Grin raised his right hand high, curling his sharp claws and stabbing them fiercely into his palm.
Blood trickled from between his Fingers, dripping onto the dust-covered floor of the Forbidden Library.
In an instant, green plants burst through the floor, blooming into clusters of golden roses.
The silhouette of the giant beast made the ceiling creak, yet his voice was as gentle as a honey-soaked incantation.
"Dear Belle, come and see the gift I've brought back for you..."
A light seemed to flash within Betty's dull gray eyes.
"Are you trying to sell Betty to a beast as a bride?"
Grin slowly lowered his head, the shadow of the giant beast completely enveloping her.
The curve of his lips held a hint of wickedness, yet his eyes were filled with an overflowing sincerity.
"I beg of you, most benevolent Great Spirit, just as depicted in the fairy tales, pick a golden rose and lead me from this deathly silent castle into the sunlight."
The reversal of the scene made Betty the one to reach out; for a tsundere, this wasn't just a step, it was an elevator.
Snap—
A rose was gently snapped off.
Betty turned and pulled over a step stool, placing it steadily at Grin's feet.
Then, cradling the golden rose, she stepped onto the highest point of the stool, one step at a time.
Standing on her tiptoes, she struggled to reach toward him, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet every word was clear:
"Betty... still can't reach you."
A low chuckle escaped Grin's throat, and the giant beast's head slowly lowered until their noses touched and their breathing synchronized.
He had originally thought the girl would pin the rose to his head.
But in the next second, Betty stood even higher on her toes, and her soft lips gently pressed against his hideous beastly face.
The beast's body could not feel such a subtle touch, yet Grin's heart pounded wildly in his chest, making his ribs hum with the vibration.
Betty raised her hands to hug the giant beast's mottled snout, her warm tears brushing against the rough patterns, wetting a patch of cold skin.
She closed her eyes, her voice choked with sobs but incredibly firm:
"In the name of the Great Spirit, Betty wishes to form a contract with the person before her—we shall accompany each other until the sun and moon sink together and never rise again."
There was no dazzling magic circle, no whispers from a witch.
But Grin clearly felt the invisible chains that had bound the Forbidden Library and Betty for hundreds of years snap inch by inch.
A brand-new thread emerged from thin air, one end taking root deep within his soul, and the other tied to the girl's slightly trembling fingertips.
The majestic mana within his body surged along the thread, pouring into Betty's limbs and bones.
Grin slowly withdrew his power, the silhouette of the giant beast fading as he transformed back into human form.
Losing her support, Betty fell from mid-air.
Grin lunged forward, opening his arms to catch her steadily in his embrace.
Betty gripped Grin's collar tightly, her force so great that the fabric made a faint tearing sound.
She buried herself in his chest, urging him in a muffled voice: "Grin, what is your answer..."
"I, Grin, swear an oath to the sky, to the earth, and to the vast ocean."
As Grin spoke, he held Betty in a princess carry and walked slowly toward the door of the Forbidden Library, his voice like water that people could drown in.
"I am willing to accompany Betty for all eternity, to love what she loves, to think what she thinks, to bear her pain, and to endure her hardships."
"Whether in poverty or wealth, whether in a world of chaos or forsaken by the gods, I will draw my sword and fight for her, and I will sheath my claws for her, never to leave or forsake her, until forever..."
The moment they crossed the doorframe, Betty's eyes squeezed shut in fear, her body trembling slightly.
Fortunately, Grin's gentle voice soothed her broken soul, and his sincere vow made her feel as if she were bathed in a spring breeze.
Finally, the two of them walked out of the oppressive Forbidden Library.
The cool night breeze nudged Betty closer into Grin's arms; this tangible sensation caused her tears to burst forth once more.
"Such a sentimental contract, Betty doesn't care for it at all..."
Her voice was muffled against Grin's chest, thick with a nasal tone, yet her knuckles gripping Grin's clothes turned white.
Grin looked down and saw the girl's reddened eyes; he couldn't help but chuckle softly, raising a hand to wipe away the tear stains from her cheeks.
The warmth and softness brought by his fingertips were starkly different from the cold pages of the Forbidden Library.
Betty's eyelashes trembled, wishing she could melt into Grin's chest.
"Haha, I've always been this sentimental." Grin laughed softly, leaping down from the balcony while holding Betty.
Whoosh!
He tossed Betty upward, then immediately activated the Blessing of the Forest to transform into a giant beast during the descent.
"Stupid Grin... what are you trying to do!"
Betty's dress fluttered in the wind like an elegant hibiscus flower.
Grin controlled his angle and caught Betty steadily on his massive head, then sprinted toward the courtyard at high speed.
"Woohoo!"
"I'm going to take you to the top of that high mountain to wait for the sun to come out and catch the first ray of sunlight!"
Boom, boom... the massive footsteps vibrated across the land.
The moonlight stretched their shadows very, very long, and the petals of the golden rose still clung to Betty's hair, shimmering with faint light in the night.
In the high tower of the Mansion, Roswaal leaned against a wide floor-to-ceiling window, watching the figures of Grin and Betty as they moved further away.
"Has the dragon-slaying youth begun to flesh out his wings? Subarashii... you must become my strength, Grimm Andersen..."
After talking to himself for a moment, Roswaal lowered his eyes again, his gaze falling on the book of wisdom in his hand; the pages turned on their own without any wind.
"The one destined to slay the dragon... what a wonderful title."
"However, if one wants to master a sharp sword, one cannot do without a reliable hilt..."
Roswaal narrowed his eyes and looked scrutinizingly at Ram, who was serving nearby.
"Ram—it seems you haven't replenished your mana for several days. Come here..."
Ram's expression was complex as she took a nearly imperceptible half-step back, her tone distant yet respectful.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Roswaal... Ram's mana is still quite abundant..."
Roswaal was somewhat taken aback by her reaction, then awkwardly withdrew his open hands.
His fingertips gently stroked the pages, his smile not reaching his eyes: "Soka... you have your own plans too, Ram..."
When he had accepted Ram's defection, they had made an agreement.
Roswaal promised to help her track down the Witch Cult and settle the blood feud of the Oni Village.
However, since Roswaal himself was also one of the culprits who destroyed the Oni Village, the contract included the following two additional terms:
If the world progressed according to Roswaal's book of wisdom: Ram must be absolutely loyal and obey all his orders.
If the world line deviated from the prophecy of the book of wisdom: Roswaal would accept any disposal by Ram, with his life or death, and whether he stays or leaves, all decided by Ram.
In Ram's eyes, emotions of hatred and gratitude surged and intertwined; her Fingers trembled slightly, and the flow of mana within her body became restless.
She lowered her eyes, concealing the turbulence within her gaze, her voice as light as a sigh: "It is late. Lord Roswaal should rest early. Please excuse Ram's departure..."
The peach-haired maid bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door.
As long as Rem still existed in the world, she would always occupy the primary position in Ram's heart.
Grin's appearance had caused the contents of the book of wisdom to change.
This also allowed Ram to see an opportunity to win the contract gamble.