Chapter 99: Spider Silk Sequel
Haina's words scared Aiwass.
Hearing her sad tone, Aiwass thought that Sherlock had died prematurely due to the butterfly effect... But when he asked again, he found out that Sherlock was just injured.
But Haina didn't know the details either - it was Sherlock who called her to tell her. Because Sherlock had previously investigated the Sweater Brotherhood, she had already mentioned the alchemical bomb to Sherlock after reading the newspaper.
However, Sherlock did not answer her doubts. He just said that he was still alive, but she had to keep it secret, and then hung up the phone.
Aiwass didn't quite understand her explanation, so his first reaction was to call Edward to confirm.
"—Yes, I know about it. Yesterday afternoon, to be exact."
In the Inspectorate's office not far from the Royal Law University, Chief Inspector Edward Moriarty held a phone in one hand and signed his name on a piece of paper with the other. "The attack on us happened at about the same time. It's probably the Noble Red Society."
"...Mr. Sherlock was also attacked by a higher-level demon?" Aiwass was a little surprised.
So how did Sherlock survive?
"Not really—you go give it to Deputy Assad and tell him to do as I say."
Edward covered the microphone slightly in the middle of his speech and handed the signed slip to the person in front of him.
After the sound of the door closing was heard, Edward continued to speak to Aiwass:
"…Hermes was attacked by a bomb. The apartment he rented was blown up from the outside."
"Bomb? Is Mr. Sherlock okay?"
Aiwass was a little worried: "How much bombs are there?"
"There were enough of them, basically surrounding his apartment. But the person who installed the bombs was clearly an amateur. He knew nothing about explosives, and most of the power of the bombs was wasted, and they even collided with each other. Although the house eventually collapsed, thanks to the help of Bishop Mathers, Hermes is still alive."
Edward spoke slowly, then suddenly covered the microphone and spoke loudly, then quickly lowered his voice and said a few more words, then switched back: "Yes, I'm here, please come in - his injuries are not serious and he is still recuperating - Hello, Ms. Olga. Minister Mir mentioned your husband to me this morning, and we are discussing his sentencing and punishment standards..."
"...Are you busy now?"
Aiwass realized that the timing of his call was inappropriate: "Why don't we talk about it when we get home?"
"No, there are two more sentences left. This is very important."
Edward lowered his voice: "Anyway, remember not to go to his house."
"Why?"
"Because the public information in his family is that he is dead—well, thank you for understanding, ma'am—anyway, if you want to find him, go to the Bishop's house. Oswald knows the exact address."
After saying that, Edward hung up the phone.
He certainly seems to be busy there. Sounds like he's dealing with a knight whose property was confiscated by the Inspectorate.
Perhaps because there were outsiders present, Edward's words became vague. But fortunately, Aiwass could understand him... the important information had been given.
The "bishop" Edward was referring to was probably Bishop Mathers, whose address Oswald, the butler, knew.
The Hermes family should be cooperating with Sherlock's plan to go fishing. If Aiwass goes there, he might reveal his flaws.
—Then I won't cause any trouble. Respect Sherlock's plan.
Aiwass thought.
He confirmed with Haina again: "Who did you tell that Sherlock was still alive?"
"I only told you and Chief Kent."
Haina realized that the problem was serious: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, just don't tell anyone else."
Aiwass said in a deep voice: "Mr. Sherlock is planning to fake his own death. There is a high probability that the murderer's identity is questionable - it may be one of his relatives."
Haina nodded repeatedly, indicating that she understood.
It just so happened that Aiwass had been planning to go to Madam Mina's Fortune Telling Shop tomorrow. Now that Sherlock seemed to be hiding there, he could go and ask for details.
Haina felt a little uneasy and ended up not reading more than a few pages of the book.
After Aiwas finished his class in the afternoon, she sent Lily and Aiwas home as she had said before, and then took Lily to the Supervisory Bureau.
After Haina left at noon, Lily secretly asked Aiwass what kind of tantra book she should choose at that time.
Aiwass said at the time: "If possible, I hope you will choose the tantra book that suits your path. I have prepared a gift for you. But it is best if you choose the one that resonates most strongly with you."
"In that case, I think the most suitable one for me should be the tantra that adapts to the path." Lily answered without hesitation.
Lily obviously attached great importance to the opportunity that Aiwass helped her get.
She was originally a maid without a surname. Because she was an illegitimate child, she wasn't even allowed to go to school. But thanks to Aiwass's efforts, she even had the opportunity to attend the Royal Law University... for free, with good food and good housing.
Furthermore, Aiwass never beat or scolded her. Even when not in front of others, he was always kind and gentle to her, as if she were not a maid but his friend.
——Lily also knew that there was actually nothing wrong with Aiwass’s legs and feet.
Because on the night that Raff's secretary was poisoned, Aiwass went home and wanted to take a bath. Lily wanted to help him take a bath, just like at home - but Aiwass just smiled and refused her.
Lily originally thought that Aiwass was just being stubborn, so she stood by him the whole time out of concern, watching him finish washing without blinking.
It turned out that Aiwass could actually stand up!
She had heard from Mr. James before that there was something in Aiwass's shadow. But that day, she saw for the first time what kind of monster was sealed in Aiwass's shadow...
So when Aiwass pulled the assassin out from her shadow, she wasn't surprised at all. She was completely calm throughout the whole process.
She was just feeling lost for another reason—that Aiwass didn't actually need her to take care of him. His life wasn't as inconvenient as others imagined. She was just there to help Aiwass act... or rather, because Aiwass wanted her to go to college, he used the excuse that he needed someone to take care of him.
Lily was very keen in grasping Aiwass's true intentions.
——Since her purpose is to act, she must concentrate on acting well.
Lily stayed up all night, meticulously refining her role. She considered the situations she would be in, the questions she might be asked, and how she would respond to appear convincing. Because she had so many lies prepared beforehand, she felt less panicked when the time came.
Although Lily felt that she had no talent for either the Path of Devotion or the Path of Authority, she was also working hard to learn, hoping to repay Aiwass's kindness one day.
Aiwass probably saw that she lacked talent and interest in these two paths, so he was willing to waste an important reward to help her choose the most suitable tantra book and walk her own path.
A legally adapted transcendent in the Kingdom of Avalon—Lily, who reads a lot, certainly understands what this means.
Because of this, she didn't want to disappoint Aiwass even more.
Since Aiwass wished to follow the path of adaptation, the tantra that best suited him must also be on the path of adaptation. Even if she had to change her essence and personality, she would surely choose the book Aiwass desired. She appeared gentle and quiet, but in reality, she possessed a personality as fluid and unpredictable as water... That intellectual and soft appearance was simply a fabrication for the sake of pleasing others.
With this thought in mind... the book that Lily finally chose was indeed the secret book that adapted to the path.
It was a grey tantric book.
It was about two fingers thick, almost the thickest among the generally thin tantric books. Yet, its weight was almost non-existent, and holding the book felt like supporting a thin spider web. It felt as if it would take off in the next moment and vanish in the next.
"The more it's in the hands of someone who appreciates it, the lighter it becomes. When you're not looking at it, remember to hold it down with something heavy. Lead is best, but steel is also fine."
Director Kent, with his bronze skin, black eye patch, and scars running across his face, looked like a one-eyed pirate. He warned, "Otherwise, it might disappear one rainy day, like a moth that suddenly appears and disappears in your home."
On the way back, even with Haina's escort, Lily still held the book carefully the whole time.
Only after bringing him back to Moriarty Manor did Lily finally breathe a sigh of relief and put her mind at ease.
She held the book in her arms and knocked on Aiwas's door. There was no response and no light from inside—Aiwas wasn't in his room; he must have gone to play with Yulia.
So Lily took the book back to her room and crawled into her bed, because only inside the quilt could she feel the greatest sense of security.
At this moment, she solemnly opened the book.
The title of the book is "Spider's Silk Sequel", which fits the first impression of the book.
After opening this book.
Waves of grayish-white, soft, light, dusty, rustling whispers gradually penetrated into Lily's brain through her eyes, her skin, her mouth, nose, and her ears.
The voice called itself "we." It spoke not in any language, but rather a fleeting illusion, like the fragile imagination that arises spontaneously in the mind when staring at a blank wall, ready to disappear at any moment.
"—We are the snake's hair, the cat's steps, the moth's cage, the centipede's noose."
That illusory voice has a secret name: "Spider Silk," born from the creation of the "Gray Sky Master," while its true name remains a secret. This book tells the sixty-seven secrets of Spider Silk.
As Lily read more and more attentively, gray spider silk gathered around her in the bottom of her pupils.
Just like a silkworm spinning a cocoon, the spider silk gradually surrounded the girl who was curled up in a ball concentrating on reading, and finally formed a huge, quiet gray cocoon silently on the bed.
(End of this chapter)
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