Ivus carefully looked at the old ceremonial master in front of him, who was usually quite low-key.

Queen Sofia succeeded to the throne sixty years ago. She was not yet twenty years old at the time.

Since old Ibn knew Sophia at that time, can he say it...... When he met Jacob Alexander, he was actually in his early twenties?

He had a white beard, and his naturally curly hair was gray. Even in Avalon-style clothing, he can still faintly capture a hint of the temperament of a foreign country in his facial features.

His oily green pupils were also covered with a layer of gray because of his age. In his youth, he might have been a handsome young man with deep eyebrows, curly black hair, and a beard.

And what did Jacob look like at that time, so that Ibn, who had not seen him for decades, would look familiar when he saw Aihuas?

Thinking of this, Ivas was in a trance for a moment.

"Jacob Alexander ......"

He then focused his attention and replied softly, "He is my grandfather." ”

Ibn was a little puzzled: "But I remember, you are not the Moriarty family......"

"James Moriarty is my adoptive father."

"When I was a few years old, my parents and family were killed. It was my adoptive father who raised me. ”

“…… So it was. ”

When the old man heard this, his already cloudy eyes widened slightly, and he muttered, "This kind of thing happens in Avalon......

He was silent for a moment, looking like he was a few years older.

"They were all cursed and killed."

And Ivas continued in a calm tone: "According to my investigation over the years, my grandfather died of 'typhoid fever' fourteen years ago. ”

"Huh. Typhoid ......"

Hearing this, Ibn sneered, "It should be the Typhoid Curse." That's the curse spell invented by Jacob...... His philosophy about curses at the time was to keep a low profile as much as possible - it was better not to let people perceive it to be a curse.

"It seems that the person who killed him must have studied the curse art with him."

It's like an experienced veteran doctor who suddenly laughs when he hears his students discuss a complex condition, and inserts himself into the conversation to give a definite answer.

The sigh that he still "had to make a move" after all, along with the nostalgia for the past, overflowed together, giving people a light but reliable sense of calm.

Ivus was still wondering why Avalon's court ceremonies were so weak...... After hearing Ibn tell his story, he thought that Queen Sophia had just taken a fancy to his character and morality.

But at this time, the strong self-confidence in the old man made Eivers really feel his self-confidence.

Even if the energy level is low, it does not mean that it is weak.

"At that time, all we wanted was to help people deal with some big people who did evil, to get justice for people, or to teach them some lessons. But the Scaleless Hand didn't want to be so famous that it became a trusted and relied on person. ”

Ibn sighed, "This is the same experience I shared with Jacob. ”

“…… Experience? ”

"Yes, experience."

Ibn's pupils were deep, and there was a little sadness in them that he couldn't let go: "If you are too famous, then people will always come to you to solve problems." But we are not gods, and even gods are not omnipotent.

"But people don't dare to blame the gods, but they dare to blame us. They will blame our failure on not doing our best – and while this is true, when we have more commissions on hand, we will inevitably have a focus. And if someone asks for it and refuses it, people will also blame them. Not only that, but they will even be blamed and criticized by their partners......

"Was that the fault of the person who came to request? Of course not. But that's not our fault, much less the critics' fault. Everyone gathers together with good intentions, but why can't a good heart achieve the same happy ending? ”

It was as if Ibn was talking about something, and as if he was whispering something to himself.

"These are all lessons I have learned from my hometown. I told Jacob about these things, and made it clear to him that we were not the saviors of all men from the very beginning. We'll never be able to save everyone, so don't let people's expectations be too high from the start; We can't do everything, so don't let people trust us too much.

"The Scaleless Hand, under Jacob's leadership, has kept a low profile and existed as a secret society. Only a very small number of people who know of our existence can ask us to do something. And these tasks come at a heavy cost...... It's not that we want to make a profit from it, it's just that people don't put all their hopes on us. In my experience, that just crushes us.

"Only those who are willing to do whatever it takes to get revenge often get our response. On top of that, we're usually the ones who take the initiative – to find out what we need to do. We were free, like legendary thieves. ”

The old ceremonial master sighed, "To be honest, those days are very happy to think about now......

He looked at Ivus and chuckled as tentatively as if self-deprecatingly, "But don't you think we're too ruthless?" It is an association formed to help others, but it does not accept the commission of others. ”

“…… No, you are right. ”

Ivus's fingers unconsciously tapped on the armrest of the wheelchair and whispered, "No one is omnipotent...... As a result, not all requests are granted. If you are dragged to a professional field that you are not familiar with because of compassion, your efficiency and success rate will be much slower. ”

Ivus certainly doesn't blame them. He just felt as if he had been punched by words.

Isn't he himself such a person?

It's just that Ivus was lucky, and he hadn't encountered the kind of bad thing that would have damaged his enthusiasm; Or maybe he's strong enough to always fulfill other people's requests.

- As long as it's a tailwind, everyone is a good brother.

It's not that Ivas is unaware of this. It's just that he, who has never failed, has become a little inflated under the luck mentality.

But......

Did my grandfather do this kind of thing back then?

It's no wonder that my father went on the path of devotion and became a pastor......

"Well, the manuscript that Jacob left behind...... Do you have any clues? ”

Rare to meet someone who knew his grandfather, Ivas asked, "Some say he may have been killed because of the manuscript that was about to be released." ”

"Manuscripts? This ......"

Old Ibn looked guilty, a regret that he wanted to help, but he couldn't intervene: "I'm sorry. The Scaleless Hand was formed during the time of the Hanged King, and the Hanged King died two years after I joined. The Queen had only just taken the throne when I was arrested. After that, I was taken away by His Majesty.

"I went back a year later...... Because I have discovered that Her Majesty Sophia and the 'Hanged King' are not the same kind of people. We may not have to rebel against the royal family anymore to make Avalon better and heal people's misfortunes. I was planning to form a team of ritual mages for Your Majesty, and I would take this opportunity to give the Scaleless Hand a legal identity to the Spell Mages.

"But when I went back to look for Jacob, I found that our old stronghold had been abandoned. All contact methods have been cut off, and I have written to me and received no response. Presumably ......"

When the old man said this, he seemed to be choked by the memory. The melancholy words turned into a long, grainy sigh like a bellows.

- Presumably, they thought I had betrayed.

Ibn had not spoken, but Evas had already guessed his thoughts.

Rationally speaking, this is quite reasonable. Affection and trust should not be the reason to naively leave the survival of other partners to the conscience of Iben.

But then again. It's still quite hurtful.

…… That should have been sixty years ago, though.

The Scaleless Hand faded away, replaced by the Noble Red, almost fifty years ago. In other words, Ibn really doesn't seem to know what will happen ten years later......

It's a pity that the trail was cut off again.

Eivers had some regrets.

But he took chances and continued: "It seems that my parents were also exterminated because of that manuscript. According to my investigation, they were supposed to have been killed by the Iron Hook Demon. ”

“…… Iron Hook Demon? ”

Ibn frowned, "Then there should be a professional curse master, right?" Could it be ......"

"Nope. Probably not a man with a scaleless hand. ”

Evas explained, "The curser's name is Aziz. Aziz bin Abdul. What's your clue? ”

Hearing the name, Ibn's expression changed suddenly.

It's like an old lion suddenly opening its eyes and swaying to its feet. It was like a wild wolf that was so weak that it was about to die to open its eyes under the moon, and the desolate and resolute killing intent made people feel chilled.

"—where is he?"

“…… He was long gone. It is said that he passed through the desert and went to a certain country in the East...... It could be rest, or it could be Horus. ”

Ivus answered the question first, then paused and asked, "Do you know him?" ”

It was an unfolding he hadn't expected.

He had expected to ask about his grandfather from Ibn...... But he didn't expect that Ibn knew very little about his grandfather, but he actually knew the curser who had cursed Alexander and his wife.

"A fat black man, huh?"

Ibn asked rhetorically.

"Yes. His face was brown and dark, somewhat hunchbacked. ”

Ivus nodded in response, repeating the appearance of the man he had seen from the Advancement Ritual: "He was wearing a large gemstone ring on all ten of his fingers...... More than a decade ago, it was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. It should be sixty or seventy by now. ”

“…… That's him. ”

Ibn was silent for a long time before he whispered, "I was resting in peace, and I was betrayed by him.

"He is my brother and nephew. At the same time, he was a slave I rescued after the fall of the city.

"He betrayed us who were wanted, traded our information for the status of a freedman, a large house, eight slave girls, and became a cursed master in the service of the good master......

“…… He's in Avalon, too. ”

Around two o'clock, the second chapter meow~

(End of chapter)