Chapter 378
Each Talking Their Own Way
Glass Island, Arbitration Hall Side Room.
The noble lady with long black hair sat elegantly and composedly on the interrogation chair. Her hands were placed in front of her, slender fingers interlaced, bound by silvery white triangular light shackles. Her feet were also together, bound by the same triangular light.
Her elaborate dress, clearly unsuitable for this occasion, had been removed and put away by Lixia. Alistair was currently wearing a black turtleneck sweater on her upper body. Her lower half was only revealed to be trousers and long boots peeking from beneath her skirt. She was looking at the person before her with a seem to smile yet not smile expression. The blond man sat opposite at the interrogation table.
“Miss Crowley…”
Grand Guardian George clenched his left fist, his right hand supporting it. In front of him sat an oil lamp. The wick burned with a brilliant silvery white flame, the flame incomparably stable. This was the “True Fire” used to detect lies, expensive and stable in nature. If one lied within the lamp’s glow, the flame would flicker; the more the lie went against one’s heart, the more violently the flame would shake. Only when interrogating someone like Alistair Crowley, a “foreign noble” of high status who could not be directly coerced for testimony, would such a tool be used.
His sharp Adam’s apple bobbed a few times as he spoke in a deep voice, “May I address you this way?”
“Please do, sir. You can call me Alistair directly.”
Alistair replied softly, her attitude exceptionally friendly. This eased Grand Guardian’s mind somewhat. After all, he didn’t want to be here either. George knew Her Majesty the Queen’s attitude well. He knew who this suddenly appearing “Lixia” was, whose lifespan was extended by whom, and also knew that the outstanding youth Eivass Moriarty would become a key minister of Avalon. The avarice of those old knights was so ugly it made him frown endlessly, even wanting to stir up trouble for the Minister of Affairs personally appointed by the Queen.
Under these circumstances, the Grand Guardian’s personal inclination in this matter was self-evident. However, from another perspective, the recognized spy identities from the Star Antimony and Iris Flower countries made Alistair Crowley’s stay or departure problematic.
“You shouldn’t have said those things to the reporters.”
The Grand Guardian said, half warning and half regretful, “There’s no turning back now.”
“It sounds like you wish to protect me, Grand Guardian.”
Alistair’s lips curved slightly. “Speaking of which, I thought you would have locked me up in a dungeon or secret chamber.”
“No, because I believe in you.”
George replied with conviction. Such a decisive answer caught Alistair by surprise for a moment.
“Oh, may I ask why?”
“In fact, Miss Crowley—you were initially listed as a royal spy at my suggestion.”
The Grand Guardian said calmly. Hearing this, Alistair’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Because I could see that you and the Noble Red were not of the same kind.” The Grand Guardian spoke softly. “It happened after Prime Minister Dross was arrested. The Noble Red took money from the Star Antimony people, wanting to rescue or silence Dross, thereby protecting their intelligence network. Your assassination attempt on Dross at the time already proved you were not of the same kind.”
George’s gaze was fervent. “I have always believed that words can be lies, and evidence can be fabricated, but only the perspective and cognition hidden behind actions can prove a person’s stance. Even if you are truly a Star Antimony spy, you must not belong to the same faction as the Noble Red. The Star Antimony people selling your information at this juncture, I believe, proves their attitude—no matter who you are or where you are from, they do not want you to remain in Avalon.”
“…Oh, it was during the attack on the Inspection Bureau.” Alistair recalled. She smiled. “I had almost forgotten.”
George nodded. “Yes, we even identified you as Eivass’s personal maid, Lily, at one point.”
“Not entirely wrong.” Alistair said dismissively. “I did know Lily, and we were good friends. Around the time of that incident, when I was hiding ‘Eivass Moriarty,’ Lily was with me.”
The Grand Guardian could keenly sense that Alistair was speaking the truth. After all, he was a Fifth Tier Extraordinary of the Path of Authority, possessing such intuition. But just in case, he glanced at the lamp. The silvery white flame was incomparably stable. Or rather, since he had met Alistair, this young lady had not uttered a single lie. She possessed a calm and composed demeanor. It wasn’t forced composure or feigned innocence, but rather a serene confidence born from knowing she had done nothing wrong, completely unafraid of the Path of Authority’s lie-detecting capabilities.
“Your first appearance should have been at the Pelican Bar when you rescued Eivass.” The Grand Guardian asked while writing in his notebook. “Was that you, or did you deploy a Shadow Demon to save Eivass from the Noble Red?”
“In fact, the Shadow Demon was with Eivass at the time, hidden in his shadow.” Alistair chuckled calmly. “It was only because he was in a wheelchair that no one noticed—you might not know that when sitting in a chair with a footrest, like a ‘wheelchair,’ especially when the footrest is not in direct contact with the ground, a Shadow Demon hidden in the shadow cannot be detected.”
“…We really didn’t know that.” The Grand Guardian nodded sincerely and recorded this down, adding a note: “Extraordinary Knowledge.”
“The special bullets with shadow damage he used when killing that purple-skinned bald woman came from the power I extracted from the Shadow Demon.” Alistair revealed everything, saying proactively. “However, the Shadow Demon did not act directly in that incident. It was only responsible for destroying some of the evidence.”
“When did you first meet Eivass Moriarty, Miss Crowley?”
“Oh, that was long ago…” Alistair looked up, lost in thought. After a moment of consideration, she answered with certainty, “Three years ago.” This referred to her starting to play the game “Ouroboros Ring” after being introduced by her screenwriter friend. If calculated from when she awakened her Past Life memories, it was indeed three years ago.
The candle flame flickered for a moment, and the Grand Guardian saw it. But he did not directly question her. He continued, “Middle school… What was the catalyst?”
“A friend’s recommendation,” Alistair replied. The Grand Guardian’s pen suddenly paused. He looked up and repeated, “Friend? Who is he? What is his profession? What is his name?”
“Oh, he’s a screenwriter. Just an Ordinary Person, not an Extraordinary. Nor is he from Star Antinomy.” Alistair smiled. “He praised Eivass highly, so I became curious.”
“A man?” The Grand Guardian deduced from the pronoun that Alistair’s friend was male. “What’s your relationship with him?”
“We’re roommates who lived together,” Alistair said lightly. The Grand Guardian coughed, realizing something. “Oh, my apologies… But I still have to ask, where does he live now?”
“I haven’t seen him in a long time, and I think he’s no longer in this World.” Alistair said softly. “He has nothing to do with this. After all, he never truly met Eivass, nor did I fall for Eivass because of his words. It was just a catalyst. Her words were mixed with genuine sadness and remembrance.
“…Hmm, my condolences.” The Grand Guardian lowered his head, feeling a pang of guilt. He felt like he was a bad person for constantly questioning her. He organized Alistair’s testimony. Except for the “time of meeting Eivass,” which was somewhat concealed, but not by much… everything else was the truth.
“One last question, Alistair.” The Grand Guardian looked up gravely and asked, “What are your views on Avalon? Do you harbor any form of malice towards Avalon, Queen Sophia, Princess Isabel, Eivass Moriarty, and his relatives and friends, or any intentions unknown to them that could endanger their lives or property?”
This was the question he truly wanted to ask. Now that the Queen was in a coma and unable to give her opinion, Lixia’s stance was “You decide.” The Grand Guardian had pondered repeatedly before finally settling on this final question. He hoped to leave some room for maneuver, at least to prevent good friends and collaborators from becoming enemies. That’s why he didn’t relentlessly pursue every single question. Because the most important thing was this final question. —Are we friends?
