**Chapter 379**
**Alistair’s Oath**
“I can swear it, Respected Grand Guardian,” Alistair said slowly and deliberately, yet with utter sincerity. “Although I cannot raise my hand, I can call upon the name of the Crown Lord to swear—even though I do not believe in the Silver Crown Dragon, He will judge all with fairness. I will take responsibility for what I am about to say and confirm that it is true.
“I bear no ill will towards Avalon as a nation; I only wish for it to get better. Or at least for it to be reborn from ashes—on this point, I believe the Crown Lord’s stance is consistent with mine. I am only hostile towards those corrupt knights and decadent ministers, those withered souls who, despite the title of knight, possess no chivalry. I would rather see them all destroyed and leave hope and opportunity to the new generation.
“I wish for the people of Avalon to be prosperous and at peace. I do not wish for any war to occur, nor any disaster to befall them. Should Avalon ever go to war with Star Antinomy, I will undoubtedly stand with Avalon; should a world-ending disaster occur, I will do everything in my power to resolve the crisis and allow the maximum number of people to survive.
“I deeply respect Her Majesty the Queen and hold profound positive feelings for her. One could say I even regard her as my elder female relative. And after she is gone, I will also protect Princess Isabel well and support her in becoming the future Queen Isabel.
“I am not a fiend, but a Demon Scholar. However, I have never used any ‘human’ material other than my own; I will continue to do so in the future.
“I have very high expectations for Eivass Moriarty. I love him as I love myself, but I will never meet him or have any deeper communication. I will do everything in my power to protect his safety and possessions, as well as everyone he cares about.
“Yes, I can take responsibility for all these words. The Crown Lord will verify and certify my sincerity.”
The candlelight did not waver. It even shone brighter.
This was recognition from the Crown Lord.
Hearing Alistair’s oath, the Grand Guardian could not help but widen his eyes and hold his breath.
What kind of selfless and devoted love was this!
In that moment, he even felt a sense of incomprehension. It even stirred a touch of jealousy towards Eivass, that lucky boy—even for someone as good-natured as himself, this was hard to believe.
What charm did Eivass possess to have captivated Miss Crowley so much…
—This was already at the level of mind control!
He even hesitated, unsure how to proceed with his writing.
George did not know if, should Princess Isabel ascend to the throne in the future, reading today’s meeting minutes would cause some inexplicable trouble…
“…May I ask one more thing?”
The Grand Guardian, feeling somewhat ashamed but genuinely curious, broke his earlier promise of this being the last question. “What exactly are your expectations for Eivass?”
“Do I have to say?”
Alistair showed a rare moment of hesitation.
“No, this is just my personal curiosity,” the Grand Guardian said, taking the hollowed silver lid and extinguishing the silver candlelight, which resembled an alcohol lamp or perhaps a perfume bottle. This was to prove his sincerity.
Watching the extinguished candlelight, Alistair remained silent for a long while. Just as the Grand Guardian was about to apologize and end the inquiry, her face suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
George could not even begin to describe the beauty of that smile—
It was a mixture of confidence, relief, pride, trance, and sadness, yet also unwavering resolve… It was so complex, like a vibrant cocktail. Merely gazing at it was enough to feel its soul-stirring beauty, making one reluctant to even taste it.
And Alistair’s subsequent words caused the Grand Guardian to involuntarily shiver.
“I believe he will become one of the new Nine Pillar Gods.”
She said with conviction.
—In that instant, George felt sweat break out all over his back!
“You mustn’t say such things, Miss Crowley!”
His heart pounded, the arteries in his neck throbbing wildly. The hand holding the pen was instantly soaked in sweat, and his butt even lifted slightly off the chair.
The Nine Pillar Gods!
What did that mean!
The position of Pillar God could only be attained by those at the pinnacle of the Nine Great Paths.
A supreme being who controlled one of the nine great laws of the world…
And becoming a Pillar God also meant something else—namely, displacing another Pillar God.
As everyone knew, Eivass was a priest of the Path of Devotion. Although he had also inherited his grandfather’s talent for the Transcendent Path, he clearly showed no aptitude for it.
And who was above the Path of Devotion?
It was the chief god of the Elf race, the core faith of the Church of the Nine Pillar Gods, the source of power for all priests, the deity to whom many ceremonies such as weddings and funerals were directed!
For Alistair to say such a thing meant that “Eivass would kill all Elves, raze the Church to the ground, make all priests unemployed, and overturn all traditions in the world!”
Damn it, this girl indeed was a woman of few words, but when she spoke, she astonished everyone.
It was truly terrifying!
“It was just a joke.”
Alistair chuckled lightly. “Your flame has already been extinguished, so I thought I’d try telling a lie.”
—You better be joking.
The Grand Guardian thought to himself.
Although the True Fire had been extinguished, George’s spiritual intuition as Grand Guardian told him that this girl was most likely speaking the truth.
In that moment, George even felt fortunate that he had extinguished the True Fire.
Because of this, he could console himself into believing that his feelings were mistaken. Otherwise, if he had looked down and seen it was the truth, he wouldn’t have known how to react.
“I will not record this,” the Grand Guardian said earnestly to the girl, who appeared at least a decade his junior. “I am neither your parent nor your teacher, so it is not for me to correct your worldview… But do not say these words to anyone, not even to anyone at all.
“Any Pillar God—even the most low-key, the Amber God with the fewest followers—has numerous believers and followers. It is not because this faith brings any benefit, but because they are the pioneers of their respective Paths, the creators of the Paths they practice. They are the spiritual avatars of countless Extraordinary individuals walking these Paths, their idols and objects of worship.
“Insulting a Pillar God is largely equivalent to insulting all Extraordinary individuals walking that Path. This is because they are all ‘people of the same road.’
“Never speak of this… It will not only cause trouble for you, but even for Eivass!”
“I have my own faith,” Alistair retorted. “Of course, I know that.”
“…Then which Pillar God do you believe in?”
“I believe in the Stag Mother of the Candlemaster. The God of Holy Number Three, the God of Sin Thorns Binding the Body, the God of Burning the Body to Expel Darkness.”
Alistair said with deep reverence and piety, even reciting its Sacred Number and Holy Name—this meant there was a chance the Candlemaster could hear her words.
—Then you still dare to say such things!
The Grand Guardian gasped.
Even though the Candlemaster had a good temper, you couldn’t be this reckless…
…Or perhaps you think Eivass could replace the Father of Snakes?
That would be even more absurd!
“…In conclusion, it’s good that we can be friends.”
The Grand Guardian forcibly ended the increasingly bizarre topic. “Miss Lixia will return your clothes to you soon. You can leave in two more days—or do you wish to leave now? Will Eivass starve? Did you prepare food for him?”
Although he had largely put his mind at ease after hearing Alistair’s oath earlier.
But as a father, he still had to worry about this.
After all, Miss Crowley did not look like someone who had raised children.
Her ladylike demeanor suggested that she was accustomed to having servants attend to her daily needs. The great nobles in Star Antinomy were far more extravagant than those in Avalon; one Count was said to have hundreds or even thousands of servants… She had never taken care of anyone, so she might be carelessly forget to prepare food for Eivass.
“Don’t worry, he won’t starve,” Alistair said leisurely. “Perhaps he can even make it in time for Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral.”
—If I don’t starve, he won’t starve.
—If you release me soon, he can come out.
“All right. Then the interrogation is concluded.”
The Grand Guardian hastily signed his name, endorsing the legality of the interrogation record under his own name, and decided to end the session.
Otherwise, he felt he would have nightmares—closing his eyes at night would bring visions of the Church attacking, led by the Eternal Pope.
That was far more terrifying than the Star Antimony people attacking…
“It is regrettable that, perhaps due to public pressure, we cannot retain you as a civil servant of the Unofficial Department or continue your secret operations as a Royal Agent. However, I believe we will become friends, or at least not be enemies in terms of our stances. Therefore, we will not proactively send you back to your country. You will continue to have the freedom to act within the territory of Avalon—until you truly break the law and are arrested by the Inspection Department.”
So said the Grand Guardian.
He even deliberately left a loophole—being arrested by the “Inspection Department” rather than the “Inspection Bureau,” which meant her crimes would only be officially interfered with if they reached the level investigated by agents of the Inspection Department.
This was sufficient proof of the special power of the oath Alistair had sworn.
“All right, Miss Crowley. I must go and interrogate another person… I hope he’ll reveal something useful.”
He paused midway, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, I have one rather impertinent request—”
As he spoke, George seemed somewhat embarrassed. Clearly, being as upright as he was, he rarely made such requests.
But he hesitated for a moment before speaking, “My son greatly admires you, would you be willing to meet him?”
—David?
Alistair raised an eyebrow.
“Why not,” she said with a gentle smile.
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