He hadn't expected that the other party's question was actually digging a pit for him, and the source of this pit had already been buried when he was compiling various records.

It's just that when ordinary people first come into contact with such vast and complex information, they have a hard time even understanding it, and it's impossible to notice the loopholes in it—as a natural science that studies the essence of all things in the world, it's absolutely incredible that the word "magic" is never mentioned from beginning to end.

Roland himself had completely cast the Fourth Prince's memory to the back of his mind. Apart from consciously imitating him during the first month after the time travel, he had never bothered with this point afterward. The ministers didn't dare to question him face to face, and he didn't need to hide himself in front of the witches, so he became more and more unscrupulous.

But Tilly was no ordinary witch.

Besides being the Fourth Prince's sister, she was also a Transcendent.

Not only did she read all the records in a short period, but she also keenly noticed this illogical point. The clarity of her logical thinking was no less than that of a modern person who had received general education. Moreover, she used questions to guide her own views, and the two corroborated each other, almost making it impossible for him to argue.

A major crisis.

Roland's mind raced, but he couldn't think of any feasible response. For someone who could see this point, any far-fetched explanation would only increase their doubts, and one lie would require more lies to cover it up, leading to more and more loopholes.

Just as an awkward silence fell, Tilly spoke again, this time her voice much gentler, "You don't have to rush to tell me the answer. It's late today, I'll go back to the Witch Building first. You should rest early too, Your Highness."

"Ah... um," Roland stared blankly at the gray-haired woman, wondering what she was thinking in her wandering eyes. For a moment, he even forgot to get up to see her off.

Tilly stopped at the office door and looked back at him, "Can I trust you?"

If it were usual, Roland would definitely pat his chest without hesitation and say yes, but at this time, he found that he couldn't easily say that promise. In the end, he just slowly nodded.

After the door closed, Nightingale clicked her tongue in wonder, "She just left like that."

"Why do you look so disappointed?" Roland glared at her unhappily.

"I feel like I was so close to knowing your true origin," Nightingale stuck out her tongue nonchalantly. "Why didn't she ask a few more questions?"

"Because she doesn't want to end up with no friends," the Prince sighed.

"Huh?"

"No... it's nothing," Roland leaned back in his chair and felt a trace of coolness coming from his back. Tilly's performance could be described as impeccable. She didn't press him too much because, as an ally of Sleeping Island, Border Town was undoubtedly the strongest partner. In the face of a powerful enemy, allies were more important than the truth of one's identity. If pursuing this question led to a breakdown in the alliance, it wouldn't be good news for the witches of Sleeping Island.

That's why Tilly chose to leave after raising the question, leaving him time to buffer. However, this didn't mean she didn't need an answer. If he kept dragging on until the external threat was eliminated, he would also lose her trust. Now that she had made this move, it was his turn to respond.

But Roland couldn't reveal the real news to Tilly, at least not now—Anna and Nightingale weren't a big problem, they had known him from the beginning. But Tilly was, after all, the Fourth Prince's sister. Before he could figure out what she thought of the Fourth Prince, he had to bury this news in his heart.

Shaking his head to put aside these troubling thoughts, Roland looked at Nightingale, "You heard the conversation just now. I plan to have you, Maggie, and Lightning go and inquire about the situation. What do you think?"

"Of course, no problem, Your Highness."

"It's not just a simple conversation... To be honest, I'm a little worried about you." He softened his voice.

"Ah... What, worried," Nightingale's voice suddenly became a little jerky, "I, I'm fine, even if I have to tie her over—"

"That's what I'm worried about!" Roland tapped the table. "What do you mean tie her over? I'm afraid she'll tear us apart! Listen carefully, you absolutely can't mess around this time. First, find out the situation, and then find a chance to meet Sperl. Patty. If she refuses, it doesn't matter, don't threaten her—as a witch, she's no stranger to you."

"Uh... that's it?" she said disappointedly.

"That's all there is to it with witches," Roland curled his lips. "Besides that, you also need to cooperate with Lightning to record the surrounding environment, city defense facilities, patrol teams, and garrison arrangements of the Dragonfall Ridge, and then return as soon as possible."

Nightingale mumbled in agreement.

"Finally, the same thing," he paused, "Pay attention to your safety, that's the most important thing."

*******************

"Over here, another mug of ale!"

"Hey, isn't the oatmeal ready yet!"

"Coming, coming, thank you for waiting!"

Otto. Loxi walked into this tavern called "Underground Bugle". The noisy clamor immediately surrounded him. The roaring stove dispelled the chill, and the stuffy air mixed with sourness and body odor hit him, making him frown slightly. As a nobleman, Otto rarely set foot in cheap folk venues, nor was he accustomed to drinking closely with people. If he didn't have an appointment with the rats, he would never visit this small alley tavern located in the outer city.

According to the rules of this place, he quickly found his target—a slender man wearing a hood was sitting in a corner of the tavern. There was no candle on the table, and half of his body was hidden in the darkness. Beside him was a small section of white bone.

Otto walked over and sat down opposite the man, "A toast to the skeleton finger."

"You don't have any wine, what are you toasting with?"

"With that which measures all things," he said the password.

The other party shrugged, "Just call me Hood. I heard you're here to inquire about information?"

Otto nodded. During the time that Tiefeike hadn't given him a reply, he hadn't been idle. Instead, he was inquiring about the rebel king's information everywhere—the fact that he could still firmly occupy the Western Territory after the king had been on the throne for more than half a year and make Tiefeike helpless was obviously a force to be reckoned with.

To get as much information as possible, dealing with rats was the quickest way.

This was the sixth rat he had made an appointment with. The information he had obtained so far made Otto feel terrified. The legendary rebel king, the Fourth Son of Wimbledon III, Roland. Wimbledon, not only did not show any signs of decadence, but even issued a challenge to the new king, declaring that he would take the initiative to attack sooner or later and pull Tiefeike off the throne.

Moreover, this person not only said so, but actually did so—although Tiefeike tried his best to hide the news, Otto still noticed the strangeness of the collapse of the royal capital's buildings. If all this news was true, the value of allying with Tiefeike was very questionable. He had to figure all this out in order to prevent the Kingdom of Dawn from falling into trouble.

"That's right," Otto. Loxi said in a deep voice, "I want to know what exactly happened to the loud noise and collapse that occurred in the royal city palace three months ago."