Chapter 490 Yes, I love him

"Isabelle... do you like Aiwass?"

Shafiya asked seriously.

For the first time, Shafiya did not address Isabel as Her Highness.

Because at this moment, she regarded Isabel as her junior...even as her own child.

Isabel also keenly sensed this.

She gently closed her eyes, touched her chest, closed her eyes and whispered, "Yes."

The past flowed through Isabel's heart, and just thinking about it made her feel warm.

"When did it start?"

Shafiya asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Isabel paused slightly and opened her eyes wide.

……yes.

Come to think of it, when did I start liking Aiwass?

Was it when he freed himself from the succubus's control? Was it when he helped himself through the death of his grandmother?

Is it because he helped her solve the death curse that had plagued the royal family for more than a decade?

Or was it because he changed his personality and helped me make friends...

...No, neither.

Isabel remembered the magic painting she had drawn for Aiwass.

She had already fallen in love with him long before all this happened. But she herself hadn't realized it at that time...

——Now that I think about it, the first time I remembered this name so deeply and could never forget it was... at the very beginning.

It was the very first promotion ceremony... when no one thought they could pass it safely, and even Teacher Janice just wanted to give herself a chance to experience failure.

But he praised himself from the bottom of his heart, saying "thanks to you" and "great."

Without hesitation, he said earnestly, "I will save Avalon and the world from danger."

When she said, "You don't have to save me," he refused without hesitation.

He saved himself and Sherlock. Then, holding a knife, he died quietly outside.

——Just because if I die in the house, "Lulu will be scared."

Maybe it was at that moment.

Isabel felt a strong "temperature".

Like someone about to freeze to death in the cold wind, she was now basking in the warm sunshine. She was almost on the verge of tears.

She was so greedy for that warmth, but she was completely unaware of it because she subconsciously chose to avoid it. It was not until much later that she understood her own heart.

Although she said things like "You don't have to save me" and "I'd rather die", she just hoped that someone would come and save her.

Her heart was crying out, "Who can save me?" and "Who can stay with me?"

But after not receiving a response for a long time, these voices can only echo helplessly in my heart.

——Until she met Aiwass.

I'm so obsessed with the warmth of the sun... Once I've touched it, I can never let it go. It's the most poisonous and addictive thing in the world.

hope.

If she had never had hope, she could have endured it all. But if she had felt that confidence, strength, gentleness, and scorching heat, she would never be able to return to that cold wind.

"From the very beginning."

Isabel opened her eyes and answered firmly, "I just fell in love with him."

Not because of what he did for himself, nor because of how handsome and outstanding he was.

Because from the very beginning, his soul attracted himself to him - for no reason.

There may be many people who are right for him, but there is only one person who is right for him. Only Aiwass can redeem his soul.

"...Do you know what love is?"

Upon hearing this, Shafiya couldn't help but laugh: "You are still so young...you have never been exposed to anything."

The moment she heard this, Isabel spoke without hesitation the words that Aiwass had said only once, but which she had memorized deeply: "Two different hearts, two souls that have not yet overlapped, are like two finely crafted gems. When they overlap, point them at the sunlight, and rotate slightly, they can reflect a thousand different colors on the wall..."

This was something Isabel would never dare say in front of Aiwass.

But now, in front of Shafiya—in front of this simulated Shafiya—she could speak her mind without hesitation: "When two people shine on each other, their light shines brighter than the stars in the sky. I think this is love."

"Yes, I love him."

“…I see.”

Shafiya looked at her and nodded with some emotion: "That's right... Love is harder to hide than the crime of murder, just like the midday sun shining in the darkness.

"—I will help you, Your Highness Isabel. After I send you to the Theocracy, I will go back to him."

"We've been away for so long, will he be in danger?"

"Your Highness, it's only been two days—"

Shafiya explained helplessly: "The main force is on our side... We have defeated so many enemies among us, how many of them can go to Glass Island?"

Two days... They didn't take the griffin, but just arrived at the port and chose to take the ferry... The enemy's main force is gathered here... Aiwass is still on Glass Island and has not taken any action...

Isabel heard the key words she was looking for. Her identity wasn't exposed at all, and she gained even more information.

So she said goodbye to Shafiya, sat back on the bed and started thinking seriously.

In that case, two days should have passed now, and it is the third night and the fourth morning.

So much had happened, yet I hadn't been exposed at all. This meant the ritual was probably still functioning normally, and they had simply lost control for a brief moment. If I had been the only one who had lost control, and Aiwass had still retained his sanity, he would surely have left me some sort of back-up plan to help explain it.

Thinking back to the dream I had...

I'm afraid it's not that I have lost my memory, but something went wrong with the promotion ceremony.

As a transcendent on the path of beauty, Isabel trusts her intuition very much.

……broken.

Isabel's heart skipped a beat.

She agreed with Aiwass to arrive at the Theocracy at dusk the next day, and Aiwass would complete the Shadow of Avalon Ritual before then.

If everyone had skipped the two days in between... then half a day had already passed since the scheduled ceremony. Did Aiwass actually perform the Shadow of Avalon ceremony?

Now they had no communication at all. Not only was there no way to make a phone call on the ship, but she also had no idea where Aiwass was.

Although he was accompanied by Sherlock...

But that Sherlock is the enemy!

Just as Isabel fell into a slight panic, she suddenly heard a sharp and hysterical laugh.

——The identity of someone who has been promoted has been discovered by the “natives”!

Isabel realized this immediately.

But based on this, she quickly thought of another point.

Could this person be Sherlock?

No, that's impossible.

The consultant seemed quite astute. If everyone had skipped the two intervening days, he might have been flustered at first, but he would have regained his composure quickly.

Given his personality, he probably wouldn't betray Aiwass if he were with him. He's a rather stern and proud man, and with the priest "Bishop Moriarty," he'd probably become a protector, because he couldn't allow himself to stand behind a healer.

Considering this point, Aiwass would not kill him immediately.

Isabel's brain raced, quickly analyzing everyone's personality.

She wasn't very clear about logic, but she could see through everyone's true nature. Her main task this time was to complete the trials of "acting."

From this point of view, she can completely put herself in everyone's shoes and think about what the other person should do.

——What if I were Aiwass?

This thought suddenly popped up in Isabel's mind.

If I were Aiwass, what would I do?

She suddenly felt an unusual excitement—not even based on life and death or crisis, but based on "understanding" and "love."

Now she didn't know where Aiwas was standing, and Aiwas didn't know the information on her side.

They couldn't contact each other, but Isabel had to ensure that she arrived at the Theocracy as soon as possible after Aiwass began the Shadow of Avalon ritual - fast but not slow. If she was fast, Aiwass wouldn't complete the ritual; but if she was slow, Aiwass's life might be in danger.

Given Isabel's personality, she would definitely go to the Theocracy as soon as possible. But since Aiwass wanted to complete the ritual, she would choose to support him.

She must know Aiwass well enough to guess his every move from a distance; similarly, Aiwass must know her well enough to realize that she can receive the information he conveys.

——Now comes the question.

Did she really know Aiwass well enough?

In this situation, was she able to guess Aiwass's every move?

"If I were Aiwass..."

Isabel's vision gradually became clear: "I will kill 'Sherlock' when the ceremony begins.

"Because he must have realized that we lack the means to connect with each other. The only ones who can overcome the numerous obstacles are 'Death Knell' and 'Mockery'. So he won't kill Sherlock in advance."

——But what if someone dies along the way and disrupts the information?

This thought came to Isabel's mind.

"If I were Aiwass... I would kill Sherlock the moment I realized someone had died. Since there's no fighting to the death during the Full Moon Ritual, it wouldn't make sense for two people to die in a row. If I hear a signal like that, I'll know he's not ready..."

She was thinking seriously in her heart, feeling nervous and expectant.

Waiting for the answer on the day of the lottery.

And the other side.

Hearing the laughter, Aiwas felt a slight movement in his heart while talking to Sherlock.

"...There was laughter. Now we had enough people, only six left. Now everyone just needed to complete their tasks, there was no need to fight each other anymore.

"Even though I can't contact Isabel...if she hears that taunt, she might realize something."

Aiwas believes that Isabel today is completely different from the little princess she was when they first met.

She is not a burden, but a reliable teammate.

With absolutely no communication and plans completely scrapped—how could two people achieve perfect communication?

Aiwass looked at Sherlock played by the "consultant" and his heart moved.

"Once I have prepared the ritual of the Shadow of Avalon... perhaps I can provide information by killing the advisor."

If she realized that this death was completely unnecessary and abrupt, she would probably understand that this was the information I wanted to convey to her.

——But what if someone dies along the way?

Aiwass cautiously thought of another scenario.

Then kill the consultant in advance and alert Isabel -

If that happens, the two funeral bells ringing at the same time will indicate "the next day", and the time can be changed to dusk!

Could she have thought of this?

The ritual of Shadow of Avalon was incredibly dangerous... If I didn't handle it properly, I might die. Without my teammates' support, it would be like bungee jumping without the safety rope, tantamount to suicide.

Do you really want to gamble that Isabel can understand your intentions?

——No, it’s not a gamble.

A deep red flame gradually ignited in the depths of Aiwas's eyes.

It’s understanding…and trust.

Aiwass knew that Isabelle was adept at perceiving the true nature of others and understanding their inner selves. This was a characteristic of the path of beauty, and as a versatile person, she excelled at it.

If it were you...

You can guess what I'm thinking right now, Isabel.

Aiwass thought to himself.

"If I were Aiwass..."

Isabel closed her eyes slightly, and the confidence in her heart gradually became sufficient.

"—I will believe Isabel."

She said in her heart.

Update completed!

(End of this chapter)