Although Vaan’s reply was calm, he was inwardly smiling.
He could have chosen to lie since he wasn’t under the effect of the truth spell, but he ended up answering honestly anyway.
However, it was an answer that was not quite vague but still open for interpretation.
“You don’t care about any of that?” Tabitha repeated after she cast a mental dispel spell on him.
But like the truth spell, his Heaven-Swallowing Space also absorbed its mana after it touched his mind.
Nevertheless, Vaan simply responded with a calm smile.
“I see…” Tabitha furrowed her brows contemplatively before she muttered, “In other words, you don’t mind either side ruling…”
Although Vaan’s answer wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t bad either. At the very least, she understood that he was neutral and not the witches’ enemy..
“Alright, I won’t make any report to Her Majesty,” Tabitha promised before she turned to Astoria. “It’s fine now, right?”
Shortly after she asked, Astoria stopped making her feel threatened.
“Would you have killed me if you thought I was going to report Sir Vaan to Her Majesty?” Tabitha asked further with curiosity.
“No,” Astoria shook her head.
But before Tabitha could feel some relief, Astoria added, “I would just beat you up again, break your limbs, immobilize you, and hide you somewhere for a few weeks, months, or even years until it is the right time to release you.”
“Holy… That’s a bit too harsh, no? I mean, I understand you would do that to protect Sir Vaan, but… We’ve known each other for years, Headmaster Astoria. How could you treat me like that?” Tabitha smiled ruefully.
…
After they talked for some time, Tabitha learned about the details of the punitive expedition and the return of Aeliana Leclair.
When she found out Vaan treated Aeliana, her opinion of him was raised even higher. He was an irreplaceable asset to the Black Rose Kingdom—No, to all witches.
“I knew Sir Vaan was important, but who knew it would be to this degree? He is practically irreplaceable,” Tabitha mentioned before she solemnly stated, “The supremacists must not know that he is alive.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’ve been trying to avoid. Nothing good will come about them learning about Teacher Raphna,” Astoria stated.
“Have you been trying, though?” Tabitha glanced at her and said, “You’re too well known. Everywhere you go, people will recognize you and scrutinize not only you but everyone around you.”
“Anyone who knew you were looking for Vaan Raphna would be able to connect the dots if they see you traveling with Sir Vaan. An alias like Vahn Cadieux could have worked fine, but not when you two are together,” Tabitha added.
“It’s fine,” Vaan casually said.
“We won’t be appearing in public in a few days’ time. And it is unclear how long we will be disappearing for, but no one will see us during that period.”
“What do you mean, Sir Vaan? Where are you going?” Tabitha furrowed her brows with doubt.
“Thousand Fog Mountains. Wise Scholar Eniwse headed that direction. Thus, we will be heading there to rescue her,” Astoria answered for Vaan.
“What? Tabitha exclaimed with a startled look before she said, “Thousand Fog Mountains? That place is too dangerous. I suggest that you do not go there with Sir Vaan.”
“Of course, we know the Thousand Fog Mountains are dangerous. After all, it’s a Dark Zone. However, it’ll be fine with me protecting Teacher Raphna,” Astoria assured before she mentioned, “You have already seen how powerful my new equipment and weapon are.”
“As I thought, this new black armor and greatsword of yours are Rank 4 quality, huh?” Tabitha muttered.
“Furthermore, they have a special ability to absorb light. If I could, I would also like some equipment and weapons like these. However, that’s not important here. What’s important is that even for you, Headmaster Astoria, Thousand Fog Mountains is too dangerous.”
“Don’t you know about the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon?” Tabitha mentioned it shortly after.
“The mythical yet illusory creature that cannot be killed, a being that is impervious to all physical and magical damage, that Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon? Yeah, I know about it,” Astoria coolly stated before she uttered, “But, so what?”
“What? What do you mean so what? It can’t be killed! How do you plan to defeat something like that if you encounter it?” Tabitha asked with a big frown.
“If I can’t beat it, I can still run, no? Why stay and fight something that can’t be killed?” Astoria casually replied before she added, “That said, I always wanted to try fighting one. I’ve only heard about it until now.”
“Furthermore, I am also a little in doubt that real creatures can be impervious to both magic and physical damage. At most, it has high defense and magic resistance,” Astoria continued before she said, “If not, it can only be a real illusion.”
“Yeah, an illusion that can kill people. Just because it’s an illusionary dragon, it doesn’t make it any less dangerous than the real thing,” Tabitha stated seriously in hopes that her words could make them reconsider their decision to enter the Thousand Fog Mountains.
However, it only made Astoria and Vaan more curious.
“You sound like you’ve experienced the dangers of the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon personally, Headmaster Tabitha,” Vaan rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look.
Nevertheless, Tabitha never intended to hide the truth.
“That’s right,” Tabitha admitted with a nod.
“I’ve been to the Thousand Fog Mountains before and nearly gotten myself killed by one when I tried exploring the depths of the mountains for opportunities.”
“So, don’t think that just because the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon had only killed Peak-stage Senior Witches in the records, it can’t kill High Witches too,” Tabitha stated.
“Why don’t you tell us more about your experiences in the Thousand Fog Mountains and the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon, Headmaster Tabitha? We can use all the information we can get,” Vaan calmly said.
Tabitha looked stunned before she asked, “You still want to go to Thousand Fog Mountains after everything I said?”
“Yes, of course,” Vaan confirmed with a serious look.