Fifth Chapter Ninety-Seven Blood and Tooth

Hetty took a while to figure out the situation.

She first felt her thigh, which had been restored to its original state, and then glanced at Nightingale beside her before shifting her gaze to Roland. "You healed me?"

"Otherwise, Neverwinter would be dragged down by you," he said, finding a chair and sitting in front of the cage, leaning forward and asking, "Tell me, where did those witches you rejected go?"

"Did...Iffy tell you?"

"That's right. That witch named Annie is her friend."

Hetty bit her lip, not answering, but Roland saw a deep hatred in her eyes.

"You could have taken them in. Grand Duke Island is the territory of Grand Duke Morgan. You are his heir. It's impossible that you can't afford to support a dozen or so auxiliary witches." He stated directly, "Even if they are useless, it's only two servings of thin porridge per day. What's more, auxiliary witches are much more useful than you think. The firearm that Andrea used to injure you was a weapon made jointly by witches and ordinary people. It has no usage threshold. Even a farmer who deals with the land all day can easily kill an experienced knight with it."

Hetty's expression shifted, and she suddenly looked up. "What did you say? Ordinary people can use it?"

"Did you think I conquered the royal capital and became the King of Graycastle with just witches?" Roland straightened up and leaned back in the chair. "If they could do that, they wouldn't have been suppressed by the church and secular forces."

"How...how is the firearm made?"

He looked coldly at Hetty until she realized her slip of the tongue, then he mocked, "What, did you think this was a banquet in the royal palace?"

She swallowed uncomfortably. "Who is the person next to you..."

"Nightingale is my person, not related to Tilly," Roland said in a deep voice. "I'll ask again, where did those witches you rejected go?"

"I released them, let them find other witch organizations themselves. I don't know their specific whereabouts. Maybe...some went back to nearby towns, some went to Dawn..."

"You're lying," Nightingale interrupted directly before she could finish. "Nothing she said is true."

"No, Your Majesty, she knows nothing..."

"There's no point in arguing," Roland shook his head. "Nightingale can detect lies. Any insincere words can't escape her scrutiny. Now do you know why Tilly transported you across the fjord to the Western Region for trial? If you don't want to suffer, tell me everything you've done. My patience is limited."

In the dim firelight, Hetty's expression was uncertain. Obviously, she didn't expect the other party to have such an ability. After a brief silence, she suddenly grabbed the iron bars and shouted, "King Wimbledon, the Kingdom of Wolfheart has been annexed by the church, and the Wolf King's whereabouts are unknown. I am the last bloodline of the Morgan royal family. As long as you can help me reclaim Wolfheart, I can bring you countless benefits! Gold dragons, jewels...that's right, and witches! Bloodfang will follow your lead!"

"Is that the last thing you want to say?"

"I can even give you half of Wolfheart! Everything west of Blackrock Cliff belongs to you!"

"Enough," Roland rebuked. "I just want to know the whereabouts of those witches!"

"What?" Hetty said in disbelief. "Is my kingdom not as valuable as those witches?"

"Didn't you understand what I said?" he said, feeling a little annoyed. "Wolfheart is neither your kingdom, nor am I interested in land thousands of miles away. The current questioning is only out of the most basic courtesy between nobles. I have many ways to make you talk. You should know more about torture than I do. Besides suffering, it won't do you any good. Now, while I'm still here, confess everything you've done, so I can spare your life."

The last sentence made her grasp at a lifeline. "You...you will really let me go?"

"I always keep my word."

Hetty lowered her head and hesitated for a long time before saying, "I gave them to the nobles."

Roland's heart sank, and Nightingale's hint proved that she was telling the truth this time. "Not sold to them?"

"No, this was a transaction itself," she took a deep breath. "Relying solely on the witches who awakened on Grand Duke Island, we would never gather a sufficient number. I had to spread the name of Bloodfang to all parts of Wolfheart to attract more witches to come."

Roland had also done this trick, although Tilly had taken the lead, resulting in few results. "Then you only need to hire rats to spread the word. What does it have to do with the nobles?"

"The rats themselves are controlled by the nobles, and once the news is targeted by the church, Grand Duke Island will have big trouble."

"The witches are a reward for the nobles?"

"It's also a guarantee to win them over. After the nobles privately hide the witches, they will consciously pay attention to the movements of the church, control the spread of the rats, and even take the initiative to divert the attention of the Holy City for me." Hetty said in a low voice, "Only nobles who are willing to accept witches will I spread the news in the local area, so that the risk can be minimized."

Roland could imagine what happened later even without asking. These non-combat witches would be locked in dark rooms that never saw the light of day. Few could survive the magical backlash. Even if a few lucky ones could survive to adulthood, they would be discarded as achievements or tools to transfer pressure after the nobles were tired of playing with them, and their fate would only be death.

Nightingale's rising anger made Hetty in the cage aware, and she couldn't help but take two steps back. "Your Majesty, you promised me!"

Roland reached out and stopped Nightingale. "Who is carrying out these things? Iffy said you haven't seen Annie."

"Skyfire...she has been killed by Ashes."

"No one else?" he asked. "The witches in Bloodfang don't know about this?"

Hetty nodded.

"Say it!"

"...Yes."

Roland secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Last question, what is the purpose of recruiting combat witches and forming Bloodfang everywhere?"

Hetty was silent for a while before saying: "At first, I just wanted to help my father ascend to the throne that should have belonged to him."

She didn't continue, but Roland already knew the result. After Grand Duke Morgan died, Bloodfang became her tool to realize her own desire for power.

Walking out of the dungeon, Nightingale couldn't help but grab his hand. "Are you really going to spare that murderer's life?"

"Hetty Morgan is a witch from Sleeping Island. It's not appropriate for me to dispose of her. Tilly brought her to the Western Region just to entrust me to find out the truth."

"You mean..." Nightingale's eyes sparkled.

"Whether Sleeping Island will let her go is not up to me." Roland spread his hands.