Creeeak.
The sound of the wheelchair moving and then halting echoed in the room.
Aiwasi
, pushed by
Lily
, arrived at the lectern. He lifted his head, looking at the crowd with great interest.
The students were all staring at him.
Some were stunned, others excited, some curious, some frowned, and some had neutral expressions.
Some had just woken up and didn’t understand what was happening, while others were chattering to their friends about it.
But undoubtedly,
Even the most drowsy and uninterested students at least looked up once to see the source of the commotion caused by
Aiwasi
.
He stood in the center of everyone’s gaze, smiling at them.
Facing their scrutiny and curiosity, he didn’t feel a hint of stage fright. On the contrary, he felt energetic, as if sparks of restlessness were running through his veins. His spine slowly stiffened, as if touched by a girl’s finger, and his body unconsciously tensed.
For the first time,
Aiwasi
realized… and had the opportunity to realize, just how comfortable he was in such a “public” setting.
He raised his face, flashing a radiant smile.
He reached out and switched on the microphone, which let out a sharp buzzing noise.
"Hello, everyone. I’m
Aiwasi Moriarty
.
"You might already know me… through others’ words or from the newspaper. Or maybe you don’t know me—but that doesn’t matter. From now on, I’m just a fellow student, in the same school, same department, and even same class as you."
His gentle voice, with a slight echo, spread throughout the lecture hall: "As you can see, my health isn’t great. Since the beginning of the semester, I’ve been self-studying at home. The person behind me is my friend,
Lily
, who usually helps me with mobility."
With that,
Lily
, the maid, bowed slightly to the crowd on
Aiwasi
’s behalf.
Afterward,
Aiwasi
smiled and continued, "Professor Bard clearly wants to test me a little. To see if I’ve been keeping up with my studies at home… and whether I can catch up with the rest of you."
"So, let me give you a little talk. But after all, I’m just a student like all of you. If I make any mistakes, please bear with me."
He lowered his gaze at the teaching materials.
The content on the page was all dry and repetitive—most of it was about what someone did on a certain date in history... It was no wonder the students were getting drowsy.
If he talked about the same things, they’d probably lose interest once the novelty wore off.
Moreover,
Aiwasi
wasn’t that familiar with the details, and if he accidentally revealed some confidential information, that would cause trouble.
So,
Aiwasi
quickly came up with an idea.
He lifted his head and cheerfully asked, "You’re currently studying the founding of the
Star Antimony Kingdom
, right?
"The
Heracels Empire
split into the
Star Antimony Kingdom
,
Iris Kingdom
,
Narcissus Duchy
, and the
Black Hawk Duchy
—"
At this point, he suddenly changed the topic, "Well, let me tell you a few interesting things that aren’t in the textbooks, but which Her Majesty the Queen has allowed professors to share."
"...Do you know why the once mighty
Heracels Empire
suddenly fragmented into four parts?"
After a brief silence, someone raised their hand.
Aiwasi
nodded slightly toward them.
A calm male voice spoke up: "It’s because the Empire became obsessed with demonic magic that transcended traditional pathways, which eventually summoned powerful demons, leading to the slaughter of the royal family. After the royal bloodline was severed, each region declared itself a kingdom. This led to the six-year 'Land Splitting War.'"
So this is how Avalon’s history is told,
Aiwasi
thought.
"Please sit, sir."
He gave a subtle nod and replied, "You're right, but not entirely."
"Yes, this was indeed the direct cause of the Empire's downfall and the severing of the bloodline, but it wasn’t the root cause of the Empire splitting into four."
"The real cause lies in the conflict of pathways. Most civil wars, invasions, and partitions in kingdoms happen because of a dispute over paths."
With this,
Aiwasi
smoothly transitioned the topic into his area of expertise.
Professor Bard
stroked his chin, neither stopping nor correcting
Aiwasi
.
That’s because
Aiwasi
's explanation wasn’t wrong; it still pertained to the fall of the
Heracels Empire
and the founding of the
Star Antimony Kingdom
. But this also delved into another subject—discussions on the War of Transcendence. Although the Seminary didn’t directly teach about this, it was still an acceptable topic for extended reading.
Once the students realized that
Aiwasi
was discussing Transcendence-related topics, they all became more attentive and lifted their heads to listen.
History involving Transcendents wasn’t necessarily occult knowledge, but it was certainly as hard to obtain as mystical knowledge.
Perhaps it was because he was a "Moriarty" that he had this opportunity to touch such secrets.
And, frankly, this was much more interesting than the dry history lesson!
"Everyone here, as long as they step onto the path of transcendence, is part of the
Path of Dedication
. The few who cannot enter the
Path of Dedication
will join the
Path of Authority
in the next semester by transferring to the
Individual Tactics Department
. The
Path of Dedication
and the
Path of Authority
don’t conflict, so you won’t notice any contradiction between these paths."
"As we study the
Path of Beauty
in the Sixth Department—art, which embodies both the eternal and fleeting beauty, inevitably aligns more with the
Twilight Path
. And like the concept of the Twin Mirrors, if artists don’t lean towards twilight, they will easily lean towards balance; meanwhile, those romantic souls will gravitate towards the
Path of Love
."
"But no matter what, the
Path of Beauty
and the
Path of Wisdom
are inherently at odds. Rationality that seeks truth and sensibility that seeks beauty are, after all, incompatible."
"Similarly, the
Path of Authority
, which controls power, manipulates will, and leads others, will inevitably conflict with the
Path of Transcendence
, which seeks to surpass, rise above, and reach a higher state."
"The
Path of Adaptation
emphasizes following nature and aligning with the world, while the
Path of Balance
involves understanding the world and controlling nature."
"Even we, who walk the
Path of Dedication
as priests, are powerless against those who follow the
Path of Love
. They are always greedy, always passionate, never satisfied. The light we emit gets absorbed into them like pebbles thrown into a lake, barely causing any ripples."
"The Nine Pillar Gods are not a monolith, either. Their apostles have their loves, hates, jealousies, and animosities. For example, a knight who is sheltered under the silver-crowned dragon's scales has a long-standing feud with a sage who follows the
Great Philosopher
; that sage was once killed by a fairy of the
Path of Love
."
"Paths inherently conflict with one another,"
Aiwasi
casually took the conversation to a higher level, causing a thrilling sensation among the students.
He knew that, compared to directly discussing the
Star Antimony Kingdom
, the students were far more interested in Avalon’s secrets.
So, seizing this opportunity,
Aiwasi
turned the conversation back to the royal family to excite them further: "And that 'knight' is the first monarch of Avalon,
Lancelot I
."
"The sage chosen by the
Great Philosopher
as an apostle and ascended into the dream world was named
Merlin
. He was actually a 'half-demon,' something almost impossible—his father was a demon from the
Nightmare Path
, and his mother was a pure virgin of the
Path of Love
."
"She was incredibly beautiful, and many men came to court her. But this young lady had a strange trait—she couldn’t touch any man she could see, so she wished for a man she couldn’t see to love her. After encountering the invisible
Nightmare Demon
in her dreams, she knew he was the one... and used her own path powers to conceive an unborn seed from him. Yes, this sage was a 'son without a father.'"
"After this sage was born, he had half-demon blood flowing through his veins, with extraordinary charm. At the age of fourteen, he was loved by a fairy from the
Path of Love
. But knowing that the love from this path could be fatal, he kept his distance. Yet, in the end, he couldn’t resist the fairy’s passionate and persistent pursuit, and they became intimate."
"They sought intense procreation. And in their final... ritual, the fairy killed him."
As a series of gasps echoed through the room,
Aiwasi
continued: "But, of course, this sage,
Merlin
, had half-demon blood. In a sense, he was immortal.
"So, he didn’t really die. He simply fell into a deep sleep and only revived much later."
"After the end of her love as a maiden, the next great work of the fairy was to become a mother. Her heart was filled with intense, pure maternal love, and she became the
elf foster mother
of
Lancelot I
, our monarch."
"This is the relationship between the three apostles when they were still mortals."
"After their earthly accomplishments were finished, they all ascended to the Nine Pillar Gods and became apostles. To this day, they still fight amongst themselves in the Dream World."
Hearing this, the students once again erupted into lively discussion.
But this time, it wasn’t out of boredom—it was the opposite. They were excited!
This was undoubtedly a story they had never heard before—an insider’s tale about the founding monarchs of Avalon!
It was filled with plenty of steamy and dramatic elements... whether desire or violence.
And
Professor Bard
, known for his strictness, didn’t interrupt or correct
Aiwasi
.
Professor Bard
was quite fond of getting students to lecture, but usually, if a student spoke for even a few sentences, he’d jump in with corrections and provide a long, tedious explanation.
The fact that he didn’t reclaim the microphone showed that he accepted
Aiwasi
’s narrative!
No one expected such stimulating secrets in a history lesson!
Such tangled relationships—students were discussing with great excitement, while the girls shyly pretended to cover their ears. Some even lightly covered their mouths, only to hide their excitement and laughter.
At this point, many students finally understood why the
Path of Wisdom
and the
Path of Authority
didn’t seem to conflict, but were always prohibited.
It wasn’t about the conflict between the paths themselves, but about the personal grudge of the monarch.
To honor their ascended ancestor, his descendants had banned the legitimacy of the
Path of Wisdom
in Avalon.
"Impressive..."
Professor Bard
widened his eyes in awe.
The little old man with a bald head paced excitedly, struggling to suppress his urge to jump in and add comments.
What
Aiwasi
had just explained was all going to be taught in the Seminary eventually. None of it was forbidden content.
But some of this knowledge was scattered in various subjects like
Modern Avalon History
,
Apostle Relations
, and the elective course
General Rituals
.
Apostle Relations
was a second-year course, while
General Rituals
was a third-year elective.
For
Aiwasi
to know all this and explain it so smoothly was enough proof that he truly had been studying at home!
(End of Chapter)