My earlier unease had been right all along. There was something going on behind the scenes.

I clenched my jaw, keeping my expression neutral.

Reluctantly, I took the seat across from him. From here, I could see Bishop Malven's face clearly under the light.

His round, gentle-looking face still wore that pleasant, polite expression. But behind those glasses… his eyes were cold. Completely devoid of warmth.

Slowly, he slid the device forward, placing it in front of me.

"Relax," he said lightly. "It's nothing ominous. Just a simple verification tool. Standard protocol from the palace."

Lying old bastard.

I forced a smile, masking my irritation.

He activated the crystal orb in front of me.

Immediately, a dark mist swirled within the glass, twisting and shifting until a single eye emerged. An unnatural, menacing thing made of pure black smoke.

The Eye of Truth.

A rare and dangerous artifact harvested from Druval, the infamous monster lurking on the fifth floor.

The Bishop cleared his throat. "Ahem. Please state your name. And for your own sake, I suggest you speak only the truth in front of the eye," he said, still wearing that saccharine smile. "Otherwise… well, you may experience some mild discomfort."

Mild discomfort, my ass.

The Eye of Truth inflicted excruciating pain upon those who lied. Repeated exposure could leave permanent scars, wounds that no magic could heal. In extreme cases, victims had been left paralyzed for life. In the game, the character would become unusable.

I met the Bishop's gaze, then turned my attention back to the swirling black eye.

Steadying my voice, I answered, "My name is Eryndor Leafshade, druid strategist of the Ironwood team."

The eye remained fixed on me, unblinking, searching.

Nothing happened.

"How did you find out about Borgoth Cave?"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

The next question was asked straight away and to the point.

Shit. A difficult one.

I couldn't rely on my usual excuse, that I had read about it in a book.

I forced myself to stay calm. "I stumbled upon it during my early explorations of the Tower," I said slowly. "After that, I gathered as much information as I could before deciding to enter it with Ironwood."

I could feel the sweat on my palms and discreetly hid my hands under the table.

A tense silence followed.

Then, nothing happened.

I exhaled silently in relief. I had been deliberately vague, avoiding any mention of how I had actually gathered that information, by sacrificing my character over and over in Dreadspire just to uncover the cave's secrets.

The old man gave a small nod of satisfaction before continuing. "What were you looking for there?"

"Drop items to strengthen Ironwood," I answered, keeping my tone steady.

Pain.

Sudden, excruciating pain.

A searing agony tore through my entire body, forcing a scream from my lips before I could stop it.

Bishop Malven offered me a thin smile. "I warned you before, didn't I? It would be best if you only spoke the truth."

I swallowed back the lingering pain and gave the real answer. "I was after Korrogoth Soul Fragment for myself."

That damn eye could detect intent, too.

Technically, I hadn't lied. Strengthening myself would make Ironwood stronger as a whole, but that hadn't been my primary goal. I needed to be more careful next time.

"Hmm… Korrogoth Fragment and a druid? That's an… unusual combination," Malven mused.

I didn't respond.

"Very well, next question." His tone sharpened with interest. "How do you summon Horrogoth?"

I met his gaze evenly.

"I don't know. We weren't expecting it to appear."

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. He glanced at The Eye of Truth, but it remained unresponsive.

His lips pressed into a thin line. "How did you defeat it?"

"Well, technically, we didn't kill it," I said, leaning back slightly. "It self-destructed after pulling us toward it with a fire tornado."

His expression twitched at my casual tone, but he didn't comment.

He then asked me several detailed questions about Horrogoth, to which I responded vaguely, keeping the important information to myself. He looked disappointed with my answers, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Fine," he sighed, like he was reluctantly letting it go. But from his expression, I could tell. This was the question he truly wanted to ask all along.

"Then tell me. What did you get from defeating Horrogoth?"

I could feel the weight behind every word he spoke. The pressure was palpable, each syllable laced with expectation.

After the disappointment of my previous answers, he was clearly hoping for something more satisfying this time. But I couldn't tell him about the Soul Fragment I had consumed. That would be far too dangerous.

I fell silent for a moment, my mind racing.

How the hell was I supposed to answer this while sitting in front of The Eye of Truth?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.