Dungeon King: A Lady Knight Offered by My Goblins

Chapter 479 477-Difficult to Determine Friend from Foe

In the depths of the inn, under the cover of the late-night hour, Ethan and Shadow Elf employed a spell to completely silence their footfalls as they swiftly moved along the dimly lit corridor.

Their destination was not any other place but Prophet Magus's room.

Ethan's trust in Prophet Magus remained tenuous, and he believed it was essential to ascertain Prophet Magus's true allegiance.

Despite their prior cooperation, Ethan and Prophet Magus had maintained a level of guardedness during their partnership.

This caution had led Ethan to withhold his true plans from Prophet Magus, which was why he felt the need to investigate further.

As they arrived at Prophet Magus's door, they came to a halt, acutely aware that any preparations made by Prophet Magus could be easily detected.

"Are you really sure about this? We've already entered his dreams once before, and if we do it again, he might react immediately," Shadow Elf expressed concern, fully aware of the significant risks inherent in Ethan's upcoming actions.

He hoped to dissuade Ethan from proceeding, but he also understood that Ethan was unlikely to heed his advice.

"Perhaps," Ethan replied, "if he realizes that we still don't trust him, he'll be furious. But I am a cautious person; I must ensure the success of my actions."

With those words, Ethan left no room for retreat.

He stealthily entered Prophet Magus's room and prepared to activate the Cursed Dreamland.

At that very moment, Prophet Magus suddenly opened his eyes and fixed an irritated gaze upon Ethan.

The two locked eyes in a tense silence, neither of them speaking initially.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Prophet Magus eventually broke the silence, his tone tinged with a hint of frustration. 

He could discern the nature of Ethan's intentions, leaving him deeply perplexed.

In Prophet Magus's perspective, he had cooperated harmoniously with Ethan in the past.

Why was Ethan still harboring doubts about his allegiance? Did he appear so untrustworthy that others could not rely on him?

Now that Prophet Magus had awakened and discovered Ethan's presence, Ethan saw no need for further explanation.

He promptly found a chair and took a seat.

"I do indeed still harbor doubts about you. Your actions thus far have made it difficult for me to trust you," Ethan admitted, addressing the underlying issue of trust that had plagued their interactions.

"While you can foresee what will happen next, you've never offered me much assistance."

Now that the matter of prophecy had been brought up, Ethan proceeded to provide an explanation.

His rationale was sound, considering that Prophet Magus had not proven particularly helpful in the past.

The visions foreseen by Prophet Magus had rarely provided tangible aid in their battles.

Prophet Magus, faced with Ethan's words, bristled with indignation.

He understood that his prophecies were of limited value in direct combat situations, but he believed they held significant potential in locating the person in black.

"My ability to foresee events may indeed be of limited use in direct combat," Prophet Magus began, countering Ethan's skepticism, "but at the very least, I managed to locate the whereabouts of the person in black through my visions. If I hadn't found him, how could you have engaged him in a direct confrontation? Without even the opportunity for a face-off, how could you hope to eliminate him?"

He continued, his tone tinged with frustration, "You previously believed he was your adversary, which led you to target him. Now that you've determined he no longer opposes you, have you abandoned your plan? Do you now perceive my potential threat to be greater than that of the person in black?"

Prophet Magus, still unaware of Ethan's true intentions, couldn't help but express his anger.

As Prophet Magus concluded his earlier statement, Shadow Elf spoke up, addressing the ongoing tension in the room.

"While we may not entirely trust you," Shadow Elf began, "we also don't believe that the threat posed by the person in black is necessarily lesser than the potential threat you might pose to us. Our plan is to make the person in black lower his guard. Once he becomes less vigilant, we may be able to trace his movements and find the clues we need to locate him. At that point, we won't need to play the cat-and-mouse game with him any longer."

Shadow Elf laid out Ethan's plan, confident that Ethan would soon share his own intentions.

Since it was inevitable that Prophet Magus would learn of both plans, Shadow Elf believed it was best for him to present their strategy.

Upon hearing Shadow Elf's words, Prophet Magus fell silent for a moment.

He had to concede that Ethan and Shadow Elf's plan appeared to be reasonable.

"You didn't tell me about your plan because you didn't trust me, did you?" Prophet Magus remarked.

He wanted to prove to them that he was indeed their ally, not their enemy.

Ethan and Shadow Elf found Prophet Magus's statement somewhat perplexing, as they believed it would be challenging to prove his intentions.

"Do you know a spell called 'Discern Truth'?" Prophet Magus inquired.

He planned to use this spell to make Ethan and Shadow Elf believe that he was on their side.

Ethan and Shadow Elf had heard of the "Discern Truth" spell before, but they remained skeptical of its effectiveness.

Prophet Magus, however, was determined to prove his trustworthiness.

"It seems you don't believe in the power of the 'Discern Truth' spell. If you really doubt it, let's put it to the test," Prophet Magus proposed. 

He cast the "Discern Truth" spell, and then Ethan and Shadow Elf began speaking.

They mixed truths and falsehoods in their statements.

The spell's effects quickly revealed when they were lying, leaving no doubt about the veracity of their words.

When they spoke the truth, the spell did not produce any discernible effect.

After the successful demonstration of the "Discern Truth" spell, Ethan felt convinced of its effectiveness.

With newfound trust in Prophet Magus, he decided to ask a direct question.

"Have you always been willing to cooperate with us and not consider us as enemies? During our previous operations, did you never intend to be our adversary?" Ethan inquired.

Prophet Magus nodded firmly and replied, "I have never regarded you as enemies! If I had seen you as adversaries, I wouldn't have allowed you to enter my magus tower from the very beginning. All magus towers are of utmost importance, and letting enemies inside would be highly dangerous for any magus."

The "Discern Truth" spell remained unchanged, affirming that Prophet Magus spoke the truth.

Ethan was now certain that Prophet Magus was indeed their ally.

"You truly are my friend, and from now on, we must cooperate openly. The information I can share with you is that I believe the figure in black is one of the guests at the inn. I think our previous assessment was a significant mistake. We assumed that the person in black was hiding within the dreams of the inn's guests. However, in reality, he has only been using this method to mislead us," Ethan explained.

Prophet Magus found Ethan's statement perplexing.

In his view, Ethan couldn't possibly make such a judgment.

"What is your basis for making this judgment? I have had significant interactions with the other guests at the inn. I believe their current state of mind is extremely tense. If the person in black were truly hiding among them, he wouldn't be able to feign such nervousness. I think the person in black's abilities are similar to yours. Even if we manage to locate him, he would have a chance to escape," Prophet Magus replied.

Ethan's response left Prophet Magus in a state of bewilderment.

In Ethan's perspective, Prophet Magus had severely underestimated his true abilities while overestimating the strength of the person in black.

"You're underestimating my strength, and you're also giving the person in black too much credit. The fact that he could hold his own against me in a dream was purely due to the dream's nature. If I were to find him in the real world, he wouldn't stand a chance against me. My power far surpasses his. I have even defeated deity-level beings in the past!" Ethan confidently stated.

Prophet Magus was left momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond.

To him, it seemed inconceivable that a mere mortal could defeat a deity.

However, considering the circumstances, he couldn't argue further.

He turned to Shadow Elf, who nodded in confirmation, acknowledging that Ethan's claims were indeed true.