Huh? I wasn't expecting this reaction, this is unlike him. It looks like he was properly scared because of tonight's incident; after all, he is still a child. Grey thought, taken aback by Moriarty's reaction. "Now, now, calm down, Ray. Alfred informed me of what happened; I can understand why you are scared. I know that you didn't mean to kill anyone but it was necessary... Negotiations aren't always the answer. Sometimes you need to be cruel to survive in this world. But... if I had known sooner about this matter, I would have surely been by your side..."
Grey had never cut off his hair after his wife died, to honour her death in his own way. He usually tied up his hair and made a top knot when he was about to converse with someone. This was to remind him of the mistakes he made and remind him about what truly matters to him.
"How about we take a walk?" Grey asked, patting his son on his head.
"Mhm," Moriarty nodded his head after letting go of his father.
The knowledge that Grey faked his death was known by everyone in the Allen manor, including the servants, as all of them were chosen by Alfred, who had served the Allen family from the very beginning of its creation. However, he was still cautious about his existence being revealed to the world and wore an invisibility belt whenever he was not inside the manor.
This time was no different; the only change was that he held onto his son's left arm while they walked around the garden, which was in a mess after the fight had occurred.
"Hm... What can you judge from their attires, attitudes, untimely appearance and aims?" Grey asked, looking at the place where the wizard died which was now cleaned by the servants.
Right now, both Moriarty and his father were conjuring a mental image of the wizard where and how he was when he died. While some people might find it hard to accomplish, to them it was as simple as drinking tea.
"From what I can tell, they were trained assassins; well, one had some experience, whereas the other didn't. The wizard probably brought him along to test the waters before he began his plan. From what I can tell, he wanted to turn back after watching his partner freeze randomly before being teleported away but didn't; it was as if something or someone forced him to stay. The only assassins who do that are the Assassins Syndicate, and for their reasons... They were aiming to weaken uncle emotionally; after all, they know that I am the only family he has left after your fake death.
"Since the Allen family cares too much about the lives of innocents and mainly their family members, they thought we were emotionally weak as well. It was their only mistake; even if they succeeded in killing me, they would be the ones who died first before they could even lay a finger on anyone else," I explained, looking at the place where the wizard died. "That is all I could say without using the Science of Deduction; however, by applying it, we could find that the wizard had a fragile yet sturdy body due to his old age. He has regularly trained his body even to this day or he was a construction worker in disguise, however, that wouldn't answer how he had so many ingredients available for his potions and his fingernails which were in odd shapes, suggests that he was a factory worker of a factory which supplied or made acidic or, radioactive substances. Cheap clothes, a wand from the black market, a stolen bag-"
"How do you know that the bag is stolen?" Grey interrupted him in mid-sentence, forcing him to explain that in detail as well.
"The bag is brand new, and looking at the state of his other accessories, I find it hard to believe that he gives them enough care. The price of such a bag would also vary from 3000-3250 credits; he couldn't have possibly afforded it. Moving on, from the number of low to mid-quality potions he has, I could tell that he was also a good potion maker, all those potions cost a hefty amount, but not many would buy potions like them in a black-market unless they are totally out of options, which is why he decided to make use of them himself. So his main sources of ingredients had to be from a pharmaceutical research centre..." Moriarty continued, his expression showed a little bit of doubt before he found the answer he was looking for. "Profession: Chemical industry worker, potion maker and an Assassin's Syndicate member. That is a lot to handle, he sure is good for his age."
"Sure is; I don't even know if I can handle that many jobs at once if I was as old as him," Grey shook his head while letting off a small laugh.
"Don't worry, Dad, I will be there to take care of you," Moriarty smiled at his father. "That's all I can tell about him without taking a look inside his bag. You can start now."
"Not bad on the details part but... you still have a lot to learn," Grey patted his son's head before proceeding with his deduction. "Your statements are all correct up to this point but you missed the point that there could be a possibility that this bag was gifted to him by a person who is important to him. He doesn't wear a mask, but he does use a robe to protect his identity from being revealed, which means not many people know him. Dark circles under the eyes tell us that he is quite a hard worker who works day and night without proper rest. Wrinkle marks on their hands show that he is an overly hygienic person or someone who enjoys potion-making so much that he can't live without it. That concludes the level one deduction, I won't teach you about the higher levels yet, or else you might get a little confused.
"Sigh... What happened today will happen again, and I may not be there to support you at that time either. Life occurrences, even those that bring suffering, are not always bad or unjust; we humans learn from our mistakes and adapt to not repeat them. If acknowledging these mistakes can make you a better person, then why would you choose not to? You survived today without a scratch because you were prepared for the uncertain to happen and the wizard wasn't," Grey sighed, looking at the stars. "Don't always search for the answers to everything, son... Sometimes it's ok to accept the lies if you want to live a long life. Let your dad and uncle handle the rest of it. Delete the files you have searched up on the Assassin's Syndicate."
"I understand, father," Moriarty exclaimed, looking at the stars with a bright smile on his face.
Grey smiled at his answer and let go of the matter, knowing that tonight's incident had changed his son for the better.
The Path of Wisdom is a difficult one... Not many can walk on it... But those who decide to do so can never deviate from it. It's better if he doesn't follow in my footsteps. Yes, he should never follow in my footsteps, that would be the best for him. Let no strings be attached to you anymore, Ray.
You have got choices, Ray... If you make the wrong ones, it will haunt you for the rest of your life, but I believe that you will make the right choice, even if I couldn't.
***