Late at night, after all the noise had died down, the tavern's main hall had closed for the night.
In Chen Xi's former rental room, the three of them stood around the bed in various poses.
Cecilia had just woken up. Sitting on the bed, she leaned against the headboard with a dazed expression.
"Has the poison in your body disappeared?" Gu Yu asked, her hands in her pockets.
At her words, Cecilia froze for a moment, then closed her eyes and sensed the changes in her body.
Three seconds later, she opened her eyes in delight.
"Thank you. The poison has been completely purged from my body. This is a poison unique to Third Rank undead. May I ask how you managed to do it...?"
Lin Yue cut off her question in a cold voice. "Is it true that you slaughtered that village?"
At Lin Yue's accusation, Cecilia's pupils suddenly contracted. Her voice trembled slightly. "...You all know?"
"Mm." Gu Yu nodded. Chen Xi's expression remained blank.
Gu Yu continued, "So, is what they said true?"
Cecilia fell silent after she asked. The atmosphere in the room grew cold.
"Duke Red Dragon framed me." She rested one hand against her chest.
"Because I refused to sign a Contract with him alongside the other Saintess candidates, he sent the Thousand-Face Man to disguise himself as me and slaughter every living being in an entire village."
Chen Xi frowned. "A Contract?"
"The Thousand-Face Man?" Gu Yu's expression changed.
After glancing at the two beside her, Lin Yue said forcefully, "Tell us about the Contract first."
"Mm." Cecilia nodded meekly, then explained, "Two weeks ago, Duke Red Dragon gathered the five Saintess candidates in the area and held a secret meeting."
"At the meeting, he asked us to sign a mutual-assistance Contract