Chapter 707
Miss Alistair’s Triple Identity
The Honey Badger frowned deeply. She naturally understood what Eivass meant. Aside from the details, her Eagle Eye often used similar methods, so it wasn’t that profound or sinister.
However… where did His Majesty the Pope find a spy of this caliber? A Child of the Moon who had completely betrayed their own race? Could such a thing truly exist?
The Honey Badger scrutinized the little girl, but only felt a chill crawl up her spine— the girl was like an abyss, silently absorbing all light around her. A pure, horrifying malice almost stung the depths of her pupils.
At this moment, the crow perched on the girl’s shoulder suddenly turned its head, its ruby-like eyes meeting the Honey Badger’s gaze.
The Honey Badger’s fur almost bristled instantly— an overwhelming sense of fear and killing intent seized her heart. The crushing power made her limbs go numb, and she almost instinctively retreated into the shadows in an instant…
But what terrified her more was that her normally controllable shadow, which could transform into a portal to other worlds at will— a shadow capable of freely shifting between solid and liquid states— seemed to be solidified by that crimson gaze!
She had truly been unable to restrain the fear within her and had already used Shadow Infiltration, yet her shadow refused her! The last time she had felt such a spine-chilling threat was when facing a Perfect Being!
No, even a Perfect Being was inferior to that crow! Far inferior! Although Perfect Beings possessed a dragon-like aura that could inspire trembling, she knew immediately upon engaging that they lacked experience.
Yet, this combination of the little girl and the crow was the opposite— they appeared ordinary, but the more she looked, the more unfathomable they seemed. A sense of frustration arose in the Honey Badger’s heart: did such a monster really need her protection?
Despite being a Master Assassin of the Fifth Tier, capable of assassinating even foreign monarchs without considering the Church’s ban, she now found herself doubting her own abilities. If her colleagues in the Eagle Eye knew about this, they would likely think she was dreaming.
As the Honey Badger’s hostility and scrutiny dissolved into fear, she saw the girl look up and smile sweetly at her. The Honey Badger’s heart tightened instantly— she realized her thoughts were almost completely exposed to the girl.
Could Children of the Moon read minds?
“How should I address… you?” The Honey Badger’s throat bobbed with difficulty as she cautiously inquired in a slightly hoarse voice. Although using honorifics towards a Child of the Moon went against her principles, since they were both serving the same Master at this moment, “principles” could be adapted to some extent.
“—Alistair Crowley.” At this, the girl uttered a name that widened the Honey Badger’s eyes.
The Honey Badger subconsciously glanced at Eivass. Although Eivass might not know, in Iris Flower… Eivass’s gossip had long been compiled into various stories by playwrights. What the people of Avalon dared not perform, the Iris Flower people did without fear— it was just Avalon’s “Minister of Whatever,” the de facto prime minister! They dared to mock monarchs of other countries, and even their own, so what wouldn’t they write about!
And in the many stories about this young powerful minister, there was always an ambiguous lover inextricably linked to him… as famous as Isabel, who had now become the Queen of Avalon.
—That was the “Miss Alistair,” loyal and mysterious, like Eivass’s other half! Some said Miss Alistair was a local Fiend of Avalon; others claimed she was an ageless Child of the Moon, a wealthy individual who had lived since the Empire era. Some described her as a Fallen Angel adorned in a widow’s black dress, her body burning with hellfire. Still others speculated she was a noble girl from Star Antimony, or even a spy who had been captivated and betrayed by Eivass’s charm…
However, for every supposed identity, a counter-example could be found. Even the “third daughter of the Crowley Family,” acknowledged by the Star Antimony people and a Demon Scholar who had contracted a Shadow Demon— the Honey Badger didn’t fully believe it. Or rather, she believed none of it. It was common sense for an Extraordinary walking in darkness: someone who had joined the First Special Operations Unit of the Army could not possibly have such a complete record elsewhere. Nor could it be specifically noted that “General Leo Karl of the Karl Family was her mentor.” If this were genuine leaked information, her mentor would have at least five or six possible candidates. Moreover, calculating the entire Crowley Family, their collateral branches, relatives, even commoners and foreigners surnamed Crowley, it was impossible to directly state she was “the third daughter of the current family head.” The information was too complete, too real, that the Honey Badger immediately deemed it fake.
Now, she was meeting this “Miss Alistair” for the first time. She immediately knew— all those rumors were false. Only someone of the Sixth Tier could exert such pressure on her. And someone who could change freely while possessing such an evil aura could only be a Sixth Tier Demon. Simultaneously, Miss Alistair herself posed no threat to her… indicating her main body was at most of the Fourth Tier. A Fourth Tier Demon Scholar who could tame a Sixth Tier Demon. This left only one explanation.
—”Miss Alistair” must be a God or a Disc descending from the Dream Realm! Only They could receive the protection of completely loyal, world-class Extraordinarys or Phantom Demons when they were still weak!
The Honey Badger vaguely recalled… the information about the Dream Realm they had purchased from the black market some time ago mentioned that several Discs of the Path of Love had been missing for years and might have reincarnated. One of them could very well be this Miss Alistair, who was a Child of the Moon!
Seeing the Honey Badger’s fearful and cautious gaze, Alistair suddenly chuckled, “Of course, this is my real name… Besides this, I have a few other identities. For instance…”
As she spoke, black mist spread from her lower body, enveloping her entire form. The next moment, she transformed into Eivass. However, unlike the holy and noble Pope beside her… perhaps because her pupils flickered with the scarlet light of a certain Path, the transformed Eivass exuded an indelible arrogance and wickedness.
“…Eivass’s substitute.”
“Eivass” said with the exact same tone and cadence as the real Eivass, in a gentle and refined manner, “And…”
As the black mist once again evaporated, she transformed into another image. An image the Honey Badger had seen on Avalon’s newspapers while searching for information— an imposing adult woman, dressed in the opulent, dark red, highly stylized long dress of the Hrasal Empire era. Her straight, somewhat stiff hair cascaded to her waist, and she wore glasses, behind which were emerald green pupils, giving her a cold demeanor. She wore a black crystal cross on her chest, and beneath her skirt were black stockings made of silken cotton, with two profound aphorisms written vertically in silver alchemical script on them: “The Sun is Father, the Moon is Mother.” “Born of Wind, Nurtured by Earth.”
“The me in this identity… is named Beyad.” The woman removed her glasses, her hair falling like silk. Her pupils were now infused with the power of a Child of the Moon, turning a dark, ruby-like shade akin to vein blood or red wine.
“—Viscountess Viness Emil Zola Beyad. In Star Antimony, I will primarily operate under this identity. And the other person I need you to escort, I will take you to meet shortly. We will travel by ship to the City of Knowledge, Leipzig— the tickets are already booked, and we leave tonight.”
(End of Chapter)
