Freya Moriarty

"... Suicide? Gloria?"

Yanis stopped in her tracks.

She turned around and asked incredulously.

"That's what I originally thought. But after hearing what you said, I can conclude that—at least when she was talking to you, she didn't have any thoughts of death."

Sherlock spoke calmly.

He then recounted to Yanis the intelligence they had just gathered from Cardinal Loki.

"... Gloria, is she actually friends with Grey and Mercedes?"

Yanis murmured, "She never told me that...and she's Candidate Saintess, but I've never seen her."

"Because she was eliminated early, she didn't have time to study aesthetics with Ms. Fan Hua."

Iver explained, while asking, "When did you meet her?"

"... Decades ago, or maybe a hundred years ago, I can't quite remember. It was when I last Theocracy and sorted through my teacher's belongings."

After processing the news for a moment, Yanis instinctively replied, "I went to find Lady Blue Rose, and she brought Gloria, whom I met."

"You haven't told her about Grey either?" Iver asked to confirm.

"How could I dare?"

Yanis smiled wryly, "We've only met twice in total. You know when I Theocracy this time... not long ago. That's when I went to see her."

Iver does remember.

Because the date of Yanis's departure was too easy to remember—she left on New Year's Eve, without staying for the New Year.

Today is February 18th. All told, it's been less than three months.

Two and a half months ago, Gloria was still collecting materials and consulting with Yanis, enthusiastically busy with her new book.

Two and a half months later, she killed her childhood sweetheart and then committed suicide; her body solidified in mid-air and shattered upon landing.

Not only was it almost permanently frozen solid, but it also shattered itself, allowing its soul to enter the Dream Realm and face complete death in the Material Realm.

If Ningbo's spirit might one day revert back to its original form, then the shattered spirit is destined for reincarnation... Unless she becomes an apostle of some great being, she can only be crushed and turned into material for a new soul.

So much has changed in just two and a half months...

It's not entirely impossible.

Treeification Disease is essentially a congenital genetic disease, while condensation is like a psychological illness in Short-lived Races... except that this psychological illness can be fatal if it cannot be cured in time.

Two months later, the mental illness, which had been showing significant improvement, suddenly worsened... This possibility cannot be ruled out. It's even possible that it was due to the pressure of starting a new book or excessive stress.

But is it really that much of a coincidence?

Iver is inclined not to.

Both the Pillar God and the Celestial God can enter dreams and subtly interfere with the Material Realm. Iver is more than qualified to speak on this matter.

And needless to say, his adoptive father is now also in the Eternal Theocracy.

The old troll knew Iver's father and suddenly sought refuge; the Pope fell into a coma due to the Treeification Disease, and the Controlled Fire Movement was about to spiral out of control... If Gloria was a catalyst, could she be directly related to this event?

If that's the case.

Then Loki would be a prime suspect.

He showed Iver Gloria's suicide, and he also confessed to Gloria's murder. Gloria was indeed a member of the Controlled Fire...

Thinking about this, Iver hesitated.

Should we tell Yanis that Grey has Amberization Disease?

The Papal Election is just two weeks away, and this event has a significant impact.

Both Grey and Cardinal Matilda repeatedly instructed Iver not to mention this matter to outsiders.

... But the question is, is Yanis considered an "outsider"?

After hesitating for a long time, Iver decided to remain silent. He couldn't make the decision for Grey; he'd let her tell him herself tomorrow.

"What's wrong?"

Just then, the door suddenly opened.

A woman wearing an iron helmet pushed open the door and said in a muffled voice, "A bunch of people are crowding at the door..."

As she spoke, she took off her helmet with one hand, her voice instantly becoming clear and cold. "Are you having a meeting here?"

Long, dark golden hair, as smooth as a shampoo commercial, spilled out from the helmet, the ends of the hair as neatly trimmed as if cut with a knife.

She was a rather tall young woman, only half a head shorter than Iver, and at least 1.75 meters tall.

Her ears were slightly pointed, and her pupils were a dark gold, the same color as her hair. Unlike the portrait in the Silver and Tin Palace, she was not wearing glasses at this moment, which made her features appear gentler.

When she saw Iver, who was wearing an archbishop's robe, she did not bow. She simply cast a lazy glance at him and scrutinized him closely.

She stared at Iver for a few seconds—first with some confusion, then her expression gradually softened. "Iver...?"

The moment she uttered those words, her memories seemed to awaken. The icy indifference on her face instantly melted and dissolved.

"—Is that you, Iver?"

Although it was a question, it contained no doubt, but rather an absolute certainty.

Hearing this, Iver was finally able to confirm that the woman in front of him was indeed his sister Freya.

He finally had the real feeling that "Freya actually exists"... Even though he had confirmed it repeatedly from other people's perspectives, Iver still had no memory of it.

But now, upon hearing her voice, Iver felt an instant surge of emotion, his body brimming with tears—a faint thrill of a long-awaited reunion stirred within him. Yet, on the other hand, his mind and consciousness remained utterly calm, devoid of any memories or feelings.

Compared to the embellished portrait in the Silver and Tin Palace, from this distance... Freya's facial features do indeed resemble Professor Moriarty's somewhat.

"It's me, Freya ... my sister."

Iver responded with a smile and politely.

But when he was addressed as "older sister," he still felt a little awkward and uncomfortable.

The feeling was like that of greeting a complete stranger in a blended family for the first time. Both sides were trying to express intimacy, but the deep-seated awkwardness and resistance were undeniable.

"... Why are you here, Iver!"

Freya was pleasantly surprised and took Iver's hand in hers—she gripped Iver's hand tightly with both hands, as if checking his temperature.

When she felt the warmth of Iver's hands, she immediately put on the frameless glasses hanging around her neck. She carefully examined Iver and then breathed a sigh of relief.

She came up to him, clearly wanting to hug Iver, but then Time Stop.

So she only took two steps forward, got close to Iver, and then retreated with an embarrassed smile, "You're... so tall now."

She reached out her right hand, as if to touch Iver's hair, but her hand awkwardly circled in the air. She then awkwardly used one hand to straighten Iver's collar. Afterward, she gracefully swung the iron helmet she was holding in her left hand in the air.

"Archbishop..."

It was only then that she seemed to notice Iver's attire.

Freya murmured, "They're archbishops now..."

She looked at Lily behind Iver, and went over to give her a gentle hug. "You are... Lily from the Drost family, right? It's been a long time."

Iver instinctively turned around and saw that Lily's expression was unusually complicated—he had never seen such a complex expression on Lily's face, who always had a gentle smile.

Lily opened her mouth and closed it again and again... like a suffocating goldfish, unable to spit out bubbles or speak.

Even the hands she held behind Freya's back were twisted into a tangled knot. Her palms, gripped tightly by her fingertips, had turned blue from lack of blood flow, yet she seemed oblivious to the force she was exerting. Meanwhile, Freya, holding Lily, was still carrying her strange helmet in her left hand, clearly not intending to put it down first.

Sherlock stood silently at the farthest point, not uttering a sound. He clearly didn't want to be involved in the matter.

Undoubtedly, this was a meeting that surprised, embarrassed, and caught both sides completely off guard.

Iver suddenly realized something and looked at Yanis: "Didn't you tell Miss Freya... Sister Freya?"

I didn't tell her that I was coming to see her.

Freya's reaction clearly showed she hadn't expected Iver to come to the Theocracy. It took her a while to recognize Iver, suggesting she hadn't seen any news about Iver.

No.

Master Agnes shook her head decisively.

Although she knew that saying such things at this time might result in her being hit with a boomerang in less than 24 hours, she still honestly said, "Because I just want to see this."

She had originally intended to laugh.

But thinking of Gloria's sudden death, she forced a smile. Although they were just friends who had only met twice and had a rather casual relationship... as fellow Inheritors of the Path of Beauty of similar age, Yanis had enjoyed her company quite a bit.

Thinking of this, Yanis said to Freya, "By the way, Freya... Gloria is dead."

"Who?"

Freya replied casually, without any emotion, "Never mind, we'll talk about it later... Everyone, please come in and have a seat."

"That idiot Yanis didn't tell me beforehand, and I didn't prepare anything to entertain everyone."

She suddenly remembered something. "Iver, do you drink?"

"Ah?"

Iver was momentarily taken aback. "What kind of wine? I can drink a little."

"The Elixir of Immortality —that which can prolong life, come and have a taste."

Freya tried her best to be enthusiastic, though she was clearly not very skilled at it.