When the plot-skips players into the game world

At dusk, the Hall of Silver and Tin.

This was supposed to be a time for a banquet, yet the highest-ranking individuals in Avalon were gathered in the tea room, engaged in a serious discussion.

Aside from the Great Justice Arius, everyone else was assembled here.

"The investigation results from the earlier scene have come in."

The Guardian looked at the report in his hand and said solemnly, "Shadow traces have been confirmed... it was indeed a Shadow Demon."

"However, the door to the sealed room has not been opened. And inside the sealed room, remnants of the Path of Love were detected. Arius and I personally went to check, and the type is Flesh Magic."

"—That means shape-shifting, Witchcraft. It's reasonable for a Shadow Demon to infiltrate, but for a witch to do the same... If I'm not mistaken, their entry and exit must have been through the ventilation ducts."

Speaking was a young woman who appeared to be just over thirty years old.

With pale golden curls, deep blue pupils, fair skin, a curvaceous figure, and slightly pointed ears, her visage imparted an aura of nobility and chill.

She was Shafiya, the Grand Adjudicator of Avalon's current era and the highest-ranking leader of the Supervisory Court, also a Half-Elf.

Because of her half-elf heritage, Shafiya appeared younger than her actual age. In reality, she was significantly older than the Guardian.

Even in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, her posture was not very dignified.

She was lounging with one leg crossed over the other, leaning back on the soft sofa and said languidly, "I was right before, wasn't I? Having the ventilation duct inside the sealed room is certainly unsafe.

"Even if the criminal is sealed and cannot escape, you can't rule out someone entering through the ventilation ducts—furthermore, it's possible to simply introduce poison gas to silence them, right?"

"A remodel is indeed necessary."

Queen Sofia nodded in agreement, admitting, "The old dungeon chambers are too ancient. I suspect the layout might be already compromised... You can have Isabel work on building a new secret prison. This isn't something that can be finished in a few months, so I'll leave it to you."

After saying this, she clinked her glass against that of Meg's.

In her glass was red wine, while Meg's cup was at least three times larger—filled with bitter black beer.

Meg gulped down half the cup in one go and let out a contented belch.

The eldest-looking old woman pinched a piece of fried cod dipped in sauce and asked casually while chewing, "Not drinking, Shafiya? This Sichuan pepper beer is quite fresh."

"No, I'm pregnant."

The Grand Adjudicator declined, "Let's talk about it after the baby is born."

"Pregnant again? But just giving birth isn't enough."

Meg laughed heartily, "Do you plan to get the child drunk on milk?"

"Tch," the half-elf lady clicked her tongue and said displeasedly, "Nag."

"Alright, alright, I'll wait until you're done with nursing. We can celebrate together then."

Meg said cheerfully, "Provided that Sofia and I aren't dead by then."
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"Then you'd better live longer, don't drink too much... take it easy."

The Grand Adjudicator glanced at the two old ladies who were still drinking despite their numbered days, "I still want to find a good godmother for my child."

Compared to the three with a casual atmosphere on this side, the Guardian looked overly serious.

But he was clearly accustomed to this relaxed environment.

Thus, he completely ignored the other two women, simply awaiting for their conversation to pause before continuing on his own, "The traces of Flesh Magic were found shortly before the Supervisory Bureau was attacked. We can suspect that someone reached an agreement with Minister Drost and then dispatched members of the Noble Red Society who had been waiting in the wings.

"I even suspect that one of the reasons the prince was cursed to death was to create an opportunity to save Minister Drost."

"When it comes to the Path of Love, that's Iris Flower."

Shafiya still made a slight concession to Mr. Guardian, allowing him not to drone on by himself, "But rescuing a captive spy isn't the style of the Irisflower People."

"Indeed. If it was the Irisflower People, they would have just sent an assassin to kill him... just like his secretary."

Meg also nodded, "Then it must be the Star Antimony—where did they find a 'witch'?"

"That's not surprising. The Path of Love is under great pressure within Iris Flower. On one hand, they face assassination from the assassins, and on the other hand, their corpses might be stolen after death to be transformed into a Son of the Moon. It's only natural for witches under persecution to flee to Star Antimony."

The Guardian spoke seriously, "But if that's the case... I believe Miss Aleister, codenamed 'Aleister', is very likely innocent."

A Demon possessed by a Shadow Demon, innocent?

The tea room fell into a brief silence.

Afterward, Her Majesty the Queen kindly asked, "You have an idea, don't you?"

"Yes. In the Lohar Society 'disappearance' case, we learned about the existence of Aleister. But shortly thereafter, we found out that Inspector Gordon's information was inaccurate—Aleister was not male, and his place of origin was different from what Gordon had said. So, I wonder, might he also possibly not be a member of Noble Red?

"We preconceived the notion that Aleister was from Noble Red. So after he left that ring behind, we considered it a provocation from Noble Red—they have the ability to dissolve people silently in a sealed room.

"And to verify this hypothesis, I placed Minister Drost in the same sealed room."

The Guardian spoke in a deep voice.

Shafiya retorted, "So what? Didn't she come as well?"

"But the Noble Red came too. If the goal was to rescue Drost, there would've been no need to send Aleister to assassinate, because that could only be a mission from Star Antimony. Even if the rescue failed, they wouldn't personally kill him; on the other hand, if their aim was to assassinate Drost, there was also no need to send so many people for the rescue.

"It is from this point that I judged Miss Aleister is not a member of the Noble Red—in fact, it's likely she's opposing them. The ring she left behind was meant to direct our attention towards the Noble Red."

The Guardian analyzed calmly.

Meg grew interested, "Then how did she get the ring? Are you suggesting she killed a member of the Noble Red and took his ring to take his place?"

"No need for such trouble."

The Guardian replied.

He looked toward Shafiya, "I did some checking and found that Chief Inspector Edward had altered the case files before. During the Pelican Bar incident, a 'Noble Red' ring that was supposed to have been found on the scene was missing. Only Inspector Hayna and Aiwass had been at that scene."

"Do you suspect Hayna or Aiwass?"

Meg furrowed her brows, her tone turning slightly unhappy, "We need to speak with evidence."

The Guardian immediately explained, "What I meant is... I suspect that the true identity of 'Miss Aleister' is actually Lily, the personal maid of Aiwass.

"Her original surname is Lily Drost. I've been investigating her background these past few days and found that she is the illegitimate daughter of Drost, and her mother was assassinated by someone from the Lohar Society—very likely an assassin hired by Drost himself.

"In other words, she coincidentally has grievances against both the Lohar Society and Minister Drost. I also checked the Codex Book she took from the Supervisory Bureau; that book is 'The Spider's Silk Continuations', from the Path of Adaptation. And 'Miss Aleister', she appeared right after the assassin with the ability of Shadow Stealth from the Iris Flower suddenly vanished... This assassin was clearly a Transcendent of the Path of Adaptation.

"Is there a possibility that the assassin tried to assassinate Aiwass in secret but was instead killed by Aiwass and Lily? Subsequently, Lily obtained the powers of Darkness from her—such as a Codex Book or an Extraordinary Item.

"This would explain why 'Miss Aleister' appeared in Aiwass's dorm room. Because Aleister is Lily."

The Guardian analyzed earnestly.

Meg looked impatient, "So are you planning to arrest Lily? Don't forget, there's another possibility—that Aleister is the assassin! Isn't it possible that she fell for Aiwass's charm, abandoned her mission, and chose to serve him instead?"

"For that Aiwass would have to be a Snare Fiend or a Succubus, humans can't do such things. That's the realm of mental control."

The Guardian commented, "Besides, I saw more direct evidence... When I left the Supervisory Bureau, I clearly saw Lily's shadow trembling. Though slight, it was certainly there. When they stayed at my place, sometimes Lily's shadow would also tremble.

"Not to mention, she disappeared for a while... and when she returned, Minister Drost in the basement was dead. She's hardly hidden her identity at all. And when Aleister first appeared, she just happened to be near the Supervisory Bureau.

"—Of course, I'm not trying to arrest Miss Lily. Because if Aleister truly is Lily, then it also means she hasn't committed any evil and is completely controllable.

"So, is there a possibility..."

Here, the blond man crossed his arms and spoke in a resonant voice, "If her character is unproblematic, could we possibly employ 'Miss Aleister' as our special agent in the name of the royal family?

"It is always Star Antimony and Iris Flower people digging into our ranks... It's time we dug into theirs."

"Interesting."

Upon hearing this, Meg laughed out loud, cheerfully saying, "Then let me do it—let me have a good talk with those two, master and servant."

"When?"

Shafiya asked.

"It's too late today; let's make it tomorrow. Tomorrow is Monday, and he has to come back to school. I'll find him in his dormitory after school.

"As the head of the academic department, it's perfectly reasonable for me to have a heart-to-heart with my student, isn't it?"

"Then you might as well protect Aiwass while you're at it, Meg. Don't rush off in the evening, stay hidden and protect Aiwass."

Queen Sofia pondered for a moment and issued an order, "I feel that the Noble Red are obsessed with Aiwass in some way. This could be related to Aiwass's origins... They may still strike again. A place where they can surely lie in wait for Aiwass, without attracting the attention of others, would be his dormitory building."

"Shall I go too?"

The Guardian was somewhat worried, "This time they might send real powerhouses."

"What, you underestimate me?"

Meg glared at him.

Frightened, the Guardian hastily apologized, "No, that's not what I meant..."

"I won't go; I'm pregnant," said Shafiya with a yawn, feeling somewhat regretful, "Otherwise, I too would've liked to join in the fun."

"How about calling Arios?"

"The old man might not be free," replied Meg, "Master Yanis with her spying ability would be more useful."

"Alright."

The Queen nodded in approval, "Then I'll go talk to Yanis."