Chapter 381
The Death That Yearned for Fireworks
“…So that’s what it was.”
Miss Alistair sighed, changing the subject. “Speaking of which… do you still have any urges towards the Transcendent Path?”
Seeing Mr. David’s hesitant expression, Miss Alistair added, “If you do, you can tell me about it. After all, we won’t have many chances to meet in the future, and we don’t usually run in the same social circles. You can treat me as a sounding board and vent anything you’re afraid to say to those around you.”
“…I still can’t do that.”
Unexpectedly, Mr. David refused Miss Alistair’s offer.
“Why?”
“You and Mr. Eivass are friends, and I respect him greatly. He’s an admirable person… gentle, upright, and kind.”
Mr. Knight hesitated for a moment before saying, “I don’t want him to know that I have a tendency towards the Transcendent Path.”
…Wow.
You’re quite the flatterer.
Miss Alistair even felt a bit choked by the compliment, unsure how to respond. But soon, a gentle smile, like one used to coax a child, spread across her face. “Since that’s the case… let’s make a deal, David. I swear I won’t tell Eivass anything you say to me, how about that?”
“But is that really okay?” Mr. David asked with some worry. “You’re his friend, aren’t you? If so, then you’d be hiding something from a friend… I’m afraid you might argue because of this. I respect both of you greatly, and if you were to quarrel for such a reason, then it would partly be my fault.”
“…How about this. If I want to tell Eivass about your situation, I’ll need to get your consent first. Is that acceptable?”
Miss Alistair seemed to take a step back. Mr. David was clearly appeased. After thinking for a moment, he slowly nodded. “That’s fine. If you two are going to argue about this, please let me know… no, if it’s an emergency, I’ll implicitly agree.”
“Honestly, I think you’re more suited for the Path of Devotion,” Miss Alistair said with a sigh. “You truly are a good child.”
However, upon hearing Miss Alistair call him a “good child,” Mr. David pouted, clearly displeased. He didn’t respond, but instead put on a serious, adult-like expression and got straight to business. “Miss Alistair, I’ve seriously considered the three questions you asked me.”
“Just call me Alistair,” Miss Alistair added with a light laugh.
“Yes, Your Excellency Alistair.” Mr. David was somewhat stubborn, perhaps just not daring to call Miss Alistair by her first name. He earnestly said, “I believe I can stably achieve at least the first two points. —The courage to live in the face of death, and the resolve to challenge an unconquerable enemy. Only the third point… ‘to abandon a victory already obtained in pursuit of a greater victory’ is a bit difficult. I think I might be able to do it, I have that kind of determination. But I haven’t truly faced such a painful choice… so I’m not entirely sure if I’d be able to act that way when the time comes…”
He had seemed so reluctant to speak at first. But once he started, he couldn’t stop. Clearly, he had many worries and anxieties that he didn’t dare to share with anyone.
Although Miss Alistair knew that the illegality of Avalon’s Transcendent Path was largely due to the “Noble Red” monopolizing the knowledge for Ascension into that path, and with the “Noble Red” now eradicated, the Transcendent Path would soon be unbanned. The restrictions on other paths were generally profession-based. For instance, the Twilight Path might be suited for a Preserver, or perhaps a Necromancer. From the general moral perspective of Avalon’s people, the former were good people, and the latter were bad.
But David, lacking an understanding of politics, was clearly unaware of these nuances. He simply felt that he was touching upon Avalon’s taboos. On one hand, he did feel a resonance with the path, but on the other hand, his father’s identity made him hesitant to say this to anyone. He feared disappointing his father and worried about causing him trouble.
Only “Miss Alistair”—a senior who, as an extraordinary individual on the Transcendent Path, was very friendly in discouraging him from pursuing it—could make him bravely speak his inner turmoil.
David sat across the table, talking incessantly to Miss Alistair. It started with the “Three Tenets of the Transcendent Path” that Mr. Eivass had once shown him, then smoothly transitioned to his classmates, and then he began complaining to Miss Alistair, his human sounding board. He thought his classmates were too childish. They had no ideals, no dreams, and no sense of responsibility. They just lived day by day, carelessly wasting their time… which made David feel deeply uncomfortable. His parents had repeatedly lectured him, putting immense pressure on him; yet, from another perspective, he genuinely felt exhausted.
This was why he skipped classes. His skipping wasn’t out of a desire for play, but because he felt that “teachers couldn’t give him what he wanted,” and he desired to learn something more useful and profound. But even his parents didn’t know David’s true thoughts. Because David didn’t dare to voice them. He felt it was “too transcendent” and might lead others to question his adaptability to a path. Thus, he was actively concealing his true intentions.
Miss Alistair simply smiled, nodding along. As David spoke, he gradually relaxed. His rigid posture gradually slouched into a lazy sprawl across the table. David was 1.6 meters tall, but the interrogator’s chair, designed to emphasize the examiner’s imposing stature, was too large for him, causing his legs to swing freely.
Under Miss Alistair’s gentle guidance, David smoothly transitioned to his emotional life. He did indeed have a girl he liked in his class. She was the child of a Bishop, the same age as him. Her mother, like Bishop Mathers, was a Spiritual Council member of the Round Table Hall. It was probably for this reason that they could attend the same school.
Initially, David secretly admired her for her gentleness and kindness. He felt she possessed a certain “maturity”—or rather, a different sort of aura compared to the other thirteen or fourteen-year-olds around them. It was a caring, sisterly feeling. In contrast to those carefree children, she seemed much more precocious.
However, David didn’t confess his feelings, choosing instead to observe her from afar. But soon, he found himself disappointed. He realized she wasn’t as mature as he had imagined… she could be willful, throw tantrums, and also enjoy the same things the other children liked. What shocked him most was at a social gathering, when he witnessed the girl having a loud argument with her mother, insisting on going home, even bursting into tears—a far cry from her gentle and tolerant demeanor at school.
David never argued with his parents. He deeply admired them and dreamed of becoming as admirable as them, capable of protecting others with his own life.
“I see,” Miss Alistair said softly. “So you no longer like her?”
“Yes,” David nodded, but with a hint of sadness. “Or rather, I never truly knew the real her. I fell in love with just a glimpse of her, yet I thought it was her entire being.”
“Not bad, you’re saying some quite philosophical things,” Miss Alistair chuckled. “It’s good that you can figure things out for yourself.”
“Yes, so I’ve decided not to fall in love or get married in the future,” David said, puffing out his chest. “I will protect Avalon with my entire life.”
“Then your father will likely beat you,” Miss Alistair teased lightly. Hearing this, David shrank his neck, unable to retort. He did want to become a “hero,” and he had been beaten by his father. In fact, his initial dream was to be a “sacrificed hero” worshipped and mourned by the people—it was only after being beaten by George that he grudgingly compromised and changed his dream to simply “hero.”
“But I still… want to fight to the very end and sacrifice myself for others,” David quietly confessed his true feelings. “If I had a wife and children, they would surely grieve my death… just as I would grieve if my father died. And if I died, it would likely affect their lives… so, I think it’s better not to get too close to anyone.”
This was the thought hidden deep within his heart. If he hadn’t been chatting so happily with Miss Alistair, he would never have revealed such a notion. Because it would be like admitting that his sacrifice was “self-serving.” Then he wouldn’t be a pure hero, but merely a madman yearning for death.
Miss Alistair fell into thought. She sensed that it wasn’t so much that David wanted to become a hero… but rather, he yearned for a magnificent death, like that of fireworks. This was determined by his adaptability to the Transcendent Path. Or rather, given that neither of his parents had any adaptability to the Transcendent Path, his clear desire for transcendence at such a young age indicated that he was abnormal. It was just that the Grand Guardian’s education had been so good that it had masked his issues. —Perhaps, then, handing over the Ascencist could truly be entrusted to him. A profession like this, which embraced dying to live, was undoubtedly the most suitable for David.
“How about this, David,” Miss Alistair said softly. “Do you trust me?”
“I trust you completely, Your Excellency Alistair!” David said firmly, his eyes filled with eagerness. “Do you have a mission for me?”
Although Miss Alistair wasn’t the mature woman from his imagination… this gentle, intelligent, and sisterly demeanor indeed made him want to draw closer. He also believed that Miss Alistair was by no means a bad person. Or rather, someone his father acknowledged and was willing to let him interact with… undoubtedly, she had to be an innocent good person! And seeing Miss Alistair in the deep winter interrogation room, clad only in a sweater and bound to a chair… it made him feel uncomfortable. If he could do anything for her…
“In that case, after your next Ascension… you can go find Miss Lixia,” Miss Alistair said softly. “Tell her Alistair introduced you, with Eivass’s permission. You want to seek the ‘secret of shedding skin and being reborn’ from her. Tell her you are looking for seven memories that can be used for a ritual…”
Hearing this, David couldn’t help but widen his eyes and sit up straight. He suddenly realized this wasn’t a mission, but an opportunity. He listened intently as Miss Alistair explained the mysteries, a vague purple aura swirling in the depths of his pupils.
Lixia, who had been holding Miss Alistair’s skirt and preparing to enter, stopped at the doorway. She closed her eyes and listened for a moment, then silently shook her head.
After Miss Alistair finished explaining everything to David and they had confirmed the details, Lixia waited a moment longer before reaching out to knock on the door.
“Miss Crowley,” Lixia’s voice, though young, carried an inexplicable authority. “The interrogation is complete. You may leave now.” Then, she pushed open the interrogation room door.
A six-thousand-word update at the beginning of the month, please consider casting your monthly votes!
