Roland had already received a detailed briefing from Tasa before meeting the new Witch.
He never imagined that Tilly Wimbledon, who had been missing for so long, had risen to become the leader of another Witch organization. Worse still, she had outmaneuvered him by gathering and luring away most of the witches from the Kingdom of Graycastle. What was even more intolerable was her current attempt to encroach upon his territory.
The Nightingale revealed that the Witch before them was a superhuman being, likely with combat-oriented abilities.
Every extraordinary being deserves careful consideration. When Roland received Ash in the office, Anna stood beside him alongside the invisible Nightingale. At the desk, delicate black threads formed an invisible barrier that could not be seen by the naked eye. Any attempt to charge forward would be instantly fragmented by these threads.
Enhanced Witches are at a disadvantage in Witch Wars without the God's Stone, but once equipped with it, they unleash unstoppable destructive power. Fortunately, since most Witches despise the God's Stone, Ash likely took this into account when recruiting Witches in Border Town by omitting the Church's signature artifact.
"Your witches? Don't get carried away—they're living, breathing people, not your personal possessions!" Ash said coldly.
Roland was instantly stung. For the first time since his time-travel, he felt the sting of his empty rhetoric. Though he was used to addressing his subjects as 'my people' and 'my subjects,' he now found himself being unexpectedly criticized for his democratic rhetoric, leaving him utterly embarrassed. While such formalities were standard in his era, insisting on using formal terms like 'Lord' in front of Nightingale and Anna was clearly a sign of poor emotional intelligence—like being led into a trap by the very people he was trying to guide.
He cleared his throat twice and said with a straight face: "I never thought that way. They chose to stay in the town of their own accord, and I believe this is their best place to be. As for the fjord region you mentioned—let's not even talk about the perilous sea crossing itself. The unpredictable fjord climate, battered by storms and tsunamis year after year, makes it utterly unsuitable for human habitation." "But at least there, the Church's power is negligible. Witches can rebuild their homes and fight natural disasters with their own strength, but they can't stand up to the Church with God's Stone, let alone God's Army," Ash said without mercy. "Do you realize how foolish you've been? Spreading rumors will only lure the Church to your doorstep. Let me be clear—you can't fight God's Army. The only way to avoid disaster is to drive Witches out of your territory." Roland had already heard Wendy's account of God's Army before. He knew persuasion through action worked better than any words. Of course, he could ignore Ash, but that would mean giving up on winning over Witches under Tilly Wamberton. Though the odds were slim, he decided to give it a shot.
"Can you fight against several God's Punishment troops at the same time?" he asked.
Ash looked puzzled at first, but she eventually raised three fingers. "Three against three, I can handle that." "Then let's have a duel," Roland sat up straight and said earnestly. "Let the outcome prove whether I can ever defeat God's army." "What...?" Ash froze for a moment, then a strange expression finally appeared on her icy face.
"A fair duel, one-on-one," he said in measured tones. "If I can defeat you head-on, that proves I have the power to resist the Church, right?" Ash's face twisted into a "You're crazy!" expression. "You and me? Or... you want the Witches to fight?" "Not me, and certainly not the Witches. God's Punished Soldiers must have their own Stone of God's Punishment," Roland smirked. "Your opponent is just an ordinary Knight." Though it was a shame he couldn't fight personally, the opponent was an exceptionally powerful Witch—Wendy's description revealed her prowess: she'd single-handedly slaughtered a monastery, escaping multiple God's Punished Soldiers 'pursuit. Even unarmed or wielding a wooden sword, she delivered devastating blows. The actual combat effectiveness of the revolver pistol remained untested. For safety's sake, he decided to entrust this glorious task to Carter. If he had an AK47, he'd take it himself no matter what.
"Ordinary Knight..." Ash's God-like calm returned to its initial icy demeanor. "If I win, you'll let the Witch follow me?" "Of course not. Just as you wouldn't expect Tilly to bring all the witches she summoned to Border Town if you lost." "Then what's the point of this duel?" "Not a duel, but a contest," Roland corrected. "The point is to show you I'm not defenseless against the Church. And if you lose, you'll remember that if you can't stay in the fjords, the Western Border still offers a frontier land for the witches' dwelling. Of course, if you win, you'll have more leverage when persuading Wendy and the others." "I can't lose," Ash said. "Summon your Knight now." "Not now," Roland waved his hand. "I'll be ready for the contest in a week. During this time, you can stay in the castle and experience town life with the witches. You might change your mind." "..." She stared at Prince for a long moment before nodding. "Perhaps they won't wait seven days to change their minds and leave Border Town with me." Roland shrugged.
As she turned toward the doorway, he abruptly called out, "Wait... Have I seen you somewhere before?" Though certain he hadn't seen the face, the silhouette behind her felt oddly familiar. Roland briefly recalled the memory—it seemed to stem from the royal court of the capital.
"Didn't your personal guard warn you?" She didn't turn around. "If Tilly hadn't stopped me, you'd have been left with just one hand by the time you got to the palace." The office door closed, and Nightingale appeared, whistling. "You touched her ass too?" "What?" Roland froze. "I don't remember there being such a person in the palace. And what do you mean' also 'touched?" Nightingale made a gesture, and he recognized it as "Tilly" —damn it, though he had indeed touched Maid's ass, he'd done it discreetly to avoid suspicion. "I haven't even mentioned the prying yet!"
"Uh-uh," Anna cut them off, "Are you certain Knight can defeat the Extraordinary Witch? A failure might undermine other witches 'confidence in you." Thankfully, Anna's God-like calm remained unshaken, and Roland breathed a sigh of relief. "Though self-enhanced witches aren't affected by the God's Stone, they still rely on their physical abilities. Compared to rapid-fire weapons, their bodily limitations are too great. I believe our odds are at least seventy percent." But he added, "That assumes we can complete the ammunition development within a week."