Hai Na Wants to Hear a Secret

Iver sat comfortably in the wheelchair, being gently pushed from behind by Hai Na.

This feeling was quite pleasant—especially since Iver's legs were actually fine, making it even more enjoyable.

He even closed his eyes, basking in the early winter sun, feeling drowsy.

For a moment, he had the illusion that he was an old retiree being taken for a walk in the sun by his daughter.

Wrapped in a black cloak, Iver only revealed half of his chin as he quietly observed his surroundings.

Thus, Iver clearly saw an interesting phenomenon: the passersby near Moriarty Manor showed no fear when they saw Hai Na in her Bureau of Supervision attire.

They simply glanced at her and continued on their way.

But as they left the White Queen District and gradually delved southeast into the Lloyd District... the situation began to change.

The gazes of the passersby towards Hai Na, the supervisor, gradually became fearful. They would deliberately avoid Hai Na's path, even stopping ten meters away to make way for her, cautiously giving her the right of way.

When Hai Na entered a fresh food market, a terrifying solemnity quickly spread through the crowd, centered around her. When the residents realized what important figure the supervisor was pushing, the somewhat crowded throng automatically dispersed to both sides.

It was a miracle like Moses parting the sea—even though the crowd was noisy and shoulder-to-shoulder, the wheelchair under Iver never stopped. No one dared to block his path, no one came to talk to him, and they didn't even dare to speak loudly, lest they disturb the mysterious person wrapped up tightly.

Even the residents who had been buying things stopped their transactions and conversations. They looked at Iver with curiosity and fear as he slowly passed through the crowd, watching him... until they left the market.

"Do you see, Hai Na?"

Only then did Iver close his eyes, lean back slightly, and softly say, "People are very afraid of you."

"I don't understand why either."

Hai Na didn't hide her voice at all, and there was no hesitation in her words: "Those who have not committed crimes have no reason to fear us.

"Everyone knows that 'rules' are very important in Avalon—this is not a secret, but a well-known common sense. Therefore, just don't break the rules and don't violate the law. I don't know what they are afraid of."

As she said this, she puffed out her chest and raised her head. Her eyes were as bright as fire.

Iver was a little surprised.

"I thought you would sympathize with them," Iver said.

"Why?"

Hai Na retorted, "Is there something I'm not doing well? Or is it just because of my poor background?"

...She seemed a little too sensitive about her background.

Iver realized that Hai Na didn't seem to want to mention this topic. But even so, she didn't end the topic that made her uncomfortable.

"Yes, my family is poor. But my parents told me from a young age to be an upright person—to follow the law, be loyal to the Queen, and be honest with teachers. Although I have no money, I have never done even a single petty theft."

Speaking of this, Hai Na's voice was filled with a strong sense of confidence: "I will not ask others to be like me, because not everyone agrees with the Path of Authority. But I will try my best to restrain my own behavior—not because I am forced to, but because I am willing to do so.

"Now, I wholeheartedly obey my superior and execute every order he gives within the rules; but if one day I am higher than him, then he must obey me in the same way.

"This is the Path of Authority. The rules of Avalon."

Iver understood.

This is the anchor that allows Hai Na to maintain her self-esteem and confidence in the Royal Law University.

The reason she was able to step onto the Path of Authority so early was because she understood the essence of the Path of Authority very early on. It could even be said that she was led onto this path by her parents, intentionally or unintentionally, from a very young age.

She was born for this.

Because the transcendent professions of this world are, in a sense, projections of "thought," "concept," and "personality." They are a little bit of power that seeps out from the nine great Paths.

Even those gods who are high above and immortal are merely pioneers of these "Paths."

If you want to step into the nine Paths, you must fully understand and be determined to follow this path. A person who does not understand or agree with "what is Dedication" cannot step into the Path of Dedication; a person who does not understand what is art and what is beauty cannot step into the Path of Beauty.

Although the Avalon Kingdom emphasizes "rules" and maintains "laws," they are not actually pursuing the Path of Law for the sake of "fairness" and "justice."

Law is just a tool of the Path of Authority. And now, the still naive Hai Na instinctively understood this most important core idea and did not go astray.

"Not easy, senior."

Iver's heart stirred, the corner of his mouth raised slightly, and he made a gentle voice: "I didn't expect you to have such ambition?"

"...What ambition?"

Hai Na didn't even realize what she had inadvertently said just now.

"To become the superior of your superior, and even climb higher..."

Iver said slowly: "This is not a concept belonging to the Path of Authority.

"—I didn't expect you to be a believer in the Path of Transcendence."

Hearing this, Hai Na was suddenly shocked. Even the hand pushing the wheelchair paused for a moment.

"...Wh-what?"

"What, didn't you realize it yourself?"

Iver asked rhetorically.

His fingers crossed under his windbreaker, and he whispered seductively: "But in fact, this is also normal.

"Senior, I don't know how you learned in school. But, everyone is mortal. No one can avoid deviating from their own Path... For example, the Path of Love, the Path of Wisdom, the Path of Dedication.

"Don't you ever fall in love with someone? Savagery, bestiality, the urge to pursue reproduction... This is precisely influenced by the Path of Love. Every teenager will be affected by the Path of Love.

"Similarly, the characteristic of the Path of Wisdom is utilitarian thinking, or the pursuit of truth; and if you are determined to dedicate your life for others, then you have already entered the Path of Dedication and are being watched by the Light Bearer. The nine Paths are the nine inevitable modes of thinking for human beings, and everyone will always have their own bias, and will more or less conform to one of them when doing anything.

"Apart from fanatics, how many people can never deviate from their own Path? —Since this is the case, then what is so terrible about deviating from one's own Path?"

Iver's voice was low, but it rang clearly in Hai Na's ears: "Have you thought about this question, senior? Why does Avalon follow the Path of Authority?"

She only felt her ears tickle, and her back also itched. Her blood rushed to her head, and even her earlobes became hot.

It was not shyness, but excitement and fear.

"Please be quiet, Mr. Iver—"

She lowered her voice and said quietly.

She was too afraid of being heard saying such heretical things... but from another point of view, she was a little curious.

She felt a slight itch in her heart, wanting to hear more.

This was something no one would ever tell her at home or at school... and even if they did, she wouldn't bother listening. But now that she heard it, she had a sense of recognition, like, I've thought about this a long time ago.

Under this contradictory feeling, she even addressed Iver, who was four years younger than her, with the respectful title of "Sir."

That's why she subconsciously said, "Please keep your voice down," instead of "Please don't say any more."

But at this moment, Iver closed his mouth with a smile, humming and chuckling like a villain.

Listening to Iver's soft laughter from the wheelchair, Hai Na suddenly felt that her ears, neck, and back were no longer itchy—now her teeth were itching with hatred.

Why did you stop halfway through! So why exactly!? But Hai Na didn't dare to admit that she wanted to listen—that would undoubtedly be an act of disloyalty.

—Can't you just talk to yourself? I'll try to dissuade you a little, and if I can't, I'll just stop trying, okay?!

"When the time is right," Iver said.

"So, when is the right time—"

"It's simple."

Iver replied, "After we solve this case, after we reunite at school... I'll find a quiet place to tell you.

"You understand, right? This kind of secret isn't suitable to be said on the street."

"—Okay!"

Hai Na said confidently, "You don't need to tell me, I will also help you bring the criminal to justice.

"Then I want to hear the second half of the story that you didn't finish!"

She had stopped caring whether she was deviating from the Path of Authority.

Perhaps she had known in her heart for a long time that she had deviated from the Path, but only now was she willing to accept it.

Moreover, she hadn't realized one thing—

That is, unknowingly, the reason why she wanted to arrest the criminal... had changed from "the Bureau of Supervision's order" to "helping Iver arrest the criminal." But she didn't notice it at all.