't necessary... with Sherlock's brother around, there was no need for such methods. So he removed it.

... Clearly, the fact that Drost knew of its existence shows that Queen Sophia trusted him greatly. Otherwise, the Queen would not have told him this secret.

But this trap was useless against Iver.

No joke, Iver's familiarity with the Queen's bedroom is probably even greater than that of Queen Isabel.

After all, Isabel is quite busy as Queen.

Every day after she wakes up, she always has something to do. For example, she might chair Round Table Conference, discuss political affairs with Privy Council Minister Hermes, give interviews and attend events, or meet with important figures. Or she might practice singing, drama, painting, playing musical instruments, acting, or sculpting, constantly running around.

When she was in her bedroom, she was either painting, playing the piano, reading, or sleeping. She probably never even noticed the patterns on the bricks on the walls of the Queen's bedroom.

But Iver is different.

He often went over and snuggled into Isabel's blanket for a nap.

—He certainly had his own room. But Isabel's room was better lit, more spacious, and more luxurious.

Of course, it could simply be that someone else's blanket is more comfortable to sleep on, just like how cat food tastes better in another cat's bowl.

Moreover, Isabel is the Queen, so this is practically a night in the royal bed—it sounds incredibly exciting, like something out of a powerful court. And he must sleep exceptionally well. Anyway, they've been dating for over a month, Isabel doesn't seem to mind.

After Iver wakes up, he'll leisurely take a look around. He might rummage through her for snacks, check if the craftsmen have hidden any traps or treasures in the room, or invite Yulia over to play chess or cards. Or he might chat with the Queen Guard to practice his Elven Language.

He even specifically studied what routes could be taken to approach the palace windows from the outside, and specially set up a barrier outside the windows with the Queen Guard... Iver even went into the ventilation ducts to climb around.

So now, Iver heard what Drost said, he felt like laughing.

No one knows the Queen's bedroom better than I do.

Iver even fooled the Grand Guardian in the face of Truth Fire. Drost is even less likely to use it effectively.

With this in mind, Iver already had a new plan in mind.

Sure enough, Drost casually lit the candle.

"It's getting a bit dark," Iver said casually, pretending not to know what he was doing.

Minister Drost, however, simply shook his head with a stern face. "You don't want outsiders to know that we're having a private conversation in the Queen's bedroom, do you?"

"Are you still afraid of this?"

Iver asked in a tone that was half serious and half sarcastic.

"You don't know, Your Excellency."

Drost simply sighed in a mocking manner, "I, too, am now... standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the brink of collapse."

No, I know.

Iver said casually, "I even know that the Stibnite Person plan to kill you after they've used you up."

The candle flame did not flicker.

Upon seeing this, Drost was suddenly startled.

He didn't resist by saying things like "That's impossible" or "Prove me your evidence," clearly indicating that he had already suspected something similar.

Therefore, he remained silent for a moment, then put on a gloomy and fierce expression. "Your Excellency, how... did you obtain this information?"

"Don't scare me, Minister Drost."

Iver chuckled, showing no fear. "You know perfectly well where I know that."

"The economic situation of Xingti is worse than you think. They simply cannot afford the compensation you are asking for... let alone give you a title or a manor."

"The Stibium Kingdom is severely divided internally, and neither side can afford this price. If they dare to make the offer, they will be dragged down by the other two factions by leveraging public opinion in Star Antimony. They want to control Avalon, but they are unwilling to destroy Avalon... So, Minister, you will be eliminated by them after things have settled down."

"I guess you will be used as a pawn to appease the Avalon and then discarded by them."

The cardinal spoke slowly.

Drost was sweating profusely from his temples.

He glanced quickly at the candle and found that the Truth Fire was still not flickering.

"... Where did you learn all this from?"

He could only repeat what he had said before, but his tone was much softer now, no longer as harsh.

Iver remained calm.

He simply interlaced his fingers and looked at him with a smile. His face was full of mockery and pleasure.

Seeing that Drost was involuntarily tense, Iver casually asked before he could explode, "Do you know Emma?"

"... Which Emma?"

Drost's heart skipped a beat, but he could only force himself to remain calm and speak serenely.

"The Red Prime Minister's 'daughter,' his first secretary. The person behind Noble Red, and also the connector between Noble Red and the "Rosy Cross" Society..."

Iver said with a half-smile, "The incarnation of a succubus, a world-famous superstar... how many more titles would you like to hear about her?"

Minister Drost's pupils dilated in shock.

Some of these titles are secrets he has only recently come across; others are titles he didn't even know existed.

Iver not only knew these things, but also Xingti's attitude towards him.

This prompted Minister Drost to blurt out, "Are you Countess Emma's man?"

"So Bishop Moriarty was an ally?!" Iver simply smiled and shook his head.

"It's not 'I'm hers,'" Iver said, emphasizing each word. "To be precise... it should be, 'She's mine.'"

"Every day she lies quietly in my arms, her Magic Power flowing through my fingers, her fragrance lingering on my body. I can summon her anytime, anywhere, whenever I want. It's just... hehe, it's not convenient to show you."

Looking at Iver attitude was almost arrogant and whose lips were turned up in a pleased smile.

Upon hearing this, Drost remained silent for a moment.

He looked at the candlelight.

The candle flame remained motionless.

"Is the Truth Fire broken?" The thought popped into his mind.

So, with the intention of testing him, Drost spoke in a deep voice, "Enough of this, Bishop Moriarty. You're here to see Sherlock, aren't you? Unfortunately... that great detective has already been killed by me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the candle flame began to tremble violently for a moment.

... It's not broken?

Realizing something, Drost looked at Iver with some fear.

If what Iver said is true...

Then Iver was more than just his ally.

—He was essentially his leader, his superior, and his supervisor! The thought sent a chill down his spine.

It turns out that the Stibnite Person had already planted an even more covert spy in Avalon than himself... Now that he had successfully assassinated Queen Sophia and could no longer retreat, the other party finally revealed his identity.

Seeing the ambiguous smile on Iver's face, Drost immediately realized that Iver had already seen through his probing.

The Truth Fire is a top secret of Avalon, something Iver absolutely did not know. Therefore, he could only have seen through his own lie.

"... No, please forgive me for lying. Sherlock is not dead; I merely imprisoned him in the Ritual Room... Please, Your Excellency, save me!"

Drost immediately knelt on one knee and bowed his head to Iver like a knight bowing to Queen Sophia.

There was none of the ease and pride he had shown when he saw Iver from outside.

Completely disregarding his own dignity, he earnestly pleaded, "I actually sensed it before... because His Highness the Prince looked at me strangely, which made me very uneasy."

It was like looking at a dead person. This made him uneasy.

Now, he finally got the reason that made him uneasy from Iver.

—The Stibnite Person are trying to renege on their debt! They're trying to take advantage of both sides!

This made Drost grit his teeth in hatred.

The ruler of Star Antimony had assured him that they, the Stibnite Person, wouldn't be like the Iris People, using people and then discarding them like trash...

That's for sure, it wasn't lost!

They even wanted to make use of their waste resources—

That's outrageous!

They're even more hateful than the Iris People!

"Your His Highness Lucian... you really can't hide your anger."

Iver squinted, leaned forward slightly, and slowly tapped the armrest of his chair with his right index finger. He said calmly, "You guessed right. But how to solve it depends on your sincerity."

"I have 150,000 gold coins here..."

Do you think I'm short of money?

Iver interrupted Drost.

Before Drost could speak, he continued, "Of course, I don't lack women. Likewise, I don't lack power."

"... What do you want?"

Drost gritted his teeth, realizing that this seemingly young man was not so easily fooled.

...etc.

Does he look young?

He paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Countess Emma, of course, could not possibly obey Iver Moriarty. Iver wasn't even born when she last visited Avalon.

As someone who has never left Avalon, it's unlikely that Iver would know these secrets known only to the higher-ups of Star Antimony.

At the same time, Iver's tone didn't seem like that of a gentle and tolerant pastor...

... But what if he wasn't Iver Moriarty?

Drost felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Iver's meaningful, dangerous smile.

Amber Artisan can implant one person's soul into another's body.

The black amber pieces from the Xingti generation represent the pinnacle of Amber Artisan!

—And among the two top superhumans who arrived in Avalon this time, there was one of Blackface's personal disciples!

Upon realizing this, Minister Drost was deeply shaken.

He is not Iver!

Then everything makes sense! 7,500 words, update complete!