"Big Sister?"
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. In the blonde loli's heart, only Puck could ever deserve the title of Big Brother. As for the Shendu before her, wanting to be called Big Sister—there was no way she would agree. She shook her head like a rattle drum, staring at Shendu with blatant resistance.
"What's wrong? You want to refuse?"
Shendu's expression cooled as she looked at Beatrice with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"What are you trying to do?"
Seeing Shendu approach, Beatrice's eyes revealed a trace of fear. After two rounds of testing, she already understood that this woman was anything but simple.
At the very least, she might be some unknown being even stronger than herself. Defeating her would probably be effortless. To say she wasn't afraid would be a lie.
"I said earlier—you would have to accept punishment. Come, let's begin."
With a wave of her hand, Shendu immobilized Beatrice with magic. Under the spirit's stunned gaze, she reached out and pinched her soft little cheek.
Like squeezing a doll.
Then, forming a whip out of magic, she lightly flicked it a few times against Beatrice's backside, causing the latter's face to flush red.
There was nothing she could do. She couldn't win in a fight. The other party could still use magic, while she herself was like fish laid out on a chopping board.
That perfectly described Beatrice's current state of mind.
"H-Hey, woman, let me go! Or I really will get angry!"
After being disciplined for several minutes, Beatrice's face was completely red as she glared at Shendu in embarrassment and annoyance.
"Oh? Wasn't that enough?"
Shendu's face hardened slightly. For such an ill-mannered spirit, a proper lesson was only natural—to make her understand what respect meant.
"Um..."
In the end, knowing she could not refuse Shendu's demand, Beatrice reluctantly muttered, "Big Sister."
"Good. That's more like it."
Seeing the spirit compromise, Shendu waved her hand lightly, removing the magic binding Beatrice. The anti-magic field was lifted as well.
Once freed, Beatrice sat on another chair. After thinking for a moment, she decided she might as well chat a little with this newly acknowledged Big Sister.
"Betty is truly surprised that you chose to approach Emilia at this time. Appearing beside a royal candidate at such a critical moment could easily arouse suspicion."
Beatrice was puzzled. Shendu's strength was absurdly overwhelming, yet she appeared beside a candidate for the throne at such an inopportune time.
And she claimed to be a traveler—with the same silver hair as Emilia.
"I don't know. Perhaps it was fate. I happened to run into her, thought Emilia was rather nice, received her gratitude, and then came to this territory."
Shendu spoke casually, with a faint hint of sentiment. She herself felt it was fate. Otherwise, how could her very first appearance have led her straight to Emilia?
"By the way, Big Brother once said you're very strong. How much power did you use back then?"
Beatrice stared at Shendu with serious eyes, wanting to know the answer most of all.
"At most, thirty percent. It was only a spar. Just passing time."
Shendu replied calmly, causing shock to surface in Beatrice's eyes.
According to Big Brother Puck, he had used about fifty percent of his strength at the time, yet he had only managed a draw against Shendu. That alone proved how formidable this woman was.
Beatrice stood frozen for several seconds before speaking with genuine admiration.
"Big Brother rarely calls off a fight on his own. You truly are extraordinary."
As their conversation deepened, Beatrice grew increasingly curious about this silver-haired woman. She wanted to know her identity—and why she traveled.
Everything about her felt strange, as though she existed outside their expectations. Utterly mysterious.
...
Suddenly, just as Shendu and Beatrice finished speaking—
From the deepest bookshelf, a book infused with black magic began to tremble. Like ripples of darkness, waves spread instantly throughout the entire library.
"Oh? Black magic? Is it reacting to me?"
Shendu looked intrigued. Unsure what the book was, she casually raised a hand. A plain black-covered volume flew toward her and settled gently into her palm.
The moment the black-covered book landed in Shendu's hand, the blonde loli's heart jolted. Shock filled her face.
This book was called the Gospel. It was nearly identical to the one Roswaal possessed—both capable of predicting certain events.
If this book had reacted, it meant that the person she had waited four hundred years for had finally appeared.
And it was this silver-haired, red-eyed beauty before her.
Shendu glanced at the emblem on its cover, slightly puzzled. She waved the book lightly.
"Hey, Beatrice, what is this book?"
Curiosity flickered in her eyes. Her intuition told her this was no ordinary volume.
Before she could receive an answer, the blonde loli suddenly lunged forward, snatching the book from Shendu's hands and clutching it protectively to her chest.
After grabbing it, she shot Shendu a somewhat tsundere glance. There was no longer hostility in her eyes—only complicated emotion.
"This book is Betty's treasured possession. You can't read it without permission. Big Sister... why not look at other books instead?"
Holding the Gospel tightly, Beatrice hesitated before gesturing toward the towering bookshelves.
Hearing the title "Big Sister," Shendu looked quite pleased.
"Find me the history of the Witch Cult. I want to take a proper look. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
There were still details of the plot she did not fully understand. She turned to Beatrice, asking her to locate the appropriate book.
"Of course, Big Sister."
After putting away the Gospel, Beatrice's attitude improved noticeably. Perhaps she suspected Shendu was the one she had been waiting for. Her mood lifted considerably.
Just as the blonde loli finished retrieving the book, Shendu waved her right hand again. A strawberry sundae ice cream materialized midair and floated gently before Beatrice.
"Since you've called me Big Sister, this is a delicacy from my hometown. Try it. It's cool and refreshing—tastes quite good."
Using magical elements, Shendu conjured a classic dessert from her previous life, letting the spirit experience something new.
"Thank you, Big Sister!"
After handing over the history of the Witch Cult, Beatrice picked up a spoon and began eating in small bites. A gradually blooming smile appeared on her face.