When the plot-skips players into the game world-Chapter 466 - 367: Her Majesty the Queen’s Life Approaches its End

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Twilight.

Glass Island, Hall of Silver and Tin.

"I mean, Sofia, you really don’t seem nervous at all."

A crisp girl’s voice resonated within the queen’s bedchamber.

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Ligeia sat at the end of the bed, dangling her legs and munching on a bright red apple. Her tail whipped the blankets on the bed every so often, creating wrinkles and then smoothing them out again.

Lying within the blankets, the queen did not respond.

Looking markedly older than she had a month prior, her eyes were swollen to the point where she could barely open them, and her spirits seemed much more deflated.

She simply unfolded a sweater she had just finished knitting, admired it for a moment, and then carefully folded it up again, placing it at the head of the bed.

"Sofia?"

Seeing her old friend unresponsive, Ligeia looked back disappointedly at the silent old lady: "I’m talking to you here!

"Don’t we all know that Miss Aleister is actually Lily Drost? Now that Charles is out of the picture, why not just reveal her identity? Would the Drosts even dare to oppose us then?"

"— Best not to. The former Minister Drost is ’not dead’ yet."

The voice of Yanis suddenly emerged.

Inside a painting depicting a summer seaside scene in the queen’s bedchamber, Yanis, wearing a white dress and a straw hat, sat comfortably in the shadow of a parasol, leisurely peeling a grape and commenting, "And besides, Aiwass probably prefers it this way."

The information concerning the former Minister Drost’s murder is still classified.

In other words, he has been alive, in a social sense, all along. He has only been secretly detained, occasionally coughing up some vital intel—information that could be used at any time as leverage against certain individuals.

He knew far too much.

And for that reason, Aiwass, as the Minister of the Department of Care of Magical Creatures, was targeted by those old fogeys.

In their eyes, the appointment of the new Minister Aiwass and the arrest and detention of Minister Drost were not separate events.

They were one and the same.

Even though the Department of Care of Magical Creatures is directly under royal supervision, the Queen’s reign is rapidly drawing to a close.

With the new queen Isabel not quite able to hold the fort, it remains to be seen how much real power the department will eventually hold.

— However, add to that the "evidence" continuously produced by Minister Drost, and the situation changes.

With these two elements combined, the necessary deterrent effect is achieved.

"That’s why they’re eager to weaken the strength in Aiwass’s hands. Even if meddling with his appointment is no longer possible, they at least want to stop the department’s expansion and actions."

Yanis explained unhurriedly: "Even without this piece of intel, they would have concocted some other excuse to cause trouble. Actually, this turn of events is an opportunity for Aiwass—because it came too early and is just too clever, preventing those knights from further preparing their conspiracy in secrecy.

"They didn’t want to miss this golden opportunity, so they had to move prematurely with incomplete preparations. And since they’re in a rush, there will inevitably be flaws."

"Oh... because we all know there really is no ’Miss Aleister.’ And Aiwass certainly couldn’t be involved with Star Antimony... that’s what you mean, right, Yanis?"

Ligeia also caught on.

Still, she was somewhat perplexed: "Then why does Sofia act as if it really is true?"

Queen Sofia’s demeanor appeared particularly tense. She had issued orders to the Supervisory Court, forbidding the matter from appearing in the press "prior to verification." That order itself would spread throughout their circles.

"Silly thing..."

Sofia, gazing at her lively and vibrant old girlfriend, forced her eyes open and sighed, "It’s just like before..."

"Before?"

Ligeia was momentarily puzzled.

But she quickly realized what Sofia was referring to.

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—Just like when the royal family was cursed in days past.

Queen Sofia had a particular fondness for feigning weakness as a tactic—or more accurately, she liked to set up traps as sweet as honey, leading the enemy to believe their plans were progressing smoothly and luring them deeper. Then, at a critical juncture when the foe could no longer retreat, she would counter-attack.

If the "Shadow of Avalon" ritual had not been tampered with, Sofia’s plan would have been perfectly feasible.

Lancelot I, resurrected with apostolic strength, would return to his physical prime as the nation’s founder. His own combat abilities, his Sixth Power Level’s Path of Authority over his subjects, the high reverence of the founding monarch among the populace, the deterrent against external foes, and the political influence that makes implementing policies a breeze—all these would instantly reignite Avalon’s resurgence.

Then, at the most crucial moment, a splendid and refreshing victory would emerge—where the home side represents justice as the invaded party. They could showcase their military power to the great nations, instill robust confidence in the people, and conveniently uproot those decadent knights.

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To achieve this goal, naturally, the less political desire, the better.

Otherwise, it might actually lead to the splintering of Avalon.

Therefore, Isabel, who could carry on with Queen Sofia’s reformative will, would be the best successor.

Isabel’s lack of understanding in politics and her lack of adaptability on the Path of Authority could be perfectly resolved. She only needed to stand with her ancestors and clarify the target for those confused vassals who didn’t know whether to obey the modern monarch or the founding monarch.

Queen Sofia had anticipated everything.

The only thing she hadn’t foreseen was that there was a problem with the ritual performed by Sage Merlin — she had trusted Merlin too much. This directly disrupted her entire arrangement and even led her to become disoriented for a time.

It wasn’t until Merlin himself explained where the problem lay and persuaded her that it was best to abandon the plan... that she finally let go of the breath she’d been holding.

After that, she watched her physical condition deteriorate day by day, visibly growing more debilitated.

Yet compared to her rapidly approaching death, her will and thoughts became clearer.

Reflections of past events continuously surfaced in her mind.

Sofia was not only not becoming senile; she was gradually clarifying the situation.

— This was not a losing game, let alone a dead end. It was, in fact, the time to break the pattern.

The intelligence had been stolen, and they seemed to be able to do nothing but issue warnings... just like the posture they had taken when initially cursed.

Just as Meg was not directly ordered to shut down the city for a thorough investigation when the curse first struck, Sofia did not want Ligeia to engage in "physical debunking" this time either.

"They won’t miss this opportunity, they’re bound to provoke Aiwass..."

Sofia looked particularly listless, her speech was feeble.

But compared to her previous period of confusion, she now appeared significantly more resolute.

The elderly queen murmured softly and leisurely, "It seems like a handle to them, but in reality, it’s full of flaws... Once this matter is settled, no one will dare to provoke them... I can die in peace..."

Seeing the old lady needed to catch her breath after speaking, Yanis in the painting simply interjected, "Aiwass is young, after all, still a child who doesn’t understand things. It’s natural that Aiwass might ’overdo it’ a bit when he retaliates. Although he is a Priest, even honest people get angry. After all, when such overt hostility is displayed, one cannot expect not to provoke a reaction, right?"

"...There is some truth to that, after all, the lad isn’t a pushover. Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite looking forward to it... But you haven’t communicated with Aiwass yet, have you?"

Ligeia raised an eyebrow and leaped off the bed, "Why don’t I take a trip to Eagle Cape Village, let him know the situation so he can be on guard when he returns? I’m also a bit curious about my disciple’s living environment. I can ride the Gryphon there, it would be quite a quick trip."

"That won’t be necessary."

As Yanis chewed on the grapes in the painting, she said elegantly, "He’s already back. He’s chatting with Little Isabel right now.

"I’ll have him come over in a bit."

"...That’s good..."

Hearing that Aiwass was about to come, Queen Sofia’s lips lifted slightly in a faint smile, murmuring softly and gradually slipping into a state of semi-conscious confusion.

Not far from there.

Within the Hall of Silver and Tin, in Isabel’s bedroom.

Aiwass was happily sharing with Isabel all the sights and experiences of his journey.

Indeed, Aiwass had no immediate intention of investigating the missing letter.

After all, he was not Sherlock.

Just as Edward said, whether Aleister was a spy was not important — similarly, whether Aiwass eventually found that letter was also not very important. Even whether Aleister really existed wasn’t important.

— On the contrary, confirming the attitudes of the Queen and those few "senior" powerhouses towards this matter was of utmost importance.

Seeing that it was getting late, Aiwass hinted for Edward to dismiss Captain Camus and agreed to meet tomorrow morning to officially start the investigation.

After Camus departed, Aiwass went directly to the palace.

Aiwass was somewhat surprised to find that Isabel had guessed that he would come and had already changed into the pure white evening gown often worn for family dinners.

But Aiwass soon realized that the "Golden Dawn" camera at home must have informed Yanis and that’s how Isabel knew from her teacher.

However, after sharing her travel experiences, Isabel, who had been excited to see Aiwass, now looked worried instead.

The first thing she said made Aiwass pause:

"It’s just a thought, I’m not sure...

"But Aiwass, has there been a noticeable shift in the inclination of your Path?"