Why is everyone so interested in whether I'm a virgin?

Shiayar, who had been innocently dragged into this, felt his face darken.

Now that his virginity had been confirmed, trying to act like an experienced playboy in front of Ennie was no longer going to work.

It directly exposed the fact that he was merely a master of theory but a novice in practice, someone who was all talk and no action.

Meanwhile,

Originally, after receiving the answer from the Holy Chalice, a hint of a smile had appeared on Silvia's pretty face, but then her expression abruptly changed.

The instant the characters of the question materialized on the surface of the Knowledge Holy Chalice, a dusky hue surged.

A congealed twilight enveloped the room, freezing the very air, even the flickering flame of the candle.

Silvia's gray-silver eyes turned ice-cold. She raised her fingers slightly, and the light of dusk flickered erratically within them.

After a long moment, the icy expression on her pale, pretty face finally softened slightly.

She took a deep breath, gazing at the small Holy Chalice as her slender, pale fingertips traced delicate golden characters:

"I refuse to answer the question, but I can offer secret knowledge equivalent to the question."

"You?"

The small Holy Chalice wobbled slightly, its body slowly revealing a response:

"Only secrets that are completely unknown to me, of which I have no understanding, possess the value for an equivalent exchange.

"Young Throne.

"Even though you embody Divinity, wield a portion of the ancient gods' Authority, and have carved out a unique path to your own Throne—a path which I might even consider stunning—you are, in the end, too young.

"The history you have experienced is but a drop in the ocean compared to the eons since the Main Material Plane's birth."

The chalice rocked back slightly, as if performing a tactical lean-back.

"Little girl, you don't understand. What you consider the most taboo, the most precious secret knowledge...

"...is actually worthless in my presence."

The icy glint in Silvia's gray-silver eyes intensified.

This damn chalice, with its metaphorical shrug and lean-back, looks so smug it's practically begging for a punch.

However, Miss Witch carefully reined in her emotions.

This was mainly because she had just stripped a Legendary being of its life force and felt she might have appeared too aggressive in front of Brother Shiayar.

If she were to reveal too much of her violent side now, Silvia worried Brother Shiayar might develop an aversion to her.

After being on pins and needles for so long like a jealous cat, she had finally confirmed that Brother Shiayar was still a virgin... If she missed her chance to be his first due to this momentary carelessness, she would genuinely have no tears left to cry!

Silvia sat down expressionlessly on the edge of the bed, and her elegant characters continued to form:

"The Supreme Black Tower houses an artifact of True God level..."

The chalice swayed left and right, as if shrugging. Text appeared on it: "Already knew that. Next."

"The weakness of the Water Emperor of the Element Plane lies in..."

Text appeared: "Useless scrap knowledge. Next."

"The Star Forger Dragon Tribe was born from..."

Text appeared: "Knew it. Useless. Next."

...

The silent exchange of questions and answers continued.

The chalice's swaying and leaning back became increasingly exaggerated.

Damn, this freaking chalice really knows a lot, Shiayar mused, enjoying the show from the sidelines.

Based on Silvia's descriptions of the secrets of the Western Continent, this replica chalice was indeed far from simple.

Due to its unique nature, this Sacred Relic possessed the ability to connect the Astral Realm with the Spirit Realm, allowing it to freely gather arcane knowledge through revelations from the Spirit Realm.

Furthermore, the Knowledge Holy Chalice had been created at the dawn of Arcane Arts and the age of Wizards, countless Eras ago. The repository of knowledge and secret intelligence it had amassed over these long eons could only be described as terrifying.

The pieces of knowledge Silvia presented were already incredibly obscure and secret, possibly unknown even to other Thrones, yet they seemed utterly worthless before this damn chalice.

Silvia wrote, "If an exchange of secret knowledge isn't possible, then answer the question."

The chalice wobbled, and an arrow pointed straight at the Gray-Silver Witch. Text formed on its surface: "Answer quickly. I'm losing sleep waiting!"

Silvia, her small face stern, pinched the pillow Shiayar had previously lain on, her pale golden text etching itself onto the pristine white bedding.

Shiayar, too, focused his attention intently.

He was also quite curious what his dear wife had actually been doing in that secret room—third door on the left down the corridor from the sixth-floor entrance of the castle, in the third dimensional layer of the White Tower's attached Eternal Slumber Plane.

The inner drama-watcher in him was ecstatic!

Silvia wrote: "I did nothing but sleep there."

Chalice text: "That is a lie."

Silvia took a deep breath. "Alright. I conducted a mystical ritual there."

The chalice paused, then text once again materialized on its surface: "What kind of ritual? Your answer is too vague and does not meet the standard of equivalent exchange."

An icy frost seemed to emanate from Silvia's beautiful eyes as she inscribed, word by word: "Ritual for Transformation of Familiar."

The chalice wobbled as if shaking its head. Text appeared: "Too vague. Be more specific."

Silvia wrote: "In that secret room, I severed a portion of my spiritual power and, using a mystical ritual, transformed half of that spiritual power into a Familiar that shares my consciousness and perception."

Silvia's writing gradually slowed, the dangerous glint in her eyes as she looked at the chalice no longer concealed: "That is all. This should be enough to conclude..."

However, the chalice showed no signs of stopping, still swaying left and right. Text appeared: "Not enough! Still too vague! More details needed! What kind of Familiar? What does it look like? And what did you do after creating the Familiar?"

Holy crap, Chalice, are you really this gutsy?

Shiayar stared in shock at the Holy Chalice that dared to defy a Throne.

Maybe you shouldn't call yourself the Knowledge Holy Chalice. Just go by Jail Chalice instead.

While this Sacred Relic was indeed magical, possessing the ability to obtain secrets from the revelations of the Spirit Realm and the Astral Realm, Shiayar knew very well that this thing was merely a simple Q&A machine, devoid of any combat capability.

If that weren't the case, the price of the Knowledge Holy Chalice in Sands of Time wouldn't be so much lower than the original Black Chalice. It was precisely because it lacked the power to transform "omniscience" into "omnipotence."

And the one it's provoking is Silvia, a Throne! Jail Chalice, aren't you truly afraid of being obliterated by a single magic word from the White Tower Master?

Yet, despite sensing Silvia's undisguised killing intent, the chalice showed no intention of backing down. It even brazenly flipped itself over.

According to Shiayar's understanding as a Beastmaster, this was akin to a lion, cat, or dog exposing its belly, completely at the other's mercy.

It was just that, for a chalice to perform such an action, it was truly a bit surreal.

Text appeared on the overturned chalice: "Little girl, you can smash me in front of this young man beside you, if you like. As long as you're willing to bear how his perception of you will change afterward."

The 'playing possum' Jail Chalice seemed remarkably fearless.

"Of course, the moment you smash me, I will broadcast the answer to the question you're unwilling to give into the Astral Realm, announcing it to all Legendary beings and Star Realm Creatures."

Silvia gritted her teeth.

Shiayar couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

He realized that this Knowledge Holy Chalice, despite being utterly powerless and so infuriatingly smug, had managed to survive for several Eras without being shattered... Most crucially, despite having no power itself, it could ensure every equivalent exchange was completed smoothly, without any fear of the other party reneging. There was definitely a reason for it.

Words could indeed be like knives, and 'dark histories' could genuinely be lethal.

And the Knowledge Holy Chalice, by holding the dark histories of others, was like someone holding the button to a nuclear arsenal—one equipped with a dead man's switch.

It had single-handedly ushered in an era of deterrence.ŸŸŸ

Still, all this back-and-forth and dialogue had certainly piqued Shiayar's interest in the secret Silvia steadfastly refused to reveal.

Silvia glanced at the chalice, then at Shiayar.

After a long moment, her gray-silver eyes revealed a serenity that seemed to disregard life and death, as if she had transcended mortality and reincarnation.

Finally, listless and dispirited characters slowly materialized in the air:

"In that secret room, I used the Ritual for Transformation of Familiar to separate off a Familiar in the form of a white cat. It was also a spiritual incarnation, connected to my thoughts and sharing my tactile sensations.

"Then, I sent the Familiar to the Empire Capital.

"During the period I remained at the White Tower headquarters to handle the specifics of establishing a branch, every time my spiritual incarnation relayed its perceptions to me, I would hide alone in that secret room on the attached plane.

"And then, lying on the bed, while experiencing the sensations transmitted from my spiritual incarnation, I would roll around on the bed all by myself."