Drost Felt Very Reassured

Although Drost already knew that "Aleister Crowley" was an earl's daughter... or perhaps an earl's grandmother.

Upon his return, however, he was still struck by the noble beauty of "Miss Crowley".

Her skin was fair, and she was even taller Drost. Her long, straight hair, which had a damp look, was as black as night and as smooth as a waterfall.

She was sitting with her legs together in the spot where Iver Moriarty had just been, resting her chin on her hand with her eyes closed.

Miss Crowley was wearing a low-cut Black Red Dress typically reserved for evening banquets by Star Antique Nobles, with a Black Crystal Cross adorned with silver trim hanging from her chest. Her legs, encased in thick black stockings and black knee-high boots, still appeared slender and strong.

Drost also vaguely saw two lines of text written vertically in silver Alchemy Font on the front of her stockings... but Drost couldn't understand the specific meaning and could only regard it as some kind of decoration.

That arrogant air of nobility was terrifying.

It was as if she were the Queen of Avalon, and he was merely a subject paying homage to Queen.

"... Miss Crowley".

Minister Drost knelt respectfully on one knee in a knightly salute, but because he had become so fat that he looked somewhat comical.

—He hadn't been this respectful to Queen Sophia even in recent years.

"Oh, you're back?"

Miss Crowley slightly opened her eyes. A pleased, playful smile appeared on her lips.

Her pupils were an unsettling scarlet, gleaming with a dangerous red light.

In that instant, Drost knew... why she looked so young, yet gave off an air of maturity and danger.

—She is not only an Amber Artisan, but also a noble Child of the Moon! Furthermore, as "Crowley," she is also one of the heirs of the demon family.

The Black Phase, the Red Phase, and the Demon Family. The three have merged into one.

It's practically the epitome of Star Antimony Power!

Drost was secretly alarmed and a thought became clear to him: this could not possibly be a disguise by Iver Moriarty.

So he suppressed the thought that had just surfaced in his mind.

—When he went upstairs to look for something before, he always felt that something was not right... but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

It was as if he had overlooked a crucial detail. But Minister Drost couldn't quite recall what he had forgotten... only a faint, almost imperceptible suspicion arose in his mind: Could he really be Iver, merely bluffing? After all, Iver hadn't displayed any real supernatural power, only intelligence far surpassing his own. And intelligence could be given to someone else.

Then an inappropriate thought popped into his head: Could it be that these things were actually intelligence Sherlock had gathered, and Iver was simply using this intelligence to impersonate someone else? And then he found a way to bypass the detection of the Truth Fire? Drost's speculation had no evidence whatsoever.

Or perhaps he was simply unwilling to give up... and was trying to find a reason not to give Diomedes to "Iver".

But when he returned and actually saw "Iver," who had become Miss Crowley, Drost felt that his previous assumptions were so empty, meaningless, and ridiculous.

... They've already reverted to their original form without any hesitation, so what else is there to say?

To be able to silently replace someone else's identity without fear of being exposed, the real Iver Moriarty is probably already dead. In other words, the current "Bishop Moriarty" has somehow become Miss Crowley.

Since she could replace Iver, she could also replace herself.

Considering this, how many more people in Avalon have been replaced by them? Drost shuddered at the mere thought.

It was a fear that one's existence and one's entire life up to this point could be easily stolen without anyone noticing.

Drost was quite familiar with Professor Moriarty. He was a very intelligent and somewhat dangerous fellow.

He was often elusive and had connections with some strange individuals. In addition to his roles as a university professor, renowned scholar, wealthy businessman, and prominent philanthropist, he also served as a "Crime Advisor" for Lloyd's.

Lloyd's's, situated between the merchant guild and the underground gangs, was able to avoid completely enraging the Silver and Tin Palace thanks to Professor Moriarty's guidance.

It wasn't just sponsorship of the knights—if they were simply rich, they would only be endlessly extorted by the knights.

It is precisely because they consistently operate within the bounds of ethical boundaries, maintaining a facade of innocence, and simultaneously bringing a new order to the Lloyd District ... that the Bureau of Supervision finds it difficult to intervene within Lloyd's's sphere of influence. They cannot afford to lose control of the Lloyd District without Lloyd's's.

As a slum area of the capital and also a major labor force, along with the port area, Lloyd District has a complex web of relationships, where many issues have far-reaching consequences. Furthermore, the Bureau of Supervision operates on a system of accountability, with its leaders responsible for their decisions, so no one has dared to touch the problems within Lloyd District.

In addition, Lloyd's's dominance over various gangs and organizations, the ruthless and covert methods it employs to exert its deterrent power, and its ubiquitous and pervasive infiltration have made Lloyd's a well-known gray area in recent decades.

All of this came from Moriarty's personal guidance.

Although Lloyd's's had existed for two centuries, it began to gradually spiral out of control after the death of Lloyd Prince. It wasn't until the Moriarty Lloyd's into contact with Lloyd's's and reintegrated it into his own resources.

In addition, on Glass Island, and even in Avalon... if someone accidentally makes a big mistake or goes down a dead end, they may be guided to contact Professor Moriarty.

The professors always provided meticulous guidance, patiently and generously offering resources and strategies to perfectly solve their problems.

He won't take any action himself; he'll merely offer advice, give the other party some money, or write a letter of introduction. But he always manages to perfectly solve the problem for them.

In a sense, Professor Moriarty's immense prestige on Glass Island stemmed from this. Those he had helped were scattered throughout the Glass Island ... and the vast majority of them were not important figures, but rather insignificant nobodys.

The professor never asked for promises of loyalty, nor for compensation, nor even for future promises of gratitude... He only wanted a vague sense of "friendship." It was as if helping the other person solve their problem was the very thing the professor wanted to do.

—What's the use of that? Especially for some vicious criminals, it's even more of a mirage.

Drost always scoffed at this.

In his view, a "friendship" that cannot guarantee a binding bond is as fragile as a chain woven from straw rope.

Even so, he felt a deep respect for Professor Moriarty's keen observation, intelligence, and composed approach to life. If the other were willing to become a detective, that young Hermes would be no match for him.

That's why when Drost unexpectedly discovered that his illegitimate daughter was working as a maid at the Moriarty Manor... he found it very troublesome.

If she were with anyone else, Drost could easily hire an assassin to kill her. But because of Professor Moriarty's intimidation, Drost hesitated to take action.

He also had to devise a trap to make her leave Moriarty Manor on her own so that she could "disappear".

Drost also hired someone to impersonate his illegitimate daughter, whose name he had forgotten, to escape and leave traces and evidence. He planned to have "her" eventually killed by another wanted criminal to silence her, and then kill that criminal as well.

In order to kill his opponent, he would have to kill two more people.

This was merely to kill a maid at the Moriarty Manor. This is the source of Drost's fear of Professor Moriarty.

I wish Professor Moriarty had disappeared too.

Sometimes Drost would think the same thing.

If Professor Moriarty weren't on Glass Island... he would have many things he could do freely. He wouldn't be so cautious about contacting the Stibnite Person.

Because he had no idea how many people Professor Moriarty had planted around him. Sometimes he even suspected that "Diomedes" had also accepted Professor Moriarty's friendship.

This is a good opportunity now.

Minister Drost thought darkly.

Even Professor Moriarty, with his extraordinary abilities, was completely unaware that his son had been silently replaced by this woman...

—Why not use Diomedes as bait and let this fake Iver fight against Professor Moriarty?

The Minister Drost, who was as fat as a ball, said obsequiously, "Miss Crowley, let's sign the contract now."

"You seem quite impatient."

Aleister looked at him with a smile.

For some reason, Drost saw a resemblance in the woman's smile to that of Professor Moriarty.

It must be my imagination, he thought.

"This mandatory contract was signed under the witness of the Nine Pillar Gods, with the witness of the Silver Crowned Dragon of covenants, serving as the wedge. The contract takes effect immediately upon its establishment."

"Party A is Charles Drost, the current heir of the Drost Family family, the Founding Family of the Avalon Kingdom, the Minister of Trade recognized by Queen Sophia, and the master of the guardian spirit Diomedes."

"Party B is Aleister Crowley, the third daughter of Earl Crowley of the Stibium Kingdom, bestowed with a name by Valentine VII. Her identity and appearance are also known as Iver Moriarty, or Duchess Bayard Viennes Emil Zola Bayard..."

To the rhythmic cadence of Miss Aleister's voice, Minister Drost hunched over his desk, writing furiously.

—This is a contract signed for the Silver Crowned Dragon.

She couldn't possibly lie about this, could she? Minister Drost felt very relieved.