Chapter 681: The Preparation of Sleeping Island
Sleeping Island in the Fjords.
As winter closed in, the sea wind swept through every crack and gap, and even with the windows shut Tilly could hear it howling in the walls. Few people ventured outdoors—but the square stayed lit and loud. Grand bonfires burned through several days and nights while pots of fish soup steamed at the edges. The witches had transformed that open space into something warm and bright, a small paradise cut from the grey season, and the celebrations showed no sign of dimming.
Tilly wanted to join them. She wanted to stand beside those fires and let the victory settle into her bones.
She had too many things to deal with.
The news she had carried back from the mainland had changed everything—not the physical conditions, which remained what they were, but the inner weather of the place. Burdens she hadn’t realized people were carrying had simply lifted. Eyes were livelier, voices looser. Everyone spoke and moved as though a pressure she had grown so accustomed to she no longer noticed it had finally, quietly broken.
This is probably what Roland meant by ‘liberation.’
A knock at the door. Camilla Dary, Chief Butler of Sleeping Island, stepped inside and settled cross-legged across the low table, setting a list between them.
“Your Highness. I’ve completed the preliminary census of witches willing to go to the Western Region.” She smoothed the edge of the paper. “Nearly half have signed up.”
“Half?” Tilly looked up. “Better than I expected. Well done.”
She had been careful about how she framed the invitation. No deception, no omissions: she had told them everything—about the ancient witches’ empire, about the Union, about the demons. The church, she explained, had only been a part of something far older. The real enemy of humanity was not the priests who had hunted them for centuries but the demons who had always stood behind the Months of Destruction. Helping the Western Region meant helping themselves. She had also made clear, without pressure, that any witch who wished to stay on Sleeping Island could do exactly that.
She had half expected fear to keep most of them here. The demons were an unknown enemy, vast and ancient. These women had spent years learning to be invisible. But nearly half had said yes anyway—because demons they had never seen were less frightening than a church they had already survived, and because the hunger for a wider world had not died in them.
“They’re curious about Prince Roland,” Camilla said with a faint sigh. “He defeated the Pope, which earns considerable interest. And your brother has gained extra benefit from the trust they already place in you—it transferred naturally.”
“You seem worried.”
“Of course.” The chief butler’s frown settled into old familiar lines. “He is a noble. A common person. There is a fundamental difference between us. Blood can become a barrier when interests diverge. Your Highness, I’m not questioning your judgment—I’m not saying he is dishonest—but what if his interests come to oppose ours? What if he acts like any other noble?”
“I’ve thought about it carefully.” Tilly set down the list and took Camilla’s hand. “Witches and common people are different, yes—but under the threat of the Battle of Divine Will, we share the same essential goal: survival. Why not use this moment to build something genuine, to integrate rather than remain apart, to form bonds of mutual interest that benefit both sides? As our abilities become woven into every part of Neverwinter’s operations, Roland cannot simply discard the witches even if he wished to. That is not weakness on our part—it is foundation.”
“But will he loosen his grip on us?”
“Based on everything that’s happened in the past six months, he has imposed no additional restrictions on the witches already in his city. The Witch Union works with him freely and openly.” Tilly smiled. “I also trust my instincts more than abstractions.”
“Your instincts?”
“Yes.” She tapped the table slowly. “I don’t think he’ll do that.”
Camilla hesitated, then gave a small defeated laugh. “Your instincts have never been wrong in all the time I’ve known you.”
“They won’t be wrong this time either.”
“I understand, Your Highness. I’ll complete the relocation preparations as quickly as possible.” The chief butler pressed a hand to her chest and rose.
“Thank you.”
Tilly understood Camilla’s worry—a woman of noble birth who had watched nobles do terrible things for power and position. Camilla had never had occasion to see Roland from the inside, as Tilly had. There was something in him that didn’t fit the mold. He treated everyone differently—not just witches, not just allies, but everyone. When Tilly called him “brother,” she did so not out of biological fact but because the relationship itself felt natural and uncomplicated in a way she had almost forgotten was possible. When she talked with Roland she felt at ease. She suspected the other witches felt it too.
“I’ve also been hearing some troubling rumors,” Camilla said from the doorway—she had paused, half-turned.
“What kind?”
“About the news you brought back. Some witches are saying that since the witches’ ancestors once ruled a great empire over common people, perhaps Sleeping Island should do something similar—form an organization with witches in command, reclaim that old glory.”
“Where is it coming from?” Tilly lifted an eyebrow. “The Bloodfang Association?”
“No—oddly enough, no. Those witches believe in loyalty to strength, and the Western Region has demonstrated strength beyond any doubt. Iffy, Softfeathers, Nightfall—their confirmation settled it. The combat witches were the first to register for Neverwinter.” Camilla shook her head. “From what I can tell, it’s coming from one of the smaller organizations.”
Sleeping Island held more than just the Bloodfang Association. There were scattered groups—organizations formed before Tilly’s arrival, built around the practical need to evade the church and shelter one another. They had never had the Bloodfang’s reach, and they had rarely troubled her policies.
“I see,” Tilly said.
“Should I speak with their leader?”
“No. Let them be.” She smoothed the list in her lap. “When they reach the Western Region, they’ll understand on their own that the Union is history. A completely different path is waiting for all of us.”
Chapter 681: The Preparation of Sleeping Island
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
Sleeping Island in the Fjords.
As the winter approached, the sea breeze swept through as the island became colder. Tilly could hear the sharp howling when the cold wind blew through the gap even with the window closed.
Not many people would stroll outside the house at this time. However, there were always celebrations in the square of Sleeping Island with a grand bonfire that lasted for several days and pots of boiling hot fish soups. The witches had transformed the square into a lovely paradise with their abilities.
Tilly also wanted to join the carnival and share the joy of the church’s defeat, if only she did not have so many things to deal with.
The witches’ life had changed radically since she brought the news back. It was not the change of their living conditions but they had become mentally different. Everyone seemed to have their burdens lifted off their shoulders with more vivid eyes while they had clearly looked and spoke more freely and comfortably.
They finally did not have to live in fear and worry anymore. The stress that had been pressing on them had finally broken down and the densely-gathered clouds disappeared. Their enthusiasms could not be dispersed even by the howling cold wind.
“This is probably the ‘liberation’ Roland mentioned,” Tilly thought.
This was when Camilla Dary, the Chief Butler of Sleeping Island came into the house after knocking.
“Your Highness, I’ve completed the preliminary statistic for the witches who’re willing to go to the Western Region,” she said while sitting crossedlegged opposite of Tilly and she put a list down on the low table, “and almost half of them have signed up to help the Western Region.”
“Really? It’s better than I expected. You’ve done a good job.” Tilly smiled and nodded while picking up the list to take a detailed look.
Regarding the relocation to the Western Region, Princess Tilly had told the witches that they could go to support the construction of the city of Neverwinter in order to withstand a greater catastrophe, which was the Battle of Divine Will.
In order to make sure everyone voluntarily made their choices, Tilly did not hide the facts about the witches’ empires, the Union, and the demon. She had told everyone that the church was only part of the Union and that the real enemy of the human beings was the demons instead. They had no mercy or pity, so helping the Western Region was also helping themselves. Of course, she also made it clear that they could live a peaceful life on the island, if they did not want to leave.
She had initially thought that many sisters would decide to stay on Sleeping Island as they might be intimidated by the new enemies or they had become fed up of dealing with the common people or they had doubt about the uncertain future. However, the statistical results showed that nearly half of them had decided to help. The demons that they had never seen were far less scary than the church and the witches’ wish for the broader outside-world had not extinguished.
“They’re interested in Prince Roland who defeated the pope and wanted to see how the lord who eradicated the witches’ enemy looks like.” Camilla helplessly sighed. “And, most importantly, your elder brother also gained a lot of extra points for himself with this identity and they had transferred the same trust they have in you to him.”
“You seem worried.”
“Of course, he’s a noble and a common person after all. He’s fundamentally different from us… And, to be honest, blood sometimes can be a hurdle to the benefit.” The chief butler frowned and said, “Your Highness, I’m neither questioning your decision nor saying that your brother is a hypocrite, but what if… I mean what if what he seeks is in contrary to the interests of the witches, and kill us like the other nobles?”
“I understand your concern, this decision was made after my repeated consideration.” Tilly put down the list and held Camilla’s hand. “The witches may be different from the common people but we all have the common goal under the threat of Battle of Divine Will which is to stay alive. Why not we take this opportunity to integrate into the world while forming an integral community of interests with the common people rather than completely dodging it? As our abilities go deeper into all sectors, Roland can’t leave the witch’s power even if he regrets and wants to cancel the agreement with Sleeping Island.”
“However… will he let go of his control on us?”
“Based on what happened in the past six months, Roland did not seem to impose any additional restrictions on the witches. Otherwise, the Witch Union in the Western Region would not be supporting him without holding back.” Tilly smiled. “And, I believe in my instincts more than these general principles.”
“Instinct?”
“Yeah… I don’t think he’ll do that,” she slowly said while tapping the table.
Camilla hesitated and finally laughed as if she was surrendering. “Thinking about it now, your instincts are never wrong since I knew you.”
“It’ll be the same this time.” Tilly smiled.
“I understand, Your Highness. I’ll finish the preparatory work for the witches’ relocation as soon as possible,” the chief butler said with a hand covering her chest.
“Thank you.”
Princess Tilly was clear that Camilla who was born as a noble had lost her confidence to the noble as she had seen them stop at nothing to get powers and interests. However, she did not know that Tilly could feel that Roland was obviously not simply a traditional noble through her deeper contact developed with Roland. Roland treated everyone differently, not only the witches as compared to the noble. She called him “brother”, not because of the relationship between her and the previous Prince Roland, but she simply liked this kind of barrier-free and unbiased relationship.
When she talked to Roland, she could always feel relaxed and comfortable which she had not felt for a long time. She believed that the other witches also felt the same.
“Oh yeah, I recently heard some bad rumors.” Camilla changed the subject.
“What’s the rumor?”
“It’s about the news you brought back. Some of them think that they should also imitate the Union and create an organization with witches as the superiors to regain the glory of their ancestors since the witches had once created a huge empire that rules all the common people.”
“The source?” Tilly lifted her eyebrows and said, “Is it the witches from the Bloodfang Association?”
“No… they believe in loyalty to the strong. The Western Region could defeat the seemingly invincible enemies, and Iffy, Softfeathers, and Nightfall further confirmed them in this belief. The combat witches were the first to register to go to the city of Neverwinter.” Camilla shook her head. “I’ve surveyed and the source should be some other witch organization.”
The witches in Sleeping Island were a large aggregation which was similar to the Witch Cooperation Association in Seawindshire. There were a few scattered groups other than the Bloodfang Association. These groups were generally built to evade the church’s arrests and to help each other before
Tilly’s appeal. However, they did not have the power of Bloodfang Association and they had rarely gossiped about her policies.
“I understand.” She nodded.
“Do we need to talk to their leader?”
“No, let them be,” Tilly said, “and they’ll naturally understand that the Union has become history when they reach the Western Region. And, a completely new path is waiting for us.”