Chapter 1232: Brother

Tilly went still.

She turned slowly, and what crossed her face was not a single emotion but a collision of several at once — recognition, resistance, a reflexive wariness against hope. As though she needed to hear it again before she could begin to decide what it meant.

“What… did you say?”

“I said Ashes might still be alive.” Roland said it clearly, without softening it. He knew there was no retrieving those words now.

“No… brother.” She managed a small, careful smile. “I know you want to comfort me. But you can’t—”

“It’s not what you think.” He cut across her, quietly. “When I first heard this, I was as disbelieving as you are right now. I know it’s unfair to tell you before I can confirm it’s true. But I didn’t want to hold it back and regret it later.”

Tilly was silent.

She studied him with an unreadable intensity, as though measuring the weight of each word against something internal. Then, gradually, she arrived at the understanding that this was not comfort. This was something else.

Tilly was one of the sharpest and most open minds among all the witches. About seven minutes passed.

“Who told you this?” she asked.

“Lan.”

“I’ve never heard of her…” Tilly turned it over quietly. “Does it have something to do with the Dream World?”

Roland was not surprised. “Slow down. I’ll tell you everything.”

By the time Roland finished, the eastern sky had gone pale. The first line of gold broke over the distant mountain ridges and fell across the rooftops below the window, turning them to hammered bronze.

Tilly was still working through it. “So… as long as you control the Realm of Mind, you’ll be able to bring Ashes back?”

“Technically, yes,” Roland said. “According to Lan, when a witch becomes a Transcendent, she leaves a mark in the Realm of Mind. That’s consistent with what Kabradhabi said during interrogation.”

Kabradhabi had told Zooey that their kind’s souls returned to the Origin of Magic — that once demons dominated the world, they would return. The account differed from Lan’s in its details, but one thread ran through both.

The Realm of Mind accepted souls.

“There’s more,” Roland continued. “In the underground civilization’s ancient texts, the author described the Battle of Divine Will as a process of magical ascension — the winner eventually rivaling God. If we treat the Realm of Mind as the summit of magical power, Lan’s account fits that description in its own way.” He paused. “But we have to remember: this information may all ultimately originate with God. We can’t trust it completely. The only way to verify it is for me to enter the Realm of Mind myself.”

“Brother…”

“I’ll do it as soon as I can, and I’ll do everything in my power to retrieve Ashes if she’s there.” He held her gaze. “Which is why, until then, I need you to be careful. I don’t want to face a Transcendent who’s blown past her limits and stopped answering to God’s Stones of Retaliation…”

He kept his voice light. But Tilly’s expression had changed.

She was trembling — head down, shoulders drawn in, her lips moving too softly to follow. Roland held still and listened.

“That’s great. That’s great.”

The words came out almost soundless, repeated, as though she were pressing them into something she needed to hold.

Roland didn’t know what to say. He watched tears fall against the back of her hand, one after the other.

He reached out and rested his palm on her head.

The next moment she pressed herself against him, arms tight around his ribs, the trembling breaking into sobs. It carried him back to a night he remembered too well. But something had shifted. Last time, she had cried for hours. This time, ten minutes. When she pulled back and looked up, she turned her face away sharply.

“Don’t — don’t look at me.”

He heard her breathe, heard cloth against skin as she cleaned her face. He waited.

“All right,” she said finally.

He turned around.

“Sorry.” Her voice was low. “I made you worry.”

“I’m glad you noticed,” Roland said, folding his arms. “While we’re on the subject — you might want to reconsider that last request of yours.”

“The plane?” Tilly blinked. “No. My request stands, brother.”

“Oi—”

“You need my help to reach the Fathomless Abyss.” She held up one finger before he could continue. “And by now the demons have almost certainly finished erecting a full Obelisk. That makes it harder to restrict the Devilbeasts. If we lose the sky, the First Army’s task becomes far more costly.” She kept her voice steady, practical. “You were right — when I made that request, I didn’t care whether I survived. I only wanted to kill as many of them as possible. But I’ve changed my mind.”

A pause. Then: “You also know how much difference one person makes. None of the Aerial Knights have fought demons. I’m the only one who can teach them.” She pressed a hand flat against her own chest. “I’ll keep myself safe, brother. I’ll wait for you to enter the Realm of Mind.”

He found no solid ground to argue from. The fire had come back into her eyes — not the cold rancor he’d feared, but something with real direction to it. She stood inside herself again.

“All right. But you keep your promise.”

“Of course.” She was quiet for a moment. “Also — thank you. For telling me.”

“I’m not certain the method will even work—”

“That’s enough.” She pressed herself to his chest again, briefly, gently. “At least we have a shared purpose now.” A breath. “I’m glad you’re my brother.”

After Tilly left, Nightingale reappeared in the doorway.

“What on earth did you say to her? She came out looking like a different person.”

“The connection between the Dream World and reality.” Roland was already sifting through the drawings on his desk. “I can explain it to you as well, only not tonight.” He glanced up. “I just received word from Honey — a fleet arrives at the inner-river port in two days, immigrants from Wolfheart. I need to finish this drawing before then.”

Nightingale shrugged. “I’ve told you before — I won’t push if you don’t want to share.” She leaned over the desk and studied the sketch for a long moment. “It looks like… the vehicle Anna drove in the yard the other day.”

“Same principle. Much larger,” Roland said. “Remember Barov’s logistics problem in the meeting? This is the answer.”

Beyond railways, there was the older, cheaper option — wheeled trucks. Many variants existed. Less efficient than trains, yes, but more flexible, easier to operate, and capable of running on any flat, hard-surfaced road. Graycastle and the Kingdom of Dawn were laced with inland rivers, but none of those rivers connected. A fleet of trucks bridging the gaps between them could change everything.

Chapter 1232 - Brother

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn Tilly quavered. She slowly turned around, and there was a multitude of feelings in her eyes. As if confirming what she had just heard, Tilly asked, “What… did you say?” “I said that Ashes might be still alive,” Roland repeated slowly. He knew he could not retract now. “No… brother,” Tilly mumbled as she managed a smile. “I know you want to comfort me, but you can’t…” “But it’s not what you think,” Roland cut across her. “To be honest, I was as incredulous as you when I heard the news, and I know it’s unfair to tell you before I confirm that it’s true. However, I don’t want to regret it later.” Tilly fell silent. She stared at Roland out of his countenance as if processing the information. She suddenly realized that what Roland had said was probably something unusual. Tilly was one of the smartest and most open-minded witches among all. After about seven minutes, she asked tentatively, “Who told you that?” “Lan.” “I’ve never heard of her…” Tilly muttered as she lapsed into thought. “Does it have something to do with the Dream World?” Roland was not surprised that Tilly had quickly made the connection. He answered calmly, “Slow down. I’ll tell you everything.” … By the time Roland finished, the first hint of dawn was visible in the east. The first ray of sun broke over the horizon behind the mountains and gilded the roofs of the buildings in the distance. Tilly was still lost in thought. She muttered to Roland as much as to herself, “That means… as long as you control the Realm of Mind, you’ll be able to bring Ashes back?” “Technically, yes,” Roland replied while nodding. “According to Lan, after a witch becomes a Transcendent, she’ll leave a mark in the Realm of Mind. This is consistent with Kabradhabi’s statement.” During the interrogation, Kabradhabi had told Zooey that their souls would return to the Origin of Magic. Once their kind dominated the world, he would come back. Although it was quite different from what Lan had told Roland, there was one thing in common. That was, the Realm of Mind accepted souls. “In addition, in the ancient book of the underground civilization, the author also wrote that the journey to the Divine Will is the process of a magic power upgrade. The winner will eventually rival God. If we view the Realm of Mind as the pinnacle of magic power, then Lan’s words, in a way, fits the description.” Roland paused for a second before he continued, “Nevertheless, considering that this information may be all from God, we can’t completely trust it. The best way is to verify its validity myself.” “Brother…” “Don’t worry. I’ll penetrate the Realm of Mind as soon as I can and try my best to retrieve Ashes, if she’s really there. Therefore, I want you to protect yourself before I find her, as I don’t want to infuriate a Transcendent who has exceeded her limit and is beyond the restriction of God’s Stones of Retaliation…” Roland said in a half-joking manner. Then he suddenly found that Tilly did not look right. She was trembling, her head hanging, and she was mumbling under her breath as well. Roland held his breath and listened. “That’s great… That’s great…” Roland suddenly did not know what to say. Tears started to trickle down Tilly’s cheeks and splattered against the back of her hand. Looking at the quivering princess, Roland sighed internally as he slowly stretched out his hand and patted her head. The next moment, Tilly threw herself onto him and held him tight. The trembling gradually perished into sobs, and Roland felt as though he had traveled back in time to that night again. However, Roland sensed that something had changed. Unlike last time where Tilly had cried for hours, this time, she dried her eyes within 10 minutes. When she looked up, she forced Roland to turn away. “Don’t… don’t look at me.” Then he heard Tilly sniffle and clean up her face behind him. It was a while before Roland was allowed to turn around. “Sorry… I made you worried,” Tilly said in a low voice. “I’m pleased that you’ve realized it,” Roland said while folding his arms. “You should also reconsider your request last time — ” “Are you referring to the plane used to kill the demons?” Tilly said while blinking. “No, my request stands, brother.” “Oi…” “You need my help to reach the Fathomless Abyss. Now, it’s very likely that the demons have already erected a full-grown Obelisk. With that being the case, it’s going to be even harder for us to restrict the Devilbeasts. If we can’t dominate the sky, the First Army might not be able to crush the enemy so easily,” Tilly said as she stuck out one finger to stop Roland. “You’re right. I didn’t care about whether I’ll survive when I made that request. I just wanted to kill as many demons as possible. But now, I’ve changed my mind.” “And you know what a difference it could make with someone assisting you. Not a single Aerial Knight knows how to fight demons. I’m the only person who can teach and train them,” Tilly went on while patting the chest. “I promise you that I’ll look after myself and wait for you to enter the Realm of Mind.” Roland found it hard to decline her request. The sparkles in Tilly’s eyes came back, her demeaner as poised as ever, and she was radiant from within. “Alright then… but you must keep your promise.” “Of course.” Tilly resumed after a brief pause, “Also… thank you for telling me that.” “I’m not sure whether this method would work —” “I’m more than content. At least, we now have a mutual goal,” Tilly said as she again pressed herself to Roland’s chest. “I’m glad you’re my brother…” … After Tilly took her leave, Nightingale returned to the office and asked, “What did you say to Princess Tilly? I saw her just come out, and she looks like a different person…” “The connection between the Dream World and the reality. If you want to know, I can tell you as well, but not now,” Roland said as he fumbled with the drawings. “I just received a message from Honey, saying that a fleet will be arriving at the port of the inner river in two days. They should bring the immigrants from the Kingdom of Wolfheart. Before that, I should finish the drawing for the new project.” Nightingale shrugged and said, “Never mind me. Haven’t I told you? I won’t insist if you don’t want to say.” She walked to the desk and studied the drawing for quite a while before she said, “It looks like… the vehicle Anna drove the other day in the yard.” “It’s the same thing, only a lot larger,” Roland said smilingly. “Didn’t Barov talk about the logistics in the meeting? This is the solution.” Apart from expensive trains, there was also a cheap alternative, a wheeled truck. There were various types of wheeled trucks. Although they were not as efficient as trains, they were more flexible and also easier to operate than a tractor. They could run on a flat, hard-surfaced road easily. There were many inner rivers in Graycastle and the Kingdom of Dawn, but none of these rivers were connected. Therefore, a fleet of wheeled trucks could facilitate the transportation between the two countries.