When the plot-skips players into the game world

When Sherlock entered the room, he subconsciously raised his eyebrows.

He noticed at first glance that there was too little food on the table, and too much of it had been eaten.

Unlike Avalon and Star Antimony, the Knight-founded land here did not advocate the virtue of frugality. Here, holding a banquet was a matter of glory—if the food and drink were nearly consumed, but the banquet was far from over, it would be considered rude.

It was because the host had prepared too little food, causing the guests to have to leave early to end their journey. Therefore, when the guests realized the food was almost gone, they would deliberately eat less to save face for the host.

So this couldn't be the first round of dishes. It should be the second round.

By the same token, if running out of food was rude, then replacing and serving a second round was a way of showing importance and retention. The implication was, "I've just served you a fresh and hot second helping, would you be rude to leave now?"

"... Good evening, Mr. Sherlock."

Princess Isabel was the first to speak, "It's a pleasure to see you."

——Why the sudden pleasure?

Sherlock was somewhat puzzled inside, but he was impeccable in terms of etiquette.

"By the Silver-Crowned Dragon."

Not daring to look up at the princess, he knelt on one knee with one hand to his chest, bowed his head, and offered the Knight's greeting, "I hope all is well with Your Highness."

"Please rise, Mr. Sherlock,"

Isabel said in her clear voice.

Only then did Sherlock dare to stand up and greeted Master Yanis, who was still sitting at the table, and Aiwass, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

Yanis responded with a smile and a nod, while Aiwass, who was not able to move, had Lily bow slightly on his behalf in return.

Quickly after standing up, Sherlock's sharp eyes flitted across the room, noticing Princess Isabel's slightly flushed face.

——Has she drunk that much?

He was a bit surprised.

It seemed that Master Yanis placed great importance on Mr. Aiwass.

Otherwise, she would have stopped Her Highness from drinking too much—as a matter of etiquette, important figures generally do not drink much at banquets, only having a polite sip or two. If someone finishes a glass and then refills, it indicates too familiar an attitude, showing too much importance to the occasion.

That itself was a political signal.

If Master Yanis considered Aiwass an unimportant guest, she would have signaled Isabel to maintain a distance.

But now, it seemed more than just one or two drinks were involved.

Looking at the two empty bottles on the table... the three of them actually drank two bottles of wine?

The servants of the Hall of Silver and Tin would certainly sell that information. Sherlock knew... some of them were connected to a minister or a Knight Family. Sometimes, he too would buy some information from them.
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Which means.

By tomorrow morning at the latest, the information about Princess Isabel's fondness for Aiwass Moriarty would reach the desks of several ministers.

So promising at a young age....

Upon this thought, Sherlock had a sudden realization:

... speaking of which.

During the ceremony, Her Highness once played the role of Little Aiwass' mother... she wouldn't still be stuck in character, would she?

"Speaking of which, Mr. Sherlock. I heard you and Chief Inspector Edward handled some cases? Have you eaten this evening? Why not sit down for some food?"

"... I dare not."

Sherlock hurriedly and politely declined.

But he still symbolically took a piece of bread in his hand, signaling that he had accepted the food offered by the princess.

He knew it was getting late, around the Princess's bedtime, and she surely had finished eating. He wouldn't dare make Isabel accompany him for a meal because of himself.

If his father knew about this, he would probably give him a thrashing.

With this in mind, Sherlock suddenly noticed the slight upward curve of the young princess's lips, realizing she might indeed be a little drunk.

... She was probably teasing him on purpose now.

In the dream before, as the only experienced senior in the team, he had scolded the naive "Lulu" several times.

Basically, it was his word only, with no room for her to retort. But now, back to reality... in the Hall of Silver and Tin, their positions had completely reversed.

There was nothing he could do about it.

After all, he had exposed his own identity... it wasn't her fault.

But Sherlock soon faced a dilemma.

If it were just the princess and Master Yanis, he could have spoken directly. He could also take the opportunity to remind Master Yanis about Mr. Fox, who seemed both dangerous and mysterious.

... but Aiwass was still there.

While Sherlock was very optimistic about Aiwass, he couldn't divulge Princess Isabel's private information in front of an outsider.

After all, it was a matter only he and Isabel knew about.

If he disclosed it here, wouldn't that suggest he might also leak or even sell the young princess's personal information elsewhere? Loyal to Queen Sofia, Sherlock certainly would not engage in actions that could jeopardize the royal family.

... but now the problem arose.

How could the straightforward Sherlock explain his motive for looking into the Sweater Brothers Association now?

So Sherlock pondered for a moment and thought of a way to respond that only Isabel could understand:

"I inadvertently learned from a rather unreliable gentleman about a gathering point of the Strangler Party in the Lohar District."

Sherlock hinted somberly, "They might be related to the mastermind behind the Pelican Bar. Considering the risks of going there alone, I invited my friend, Edward Moriarty, to accompany me."

"Then, what were the results of the investigation?"

Aiwass suddenly interrupted, visibly interested in the topic.

"It went smoothly. It indeed was a gathering place for a group calling themselves the 'Sweater Brothers Association.' We also found a batch of alchemical bombs."

"It seems," Aiwass said with a smile, "that the 'rather unreliable gentleman' turned out to be quite reliable after all."

Sherlock neither agreed nor disagreed, silent for a moment before adding, "However, after a brief interrogation, they themselves didn't know they were bombs. They were just paid to guard the goods."

"I suspect their mastermind has contacts within the customs office. Because these bombs came through the customs via regular channels—I went with Edward this afternoon specifically to check, and these goods had a proper invoice and a label indicating they passed inspection."

The detective with black curly hair and a typically languid expression now appeared quite confident, "This is very important intelligence, a crucial breakthrough.

"Following this clue, we immediately took control of the logistics batches and arrival times of the remaining bombs. If we continue our investigation using this timeline, we'll be able to identify all the customs officers on duty that day."

"Princess Isabel, I could even say this—the case has essentially been solved. The remaining work is nothing more than repetitive, low-skill investigative tasks."

He did not hide this from Aiwass, as there was absolutely no need.

The other person involved in this case was Aiwass's older brother. He was not one to always follow the rules, and if Aiwass were to ask, he would definitely tell.

"...Additionally, Princess Isabel. The identity of 'Bone Sculptor' is almost locked down, while the investigation into 'Mr. Fox' has yet to begin."

Sherlock inquired respectfully, "Which should we pursue first, Bone Sculptor or Mr. Fox?"

He had not written the report yet.

But once he submitted the report to the Queen, she would most likely consult Princess Isabel's opinion... After all, it also involved Isabel's own advancement ceremony. Only she and Sherlock knew what had happened inside. With Queen Sofia's wisdom, she would certainly not interfere unnecessarily.

By then, it would still be necessary to solicit Isabel's opinion during the investigation—so it would be better to proactively ask now, which would also allow him to retain some initiative.

"Let's pursue Bone Sculptor. We need to quickly eliminate any potential threats to Avalon. I will support your investigation, and if there's any part that requires a signature, you can come to me," Isabel said after a moment of thought, glancing at Aiwass with a somewhat vague response.

Aiwass blinked.

At this moment, Isabel began to have some doubts.

But the answer she gave surprised Sherlock—he indeed did not want to look for "Mr. Fox," which is why he deliberately said the identity of "Bone Sculptor" was almost confirmed, hoping to lead Isabel's decision through this tactic.

After all, in his view, Isabel had quite an attachment to her "Mr. Fox."

—Is it because of Aiwass?

If that were the case, then nothing could be better.

Compared to the cunning and sweet-talking "Fox" of uncertain identity, he found Aiwass to be intelligent and decisive, humble and polite. Beyond that, he also greatly respected his own Professor Moriarty—his mathematics grades hadn't been so good at the time, and it was only with Professor Moriarty's coaching that he was able to maintain his position as top student until graduation.

It was also thanks to Professor Moriarty's guidance that Sherlock came to realize his real talent actually lay on the Path of Wisdom. He never really appreciated the tenets of the Path of Authority; it was only because he strictly controlled his own will and led others that he inadvertently conformed to the Path of Authority.

And it was his friend Edward through whom he got to know Professor Moriarty.

Edward was the only true friend Sherlock made at university.

Therefore, his opinion of Aiwass was somewhat tinged with personal sentiments.

"When you leave, be careful on your way," said Master Yanis.

"Do you have a short sword on you, Sherlock?" she asked.

"Yes," Sherlock replied, "Edward brought me one."

Many spells of the Path of Authority required holding this short sword to be used because this sword was a symbol of the identity of Avalon's law enforcement officers, representing "the law." In a sense, it was essentially a kind of law wand that could also be used as a close-combat weapon, restricted to the Path of Authority.

The reason Edward carried two swords when he went out wasn't that he wanted to wield two blades, but because one of them was for Sherlock's self-defense.

Sherlock wasn't an Inspector; he was merely a Counselor. He had no sword to wear.

By refusing to enter into Avalon's system of law magic, he rendered a good portion of the law magic he learned unusable. Those unwilling to submit to superiors and follow order were stripped of their power—this was also characteristic of the Path of Authority.

"Then that's good."

Yanis nodded and said to Aiwass, "I will have someone deliver the painting to your home later, you shouldn't carry it yourselves. It would be very dangerous—at least Sherlock certainly won't be able to keep it safe."

"What painting?"

Upon hearing this, Sherlock was taken aback and asked reflexively, "I think it should be fine."

He was, after all, a Legal Mage who had barely had the opportunity to reach the fourth energy level, not someone small-time thieves could easily mess with.

"It's 'The Golden Dawn'."

Aiwass, sitting in his wheelchair, spoke softly and gently, "Master Yanis and I had a very enjoyable conversation, so she decided to give me the painting."

Sherlock was momentarily stunned, then suddenly shocked.

A clear look of astonishment appeared on his face, and the incomprehensible reality left his mind momentarily blank.

—'The Golden Dawn'?!

Was a national treasure level piece of art something to be given away just because of an "enjoyable conversation"?!

… To be young and accomplished, young and accomplished indeed!

Sherlock didn't know how to react, he could only repeat in his mind.