The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 23

Avena lay pinned to the floor, unable to move. Her knee-length skirt had flipped up from the fall, revealing a fluffy white petticoat patterned with rabbit dolls beneath.

Ciel straddled her, one hand restraining Avena’s right arm while the other gripped her throat. The two stared at each other without speaking.

It wasn’t that Ciel didn’t want to talk—she was deeply on edge.

The only transcendent she had encountered so far was the enigmatic and powerful Uris. Thomas hadn’t fully digested his potion yet, so he didn’t really count in her mental calculations.

Ciel had no idea what abilities other transcendent individuals might possess. She feared being countered by some strange power and could only maintain this position defensively.

Avena, on the other hand, lay completely still, making no move to resist. Her face remained impassive as she looked up at Ciel, her demeanor showing no emotion.

Her composure only made Ciel more cautious.

After about a minute, a reddish hue began to creep into Avena’s pale cheeks—she was starting to show signs of oxygen deprivation.

Ciel loosened her grip slightly, allowing Avena the chance to breathe, careful not to accidentally render her unconscious.

As her grip eased, Avena gasped for air, her breathing ragged and accompanied by faint coughing. It seemed Ciel had choked her more tightly than she’d realized.

Once Avena had steadied her breathing, she finally broke the silence.

“Miss Ciel, I’m afraid killing me wouldn’t be a wise choice.” Avena’s tone remained as flat as ever, calmly laying out the pros and cons. “Setting aside my current affiliation with the Society of Order, if I were to go missing, my family would also conduct an investigation.”

“This would directly contradict your effort to conceal your identity, Miss Ciel.”

Ciel listened to the other party’s words and couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for her.

To remain so calm and rationally analyze the pros and cons in such a situation—this girl truly had nerves of steel. And the fact that she made no attempt to resist genuinely managed to lower much of Ciel’s initial wariness.

“Are you a transcendent?” Ciel asked.

“No,” Avena replied. “But technically speaking, after a few more Reconstitution Rituals and potions, I will be.”

“Then how did you dare to knock on my door?” Ciel asked in confusion. “You knew you might be facing a transcendent.”

“The four dead outside were all despicable people. Judging by the methods of killing and framing, it’s clear that Miss Ciel hasn’t killed many people.”

Avena paused briefly before continuing, “Moreover, someone trying to hide their identity wouldn’t choose to commit a crime right outside their own home. Considering the contents recorded in the suspect’s diary, I’m more inclined to believe this was an act of self-defense made out of necessity.”

“With that in mind, I determined that directly approaching the culprit wouldn’t pose much danger.”

Avena had spent less than ten minutes investigating outside, right?

And her analysis was already almost spot-on.

“Since you’ve already deduced so much, why would you still risk knocking on my door?” Ciel asked. It was a point of confusion for her.

“Because I wanted to confirm my reasoning,” Avena said. For the first time, a flicker of curiosity lit up her normally indifferent dark purple eyes. “And besides, I’m very curious.”

“I’m curious about what happened to Miss Ciel that would compel her to take such a risk, killing four people despite the danger of exposure. What’s the truth? If this was due to a grudge, there were safer, risk-free solutions available.”

Avena spoke incessantly. Noticing Ciel’s silence, and seemingly unfazed by still being pinned down, she directly said, “I can promise not to tell anyone after hearing the truth. I’ll just label it as gang-related violence when I report back and close the case.”

Avena blinked, her gaze filled with anticipation as she looked up at Ciel.

Curiosity about the truth… And for that, you came alone to the “culprit’s” door?

You’re incredible, kid.

For a moment, Ciel didn’t know what words to use to describe this overly curious girl lying beneath her.

“How can you guarantee you won’t go back on your word after you leave?” Ciel shook her head, clearly doubting the girl’s promise.

“We can sign a Contract of Order, witnessed by the Eye of Order,” Avena said quickly.

“Contract of Order?” Ciel was a bit puzzled.

Although Ciel had already become a transcendent, she was still a complete novice when it came to anything related to transcendent terminology. At the moment, the term “Contract of Order” left her completely baffled.

“You don’t know?” Avena blinked, seemingly surprised that Ciel didn’t recognize the term.

In Avena’s eyes, Ciel was already a powerful transcendent, someone who had at least undergone one complete Reconstitution Ritual and successfully digested a potion. Surely, she must have been taught by someone or inherited some formula or legacy—how could she possibly lack such basic knowledge?

What Avena didn’t know was that from the moment Ciel first encountered transcendence to becoming a transcendent herself, the entire process had taken less than twelve hours.

Her curiosity toward Ciel deepened, but she remained patient as she began to explain. “A Contract of Order allows two parties to formalize an agreement under the witness of the Eye of Order. Once the contract takes effect, any party that violates it will be punished by the Eye of Order. This is a system available to all transcendents. If you memorize the prayer, you can draft a contract yourself.”

Perhaps worried that Ciel didn’t fully understand, she added, “The Eye of Order is the symbolic manifestation of the ‘Absolute Order’ that the Society of Order reveres. You can think of it as… a seal or stamp?”

“Let me see.” Ciel released Avena’s throat and stood up from her.

Avena got to her feet as well, though Ciel’s shadow loomed behind her. Should she make any sudden moves, the shadow would instantly snap her neck.

“Could you give me a piece of paper and a pen?” Avena walked over to the dining table and sat down directly, turning her head to look at Ciel, seemingly unfazed by the fact that she had just been pinned down moments ago.

Ciel retrieved a pen and a piece of paper torn from her notebook, handing them to Avena.

Taking the pen and paper, Avena began writing swiftly on it.

Her handwriting was elegant and flowing, much like the script Ciel had seen from the noble ladies back in the academy. Before long, a drafted agreement was handed to Ciel.

Ciel glanced at it and quickly understood its contents.

It was essentially a document resembling a formal contract.

Written on the paper were the names of the contracting parties and the rules they needed to abide by.

For example, on Avena’s side, it stated that she must not, under any circumstances, reveal Ciel’s identity and must uphold every secret Ciel disclosed to her.

On Ciel’s side, it simply stated that she was not allowed to kill Avena in any way.

Ciel’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Change it to ‘harm,’ and add ‘unless my life is under threat.'” Ciel pointed at the word “kill” as she spoke.

“Alright.” Avena agreed readily and immediately revised the wording of the contract.

She seemed to be certain that Ciel wouldn’t kill her, so she wasn’t too concerned about modifying the terms of the contract.

Ciel thought for a moment, then pointed to the previous terms in the contract and said, “Add a clause: you must not harbor any form of hostility or negative emotions toward Ciel.”

“Uh…” Avena hesitated for a brief moment, but her curiosity and desire to uncover the truth ultimately won out. She nodded and added the clause.

Ciel examined the contract and nodded slightly.

The conditions required Avena to keep all of Ciel’s secrets and forbade her from harboring any ill will toward her.

If the contract truly worked, Ciel wouldn’t have to worry about Avena betraying her.

But this contract…

A sudden idea popped into Ciel’s mind.

In reality, could this contract be exchanged for through the system’s store?

And if it could, would it still retain its effects?