When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Chapter 104 Archbishop Your Excellency Wants to Make Amends Chapter 163: Chapter 104 Archbishop Your Excellency Wants to Make Amends Mrs.@@@@

Mina had prepared an “invigorating medicinal wine” that was clearly very effective, or rather, too effective.

After drinking the hot brandy, Sherlock visibly perked up, truly exhibiting the “excessive energy” he always talked about but seldom seemed to display.

Ordinarily, the Supervisory Bureau’s Counselor restrained his behavior with his powerful rationality, and his occasional bouts of low blood sugar made him seem quite lazy and listless.

It was a paradoxical trait that made Sherlock’s release of his surplus energy look rather awkward—like some sort of sudden fit of neurosis.

On Glass Island, Sherlock was somewhat of a celebrity, and many were familiar with his habits.

He enjoyed intense intellectual labor such as brain-burning cases, and wouldn’t shy away from intricate or dangerous investigations either.

...

But he had an aversion to physical exercise, as Sherlock believed that wasting energy meaninglessly was pointless.

Exercise required sugar for sustenance, while his low blood sugar would leave him weak and his brainpower diminished.

Still, his spirits would remain unabashedly high, which gave Sherlock—physiologically speaking—a headache.

But now, after drinking...

as Sherlock said himself, his intellect was indeed muddled by the alcohol, and his strong excitement, pride, and curiosity overflowed.

Sherlock visibly became more talkative.

After discussing his grandfather with Aiwass, he then began to regale endlessly about his past brilliant cases.

These were private cases he had solved, never before shared with anyone.

Now they served as perfect stories for tea time conversations.

Normally, Sherlock wouldn’t deign to share the details of these cases or explain the work he had done, but now his words proved that he had never forgotten them—he just couldn’t be bothered to talk about them with others.

In less than twenty minutes, Sherlock gradually came to his senses.

Aiwass could distinctly feel that Sherlock’s rate of speech was starting to slow down, and the periods of silence and reflection were getting longer—he knew Sherlock was sobering up.

Sherlock finally realized that he might have drunk a bit too much.

He immediately straightened out his clothes and politely excused himself, returning upstairs to wash his face and sober up.

“Although Mr.

Sherlock gets drunk quickly, he sobers up pretty fast too,”

observed Bishop Mathers with a hearty laugh.

In his mind, Sherlock had always been a gloomy person—”like a clear stream flowing through darkness,” that was Bishop Mathers’ impression of him.

“Now it seems that our usually stern young gentleman is indeed still a young man.

It’s just that he usually suppresses his true nature too much,”

Mrs.

Mina softly remarked, “If he hadn’t been born in Avalon but in a country where the Path of Wisdom was legally recognized...

in a place where he could freely express his strong and pure curiosity, perhaps he would have been happier.”

“Let’s not talk about that, Mina,”

Mathers waved his hand, indicating that the topic should be dropped.

He looked towards Aiwass and asked, “What do you think, Aiwass?”

“About what?”

Aiwass raised his eyebrows: “Mr.

Sherlock’s alcohol tolerance?”

“That’s not worth discussing,” Bishop Mathers couldn’t help but laugh, “I mean about Eagle Cape Village in Shepherd Bay County...

are you going there?”

“We do intend to go,”

Aiwass nodded: “But I probably won’t take Yulia.”

By then, Aiwass figured he would have extracted and sealed the Phantom Demon from Yulia.

Even if Aiwass left her with some power, she would just be an ordinary girl with some fire talent, not yet a Transcendent—unable to unleash the Phantom Demon’s power to protect herself if real danger arose.

Taking her along would restrict their actions.

True, the bishop had sent Aiwass to an orphanage funded by Professor Moriarty whom he trusted.

But Mathers hadn’t even visited Aiwass after he entered the orphanage and before he was adopted by Professor Moriarty.

Clearly, he had hoped to forget this half-day incident in his life and maintain a clear boundary with an unknown formidable adversary.

He was also afraid of being bothered by Aiwass, whose personality he did not know, which would disturb his quiet and happy life with Mrs.

Mina.

Yet his overly developed sense of morality prevented Bishop Mathers from truly forgetting Aiwass’s existence.

He couldn’t convince himself to completely forget, and the mild guilt he carried tormented him day and night, growing more intense.

That’s why Bishop Mathers blurted out this incident from years ago during a conversation with Professor Moriarty.

It was not until Aiwass was adopted by Professor Moriarty that he finally relaxed and momentarily forgot about the matter.

Aiwass had always thought that he was just a gift for Yulia, adopted as a tool to appease her.

But now it seemed that what Professor Moriarty had inquired about with the matron was probably his name.

It was only when his foster father realized that he was “Aiwass Alexander” that he decided to step in and take him away as well.

Perhaps Bishop Mathers had played a part in this matter.

So later, when he received a commission from Professor Moriarty to teach Julio’s child the Sacred Arts, Bishop Mathers opened the chapel for Aiwass alone for a day.

It wasn’t what he claimed, a repayment of debts to Professor Moriarty—

In a sense, it was actually for atonement.

An atonement only Bishop Mathers knew about, and only he cared about.

That’s why the bishop repeated his words of comfort to Aiwass, who was sitting in a wheelchair, fearful of demoralizing him.

And when Aiwass couldn’t protect himself, he chose to lend the key to the chapel he was guarding to him.

It was his responsibility.

As the Guardian of the Holy Tomb, the key to the holy tomb he protected was a very precious thing.

—Because fourteen years ago, Bishop Mathers had already experienced regret once.

It wasn’t regret for sealing the curse which led to the death of Aiwass’s biological parents.

It was regret for not having the courage to adopt Aiwass due to fear and the reluctance to take on the trouble.

He wanted to live for himself.

But Mathers was fundamentally a kind person, he couldn’t let go.

That’s why he’s regretting it now.

To avoid further regrets, he was now striving to make amends.

However, it was clearly an overcorrection.

After discerning the bishop’s entire thought process, Aiwass simply sighed silently.

Aiwass didn’t attempt to advise the bishop to change his way of thinking.

Nor did he choose to forcibly return the key...

that would only make Mathers feel sad and anxious.

He decided to respect the guilt and remorse that burdened Mathers day and night.

Openly accepting this concern, he would then take good care of himself.

—What Aiwass could do, was to let this elder who truly cared about him...

finally escape from his originally destined painful and miserable fate.

“Thank you for your concern, Archbishop Your Excellency.”

Aiwass placed the milk tea cup down, bowed his head, and sincerely expressed his gratitude: “I will definitely take good care of myself and return soon.

I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Bishop Mathers just watched Aiwass with a hearty laugh, his eyes slightly moist.

He seemed to have guessed why Aiwass had suddenly said such things.

Such a sensible and intelligent child...

“...At this point, I truly do have some regrets,” Bishop Mathers lamented in his heart.