This is a truth that Ivas did not expect at all.

But he also suddenly understood why his grandfather, who had been in contact with so many transcendents and had such a wide range of contacts, wanted to go to the remote countryside to become a poor poet who was not famous and did not earn money......

Grandpa, he's hiding!

Eivers also suddenly understood why his biological father and mother were respectively dedicated to the path and the path of beauty, and his adoptive father was not beyond the path...... At that time, he inexplicably developed a great attachment to demonology.

That's the path tendencies carved into the bloodline.

Gifted transcendents, children often become transcendents on the same path - in fact, it is not the inheritance of talents, but the inheritance of desires, or "debts".

If you don't have enough talent, it may be a kind of luck.

But if the level has already been raised to the limit, and the advancement ceremony is not performed...... The call from the path will grow stronger. In this case, if the offspring is obtained, the overflowing "call" will be passed on to the offspring, and the parent will be relieved by this.

This is also the reason why the ancient nobles would leave more children.

Aristocrats are usually high-ranking and transcendent. However, they do not want to, or dare not continue to advance, so they need to restore the power of the path to the soul by constantly giving birth to children. But if you suppress yourself for too long, the first child born is often prone to mental illness.

During the Hellasr Empire, this phenomenon was known as the "Plague of the Firstborn" by royal scholars who had not yet figured out how it worked.

Imperial scholars see this as a curse imposed by the apostles to explain why the eldest son of each family is often the most inclined to inherit the family business, but is the most vulnerable to mental illness.

Those nobles who are so focused on their careers that they have not yet given birth to children in their thirties and forties are prone to madness with their first child; But commoners are often fine, and nobles are not so likely to marry very early.

And the solution for scholars to solve this curse is to let the imperial nobles marry and have children as soon as possible.

If you get married soon after you first embark on the transcendent path, you will often not wait too long to give birth to a child after the promotion of the path. They didn't figure out how it worked, but they solved the problem.

After that, the children who are prone to madness usually come from "illegitimate children". Because early marriage can control the birth of children in marriage, but it cannot control the lineage of children born out of wedlock. If the other party of the cheater is also transcendent, it is easy to get pregnant and give birth to a cursed child. Phantom eggs are also easily born into these children.

Even if it's a knight family, not many people know this secret. It is impossible for Eivus's grandfather, as an unofficial transcendent, to know about this. And he didn't dare to be promoted, so his children inherited part of the impulse to step into the path of transcendence.

This is one of the reasons why Avalon's extralegal paths are now repeatedly banned. Once an illegal transcendent person is discovered, it is a long detention or even the death penalty, but even so, it can never be killed.

Since Giulio didn't go crazy, there's a good chance he's not the eldest son. In other words, he should still have an older brother or sister on his head...... Then Eivas's grandfather, Jacob, must have been very old.

"In the beginning, the Scaleless Hand was a folk ritual association. Their profession at the time was not a demon scholar, but a 'spell mage' who specialized in rituals and curses. They don't have the knowledge of demonology in their hands - after all, 'demonology' is a knowledge that requires a lot of sacrifices and continuous trial and error of materials.

"They secretly teach some rituals and use rituals to help others. It will also kill some corrupt judges or officials, so it has gained a very good reputation among the people.

"Later, under the patronage of the Star Antimony, the remnants of Alctos joined the 'Scaleless Hand' with the orthodox inheritance of demonology, and eventually achieved a high position."

Sherlock continued, "Anyway, everyone is an illegal transcendent who transcends the path, and the purpose is to rebel against the royal family, which most people in the Scaleless Hand think is not much worse. The essence of transcending the path is unscrupulous rebellion, and they don't care about morality and rules. After all, demons are much easier to learn than rituals and curses......

"Later, the number of demonic scholars in the organization gradually surpassed that of the Spell Mage, and eventually after a pure-blood giant took control of the 'Scaleless Hand' organization, the organization was renamed 'Noble Red' and all the higher-ups were replaced with half-blood giants.

"Some of the old spell mages dissociated themselves from the Noble Red Society and quit the Society in seclusion, including your grandfather Jacob. The inheritance of the profession of Spell Mage originally came from demonologists who considered demons to be despicable, dangerous, and uncontrollable. Their understanding of the transcendent path differs from that of demonic scholars, who believe that demons are a 'power that is easy to gain and easy to lose', and that transcendence with the help of contract demons is not pure or secure. ”

Sherlock said this and sneered: "And according to my investigation...... None of the Spell Mages who quit the Noble Red Society have survived to this day—their entire families have died under the curse. Then there is obviously only one truth. ”

"That's ...... so"

Eivas sighed.

He admires Sherlock's investigative abilities: "When did you start investigating? ”

"Last Sunday."

Sherlock took a sip of his wine, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smug chuckle, "The first time they came into my field of vision was when Edward and I went to investigate the Brotherhood of Sweaters.

"Mr. Edward, in order to satisfy my fatal curiosity, chose to lure me with other puzzles. But what he didn't expect was that I had studied psychology - when people are in such situations, the 'second topic' that comes to mind is often related to the event itself.

"The bait he took out to distract me was the case codenamed 'Redstone' that the Inspectorate was investigating recently: a batch of high-powered, small-sized portable alchemy bombs that had been smuggled from the Pelican Bar to Avalon.

"As far as I know, there are no conditions in Avalon to make portable alchemy bombs. Avalon's alchemy started too late, and even explosives for mining and blasting had to be imported. This alchemy bomb can only be something new made by the alchemists of the Star Antimony. Moreover, the fact that the Pelican Bar was openly investigated as a 'smuggling den' confirmed my opinion.

"So I have a bold conjecture, maybe the Noble Red Society, a folk association composed of Avalons, has been an organization supported by the Star Antimony Kingdom from the very beginning."

"That's true." Ivus nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, Aihuas. At that time, I followed this point to investigate the history of the establishment of the Noble Red Society, but found that I could not find it. So I realized one thing - most of the noble red societies have changed their names. ”

Sherlock spoke, his legs crossed and he banged rhythmically on the table, his cheeks a little crimson, and his body leaned back triumphantly under the gaze of the four: "Under what circumstances would an illegal transcendental organization suddenly change its name?" Of course, it cannot be ruled out that they suddenly go crazy. But given the size of the Noble Red Society, I lean toward a change of name that makes sense...... For example, a change of ownership.

"So I turned to the Noble Red Society and found the 'Scaleless Hand' that had disappeared fifty years ago—I confirmed that they were the same organization. While investigating the Scaleless Hand, I noticed the name of one of its founders: Jacob Alexander, who died of typhoid fever fourteen years ago...... Before that, I just looked into you, Ivus. I was very sensitive to 'Alexander' and 'Fourteen years ago' at that time.

"Yes, Ihuas...... He was Ling's grandfather. When I found out this step, the truth was easily linked in my head. ”

Sherlock put down the half-drunk glass in his hand, looked at Bishop Mathers, and his voice was a little louder than usual: "So, I don't agree with what you said earlier. I am inclined to believe that the claims made by the Inspectorate are true, but they hide some facts.

"Jacob Alexander, it's entirely possible that there is a secret hidden in one of the unpublished poems. Because at that time his eldest son was dead, and his second son, Giulio, embarked on the path of consecration. The Noble Red has become Avalon's largest and only transcendent folk society, and the legacy of the Spell Mage has been effectively severed.

That is, he had a motive to keep it secret. However, I would prefer that he realized that 'Alexander' was cursed and wanted to leave some evidence and clues. But in the end, it was discovered and erased by the curse.

"The Iron Hook Demon is able to teleport under the curse - if he somehow hides his location, but is cursed by blood, that explains why old Jacob, who lives in a remote village, was attacked and all the manuscripts were taken."

Speaking of this, Sherlock, who had a visibly flushed face, looked at Ivas with his blazing gaze and said firmly, "I'm right...... Mr. Fox. ”

Hearing this, Ivas blinked, noncommittal.

He just asked rhetorically, "How did you guess?" ”

"Quite simply, because I'm guessing you've been promoted to the second level. I guessed the right time - when I went to pick you up from the Palace of Silver and Tin, Her Royal Highness said to me, 'Mr. Fox's business can be put aside for a while.' Looking back now, she should have recognized you back then.

"Please don't look at me like that, Mr. Bishop, I'm not eavesdropping on your conversations. I know this by reasoning. ”

Just half a glass of wine, some of the overdrunk Mr. Detective happily hummed a tune-out tune.

Without waiting for others to ask for advice, he replied to himself: "You gave the key to the chapel to Ehuas, and I know about it. It was you who led Ivas to the transcendent path. When he came home that day, I saw Ivas and saw the key in his wheelchair. I remembered it right then.

"And when you see the news, you're not shocked or surprised by Ivus, but you're visibly angry. It's like being betrayed. I'm guessing you think Ivus can't drive the sword, so suspect he's hiding another otherworldly class.

"But when I came down, I saw you talking happily and even about your secret past. This can only be if you confirm that Ivus has indeed stepped on the second energy level. ”

Sherlock laughed, "What I'm going to say is...... You're overthinking. I can confirm that Mr. Eivas is a newcomer to the Transcendental Path, having participated in the First Advancement Ceremony a week ago, the same ceremony as the Advancement of My Wisdom Path. He was a true genius, a genius of dedication to the path...... That's not a bad thing. It's better than if he was a genius who transcended the path. ”

- What if I were both?

Ivus raised an eyebrow and asked inwardly.

When Sherlock recognized Ivus, his wariness and resistance to the "fox" were immediately swept away. Instead of feeling embarrassed that he didn't recognize him, he felt admiration for Ivus's disguise.

Sherlock lamented, "If you think about it, you've actually left a lot of flaws. Your understanding of poetry and song, and that dandy temperament...... Coupled with the fact that Her Royal Highness the princess is very fond of you, I should have recognized it a long time ago. It was arrogant for me not to recognize you—to be stuck with my own reasoning at the beginning, to the exclusion of other possibilities. My mind has also been influenced by transcending the path. ”

After drinking too much, Sherlock became more and more clear to show cheerfulness and enthusiasm that was completely different from his usual cold and reserved attitude, and he graciously invited: "I have an idea, Ihuas! You're going to love that adventure...... When you and Haina are on vacation, it's almost the Chinese New Year, and she will definitely go home. Why don't we go back with her and investigate the real cause of your grandfather's death?" ”

"Haven't you already found out?" Ivus asked rhetorically.

"That's just second-hand information, Mr. Fox, after all. You're still not rigorous enough and you've overlooked some of the details. ”

Sherlock was in high spirits, his words filled with childlike innocence and boasting of his talents: "After all, it is only the Iron Hook Demon who can teleport to the past, not the real demon scholar. I think your grandfather must have left some other clues that weren't completely destroyed by the demons...... After all, he also knew those demon scholars, so he should know their methods.

"—what, aren't you interested in that?"

"I'm really interested...... There's just one problem, Sherlock. ”

Ivus shook his head, "What about Yulia?" ”

"Then take her with you, you're a second-level priest. And you're almost in the middle of the month, and you may be promoted again - this investigation of a complex case has made my wisdom path very smooth. I feel like I'm going to hit the threshold of the third level next month. You're so genius that you've completed the advanced ...... in one day It can't be slower than me, right? ”

Sherlock excitedly encouraged Ivus, and his face had turned completely red: "Priest of the third level, what are you afraid of?" Are you not interested in your grandfather's secrets? ”

- You're not going to drink too much, are you?

Ivas finally realized that something was wrong.

This twenty-six-year-old young man is now as pure and happy as a teenager who has found it fun to play games.

If he hadn't stepped into the path of authoritarianism, perhaps Sherlock would have been like this now.

Ivas finally knew why he said he didn't drink anymore - he really couldn't touch it.

Although the brandy was about forty degrees, the cup of hot apple brandy had at least two-thirds apple juice in it, and it was only as much as a slightly larger teacup.

Sherlock had only half a drink...... Can this cup have 100 ml?

That's about the same amount of alcohol as half a bottle of beer, right?

How can an adult drink so much alcohol? Aren't you transcendent?

“…… Don't drink next time, Sherlock. ”

Ivas admonished sincerely, "As for going to Eagle Point Village...... I think we still have to ask Hayna-senpai, don't we? ”

More than 7,000 words of updated meow~

(End of chapter)