You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 249 The Truth
Shasta met Roman at the manor.

The latter had been waiting for her for a long time.

"Greetings to you, King of the Valley."

Shasta was well-versed in court etiquette, and his bowing was impeccable.

"Nightmare Witch, we meet again," Roman said with a smile.

“You are very different now than you were two years ago.” The witch said, her feelings complicated.

“But my promise still stands.” Roman was in a good mood.

“At the time, I thought you were just talking nonsense, and later I was so busy running around that I forgot about your suggestion. Now it seems that I underestimated your magnanimity; you have surprised me.” She readily admitted this.

The once remote and minor nobleman has grown into a true king.

“Humans are meant to progress, Shasta, humans are born to progress,” Roman repeated, gesturing as he spoke.

"Those who stagnate or even regress will only be swept into the dustbin of history; they are destined to be abandoned by the advancing times. But I have already stood at the forefront and the very top of the tide of the times."

“Ulster also said something similar.”

A shadow fell over his face: "He has only himself to blame, but he doesn't deserve this. I have many questions for you."

"Someone is trying to assassinate the Grand Duke of the Cracked Armor. Rumors are that it was done by a witch. Shasta, convince me with the truth."

“You are very wise and rational. The Vatican is framing us to weaken the witch’s power.” Shasta said, seeing Roman’s calm expression, “It seems you had already guessed this.”

"What is the relationship between Witchwood and Ulster?"

Shasta pondered for a moment, “He once collaborated with the witch Lin. This relationship originated during the Conquerors’ era. The witch promised to help him, but for various reasons, Ulster and the witch gradually lost contact.”

This secret relationship existed long before Roman was born.

A generation is enough time for two forces to go from close relations to complete estrangement.

This is not surprising; it is simply normal social development. Especially for those in power in the old era, personal likes and dislikes often outweighed territorial interests.

What do you want to do to help him?

"Help him become the second conqueror."

"Why didn't you do it?"

"...The timing is not right."

Roman frowned. "When?"

"...We are not certain of victory. If you are not certain of victory, would you send troops to fight the rebel army? No, you would only hide in this valley and wait for the right opportunity—at that time, the witches will not have accumulated enough power, and the human race will not be ready for a true decisive battle. If war breaks out, we will fall into a long and difficult civil war, and our strength will be exhausted by internal strife. What we gain will be far less than what we lose. The prophet foretold that there will be a great upheaval in the future. In that catastrophe, the witch forest will either be reborn from the ashes or be destroyed."

Who is the prophet?

"A witch who could foresee the future could see the key moments in the development of history. Unfortunately, the witch forest met its second end - we failed to be reborn from the ashes."

"You really believe in prophecies that much?"

"Ha, it seems you don't believe in such ethereal things. I'll give you a piece of advice: you may not listen, but you must maintain awe for them. The prophet's magic is special; she can see the unseen trajectory of everyone's destiny."

"Where is she then?"

Shasta remained silent.

She didn't reveal everything; sharing some basic information was a way of showing sincerity. The other party, as one of the best among those with the "Cracked Armor" skill, was qualified to know those things.

Roman had no choice but to change the subject: "Why not protect Ulster instead of waiting until Ulster dies before attacking the Holy City?"

“The prophet can see future trends, but she can’t actually see the future, and she didn’t know that Ulster would be murdered,” Shasta said. “The second problem is that we have no choice because of the circumstances.”

Why is there no choice?

"Because Witchwood is too strong now, so strong that it has caused unease among some people... Don't look at me like that. What do you take us for? We have endured the long night and been influenced by the world. At its peak, Witchwood could massacre Dragon Keep. I have no intention of targeting the Cracked Armor family, but it is a fact. Witchwood can take away any Black Iron Duke and his forces, even the Rage Tide family."

Roman interlaced his fingers and placed them on his abdomen. "Then I don't think Gail can pose a threat to you."

“Because it’s not just him. They’re forcing us to our deaths. Are we supposed to turn around and fight them? That’s pointless. Humanity can’t afford internal strife; that would be self-destruction. On the contrary, if we win, those onlookers won’t stand idly by anymore, and they’ll start to believe in us…” Shasta stared at Roman with her bright eyes, silently radiating a sorrowful light.

They failed.

The witch forest mobilized all its combat units to try and save their lives, but only one in ten survived.

……

Roman sighed, "So what can you offer me now?"

Shasta pursed her lips.

With her original living space completely destroyed, the witch must find a new place to rest.

She said, "What do you want?"

Roman shook his head. "Shasta, this negotiation isn't about what I want, but about what you have. Just say what you have."

He still knows nothing about the organization of the witch grove.

He only likes people he knows well.

Simply put, it means showing her underwear so he can see the witch's true colors.

Roman likes to have everything under control.

"During the Conquerors' era, there were twelve court witches. The Prophet was ranked last and therefore did not participate in any expeditions. Later, she and other witches established the Witch Forest. She could foresee the future and also unleash the hidden potential of the witches. The potential of most members of the Witch Forest has been activated. However, we are now scattered and have nothing left. Only the Prophet can reward you."

Why did she go to Cangyue?

Shasta pursed his lips and said, "Because the Azure Moon Land can interfere with the diviners' predictions—prophets can foresee the future, but Sinnoh and the Holy See also have diviners who are proficient in astrology. Their mysterious power is not much weaker than that of the prophet. We were able to successfully raid the Holy City entirely thanks to the cover provided by the Magic Mirror..."

"The Magic Mirror is an artifact that the prophet brought out from the conqueror's treasury. It is said that it can reflect the entire earth, but I don't know anything else about it."

She had said enough; she stared at Roman, waiting for him to respond.

After a moment's thought, Roman suddenly said, "If I send the prophet a little witch, will she help me unlock the child's potential?"

Shasta nodded: "Yes, I promise—as long as she has the potential."

"I also want to review the knowledge passed down by the witches."

"That works too!" she answered readily, completely unconcerned about the secret being leaked.

This pleased Roman greatly. "So, what do you want me to do for you?"

“We have wounded, but we have nowhere to put them.”

Roman frowned: "Is that all?"

"Ah."

"What about you?"

"We will continue to wander."

Because of the diviners, the witches could not gather together in large groups or stay in one place for long periods of time.

Especially for seated witches like Margaret, the probability of being exposed is extremely high.

The magic mirror can no longer provide them with protection.

While the Azure Moon Earth interfered with the diviner, it also interfered with the power of the Magic Mirror.

Apart from Cangyue, all of the Witch Forest's strongholds were destroyed.

This is the only safe and reliable base.

They also needed to go out and attract the attention of the Vatican to prevent the area from being seen as a gathering place for witches.

As long as they remain active, the Vatican knows they have multiple burrows and don't put all their eggs in one basket, and will continue to hunt them down.

(End of this chapter)