Chapter 373 Aiwass's Investigation
The news that Her Majesty the Queen fell into a coma quickly reached the Round Table Room.
Meetings in the Round Table Hall were suspended, and nearly all ministers remained at home. The Grand Guardian returned at the last minute, and the Eye of Avalon was activated 24/7, overlooking the entire Glass Island. The Glass Stairs newspaper also stopped publishing controversial news.
The storm is coming.
A strange solemnity and silence enveloped the entire Avalon.
At this extremely critical moment, no one dared to make any peeping moves.
This also gave Aiwass room to act.
At nine o'clock the next morning, Captain Camus, who still didn't know what had happened, arrived at Moriarty Manor on time.
Edward couldn't wait at home every day - he was a busy man to begin with, and now that it was a critical moment, he was even busier. So, only Aiwass was there to greet him.
Because this matter involved confidentiality, Aiwass did not want to cause trouble for Lily or create any unexpected changes. Therefore, he did not bring Lily with him this time.
This will cause Aiwass's shadow to fluctuate. If you pay close attention, you will notice that when Aiwass walks, his shadow will dance like flames.
After all, Aiwass's shadow affinity wasn't yet at level three, so he couldn't yet perfectly accommodate the Shadow Fiend. Normally, Lily kept it in his care. Now that the Shadow Fiend had grown stronger through pastoral care, its presence had become even stronger. Even Captain Camus had noticed Aiwass's shadow.
He hesitated to speak.
But after seeing Aiwass's serious expression, he tactfully swallowed back the doubts that had not yet been expressed.
——Now he was in such a big trouble, but he couldn't find Sherlock to help him. If he didn't handle it well, he would be completely ruined.
It wasn't just his career... because this matter directly implicated Aiwass Moriarty, the future head of the founding family and a minister trusted by the future queen. This incident would likely only undermine his power, but would not affect his already established position as Minister without Portfolio. In other words, he had essentially caused such a young minister to be controlled by someone else.
Young ministers like Aiwass have even greater deterrent power than other senior ministers.
Because he's so young—he hasn't even graduated from school, let alone worked in government before. And if a young person like that gets carried away...no one knows what he'll do. He'll certainly not be careful with his power, because it came so easily to him, so naturally, he won't cherish it.
I'm not afraid of experienced people, I'm afraid of young and inexperienced people.
One of the reasons he turned to Edward for help was because Edward was his old classmate. They had both studied at Milton University in their youth, and Edward later went to the Royal Law University to continue his studies, while Captain Camus, who had become a "hunter" who adapted to the path, chose to join the army.
A more important reason is that Edward is Edward's brother.
If Edward were to investigate this matter, and if nothing came of it, perhaps Aiwass would show some mercy when he retaliated against him...
……perhaps.
And now, Aiwass, the person involved, is willing to take over the investigation personally, and Captain Camus is even more impatient - it is better for them to investigate together but not find the problem than to report the news to him directly and honestly "Sorry, we messed up."
Although the problem has not been solved, at least the negative impact has been effectively reduced!
In this situation, let alone the suspicion that Aiwass had contacted "Miss Aleister" herself, even if she were brought along to investigate the matter, Captain Camus would turn a blind eye!
But he didn't understand that Aiwass didn't really want to find out why the letter was lost. He came here just to make a statement - this incident directly involved him, and it would be strange if he did nothing.
In other words, Aiwass came here deliberately to expose that "Shadow Fiend was following him".
The situation today is completely different from the past.
Before, Aiwas had to carefully hide his identity as a demonologist and not reveal it in the slightest.
And now, the top leaders of the three countries, Star Antimony, Iris, and even the Round Table Hall of Avalon, have gone through untold hardships and finally wrote a perfect story chain, turning Miss Aleister into a real person... Wouldn't it be a loss for Aiwass if he doesn't make good use of it?
-Don't ask. If you ask, it means Miss Aleister is watching me. If you ask again, it means I'm being threatened and controlled.
Just tell me whether it's miserable or not and that's it.
This is a top-tier agent of the Star People. I'm just a weak, pitiful, and helpless little priest of the second level. What's wrong with being coerced by her? Isn't it unreasonable?
Aiwass followed Captain Camus all the way to his mansion.
His house was not far from Moriarty Manor, and it only took a short carriage ride to get there.
Captain Camus's house is a three-story building, but it's a bit of a stretch to call it a villa.
There was no garden or backyard, just a small building, even smaller than 14 Ronin Street. Next door was someone else's house.
He lived in Legal Square, also known as "Hanging Square" in the local community. The specific location is at the intersection of White Queen District and Lloyd's District, with "Prince Lloyd's Avenue" connecting the two areas in the transition area.
People living here feel awkward in a sense, because people in White Queens don't think Legal Square is in White Queens, and people in Lloyd's don't think this is Lloyd's.
For the former, the most expensive housing here is less than half the price of White Queens. Besides, opening the door and window every day to see a row of fresh or half-rotten corpses hanging not far away is too scary.
Other places have terms like mountain view rooms, lake view rooms, sea view rooms, etc. - but here they are called "crime view rooms".
It sounds very annoying.
For the latter, this large, white-brick, white-walled, single-family house was clearly the style of White Queens. It was clearly not on the same level as the working class in Lloyd's. First, those who lived here had some money, but they were likely not serious knights, unable to employ numerous butlers and servants, resulting in a relatively small household. It was also far from the nearest Overseer's Office and not on the Griffin patrol route.
It is for these reasons that houses in Legal Square are vulnerable to burglary.
However, although the location here is not good, the interior decoration is quite good.
As Aiwass entered, he saw a woman in a yellow dress. She looked to be in her early thirties, with fair skin, a tall figure, and a good temperament. However, her appearance was relatively ordinary. She had slightly high cheekbones, small eyes, and a large mouth.
She looked well-mannered—she bowed politely to Aiwass. She wasn't overly nervous or nervous, and she didn't complain about Aiwass's youth. She had clearly known Aiwass would be coming.
"This is my wife."
Captain Camus introduced himself somewhat awkwardly, "There aren't many people in my family. Besides my wife, there's only Mrs. Harry. She's our maid, cook, and housekeeper."
"And Mrs. Harry?"
Aiwass asked.
"She asked for leave a week ago. She said she was going back to her hometown to attend her son's wedding."
Captain Camus replied.
"Are you sure she wasn't on Glass Island when it happened?" Aiwass asked.
Although he wasn't really here to investigate, Aiwass felt he couldn't go too far. So he continued to ask questions according to procedure.
"Yes, I am sure. Minister Moriarty."
The captain confirmed: "We sent a telegram to her hometown, and she responded quickly. In short, we can be sure that Mrs. Harry herself was definitely at her hometown at that time - and even now.
"Mrs. Harry has taken care of our family for many years. In order not to cause her any trouble, I specifically asked her to come back later..."
"I think you should let her come back sooner, Captain."
Aiwass said calmly.
"...Do you doubt her?"
"No."
Aiwass shook his head. "But since she has worked in your family for a long time, it would be much easier for me to ask her for information than to ask you two. After all, you are a navy man, and your wife—"
“She’s a teacher.”
Captain Camus quickly replied, "A middle school teacher."
Aiwass nodded. "Yes, a teacher. I think she is definitely not at home most of the time. If anyone comes to visit, Mrs. Harry will definitely know. So she must come back."
"Then I'll call her back immediately!"
Camus answered without hesitation.
He adjusted the brim of his hat and hurried out.
"Don't be so flustered."
Aiwass reached out and grabbed him, warning him gently, "And I haven't finished asking.
"—Since Mrs. Harry asked for leave a week ago, were you and your wife the only ones at home when the incident happened?"
"No, I was the only one home at the time."
Captain Camus explained for his wife: "She just came back last night. I saw her after I came back from your house."
"—Let me tell you, my dear. It is this, the Honorable Minister Moriarty."
Mrs. Camus explained nervously, "Our school recently had an activity...we're taking the children on a trip to Bagpipe Town. You're a pastor, so you should know about this..."
"A church school?"
Aiwass asked back.
"right."
Mrs. Camus nodded.
She added: "We came back together on a bus... There were children and some parents on the bus."
Aiwass suddenly asked: "Do you know Vivian?"
Mrs. Camus was stunned for a moment, then confirmed, "Vivian Mathers?"
"Yes. Do you know who the parent was who went with her?"
"It must be her mother."
Mrs. Camus said uncertainly, "But it could be her sister. She looks quite young. She also looks like a priest... maybe a bishop. Because I saw that our teacher Ino respected her very much - she is a teacher of general theology, a real 'priest'."
When Aiwass heard this, he knew that she must have indeed gone to Bagpipe Town.
Because the one who accompanied Vivian on the trip to Bagpipe Town was Maya Mathers, the prayer lecturer at Aiwass.
There's no way to fake this. Just ask Maya to confirm.
Ms. Maya was a bishop, which meant she was at least at the third level, and very likely even at the fourth level. For such a powerful person, it was impossible for Mrs. Camus to slip away alone under her nose.
Seeing Aiwass nod, Captain Camus assumed there were no further questions, so he took Aiwass up to the second floor.
"When I came back that day,"
Camus took Aiwass to the second floor and went to the study where the incident happened.
Compared to Old James's study, Captain Camus's was much smaller. It was only about six square meters. A two-meter-long desk, a reclining chair, and two bookshelves took up most of the space. The light was good, though, thanks to the closed glass windows.
Of the two bookshelves, one was filled with various documents and files. The other was empty, with books occupying less than half of the space. The remaining space was filled with various miscellaneous items.
Aiwass even saw a plate of snacks. The pastries on the plate had not been touched and had completely dried up, but they had not been thrown away - it must be winter, otherwise they would have attracted insects.
Captain Camus obviously noticed this.
He explained somewhat awkwardly, "This is the snack I brought with me when I entered the study three days ago... I just put the letters and other things on the table, and then went out to make tea and get snacks. After all, Mrs. Harry was not at home, and there was no one else at home, so I had to do it myself.
"In the short time it took me to make tea and find some snacks, half an hour—maybe even less—I returned to the study to find that everything on the table had been cleared out. I was shocked, so I just put the snacks here."
Captain Camus smiled bitterly. "After that, I was so anxious to find something to eat that I had no appetite for snacks. When my wife came back, I wanted to protect the scene, so I didn't let her clean up. I just kept the study door closed."
"You haven't left home, have you?" Aiwass confirmed.
"No, I was in the kitchen on the first floor when I was preparing tea. I can see the stairs from there, and I'm a third-level 'Hunter' with very sharp perception. I can be sure that no one has gone up the stairs or opened the door during this period... unless they are assassins or other professions above the fourth level." said the captain.
"Wait, the table is cleared?"
Aiwass noticed a detail: "Isn't that the only letter missing? What else is there?"
"Yes, everything on the table is gone."
The captain confirmed, "The letter is in my suitcase. It's a leather briefcase, and it contains a number of confidential documents. Also in the suitcase are my ID and service pistol, and on the table are my wallet and jewelry. But compared to 'that thing', none of that is important anymore."
"...You took the confidential documents home?"
Aiwass raised his eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, those things shouldn't be taken out of the office, right?"
"yes……"
Camus also knew that he had made a big mistake, so he whispered: "This is the rule. But we are usually used to taking the documents home to process them, so that we can leave work a few hours earlier.
"According to regulations, when handling documents in the Navy Department office, we must also wear light armor, carry our rifles and swords, and sit upright. And after completing work each day, all documents must be sealed in a designated safe. That means we have to work until 6 pm every day, which will affect our meals...
"So we usually take the documents home and work on them in our own study. That way we can leave work early at 3 p.m., do some work before lunch, and some more work after lunch. The next morning, we bring the documents back and seal them in the safe.
"Because everyone does it, it's become a habit."
"And the letter? Why didn't you put it in the safe with you, instead of bringing it back?"
Aiwass asked coldly, "This shouldn't require your approval."
Captain Camus opened his mouth, then sighed and admitted, "Because I needed to make a copy of the document... That's how I know the contents of the letter, Minister."
"Who asked you to make a copy?" Aiwass grasped the key point.
"Adjutant-General of the Admiralty, Chief Secretary to the Lord Admiral. His Excellency Shelton."
The captain replied, "His request is reasonable. The original letter needs to be handed over to the Arbitration Court to prevent it from being lost, and also to compare intelligence and prevent the content from being secretly replaced. Therefore, a copy is needed for archival purposes."
"Did you copy it?"
"Not yet."
The captain said with a bitter face: "I had just arrived home and hadn't even opened the box..."
"so……"
Aiwass thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you used any rituals? A quest ritual or something like that?"
"No," Captain Camus affirmed, "because it's a matter of great importance. I haven't told anyone yet—and any failed divination or ritual might destroy the clues, so I intend to leave the initial scene to Mr. Sherlock."
Aiwass chuckled when he heard this.
What the Captain means is that if your investigation results in Sherlock being unable to find anything, then it is not my problem.
but……
"It doesn't matter."
Aiwass's mouth corners slightly raised: "Let me try."
Today's two-in-one chapter, 5,000 words!
I'm a little tired recently, so I'll take a short break, meow!
I'm not so tired that I need to ask for leave, so I won't ask for leave for now. I'll just post a transition chapter with fewer words~
Also, thanks to the three leaders that Zeze fed!
Remember to vote at the end of the month, otherwise it will expire~
(End of this chapter)
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