"As the King's son, Prince Edessak had no reason not to know that she was a Witch. Knowing that, he still kept her in his manor. It seems he truly is a hostage provided by the Royal Family to the Witch Sect."
Archbishop Anthony stood up and moved to the window, opening it to let the air circulate.
"Let me guess, if the matter is exposed, His Majesty the King will probably push all the blame onto Prince Edessak. At that time, by arranging for Prince Edessak to commit suicide out of guilt, everything can be covered up, and it will also silence us."
Crestet said in a slow, deep voice, "Your Excellency Anthony, perhaps Prince Edessak does not know that the Witch Sect and the Royal Family are cooperating."
"Furthermore, that Witch might not be from the Witch Sect, because she tried to escape. So I believe the Prince and the Witch might be each other's hostages."
"Oh, there's such a thing?" Anthony turned around, his gaze deep, as if contemplating something.
Crestet continued, "And, based on my investigation last night, there are many contradictions in that Witch's behavior."
"For example, she tried to escape and showed disgust towards the Prince. But very quickly, she returned to 'normal' and spent every night in the Prince's room."
"Also, the servants told me that the Prince once had a love interest; his original target was the Earl Hall's daughter. But after meeting this Witch, he quickly changed, falling in love with her as if at first sight."
Anthony mused, "Witches are fickle. Trying to escape might be an attempt to break free from the Witch Sect's control. Disgusted with the Prince yet spending the night in his room, she must have been threatened by the Witch Sect."
"As for the Prince falling in love with the Witch at first sight, that's normal. A 'Joyful Witch' has a fatal attraction to the opposite sex. Prince Edessak would find it hard to resist such an attraction."
Crestet scratched his hair and said, "Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly enough, Your Excellency Anthony. My point is, through the servants' accounts, I found that there was a sense of 'arrangement' between the Prince and the Witch."
"Everything happened too quickly and too suddenly. Their experience is like a story from a romance novel. Even if the Witch has a fatal attraction, as a member of the Augustus, His Highness the Prince should not have shown such a lack of self-control."
"Arranged?"
Anthony narrowed his eyes slightly, "Could an 'Spectator' be involved?"
Crestet said in a deep voice, "Perhaps not a Beyonder, it could be a Sealed Artifact, for example, the one that once appeared in Tingen City."
Anthony's pupils contracted slightly, "Are you saying that 0-08 is involved? So, Ince Zangwill is in Backlund?"
Crestet scratched his hair, "I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's possible. In Tingen City, after we lost the Saint Selena's ashes, subsequent investigations all pointed to the existence of Ince Zangwill and 0-08."
"But later we lost all clues. Although he has that pen, Ince Zangwill can easily shake us off, but if he were still in Loen, it's impossible that there would be no news for so long."
The Archbishop slowly took a breath, "I understand what you mean. Besides that pen, Ince Zangwill's ability to hide is likely due to the Royal Family providing him shelter."
"On the other hand, the Royal Family used him, used 0-08, to make all the stories seem reasonable and less noticeable. If we hadn't received those messages, we would still be in the dark."
Crestet followed up, "If that's truly the case, then it can explain why the Witch repeatedly failed to escape and then willingly spent the night in the Prince's room. Because in 0-08's story, she cannot escape the influence brought by that pen."
"Considering this, last night, I originally wanted to enter the Prince's dream, but ultimately gave up on the idea, because I was worried about appearing in 0-08's story."
Anthony nodded, "Your concern is correct. In fact, it's possible that we are already in 0-08's story."
"But it doesn't matter. I will perform a ritual to make us and that Witch 'secret' in the future, making it less easy for 0-08 to manipulate us."
Crestet's eyes lit up, "Your Excellency Anthony, are you trying to use that Witch as a breakthrough point?"
"Yes, if she can break free from 0-08's influence and successfully escape. We can contact her, and from her, we can learn the enemy's purpose and their location."
"Once that is achieved, everything else will be much easier."
Anthony did not linger and walked towards the wooden door of the room, clearly intending to perform the ritual that would grant 'secret' protection.
Two days quietly passed.
That night, Viscount Yelise was organizing a batch of documents in his study when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He casually said, "Come in," and saw the door open, revealing a tall figure entering from outside.
It was a woman wearing a lady's white shirt, a shirt with a very Intis style. Her chestnut hair fell naturally, casually scattered on her shoulders, but mostly at her back.
Her eyebrows were straight, giving the impression of someone decisive, and her beauty was beyond Provocation, especially her pair of azure eyes, as if a vast ocean was condensed within them!
Viscount Yelise quickly stood up, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed respectfully, "Good evening, Madam."
Although they had known each other for three years, Viscount Yelise still did not know this lady's name, and she never mentioned it, so the Viscount always addressed her as 'Madam.'
"Good evening."
The lady's voice was soft and calm, not haughty or overbearing due to her mystery and power.
She asked like a friend, "Has there been any progress on that commission?"
Viscount Yelise smiled bitterly, "I'm sorry, Madam. Although I have already used Elana to Teleport the diary and commission information to that gentleman, I still haven't received the decoded notes."
"Is that so? What a pity."
The chestnut-haired lady said without a ripple in her voice, "It seems he is on guard, worried about encountering danger, which is very normal."
"If possible, I hope to approach him gently and establish long-term contact to show my sincerity and harmlessness. However, I will be leaving Backlund soon, probably tomorrow or the day after."
"Before I leave, I would like to meet him in person. Have you obtained any information about him?"
Viscount Yelise quickly replied, "Yes, I have found out that this gentleman is Lex Disraeli, he has joined the navy and has just become a lieutenant commander."
"He lives at 162 Backlund Street."