February 17, early morning.
Edward went to the Silver and Tin Palace. After bidding farewell to Queen Isabel and Iver, he headed for the Lloyd District, preparing to take a ship from Lloyd Port to Iris.
Iver, Lily, and Sherlock packed their luggage and mounted the griffins, preparing to fly to Midsummer County on the westernmost side of Avalon. From there, they would take a regular ferry to the Theocracy.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to have the griffins fly them directly to their destination. But that would be somewhat impolite—after all, griffins were among Avalon's top military forces. To put it another way, it would be like taking an armed helicopter straight to the destination.
Edward was going to Iris as an envoy, while Iver was going to the Theocracy to study and express his gratitude. Considering that Avalon was still at war, it was better for them to keep a low profile when acting in a friendly country.
Besides, traveling by griffin was certainly less comfortable than taking a ferry.
Even so, the news that Minister Moriarty was about to head to the Theocracy soon spread.
It wasn't that Avalon's reporters had some special source of information. This was something Iver had deliberately leaked... through Dimit, the Editor-in-Chief he had personally supported. With Iver gone, if Avalon still harbored people with ulterior motives, this news would flush them out.
They had no idea how long Iver would stay in the Theocracy—which was precisely why they had to act while the opportunity lasted.
Iver had already used this trick once, but a good trick never went out of style. As long as it was used properly, humans had no memory.
Aboard the ferry, Iver stood clad in a Clerical Robe, gazing at the glittering water in the distance as