Only One Lie Remained

Iver's mind suddenly cleared. "You stole the Tears of Time to murder the Pure White Saintess —your goal is to destroy both Freya and Grey! You don't want the research to heal Ningpo to continue, nor do you want the legacy of the Eternal Saintess to continue. So you plan to use the potion Freya is synthesizing to murder Pure White, thus framing Freya!"

"Snort."

Loki smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

So, this part matches up.

Why only one-third? Because initially only one person was murdered, and even considering performance degradation, this is enough.

If Bishop Mercedes hadn't died, and if Gloria hadn't been in trouble, Iver would never have imagined that the stolen potion was related to Loki and Pure White. They would have simply gone to the Eleventh Ring to ask Cardinal Loki who the prisoner was, and even treated Cardinal Loki as a friendly NPC.

"...so."

Iver pressed on, "Why did you murder the Bishop Mercedes and Gloria Blue Rose?"

"I've already said, I didn't kill them."

Loki sighed helplessly, "I'm past the age where I have to lie about everything. Only when everything I say is the truth can that one lie be believed."

"Think back carefully, Iver. What exactly did I say?"

—The death of the Bishop Mercedes? That's none of my business. I know about it because I saw it.

—You can't even protect the Bishop Mercedes, and you think you can protect Iver?

—As far as I know, the Bishop Mercedes did not resist when he died.

He could see that Gloria killed Mercedes. Mercedes died from a stab wound in his uterus, a wound that was impossible to kill, and he did not resist at all during the entire process.

Loki told Pure White that Iver's troubles were far greater than Mercedes's, and also related to the pursuit of his past; he also said that it had nothing to do with him, but was related to the people Controlled Fire.

Of all these events, Loki only explained one thing: Gloria's suicide.

... but if we say...

Was it Professor Moriarty who orchestrated Gloria's killing of Mercedes, rather than Loki?

—That makes at least 80% accurate! Because of this incident, even though Iver instinctively believed Loki was innocent, she would still be wary. Furthermore, the deceased happened to be Bishop Mercedes, whom Pure White cared about, and Pure White and Loki already had a strained relationship; therefore, she would inevitably clash with Loki.

It was precisely because of Gloria's suicide that, the moment the Tears of Time were stolen, everyone who knew of Gloria's death subconsciously began to suspect Loki.

However, if Loki's true aim is the Pure White Saintess, and he also wants to frame Freya...

Therefore, he should try to minimize his actions and reduce his presence.

Pure White had already begun to solidify into amber. How much impact would the death of the Bishop Mercedes have on her? Loki did indeed possess the Tears of Time; did he really need something like this to force her to solidify it? Loki was Moriarty's mentor and the forerunner of the "Controlled Fire," revered by the elves. He didn't seem like a fool.

If Loki is indeed the Wildfire Giant... judging from his current reaction, it shows that he has long been able to control the rage within his blood.

Trolls are imitations of giants, and among the trolls Iver encountered, while some were simple-minded, two were intelligent. Giants, as the prototypes of trolls, were certainly not lacking in intelligence. Like the Northern Giants, they cooled their minds through extreme cold. Once they could control the primal rage deep within their blood, they would gain enlightenment on the Path of Wisdom.

Loki can't be stupid.

Judging from Bram's demeanor, he's probably being completely manipulated by Loki —he's protected by the Candlelight and isn't even afraid of threats from the Bear Angel. Yet, he's the only one he's wary of is his former student, Professor Moriarty.

In addition... this style, which Iver found somewhat familiar, was "all clues and evidence pointing to the same person."

Although Iver was initially able to ignore the misleading information to some extent thanks to prior knowledge, he couldn't help but waver as more and more evidence emerged.

The saying goes, "Three men can make a tiger"... and Iver was no exception.

Loki is indeed guilty.

She stole experimental equipment, intending to murder the Saintess and also wanted to frame Freya, Iver's sister.

But Gloria killing Mercedes had absolutely nothing to do with him! The Tears of Time can indeed cause people to freeze quickly... but even if it can cause depression without being tested, it could not possibly make Mercedes die willingly.

This manipulation of people's minds is more like Professor Moriarty's style.

In this way, Iver understood—

"Oh, I see! The order was reversed!"

Iver's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "It wasn't that Gloria was tainted by the Tears of Time, became depressed, and then broke down to kill Mercedes; it was because she realized she had killed Mercedes that she broke down..."

The person truly controlled by Professor Moriarty is probably Bishop Mercedes.

She entrusted Gloria with the ritual to save her soul; but when Gloria regained consciousness and realized what she had done, her previously good mood completely collapsed. Oswald could also open the door that only the Pope Guard and Cardinal could open.

Although he wasn't a current member of the Pope Guard, he still carried the Pope Guard's legacy. Aside from their clothing, their strength was exactly the same.

"... Then why didn't you make it clear from the beginning?"

"It works?"

Cardinal Loki sarcastically remarked, "By the time you came to me, my rebellious student had already achieved his goal. Anything I say now would just be empty rhetoric... Saying more would only reveal my true intentions."

"Instead, let's use it to attack Pure White. Look at her stupid face... Maybe I won't even have to lift a finger, she'll withdraw from the Papal Election on her own."

In that sense, everything Loki said was actually true: she preferred a brief but brilliant death to the eventual freezing of her soul within those sculptures, rather than delaying the freezing of her amber.

—How can you define her actions toward Mercedes as murder... rather than salvation? —Are you so sure she wanted to live and be with you, waiting for the future of Nymph?

Rather than lying the truth and making people believe that every word is true...

Cardinal Loki's use of lies goes to an even higher level—he uses all the truth to make people believe it's all a lie, thus achieving the effect that can only be achieved if people think he's lying.

"... Is it because of Freya- neechan?"

Iver murmured, "Because she is Anna Kingsford's daughter... so when you planned to frame her, your father intended to teach you a lesson. That's why he used these two lives that were 'inevitably going to die' to interfere with your plans and expose your hidden secrets ahead of time."

"James is no ordinary person. He may have been blinded by love in his youth, but he can no longer be called a human being now."

Loki spoke slowly, then suddenly began to walk forward. "I don't know why he suddenly got in my way... but one thing I'm sure of."

"The ritual Mercedes performed... I'm keeping it a secret from you because it also helps my plans."

"That's just James's personality. He always comes up with solutions that everyone agrees with, but he's always the one who ultimately benefits. Even if you know it's a conspiracy, you can't easily escape his trap. Because you can't accurately judge whether he wants you to stay silent or whether he wants you to rebel. And his understanding of human nature surpasses my understanding of the stars."

"I believe you're missing one last clue. With this clue, you can piece together the whole truth."

"And I will give you that opportunity."

With each sentence Loki spoke, he took a step forward. Iver, however, remained motionless, his expression unchanged.

As he approached, Viennes flew directly off Iver's shoulder and stood between the two.

She suddenly felt a strong threat—her scarlet pupils widened, emitting a harsh and loud cawing sound.

"Mercedes is pregnant with a child. Mercedes' union with this person is not entirely out of love, but also to sever the lineage of the Saintess —because the other person has the blood of the Child of the Moon flowing through their veins. She wants to create Child of the Moon Saint who can reach the state of 'perfect man'."

"The restless Mercedes so despised the succession of the Saintess, yet she tried so hard to maintain her status Candidate Saintess in preparation for the ceremony. But Mercedes was ultimately just Candidate Saintess."

"So James gave them a forbidden ritual: to purify the power of devotion with the life of a mother who voluntarily gave herself."

"Finally, before the gestation was complete, during that sacrificial ritual, his father commissioned Gloria to dig a hole from the outside and pour a part of his soul into it. Thus, the immortal infant had the opportunity to drink the blood of a true Saintess. I saw all of this clearly."

"Unfortunately, the person who went home with you wasn't Pure White... so he had to escape beforehand. That's why the wound has only just started bleeding... because there was originally a little vampire hiding inside."

"Then, what about the vampire?"

Iver pressed on.

Loki's lips curled slightly upward, but he did not answer.

In that instant, the image of the Blood Wine that Bram had drunk suddenly flashed into Iver's mind.

Inside the wine glass was a small red ball, like a plum, or something resembling a heart.

If...

... If that's the heart of a giant, wouldn't it be a bit too small?

But why is it that Bram can actually transform into a giant? "What you want to ask is why Bram can become a giant, right?"

Loki's lips curled into a slight smile, "Because the blood of giants truly flowed within that 'Holy Child Embryo'; because I could also transform into Child of the Moon, I was able to steal the Tears of Time, which is deadly poison to elves—"

"—Because the child in her belly is my child."

At the height of his sense of crisis, Viennes transformed into his original form without hesitation! But at that very moment, a crimson streak of light, hidden in a mirror, silently slashed towards Iver!