Iver: It's No Big Deal

Upon hearing the name, Sherlock murmured softly and subconsciously turned to look at Iver.

The moment Sherlock's gaze met Iver's, he realized that the two were thinking the same thing.

—Although, strictly speaking, there are quite a few people named James. And no one had ever heard of Professor Moriarty having any connection with the Fairy Queen ... but as soon as they heard the word "spider," they all thought of Iver's adoptive father.

Just to be on the safe side, Sherlock pressed further, "What are the distinguishing features of that ' James '?"

"... Do you know him?"

Grace seemed a little strange.

They had expected to be questioned about other things, but to their surprise, Sherlock and Iver immediately turned their attention to their friend.

But Grace clearly didn't have the confidence to refuse Iver and his group— Iver was, after all, an archbishop.

Although they weren't Cardinal Bishop... in the Theocracy, an archbishop was undoubtedly a powerful figure. Even ordinary bishops held more power and status than these individuals, let alone archbishops.

The Theocracy is ultimately Theocracy ruled by the Nine Pillars God Church, and the status of those who Dedication Path is obviously much higher than that of those who follow other paths.

This is not a form of corruption, because the church has been very clear about this from the very beginning: since devotees easily give up their own, their loved ones', and what they have to help others benefit, it would be difficult for devotees to live well in a natural social environment if they did nothing.

Therefore, as an artificial regulator, the church blatantly favors those who give alms. It is telling people that doing good deeds will be rewarded. Even doing good deeds for the sake of reward is better than doing nothing.

What's remarkable is that, from the perspective of the church and true devotees, this adjustment itself becomes a form of "giving"—because it's tantamount to distributing the benefits of true devotees to those who "do good deeds for a good reward," which the devotees are actually happy to see...

No elf would harbor ill will toward an archbishop; their words are inherently powerful. This power stems from the dedication of archbishops and Cardinal Bishop throughout history to upholding honor.

That's why, even though Iver's arrival would cause them trouble, Grace and her husband didn't drive Iver away. Instead, they warmly welcomed him. When Iver and his companions were deducing the truth, Grace didn't deliberately interrupt them, deceive them, mislead them, or attack them. Instead, she appeared openly, revealed all the secrets, and pleaded for Iver's mercy.

Because they all knew very well that they were in the wrong—at least in the elves' worldview, they were the ones at fault. They wouldn't commit an even bigger mistake to cover up their error.

"... That friend and we actually only met once. Our meeting was purely accidental and could not have been a conspiracy, because the 'Moonlight' lineage has a strong ability to perceive good and evil. That friend not only had no ill intentions, but also had a strong desire to give."

Even so, Grace still defended her friend a few more times. After all, the other party had indeed given them a solution, and they couldn't just dump the blame on him and ignore it.

Then, she answered Sherlock's question seriously, "He should be an old man; I can see the signs of aging. But I have had too few encounters with humans to be able to determine his exact age."

"However, I am certain that he should be a Inheritors. Moreover, like me, he is a naturally multi-path extraordinary being with multiple inheritances, at least possessing the level of dedication and Path of Adaptation, and at the very least the Fourth Level. Even by the standards of elves, he is definitely considered a strong person."

"As for distinctive features—sorry, I might have a bit of face blindness when it comes to humans. But he was wearing a formal suit that didn't quite fit the style of the Fairy Kingdom, yet he looked very elegant. Also, he was always smiling."

The elderly face many paths, requiring dedication and adaptation...

... Premature Death?

Iver pondered the matter and felt that the latter was more likely.

My adoptive father was once a student of Cardinal Loki... Is it possible that he learned the Silken Grimoire from Loki? But that doesn't seem quite right either.

Although many Grimoire are condensed into a single skill, they are essentially a form of transmission.

Lily found a complete Path of Adaptation enlightenment within the "Silken Grimoire." That's why Lily sensed a special aura emanating from both Bram and Cardinal Loki when they met... because the essence of their powers was the same.

But even after spending a long time with Professor Moriarty, Lily couldn't sense any Silken Grimoire aura emanating from her...

"--wrong!"

Iver suddenly woke up.

Although half a year has passed... he suddenly realized that it was indeed possible!

Because Lily only obtained the * The Silken Grimoire * after the professor, and even after Oswald, had left! In other words, after Lily learned the * The Silken Grimoire *, she never saw the professor again.

After thorough study, the * Silken Grimoire * seem to allow one to steal the power or identity of others under certain circumstances. However, Cardinal Loki rarely used this ability, as his elven form was a gift from the Candlelight. Bram, on the other hand, stole the power of Child of the Moon and the giants—and after being stolen, Cardinal Loki truly lost the ability to transform into a giant.

When Iver killed Cardinal Loki, for a moment I thought the second phase was about to begin: the elf's body shattered, and then the Wildfire Giant rose up again.

As it turned out, Cardinal Loki did indeed die while still in his elven form.

On the contrary, Bram... he not only turned into Wildfire Giant, but also lost his intelligence and rationality due to rage, just like a real giant.

If the adoptive father also possessed the power of the "Silken Grimoire," what would he use to steal? Or, what kind of talent, like "giant" or "elf," would be worth stealing?

"... No way."

"Iver murmured."

Thinking about this, he realized something.

[ —Iver Moriarty ...my lovely Little Key.]

This is what Professor Moriarty said to him during the last Promotion Ritual when he discovered Iver's status as an Ascended.

He could have easily made Iver leave, but he didn't. Iver thought it was a gesture of goodwill.

But upon closer reflection, this "Little Key" may have a different meaning.

In the original timeline, Iver died protecting the player from a bullet—at which point the already deranged Professor Moriarty appeared extremely enraged.

It wasn't disbelief, it wasn't sadness, it wasn't shock... it was rage.

... What was he angry about? Was it because of their deep father-son bond that he couldn't accept the Death of Iver? Or was it because he felt enraged by Iver's refusal to return to his side, even at the cost of his life? —But Iver felt that none of these were true.

Even if Professor Moriarty went mad, he was still his unfathomable adoptive father, whom he feared and even trembled over.

How could he possibly fly into a rage for such a ridiculous reason? Conversely, Edward was perfectly lucid at the time. He had a good relationship with Iver, so why did he show no reaction and remain expressionless when he killed Iver?

At the time, Iver didn't know Edward's character and thought he was just a cold-blooded, ruthless, and stoic guy. Later, he discovered that Edward was a warm-hearted older brother who cared about his family. He was just too used to suppressing his feelings and silently enduring pain.

Is there any possibility...?

Edward could have stopped his attack the moment Edward saw Iver block it—but he didn't.

He thought it was better for Iver to die than to be captured, but he was completely under Professor Moriarty's command, so he had no choice but to act at this moment... to give Iver a quick death.

... Could it be that the professor wants to steal Iver's power? But what power does Iver possess? If the "Sacred Entity" is a fragment of the Reincarnation Angel, then in the player's timeline, the Swamp People who contains the Sacred Entity should be the player himself.

But Iver is certain: from Moriarty's perspective, neither Freya, Edward, nor Yulia are as important as Iver. He probably wanted to steal some kind of "talent" from Iver, but was worried that his interference would cause Iver to lose that talent... So, whether in the game or in the reality Iver is experiencing now, he left him after Iver became independent.

Iver more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

He vaguely sensed that he had grasped the key to a conspiracy—besides the Ring Angel's covetous gaze upon him, he was also entangled in other conspiracies.

So Iver asked, "Madam Grace, I have a question..."

"Since you still possess the legacy of 'Moonlight,' can you lead people into the Fairy Kingdom?"

"... I can bring one person at a time."

Grace was quick-witted and immediately guessed what Iver meant. "I take Maxim to see Anastasia almost every year. But I haven't seen that man in all these years. I don't think he's come back either."

"When was the last time you entered the Fairy Kingdom?"

"Iver asked."

"Last April, almost a year ago. Because if we contacted her too frequently, it might disrupt Anastasia's sense of time. Once she realized that a lot of time had passed outside, she might be kicked out by the fairies... So we usually just glance at her from afar and rarely go over to say hello."

Grace replied immediately, "I only saw Miss Janet there last year—she was also a human. She seemed to be from Avalon as well. As for the old man, we only saw him once."

"I heard from you... that the Fairy Queen knows him?"

Iver continued to ask questions.

Sherlock looked at Iver with some unease.

He keenly sensed that Iver seemed to be too stubborn on this issue.

"Yes."

Grace nodded.

"I want to see the Fairy Queen, Madam Grace."

Iver was silent for a moment before replying, "I will remain silent about Anastasia's matter... but I hope you can take me to see the Fairy Queen."

"... Is this a threat?" Grace asked with a wry smile.

"No, this is a request."

Iver said seriously, "I know the location of a Fairy Hole. If you don't agree, I'll have to go in by myself."

"... Are you alone?"

Sherlock couldn't help but ask, "Won't there be any danger?"

Iver scoffed, "It's dangerous to be with someone like you who has no sense of humor and can't take care of children. I love kids, so it's no problem."

"Then... when do we go?"

Grace was clearly very concerned about Anastasia.

If possible, she would prefer it to be as soon as possible.

And Iver understood her thoughts—coincidentally, he thought the same thing.

"When was the earliest?" Iver asked in return.

"Two o'clock tonight."

Grace said softly, glancing down at the fairy Neelim sleeping in her arms, "Then I'll take this child back with me."

"Okay, let's go tonight."

Iver laughed and said, "Let's hurry back, maybe we can still make it in time for breakfast."