Second Ring

Finding Oswald is no easy task.

He is not an active Pope Guard, so he is not required to perform duties; and at his age, he obviously does not need to work.

Fortunately, Freya had lived in the Theocracy for so long and still had some connections there. She first took Lily to the Sixth Ring and found a retired Pope Guard at the place where the ruins were guarded.

Freya's reason for seeking him out was quite simple. She knew Oswald's age, and the old man was about the same age; moreover, during their previous conversation, the old man had mentioned that he had almost become the guardian of Avalon.

That means he most likely knew Oswald.

As expected. She inquired with him and found out that he indeed knew Oswald had returned. He also knew that Freya's current surname, "Molu," was one she had given herself; her previous surname was Moriarty, which Oswald had been in charge of.

Therefore, he readily handed over Oswald's information to Freya.

However, Lily was somewhat surprised by Oswald's location.

She was deeply impressed by the Elf Butler, who was as silent as a lone wolf. He was a serious, aloof, and unsmiling old man. Oswald did not go to the upper levels to live with the Pure-Blood Elf. Instead, he stayed in the Second Ring, which had a very high volume of people.

Compared to the bustling and chaotic First Ring, which is more chaotic and lively than downtown areas in other countries, the Second Ring is at least not as outrageously chaotic—the biggest difference is that there are significantly fewer people carrying luggage. But the streets are still packed with people, and many elderly people are sitting in line on the benches in front of shops.

The Second Ring is a more affordable place to live, and many long-term residents of the Theocracy stay here.

A large number of apartment buildings have been constructed here. Thanks to the elves' intervention, neither rent nor prices are too high, so many people live here for years, even decades...

There are also some church schools here, and some pastors come here to teach the Children of the Short-lived Races. Those Short-lived Races born in the Theocracy often come here to study and work.

Life here is quite stable. The academic pressure is low, and working hours are short. While not wealthy enough to have substantial savings, people aren't unable to afford necessities. Furthermore, there is no war, nor disputes arising from economic hardship or stress. Some people are even born and die in the Second Ring Second Ring, never venturing to other areas in their entire lives.

Lily glanced around and noticed that the residents in the Second Ring were mostly elderly people and children.

Lily had also gone out when she was in Avalon. Compared to the Children of the knight families in the White Queen District, the Children here were not so well-mannered—they wore simple clothes like villagers, and would run around in the streets, shouting, arguing, and fighting with each other.

While described as simple, it's really just that these clothes don't have much intricate embroidery; they're mostly simple, single-color fabrics sewn together. The fabric itself is of quite high quality; with a little elven craftsmanship and Iris finishing, it could fetch a high price as fashion.

Lily even saw a group of human children playing with a Lizardman child; a human girl holding a baby snakeman in her arms; and trolls carrying heavy loads on their shoulders in the streets and alleys, but people were very friendly to the trolls... at least much friendlier than in the First Ring and Fifth Ring.

The smallest race here is the goblin.

—And most surprisingly, Lily even saw dwarves.

Elves and dwarves are mortal enemies. This is because the dwarves are essentially heretics, and their racial belief is "waiting for a Pillar God belonging to the dwarves," especially the Flame Angel — Flame Angel is rapidly increasing as a Celestial on the Dedication Path, directly posing a threat to the Candle Master.

Even though the elves had inquired about Flame Angel's thoughts on the position of Pillar God through prayer, what they obtained through prayer wasn't necessarily the truth, and even if it was the truth, it wasn't guaranteed to be true forever. And even if Flame Angel truly had no opinion, the dwarves certainly did.

—You've brought artillery to the border, and then you say you just want to strengthen national defense; perhaps you really do want to strengthen national defense, but even if it's just about strengthening national defense, it means you treat us as a hypothetical enemy.

That's how the elves treated the dwarves.

While it may not be as intense as the hatred humans feel for giants, it can at least be considered disgust.

In the Second Ring, a dwarf couple was even walking openly on the street. Not only did they not conceal their racial characteristics, but they also greeted other elderly people on the street in a very friendly manner. The other people clearly recognized the dwarf couple, and they greeted each other in a very friendly way.

"... The people here live such good lives."

Lily sighed.

"Really."

Freya nodded slightly. "Of all the countries and regions I have traveled through, the Second Ring of the Theocracy is the most peaceful. If the Herasul Empire still existed, it would probably be during its most prosperous period that ordinary people could live such a carefree life."

"Sometimes I think, if I get tired in the future and need to find a place to retire... I will find a house in the Second Ring and teach alchemy to Children for free. Compared to getting married and having children, this is more in line with my beliefs."

"... The elf mentor system?"

Lily murmured.

Freya chuckled softly and reached out to stroke Lily's hair. "No, not yet. I'm not looking for an heir; I just want to play with the Children to avoid being too lonely in my old age. And it's better to give Children knowledge for their health and future than candy and cake."

As she spoke, she looked at Lily with interest. "It seems you still remember me, Lily."

"... Of course I remember, Miss."

Lily's expression was complicated as she murmured, "I'm not Moriarty."

"You know their amnesia is related to Moriarty... it seems you also know about the curse."

Freya smiled with relief, "That's good. Although I knew from the first moment I saw Iver that he must have known about the curse, which is why he didn't say anything after seeing me... but even if you still remember me, you still brought Iver to see me."

Lily did not respond; she simply chose to remain silent.

This is why her expression was so strange when she saw Freya.

Although she always claimed to be "taking care of Iver when he was young," it has to be said that... Lily was actually quite young when Iver was little. She hadn't taken care of anyone before that, and in fact, she herself needed to be taken care of at first.

At that time, Freya was the one who took care of Lily and Iver.

Freya is five years older than Lily and twelve years older than Ivy. She is only four years younger than her older brother Edward.

This is a true example of how an elder sister can be like a mother.

Iver's affection for Lily stemmed from his forgetting Freya. Under the influence of the curse, many of Freya's memories were transferred to Lily, who was closest to her.

This is why Iver was very close to and trusted Lily, but Lily was always very cautious and distant from Iver.

Because she was worried that one day, Iver would find that he had remembered the wrong person.

If my false identity is exposed, my goodwill might turn into badwill.

She never dared to take things that weren't hers.

Even so, she still felt very nervous when she actually saw Freya. Although she was very careful and never crossed the line... she still felt a guilty feeling, as if she had stolen something.

"How have those two children been lately?" Freya asked.

"...Young Master is getting engaged soon," Lily replied, "And Miss Yulia's problem with the Phantom Demon Egg has also been resolved."

"It's good that it can be resolved. I thought Yulia was already... but engaged... so fast? He's only eighteen this year, right?"

Freya touched her chin and corrected, "No, it's not that fast. He's already an archbishop, he should hurry up and have a child."

"... What does this have to do with the archbishop?"

"The higher the energy level, the lower the probability of having children. This is also one of the world's Equilibrium Law — the strong are not good at raising children. Elves have long lifespans, but their population has never exploded. One reason is that elves are relatively indifferent to sex, and another reason is that the average energy level of elves is too high."

Freya calmly replied, "Given Iver's status, he needs to hurry up and leave behind his bloodline. Otherwise, when he reaches his twenties, he might reach the Fifth Level —and then it will be difficult to leave offspring."

"... That's something we need to be anxious about."

Lily, clearly unaware of this secret, tensed up immediately. "He absolutely must leave behind an heir."

"What," Freya said lazily, "Is he getting engaged to the Princess? And does he have to have an heir? My brother doesn't care if he doesn't want to have children, it's all the same. I'm just saying, if he wants a child, he'd better do it as soon as possible."

"It's not Princess..."

"Um?"

"It is Her Majesty the Queen."

"...ha?"

Freya froze for a moment, her expression clearly hardening.

Then it dawned on her. "Oh right, the New Queen is that Isabel... How old is she?"

"Less than a year older than the young master."

"... So young? Is it because of that royal curse?"

Freya exclaimed in astonishment, "That curse was actually real? I thought it was just a ruse put out by Hawkeye..."

They chatted as they arrived at their destination.

To their surprise, it was a bar.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, a strong smell of alcohol, shouting, and cursing came from inside.

It was noisy inside—so much so that Freya couldn't help but frown.

In the very center of the bar, there is a large screen made of crystal.

It was a ritualistic divine spell similar to the monitoring mirror of the Thirteenth Ring, capable of directly observing an area.

From a distance, all they could see on the screen was a green expanse; they couldn't make out anything else.

Suddenly, everyone shouted in unison, "Unicorn! Unicorn! Unicorn!"

"Goal!"

A heart-wrenching sound rang out.

The bar instantly transformed into a sea of joy, with shouts, screams, and the clinking of glasses echoing through the air.

Freya's ears have become somewhat pointed due to drinking the Elixir of Immortality, and her hearing has become excellent.

Now, the noise made her eyes glaze over, and she covered her ears with her hands, looking rather uncomfortable—she hadn't heard noise this loud in almost a decade, and she could hear every single word clearly.

... Oswald, would he really be in a place like this?

Lily, standing behind Freya, was also a little confused.