Chapter 162: Exposing the Lies.

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Exposing the Lies.

Chapter 162: Exposing the Lies.

"Hurry it up."

Osborne stared at the crystal ball for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the old man.

He had no idea what the man was planning, and considering the difference between their strength, he wasn’t exactly in a position to demand an explanation.

Still, he wasn’t particularly comfortable with the idea of touching an unfamiliar magical artifact belonging to someone who had just attacked him.

For all he knew, the orb could be some kind of cursed object capable of doing something unpleasant to whoever touched it.

However, refusing the old man’s request might only make their situation worse, especially when he was still trying to figure out whether there was any way to leave this place without getting himself killed.

After considering his options for a moment, Osborne decided to follow along for now.

He slowly extended his hand and placed his palm against the surface of the orb, feeling a faint warmth spread across his skin as the magical object reacted to his touch.

The old man nodded his head.

"Now answer me, did you intentionally steal from my garden?"

Osborne’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the old man before glancing down at the orb beneath his palm.

’I see... So this must be a truth-seeking artifact.’

He had already suspected that the crystal ball wasn’t an ordinary magical object, but the old man’s question made its purpose considerably clearer.

Rather than simply asking him questions, the old man wanted to verify whether his answers were genuine, and judging by the way he had insisted that Osborne place his hand on the orb, it was likely that the artifact could distinguish between the truth and a lie.

’What an interesting magic item.’

Osborne couldn’t help but take another look at the orb, wondering how such an artifact worked and whether it was something that could be created through ordinary magic.

He had encountered several magical items since arriving in this world, but he still didn’t know much about the methods used to create them, and considering how useful an object capable of detecting lies could be, he couldn’t help but feel a little interested.

However, he quickly put those thoughts aside and answered the old man’s question.

"No... I had no intention of stealing from you, I had no idea those herbs belonged to you to begin with."

The old man scrunched his nose when the orb glowed a white light.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the result, seemingly displeased by what he had just witnessed.

Although he hadn’t expected the young man to admit to stealing the herbs so easily, he had at least thought that the artifact would expose whatever lie he was trying to tell.

Yet, the orb had reacted positively to his answer.

The old man stared at the crystal ball for a moment before raising his head to look at Osborne again.

"Then how did you find the herbs to begin with, you must’ve broken through the restrictive spell."

"Again, I’ll say this, I have no idea of what spell you speak of, perhaps it’s simply too far above my current level, I am a first-circle mage so to speak."

Osborne answered without hesitation, although he couldn’t help but wonder whether the old man would believe him this time.

After all, from the old man’s perspective, it probably seemed impossible for someone to enter his garden without noticing the spell he had placed around it.

However, Osborne genuinely hadn’t sensed anything unusual while following the scent of the Moonlight Grass, and even now, he still had no idea how the restriction spell had failed to affect him.

"What?!"

The old man’s eyes widened slightly as the orb turned white.

’How is this possible? A first-circle mage?’

He stared at the crystal ball in disbelief, almost as though he were expecting the light to change at any moment.

However, the artifact remained perfectly still, its white glow indicating that the young man had spoken the truth.

’You mean to tell me, a first-circle mage was capable of all that power?’

The old man couldn’t help but recall the earlier display of magic, particularly the barrage of fireballs that had come crashing towards him alongside the roots that had attempted to restrict his movements.

He had initially assumed that the young man was at least a third-circle mage, especially considering the size and number of fireballs he had created, but the result from the truth-seeking orb was telling him something entirely different.

A first-circle mage had somehow managed to produce such a large amount of magic while displaying an impressive level of control.

It was already difficult for ordinary mages to cast several spells in quick succession, especially when they were attempting to maintain control over multiple magical constructs, yet this young man had done so while trying to escape from someone considerably stronger than himself.

The old man found himself becoming even more curious.

’But come to think of it, he didn’t even chant during his spell casting.’

It was only now that the old man realised something else even more bizarre about him.

Throughout their brief encounter, Osborne hadn’t uttered a single incantation before casting his spells, and although there were mages capable of performing chantless magic, such individuals were considerably rarer than ordinary spellcasters.

Even among experienced mages, casting without chants required an exceptional understanding of magic and an equally impressive level of control over mana.

Yet, the young man before him had demonstrated such an ability despite supposedly being a first-circle mage.

’Just what kind of monster have I stumbled upon?’

The old man looked at Osborne again, this time with considerably more interest than before.

He had initially been irritated by the young man’s actions, especially after discovering that someone had managed to enter his garden and harvest a considerable portion of his precious herbs, but the situation was gradually becoming more interesting than he had expected.

There was also the matter of how the young man had managed to find his garden in the first place.