I Absolutely Refuse to Believe He's That Talented

After giving the most important information, Iver gently squeezed Isabel's hand, indicating that the role-playing could end.

But their conversation didn't end there; it continued for a little while longer.

Guided by Iver, they gave the consultant some rather useless information. This was to slightly dilute the amount of information conveyed in the previous conversation.

Afterward, Iver removed Sherlock's shirt and treated him in a fairly "normal" manner—just as he would a real bishop, his use of Illumination Spell was standard but lacked spirituality.

Without a doubt, this is the level that "Iver" should be at. As a genius bishop who reached the Third Level at the age of nineteen, his lack of experience is to be expected.

Halfway through Iver's treatment, "Sherlock" moved his eyes slightly and slowly woke up.

"... Bishop".

"Please don't do that, Mr. Hermes."

Iver nodded slightly, his face, devoid of shadows in the light, appearing compassionate and gentle. "Just call me Iver."

"... Mr. Moriarty".

Sherlock struggled to sit up, but was gently but firmly pushed back down by Iver.

He could only frown and ask in a low voice, "How is Isabel... Oh!"

As he spoke, he saw Isabel standing behind Iver.

Sherlock suddenly realized, his eyes welling up with tears. "Your Highness, it's so good that you're alright!"

"... but there's nothing I can do to help."

Isabel looked somewhat melancholy. "I'm just causing you trouble."

She stood timidly in the corner of the room, leaning gently against the full-length mirror. Isabel, standing sideways before the mirror, reflected another version of herself. From a distance, she looked like a pure white butterfly.

After she said this, Iver and "Sherlock" fell silent.

So Iver could only give Sherlock an apologetic look, then lean over and pulled her outside the door to comfort her in a low voice.

This acting... truly befits someone who transcends the Path of Beauty.

The consultant, sitting alone on the bed, thought to himself.

He secretly plotted in his mind.

I wonder what level of superhuman Isabel is now... If it's true that she only became a superhuman in the fall of 1898, then she's at most at Second Level now. But if she became a superhuman as a child, she might even be at Third Level now.

As a Half-Elf, if one reaches the Third Level before the age of twenty...

... This means she will almost certainly reach the Fifth Level.

Even Iver is the same. The advisor thought to himself.

In the real world, Minister Moriarty, distracted by his Path of Transcendence, was unable to continue on the Dedication Path —not only did he fail to become a bishop, but he didn't even become a priest or deacon. According to intelligence from his informants at the Royal Law University, he hardly attends classes anymore.

—Although rumors were circulating wildly in Avalon that Iver's devout prayers had invoked Divine Miracle from the Constant Self, which was why Count Emma, who had transformed into a succubus, was killed, the veteran advisor to the supernatural knew that this was impossible.

Constant Self is a solitary and self-pitying god; in His eyes, apart from His reflection, there is only Himself.

Even the Child of the Moon, whom Constant Self, could not obtain her Divine Miracle...

He knew very well that the blood rain was not the power of a succubus at all... it was more like the legendary Night Demon.

A sacred and eerie blood-stained stone statue that suddenly appears on the night of Blood Moon; only vengeful souls filled with jealousy can see its form. If one prays to it sincerely, one can gain power at the cost of one's own soul... Therefore, in some places, the Night Demon is also known as the Goddess of Wishes.

Rather than believing that a superhuman who dropped out of school less than three months after becoming one could summon Constant Self Divine Miracle prayer, he preferred to believe it was another of Iver's suitors who had made a deal with the Night Demon to protect him. After all, Queen Isabel was indeed beautiful and extremely powerful, and it was only natural that his former lover would feel jealous.

—His reputation for being a womanizer has even reached Star Antimony; how many lovers does he have in Avalon? Even his advisors dare not imagine.

As for the claim that he has reached the third or even Fourth Level in the Path of Dedication... that is simply impossible.

After all, the information from the Eye Demons indicated that Iver had reached the Third Level in the Path of Transcendence. He had even defeated the last royal bloodline of the giants.

At that time, he had only been exposed to the Path of Transcendence for less than six months! Initially, his extraordinary knowledge was given to him by the Noble Red. Back then, he was almost sacrificed by his mentor because of his adaptability to the Dedication Path, and when he sought revenge, he used a pistol and did not seek the help of the Church, clearly indicating that he had not yet become a transcendent being.

This kind of information, which is almost public knowledge, can be easily obtained by the "secret room." There will be absolutely no mistakes or omissions.

A child who has just come of age, reaching the Third Level of dedication and transcendence in just six months... it's obviously impossible. If someone has gone far on a single path, it could be said that they are sufficiently compatible with that path.

Not everyone is as talented as his beloved student, Albert Lore.

Even young Albert was exposed to alchemy and necromancy from a young age. At seven, under his parents' guidance, he completed the creation of a stitched corpse, and by ten, he was able to summon the dead on his own. Thus, at the age of twenty-five, he reached the Fourth Level of the Path of Twilight and the Third Level of the Equilibrium Path.

That was a talent that made the consultants' scalps tingle and feel a pang of jealousy.

If it's a path that aligns well with beauty and twilight, authority and balance, love and transcendence, then so be it.

But the consultant couldn't think of anyone who could be both dedicated and exceptional.

He absolutely refused to believe that Iver was such a monster! If he could reach the Third Level of the dual paths in just six months, then what was he? In this timeline deduced by the Lord of Scales and Feathers, Iver did not come into contact with the Noble Red and thus embark on the path of transcendence. Instead, he focused on walking the Dedication Path.

As a result, he became a bishop at the age of nineteen, becoming the youngest bishop in Avalon and even in the entire human world—which is enough to demonstrate his talent.

... Perhaps only a genius like her could rival Isabel.

Thinking of this, the advisor had an idea.

Information as precise as "Merlin's Shadow of Avalon Ritual" can be easily found by asking someone to investigate. For example, you could simply ask a bishop to pray to Merlin or another apostle who knows Merlin.

If this ritual did indeed exist and function properly, then Star Antimony could not have successfully invaded Avalon, Valentine VII's plan was doomed to fail from the very beginning.

It's impossible for Star Antimony, and it's even less likely for other countries.

Based on this premise... if Star Antimony cannot withstand the pressure of the Narcissus Territory Rebellion and eventually falls apart, then Avalon will be the beneficiary.

While Isabel may not yet be suited to Path of Authority, no one can say for sure. Perhaps she will after being Queen for a while.

To counter the ruthless Isabel, Minister Moriarty needed his own power base. He had enough money, even controlling Lloyd's. However, he lacked a sufficient number of high-quality superhumans, and as someone who Path of Transcendence, he couldn't cultivate trustworthy subordinates. Aside from his shady lovers, the only people he could rely on were a group of opportunistic businessmen.

Rather than moving to a place where Iris could split apart at any moment, or running off to the Southern Continent to watch those stupid trolls baring their teeth...

—It would be better to move the Spirit Tower to Avalon and seek refuge with Iver.

Such genius is worth investing in, and the always calm Avalon is also suitable for these seekers of the Path of Twilight —much more suitable than the constantly turbulent and fighting Star Antimony.

"I'll ask the Headmaster and Vice-Headmaster when I get back," the advisor decided.

However, the possibility of dying in the ritual or experiencing memory confusion after leaving the ritual cannot be ruled out.

So his first priority is to find those two idiots and pass on this crucial—even potentially life -Spirit Tower —intelligence to them so they can escape.

After all, even General Karl was blown up.

Others might not know, but the advisor knew perfectly well—he might be able to control the fully hatched Balrog for a while, but he'd likely struggle to control it for four days. He needed support from the rear... but they were on Glass Island now, so where was that "rear"?

As a Calamity Splicer, the "himself" in the Promotion Ritual certainly didn't have the elite patchwork corpses stored in the "Amber Egg" in his own laboratory. He wasn't Ghoul Shepherd could easily summon numerous skeletons either; he probably couldn't even unleash a third of his current power.

This is the essence of the Equilibrium Path. Their extraordinary power largely stems from "pre-made" creations. This is true for botanists, alchemists, and even the Calamity Splicer.

The ritual of the Lord of Scales and Feathers only requires survival to have a chance to complete the mission and advance.

But this also means that simply surviving within His rituals is difficult. No matter where one escapes, there will always be danger, and it will become increasingly dangerous as time goes by.

There are essentially two options for this promotion: either escort Isabel to the Theocracy, or hide away and farm points in some corner.

The former is intense enough, but the duration is controllable and relatively short; the latter is certainly safer at the beginning, which is why it lures people here. However, the danger increases as you progress. Both choices will present different risks—just like in nature, there is no absolutely safe place.

If we work backward from this Bottom Layer design mechanism to figure out what they will encounter when performing different tasks... then the answer becomes very clear.

—The army from Star Antimony will arrive at Glass Island in three days at most.

They will destroy everything.