It hit Reyn like a hammer to the head.
The female mage standing before them was none other than Delaersha, Roger's paramour.
"She is the Duchess of the Silver Star? One of the twelve Holy Spiritual Mages of the Empire?" Reyn's thoughts jumbled, his head buzzing as if struck by a warhammer.
But someone was even more shocked—Roger.
The Witcher, usually maintaining icy calm, now stood with wide eyes, dilated pupils, jaw dropped, staring ahead in confusion and bewilderment.
"You... you..." Zoltan had completely lost his power of speech, pointing at Delaersha and unable to utter a word.
The female mage with her enigmatic aura smiled at Reyn and Zoltan, then turned her gaze to the stunned Roger and softly called.
"Roger."
Her voice was just as familiar, and every movement exuded irresistible charm.
Hearing his name, Roger snapped out of it like from a dream. He shuddered, and a complex gamut of emotions crossed his face.
"La... Your Grace the Duchess," he said, "is your name really Delaersha?"
"Of course. It's my real name, just few know it." The corners of Delaersha's lips curved in a smile. She glanced at the three and gently added.
"Forgive me for hiding it from you. I hope my status won't affect our relationship."
The Duchess of the Silver Star's words sounded light and friendly, but Reyn and Zoltan felt an indistinct pressure.
Before them stood a Holy Spiritual Mage, a superhuman of twentieth level or higher!
Both hurriedly nodded, indicating all was well.
Roger's expression, however, suddenly became calm again. He paused for a few seconds and abruptly asked.
"Did you use Suggestion on us?"
Delaersha's face subtly changed.
Hearing "Suggestion," Reyn instantly understood everything.
Suggestion was the equivalent of "Psychological Suggestion" from the mental sphere—a spell of the fifth circle or higher. It acted subtly but had a staggering effect, subconsciously influencing the target and gradually leading them to the desired outcome for the caster.
In many cases, Suggestion proved more effective than direct "Mind Control."
The spell left no traces, lasted a long time, and could even permanently alter a person's beliefs. Even if told directly afterward that they'd been under Suggestion, they wouldn't realize it and would voluntarily accept the current state, unwilling to return to the previous one.
As a Holy Spiritual Mage, Delaersha's Suggestion was surely more powerful than a fifth-circle spell.
When traveling incognito, she just needed to reinforce her disguise with Suggestion for people to ignore her true identity. Even knowing she was a legendary female mage and that the Duchess of the Silver Star was a woman, their minds automatically dismissed the possibility, not connecting the two.
Roger was a legendary Witcher, Zoltan had lived in Longsand for many years—both were well-informed, yet neither ever suspected Delaersha's true identity.
Clearly, it was the result of Suggestion.
Reyn merely smirked inwardly. He truly hadn't known the Duchess of the Silver Star was a woman.
His predecessor's memory held mentions of the Duchess, but the poor student from a small town had no idea about this great figure.
Even without Suggestion, Reyn wouldn't have guessed Delaersha was the Duchess of the Silver Star.
In talks with Viola, they always called Longsand's ruler "the Duchess"—a title not indicating gender.
Reyn assumed all somewhat prominent aristocrats or superhumans knew the Duchess of the Silver Star was a woman. Viola probably thought he knew too, so didn't specify.
"No wonder Wilt was so terrified when I lured him to Roger's room. He lost all will to fight and only thought of escape."
"So he recognized Delaersha."
Many events now fell into place.
When Viola founded the recording company, the Duchess of the Silver Star generously gave her half the shares—likely already knowing it was his invention. He'd tinkered in Zoltan's mechanical workshop for over a month, and Delaersha spent a lot of time with Roger then—everything happened right under her nose.
And when he first became a Battle Mage, Delaersha offered to recommend him to Silverstar Academy and the Mage Tower, but never mentioned it again.
Not because she'd forgotten, but because she knew he'd already gotten a pass to Silverstar Academy.
Perhaps even getting the pass in one day happened with her tacit approval. And the patronage of master alchemist Griffis wasn't just due to his Battle Mage status.
Reyn's mind worked clearly—he knew he'd long been freed from Suggestion.
It was the merit of the Will of Truth.
But after merging with the Will of Truth, he hadn't met Delaersha, so couldn't guess who she was right away.
Roger and Zoltan, on the other hand, had just been freed from Suggestion.
Zoltan showed no displeasure.
Only Roger... He'd been close to Delaersha, shared her bed for months, whispered countless tender words, they were inseparable. The sudden realization that his beloved was the high-ranking Duchess of the Silver Star, keeping such a vital secret, stirred a storm of mixed feelings. He felt deceived and didn't know how to act now.
Most importantly—were his feelings genuine, or the result of Suggestion?
Roger himself couldn't sort it out.
Reyn discreetly glanced at him with the Eye of the Soul and saw Roger's soul color constantly shifting. Emotionally he was relatively stable, but his feelings were extremely complex.
Reyn suddenly felt sorry for Roger. The great legendary Witcher seemed to have become a victim of deception.
The Duchess of the Silver Star's lips twitched, but in the end, she offered no explanation.
"Come with me first."
She raised her hand, cast a spell, and a tall portal instantly appeared before them. The Duchess stepped inside first.
"She knows I hate portals," Roger muttered and, steeling himself, followed her.
Reyn and Zoltan entered last. Passing through the portal, they found themselves in a spacious, luxuriously furnished room.
The floor was covered with thick carpets, a dozen crystal chandeliers flooded the space with bright light. The room, over three hundred square meters with ceilings more than five meters high, seemed formed from several merged spaces—without dividing walls, zoned by furnishings. The decor and furniture were chosen with impeccable taste, every detail underscoring the hostess's high status, creating a fairy-tale palace atmosphere.
Reyn's heightened senses detected magical energy fluctuations everywhere.
Instead of walls, the room was enclosed by a huge transparent glass wall, offering a view of the city under the dark night sky.
From here, all of Longsand lay in plain view.
Reyn instantly realized he was at the top of the Mage Tower, likely the uppermost floor—in the private quarters of the Duchess of the Silver Star.
Delaersha meanwhile stepped out onto a spacious balcony. She stood silently, gazing downward.
Reyn, Roger, and Zoltan followed. Seeing the scene unfolding below the Tower, they fell silent for a long time.
***