"...you want to see him?"
The Guardian’s brow furrowed deeply, "What is there to see about him?"
Lord George clearly did not wish for Mr. Aiwass to meet with the likes of the Minister of Commerce.
Although the Guardian was the most likely person to spare the Minister, emotionally, he detested the Minister the most.
"It’s simple," Aiwass replied, "because Lily’s surname used to be Drost."
"He is your...?"
"Biological father."
Lily clasped her hands together, her expression dimmed, "He’s dying, and I want to see him one last time."
As a Transcendent on the Path of Adaptation, Lily had a natural talent for disguise and deception.
Yet, her demeanor was a lie, while her words were not.
This was a method of deception specifically taught to her by Aiwass, for use against the Guardian.
The Guardian could easily see through the lies of others... but according to Aiwass’s experience, this was not always a good thing.
Considering how much sincerity lies in another’s words is, in fact, a necessary process. Words carry information, and behind words lie the true intentions of the speaker, perhaps even unbeknownst to them - why these words, why these first and not others? Relying too much on the ability to discern lies can lead to abandoning such contemplation and reflection.
After all, even the truth can deceive.
The Guardian could sense the honesty in Lily’s words.
Being a father himself, he could relate to that.
Of course, this empathy was also by Aiwass’s design.
For His Excellency the Guardian, this was the perfect point of entry.
The Guardian loved his own child dearly, and David revered him. Having no illegitimate children, he couldn’t understand the feelings of other Knights when approached by their own illegitimate offspring. Instead, he would subconsciously overlap the image of Lily with that of David.
He would not reject such a reasonable request.
—After all, a member of the Drost Family had the right to request a meeting with the Minister of Commerce. Though Lily was illegitimate...what of it? She carried the blood of the Drost. Just because she was illegitimate, did that mean she was not of the Drost?
It was no big deal to let her be the one to meet him first.
That’s what George thought.
But as the Guardian, and also as an elder to Aiwass and Lily, he felt obliged to warn, "You may meet him, but do not believe anything he says.
"That man is full of lies. He could lie with a straight face about anything if it served his interest. If he knew Miss Lily was his own daughter, he might very well feign a pitiful look and disguise himself as a victim or an innocent party.
"But do not forget, Miss Lily. It was he who abandoned you and your mother—I hope you understand that the life you have now did not come from a single benefit of the Drost, but is thanks to the Moriarty family."
The Guardian spoke gravely, "Including the professor, and above all Aiwass. He has been very kind to you; do not let him down."
This man, standing tall and straight as the most traditional of knights.
He spoke his mind frankly and without hesitation, his deep and steady voice offering a strong sense of security, making it clear that he was both well-meaning and rational.
There was a confidence in his words that needed no embellishment to be persuasive.
The ease and honesty with which he spoke made Aiwass somewhat envious, and his open goodwill, along with the care and education of an elder, demanded Aiwass’s respect.
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—Don’t worry, good sir.
With me here, you will not die so miserably and in despair...
Aiwass thought to himself.
"I know,"
Lily said softly, looking at Aiwass, gratitude and respect in her grey eyes, "I am very grateful to Mr. Aiwass... He changed my destiny. He has a pure heart of justice, high moral standards, and an unreserved, selfless, and sincere love for others."
... Hey, hey, hey, don’t ad-lib. That wasn’t in the script I wrote for you.
Aiwass was somewhat anxious, unsure if the Guardian would detect the lie.
Because he was actually somewhat guilty—he didn’t find himself particularly "just," nor did he feel his moral standards were especially high. According to Mr. Aiwass’s viewpoint, it was really Avalon that was too depraved. The things he had done were merely things that an ordinary person ought to do.
A liar whose words were always false, who told lies using the truth, and who could skillfully beautify one lie with another—could such a person be anything good?
Unexpectedly, the Great Guardian nodded in agreement, "Indeed so."
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"Aiwass is the most devout, just, caring, wise, and willful young man I’ve ever seen. So Her Majesty the Queen..."
He paused suddenly in the middle of his sentence.
Then he changed his tune: "Oh, Her Majesty also has high praise for him. She wants us to have our children learn more from him."
Mr. Aiwass couldn’t keep it together upon hearing this.
Although he knew that his persona was actually quite well constructed, about half of it was pretense.
Because he knew the sort of person he was, he always felt that the Great Guardian was being sarcastic... even though he knew the Great Guardian was sincerely praising him, which made him feel even worse.
—Can you not wait until I actually do something truly great before praising me?
Where’s Lily, where’s Lily? Switch topics and save me, will you?
Fortunately, the Great Guardian did not keep lavishing praise on Aiwass.
He reached for the Eye of Avalon on his chest and said, "Let me first see if he is awake. He is still sealed inside the secret chamber. There is neither light nor sound in the secret chamber, and many people’s first reaction when confined is to sleep."
"At first, they mostly can’t sleep, but once they do, they pass a lot of time that way. Hence, the real punishment actually begins after they wake up, when they can no longer sleep..."
He stopped midway, his expression turning suddenly serious.
"Thank you, Aiwass."
The Great Guardian suddenly said this, then took out the Gryphon Whistle, blew it, and then continued, "Thank you very much..."
"...?"
Aiwass tilted his head in confusion.
The words of the Great Guardian stunned both him and Lily for a moment: "The Noble Red Society is here, and there are quite a few of them... They are currently attacking the Supervisory Bureau, likely to rescue him—they are about to be overrun. I’ve just seen Inspectors killed in the fight."
"If you hadn’t mentioned this to me, they probably would all have died here. A massacre at the capital’s Supervisory Bureau and the escape of a criminal... This would cause a major incident."
Could this be happening?
Does Drost no longer wish to live? Was he so confident he could escape?
How did he make contact with the Noble Red? How did they know he was here?
Many doubts rose in Aiwass’s mind—but he knew what was most crucial was that his opportunity had arrived.
"I will go too, please bring me along."
Aiwass immediately answered, "I have obtained the ability from the Defiant Flame Butterfly to dispel curses and heal en masse; I’m certain I can be of help."
That was the truth.
The Great Guardian did not bother to inquire further and nodded. He quickly led Aiwass to the window at the second floor.
His Gryphon had already stopped outside the window. The Great Guardian then picked up Aiwass in his wheelchair with one hand and flung them both straight out from the second-floor balcony.
The Gryphon deftly caught Aiwass’s wheelchair.
And Aiwass added, "It’s best to bring Lily, too!"
The Great Guardian nodded, grabbed Lily by the collar of her clothes, said a low "Excuse me," then picked her up and leaped onto the Gryphon’s back with her.
Once everyone was aboard, the air around the Gryphon began to fluctuate. Their figures started to blur as if seen through the smoke above a barbecue.
The wind was not a hindrance to the Gryphon but an ally—
As the Gryphon’s claws strummed the silent harp strings, the atmosphere parted slowly like automatic doors opening to either side. If a normal person breaking the sound barrier was like smashing through these invisible doors with their body, then for the Gryphon, these doors would simply open of their own accord as it approached.
They did not cause a sonic boom; instead, they vanished on the spot with a gust of wind.