Chapter 458: Serial Traps
When Aiwass was immersed in sadness and anger, he suddenly heard a knock on the study door.
An old, elf-like voice came from the study doorway, "Master Aiwass, a guest wants to see you."
That voice was so familiar to Aiwass...but now it seemed a little strange because he hadn't heard it for a long time.
That was Oswald, the elf butler who had taken care of Aiwass since he was a child.
Ever since he went to the Theocracy to track down Old James, he has never returned to Avalon.
When Oswald left, Aiwass was still a frail young man whose life was threatened by a second-level demonologist and who had to use a wheelchair to travel. He was also very worried that Aiwass would be ambushed by the Noble Red.
Now, Aiwass was second only to Avalon's most powerful official... He had even completely dismantled the entire Noble Red. Even the Noble Red's leader had been killed and destroyed by Aiwass himself.
At this moment, Aiwass missed Oswald a little.
He wiped his face with a towel, sniffed his nose, and cleared his throat. His eyes were still a little red, but his spirit had stabilized again.
Aiwass opened the study door and nodded politely: "Mr. Oswald."
The person who appeared before him was the old butler who was as skinny as a wolf.
At nearly two meters tall, he was actually quite short by pureblood elf standards, but to a human, he looked like a lanky ghost, full of oppression.
Oswald's hands were clasped behind his back, his face furrowed with wrinkles as deep as the bark of a tree. Even at this age, his back showed no sign of stoop. It was as straight and unyielding as his pride.
His wolf-like eyes immediately looked into Aiwas's eyes.
The old butler easily realized that Aiwass had just cried.
But he didn't ask about it. Instead, he looked away very calmly, as if he didn't see anything.
He bowed slightly to Aiwass, then walked slowly towards the door with his hands behind his back.
Aiwass, dressed in a red bishop's robe, clasped his hands together and followed behind the old elf. His eyes subconsciously scanned the house... Naturally, the gentle and silent figure was missing.
——Lily is no longer here.
The moment he realized this, Aiwass bit the air lightly. As if he was slowly chewing something, the muscles in his cheeks bulged and then flattened in an instant.
When he walked into the living room, Aiwas saw another familiar figure.
Gray pupils, deep eye sockets, thin cheeks and high cheekbones. Add to that the neatly combed back gray hair that is already mostly bald...
That was James, the adoptive father whom I hadn't seen for a long time.
For some reason, he didn't attend the luncheon at the Temple of Silver and Tin... but he didn't eat lunch at home either. Instead, he wore glasses with two silver chains and sat leisurely in the living room, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.
"Please wait here. I will bring the guest over."
Oswald gestured back.
Aiwass nodded politely and said, "Yes, Mr. Oswald."
Seeing Aiwass come out and sit across from him, James raised his head and gently joked, "Why, did you find the book you wanted? Can Dad go back to the study?"
This polite old gentleman was not wearing formal attire at the moment, but simply a brown woolen vest and a white shirt underneath.
Although old James gave the impression of a gentle, elegant, and thin scholar, he now had clear muscle marks on his body—at least his shoulders could fill out his shirt firmly. He sat calmly on the sofa, giving people a sense of stability and solidity.
Looking at his adoptive father whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Aiwass was subconsciously stunned.
A complex and nostalgic look flowed in his eyes, but he quickly dispelled it and smiled calmly: "I've found it, Father."
This is how Aiwass and old James get along.
James Sr. would call himself "Dad" in front of his children, but in reality, only Julia would call him "Dad". Aiwass and Edward would use the more formal grammar to call him "Father".
This does not mean that the relationship between father and son is too distant, but just that they cater to each other and run towards each other - old James hopes that his children can be closer to him, and both Aiwass and Edward hope that they can stand on their own as soon as possible and become reliable and trustworthy adults.
If someone else played "I", he wouldn't be able to get past the two hurdles of Oswald and his father.
This thought suddenly popped up in Aiwas' mind.
Because Aiwass and Yulia were both very sensible. Although Oswald was only their butler, they would respectfully address each other as "Mr. Oswald" and in most cases, address each other with the formality of "you".
If Oswald and Old James mistakenly called the wrong person, their identities would be instantly suspected. Once they discovered that "this Aiwass was an ascendant and they were in a dream," Aiwass would be eliminated and killed immediately. Even after being eliminated, the others would hear sarcastic laughter.
Aiwass couldn't help but feel scared.
At this time, Oswald invited the guests over from the reception room.
Aiwass noticed this detail.
According to Oswald's habit, Aiwass should be led to the reception room where the guests were accommodated... just like when Haina came early the next morning.
But he specifically let Aiwass sit opposite old James...
This is obvious.
Oswald did not want Aiwas to meet the guest alone, so he hoped that old James could be present when the two talked. He had two possible motives: one was loyalty to old James, and the other was concern for Aiwas.
When the guest appeared in front of Aiwass, Aiwass was immediately convinced that it must be the latter possibility.
Because Aiwass also knew the visitor.
He was an elf butler who looked about twenty years younger than Oswald, with a square, serious face and considerably thicker hair. If Oswald was a man in his seventies or eighties, this man looked more like a leader who hadn't yet retired.
——He is the guardian elf of the Droste family.
"...Mr. Diomedes."
Aiwass stood up and nodded slightly.
The elf called Diomedes also bowed slightly and drew a triangle on his chest with his right hand: "May the candlelight protect you, Bishop Moriarty."
"You came to see me suddenly, is there something wrong?"
Aiwass asked politely.
Diomedes simply kept smiling and replied smoothly, "The master of the family wants to invite you to the Temple of Silver and Tin... Your mentor, Bishop Mathers, is unable to come due to some matters, but such a grand occasion still requires a bishop of high status to witness it.
"I believe that in all of Avalon, apart from Bishop Mathers, there is no bishop more pious and holy than you. I beg you to do me the honor of accompanying me."
Hearing Diomedes' words, Aiwass raised his eyebrows slightly.
He understood immediately.
Either Sherlock, who was captured alive, had eaten the Word Spirit and betrayed him, or the letter he sent to Isabel was intercepted. Or perhaps it was both.
The Hermes family is not a founding family, and Sherlock in this world line must not have reconciled with his family. Therefore, his disappearance would not alarm anyone.
However, if Aiwass, who had learned the truth, was left out in the open, it would likely cause unnecessary changes to Minister Droste's conspiracy. Therefore, Minister Droste sent Diomedes to "invite Aiwass" over.
If Aiwass refused to go out and do nothing, then with Oswald's protection, he would definitely be safe - at least he could survive safely until the end of the ceremony.
Those fifth-level transcendents from Star Antimony were clearly unwilling to directly attack the Founder family for Droste's benefit... After all, whether Droste's conspiracy was exposed or not had nothing to do with Star Antimony's plans. It was simply a matter of whether Droste would suffer misfortune.
Therefore, Droste could only rely on his own strength to solve this matter. He might not dare to kill Aiwass, or he might dare to kill him... But no matter what, he had to at least control Aiwass first to prevent him from going out to mobilize others.
If Aiwass had not analyzed this level, but naively believed that "following Diomedes out would trigger the plot"... then he would have been locked up directly at the beginning, or even killed in the chaos.
This is undoubtedly another deadly trap.
These two consecutive displays of power immediately startled Aiwas and made him extremely alert.
Aiwass smiled and declined, "I won't go. After all, I'm just a young man. There are many people more qualified than me. If I go, people will just say I'm not serious."
But Diomedes shook his head and said firmly, "Only you can do it. The master specifically instructed that it would be a great pity if you were absent from this banquet..."
"—If he doesn't want to go, then he won't go."
At this moment, James, who was reading a newspaper, said calmly: "If he wants to go, I can't stop him. But if he doesn't want to go, you can't drag him away."
He put the newspaper down, and his gray eyes stared at Diomedes: "Do you understand what I mean, Diomedes?"
"As you wish, Professor Moriarty."
Instead of continuing to try to take Aiwas away, Diomedes immediately gave up his plan without hesitation and bowed politely to James.
He didn't look unwilling at all, and even seemed relieved.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and Aiwass looked extremely familiar.
——Lily once told him that Diomedes also felt "relieved" when he was forced to give up the assassination of Lily.
(End of this chapter)
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