Being described as having a "purpose" left Lillian feeling somewhat depressed. He entered the Forbidden Library and immediately saw Beatrice's pale face.
It seemed Puck had already told her the truth—that "that person" did not exist. If Lillian had been the one to tell her, she might not have believed it. But Puck was someone she knew would never deceive her, so she would certainly accept his words.
"I've already told Betty the truth," Puck said. "And Betty has decided to stop guarding the Forbidden Library, right, Betty?"
"…."
Beatrice clutched the book in her hands tightly. Even though she had just agreed to her brother's request, now that the moment had truly arrived, she still found it difficult to accept.
Puck turned to Lillian. "To get Betty to leave this place, your power is indispensable."
"Mine?"
"You told me before that artificial spirits cannot absorb mana from the atmosphere. Betty is the same—her magical energy comes from the Forbidden Library drawing power from the people within the mansion. Once she leaves, that supply will be cut off."
"…So I become the provider?" Lillian understood.
Just as Puck had said, without a source of magical energy, an artificial spirit might not perish immediately. However, as the mana stored within its body was gradually consumed, it would grow weaker and weaker. Once it was completely exhausted, both body and soul would fade away.
That meant a provider of magical power was absolutely necessary. So this was his role.
"Puck, you want us to form a contract, don't you?"
"That's right." Puck nodded. "If you wish to… help Betty, then form a contract with her. As for the matter of magical power, I don't think you need to worry. Your mana is quite special—Betty showed me earlier that the magical energy she absorbed from you when you first met has still not completely dissipated. In fact, only about one-third of it has been consumed."
"This means that for spirits, your mana is far more potent and abundant than that of ordinary people. Just a little is enough to sustain a spirit for a long time. You won't need to worry about being drained excessively."
"…."
Hearing this, Lillian suddenly thought of something and asked Puck, "If that's the case, then if you formed a contract with me, wouldn't you be able to avoid falling into slumber?"
After all, Puck was a great spirit with formidable combat power. Letting him fall into sleep seemed like a waste.
"No, no, no. I will only form a contract with my daughter," Puck shook his head. "That's our promise—well, at least it's a one-sided promise on my part."
"Alright."
Lillian didn't press the matter. He looked at Beatrice and asked, "So, Beatrice, are you willing to form a contract with me?"
"…."
Beatrice remained silent. She gripped the thick book tightly with both hands, her face tense as her eyes lowered toward her hands.
Lillian knew that even though Puck had already discussed everything with her, making such a decision at this moment was truly difficult.
She had stayed here for hundreds of years—it had become a deeply ingrained habit. For her, this was not merely a place she guarded; it was something akin to a "home," a safe harbor where she could let down her defenses.
It was like the genius pianist 1900 in the film The Legend of 1900, who ultimately chose not to step off the ship. Even though he might have gained fame and fortune on land, he remained aboard due to his personal convictions and fear of the outside world.
Beatrice's situation was different. Her unwillingness to leave the Forbidden Library was not because of any artistic "muse," but because she feared the outside world—or rather, she could not step beyond her comfort zone. Of course, it might also be that she stubbornly refused to believe their "mother" had deceived her and insisted on remaining in the library.
As for someone like her, although Lillian did not believe he had any obligation to save her, he still did not want to see her continue to live in loneliness.
"Beatrice." He stepped forward, slightly bent down, and reached for the book she was clutching. "Four hundred years—you've read enough books. But in those four hundred years, you've seen far too little of the world."
He gently applied force, trying to pull the book from her hands, but she remained silent and held on tightly.
"This world is vast and beautiful. These are things that words in books can never fully describe… No matter how elegant the language or vivid the descriptions, they can't compare to seeing it with your own eyes."
Lillian crouched down, meeting her gaze. "Come with me. I can be your guide. What I show you may not always be beautiful—there may even be shocking bloodshed—but it will all be real."
Beatrice slowly raised her head, her eyes shimmering with tears as she looked at him.
"No matter how detailed the world in books may be, it is still what the author has seen. We must see the world with our own eyes. Only then will what we see truly belong to us."
As Lillian spoke, he gently pulled the book from her now weakened grip.
"Let's go."
"…Betty understands."
Puck watched with relief as Beatrice rose from her chair. "Then, under my witness, form the contract."
Waves of magical power stirred, and between the two of them sheets of paper appeared in the air, drifting gently.
The contract they were forming was an equal one. Lillian would hold no authority over Beatrice and could not force her to do anything. Likewise, Beatrice held no authority over Lillian and would not be obligated to serve him. Either of them could unilaterally dissolve the contract at any time without penalty.
However, Beatrice herself quietly manipulated the flow of magic and added one more condition to the agreement.
[The spirit shall protect the life of its contractor.]
Lillian looked at her in slight surprise. The twin-tailed girl spoke softly, "Betty won't just absorb your magical power. In exchange, Betty will protect you. Only that can be called a truly equal contract."
"…Alright."
Lillian raised his hand, and Beatrice did the same. Their palms pressed simultaneously against the contract formed from magical power.
Buzz—
A silent tremor spread through the air. Luminous symbols revolved around their bodies, isolating everything around them. Lillian felt an indescribable stirring in his heart, and he knew Beatrice likely felt the same. It was as though an invisible thread had connected them together.
In the void, a natural voice seemed to echo, declaring that the contract had been established. At the same time, the magical contract in their palms gradually turned transparent, transforming into radiant sigils that merged into their bodies. As the light faded, the contract was officially complete.
"It's done," Puck said.
"…."
Lillian and Beatrice looked at one another, each sensing an indescribable feeling toward the other—a feeling called trust. The instant the contract was formed, they both found themselves trusting each other more deeply.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say. Truthfully, they had not spent much time interacting before this. Now they had suddenly formed a contract—but since it was an equal one, it was not too overwhelming.
"That puts my mind at ease," Puck said. Raising his small hands high, he let out a yawn. "I'm a bit tired too… In that case, I'll take my leave first, then—meow…"
"Bubby." Beatrice watched as Puck's body gradually became transparent, her eyes instantly reddening.
"Be good, Betty. We will meet again someday," Puck said gently. Then he looked at Lillian and smiled. "So… I'll leave her in your care."
"…Goodbye."
Puck waved at him with a smile, and at last his body vanished completely.
Crack.
A soft sound rang out. Lillian lifted his other hand—the crystal he had been holding had shattered.
"Bubby… has he gone back…?"
"Yeah." Lillian carefully collected the fragments; he would need to return them to Emilia later. "So, Beatrice, Puck should have explained everything to you. We need to return to the Sanctuary immediately."
After forming the contract, Lillian's attitude toward her had noticeably softened. He had to admit that contracts in this world possessed a strange power—they truly made him feel closer to this twin-tailed girl.
"Betty understands."
"Then… Echidna is also there. If you want to see her, I don't think she would refuse."
"…."
Beatrice fell silent. Lillian said no more and led her out of the Forbidden Library. Before leaving, she turned back for one last lingering look—it was not easy to leave a place she had guarded for hundreds of years.
After stepping outside, Lillian discovered that Frederica was nowhere to be seen. After asking a maid, he learned that she had already ridden off from the mansion on a ground dragon.
"Didn't she say we'd go together?" Lillian thought. She really was impatient—but it didn't matter much.
"Then let's go as well."
"Mm."
Having agreed, the two of them hurried back toward the Sanctuary. After nearly an hour of travel, they finally reached the edge of the forest.
The moment they stepped through the barrier, Lillian saw heavy snow drifting down from the sky like goose feathers.
"Climate magic!" Beatrice instantly identified it. Then she noticed Lillian's extremely grim expression.
How… is this happening again? Hadn't Echidna already altered the contents of Roswaal's Book of Wisdom? Why had it been activated once more?!
---
[Note: Ain't gonna lie—I think I'm going to discontinue this. The raw site I've been using is missing chapters 104 to 114, and I also tried searching other websites that provides the raw, but they're limited and don't have the chapters I need either. The only site that has them is the main source where this was originally posted, but unfortunately, those chapters are behind a paywall which I can't afford cause I'm broke as shit.]