I Am Aleister

"Minister, I shouldn't be stopping you..."

The secretary behind the Minister of the Navy sighed, "But don't you think it's a bit too late to betray us now? The best time would obviously have been before Captain Camus went to Inspector General Edward."

"Furthermore, if you really want to do it, I don't even think it's necessary to keep a copy. Because if this kind of evidentiary document isn't the original, it's hard to find it of much use, so it's better to betray completely than to betray wholeheartedly."

"Furthermore, I think it would be better to destroy the documents in front of Minister Moriarty than to hand them over to him. That way, the other ministers will assume they have the documents and launch attacks against Minister Moriarty in the newspapers, only to find they can't produce any evidence and are met with a strong counterattack from the well-prepared Minister Moriarty. This is the only way to ensure their destruction."

"At the same time, we must prevent Minister Moriarty from producing this document to prove our betrayal—offending so many knightly families has the same consequence as offending the royal family, both are prices we cannot afford."

Sheldon whispered behind the old man, "All we have to do is play dumb and pretend we don't know where the documents went."

As adjutant to the Navy Department, Sheldon also served as an aide to Minister Ramos.

The old man remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.

His gardening shears sniped down, snapping off branch after branch. It was less a calculated move and more a simple outburst of emotion.

Finally, the old man sighed.

"... You're right, it's too late to betray now. It doesn't look good either."

"Let's just see this through to the end."

"—That's true."

A haughty and aloof female voice suddenly rang out from the open space, causing the old man's brow to furrow abruptly.

His pupils turned a majestic silver-white as he turned to look in the direction of the sound.

"Who goes there!"

The old man shouted loudly, "Come out!"

On one hand, he uses sound as a medium to unleash his Law Spell [Majesty · Deterrence].

On the other hand, it was to make their voices heard so that others could take the opportunity to come to their rescue.

Although Minister Ramos is only at the Fourth Level, he is, after all, the Minister of the Navy —according to the nature of the Path of Authority, power itself can be transformed into strength.

Unlike "Majesty Series" Law Spell, "Punishment Series" magic does not require separate punishments for different crimes; instead, it can only be used on those of lower status. The greater the power and status difference, the more effective the magic.

—However, to Minister Ramos's surprise, his spell had no effect whatsoever.

This meant that the other party's status was equal to his, or even higher! Emerging from the shadows was a tall woman whom the Minister of the Navy had never seen before.

She was as tall as Old Dewis and had long, jet-black hair.

Her pupils were blood-red, and blood trickled from her lips. Her hair was not tied up, but casually draped down her back, still damp, as if it had just been washed and hadn't completely dried.

She wore a classic gown from the Starry Sky Noble family. The black and red silk dress was incredibly gorgeous, as if she were dressed for a grand banquet. Her bodice cinched her slender waist tightly, while the lower half featured a large whalebone crinoline.

A Black Crystal Inlaid Silver Cross hung from her high chest— Old Dewis recognized it at a glance as an ancient noble ornament from the Herasul Empire! "Good day, Minister Ramos."

The woman chuckled softly and gracefully.

Although his tone was respectful, he did not actually bow to him at all.

Even without her introducing herself, the Minister of the Navy had already recognized her.

"... Miss Aleister?"

The old man looked solemn and subconsciously took a half step back.

—As the girl moved, the ground beneath her seemed to be corrupted by a curse, spreading out shadows like a swamp.

The elusive hunting dogs, black cats, and crows appeared and disappeared beneath her skirt, as if following her, or perhaps just an illusion.

"Does Iver know you're here?"

The old man made a sarcastic remark, implying that Iver was her master and she should report to him before going out.

The fact that Aleister had overheard his plan made him look somewhat uneasy. But it wasn't a serious crisis compared to the many he had faced, so the old man remained calm.

"Of course he knows."

"Aleister" said lightly.

A slight upturn of her lips revealed an arrogant and mischievous smile.

She pointed to the corner of her mouth and whispered, "Guess... whose blood is this?"

"Are you... a vampire?"

Old Dewis's pupils contracted, and he finally felt truly tense.

If this is the blood of Minister Moriarty ... then he is now...

The sudden disruption to his plans by unexpected variables caused him great unease.

"Alright, this is just the first visit."

"Aleister" said elegantly, "I don't want this to be the last time..."

As she spoke, she took a letter from her bosom. She gently kissed it, leaving a bloodstained lip print on the envelope.

She gave a charming smile and explained, "A gift—take a good look."

She then casually tossed the envelope over, only to have it caught by the secretary behind Old Dewis.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened noticeably. Seeing that it was about to rain, Secretary Sheldon instinctively tucked the letter into his pocket.

But the old man's expression suddenly changed.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at "Aleister," as if he had understood something.

—The next moment, twelve silver-white spears descended from the sky with a clang.

The four rods landed in groups of four, one next to the old man, the secretary, and "Aleister," locking them all in place.

The griffin's cry rang out; a pure white griffin.

A small figure descended from the sky and landed safely on the spot.

She appeared to be only one meter tall—with silvery-white dragon horns and a dragon tail, and dark green pupils.

It is the new Grand Arbitrator, who is said to be Meg's niece... Ligeia, who has never shown her power since inheriting the position of Grand Arbitrator!

In Ligeia's hand, she held the Silver Scepter, a symbol of the Avalon royal power.

The scepter is entirely silver-white, with raised sections like a spine, and a small white hilt at the top, presumably a grip. This makes it look like a sword hidden in its sheath.

A metallic serpent covered in runes coiled above it, as if it were alive. Near the top, it spread its dragon-like wings, but it had no head... Connecting to the end of the serpent's body was a sharp, regular Regular Tetrahedron, like a pyramid. The three facing outwards simultaneously opened three emerald green eyes.

Now the "snake head" is spinning, swaying at will. Its three eyes are blinking, their gazes shifting and looking in different directions.

Ligeia couldn't grip the armrests—the scepter was even taller than her! She could only hold the upper middle part of the scepter, which made her look somewhat comical.

But the Minister of the Navy had to pay attention to the imperial scepter.

—That is a divine artifact that can elevate an extraordinary being on the Path of Authority by almost a whole energy level! Not only does it possess the power of the Sixth Level, but its status is also equivalent to that of the Queen herself— Law Spell under such a high status are basically impossible to exempt from.

When Meg holds it, she becomes the Meg that all nations fear.

"Your Excellency Grand Arbitrator..."

The Minister of the Navy pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, as if trying to explain something.

"[Quiet]."

Ligeia said sternly, "You are not allowed to say a word before the reporters arrive."

An invisible force of authority spread, and he fell silent in an instant.

"—They arrived quite quickly."

But Aleister, who was also imprisoned, merely chuckled, interrupting him. He seemed completely unfazed by Ligeia's order to shut up.

Seated atop the griffin was an elderly man, not young at all. He was dressed in Avalon- style clothing, but one could still discern the air of someone from a foreign land in his features.

Old Dewis knew him.

This is Court Ritualist Ibn.

He was closing his eyes and muttering incantations, as if he were performing some kind of ritual.

... What is he doing here? This left Old Dewis completely baffled.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of reporters appeared outside—they were reporters from the Glass Staircase Newspaper, followers of Master Agnes.

They quickly set up the photography equipment.

Old Ibn also woke up.

The Minister of the Navy clearly caught a hint of anger in Ibn's expression... but Old Dewis was certain he had not offended him.

However, Old Ibn's next words nearly caused his heart to stop—

"Your Excellency, the Grand Arbitrator, this is it! The ritual indicates that the perpetrator of the attack on Minister Moriarty is here! Another ritual has also been completed, and Iver disappeared after arriving here!"

The Minister of the Navy hesitated for only a brief moment before reacting immediately.

He loudly protested, "I don't know this person! This is the first time I've met her today; this is a plot to frame me—"

"No need for further explanation, Minister Ramos."

Miss Aleister sighed affectedly and smiled helplessly, "They've already found this far, so they must have completely obtained evidence of our contact."

"—Who the hell contacted you, Aleister!"

The old man shouted, "This is the first time I've ever met you!"

Upon hearing this, Aleister's expression changed.

She pointed at the scepter in Ligeia's hand, her expression turning cold, and she sneered, "Fine, then speak to it! Speak that you did not betray your Queen, that you did not accept the invitation from Star Antimony, that you did not try to destroy my evidence, that you did not try to usurp His Majesty's power—speak!"

In an instant, the Minister of the Navy was speechless.

"But I can say it openly and honestly."

Aleister gracefully opened her arms and flashed a charming smile at the distant spotlight.

The Minister of the Navy was about to say something when Ligeia glared at him and shouted, "Quiet!"

He was speechless for a moment.

"Aleister" said calmly, "I am the master of the Shadow Fiend, the ' Aleister Crowley ' they speak of, the one who attacked and kidnapped Iver Moriarty... and also the one who loved him dearly. Now Iver is imprisoned by me in a place only I know. If you kill me, he will die with you."

"Listen up, everyone. I am not an Avalon, nor Iris People. But I don't think I'm Stibnite Person either. If I had to define myself—I think I should be called an 'Imperial Person'."

"I am a nobleman of the Herasul Empire, with noble blood flowing through my veins and blessed by the Pillar God!"

"Every word I utter is the truth. I beseech the Grand Arbitrator to arbitrate for me in the name of the Crown Prince."

"I'll arbitrate."

Upon hearing this, Ligeia raised her scepter and loudly proclaimed, "It is all the truth."

"Aleister" turned to the Minister of the Navy with a smile, touched his neck and tilted his head slightly. "At this point, there's no need to do anything so uncouth, my dear minister?"

The Minister of the Navy looked at Aleister, then at Ligeia.

He sighed deeply, realized something, lowered his head, and closed his eyes.

Update complete! Please vote for me at the end of the month!