"Maybe they're deeper inside? This forest is vast, after all. Go a little farther, and the beautiful illusory landscape you mentioned might appear."
Fide considered whether she could escape the group.
But when she glanced at Dawn holding her broken sword, she abandoned the idea.
"The illusory landscape created by a Hag Gathering stretches for at least several kilometers. I'd advise you to think before you speak."
Tang Qi ordered Dawn to bind Fide.
"Mr. Arthur, please keep the Domain of Honesty active."
As an abjuration spell commonly used in court proceedings, Domain of Honesty could be circumvented in many ways.
Besides items that blocked mental probing, simple evasions, selective answers, or truths lacking detail could all escape the caster's notice.
That was why courts often also used Detect Thoughts when determining guilt, examining what the accused was thinking to achieve genuine lie detection.
But Arthur lacked that ability.
So when the magical glow enveloped them, Tang Qi made his questions more specific:
"Are there actually three hags in this forest?"
"Yes."
Arthur nodded to Tang Qi. That was true.
"Have you seen them?"
"Yes."
"When did you see them?"
"Ten years ago."
"Just as I thought. You left the exact timing vague."
It was a simple trick of verbal logic.
Ever since Eric had been captured, the beastkin had kept emphasizing the threat the hags posed to them, leading everyone to assume unconsciously that the threat still existed.
In reality, ten years had passed since the hags' last appearance. "There are indeed hags in the forest" was true, but only with the qualification "ten years ago."
"During those ten years, has anyone personally told you they saw a hag?"
"No."
"As far as you're aware, have you picked up even the slightest bit of other news about hags in