Alfonso's gaze was as cold as polar ice, unmoved by Eleanor's words.
“No need.” His refusal was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. “I can’t afford the Star and Moon Church’s favor.”
He paused, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through Eileen's smiling mask.
"Moreover, Ms. Ellen, handing over these 'child coins' is tantamount to exposing the fact that you once held the 'mother coins' and spied on the holder's secrets."
"Your name is probably not lower than mine on Balger's list of targets for revenge. And it's not just Balger! Instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to save your own life."
Eileen weighed the mithril box containing the Star Moon Black Gold in her hand, her lazy smile unchanged, as if Alfonso's cold warning about Balgo's revenge was just a breeze brushing past her ear.
“Your concern is truly touching, Commander Alfonso.” Her voice carried its usual nonchalance as she lightly touched the little black dog sniffing the soil at her feet. “However, instead of worrying about me, you should worry about the big scene that’s about to unfold here.”
Alfonso's silver-grey eyes were like unyielding ice, devoid of any emotion, as he simply watched her quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Aileen's smile faded slightly as she turned her gaze to the Holy Light Church deep within the pass, a symbol of the Holy Light Church's power. Her tone carried an undeniable firmness: "As far as I know, the Holy Light Church is nearing completion of the 'foundation of the divine kingdom' being built on the border of the Demon Realm, at the edge of the Misty Forest."
“Once that thing is truly formed, you should know better than me what it will require, so that kid Mark can no longer stay in your Holy Light Church for further studies. He must leave the Holy Light Church's sphere of influence immediately. I'm here this time to take him and his team away.”
Alfonso remained silent for a moment. The night wind swept through his cold silver armor without making a sound.
In the end, he simply nodded very slightly: "Okay."
This straightforward response seemed to surprise Ellen, who raised one eyebrow.
Alfonso made no attempt to conceal his intentions: "I have sheltered them until now for two reasons."
He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barracks walls, landing on the inconspicuous seven-colored spot of light on Mark's shoulder.
"Firstly, there's the 'little mummy' beside him. An 'angel' born out of nowhere, whose potential and symbolic significance are worth observing and are also worth a certain amount of risk investment."
He knew that Xiao Mu's value far exceeded ordinary imagination. Her special physique, which could fuse with any kind of magic, even if only partially, could become an important asset in future changes.
Moreover, it now possesses the potential to truly evolve into an 'angel'!
“Secondly,” Alfonso’s gaze returned to Elaine, “this is my reward to you. You helped me dig out Raymond and Harrington’s roots, find the Star Moon Black Gold, and in return I provided Mark’s team with a temporary safe haven inside the Church of the Holy Light, and ultimately… let them go.”
A knowing glint flashed in Eileen's eyes, which then transformed into that enigmatic smile: "I see. Captain Alfonso, you've certainly calculated the deal clearly."
She finally understood that Alfonso's protection of Mark was never a selfless act of kindness from the beginning, but rather a tacit exchange of interests.
So Alfonso had already noticed his special treatment of Mark back in Osborne?
Alfonso ignored her teasing and continued stating the cold, hard facts with an all-knowing wisdom:
“Kyle is too young, having just stepped out of the ivory tower of the Holy City Monastery. He only sees the glory and appearance of the clergy. He cannot understand the essential abnormality of the ‘seven-colored holy light’ on Mark, let alone delve into its origin.”
His words seemed to unveil a corner of the river of time: "But I am different."
As one of the chosen ones of the Holy Light Church who is closest to the origin of the Holy Light in the contemporary Church, and as the new generation leader of the Holy Knights who witnessed the power shifts and brutal wars of the Church in his youth, Alfonso knows far more secrets than ordinary people can imagine.
Therefore, he does not simply use the aura or markings emanating from a person to determine their affiliation.
“Early on, when I first met that kid named Mark outside the Blood Crystal Mine, I knew he wasn’t a clergyman born under the Holy Light Church system. His source of power is not the Holy Light Kingdom we believe in.”
A grander and more brutal truth unfolded beneath his calm words.
"Actually, that's not important. Even if he was born from darkness, as long as he uses holy light, it is still holy light. But he is not a member of my Holy Light Church after all."
“Kyle, and many others in the lower echelons of the church, do not know why those sects on the Holy Dragon Continent that once rivaled the Holy Light Church were ultimately squeezed out, expelled, or even disappeared. It was not a simple doctrinal dispute or power struggle.”
Alfonso's gaze was cast upon the deep night sky, as if piercing through the clouds, looking directly into the divine realm beyond the reach of mortals:
"The rise and fall of the church on earth often stems from changes in the 'gods' who hold authority in the heavenly kingdom. Their power diminishes, their authority changes, and they may even... perish and disappear. The glory of the church on earth is merely a projection of the state of the gods in heaven."
He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Ellen.
"This is the fundamental reason why the Church of Holy Light is willing to pay any price to establish a 'divine kingdom on the border of the Demon Realm.' We are attempting to re-anchor a stable 'source of holy light' on earth, unaffected by the changes in the heavenly gods. At the same time, we, the human race, will suppress the Demon Realm ourselves!"
Eileen listened quietly, her smile completely vanishing, leaving only deep contemplation.
Alfonso's words confirmed some of the ancient secrets she knew: what exactly did the Goddess of the Stars and Moon experience in heaven, and why did she leave behind such a divine oracle?
She tightened her grip on the mithril box, her voice regaining its calm: "It seems that taking him away is even more urgent. Commander Alfonso, until we meet again."
She said nothing more, her figure disappearing silently into the shadows of the pass with the little black dog, as if she had never been there.
Alfonso stood alone, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the dim starlight.
He silently turned and walked towards the 13th Knights' barracks.
Mark's team is about to leave, while he still has many things to do before the foundation of the earthly kingdom is completed!
...
The biting wind howled and swirled on the majestic mountain peaks covered in snow all year round, swirling up ice crystals and turning the world into a blinding, pale white.
In this frigid and desolate region where even birds have vanished, a figure stands like an unchanging rock amidst the wind and snow.
It was none other than the fallen knight Balg, who topped the list of wanted persons by the Holy Light Church.
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