Glass Island, a side hall of the Arbitration Hall

Glass Island, a side hall of the Arbitration Hall.

A noblewoman with long black hair sat gracefully and calmly in the interrogation chair.

Her hands were placed in front of her, her slender fingers interlaced, bound by silver-white triangular shackles of light. Her feet were also together, bound together by the same triangular shackles of light.

The gorgeous dress she had been wearing was clearly unsuitable for this occasion, and Ligeia had taken it off and put it away.

Aleister was wearing a black turtleneck sweater on her upper body, while her lower body was only partially covered by trousers and boots underneath her skirt.

She was looking at the person in front of her with a half-smile. The blond man sat upright opposite the interrogation table.

"Miss Crowley ..."

The Grand Guardian George clenched his left fist, while his right hand held his left fist.

An oil lamp sat before him. The wick burned with a brilliant, silvery-white flame, the flame burning with unwavering stability.

This is "Truth Fire," used to detect lies; it is expensive and stable.

If you lie within the light's reach, the flame will flicker; the more insincere the lie, the more violently the flame will flicker.

Such a tool would only be used for interrogation by "foreign nobles" of high status, such as Aleister Crowley, who could not be directly obtained through brutal means.

His sharp Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he said in a deep voice, "May I call you that?"

"Please do as you wish, sir. You may simply call me Aleister."

Aleister replied softly, his attitude unusually friendly. This relieved the Grand Guardian slightly.

—He didn't really want to come.

George was fully aware of Her Majesty the Queen's attitude.

He knew who this suddenly appearing "Ligeia" was, who had extended her lifespan, and that the outstanding young man Iver Moriarty, would become a high-ranking official in Avalon. The ugly way those Old Knight fought for fame and fortune made him frown involuntarily, and he even wanted to cause trouble for the Minister of Everything personally appointed by the Queen ...

In this context, the Grand Guardian's personal bias in this incident is self-evident.

—But from another perspective, Aleister Crowley's espionage credentials, certified by both Star Antimony and Iris, have made his future uncertain.

"You shouldn't have told those things to the reporters."

The Grand Guardian said, half warning and half regret, "There's no turning back now."

"It sounds like you want to protect me, Your Excellency the Grand Guardian."

Aleister's lips curled up slightly. "Speaking of which, I thought you were going to lock me up in Dungeon Secret Chamber."

No, because I trust you.

George answered firmly and forcefully.

Such a decisive reply took Aleister somewhat by surprise.

"Oh... may I ask why this is?"

"In fact, Miss Crowley —it was my suggestion that you were initially listed as Royal Secret Agent."

The Grand Guardian said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Aleister's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Because I can tell that you and Noble Red are not of the same ilk."

The Grand Guardian said softly, "It all started after the arrest of the former Minister of Drost. The Noble Red took money from the Stibnite Person in an attempt to rescue or silence Drost in order to protect their intelligence network."

"Your act of assassinating Drost already proved that you are not on the same side."

George's gaze was intense. "I have always believed that language can be a lie, and evidence can be forged. Only the perspective and cognition hidden behind actions can prove a person's position."

"Even if you really are a spy for the Stibnite Person, you certainly don't belong to the same faction as the Noble Red. The fact that the Stibnite Person would sell your information at this time proves their attitude—no matter who you are or where you come from, they don't want you to stay in Avalon."

"... Oh, it was the time the Bureau of Supervision was attacked, right?"

Aleister recalled.

She laughed and said, "I had almost forgotten."

George nodded. "Yes, we even mistook you for Lily Iver's personal maid."

"It's not entirely wrong."

Aleister said casually, "I do know Lily, and we're very close. Lily was with me around the time I was hiding ' Iver Moriarty ' before and after that incident."

The Grand Guardian could keenly sense that Aleister was telling the truth. After all, he was Fifth Level Path of Authority Transcendent, and he possessed this kind of intuition.

But just in case, he glanced at the light. The silvery-white flame was incredibly steady.

... Or rather, ever since he met Aleister, the young lady had never told a lie.

She possessed a calm and composed demeanor. It wasn't feigned composure or feigned innocence, but rather a serene confidence stemming from a deep understanding that she hadn't done anything wrong, and a complete lack of fear of the Path of Authority's ability to detect lies.

"Your first appearance was probably when you saved Iver at the Pelican Bar, right?"

As the Grand Guardian wrote in his notebook, he asked, "Was it you again that time? Or did you send out the Shadow Fiend to save Iver from the clutches of the Noble Red?"

"In fact, Shadow Fiend was following Iver at the time, hiding in his shadow."

Aleister chuckled and said calmly, "It's only because he was in a wheelchair that he wasn't discovered—you may not know that when sitting in a 'wheelchair' or a seat with footrests, especially when the footrests don't directly contact the ground, the shadow demon hidden in the shadows cannot be detected."

"... We really don't know that."

The Grand Guardian nodded sincerely and wrote down these words. He also added the note "Extraordinary Knowledge" next to them.

"The special bullets with shadow damage that he used to kill that bald woman with bluish-purple skin came from the power I drew from the Shadow Fiend."

Aleister spoke frankly, saying, "However, Shadow Fiend didn't directly intervene in that incident. He was only responsible for destroying some of the evidence."

"When did you first come to know Iver Moriarty, Miss Crowley?"

"Oh dear, that's too early..."

Aleister looked up, lost in memories.

She thought for a moment and answered affirmatively, "About three years ago."

—This refers to the time from when she was drawn into the game "Ouroboros Ring" by her screenwriter friend.

If we start counting from when she awakened her memories of her Previous Life, that was indeed three years ago.

The candlelight flickered slightly for a moment, Grand Guardian noticed. But he did not ask directly.

He continued, "During high school... what was the turning point?"

"A friend's recommendation," Aleister replied.

The Grand Guardian's pen suddenly stopped.

He looked up and repeated, "A friend? Who is he? What does he do? What's his name?"

"Oh, he's a screenwriter. Just an ordinary person, not a superhuman. Nor is he Stibnite Person."

Aleister chuckled, "He spoke highly of Iver, so I became a little curious."

"Man?"

The Grand Guardian deduced from the part of speech that the friend Aleister was referring to was male. "What is your relationship with him?"

"He's kind of my roommate," Aleister said casually.

The Grand Guardian coughed lightly, realizing something. "Oh, my apologies... but I still need to inquire where he's staying now?"

"I haven't seen him in a long time, I think he's no longer in this world."

Aleister said softly, "He has nothing to do with this. After all, he has never actually met Iver, and I didn't fall for Iver because of what he said. It was just a trigger."

Her words were filled with genuine sorrow and longing.

"... Oh, my condolences."

The Grand Guardian lowered his head, feeling his conscience troubled.

He felt like he was the bad guy for constantly interrogating him.

He summarized Aleister's testimony. Except for a slight concealment regarding "how long he knew Iver," it was all true.

"One last question, Aleister."

The Grand Guardian looked up seriously and asked, "What is your opinion of Avalon? Do you harbor any ill will toward Avalon, Queen Sophia, Princess Isabel, Iver Moriarty, and his family and friends, or have any intentions that are unknown to them and could endanger their personal safety or property?"

That's the question he really wanted to ask.

The Queen is now in a coma and unable to offer advice. Ligeia's response is, "You decide."

The Grand Guardian deliberated repeatedly before finally settling on this final issue.

He wanted to leave some room for maneuver for both sides, at least to prevent good friends and collaborators from turning into enemies. That's why he didn't delve into every single question.

Because the most important thing is this last question.

Are we friends?