Equipment Card: Withered Silence

"Isn't this a little too professional?"

Honey Badger couldn't help saying it, instinctively glancing at the crow in Aleister's arms. "Are the contracted demons of Demon Scholars... all like this?"

"...Of course not."

Viennes spoke in a melodious yet slightly hoarse voice.

But clearly... even Viennes herself lacked much confidence when she said it.

"I'm still nicer to you."

Aleister stroked Little Crow's head and spoke softly.

Little Crow rubbed against Aleister—the crow's face displaying visible, humanlike conflict and confusion.

"My dear master..."

She suddenly spoke, saying hesitantly, "If you wish, I might be able to do something like this as well. Why don't we try it first..."

This Mirror Demon had even made Viennes lose confidence.

"You don't need to compete with Lily for work..."

Aleister quipped.

Lily had originally signed a pastoral contract with Viennes while she was in her Shadow Demon state.

Now that Viennes had evolved into a Night Demon, both Viennes and Lily had tacitly stopped mentioning the matter. Clearly, their relationship was not very good—or rather, because they were too similar, they found one another somewhat unpleasant.

If the Night Demon continued living in the mirror so obligingly and became Aleister's butler... Lily, who was still a maid, would probably think Viennes was deliberately targeting her.

"Besides, you're not suited to traveling outside in your true form for long periods... You probably can't do this while traveling, right?"

Aleister thought for a moment before adding.

At this moment, Honey Badger, standing to the side, couldn't help widening her eyes.

—It was known that Aleister and Iver were extremely close; after Iver became Pope, he had asked her to "protect Aleister"; Iver had used a card to seal the Perfected One, while Aleister had used a similar card to seal the Great Sea Monster; and