When the plot-skips players into the game world

Recently, "Dracula," a novel that's been quite popular in Avalon caught her interest. After reading it, she found it impressive and went to the library to look for other books by Mr. Bram Stoker, intending to spend a calm and peaceful weekend.

Yet today, her roommate mysteriously dragged her down, saying someone was looking for her.

To her surprise, it was Aiwass!

"You look even prettier today without makeup, senior," he casually complimented.

Aiwass glanced at her classmates who were crowding around the window to watch the commotion, shook his head with a smile, and said, "Come with me, senior."

"...Eh? Where are we going? If I'm meeting someone, I should go wash my hair first..."

Hayna, reluctant and slightly embarrassed, patted down her explosive, fluffy hair, trying to smooth it. But Aiwass didn't respond immediately, so she just jogged along behind Lily.

Yet she didn't particularly care about the destination.

She was, however, curious about what Aiwass had said earlier: "Mr. Aiwass, were you serious just now?"

"About the makeup?"

Aiwass turned back with a light chuckle: "Indeed... In my opinion, you look better without makeup, senior."

"...I knew it. It must be because my makeup skills are so bad."

Hayna felt disheartened: "I just started learning this year... I was too busy when I first came to university. It's only now that I've been prematurely recruited by the Supervisory Bureau that I have time to study these things. But this art is too complicated, like the chemical knowledge taught in the second department and some of the aesthetic knowledge from the sixth — I simply don't know how to put on makeup properly. Either it doesn't show at all, or it looks even worse than if I hadn't bothered. It's really too ugly..."

She followed Aiwass for a while before realizing they were heading towards his dormitory.

So Hayna quickly put two and two together, this must be related to Sherlock's affairs. Discover stories with empire

But just as she started to become serious, even before Aiwass turned to look at her, he stated without looking back, "Don't be too nervous, senior. It's better to be natural."

"Yes, Mr. Aiwass."

Instinctively, Hayna obeyed Aiwass's instruction. It was just as when they were fighting together at the Pelican Bar.

After bringing Hayna inside, Aiwass led her to the reception room and asked Lily to prepare tea and refreshments.

With his fingers interlaced, Aiwass then asked, "Didn't you come this morning?"

"To Sherlock's funeral?"

Hayna nodded: "Yes, I didn't go."

Although the Supervisory Bureau had requested her to attend Sherlock's funeral, she still rejected the invitation, feigning deep sorrow — mainly because Hayna knew that Sherlock wasn't actually dead, and she had little faith in her own acting skills.

"I was worried that I might accidentally reveal something and affect yours and Mr. Sherlock's plan. So I decided not to do anything," Hayna replied.

As an outstanding student of the Individual Tactics Department, who had learned strategy and swordsmanship, she understood all too well the principle of "it's better to do nothing than to make a mistake."

— How many students from the third department haven't been accidentally cut by a classmate's sword, bitten by an uncontrollable Gryphon, or run over by a horse that someone couldn't handle?

Perhaps only the seniors from the fourth department, who stood beside the training field to watch the excitement and planned to practice the Illumination Art while hitting on juniors, could tally that up.

Aiwass said with approval: "Very good, otherwise you might have been in danger."

"...What happened?"

Hayna sensed that Aiwass was about to discuss important matters, her eyes narrowed with concern as she sat up straighter and her tone became more dependable: "Do you need my help, Mr. Aiwass?"

"Indeed, I do."

Aiwass nodded: "I need you to deliver a message to Sherlock for me—I'm not sure if the telephone might be tapped, so the safest way is to pass on the message through a reliable person."

"Tapped?"

Hayna paused: "An enemy that even the Moriarty Family can't handle?"

This was unimaginable to her — to Hayna, the Moriarty Family was an almost "eternal" colossal entity. The Moriarty Family's annual income was more than she could ever earn in her lifetime.

Not to mention, Edward was the Chief Inspector of the Glass Island Inspectorate!

An enemy that even they could not combat, how terrifying must that be?

"It's actually not a big issue; I can handle it myself."

Aiwass spoke in a deep voice, "Your main job is to tell him that I've now been forced to join the Lohar Society, and I might have to fake my own death at some point... You guys better not give it away."

"—You're coming too?!"

Hayna blurted out without even minding her manners.

Almost immediately, she realized another issue from the other side, "What about Princess Isabel?"

"Depends on what Sherlock says."

Aiwass narrowed his eyes, lost in thought, "I'm also afraid that Isabel won't be able to handle it. So I'm inclined to explain it to her in advance myself, but as you know... the more people who know about this, the more there's a chance of a slip-up. But strictly speaking, I'm not really going to die once, but get kidnapped, go missing, maybe I can tell her in advance too."

"When exactly?" Hayna asked further.

"The week after next," Aiwass answered without hesitation.

After all, he had to extract the Phantom Demon out of Yulia first before he could do that. Otherwise, she was bound to lose control.

"At the beginning of next month?"

Hayna, whose thoughts were somewhat unusual, said, "Isn't that when the final exams are happening?"

"My 'death' is different from Sherlock's... at most I'll go missing for two or three days, it won't interfere with the exams."

Aiwass wasn't worried about it.

What if his exam results weren't good, so what? He was only here to read the prohibited books in the library, not like Hayna who needed to clinch the top spot to change her fate.

Moreover, this year's knowledge wasn't really tough. Aiwass felt that even if he went in unprepared, his results wouldn't be bad.

"What if, I help you review?"

Hayna was eager to try.

She had always been uncertain as to how she could be of help to Aiwass.

She had already delegated the trouble with Department Head Meg to Aiwass and Sherlock, but as the two of them discussed rapidly, she felt completely out of the loop—their logical leaps were too fast, and they even omitted a lot of the process. She felt like her brain was frying just listening to them.

Even though she had always been smart, with good grades. But why did she still seem so naive in front of them?

There were times when Hayna would doubt herself.

Now, she felt she finally had a way to give back—handing over all her important tasks to someone else and just standing by... Although it seemed quite in line with the Path of Authority, she found it a bit difficult to do. At least right now, she was a bit embarrassed to do it.

"Although I might lack talent in dealing with complex events, or in devising plans and strategies, I'm really good when it comes to final exams!"

Hayna, still eager to help, said, "I'm really good at taking exams!"

"That's great," Aiwass agreed readily, "Then I'll trouble you, senior."

"—Oh, right. After the final exams are over, can I go back home with you?"

"...Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Hayna's eyes widened in shock, and she stood motionless.

Aiwass couldn't help but let out a mischievous chuckle at her reaction, and Hayna then realized she had misunderstood.

The youth, sly as a fox, waved his hand lightly, smiling with narrowed eyes, "Just kidding, I actually have to go to Eagle Cape Village for some business. Sherlock will also be coming then. As the host, you'll have to show us the way."

"—Ah, no problem!"

Hayna responded cheerfully, "You can come anytime, I'll treat you well! Although Eagle Cape is a small village, there's no shortage of good food and fun things to do!"

"Speaking of which," Aiwass asked indirectly, "I only recently found out that my biological grandfather was from Eagle Cape Village before I was adopted by my father."

"Eh?"

Hayna's face lit up at this, "Really?"

"Yes, his name was Jacob Alexander, he died of typhoid fourteen years ago. Do you know him?" Aiwass asked seriously.

Hayna thought for a while before her eyes suddenly widened, "You mean... Grandpa Jacob? The Grandpa Jacob who wrote novels, wrote poems?"

"I was very young when Grandpa Jacob taught me how to read!"