Chapter 1: Are You Here to Arrest Me?
“Yes, hello… I am Hayna, the inspector who made an appointment yesterday… coming to investigate the case of Mr. Aivars Moriarty being attacked.”
A young girl, around twenty years of age, dressed in a blue and white uniform, stood nervously and clumsily at the gate of a manor, holding her wide-brimmed hat. Her chestnut-brown curly hair was tied into a ponytail behind her, and her nose was high and straight. Her lake-blue eyes were filled with panic as if she had messed something up.
“…Sorry, the district inspectorate had an emergency meeting… another warehouse explosion happened in the White Queen district yesterday, traces of flame essence were detected at the scene, suspecting the involvement of a demonic scholar — I think, it might be the same fugitive who attacked Mr. Aivars the day before yesterday!” Hayna’s voice grew quieter as she spoke: “So, So…”
“—So, you took it upon yourself to attend this meeting that did not actually require your participation and arrived… two hours and twenty-three minutes late?” An old and solemn voice responded from the other side of the iron gate. It had a long, drawn-out tone unique to the capital’s elves.
He snapped the gem-encrusted pocket watch shut and tucked it back into his chest, staring sternly at Hayna. Standing opposite Hayna was a tall, thin, elderly elf in butler’s attire. The wrinkles on his face reminded one of tree bark, and his evergreen pupils were more reminiscent of wolves than lakes.
The old elf looked nearly two meters tall, his posture as still as a dry tree under moonlight projecting a ghostly shadow. His upright and motionless back exuded a tremendous sense of pressure.
Although Hayna was technically still an apprentice inspector, having passed her graduation assessment with full scores and could be knighted by the queen at any moment, she still wore an apprentice badge because her allocated griffin was on its way.
Ideally, she should not have been so intimidated by a butler.
But this was no ordinary elderly man.
The elderly elven butler before her was also her instructor.
Though he adhered to ancient agreements, serving the Moriarty family as a butler since the founding of the nation, he was, at the same time, the chief inspector who retired eighty years ago.
“—I thought you would be even later, Miss Hayna.” The old butler, hands behind his back, spoke with an elvish accent that always seemed a bit arrogant to Hayna: “Master Aivars was attacked by a demonic scholar the day before yesterday and had been unconscious until last night. But as soon as he heard that the inspectorate wanted to ask some questions, he was very cooperative and gave up going to the Glass Stair Sanatorium. After taking some medicine, he waited by the fireplace for two hours for you, as did I at the door.”
“Now that it’s almost dark, if you were any later, you might as well have postponed it until tomorrow; and since it’s already postponed until tomorrow, I suppose a week’s rest wouldn’t hurt. According to the rules of the inspectorate, a case appointed by signature must be resolved within a week — with Miss Hayna’s excellent education from graduating with full scores, I am sure you can swiftly apprehend that demonic scholar.”
“Since the criminal has been arrested and brought to justice, why bother my poor Master Aivars? You might as well turn back now; I will explain to Mr. Kent myself.”
Kent is the chief of the White Queen district’s inspectorate. Even if Hayna were to turn regular, Kent would still outrank her by three levels.
If not for the old butler’s sarcastic tone, Hayna might have fled at that moment, leaving this troublesome matter to her superiors. The problem was, she was still essentially a college senior.
Despite being influential at school, she had not yet graduated.
She lacked enough life experience to discern whether the old man was serious in his suggestions or merely sarcastic. Yet, her instinct told her if the old man did not intend to act as he did, and she simply ran away naively, she would truly be in trouble.
“…I’m truly sorry.”
So all Hayna could do was apologize first: “I will also apologize to Master Aivars.”
Regardless of the circumstances, having previously made an appointment and then being late without prior notice… she was indeed at fault.
She looked at the iron gate separating her from the elderly man, her thoughts beginning to drift unconsciously.
The black, hollowed iron door, adorned only with a low-key thorn pattern… didn’t seem very aristocratic.
In fact, Professor Moriarty — the guardian of Aivars Moriarty and the person involved in this incident — could indeed be considered a humble, stable, wise, and kind person. Professor Moriarty was also Hayna’s teacher in college, responsible for subjects like astronomy, astrophysics, and advanced mathematics.
Inheriting the Moriarty business empire, owning three museums, and even building the only observatory in the White Queen district with his funds, despite being so wealthy, he chose to quietly conduct academic research at the university. He even sponsored many orphanages and adopted many orphans, truly a great and kind man.
Before her departure, the captain had specifically reminded her that the Moriarty family was not just wealthy but also served by elves, a family of nation-founders. Even though the family head, Mr. James, was gentle, she still needed to be very careful.
According to the rules, anyone directly involved in a demonic event must be sent to the local inspectorate with a restraint lock for a soul examination by a magistrate as soon as they are out of mortal danger. Only after being proven innocent will they be sent back to the hospital or sanatorium.
This is because the roles of a ritual master, participant, mentor, and sacrifice in a demonic ritual cannot be simply distinguished by the victim’s status of being “injured or not”.
If a sacrifice survives, it usually means the ritual has mostly failed—although a sacrificed individual may not necessarily die, they are often killed to silence them. Hence, when there are injuries instead of deaths, the injured individual is not necessarily a sacrifice but might also be a participant in the ritual.
However, such rules seemed to have been disregarded now.
Chief Kent was like a blind man, completely ignoring this readily accessible clue. It was the old butler who took the initiative to contact Chief Kent and arranged today’s meeting. Only then did he seem to “suddenly remember” this matter. When she arrived, the inspectorate did not even provide her with a follow-up jurist, letting her, an apprentice inspector without a griffin, armor, or sword, come alone.
Such obvious protection…
Hayna felt that even if this matter was indeed related to Aivars, she likely couldn’t take him away.
But the grandiose nature of the affair made her think… maybe this matter truly was related to him.
…How nice.
Being just an adopted civilian orphan. Simply because of good luck, favored and adopted by the professor. Now, he became a significant figure that the inspectorate couldn’t touch…
Standing at the door, Hayna was lost in thought, feeling a bit envious.
But then, the iron gate slowly opened.
She was startled and looked up to see the old man’s expressionless face, which somehow seemed not as angry as before.
The old elf gave her a glance and then leisurely walked back.
Hayna was stunned for a moment before realizing he was allowing her to follow.
So, she hurriedly put on the hat she held in her arms and quickly followed. But just a few steps out, she remembered to close the door behind her. However, when she turned back, she saw the manor’s door closing by itself.
Not only that, but bright runes also lit up from the inside of that ordinary iron door.
The sunlight slanted, and the evening breeze paused slightly. Hayna had a vague feeling that something intangible enveloped the area, changing the atmosphere of the manor.
“I am not trying to trouble you, Miss Hayna.”
Even though the old elf walked ahead of her, his voice, much gentler now, precisely reached her ears: “But one must abide by the promises made. The agreed time is when the meeting should happen, neither earlier nor later. Yes, breaking the rules in school might not have severe consequences, but there are no griffin knights patrolling the streets in school, no jurists with armed knights checking the tax records of companies at fixed times — there’s no inspector like you who can arrest suspects directly.”
“This country values ‘rules’ very highly. The inspectorate, the court of law, the arbitration hall, they not only guard the queen’s will but also uphold many rules established by the parliament.
“This time I will forgive you, and I will not mention your mistake to Mr. Kent — I will say you arrived on time, but after understanding the situation, you stayed for two cups of tea and snacked on some pastries.”
“But this is because Master Aivars is kind-hearted. An hour into your lateness, I had already decided to call the inspectorate. It was Master Aivars who stopped me. He said, one must always give others a chance… whatever the reason, we should meet first and talk.”
The old elf spoke leisurely, taking a long time to reach the manor’s entrance.
The next moment, his voice lowered slightly but still clearly reached Hayna’s ears: “Although Avalon does not have the so-called ‘nobility’ of other countries, the descendants of the founders are equally noble. Without the sacrifice of those twenty founders, everyone would be dead — even the queen respects the descendants of the founders.”
“I sensed your sincere apology, so I somewhat forgave your tardiness. But you might want to think carefully, whether you have offended someone, or blocked someone’s way… As I said, this is a supervisory meeting you did not need to attend.”
Hearing this, Hayna suddenly froze.
At this moment, the old man at the entrance elegantly turned around, slightly bowed to Hayna: “Please follow me, Miss Hayna. The young master has been waiting for a long time.”
His demeanor now wore the mask of a butler welcoming guests.
His previous attitude was more like that of an instructor facing a disappointing student.
And Hayna, with her mind in disarray, followed the old elf into the living room.
The soft touch of the carpet under her feet startled her, and she looked up, wondering if she needed to remove her shoes — but the old elf’s serene demeanor made her uncertain again. So, she could only follow behind with a timid heart, feeling the sudden warmth of the fireside in the winter season.
She then realized, she had made an old man wait at the door for two hours in the winter evening.
With guilt and shame, she didn’t know how to start speaking.
Even her suspicion towards Aivars was diluted by this remorse.
And so, she met the somewhat infamous Aivars Moriarty.
He was sitting in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs.
His pale, weakened face was devoid of color, looking only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a beauty completely different from that of Professor Moriarty.
He was dressed in a pure white fluffy pajama, appearing as if he had just come out of a bath. His silky platinum blond hair reflected the warm light of the fire. He was quietly and intently reading a book by the fireplace, his delicate face carrying a gentle expression… reminded her of a poet, and the rising flames in the fireplace at home.
That beautiful scene looked like a painting. Hayna couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
But just then, the young man seemed to hear something, turning his wheelchair around skillfully.
And that was when Hayna noticed he was sitting in a wheelchair.
…Was this the price of being attacked by a demonic scholar? Unconsciously, she discarded the possibility of “the demonic scholar being Aivars”.
The young man looked over, his deep blue pupils as vast as the ocean.
“Miss Hayna.”
It was a noble and clear voice, matching his appearance, grand and elegant.
Despite his weakened look, his voice carried more vigor and politeness: “Nice to meet you for the first time.
“—Are you here to arrest me?”
(End of Chapter)
