After Tilly left, Roland breathed.
Not a sigh—more the release of a pressure he’d been maintaining at a constant level for the past hour. Conversing seriously with an intelligent person while producing a careful version of the truth was its own kind of labor. Maintaining the right expression on top of it was simply harder.
He was grateful for Nightingale’s timing. Her report that the witches from Sleeping Island had assembled in the hall had given him a natural moment to close the conversation before any of its load-bearing joints could be tested further.
“No particular emotion, facing your sister who turned out to be a witch?” Nightingale materialized from the corner she’d been occupying, stepped forward, and settled onto the edge of the desk with the easy confidence of someone who has long since decided that furniture is neutral territory. She looked down at him.
He rolled his eyes. “Sustained pressure also counts as a special feeling.”
“I expected something more touching. A reunion.”
“We weren’t close, growing up.” He set his empty cup aside. “I bullied her when we were young. Later we drifted into the kind of distance that feels permanent. It was genuinely unexpected—not bad, but unexpected—that she came at all.”
“Oh?” Nightingale tilted her head in a way that meant she’d noticed something. “You seem oddly trusting of her, though, for someone you were estranged from. Letting her meet with you alone, without—”
Because I didn’t want you watching me lie. He decided, again, that this was not something he needed to say aloud. He refilled his cup and leaned back, taking a slow mouthful.
“You’ll understand later.”
She leaned forward and touched his lips with one finger—not a gesture of affection, exactly; more the gesture of someone marking a point. “You’ll tell me everything, won’t you?”
”…Yes.”
“I’ll take that as a promise.” She smiled once, and disappeared.
Roland tilted back in his chair and ran through the conversation again, checking for weak places.
He had given Tilly what he thought of as the most sustainable explanation available to him. Decades of a previous life had made him instinctively wary of the kinds of lies that people construct when they’re frightened—the ones built out of plausible details, childhood embarrassments recalled as modest confessions, accidentally-discovered ancient texts. Those collapsed. The more specific they were, the more efficiently they collapsed under continued questioning. And Tilly was not a person who would stop asking.
So he had told the truth wherever the truth was survivable, and called the inexplicable parts what they were: inexplicable. A set of memories that appeared and could not be sourced. It sounded extraordinary, but it was harder to disprove than a story with moving parts.
The alternative—that she was looking at someone from a completely different world—carried too many unpredictable consequences. Even if she believed it, he couldn’t be certain she would accept the result. A sincere stranger in her brother’s body was a different proposition than a brother who had changed.
As for Tilly: she was smart enough to have worked through the same calculation from her side. The only possession-type ability in the Witch Alliance’s inventory was one that Sylvie had already ruled out. Replacement and control both required proximity, and the God’s Stone made that difficult. She had no framework for what had actually happened, which meant she would file it under strange but unresolved and watch for additional evidence—the rational thing to do. And his long-term goal was not to end her suspicion but to replace it, over months, with data.
The winter would give him the time to show her what the Western Region could become. That was enough for now.
That evening they held a grand banquet in the castle hall.
Roland had specified the menu with some care: the familiar staples—pepper steak, fried egg, white bread—but also the things that would be unfamiliar to anyone arriving from Sleeping Island or the Fjords. Fried bird-kiss mushrooms in their own fragrance. Steamed dumplings. Ice cream, which tended to produce a particular kind of disbelief in first-time recipients. He introduced the sampler platter as a deliberate tactic: small cuts from the main dishes arranged on large china plates and finished with a drizzle of soy paste—not because it changed the food, but because it made people reach for it, which was half the point of a banquet.
Candles lit the table. Cups crossed under the light. The hall filled with the kind of warmth that comes from food and noise together, and by the time the platters were cleared the atmosphere had done most of the necessary social work on its own.
The formal discussion followed in the living room before the fireplace.
Roland and the Witch Alliance took one side of a long row of seats. Tilly and her witches from Sleeping Island took the other. Maggie, whose position in this conversation was sufficiently complicated, had solved the problem by turning into a pigeon and settling on the chandelier above them, where she sat with the studied neutrality of a bird.
Tilly opened. “I intend to help Border Town resist the demonic beast attacks, and to return the first batch of five witches as I promised.” She gave a summary of Sleeping Island’s current situation: Silver Moon Bay would send a group of ordinary settlers to the island in spring, which meant Lotus and Honey were needed immediately to prepare housing and food. “I know this isn’t ideal timing.”
Roland felt the headache forming before she finished.
Against the demonic beasts, the First Army was sufficient. Witches were indispensable for construction. The path through the mountain hadn’t been opened yet, the dock was half-built, and the latest wave of refugees needed shelter before the winter deepened. Losing two of his most capable builders now was bad arithmetic.
“Could they delay by half a month?” he asked.
Tilly shook her head—reluctantly, he thought. “I wish I could say yes. But we encountered Sea Ghosts in the southern part of the Vortex Sea. Fish-type demonic beasts, far outside their usual range. I believe the early start of the Months of Demons is behind it. The legends say the longer it runs, the more dangerous the beasts become—so the journey needs to happen as soon as possible, while the sea is still manageable.”
“They’re not suited for combat.”
“I know. That’s also why Breeze will escort the ship—her ability is effective against enemies with lesser intelligence. And we’re not going back the same way. We’ll sail north along the coastline to Port of Clear Water, then take the trade route to Sleeping Island. The messenger birds report that route is still clear.”
Roland made one more effort. “Besides Lotus and Honey—could the other three stay? They’re halfway through the Primary Education curriculum. Leaving now means starting over.”
Tilly’s composure cracked, briefly. She laughed—a genuine one, the sound of someone who has caught an argument in the middle of constructing itself. “Puff— it really does seem you are quite attached to them.”
He had no response to that.
“I’d like to know your specific plans for Candle and Evelyn,” she said, recovering.
“Candle’s ability can cure metal parts—which significantly improves the efficiency of mechanical operations. Evelyn’s—” he paused “—brewing. Wine has a great many applications beyond drinking.”
Tilly considered this. “On Sleeping Island, they’ve always worried that their abilities were too narrow to be truly useful. And they’ve faced”—she didn’t finish the sentence, but her meaning was clear enough—“certain treatment because of it. I’m glad to hear you see them as indispensable. Every witch has something irreplaceable in her.” She looked along the row at Evelyn, Candle, and Sylvie. “What do you think?”
“I want to follow you, Lady Tilly,” Sylvie said immediately.
Candle touched her own head, as if checking something. “I’m willing to go anywhere.”
Evelyn was quiet for a moment before she spoke. “If you need me, Lady Tilly, I will go back to Sleeping Island.” A pause. “Otherwise, I would like to stay. There are still so many things I hope to learn from Teacher Scroll.”
“Don’t be nervous.” Tilly shook her head. “I’m not forcing a choice. It isn’t a question with only two answers. I want to know how you feel about living here—that’s all. You can return to Sleeping Island whenever you want. The same is true for Lotus and Honey; this isn’t forever. I even hope, someday, to bring the witches of Border Town to visit Sleeping Island.” She looked across at Roland. “Whether north or south—in the future, all witches should be free to live where they choose. Don’t you think so, Elder Brother?”
Roland stilled.
Elder Brother. He hadn’t heard her say it. Even within the Fourth Prince’s memories, that particular form of address had faded out well over a decade ago.
He smiled. “There will definitely be a day like that.”
After Tilly had left his office, Roland finally breathed out in relieve.
Obviously, when in front of a smart person, having to hold serious conversation while also talking complete nonsense created a lot of pressure. Especially, if you want to maintain a sincere and genuine expression. Fortunately, Nightingale’s report allowed him to take a breather – Roland took the fact that the witches from Sleeping Island have all returned to the castle as an opportunity to end the conversation.
“How come you don’t have any special feelings when facing your younger sister who’s become a witch?” Nightingale said as she turned around to sit on the table, occupying a high ground to overlook the prince.
He rolled his eyes and ill-humoredly said, “Can’t feeling strong pressure also be regarded as a special feeling?”
“I thought it was a touching reunion,” Nightingale said, curling her lips.
“Previously I didn’t have a good relationship with her,” Roland sighed. “During the time we lived in the palace, I used to bully her. Later when we grew up we both became estranged from one another, so it was an unexpected pleasure for her to come here.”
“Oh?” Nightingale said meaningfully, “It is unlike you to confront an unfamiliar witch alone, as I see it you are quite trusting of her.”
That’s because I didn’t want you to see me lying, Roland decided it would be better not to answer, instead he refilled his cup and leaned back in his chair slowly sipping a mouthful.
“In short… you will come to understand it later.”
Nightingale reached out, touching his lips, “You will tell me everything, won’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll take that as a promise then,” she laughed and disappeared.
Roland leaned back against his chair, recalling his whole conversation with Tilly, searching for any possible flaw – he had given her the “most appropriate” explanation that he could think of. Many years of work experience had told him, the more exaggerated a lie, the lower the possibility that it would survive speculation. Therefore, deliberately hiding one’s clumsiness during childhood to save face, accidentally finding ancient books, or meeting a hermit who taught him were the kinds of lies that would be easily exposed as long as the other side kept on asking. Furthermore, in addition to being his sister, the other side was also from a witch organization, thus every lie exposed before we form a stable relationship could bring on a heavy blow to our mutual trust.
So he chose to tell the truth about the parts that could be uncovered and explained the additional from a sudden appearance of new memories – even though it sounded incredible, but in contrast to an even more incredible thought of crossing overit at least did not have too many negative consequences and also couldn’t be claimed to be false. If the latter event was to take place, it wouldn’t be certain whether or not she could come to accept a complete stranger from another world.
As long as he insisted on his identity as Graycastle’s 4th Prince there would be no way to deny it. Furthermore, Roland believed that all she had wanted was to hear an explanation personally from his mouth. Within his heart, he knew, that a good leader shouldn’t entangle themselves with the past, instead the most important thing would be to move towards the future. The winter would allow him to show her the vast prospects that the Western Region held so as to ensure their cooperation, only then would this be seen as a successful first meeting. As for the relationship between her and him, there would be a lot of time to repair it in the future.
That evening, they hold a grand banquet in the castle hall.
Not to mention the commonly seen pepper steak, fried egg, and white bread there were also all kinds of liquor on display, sweet smelling fried bird kiss mushrooms, steamed dumplings as well as ice cream. With the desire to bring the taste of the dishes to a new level, he simultaneous introduced the concept of fancily arranged sampler platter. Placing small pieces from the main dishes on top of a big china plate and sprinkle it with soy paste, creating an excellent visual effect that entices everyone who sees it to reach out for it.
Crisscrossing their wine cups under the sparkling candle light, the dinner finally ended with a warm and lively atmosphere.
That was when the more formal talk started.
Within the living room in front of a burning fireplace, Roland and the members of the Witch Alliance sat in a long row of seats, while Tilly and the other witches of Sleeping Island sat in the opposite row. Maggie however, because of her sensitive role, had simply turned into her pigeon form and squat down on the chandelier above their heads.
Tilly took the lead and started the discussion: “I, in addition to wanting to help Border Town resist the invasion of demonic beasts, also intend to send back the first batch of five witches.” She summarized Sleeping Island’s current situation, “Next spring, Silver Moon Bay are going to send us a group of ordinary immigrants to the island, so we will have to rely on Lotus and Honey to prepare extra food and housing for them in advance.”
Roland got a headache, if he wanted to resist the invasion of the demonic beasts the First Army would be enough. With the exception of nimble and extremely fast types of mixed species, there was hardly any situation which demanded that they send out witches.
But in the construction area, the role of the witch was irreplaceable. At the moment, the path through the mountains toward the new sea hasn’t yet been opened, the dock was only halfway constructed and he would still like to build additional cave dwellings for the newest batch of immigrants. Thus, he decided to ask, “Can you delay their journey for half a month?”
“I wish I could agree, but circumstances have changed,” Tilly reluctantly shook her head, “We have already met with Sea Ghosts in the southern part of the Vortex Sea, which are fish type demonic beast. I suspect that this has to do with the advanced beginning of the Months of Demons. According to legends, the longer the Months of Demons is, the more aggressive and fearsome the demonic beasts will be. Therefore, they will have to travel as soon as possible, if we want to guarantee a relatively safe trip.
“They are not fit to fight.”
“I know, that’s also the reason why Breeze will escort the ship – her ability is very effective against mentally inferior enemies, we also don’t intend to return in the same way we came. Instead, we’ll be sailing northward along the coastline until we can reach Port of Clear Water. From there we will take the usual trade route to Sleeping Island. According to recently arrived messenger birds, there haven’t been any demonic beasts detected on the routes between the Fjords and the Four Kingdoms.
Roland still had to make at least one final effort, “Uh … So, besides Lotus and Honey, would it be possible for the other three to stay? Currently, they are only halfway through their Primary Education, so leaving now would be the equivalent to them giving up halfway…”
“Puff Haha,” Tilly couldn’t suppress her laughter, “It seems you are quite interested in them.”
“…” he did not know how to respond to this statement.
“I would like to know how you are planning to use Candle’s and Evelyn’s ability?”
“Curing metal parts and brewing, the former can greatly improve the efficiency of mechanical operation, the latter well…” Roland slightly paused, “Wine is a very good thing, there are many other uses to it besides drinking.”
“Well, on Sleeping Island they’ve always been worried that there wouldn’t be an actual use for their ability, furthermore, they were also often…” Tilly
didn’t elaborate further, but Roland could already speculate that she was actually talking about discrimination. The same experience Mystery Moon had to face during her time with the Witch Cooperation Association. “I am very happy to hear that you want them so urgently to stay. Sure enough, every witch has their own unique and unmatched role, and it doesn’t make the least sense that their ability would be meaningless.” She looked at Evelyn and the others and asked, “What do you think?”
“I want to follow you, Lady Tilly,” Sylvie stated.
I…” Candle touched her head, “Am willing to go anywhere.”
“Lady Tilly, if you need me, I will go back to Sleeping Island,” Evelyn fell silent for a moment before she continued to say, “Otherwise, I would like to stay in Border Town. I… there are still so many things that I hope to learn from Teacher Scroll.”
“Don’t be so nervous, I’m not forcing you to choose if you want to stay or go – it isn’t a two choice question,” Tilly smiled and shook her head. “I just want to know what you think about living in Border Town. You can return to Sleeping Island at any time. The same is true for Lotus and Honey, it is unlikely that they will leave forever. I even hope to invite the witches from Border Town to come to Sleeping Island. We hope that through our efforts, whether it be the North or the South, in the future all witches should be free to live where they want. Don’t you think so too, Elder Brother?”
Roland was slightly shocked, this was the first time he had heard her addressing him like this. Even within the memories of the 4th Prince, it was also more than a decade ago. He smiled and nodded, “There will definitely be a day like this.”