Chapter 480: Three-person Confrontation
After Aiwass put Sherlock on the bed, he lowered his voice and looked back at Isabel: "He is asleep and can't hear anything."
——That is a mysterious skill from the Path of Dusk, the art of "Turtle Breathing".
It allows one to adjust all of their bodily parameters to a sleep state while maintaining a keen sense of the outside world. It's not a high-level skill, and can be forcibly performed by relying on the mage's mimicry abilities.
Isabel had no idea this skill existed.
But she understood what Aiwass meant - that is, he was not asleep, he was just pretending to be asleep.
So what am I going to play?
Isabel looked at Aiwass with a probing look and lowered her voice as well: "What should I do? And... Mr. Hermes was injured so badly, how long will it take for him to recover?"
"Four or five days at most, but I hope to have him cured today or tomorrow."
Aiwass glanced at Isabel and answered quickly.
——It is not ruled out that he can survive until the end of the ceremony, but it is also possible to kill him within a day.
"However, before the treatment, I have something to say to you..."
Then, Aiwass bowed respectfully to Isabel and said, "Your Highness... No, now I should call you Her Majesty the Queen of Avalon. Let's have a frank conversation."
Isabel's heart moved, and her tone became colder: "Why, what's the matter?"
Following Aiwass's facial expressions and movements, Isabel's tone instantly became tougher due to her impromptu performance.
She knew what role Aiwass wanted her to play.
"I'm just a little confused...or rather, I just had an idea."
Aiwass sat on the edge of the bed, looked up at Isabel, and said softly, "Isn't the Star Antimony people's conspiracy a little too smooth?"
"……What do you mean?"
"—Xingti's plan is to replace you with a puppet. Assassinate Queen Sofia and then replace the real Princess Isabel with a puppet princess...
"I've previously investigated this conspiracy with the great detective Hermes. He reported it to Queen Sophia, and I wrote to you, but both sides were blocked. But now I'm wondering, have my letters ever really been blocked?"
Aiwass looked at Isabel with a burning gaze. "I'm wondering, could there be another possibility? Is the 'bound Isabel' that Ms. Shafiya mentioned actually the real Isabel?"
"—You mean, I'm the puppet?"
Isabel sneered coldly: "Why do you think so?"
"Of course, there's another possibility. That 'Bound Isabel' is indeed a doll, but you, who have always lived in the Palace of Silver and Tin, may no longer be the original Princess. She's just a low-level doll with 'ball joints,' while you're a newer, more technologically advanced doll."
Aiwas said seriously: "After all, according to my understanding...Princess Isabel is a weak and naive little girl who has never received any monarchical education.
"Don't you think—when Avalon is undergoing great changes, you are too calm?"
That's true.
The consultant lying on the bed thought silently in his heart.
The current Isabel is very different from the timid little girl in the introduction scene - that girl looked even shyer than Aurora, but the current Isabel looks more aggressive than Her Majesty the Queen.
“…So that’s the reason.”
Isabel's face showed boredom.
She glanced at Aiwass and said calmly, "I know what you're thinking. I went to the banquet with my grandmother, but was persecuted and forced to leave. Now a new 'fake Isabel' has appeared. If I return, everyone will think I'm the real Isabel. No one will consider whether there were two fake Isabels acting from the beginning... You're very smart to think of that."
"So? Isabelle... 'Your Majesty'?"
Aiwass's eyes were firm, and his tone was calm but with a hint of sarcasm: "Can you give me a clear answer?"
Hearing this, the consultant immediately pricked up his ears.
"……snort."
Isabel sighed, her tone revealing loneliness and self-mockery: "Do you know the royal curse, Mr. Bishop?"
"I've heard of it."
"Each heir gradually died, leaving only me. But it's not that my grandmother didn't understand the curse... She just didn't know whether it was the work of the Star Antimony people or the Iris people.
"But she knew that in the end, there would be only one person left in Avalon. So from the very beginning, she placed her last hope on me.
"Ever since I can remember, I've been playing the role of 'Isabel' in everyone's mind, always maintaining a weak and disrespectful attitude. Only in this way can I survive. Obviously, the curse caster and the assassin ignored me... I survived until the end."
“…I see.”
Aiwass murmured.
Isabel sneered, "Why, you believe me so easily? Don't you even ask why there has to be one person left?"
"No need," Aiwass said solemnly, "because I know the ritual."
"……What?"
Isabel was genuinely surprised.
—Should I tell the “advisor” about the Shadow of Avalon Ritual as well?
Her mind was a little behind Aiwass's thoughts, but her body followed the rhythm without hesitation: "You mean, Merlin, that..."
"National Defense Ritual: Shadow of Avalon. This miraculous ritual, pioneered by the great sage Merlin, can be triggered when only one Du Lac remains from the same era. Resurrect the sixth-level ancestor, Lancelot I, and slay all invaders within the territory."
"...Who told you about this ritual?" Isabel's tone was low and dangerous.
"Of course it's Her Majesty Queen Sophia, otherwise I would never dare to mention this to you."
Ai Hua said frankly: "I have mentioned to her many times that allowing the curse master to act like this will only put Avalon into a desperate situation. Until recently, she told me about this ritual.
"—And you entrusted me with your care, Princess."
Every word he spoke was the truth, and therefore seemed incredibly sincere. "So when she suddenly announced her engagement to the Star Antimony people, I immediately sensed something was amiss. It was more like she was desperately seeking my help because she couldn't speak... Now it seems Her Majesty has indeed noticed something was wrong."
"Since Your Highness is aware of the existence of the Shadow of Avalon, you are definitely not a puppet. I apologize for my previous speculation. It was just a joke, please do not take it seriously. If you wish to punish me, I will accept your punishment after everything is settled."
--I see.
The consultant thought that the ambiguous relationship between Aiwass and Her Majesty Isabel was born from this time.
He had always felt that if both of them were so strong, there was no reason for them to become so close. He had no idea when they started dating, but suddenly it felt like they were getting married.
Now thinking about it, I'm afraid it was just an act - their relationship was actually very tense, but they appeared harmonious and intimate when performing it for outsiders.
In reality, they are just a power couple who check and balance each other.
The "Miss Aleister" was probably not trying to steal a man, but was protecting Aiwass.
That's right!
"...But from another perspective, I actually wish you were a puppet now."
Aiwass sighed and said bluntly: "I never knew that beneath your appearance, you could hide such toughness... even..."
"Cold-blooded and heartless, right?" Isabel raised her eyebrows. "What are you afraid of? Why don't you dare to say it?"
"...Yes. When we first met, I always thought that 'Princess Isabel' would be a weak girl whom I would protect."
"What a joke. If I were so naive, I'd probably be dead long ago. If you look closely, you'll see I never eat with strangers—because there's no one I can completely trust."
Isabel's lips curled up slightly, revealing a charming yet emotionless cold smile: "Why, are you disappointed now?"
She stepped forward and lifted Aiwass's chin with a finger. "Or... are you so fond of fragile little girls? Can a true queen not touch the bishop's devoted heart?"
Her voice was slow and measured, like the tone of Minister without Portfolio Edwards at a Round Table meeting.
She leaned close to Aiwas's ear and whispered, "Or do you want me to prove to the Bishop... that this warm body is not a doll?"
“…I don’t dare.”
"I think you're quite brave."
Isabel sneered: "Let's not talk about that for now - heal Mr. Hermes's injuries, we are ready to leave."
After hearing this, the consultant was finally able to confirm... that the information from the "secret room" was indeed correct.
During this promotion ceremony, he did collect very important secret information that could never be obtained through normal channels.
The real Isabel was indeed very strong, but she was just exceptionally good at disguising herself. This was true of the extraordinary beings on the Path of Beauty. While some were completely inept at acting, others were exceptionally skilled.
But at the same time, there are some problems with the intelligence——
Because they greatly underestimated Isabel's strength and danger!
A woman who has been disguising herself and acting crazy since she was old enough to understand, now that she finally stops disguising and shows her fangs, what kind of crazy actions will she do?
——A dangerous idea even came to the consultant’s mind.
Could it be that Emma's loss of control was caused by Queen Isabelle's deliberate instigation?
She just hoped that Emma would lose control and attack her, so as to gain the support of the Church!
Come to think of it, if Emma really wanted to kill Isabel, how could she survive?
Queen Isabel was barely twenty years old. How high could her level as a Transcendent be? If Emma truly wanted to attack Isabel, did she have to choose a time when she had Ligeia as her guard?
Just thinking about it made the consultant feel cold all over.
All of this is Isabel's conspiracy!
Even in this world line, Xingti's conspiracy to assassinate Queen Sophia and replace the fake princess to attack Avalon... may fail.
——Because of the "Shadow of Avalon" ceremony!
If their army actually arrived at Glass Island, I'm afraid this ritual would be triggered immediately.
At this moment, Aiwass asked, "We do need to leave. That Fire Demon is too dangerous... but where should we go?"
"Take me to the Theocracy."
"Leave Avalon? Aren't we going to launch the Shadow of Avalon Ritual?" Aiwass asked back.
“…It depends.”
Isabel paused.
——Is Aiwass trying to activate the Shadow of Avalon?
There was a flicker of worry in her eyes.
But her tone was firm enough: "If that ritual is truly necessary, we must first report to the Theocracy. Right now, we are considered victims and can receive support and assistance from the Theocracy. However, if we initiate the ritual first, that might not be the case."
The consultant was shocked—it’s true!
The people of Avalon are so cunning, this is indeed a trap!
We must avoid Avalon! We must not provoke this crazy woman again!
I'm afraid there will be new traps waiting for us later -
Update completed!
(End of this chapter)
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