"The Witch’s Confession has been activated."
Gazing at the light shield, everyone felt it for a moment. Apart from the mysterious aura enveloping them, there was no other sensation.
At least, at present, they didn’t feel a pressing desire to tell the truth.
Parry Mountains and Leaf Groot also looked around suspiciously, still unsure of the current situation.
Rhein chuckled softly, "Perhaps you still have doubts, so let me give an example."
After Rhein finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone and finally settled on Angel.
Feeling a bit chilled by Rhein’s gaze, Angel was about to say something to ease his discomfort when Rhein suddenly asked, "Angel, what’s your favorite food?"
As soon as the question was posed, the Priest in the statue began to glow faintly. Shortly after the glow, a sly glint flashed through the kneeling Witch’s eyes.
Meanwhile, in the spotlight, Angel said, "Milk, yes, my favorite food is milk. —— I really wanted to calmly reveal this dietary quirk that I’d kept buried in my heart, but the toes curling in my socks testified to my inner embarrassment and unease."
Before Angel could savor the moment, everyone was already silently: "..."
A few seconds later, Angel’s throat moved slightly, a trace of embarrassment crossing his eyes, yet he said, "Ah??? The first part was fine, but what the heck was that whole section afterward?"
As the question was posed, there was another ripple of light around the Priest and the Witch.
Then Angel spoke again, "Nothing strange. —— Actually, what I meant by ’the first part being fine’ wasn’t entirely true; I just wanted to divert everyone’s attention, so I emphasized the last sentence instead, hoping everyone wouldn’t focus on my fondness for milk. I’m such a clever little trickster; surely no one will notice such a subtle ploy, hehehe."
Everyone: "..." Truly a subtle ploy, hehehe.
Angel too went hehehe... what a joke! Feeling as if struck by lightning, his previously upright posture now wobbled, forcing him to take several steps backward.
"That just now was..." Angel initially intended to say more, but recalling how his mouth failed to shut before, he opted to seal it, converting his embarrassment into seething anger as he glared at the statue.
By now, the statue had changed ever so slightly from before.
The Priest looked even more solemn and sacred, while the kneeling Witch appeared less reverent, with a hint more cunning.
Angel gazed towards Rhein, questioning with his eyes: Why is this happening, why am I speaking my thoughts out loud?
Rhein seemed about to say something, but upon seeing Angel holding back, pretending to be angrily questioning, and recalling Angel’s previously incongruous internal monologue, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Observing Rhein’s reaction, Angel silently shifted his gaze to Sanders.
Sanders didn’t laugh, but merely gave Angel a light glance before turning away. In places Angel couldn’t see, his shoulders shook slightly.
At that moment, Dangross climbed onto Angel’s shoulder and, in a comforting tone, whispered into his ear, "Although I don’t know what milk is, I won’t mock Mr. Pat."
Angel’s words squeezed through his clenched teeth, "Saying nothing would be the greatest comfort you could offer me."
Finished speaking, Angel hung his head in full shame, not wanting to see anyone else’s reaction. Anyway, Rhein would explain why this was happening, no matter what.
The atmosphere on site was somewhat lively because of Angel’s outburst, yet it also carried a mysterious awkwardness.
After laughing, Rhein finally regained his normal tone and, after coughing twice, said, "You’ve all seen the effect — this ’Witch’s Confession’ can make people speak the truth. But it has a slight side effect of also revealing internal thoughts."
Angel silently grumbled in his heart: This isn’t just a side effect, this is far worse than speaking the truth!
Despite his intense embarrassment and anger, when Angel calmed himself and thought it over, he realized this so-called "side effect" was the true essence of this mysterious object.
Because, truth has never been absolute.
Just like contracts in plain sight could have loopholes; it’s how countless contracts spanned millennia and underwent numerous revisions.
The truth works the same way; it might appear true, but loopholes exist.
For example, when someone asks a question, you might tell half the truth while the more crucial truth lies hidden, and then lead others with other truths to mentally fill in some self-conjured scenario, which often turns out false.
Their mental fill-ins are their own doing, the speaker’s words were true, but the end result is unsatisfactory.
So, the truth can have many loopholes.
And this mysterious object, the Witch’s Confession, not only makes you speak the truth but also brings out your inner words, psychological activities, and hidden thoughts.
This isn’t a "side effect"; it ensures the truth is as true as possible.
However, those who overthink should refrain from using it, as it can easily lower their standing. For example, Angel.
Upon understanding the specific effects of the mysterious object, it clarified Angel’s previous doubts on why Rhein emphasized its "near-loophole-free truth" effect, which indeed proved accurate.
Angel initially dismissed it, thinking the existence of the "truth spell" might render this mysterious object a bit redundant.
But now, it’s apparent that it truly holds value, far surpassing the effects of the truth spell. After all, the truth spell also falls prey to an abundance of supposedly "true" loopholes.
After listening to Rhein’s account, Parry Mountains couldn’t help but marvel, "Amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing~ So magical, is this a mysterious object?"
As soon as Parry Mountains finished speaking, the statue showed another anomaly.
Immediately after, Parry Mountains unknowingly opened his mouth, "Yes, this is a mysterious object. —— By the way, before these powerful human wizards, should I showcase my verbal tics? I should, after all, a unique image can be molded through verbal tics, as stated in Mr. Feng’s narrative ’Soliloquy of the Clown’."
As soon as Parry Mountains finished speaking, his eyes widened, exclaiming, "Just now I..."
Originally, Parry Mountains wanted to say: What nonsense did I say just now?!
But recalling that the Witch’s Confession was still active, he quickly clammed up, wary of revealing more inner thoughts.
However, Parry Mountains, thinking he could cut his losses, hadn’t anticipated other unforeseen occurrences on site.
On Angel’s cloak, Dangross slowly extended half a palm, curiously looking at Parry Mountains, "So your ’ahahaha’ laughter is just a quirk? Isn’t that how you actually laugh?"
As soon as the question was posed, the Priest lowered his head silently, while the Witch flashed a sly smile.