Chapter 148 Oswald's Departure
"...How did you do that?"
After checking Yulia's condition and confirming that she had indeed recovered and the phantom demon within her body had vanished, Oswald half-knelt before her and exclaimed in a low voice, "This is simply a miracle."
"I think everyone has his own little secrets, right?"
Aiwass chuckled from behind Oswald as he sat in his wheelchair.
Oswald has lived in the human world for at least five hundred years, so it would be difficult for Aiwass to deceive him.
It's better to just say "I don't want to tell you." The message is still the same, and it's actually friendlier.
Surprisingly, Oswald was quite satisfied with Aiwass's answer.
The old elf stood up and put his hands behind his back. A somewhat stiff but genuine smile appeared on his face, as old as an ancient tree.
It looks like a wolf with its mouth open.
"Of course, Master Aiwass. Everyone is allowed to have their secrets."
Oswald nodded slightly and sighed, "You've grown up, which is good. If the master were still alive, he would probably be very happy too."
"What on earth did father do?"
Aiwass asked seriously: "He has been missing for so long. I also heard some..."
"Not a good word, is it?"
The old elf continued.
Aiwass nodded. "I heard that my father might be in danger. But he didn't leave any contact information when he left, so I can't confirm whether this is true..."
Yulia, who was holding her stuffed animal "Mr. Dad" nearby, tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Danger?"
Oswald sighed softly.
He avoided answering the question and instead said to Aiwass: "You can take Miss Yulia to school now.
"I think this is something you have been looking forward to for a long time."
"Indeed..."
Yulia replied softly.
But she asked with some concern: "What happened?"
The girl was very perceptive and intelligent. Even though she lacked relevant life experience, she could still realize what the old butler Oswald was worried about just by being familiar with her family.
"Because I'm going on a long trip, miss. Avalon might be a bit chaotic at this time, so it would be safer for you to stay in the dormitory."
Oswald explained patiently.
"Are you going on a long journey too?"
Aiwass raised an eyebrow, then quickly realized what he was about to do: "Are you going to find your father?"
"That's right."
Oswald answered honestly: "In fact, I received the news of the master's death from official channels. But I don't believe it - I firmly believe that he is not dead."
"Do you have any way to contact each other?" Aiwass asked.
"That's about right," Oswald nodded. "As the guardian of the Moriarty family, I can sense the approximate location of each Moriarty at any time. If I'm close enough, I can confirm their status."
So, he used this ability when analyzing Yulia's body just now.
Aiwass suddenly realized.
Oswald obviously didn't have much medical skills, nor could he offer his healing abilities. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Aiwass's turn to treat Yulia.
But the old housekeeper only touched Yulia's forehead lightly and felt that the phantom demon in her body had indeed been eradicated.
This was probably the reason why Oswald was able to find Aiwass in time when he was taken to the alley for sacrifice.
"I sensed that the master's position was constantly moving. Although it was very slow, he basically never stopped for too long."
Oswald said in a deep voice, "Although it's also possible that the body is being transported... but there's even a chance it could be turned back. So I'm wondering, could it be that the master has been imprisoned and is being transported? Or is it that the professor chose to fake his death in order to expose certain people and secretly investigate something?
"But in any case, I believe the master is in danger right now. He is very likely to need my help."
Having said that, Oswald looked at Yulia and said, "But at the same time, I must protect you. This is also my duty.
"Master Edward no longer needs care. The Royal Law University is the territory of the Great Arbitrator, and it is home to the descendants of two-thirds of the knight families. Many arbitrators patrol the nights. Therefore, Master Aiwass, you don't need to worry.
"But Miss Yulia... as a Phantom Demon Egg, she had to hide her identity. Therefore, she couldn't go to school with you. She could only use illness as an excuse to stay indoors every day."
Having said that, Oswald looked at Yulia.
She sat aside, holding the doll, her eyes wide open. Her eyes seemed to be shining with excitement and anticipation.
As she wished.
Oswald declared, "If I stay home, I can indeed protect Miss Yulia, because Miss Yulia has nowhere to go. I am the only one who can protect her.
"But now that Miss Yulia is no longer a Phantom Egg and can go elsewhere, I must now fulfill another of my duties—I am very sorry, Miss."
"That's all right, Mr. Oswald."
Yulia said seriously: "I also want to go to school with my brother!"
Aiwass thought of something else and asked, "Who knows that Yulia is the Phantom Demon Egg?"
"Even though Master has been purchasing Hypnos Decoction, no one has definitive evidence to prove that Miss Yulia is a demon egg. So you can claim that she simply had a strange illness that necessitated the use of Hypnos Decoction, and that she has now recovered under Bishop Mathers's care."
Oswald patiently taught Aiwass how to speak, even though he didn't need to teach him. "If anyone asks why Miss Yulia hasn't been to school, you can say she's a loner and doesn't want to see anyone. That way, your secret won't be exposed."
"I'll pretend to be a loner!"
Yulia raised one hand and said seriously, "I will never reveal my brother's secret!"
Aiwass stroked his chin.
In other words, the fact that Yulia was most likely the Phantom Demon Egg was widely known to the upper echelons of the kingdom's social circles. However, due to Professor Moriarty's connections, they chose to remain silent on the matter.
...Strange, am I overlooking something?
Aiwass always felt that there was something out of place here.
If his adoptive father had adopted him and Yulia because he had no biological children and needed an adopted son to inherit the family business...
As a phantom egg, Julia theoretically wouldn't live long. Why did Professor Moriarty adopt her?
However, Oswald's temporary departure... can be said to have both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that it will be easier to lure out those people from Lloyd's. Aiwass's fake death plan will also become more powerful.
But in this case, Aiwass needs to find a stronger protector for Yulia. It is difficult for Edward to protect Yulia alone, and it is even difficult to take care of her daily life.
Unlike Aiwass, Lily was able to accompany Aiwass to school because of Aiwass's special physical condition. This was specially approved by Her Royal Highness the Princess.
However, Yulia obviously could not bring her personal maid with her. Her maid had to stay at Moriarty Manor.
When Aiwass and Lily were both there, Lily could help take care of Yulia. But when Aiwass faked his death, Lily would have to fake his death with Aiwass - which meant that Yulia would become a human.
Even though the school's security level is good enough, Aiwass is still worried about her.
At this moment, the shadow of another person emerged in Aiwas's mind.
Princess Isabelle.
She should help with this.
"So when do you plan to leave?"
Aiwass asked Oswald.
The old butler replied: "If possible, the sooner the better."
"Then Yulia, please come with us. In that case, we have to prepare to return to school now."
Aiwass nodded and turned to explain to Yulia, "There's no railway in the middle of the Red and White Queens area, so Lily pushed me there directly before... Luckily, it's not very far, so it takes about two hours to walk. We found a place to rest along the way, and it took about three hours to get there..."
"On that point," added Oswald, "we can be spared the trouble.
"The wheelchair you're in was slightly deformed by the attack. It's been repaired, but it still looks a bit unrefined. So, using your physique information, I had an elven craftsman I know custom-make a new one. It's more comfortable and functional, with a miniature pistol hidden inside for protection and a built-in candlestick emblem for casting divine spells.
"I've put it in the Inspectorate now. You can take a bus directly to the Inspectorate, and have Lily pick up the wheelchair and take you back to school. When you go home later, you can take a bus directly back. There's a spare wheelchair at home."
"…Thank you so much for the trouble."
Aiwass said apologetically, "But actually, my body is recovering well. I will probably be back to health in another two weeks to a month."
The final exams will be in half a month, which is also the second promotion ceremony for Aiwas's path of dedication.
Before that, Aiwass had to solve the problem of Lloyd's so that Sherlock could be freed from his suspended animation.
After the promotion, they would go to Haina's hometown together. Using a wheelchair on rural dirt roads and deep in the mountains and forests would definitely be inconvenient... so Aiwass would no longer be able to pretend.
It just so happened that Lily would be with Aiwass at that time, and the shadow demon could be stored in her shadow. Before the end of winter vacation, Aiwass's path to transcendence would be able to advance again - and by then, Aiwass would truly be free from the wheelchair.
In other words... at best, Oswald's custom-made wheelchair would only last for less than a month. This was also the reason why Aiwass hadn't asked for a replacement wheelchair before.
Although his family is not short of money now, he still subconsciously thinks about saving as much as possible.
"Just because your legs and feet are healed doesn't mean you can't sit. Those elderly people in wheelchairs may not be unable to walk."
Oswald smiled and said, "Being in a wheelchair makes it easier for people to overlook your threat. Even if a clergyman with limited mobility is rumored to be very romantic, people will still think he's an ascetic. Humans always have hostility towards the strong. But if the strong also have weaknesses, then it's easier to turn to admiration."
Hearing this, Aiwass subconsciously felt a little guilty.
...He always felt that the old butler was hinting at something.
And he might be referring to more than one thing.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com