Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Because he knew that old man—and knew him very well. They had met a long time ago.
--The man imprisoned in Titania's birdcage was none other than Iver's adoptive father, James Moriarty.
Although he was locked in a cage, the old man looked quite well at the moment. His clothes were so formal that he looked ready to attend a banquet, and even his hair had been neatly combed back and carefully groomed.
Besides the perches where birds could stand, the birdcage also contained a chair for people to sit in. James was sitting comfortably at that moment, even crossing one leg over the other as he smiled at Merlin.
"...I heard you'd been missing for a long time. I didn't expect you to be here."
Merlin said, "Everyone thought you'd met with an accident in the Theocracy."
"I did go to the Theocracy. On one hand, I went there to retrieve something. On the other, I went to worship the giant tree."
James smiled. "I have considerable respect for the giant tree—for bearing an entire civilization alone and creating a race with its own flesh and blood. If the giant tree were a little more powerful, I imagine it would choose to support the whole world."
"I'll pretend I believed that."
Merlin said casually, "How is your research going lately? You haven't summoned me in quite a while, so I assume everything has gone smoothly?"
"You could say that."
James chuckled softly. "But we shouldn't discuss such boring things in front of Her Majesty. Why did you come to the Fairy Kingdom?"
"You'll have to ask your child about that."
Merlin said bluntly, "While you were staying here as a guest, he certainly wasn't idle."
"Which of my children?"
James asked in return, "A