“Hey, hey... Who do you think you’re looking down on?” Tiyelu crossed her arms, looking indignant after being slighted.
“You think I went to all the trouble and expense of creating Lulu and sending her to human territory just to mess around like you? Do you think I spent all day wandering the streets, causing trouble, and flirting with girls? I was investigating! I’ve worked hard to investigate the cause and effect of this matter and come up with a response. It would be ridiculous if I didn’t even know the name of the real mastermind!”
“Who’s wandering the streets, causing trouble, and flirting with girls all day? You’re making it sound like I’m incredibly irresponsible...”
After countering Miss Butterfly’s accusation with a “Don’t say things like that” expression, Violet adopted a more serious tone.
“So, what have you found out about this Silvester? Let’s hear it.”
Talking about this person made Miss Butterfly’s expression turn several degrees more serious. She thought for a moment and then said a particular term.
“The Twilight Council. Have you heard of it?”
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“Oh?”
Hearing this name again—one she’d only heard of but never truly encountered—a lot of information about that summoner floated to Violet’s mind. She immediately responded with keen interest.
“Are you saying that Silvester is an emissary of the Twilight Council?”
Tiyelu raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“To know the term ’emissary’ means you understand quite a bit about those people, which saves me from having to explain too much... That’s right. Based on some reliable information, I suspect Silvester is likely an emissary of the Twilight Council. Even if he isn’t, he must have some connection to that organization.
“The Twilight Council has, from ancient times, been devoted to opening pathways between different worlds, regardless of the consequences or impact. Though they aren’t well-known, the truly powerful individuals are aware of these mysterious and terrifying people. They appeared as far back as the mythological era thousands of years ago, and their foundations run very deep. Even I wouldn’t want to provoke them lightly.”
“If Silvester is associated with the Twilight Council, then his goal must include opening the gate to the ‘Illusionary Realm’ and linking it completely with the present world. In fact, his actions so far have already largely proven this.”
At this point, Little Blue, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t help but interject.
“But... why would that organization want to open a gate to another world? Do they want to invade our world?”
Tiyelu seemed to be gentler toward her than the priestess, shaking her head slightly.
“As for that, I haven’t found a clear answer yet. In fact, this isn’t the first time the Twilight Council has done something like this in the past thousand years. Although the results have varied, there hasn’t been any large-scale invasion by their members. Occasionally, one or two might come over, but they’ve been successfully repelled by the hidden strong individuals on our side. So, their intentions likely lie elsewhere, with some other scheme in mind.”
“Hmm, there’s one thing that still concerns me. As the saying goes, ‘people do nothing without benefit.’ Perhaps the overall goal of the Twilight Council is as you say, but on an individual level, I don’t think Silvester would endure for so long and spend so much for a goal that hasn’t manifested in a thousand years.”
The priestess’s calm silver-blue eyes fixed on the butterfly girl beside her.
“I believe he must have some other motive, Tiyelu. You know the answer to that. Tell me what it is.”
“...Can I understand this as a condition for your help?”
“That depends on the value of the information you provide. But don’t worry, I never have the habit of taking advantage of others.”
It was clear that this secret was really important to Tiyelu, but the situation obviously wasn’t as optimistic as she made it seem. Miss Butterfly hesitated for a long time, looking at Violet and then at Little Blue, before finally gritting her teeth and saying:
“Alright, I’ll tell you, but you must promise absolute secrecy. You can’t disclose it to any third party. You have to sign a contract with me!”
The priestess observed the unusually serious and earnest expression on the butterfly girl’s face for a moment, then pondered briefly.
“A contract... hmm, alright. Little Blue.”
“Yes, Lady Violet.”
Understanding that she wasn’t qualified to know such secrets yet, Miss Slime cast a worried glance before walking away. Violet then set up a barrier to prevent information leakage and turned to the seemingly thoughtful Tiyelu.
“Is this sufficient? Hurry up and tell me, don’t leave me hanging.”
“No, you have to form a confidentiality contract with me first.”
“Alright, alright. How do we proceed?”
Seeing Tiyelu’s unprecedentedly grave expression, Violet decided not to joke around. Tiyelu nodded and immediately extended her finger. A flash of silver light later, a drop of blood, shaped like a water droplet, floated up, enveloped in light.
“You need to draw a drop of blood too.”
“Why does it always have to be blood...”
Despite her words, the priestess was actually familiar with the general process of contract formation in this world from books. She obediently took out a standard holy short knife, carefully cut her finger after disabling the protection of her 【Feather Robe Graria】, and let a drop of her golden-tinged red blood float up, enveloped in energy.
As the wound appeared, the HP bar on Violet’s interface fluctuated for a moment but was immediately replenished by natural recovery, and the brief blood mark vanished as well.
“Damn, what kind of physical condition do you have? Your recovery is ridiculously fast!”
Miss Tiyelu, who had just healed her own wound with magic, widened her eyes in disbelief at the black-haired girl who was still muttering “Ouch, ouch!” despite showing no signs of any injury. Her expression became even more peculiar.
“Seriously... why do you care so much? Weren’t we supposed to make a contract? Hurry up.”
“Hmph, if you don’t want to say it, fine. Don’t be so fierce. Repeat after me!”
...................................
About ten minutes later, the light shield that concealed the internal situation gradually dissipated, and the figures of Violet and Lulu reappeared in their original spots. Little Blue, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, quickly approached them.
“Lady Violet, is the discussion over? You seem a bit odd. Did something happen?”
“Ahem... It’s nothing, it’s just that a certain secret was so shocking it scared me a bit.”
In fact, aside from the reason the priestess had just mentioned, another more important reason was that after she finished reciting the lengthy oath Tiyelu had taught her, something like “swear to the world, blah blah...,” and after completing the confidentiality contract, she realized the expected feeling of the contract being enforced didn’t occur.
According to the books, the effect of a compulsory contract should trigger a sensation when any thoughts of violation arise, specifically the notion of “revealing the secret to a third party,” creating a noticeable feeling of restraint. But honestly...
There was none of that. What was going on?
Clearly, the two drops of blood had merged and ascended into the sky, forming the pattern that signified the contract’s establishment. Could there have been a mistake in the steps?
Feeling baffled, the priestess instinctively glanced at the frustrated butterfly girl, who looked as if she had divulged a massive secret. Sensing Violet’s gaze, Tiyelu glared back fiercely.
“What are you looking at! I’ve told you the secret. Now you have to get to work! Just so you know, you can’t back out of this!”