"Yes, hello... I am Inspector Haina, who made an appointment yesterday... I'm here to investigate the attack on Mr. Aiwass Moriarty."
A young woman in a blue and white uniform, looking about twenty years old, stood nervously and awkwardly at the gate of a manor, clutching her wide-brimmed hat.
Her brown curly hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she had a high nose bridge. Her lake-blue eyes were filled with the panic of having messed something up.
"...S-sorry, the district Supervisory Bureau had a temporary Inspector meeting... There was another warehouse explosion in the White Queen District yesterday, and traces of blaze spirits were detected at the scene, suspected to involve a Demon Scholar—I think it might be the same wanted criminal who attacked Mr. Aiwass the day before yesterday!"
Haina's voice grew softer as she spoke: "So, so..."
"—So you took it upon yourself to participate in an Inspector meeting that didn't actually require your presence, and you were... two hours and twenty-three minutes late?"
The old man's solemn and aged voice echoed from the other side of the iron gate. It was a drawn-out, special tone, the Elven accent unique to the capital's inhabitants.
He clicked shut the jewel-encrusted pocket watch in his hand, returned it to his chest, and stared sternly at Haina.
Standing opposite Haina was a thin, tall Old Elf in a butler's uniform.
The wrinkles on his face would remind one of tree bark, and his dark green pupils were closer to a wolf's than a lake's.
The Old Elf looked almost two meters tall, and his posture with his hands behind his back was like the ghostly shadow of a dead tree cast by moonlight at night. His back, straight as a pine and unmoving, was now filled with powerful pressure.
Although Haina was still an apprentice Inspector who hadn't graduated, she had, after all, passed her graduation assessment with full marks and could receive the Queen's knighthood at any time to become a formal Inspector. She wore an apprentice badge only because the gryphon assigned to her was still in transit.
Logically, she shouldn't have been so afraid of a butler.
But the old man before her was different.
Because this elderly Elven butler was her instructor.
Although he had served the Moriarty family for a long time since the founding of the nation—according to an ancient agreement, as a butler—at the same time, he was also the former Grand Inspector General who had retired eighty years ago.
"—I thought you'd be even later, Miss Haina," Mr. Oswald said with his hands behind his back, in that Elven accent that always gave Haina a hint of arrogance.
"Young Master Aiwass was attacked by a Demon Scholar the day before yesterday and remained unconscious until last night. But upon hearing that the Supervisory Bureau wanted to ask some questions, he cooperatively chose to forgo going to the glass-tier sanatorium. He only took some medicine and, despite his weakened state, waited by the fireplace for you for two hours, and I also waited at the gate for you for two hours.
"Now it's almost dark. If you were any later, you might as well have been late until tomorrow; since you'd already be late until tomorrow, I don't think a week of recuperation time would matter.
According to the Supervisory Bureau's rules, cases with a signed warrant must have a result within a week—with Miss Haina's excellent training, having graduated with full marks, I'm sure you'll successfully find that Demon Scholar.
"Since the criminal will already be arrested and brought to justice, why would you trouble my poor Young Master Aiwass? You might as well go back; I will explain to Director Kent."
Kent was the Director of the White Queen District Supervisory Bureau. Even if Haina became a full Inspector, Kent would still be three ranks above her.
If Mr. Oswald's tone hadn't been so sarcastic, she would have immediately run off and left this troublesome matter to her superiors. But the problem was, she was actually still a fourth-year student.
Although she could be said to be influential at school, she hadn't graduated yet, after all.
She lacked sufficient social experience to discern whether the old man was genuinely making such a suggestion or merely being sarcastic. But her intuition told her that if the old man hadn't originally intended to do so, and she had foolishly run away, she would truly be in deep trouble.
"...I'm truly sorry."
So Haina could only bow her head and apologize first: "I will also apologize to Mr. Aiwass."
Regardless, having made an appointment in advance but being so late without prior notice... she was indeed in the wrong.
She looked at the iron gate that separated her from the old man, and her thoughts began to drift subconsciously again.
The black hollow iron gate was only decorated with subtle thorn patterns... it didn't look like a famous family's gate.
In fact, Professor Moriarty—who was Aiwass Moriarty's adoptive father, the person involved in this incident—could indeed be described as a low-key, steady, wise, and knowledgeable good person. Professor Moriarty was also Haina's university teacher, responsible for subjects like astrology, astronomy, and advanced mathematics.
He inherited the Moriarty Business Group, owned three museums, and even funded the construction of the only planetarium in the White Queen District. Despite being so wealthy, he quietly pursued scholarship at the university. He even sponsored many orphanages and adopted many orphans, earning him the reputation of a remarkable and benevolent figure.
Her captain had specifically reminded her on the way that the Moriarty family was not only wealthy but also a Founder Family served by Elves. Although the head of the family, Mr. James, had a gentle disposition, she still needed to be extra careful.
According to the rules, any direct participant in a demon-related incident, after being out of life-threatening danger, must immediately be escorted to the local Supervisory Bureau with a Discipline Lock to undergo a psychological examination by a Law Master. Only after being confirmed innocent would they be sent back to a hospital or sanatorium.
This was because the identities of the ritual host, participants, tutor, and sacrifices in a demon ritual could not be simply distinguished by their status as "injured or not" victims.
Since the sacrifice survived, it indicated that the ritual had largely failed—although the sacrificed might not necessarily die, they would usually be killed to silence them.
Therefore, when there are injured rather than dead, the injured person is not necessarily the sacrifice, and there is a significant possibility that they are ritual-related.
But this rule, it seemed, had now become ineffective.
Director Kent was like a blind man, completely ignoring this tangible clue. It was this Mr. Oswald who proactively contacted Director Kent and scheduled today's meeting, and only then did he seem to "suddenly remember" the matter.
And when she arrived, the Supervisory Bureau didn't even assign her an accompanying Law Master, sending her, an apprentice Inspector without a gryphon, armor, or a sword, alone.
Such obvious favoritism... Haina felt that even if this matter truly involved Aiwass, she probably wouldn't be able to take him away.
But precisely because of such a grand display, she felt that perhaps this matter truly was related to him—if he were truly innocent, why would he be unwilling to undergo a Law Master's examination?
...How nice.
He was just an adopted commoner orphan. Simply because of good luck, he was valued and adopted by the professor. Now he had become an important figure that the Supervisory Bureau couldn't touch... Haina, standing at the gate, was lost in thought, feeling a little sour.
But just then, the iron gate slowly opened.
She looked up in surprise, seeing the old man's face, still expressionless, but inexplicably feeling as if he wasn't as angry anymore.
The Old Elf silently glanced at her, then slowly walked back with his hands behind his back.
Haina was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was telling her to follow.
So she hurriedly put on the hat she had been clutching and quickly followed. But after only a few steps, she remembered to turn back and close the gate. As she turned around, however, she saw the manor's gate close by itself.
Not only that, but bright runes even lit up from the inner side of that ordinary iron gate.
The sunlight slanted, and the evening breeze paused. Haina vaguely felt as if something invisible enveloped the area, changing the atmosphere of the manor.
"I'm not trying to cause you trouble, Miss Haina."
Although the Old Elf was walking in front of her, the old man's much gentler voice clearly reached her ears: "But when you make an agreement with someone, you must abide by it. Meet at the agreed time, neither early nor late.
Yes, the consequences of breaking rules at school might not be so severe, but there are also no Gryphon Knights patrolling the streets, no Law Masters with armed knights regularly auditing company tax accounts—no Inspectors like you who can directly arrest suspicious individuals.
"Everyone in this country values 'rules'. What the Supervisory Bureau, Law Court, and Arbitration Hall protect is not only Her Majesty the Queen's decree but also the many rules established by the Council.
"I will forgive you this time, and I won't tell Director Kent about your mistake—I'll say you arrived on time, and after understanding the situation, you stayed for two cups of tea and indulged in some snacks.
"But this is because Young Master Aiwass is kind-hearted. When you were an hour late, I had already decided to call the Supervisory Bureau. It was Young Master Aiwass who stopped me. He said, one must always give people a chance... no matter what excuse one has, one must first meet."
The Old Elf spoke slowly, walking for a long time before reaching the manor's entrance.
The next moment, his voice lowered slightly, yet still clearly reached Haina's ears: "Although Avalon has no so-called 'nobles' like other countries, the descendants of the Founder Families are equally noble. Without the sacrifice of those twenty Founder Families, everyone would die—even the Queen must respect the Founder Family descendants.
"I sensed your sincere apology, so I have provisionally forgiven your breach of appointment. But you might want to think carefully if you have offended anyone or blocked anyone's path... As I said, this was an Inspector meeting that did not require your attendance."
Upon hearing this, Haina suddenly froze.
At this point, the old man, who had reached the entrance, gracefully turned and bowed slightly to Haina: "Please follow me, Miss Haina. The Young Master has been waiting for a long time."
At this moment, he put on his butler's mask to greet a guest.
His previous attitude was more like an instructor facing an unpromising student.
And Haina, her mind in a whirl, followed the Old Elf into the living room.
The soft feel of the carpet underfoot startled her, and she looked up, wanting to ask if she needed to remove her shoes—but the Old Elf's calm and composed demeanor left her unsure. So she could only follow with a nervous heart, feeling the sudden warmth of the fireplace in the winter evening.
Only then did she realize that she had made an old man wait at the gate for two hours on a winter evening.
Filled with guilt and shame, she didn't know how to speak.
Even her suspicion of Aiwass was diluted by this remorse.
And so, she met the somewhat unrestrained Aiwass Moriarty, whose reputation was known.
He was currently sitting in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs.
His pale, weak face was devoid of color, and his appearance, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen, possessed a handsomeness completely different from Professor Moriarty's.
He was wearing pure white velvet pajamas, looking as if he had just stepped out of a bath. His soft, platinum blonde hair reflected the warm light of the fireplace. He was quietly and intently reading a book facing the fire, his delicate face conveying a gentle impression... reminding her of a poet and the fire rising in a home's hearth.
That beautiful scene looked like a painting. Haina instinctively widened her eyes.
But just then, the young man heard something, pushed his wheelchair, and skillfully turned around.
And at this moment, Haina noticed he was sitting in a wheelchair... was this the price of being attacked by a Demon Scholar?
She couldn't say when it started, but she instinctively dismissed the possibility that "the Demon Scholar was Aiwass."
The young man looked over, his deep blue pupils like the ocean.
"Miss Haina."
It was a clear voice that gave a sense of nobility, a magnificent vocal tone that matched his appearance.
Compared to his weak face, his voice was more vibrant and very polite: "Nice to meet you for the first time. Hello.
"—May I ask, are you here to arrest me?"