"Not a lady…"
Haina whispered, "I haven't actually graduated yet."
And this was just a question… but before she could finish, Aiwass gently interrupted her:
"To be able to enter the Supervisory Bureau before officially graduating… I understand. Miss Haina, are you studying at the Royal Law University?"
Aiwass's accent was standard and clean, without the Elven language that the capital's residents prided themselves on as a symbol of nobility. But this actually made Haina, who came from a small place to study, feel more favorably towards him.
So she nodded in response: "Ah, yes."
She said, puffing out her chest proudly, "I was the former student council president, and also the head female student of the fourth year. As an outstanding graduate, I obtained employment permission from the Supervisory Bureau a year in advance. Although my sword hasn't been issued yet, my name is already with the Supervisory Bureau."
"Then, in that case, you could even be considered my senior," Aiwass clasped his hands together, resting them on his knees.
He leaned back, relaxed, and said unhurriedly, "I'm actually also a student at the Royal Law University. A freshman this year."
"…Really?" Haina was a little surprised. "But I haven't seen you…"
"Because I'm not well. Before I even enrolled, I fell seriously ill. For that, I was bedridden at home, resting for three months."
Aiwass's somewhat pale complexion made his words full of conviction.
He's not an easy child… "I understand. You are indeed innocent… I will report to the director when I return."
Haina nodded repeatedly, feeling pity. Her previous slight jealousy towards Aiwass also dissipated because of this.
She felt ashamed for it. As an Inspector of the Supervisory Bureau, she was half a knight. She had forgotten the tenets of humility and compassion taught by her mentor… Jealousy is truly ugly.
"Then, senior," Aiwass suddenly spoke, "Did you see what was in the fireplace?"
"Something burning…" Haina turned her head, not very sure, and said, "I can't quite make it out. It doesn't seem to be firewood."
"That's a diary," Aiwass said gently. "Perhaps it's evidence of my collusion with a Demon Scholar. Just like this book in my hand."
As he spoke, he closed the book in his hand and threw it into the fire.
Haina was suddenly startled at his words.
She instinctively stepped forward, reaching out to grab it. Without any guard, she managed to intercept the book in mid-air, reacting after the fact.
She frowned tightly and looked down. She found that the book was called Eighty Selections from the Poetry Collection of Psydell.
Haina, of course, recognized this book, because it was the textbook used for the freshman Elven language course.
She flipped through it uneasily, confirming that it was not evidence of any collusion with a Demon Scholar at all. There were even many key points and difficult sections marked with different colored pens inside.
"Just kidding." Aiwass's lips curved slightly. "I am the victim of the incident, senior. This is what you just said… Why did you become suspicious again when I just casually mentioned it? Do you have so little confidence in me?"
Haina suddenly realized that this seemingly gentle and elegant young man seemed to have some hidden mischievousness.
"This is a very serious matter, no joking allowed." She sternly lectured him, as if in school. "Demon Scholars often use living people as material for sacrifices, and to silence them, they will kill the offerings after the sacrifice. That is absolute evil; even without any enmity, they will kill people as materials, which is outrageous! How can such a thing be joked about?"
As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something, and her gaze sharpened: "Speaking of which… if you were an offering, how did you survive?"
"They sacrificed me to summon powerful demons, but they didn't expect the demons to be more drawn to me. So I, in turn, commanded the demons to kill them all."
The young man said with a smile, his words becoming increasingly outrageous: "In fact, the Moriarty family is actually full of evil, and my father, Professor James Moriarty, is a Demon Scholar with a dream of destroying the world. And I am not his adopted son, but a demon summoned by him from another world. I can completely destroy the Kingdom of Avalon within a year."
Haina listened, dumbfounded, for more than half of it before realizing that Aiwass was just talking nonsense.
"…What nonsense are you talking about?!"
She yelled in exasperation, at least half of which was due to her shame that she had actually believed Aiwass's strange words for a moment.
This young man, who looked as gentle and beautiful as a poet, was as cunning as a fox, full of lies from heaven and earth!
She was furious, but she didn't dare speak loudly in front of the old butler, which resulted in her face turning red: "Confess honestly—why exactly were you present at the demon ritual? Someone anonymously reported that you went to Stone Arch Park on your own and were not coerced."
"Everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, just take me to the Supervisory Bureau." Aiwass shrugged, as if genuinely regretful.
But Haina knew that this was simply impossible—with the Supervisory Bureau clearly showing a tendency to protect him, she couldn't arrest Aiwass without evidence. If she really took Aiwass, who was still in a wheelchair, away now, she would probably be the one in trouble.
Then, Aiwass slowly put away his foxy smile.
He showed a serious expression and said earnestly: "That's how it is. But since you, senior, know that what I said was all nonsense, why do you believe the anonymous report? What's the difference between what I said and that report?"
"…So, what's the truth?"
"I can give you another version of the story—I was attacked and taken to Stone Arch Park while out for a walk, and when I woke up, I was in a wheelchair. I have no idea what happened in between, nor do I know that I was used as an offering and sacrificed to a demon, nor do I know how they were driven away or how I survived… But this version of the story is too smooth, without any flaws. It's like a Law Master's defense in court. If I just say it, you might become even more suspicious."
Aiwass sighed, appearing helpless and innocent again. He said, "So, which one do you believe?"
…If you exclude the emotional part and judge rationally, the latter seems more reasonable.
Haina immediately realized that she had misunderstood Aiwass again.
Because Aiwass was too weak. Haina could feel that he was probably a Transcendent, but his reaction was very faint. At most, he had only lit up the Zero Layer of his Path.
Even if he did summon a demon, at most it would be the strength of a familiar, impossible to cause that scale of destruction—moreover, the confirmed deceased at the ritual site was indeed a wanted criminal who had been at large in the capital. That person had once sacrificed a small village and was now a Third Level Demon Scholar, capable of even summoning an Upper Demon… Could it be that after he summoned a demon, the contract failed and he was devoured by the demon?
It wasn't impossible.
In that case, with the death of the summoner, the demon would be banished. Aiwass was merely severely weakened by the ritual and then picked up by the old butler. Logically speaking, this possibility was much greater… But why would Aiwass tell her such an absurd lie?
Soon, Haina realized—
She came up with a very reasonable explanation: because her attitude changed too easily. She hadn't even carefully questioned him before declaring Aiwass innocent. And Aiwass, as a truly innocent person, was instead angered by this hasty attitude and therefore deliberately said some strange things to satirize her tendency to be prejudiced and credulous.
So that's it.
That's why the director wasn't very concerned about this matter… because he knew that Aiwass couldn't be the culprit and probably didn't know any important information, so investigating would just be a waste of effort.
Then everything made sense.
Another case occurred yesterday—to perform large rituals like summoning demons, Demon Scholars usually need to work in pairs. And in most cases, paired Demon Scholars are in a master-apprentice relationship.
If the Demon Scholar who was the mentor was devoured by the summoned demon, then it would be reasonable for the apprentice to escape and act alone. If Aiwass was his assistant or apprentice, then who committed yesterday's case? If Aiwass controlled a demon to kill one person, would he let the other go?
…Hmph, what nonsense am I talking about. An Upper Demon is not that easy to control by such a novice.
"I'm sorry, I was prejudiced." Haina thought of this and apologized directly. "I'm also very sorry about the previous breach of agreement. If you still plan to return to school, I can ask my juniors to make things easier for you. This isn't compensation; it's just an expression of apology. If there's anything else I need to do, please feel free to ask."
"Anything?" Aiwass seemed somewhat tempted.
"…Disclaimer, I have no money." Haina's face showed a somewhat bitter expression, and she added helplessly, "Aside from monetary compensation—if needed, I can do some volunteer work."
"It's alright, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up."
Aiwass smiled gently: "I actually also felt uneasy. After all, if senior went back and someone mentioned something, and she became suspicious again and came back to investigate, that would be very troublesome for both of us. Not to mention, if she were late again… Now, senior, why don't you guess why I know about demons? Although I didn't come into contact with anything and was unconscious the whole time, why could I guess that this matter was related to a Demon Scholar the moment we met?"
"…I think this is the legendary deductive method! Just like that famous Mr. Sherlock!"
Haina's eyes lit up: "I remember that Mr. Sherlock was also the professor's favorite student. He seemed to be good at discerning details about others through this fortune-telling-like method! I've collected newspaper clippings of all the cases he solved—I cut out the parts of those newspapers that mentioned Mr. Sherlock and pasted them into a book. Now this book is already one-third full…"
The more she spoke, the more she felt her logic flow smoothly. Feeling that she had met a like-minded person, she suddenly felt enlightened, and many doubts were immediately resolved. Her mind seemed to clear in an instant.
Watching Haina fall into excitement, talking non-stop, Aiwass sat in his wheelchair and narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a harmless smile.
If Haina hadn't been so careless and had observed carefully, she would have noticed that the shadow beneath the Old Elf, who was quietly guarding nearby, was motionless. But the shadow cast by Aiwass's wheelchair was trembling slightly, like a beast breathing steadily in its sleep.
You 'deduced' all of this yourself; I didn't tell many lies.
When it comes to deduction, if you determine the conclusion first and then look for evidence, you will definitely be led astray. It seems you're not qualified enough yet.
—Yes, Aiwass was indeed an offering.
But at the same time, "Aiwass" was also a participant in the demon ritual. What he said before was not a lie.
If he hadn't suddenly recalled memories from his previous life, he might indeed have been a "Transcendent demon" summoned in the ritual, with Aiwass's soul as the offering.
Because along with those past life memories, an incredibly familiar light screen appeared before his eyes:
Aiwass, Human Male, Overall Level 4
Basic Class—
* Priest LV1: [Basic Prayer - Level 1 (93%)]
* Demon Scholar LV3: [Demon Scholar - Level 1 (13%)], [Basic Ritual - Level 1 (5%)], [Demon Contract - Level 1 (99%)]
Path Lit: Dedication - Zero Layer; [Transcendence - First Level]
Mana Pool: 1/1 (Light), 3/3 (Dark)
Free Experience: 24
Path Trait—
* Transcendence - Shadow Affinity LV1: You have signed a life-bound contract with a shadow demon, allowing you to freely use First Level shadow abilities.