Early the next morning, Inspector Hayna went to Moriarty Manor with the authorization from the Supervisory Bureau.
Clearly, she had learned her lesson from yesterday.
After a quick breakfast, Hayna immediately hurried over, even arriving before seven o'clock.
At that time, Mr. Aiwass had not yet risen, so the butler Oswald could only settle her in the parlor and have the maids serve her some tea and pastries.
It wasn't until Aiwass had gotten up, washed, and finished breakfast that Oswald informed him that Inspector Hayna had been waiting in the parlor.
"...You've come so early, senpai. Wasn't the agreed time half past nine?"
Aiwass sat in his wheelchair, which Oswald slowly pushed into the parlor.
The moment he entered, he saw Hayna dressed in "formal attire."
Completely different from her attire the previous day, Hayna was now wrapped in a two-piece suit of leather armor.
However, this leather armor was closer to a uniform than protective gear. It didn't completely cover all skin, but even so, it could still provide some protective function. Yet, its meaning seems to be more ritualistic than practical.
"Armor" is sacred in the Kingdom of Avalon.
In the Kingdom of Avalon, the main power hierarchies are divided into "Knights" and the civil system of "Civil Servants". Aside from hereditary Knight Families who could enter the Senate, this also includes Inspectors, Arbiters, and the entire cavalry system. Only "Knights" are allowed to don armor, and lawmakers must be fully armored when entering the Senate; entering the Senate in ordinary clothes is seen as a provocation to the authority of the Round Table Hall.
Apart from knights, anyone who wears or even owns armor could be directly sentenced to the severe punishment of capital execution. Even for Knight Families, the children of the house head cannot wear their parents' armor without the Queen's authorization.
For this reason, just seeing someone in armor on the street allows one to directly recognize their identity. One could even discern their rank from the specification of the armor—the more inconvenient it is to move, the sturdier the material, the more majestic the appearance, the closer to silver-white in color it is, the higher their status.
This knowledge did not come from gaming experience... after all, the Kingdom of Avalon fell too early. The understanding of this aspect is entirely from Little Aiwass's memories and common knowledge.
Aiwass could tell that Hayna's armor was brand new. He could even smell a hint of oil on it.
For that reason, Hayna didn't dare to sit on the furniture from the Moriarty Family. She perched carefully on the edge of the sofa, sitting up straight, as if fearing that soiling it would make her unwelcome.
"It's better to be early than late."
Upon seeing Aiwass, Hayna breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stood up from the soft sofa, "Don't worry, Mr. Aiwass. I can operate on a schedule that's convenient for you—that's what the bureau requires."
Aiwass raised his eyebrows.
Last time she was two and a half hours late, this time she was three hours early...
"I feel like you're a bit extreme," he said.
"What?" Hayna seemed puzzled.
"Never mind," Aiwass said with a slight smile, "The armor looks nice."
"It was specially approved for me by the bureau!"
Hearing this, Hayna instantly perked up, "My equipment and Gryphon have already been approved, but it's currently in transit. The chief said it might take another two months to receive.
"But, because I reported your situation, the chief thought that if something happened to you, it would trouble the Supervisory Bureau, but disagreeing would also cause problems. And sending a lot of people to follow you might make you unhappy; but if I let you get into trouble, the problems would be even greater. So the chief exceptionally approved my armor and sword in advance!"
As she spoke, Hayna cheerfully tapped the sword she had placed on the table.
Aiwass followed her gaze.
It was a leaf-shaped shortsword with a scabbard gleaming with a silver sheen. About twenty-four inches long, or sixty centimeters, the scabbard was etched with beautiful thorn patterns, and nestled among them were red, green, and blue grains of glass, the size of sand particles, dazzling under the reflection of the sunlight from outside. It was evident at a glance that this was very typical Elven Style—whether functional or not was a different matter, but it sure was good-looking.
Because the sword's appearance was so striking, it didn't quite match the somewhat simplistic leather armor on Hayna. Instead, it blended seamlessly with the Elven Style ornaments in Aiwass's home.
It made Aiwass first think that it was one of his family's artistic pieces.
If it's something you brought, then it's fine.
"I will definitely protect you well!" Hayna said with utmost determination.
Her calloused fingers carefully brushed over the thorny pattern on the scabbard. Once she held the sword, a confident aura suddenly burst forth from her.
Different from the timid, clumsy, cautious demeanor of last night, her entire temperament changed. Even her eyes brightened up.
As an analogy, it was like the difference between a horror game player without a gun and one who has just obtained a firearm.
Aiwass watched Hayna's eyes deeply, falling silent and reflective.
He could tell that she obviously hadn't slept well last night—she was too excited to rest peacefully.
Of course, part of the excitement came from early contact with her own sword. But a bigger thrill, perhaps, lay in her belief that she could finally "show her mettle."