When the plot-skips players into the game world

Aiwass was pushed to the front of the lecture hall by Lily and lifted his head, looking at the crowd before him with interest.

The students were all looking at him.

Some were astonished, some excited, some curious, some frowning, some expressionless.

Some had just woken up, not understanding what was happening; others were incessantly introducing something to their neighbors.

But without a doubt,

Even the sleepiest students, those least interested in the class, at least looked up at the commotion caused by Aiwass.

In the center of the crowd\'s gaze, Aiwass looked back at them with a smile.

In the face of people\'s scrutiny and curiosity, he didn\'t feel the slightest bit of stage fright. On the contrary, he was eager, as if his veins were pulsing with restless sparks. His spine involuntarily tensed as though a girl\'s fingers had lightly brushed it.

For the first time, Aiwass also realized... and for the first time, he had the chance to realize, how well he adapted to such a "public" setting.

He raised his face, revealing a bright smile.

He reached out to turn on the loudspeaker, and the newly activated device emitted a sharp buzz.

"Hello everyone, I am Aiwass Moriarty.

"You might already know me... from the mouths of others, from the newspapers. Or perhaps you don\'t— but that doesn\'t matter. From now on, I am a student like you, from the same academy, same department, and even the same class."

Aiwass\'s gentle voice, with a hint of echo, spread throughout the entire lecture theater: "As you can see, my health isn\'t very good. I\'ve been studying at home since the beginning of the semester. This person behind me is my friend Lily, who also helps me get around normally."

Having said that, the maid behind him, Lily, bowed slightly to the crowd on behalf of Aiwass.

Then, Aiwass laughed and said, "It seems Professor Bard wanted to put me to a little test. To see if I\'ve been studying at home... and to see if I can keep up with everyone\'s pace.

"So, I\'ll talk a bit about it. But after all, I am a student just like you, so if I say something wrong, please be forgiving."

He said this and glanced at the content on the lesson plan.

Most of what was discussed was the same old stuff, mostly about what some person did on some day in some year... No wonder the students would feel drowsy listening.

If he talked about these things again, once the novelty wore off, they would likely get bored.

Besides, Aiwass wasn\'t particularly familiar with the details; it would be rather troublesome if he accidentally discussed confidential matters that he shouldn\'t know.

So Aiwass quickly had an idea.

He lifted his head and cheerfully asked, "We have now reached the establishment of the Star Antimony Kingdom in our studies, right?

"The Heracel Empire split into the Star Antimony Kingdom, the Iris Kingdom, the Narcissus Duchy, and the Black Hawk Duchy—"

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject: "Then let me talk about something not in the textbooks but still permitted by Her Majesty to teach—something interesting.

"...Do you know why the vast Heracel Empire suddenly fragmented into pieces?"

After a brief silence, someone raised a hand.

Aiwass looked at them and nodded slightly.

And a steady male voice rose: "It was because Transcendent demon magic, which pursued the Path of Transcendence, became widespread in the empire and eventually summoned powerful demons, leading to the slaughter of the royal family. After the royal lineage was cut off, the local leaders declared themselves kings. Then came the six years of the \'War of Fragmentation.\'"

So this was Avalon\'s version of history, Aiwass thought.

"Please sit down, sir."

With an understanding in his mind, he nodded slightly in response: "What you say is correct, but it is not entirely so.

"It was indeed the direct cause for the rupture of the empire\'s succession and extinction of the bloodline, but it wasn\'t the fundamental reason for the empire\'s fragmentation.

"The fundamental reason lies in the contention of Paths. Most internal wars, invasions, and divisions within kingdoms of the world arise from disputes over Paths."

As he spoke, Aiwass deftly shifted the topic to his area of expertise.

Professor Bard stroked his chin, neither interrupting nor correcting.

Because what Aiwass was saying wasn\'t wrong, it still pertained to the fall of the Heracel Empire and the establishment of the Star Antimony Kingdom. It just involved topics from another subject... discussions and studies about the wars of Transcendents. However, the Theological Seminary didn\'t actually teach this, so as supplementary reading, it was still quite good.

When the students realized that Aiwass had started talking about Transcendents... they perked up with interest, all looking at Aiwass.

History relating to Transcendents wasn\'t necessarily esoteric knowledge, but it was surely as difficult to acquire as esoteric knowledge.

Perhaps it was precisely because he was "Moriarty" that he had the chance to come into contact with such secrets.

And it certainly sounded far more interesting than the dry history!

"All of us here, as long as we are able to step into Transcendence, are fellow travelers on the Path of Devotion. A very few who cannot enter the Path of Devotion will transfer to the \'Individual Tactics Department\' next semester to join the Path of Authority. Since the Path of Devotion and the Path of Authority do not conflict, no one is aware of the inherent conflicts between paths.

"Just as when studying art in the sixth department, one encounters the Path of Beauty—an art as the beauty of eternity and the moment, it inevitably comes close to the Path of Dusk; and like the concept of the Gemini Mirror, when artists do not lean toward dusk, they tend to lean toward Balance; those with romantic souls, meanwhile, incline to the \'Path of Love\'.

"However, regardless, there is a conflict between the Path of Beauty and the Path of Wisdom. The rational pursuit of truth and the emotional pursuit of beauty are ultimately incompatible.

"Similarly, the Path of Authority, with its control of power, manipulation of will, and leadership over others, inherently conflicts with the Path of Transcendence, which favors subverting the higher-ups, seeking transcendence, and aiming for something even higher.

"The Path of Adaptation talks about conforming to nature and becoming one with heaven and earth, while the Path of Balance is about comprehending the world and controlling nature.

"Even we, the priests walking the Path of Devotion, have no say over those on the Path of Love. They are always greedy, always passionate, never sated—hungry wolves that are never full, no matter how much they are fed. The light we emit is absorbed without much effect, like a pebble thrown into a lake, barely causing a ripple.

"The Nine Pillar Gods are not united, and those Angel Envoys also have their loves, hates, jealousies, and resentments. There is a Knight under the Silver-Crowned Dragon\'s scales who bears an old grudge against a Sage following the Great Sage, and that Sage was once killed by a Fairy of the Path of Love. The \'paths\' inherently conflict with each other."

Aiwass casually raised the topic to the heights of the Nine Pillar Gods, which was enough to send shivers down one\'s spine.

Moreover, he knew... these people were clearly more interested in the secrets of Avalon than in the direct history of the Star Antimony Kingdom.

Therefore, seizing this opportunity, Aiwass turned the discussion to the royal family, exciting the students, "And that \'Knight\' was none other than the founding Monarch of Avalon, \'Lancelot I\'.

"The Sage chosen by the Great Sage as an Angel Envoy and ascended to the Dream Realm was called Merlin. He was, in fact, an \'Incubus,\' a near-impossible existence of half Phantom Demon, his father being a Demon of the Incubus race, and his mother a chaste virgin of the Path of Love.

"She was very beautiful and had many suitors. However, the young lady had a peculiar trait—she could never touch any man she could see. Thus, she hoped for a man she could not see to love her. After an encounter with an incorporeal Incubus in her dreams, she knew he was the one she had been waiting for... She used her path\'s abilities to obtain the seed of an otherwise nonexistent being. Yes, this Sage was a \'child without a father.\'

"Born with half-demon blood, this Sage possessed extraordinary charm. At the age of fourteen, a Fairy of the Path of Love, residing in a lake, fell in love with him. But knowing the love of the Path of Love was fatal, he kept his distance. In the end, he could not resist the Fairy\'s persistent and passionate pursuit and entered into a relationship with her.

"They pursued fervent propagation. And during their last... ritual together, the Lake Fairy killed him."

Amidst the low exclamations that arose, Aiwass then said, "However, this Sage called Merlin, after all, was half Phantom Demon. In a sense, he was also immortal.

"Thus, he didn\'t really die. He simply fell into a deep sleep, until much later when he was revived.

"After her role as a lover ended, this Lake Fairy\'s next great act was as a mother—her heart was filled with intense and pure maternal love. At that time, she became the Fairy foster mother of our Majesty... Lancelot I.

"These were the relationships between the three Angel Envoys when they were still mortals.

"After completing their great deeds on earth, they ascended to the side of the Nine Pillar Gods and became Angel Envoys. Until today, they continue to battle each other in the Dream Realm."

Hearing this, the students once again erupted into a loud discussion.

But it wasn\'t out of boredom—quite the opposite. They were excited by it!

Without a doubt, this was a story they had never heard before—secret histories of the founding monarch of Avalon, being discussed in class!

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It involved numerous scenes that would make young people blush with agitation... whether due to desire or violence.

—And the strict Professor Bard didn\'t interrupt or make any corrections.

Professor Bard was fond of having students give lectures, but usually, after a student spoke a few words, Professor Bard would interject, "Let me just say something," or "Let me make a correction," and then ramble on with a lot of dry and dull knowledge, dense with information. The student who had come up would just stand there, awkwardly smiling, listening to Professor Bard\'s monologue until the class was over.

But the fact that the professor hadn\'t grabbed the microphone to add a few words meant he approved of what Aiwass was saying!

Who would have thought they\'d hear such thrilling secrets in a history class!

Such a chaotic relationship—

The boys were discussing animatedly in low voices, while the girls pretended to cover their ears, embarrassed. Some covered their mouths lightly, merely to hide their excitement and smiles.

At that moment, many students finally understood why, even though the Path of Wisdom and the Path of Authority seemed to have no conflict, they were never legally compatible.

This had nothing to do with disputes between the Paths, but rather with personal grievances of His Majesty.

His descendants, out of respect for their ancestor who had ascended as an Angel Envoy, had banned the legitimacy of the Path of Wisdom within Avalon.

"Incredible..."

Professor Bard\'s eyes widened in amazement.

The bald little old man walked excitedly back and forth, forcibly suppressing his urge to rush over and chime in.

The things Aiwass was talking about were, after all, going to be taught by the Theological Seminary sooner or later. None of it was taboo.

It\'s just that parts of this information were distributed among different courses: some in "Modern History of Avalon," some in "Apostle Relations," and some in the elective "Ordinary Ritual Studies." "Apostle Relations" was a sophomore course, whereas "Ordinary Ritual Studies" was an elective for juniors.

The mere fact that Aiwass knew these things and was able to connect them coherently in his narrative was enough to prove that he had indeed been studying hard at home!