"Not bad. You actually figured out a way to bypass my control this quickly."
Hel smiled at him, though her tone had clearly grown colder.
Only just now had she realized a flaw in the Authority of Beasts. Although she could control others and force them to answer her questions, she could not stop them from withholding information she hadn't explicitly asked for.
And what is the most convincing lie?
It is to tell ninety percent of the truth, while hiding the most crucial part—thus deliberately leading the other person in a completely different direction.
That was exactly what Rowan III had done.
He had told Hel that the Witch's sealing site was in the Sky Garden, but he had not told her that a expert who was possibly of Saint rank was also there.
If Hel had believed him and rushed there without thinking, she would likely have run straight into that Saint-tier expert, forcing her into a confrontation. That would have given Rowan III the chance to break free from her control.
A clever plan—but unfortunately for him, Hel already knew the truth.
Still, that meant avoiding contact with the Saint-tier expert would be difficult.
Wait… perhaps I can think of a way to make him leave the Sky Garden.
With that in mind, Hel turned her gaze back to Rowan III, who had grown visibly tense after her earlier words.
"Tell me more about this expert named Spur. His habits, preferences, daily social interactions—and whether there's any way to lure him away from the Sky Garden."
"I…"
Rowan III fell silent.
He frantically mobilized his mental power, trying to erase all memories related to Spur from his mind.
However, the Authority of Beasts quickly seized control of his brain, forcing it to operate on its own.
"Lord Spur greatly enjoys flowers and cultivating new varieties. Aside from visiting the Sky Garden to admire flowers in the morning and during afternoon tea, he spends most of his time in the greenhouse tending to his plants.
In the ten years he has stayed in Gordon City, he has never once left the Sky Garden.
His daily needs are handled by the maids, and any external matters are assigned to his students.
Therefore, it is basically impossible to draw him away from the Sky Garden—unless there is an order from the Church."
"Is that so?"
Hel frowned slightly, thinking about how to deal with this problem.
The safest solution would be to have Spur leave, preferably even leave Gordon City. But as Rowan III said, only an order from the Church would make that happen.
The headquarters of the Holy Tribunal Church was not a place Hel wanted to visit.
Not only were there countless visible barriers and magic formations engraved throughout the cathedral, but the Church also gathered the most skilled users of holy magic on the entire continent.
And holy magic was the natural enemy of fallen magic.
Ever since she had been tricked by the Witch of Desire, Hel had developed a deep distrust toward those who specialized in mental manipulation.
Who knew what hidden traps those black-hearted bastards had embedded into their cathedrals?
Since she couldn't send Spur away, Hel would have to resort to a riskier method.
"As someone with access authority, can you enter the sealing site?"
Hel asked again.
Rowan III answered quickly this time.
"Yes, but according to regulations, I only need to enter every five years to collect the Witch's byproducts and replenish elemental crystals and nutrient potions. It has only been three years since my last visit."
"So under normal circumstances, you can't go in now?"
Hel raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
"That's correct. Entering outside the scheduled time requires an official approval document from the Church and the accompaniment of a clergy member."
"I see. Can you obtain that approval?"
This time, Rowan III shook his head.
"It would be very difficult. Bloomwater only has applications in flower cultivation. Aside from magical herb production, it is useless in most other fields.
At present, the royal family has no shortage of Bloomwater for alchemical use, so I have no justification to request approval."
His response was mechanical, based purely on stored memories rather than independent thought.
Hel noticed this, but there was nothing she could do—after all, the Authority of Beasts controlled the body, not the mind.
If I let him go to the Sky Garden like this, he'll only cause trouble.
With a wave of her hand, a gate to the undead space appeared. A crow hopped out.
Hel then quickly swapped bodies with Niv and used the Authority of Death to extract Rowan III's soul.
So even without an Authority that controls the mind, there are still ways around it.
She began altering his memories.
A fabricated sequence of events was implanted:
First, the alchemical device storing the Bloomwater had malfunctioned, causing all the stored liquid to be lost in spatial turbulence.
Then, Rowan III had just received urgent news that rare magical plants cultivated exclusively for the royal family were suffering from mutations and required Bloomwater immediately to prevent heavy losses.
This ensured that even without Hel's control, Rowan III would go to the Witch's sealing site to obtain more Bloomwater.
After returning his soul to his body, the most critical step was complete.
Hel also hid an undead flying insect in his hair.
Then she lifted her control.
When a soul returns to its body, there is always a brief moment of disorientation. But because Hel had altered his memories, Rowan III noticed nothing unusual.
After checking the damaged balcony railing and questioning his personal maid, he left without saying a word.
Everything that had just happened was witnessed by the maid beside Hel.
Although she was still under Hel's control, her constantly shifting gaze revealed just how shaken she truly was.