e lowered slightly, but it was still clear as it rang in Hayna's ear: "Although Avalon doesn't have the so-called 'nobility' of other countries, the descendants of the founders are equally noble. With..."Yes, hello... I'm Hayna Inspector, who made an appointment yesterday... to investigate the assault on Mr. Evans Moriarty."
A young woman, about twenty years old, dressed in a blue and white uniform, stood nervously and helplessly at the gate of a manor, clutching her wide-brimmed hat.
Her auburn curls were tied up in a ponytail behind her, and she had a high nose. Her turquoise eyes were filled with the panic of someone who had messed something up.
“I... I’m so sorry, the District Inspection Bureau has a sudden inspection meeting… There was another warehouse explosion in Baihuang District yesterday, and traces of flame essence were detected at the scene. It's suspected that a demon scholar was involved—I think it might be the wanted criminal who attacked Mr. Evans the other day!”
"Ha-ina murmured, her voice trailing off. "So..."
—"So you unilaterally decided to participate in this inspection meeting, which didn't actually require your attendance, and arrived two hours and twenty-three minutes late"
A grave, aged voice sounded from beyond the iron gates. It was a special intonation drawn out with length, the peculiar accent unique to the people of the capital city—elvish.
He snapped shut the jeweled pocket watch in his hand, tucking it back into his vest, and stared solemnly at Hayna.
Facing Hayna stood an elderly elf, thin and tall in a butler's uniform.
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His skin was wrinkled like tree bark, and his eyes, a murky green, were closer to wolf than water.
The old sprite stood nearly two meters tall, its hands behind its back like a ghostly silhouette of deadwood against the moon. Its straight and rigid spine, as solid as a pine, radiated immense power.
>
Although Hayna is technically still a trainee inspector, she has already passed her graduation exams with top marks and is eligible to receive an award from the Queen at any time. The reason she wears trainee insignia is simply because her lion-eagle crest is still being prepared.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't be so afraid of a butler.
>
But the old man before me was different.
For this elderly, spritely butler was his own instructor.
Although he adhered to the ancient pact, serving the Moriarty family faithfully since the founding of the nation as a butler... at the same time, he was also the retired Chief Inspector eighty years ago.
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“—— I thought you’d be a little later, Ms. Hayna.”
The old butler, with his hands clasped behind his back and a tone that always seemed to carry a hint of condescension towards Haina, said: "Young Master Ewart was attacked by a demon scholar the day before yesterday and remained unconscious until last night. However, he heard that the Inquisitors were coming to ask some questions, so he willingly gave up going to the Glass Stair Infirmary. He simply took some medicine and, with his frail body, waited by the fireplace for two hours, and I waited for two hours at the door as well."
“It’s nearly dark now, and if you delay any further, you might as well be late tomorrow. Since it's already tomorrow, I don't think this week of rest is so urgent. According to the Disciplinary Bureau's regulations, a case signed after accepting the appointment must have a result within a week – given Miss Haina’s excellent upbringing and graduating with full marks, she should be able to find that demon scholar smoothly.”
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"Since the criminal has already been apprehended, why make things difficult for poor Master Evans You'd best return home now, Mr. Kent. I will go explain things to him."
Kent is the chief of the White Queen District Inspection Bureau. Even if Hayna was promoted, Kent would still be three ranks higher than her.
If the old housekeeper's tone wasn't so cryptic, she would have bolted right now and tossed this mess onto her superiors. But the thing is, she's technically still a senior in college.
Though she's a big shot at school, she hasn't graduated yet.
She didn't have enough social experience to tell whether the old man was serious with his suggestion or if he was simply being sarcastic. But her intuition told her that if the old man hadn't intended to do this, she would have run away foolishly and probably brought disaster upon herself.
“…I’m so sorry.”
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Thus, Hayna could only lower her head and apologize first: “I will also apologize to Mr. Evans.”
>
No matter what, I had already made an appointment and yet I'm late without even saying anything beforehand... I definitely messed up.
She looked at the iron gate that stood between her and the old man, and her thoughts began to drift aimlessly.
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The black wrought iron gate, adorned only with understated thorn patterns...didn't look like the entrance to a prestigious household.
In fact, Professor Moriarty—that is, the foster father of this case's involved party, Ewart Moriarty—was indeed a low-key, calm, wise, and learned man. Professor Moriarty was also Hayna University's former teacher, responsible for subjects like astronomy, astrophysics, and advanced mathematics.
He inherited the Moriarty Group, owning three museums and even the only observatory in the White Queen District, which he funded. Despite his immense wealth, he quietly dedicated himself to academia at the university. He even funded numerous orphanages and adopted many orphans, making him a remarkable philanthropist.
When she left, the captain had specifically warned her that the Moriarty family wasn't just wealthy; they were also a founding family of statesmen with intelligent servants at their beck and call. Although Master James was a kind man, she still needed to be cautious.
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According to regulations, any direct participant involved in demonic incidents must be immediately shackled with a Discipline Lock and sent to the local Surveillance Bureau upon exiting life-threatening danger. They will only be returned to hospitals or sanatoriums after being cleared of guilt by the Law Lord's spiritual examination.
This is because the identities of the ritual master, participants, guides, and sacrificial offerings in a demonic ritual cannot be simply distinguished by the victim's status of being "injured or not".
Since the sacrificial offering survived, it indicates that the ritual was largely a failure—the offered sacrifice may not necessarily die, but is usually killed to silence them. Therefore, when there are injured individuals rather than fatalities, the wounded person might not be the sacrificial offering; there's a considerable possibility they are someone connected to the ritual itself.
But this rule has now become defunct.
Inspector Kent acted like a blind man, completely ignoring this readily available clue. Or perhaps it was the old housekeeper who took the initiative to contact Inspector Kent, scheduling today's meeting, that made him suddenly "remember" this matter. And when he arrived himself, the Oversight Bureau didn't even provide him with an accompanying legal counsel, only allowing a lone novice inspector, unaccompanied by griffons, armor, or sword, to come alone.
Such blatant protection...
Hayina felt that even if this matter was truly related to Evans, she probably wouldn't be able to take him away.
But also because of such a big commotion, she felt...perhaps this matter was truly related to the other party.
That's wonderful.
>
He was merely an adopted orphan from a commoner family. He only became such a prominent figure because of his good fortune and being favored by the professor, who adopted him. Now, he's someone even the Surveillance Bureau can't touch...
Haina stood at the door, lost in thought, a strange sourness filling her heart.
But just then, the iron gate slowly creaked open.
She raised her head in surprise, seeing that the old man's expression remained unchanged, yet she inexplicably felt as if his anger had lessened.
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The old sprite glanced at her silently, then turned and ambled back with his hands behind his back.
Hayina was stunned for a moment before realizing this was meant to help her keep up.
She hurriedly put the hat she was holding in her arms on her head and followed him. But just a few steps later, she remembered to go back and close the door. But when she turned around, she saw that the gate of the manor had closed by itself.
Not only that, but bright runes even lit up from within the otherwise unremarkable iron gate.
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The sun was slanting, the evening breeze had died down. Hayna felt a vague sense that something intangible was shrouding this area, altering the atmosphere of the manor.
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"I'm not trying to trouble you, Miss Hayna."
Mingming, the old sprite, was walking ahead of him, but the elder's voice, which had softened considerably, rang precisely in his ear: "But what has been promised to others must be kept. When an appointment is made, it should be kept at that time. Neither early nor late. Yes, perhaps the consequences of breaking rules in school are not so severe, but there are no Lion-Gryphon Knights patrolling the streets in school, nor lawyers armed with knights who check the tax accounts of companies on a regular basis - there's no inspector like you who can directly arrest suspicious individuals."
Everyone in this country values "rules and regulations." The Oversight Bureau, the Court of Law, and the Arbitration Hall protect not only the Queen's will but also the numerous rules established by the Parliament.
“This time I will forgive you, and I won't tell Mr. Kent about your mistake - I will say that you arrived on time, but after finding out about things, you stayed for two cups of tea and some snacks.”
“But that’s because Master Evans is kind-hearted. When you were an hour late, I had already decided to call the Inspectorate. It was Master Evans who stopped me. He said we should always give people a chance...No matter what reason they have, they should at least meet first before making any decisions.”
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The old sprite spoke slowly, and it took him a long time to reach the gate of the manor.
The next moment, his voice lowered slightly, but it was still clear as it rang in Hayna's ear: "Although Avalon doesn't have the so-called 'nobility' of other countries, the descendants of the founders are equally noble. Without the sacrifice of those twenty founders, everyone would die - even the queen must respect the descendants of the founders."
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"I sense your sincere apology, so I'll let this breach of our agreement slide. But perhaps you should reflect on whether you have offended someone or blocked someone's path... As I said, this is an inspection meeting that you don't need to attend."
Hearing this, Hayna suddenly froze.
At that moment, the elderly man at the door turned gracefully and bowed slightly to Hayna: "Please follow me, Miss Hayna. The young master has been waiting for you for a long time."
Only then did he put on the butler's mask to greet the guests.
The previous attitude seemed more like that of an instructor facing a disappointing student.
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...Hayna, whose brain was in a whirl, followed the old sprite into the living room.
The feel of soft carpet beneath her feet startled her, causing her to look up and wonder if she should remove her shoes—but the old sprite's calm demeanor left her unsure. So, with a nervous heart, she followed behind, feeling the sudden warmth of the hearth against the chill of winter.
It was then that she realized she had made an elderly man wait at the door for two hours in the winter evening.
With guilt and shame, she didn't know how to speak.
Even the suspicion toward Evans was diluted in this confession.
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And so she encountered the somewhat rakish Ewart Moriarty.
>
He was now sitting in his wheelchair, a blanket draped over his legs.
That pallid, weak face had no color. The youthful appearance, barely seventeen or eighteen, possessed a beauty entirely different from Professor Moriarty's.
He was clad in pure white fleece pajamas, looking as if he had just stepped out of the bath. His silken blond hair caught the warm glow of the hearth fire. He sat quietly and intently reading by the fire, his delicate features holding a gentle expression… reminding her of a poet, with the flames rising in their home fireplace.
That beautiful scene looked just like a painting. Haina unconsciously widened her eyes.
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But just then, the young man heard something and pushed his wheelchair to turn around nimbly.
It was only then that Hayna noticed he was sitting in a wheelchair.
>
Is this the price one pays for being attacked by demonologists
From some point on, she instinctively rejected the possibility that "the Devil's scholar was Evans."
The boy looked over, his deep blue eyes like the sea.
"Madam Hayna."
That was a clear voice that exuded an air of nobility, a melodious tone that matched her beauty.
Compared to that frail visage, his voice was more energetic and polite: "Nice to meet you."
"—— Excuse me, are you here to arrest me"
>ready tomorrow, I don't think this week of rest is so urgent. According to the Disciplinary Bureau's regulations, a case signed after accepting the appointment must have a result within a week – given...
