When the plot-skips players into the game world

The bishop's home was not at all luxurious. The only thing noteworthy was its location in the Red Queen District.

But it was very small, even smaller than the villa Aiwass lived in at school. It had only two floors and three bedrooms. They entered through the front door and proceeded to the living room, and "Mrs. Mina's Fortune Telling Shop" was located at the back door on the first floor, connected to the living room as well.

"Would you like to add anything?"

Mrs. Mina composed herself and had Lily sit beside Aiwass before asking them both.

"Just milk is fine," Aiwass replied.

"I also want milk... and a bit of honey," Lily whispered.

While waiting for the milk tea, Bishop Mathers let out a sigh, "Your father was once my student, but Professor Moriarty has also been kind to me. So, I was actually torn for a while about whether or not to tell you about your lineage, wondering if doing so would be unfair to your adoptive father...

"But since you've been attacked by the Demon Scholar multiple times, I think it's time to make things clear.

"Your parents were cursed to death by the Demon Scholar, related to the case of Jack the Ripper ten years ago. The perpetrator is very likely the mentor of Jack, with the Hook Demon as his contracted demon."

Mathers's voice was a bit hoarse: "At that time, the entire Alexander Family was cursed, and many died from this unknown curse. He came to me for help... and I was not at the Cathedral of Candle Master that particular morning."

As he spoke, he glanced at the deep red key hanging on Aiwass's wheelchair: "You should know by now that a Holy Sword is sealed inside this key. But I have to tell you that the sword is cursed, with a very high curse strength.

"The night before, the curse within it accidentally leaked. In order not to let innocent civilians suffer, I took it to a deserted warehouse, far from the populace, and sought the help of several Arbiters to seal it. By the time I had finished and returned, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

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"By then, it was already too late. Your parents had been killed by the Hook Demon, but they used their last strength to protect you. From that moment, you had no relatives left in Avalon. I seriously considered adopting you, since I knew your father, and Mina knew your mother. I had the opportunity... but in the end, I sent you to the orphanage. I'm sorry, Aiwass."

Mathers sighed with some regret: "Because at that time, I was also in a dispute with my family... Mina alone was already too much for them to accept, let alone adopting a student's child—I've taught hundreds of students, and that reason wasn't convincing enough for them. So I backed down in the end... and I was indeed a bit scared, worried something might happen to Mina, Maya, and my parents."

"To this day, we still don't know why the Alexander Family was targeted by the Demon Scholar, because after your parents died, the entire family was already dead—your grandfather was killed for the same reasons only two days after your parents' death.

"The Supervisory Bureau's theory is that your grandfather may have contained some special secret in an unpublished poem. Because when he died, his manuscripts were lost, vanished without a trace. And of all the deceased 'Alexanders,' only his valuables were stolen. But obviously, this reason doesn't hold up, because there would've been no need to kill your parents."

"So I worried that you might have offended someone. That's why I sent you to the orphanage funded by Professor Moriarty.

"Professor Moriarty is a good man, his orphanage at least had security. It wouldn't be like other orphanages where kids were sent to work in factories at the age of nine, or given to the Lohar Society to be newsboys or doorkeepers, or even sent directly to the beds of the wealthy."

"In the end, when Professor Moriarty went to adopt Yulia as his foster daughter, I mentioned you to him. And he really did adopt you... which made me owe him another favor."

Mathers slowly recounted the events from Aiwass's early life.

"Bishop Mathers... I want to know, where was my grandfather from?"

Aiwass asked solemnly.

"He lived in Eagle Cape Village, Shepherd Bay County, which was also your father's hometown,"

Mathers answered without hesitation, clearly having anticipated Aiwass's question, "I know this matter is important to you, but I do not recommend looking for clues there now. Because although you are talented, you are still too weak... and your talent will make you more valuable. Those evil scholars who delve into demonology will sacrifice you once, and they will sacrifice you a second time."

As he spoke, Mathers looked at Aiwass with a complex expression, "I was wondering at the time... if I had advanced to the fifth energy level two or three years earlier, could your parents have been spared?

"But no matter how I calculated it, the result was of no help... because I am just a Transcendent on the Path of Devotion. This made me very frustrated. As soon as the curse from the Red-Handled Sword was revealed, I had to deal with it—I couldn't handle the curse inside the Cathedral of Candle Master, that would only infect more people with the curse, and would let it spread throughout Glass Island. I had to take responsibility for the many innocents."

"Moreover, the principle of the Path of Devotion is inclined to sacrifice those close to oneself in order to save those far from oneself. This is also a kind of 'altruism' in a broad sense. In other words, even if I had reached the fifth energy level and anticipated the disaster that would befall your parents, I still might have chosen to save more ordinary people. That is the result of being influenced and controlled by the path."

"That state of being dedicated yet heartless terrifies me. I realized that even a Transcendent of the fifth energy level cannot do everything, can be calculated by others or fall victim to tragedy by coincidence."

"So since then, I haven't tried to advance any further. If a problem that the fourth energy level couldn't solve, the fifth level probably couldn't solve either... at least that's what I thought at the time."

Mathers sighed, silently recalling the past.

Aiwass slowly drank the warm milk tea, deep in thought.

It was evident that the death of Aiwass's parents had also left a psychological shadow on Mathers.

It was from that time that Bishop Mathers began to lose the desire to advance and chose to slum it up. He later sought the help of Professor Moriarty and became a Clergy Councilor—acting as a representative of the church, not a Knight, able to enter the Round Table Hall and participate in meetings and vote as a councilor without an official position.

To date, there have only been six Clergy Councilors in Avalon. It's a position with a significant amount of prestige. At the same time, it also meant diverting a great deal of Mathers's attention, and he no longer focused on enhancing his extraordinary abilities.

"—Eagle Cape Village?"

At this moment, a voice that was a bit drowsy but filled with a cold tone came from above.

It was Sherlock.

He was dressed in light clothes and slippers, slowly coming down the stairs.

His hair was all tousled from sleep, and you could tell by the color of his face that he was obviously still somewhat groggy.

The not-quite-awake Sherlock said instinctively, "Isn't that Hayna's hometown?"