The real brother.
The real... brother? How is that possible?
Tilly stood there, her mind in a daze as she clutched the letter, her thoughts surging like a tidal wave.
Among King Wimbledon III's five children, Goron, Tefiko, and Jiasia formed a close-knit group due to their early birth. By the time Roland was born, the youngest Jiasia was already six years old, so he naturally wouldn't be included in their play. Logically, he should have formed another circle with Roland, but... that didn't happen.
Her older brother was deeply envious of his two brothers and tried hard to fit in with their circle, but often ended up being the one bullied. This made Roland's personality twisted and irritable, though he dared not vent his anger on Goron and the others, and eventually had to channel it into himself.
For instance, when she was incited to steal her father's crown, she would inevitably become furious and verbally abuse him after being refused, sometimes even resorting to physical violence. Later, when her father discovered this behavior, he severely reprimanded her, which significantly reduced her actions. However, various threatening gestures and small acts of intimidation continued to occur.
These things might have been incomprehensible back then, but now, looking back, Tilly finds them rather laughable and... childish.
At ten, she discovered a worm torn into pieces in her favorite pair of shoes. Unable to bear it any longer, she decided to fight back. She called Roland over and, while he was threatening her, shoved the worm into his mouth. From then on, he never dared to provoke her again, and she stopped bothering him.
Roland remained unchanged in adulthood, if not worse. She often heard tales of his extravagant lifestyle. Among the Noble's gossip, he was described as irritable, sarcastic, and utterly uneducated—far from being a Noble, he was the very opposite. Beyond his royal lineage, he had nothing. Tilly fully agreed with this assessment... and she knew his irritability and quick temper were mere facades, all to hide his greatest weakness—timidity and cowardice.
Yet such a person would side with the Witch, sheltering a group of outcasts branded as the Devil's minions, even to the point of opposing the Church?
Tilly was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Tilly, Tilly?" It wasn't until the ashes shook her twice that she came to her senses.
"I'm fine, just... hard to believe," she shook her head. "Hilvy said the Lord of Border Town is most likely the real Roland Wimbledon, not someone controlled or replaced by the Witch." "Well, that idiot who tried to mess with me—ugh, uh?" Ash coughed twice. "He's changed so dramatically. It's been barely a year, and apart from his appearance being almost identical to my memory, I feel like I'm seeing a different person." "Can you elaborate?" Ash tilted his head and pondered. "I think... the biggest difference is his cleanliness." "Cleanliness?" "Both his attire... and the impression he makes. Unlike other Nobles who prefer jewelry, he has none of gold, silver, or gems," Ash recalled. "Even his clothes are very plain, loose-fitting, without lace, pendants, or gold threads. If not for his striking hair color, he'd look almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person. But... he's completely unrecognizable." "Like a Noble?" Tilly asked.
"No, not at all like Noble," Ash pouted. "Not a single Noble is pure—either stagnant water or silt beneath it. As for him... I can't pinpoint exactly, but he's just... decent enough." "It's hard to believe you'd defend him." "Well, I just wanted to answer your question properly." Tilly let out a sigh. Her brother had indeed changed significantly, but what had caused this transformation? Had some unseen force made him a different person without his awareness?
The Fifth Princess suddenly recalled Roland's first letter: "To accomplish this, I must destroy the entire Church, shatter the witch's false doctrine of evil, and liberate all people from folly and ignorance. This is a long process, and I need your further assistance. As for what led me to this decision, or why I no longer remain indifferent to everything as before, these matters can be discussed in detail when the time comes." Perhaps only a personal meeting could reveal the true reasons behind it.
Terry looked back at the letter.
The latter section recounts Sylvie's observations and experiences in Border Town.
Roland had originally selected her to investigate mineral resources, but the North Slope Mine yielded an extraordinary quantity of God's Punishment Stones. These stones, which suppress Witch abilities, were found to grow from the earth like other minerals. This suggests that the Holy City of Hermes must control a vein capable of continuously producing such stones.
Further down, another message caught her attention.
A weapon capable of firing iron balls and crossbow bolts from iron pipes, with immense power and a deafening roar... Though Maixi and Ash had mentioned such a thing before, this was the first time she saw such a detailed description, complete with a hand-drawn schematic illustration beneath the text.
"Oh? So this is what shot me," Ash leaned in, "if you're an ally, you could ask him to send weapons to Sleepy Island in your reply—say they're for the Church. If he refuses... hmm, this ally might not be as reliable as you think." "Allies aren't defenseless," Tilly chuckled. "These weapons are his lifeblood—how could he hand them over so easily? Testing them would only ruin the trust we've built. The Witch ability list I gave him doesn't even mention Moril or Wind Whisper. Besides, we're heading to Border Town this winter anyway. Face-to-face would be easier to negotiate, wouldn't it?" "Fine," Ash shrugged. "You decide." Tilly smiled and continued reading the letter.
When she reached the end of the letter, she froze.
Roland actually invented a bra designed to wrap around women's breasts and gifted it to every adult woman in the Witch Alliance? That's utterly absurd! After all, giving intimate clothing is something lovers do. How could he—wait, Tilly suddenly remembered that during their time in the capital, someone had given some Noble ladies tight-fitting bras, and a few were even thrown in their faces, becoming a laughingstock among the Nobles.
This is really what he does!
Tilly suddenly felt torn. On one hand, he matched the image in her memory more closely; on the other, she thought it might be better not to.
Should she go to Border Town in winter to see him? The Fifth Princess was torn between conflicting thoughts.