Chapter 349: The Last Question

"I received your letter."

Ron cleared his throat and stopped several meters away from the four individuals, not moving any closer. The others stood behind him, while only Victoria took two extra steps forward. After all, she was the center of attention for today’s meeting.

"This is Miss Victoria. Our territory is newly founded, so our facilities are still quite lacking. Please forgive me for not being able to give you a tour."

"That would be for the best." Just as Ron and the others had expected, Raymond Aron held this seemingly impolite reception in high regard. "We are here on official business. We will reach our conclusion as quickly as possible and then depart, without interfering too much in your affairs."

"Priest Pergrande, let’s begin now."

THUD. The heavy Lead-Injected Magic Staff struck the ground, kicking up a thin layer of dust. When it was time to work, Pergrande’s expression grew even more solemn than her colleagues’. As she chanted, the Domain of Honesty unfurled, enveloping the four members of the Religious Order along with Victoria.

"Miss Victoria, please swear on the honor of Heim, the Watcher, that every word you are about to speak will be true and from the heart, with absolutely no falsehood or deceit!" Judge Aron said, slowly and deliberately, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"...Of course. I swear."

Victoria fell silent for a moment before beginning her oath.

’She hadn’t expected them to be so direct, so merciless. This meant that two-thirds of the little tricks Ivendel had taught her were now useless.’

’But it was fine. At least she still remembered that one principle—there were some things she just hadn’t decided whether to tell them.’

"I thought you’d go straight for Mind Reading." As the armored Priest deployed her domain, the *Weaving Introduction* in Ron’s hand also began to float, analyzing her magic. To his surprise, the Priest had truly only deployed the Domain of Honesty, with no trace of any other spells.

"We must strictly follow procedure to ensure a fair and just outcome," the Chief Judge said, turning and bowing to Ron. "Without the Lord’s consent, evidence obtained through Mind Reading is inadmissible. Do you wish for us to more thoroughly clear Miss Victoria’s name?"

"N-no," Ron said, waving his hands hastily. "I’m certain this will be sufficient."

Thanks to the thorough "training" Victoria had received from Ivendel over the past week, coupled with the fact that the Priest genuinely didn’t feel she had strayed far from her doctrine, even under the influence of the Domain of Honesty, Aron’s targeted and repeated questioning yielded no suspicious answers.

"Hmm. Well then, only one question remains." Raymond Aron turned to the Priest. "Priest Pergrande, what are the results thus far?"

"Reporting to you, Your Excellency the Chief Judge, every word Miss Victoria has spoken is true, without the slightest falsehood." The moment Pergrande said this, not only did Ron and his companions breathe a sigh of relief, but even the Chief Judge’s rigid facial expression relaxed slightly. "I believe we can now confirm that our sister in faith has maintained the purity of her beliefs, even in such a perilous environment."

"Indeed," Aron said, turning back to Victoria. "Miss Victoria, we are all truly impressed by your conviction. Before I departed, both the Grand Judge and the Archbishop instructed me that if you had not strayed from the doctrine, we were to extend a sincere invitation for you to join our Religious Order. A Warrior and believer such as yourself would surely shine in our war against the forces of chaos."

"You mean...?" Victoria’s breath caught. She raised a hand in a flustered gesture, pointing first at Aron, then at herself. "You can’t mean...!"

"Precisely," the Chief Judge said, a stiff smile cracking his face. "If you agree, we may have many opportunities to fight alongside one another in the future."

"I would be delighted to work with you!" The Priest regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She glanced guiltily at Ron behind her. "I would be delighted to work with you, but..."

The faces of Aron and his three companions showed no particular expression—neither one of "I knew it" nor "how dare she refuse." They simply listened quietly for what the young Priest would say next.

"But, as I mentioned, I am under orders from Mayor Viktor to assist Lord Ron in establishing his new territory," Victoria said with a sigh. "I cannot abandon my mission and my promise."

"As it should be."

After hearing the Priest’s reasoning, Ron noticed Priest Pergrande let out a distinct sigh of relief. ’What was she worried about?’

"The creed of Heim teaches us as much," the Big-bearded Dwarf in the bull-horned helmet said, stroking his beard in satisfaction. "My Lord Chief Judge, the young lady truly possesses an admirably noble character."

The Molten Iron Barrier was no small Religious Order. Joining them meant adhering to more rules, but it also came with considerable power and responsibilities. Countless people would kill for a chance to join, yet had no way in. And Victoria had just given up that chance because of her duty.

"I agree with you, Brother Wu Fage," Aron said with a slight nod, turning his gaze to Ron. "My Lord, I mentioned there was one last question. While it is not directly our concern, the Archbishop places great importance on it, so I must ask for your opinion."

"If you consent, we will pose this question to your party. If you object, we will depart immediately and report our findings to our superiors."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "May I know what the question is first?"

Seeing the man’s ambiguous, almost-smile, Ron felt a bit uneasy. "Can you tell me what it’s about? If I refuse, what are the consequences?"

"In my opinion, there are no consequences," Aron said after a moment of thought. "The question is about the situation in the Delusional Land. As you know, many powers have attempted to claim this place in the past, but all have failed. Therefore, the Archbishop became very interested when he heard of you. He wants to know how you all managed it."

"Our original plan was to stay in your territory for a short while, but your reason for refusal was perfectly reasonable. We also don’t wish to waste time on unofficial matters, so I’ve thought of another method."

The Chief Judge and his colleagues looked past Victoria and Ron, their gazes settling on the others behind them. "These are your companions, the ones helping you build this territory, are they not? We would like to test your mettle, to get a better sense of the situation here."

"Rest assured, it will only be a friendly spar. We’ll know when to stop," Raymond Aron said, unbuckling his sword but leaving it in its scabbard. "Besides, you have the advantage in numbers, do you not?"