"Yes, hello… I’m Inspector Haina.

I made an appointment yesterday to investigate the case of Mr. Aiwass Moriarty’s assault."

A young woman, dressed in a blue-and-white uniform, stood nervously at the gates of a manor, clutching her wide-brimmed hat.

She looked to be around twenty years old.

Her brown curls were tied back in a ponytail, and her tall nose gave her features a striking sharpness.

Her lake-blue eyes, however, revealed the panic of someone convinced she had already ruined everything.

"…S-sorry.

The District Inspectorate had to hold an emergency meeting yesterday.

There was another warehouse explosion in White Queen District.

They found traces of fire elementals at the scene, suspected involvement of a demon scholar.

I thought… maybe it was the same fugitive who attacked Mr. Aiwass the day before…"

Her voice trailed off, growing smaller and smaller.

"So you decided to attend a meeting you weren’t required to join… and arrived here two hours and twenty-three minutes late?"

An aged, severe voice rang out from the other side of the iron gate.

It carried a drawn-out cadence, the peculiar accent of the elves of the capital.

With a snap, the old elf closed the jeweled pocket watch in his hand and tucked it back against his chest.

His eyes fixed on Haina with sharp intensity.

Standing before her was a tall, gaunt elf in a butler’s uniform.

His wrinkled face resembled the bark of an ancient tree.

His dark green eyes gleamed more like a wolf’s than water.

The old elf towered close to two meters tall, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture straight as a pine, unmoving, exuding a suffocating pressure.

Normally, Haina should not have been so intimidated by a butler.

After all, she was an Inspector-in-Training who had already passed the graduation assessment ahead of time.

She only wore the trainee badge because the gryphon assigned to her had not yet arrived.

She could receive the Queen’s insignia at any moment.

But this old elf was different.

He was her instructor.

Though bound by ancient tradition to serve the Moriarty family since the founding of the kingdom, he was also the former Grand Inspector-General who had retired eighty years ago.

"I expected you would arrive even later, Miss Haina."

The butler’s hands remained clasped behind his back as he spoke in that haughty, elf-like tone that always unsettled her.

"Young Master Aiwass was attacked by a demon scholar two nights ago.

He only awoke from his coma last evening.

Upon learning the Inspectorate wished to question him, he willingly gave up his stay at the Glass Steps Sanatorium.

Though weak, he insisted on waiting by the fire for you.

He has waited two hours.

And I, too, have waited two hours at this door.

Now it is nearly dark.

If you had delayed any longer, you might as well have postponed until tomorrow.

And if tomorrow, why not after a week of proper rest?

By regulation, any case signed with a commission must be concluded within one week.

Given your fine qualities that earned early graduation, I am sure you will have no trouble catching the demon scholar.

So why trouble my poor young master at all?

Better that you return.

I will explain matters to Director Kent."

Kent was the director of the White Queen District Inspectorate.

Even if Haina earned her insignia, he would still outrank her by three grades.

If not for the biting sarcasm in the old butler’s tone, she would have gladly abandoned this mess to her superior.

But the truth was—she was still only a student in her final year of university.

Though celebrated on campus, she had yet to graduate.

She lacked the experience to discern whether the old elf truly meant to send her away or was simply mocking her.

Yet her instincts warned her—if he hadn’t meant it, and she simply ran off, she would truly be in grave trouble.

"…I am very sorry."

She lowered her head.

"I will apologize to Mr. Aiwass as well."

She had, after all, scheduled the meeting yet arrived late without a word.

The fault was hers.

Her eyes wandered toward the iron gate that barred her way.

The black wrought-iron surface bore only modest thorn-like patterns, not the grandeur one would expect from nobility.

In truth, Professor Moriarty—the adoptive father of Aiwass—was indeed a modest and scholarly man.

He had taught Haina at university, lecturing in astronomy, astrology, and higher mathematics.

Though heir to the Moriarty Trading Company, owner of three museums, and the sole sponsor of White Queen District’s observatory, he quietly remained a professor, devoted to his research.

He funded orphanages, adopted children, and was widely known for his generosity and wisdom.

Her captain had warned her that the Moriarty family was not only wealthy, but also one of the Founding Families, served by elves since the kingdom’s birth.

Even though Master James Moriarty was known for his gentle temperament, she was told to tread carefully.

By law, anyone directly involved in a demon incident must, once out of danger, be immediately escorted with a Binding Seal to the Inspectorate for a mind trial conducted by a Justiciar.

Only if found innocent would they be returned to a hospital or sanatorium.

For in demon rituals, roles such as host, participant, tutor, or sacrifice could not be distinguished simply by whether one was wounded.

Survivors often were not victims but accomplices.

Yet this rule had been disregarded.

Director Kent turned a blind eye to the obvious.

It was the butler who contacted him and arranged this meeting.

And the Inspectorate had sent her here alone—no Justiciar, no gryphon, no armor, no sword.

The cover-up was blatant.

Haina thought, even if Aiwass truly was involved, she could never take him away.

But the very scale of this cover-up made her suspect… perhaps he really was connected.

‘How fortunate…’

‘Just an adopted orphan, plucked from obscurity because of luck… and now untouchable by the Inspectorate itself.’

Haina stood there, sour thoughts swirling.

The iron gate creaked open.

She looked up in surprise.

The old elf’s face was as stern as ever, yet oddly seemed less angry.

He glanced at her silently, then turned, hands still behind his back, walking slowly inside.

It took her a moment to realize—he was letting her in.

She hastily donned her hat and followed.

She had just thought to turn back and shut the gate, but it closed by itself.

Faint runes lit up across its inner surface.

The slanted sunlight faded, the breeze stilled.

Haina felt an unseen force enveloping the estate, shifting its atmosphere.

"I do not wish to make trouble for you, Miss Haina."

Though the elf walked ahead, his voice seemed to whisper clearly in her ear.

"But an appointment must be honored.

If the agreed time is set, one must arrive then—not earlier, not later.

In school, breaking rules may not seem serious.

But in the real world, gryphon riders patrol the streets, Justiciars examine company ledgers, and Inspectors like you arrest the suspicious.

This kingdom is built upon rules.

The Inspectorate, the Court of Law, the Tribunal—they uphold not only the Queen’s will, but the many laws set by Parliament.

This time, I will forgive you.

I will not tell Director Kent of your mistake.

I will say you arrived on time, only lingered afterward for tea and sweets.

But only because Young Master Aiwass is kind.

At the one-hour mark, I had already decided to summon the Inspectorate.

It was Aiwass who stopped me.

He said everyone deserves a chance… and that one should at least meet before passing judgment."

The old elf’s slow words accompanied their long walk through the estate grounds.

Finally, his tone softened slightly, yet still rang clearly in her ears.

"Avalon has no nobles, unlike other kingdoms.

But the heirs of the Founders are no less exalted.

Without the sacrifice of those twenty founders, all would have perished.

Even the Queen must respect their descendants.

I have felt your sincerity, and so I forgive your tardiness.

But perhaps you should consider—did you offend someone, or stand in someone’s way?

As I said, that meeting you attended… was not one you were required to join."

Haina froze.

At the manor’s doors, the butler turned elegantly, bowing slightly.

"Please come with me, Miss Haina.

The young master has been waiting."

Now he wore the butler’s mask, polite and formal.

Before, he had spoken only as her old instructor.

Dazed, Haina followed him inside.

The soft carpet underfoot startled her, and she nearly asked if she should remove her shoes.

But the elf’s calm demeanor gave no hint, so she stayed silent, uneasy, the warmth of the hearth filling the winter air.

Only then did she realize—she had forced an old man to wait outside in the cold for two hours.

Shame gnawed at her.

Even her suspicion toward Aiwass was strangely eroded by guilt.

And so, she finally met the young man rumored to be both brilliant and reckless—Aiwass Moriarty.

He sat in a wheelchair, a blanket draped across his legs.

His pale, bloodless face looked no older than seventeen or eighteen.

His striking beauty was nothing like Professor Moriarty’s.

Clad in a white fur robe, his platinum-blond hair shone with the firelight’s glow.

He sat quietly reading by the hearth, his delicate features exuding a serene, poetic air.

The sight was so perfect, it resembled a painting.

Haina widened her eyes unconsciously.

Then the youth turned, smoothly wheeling himself around as if he had sensed her.

Only then did she notice the wheelchair.

‘Was this the price of the demon scholar’s attack?’

At some point, she had stopped considering that Aiwass himself might be the demon scholar.

His deep blue eyes, like the sea, fixed on her.

"Miss Haina."

His voice was clear, noble, and perfectly matched his appearance.

Though his face was weak, his tone carried vitality and courtesy.

"Nice to meet you.

Tell me… are you here to arrest me?"

(End of Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: 1. Are You Here to Arrest Me?

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