Karl looked at Keira's hesitant and uncertain gaze and was not surprised.
He had already understood Keira's character, even after half a year of hardship.
Her desire for power, status, and a successful life had not actually faded but might have intensified due to her losses.
Therefore, he was at least 90% certain that Keira would still decide to sign the harsh contract that almost sold her soul.
Even if she belonged to that small 10% probability and decided to refuse, there was no loss for Karl.
However, her release into the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which was her inherent system, would not affect the future he had planned.
He said to Keira, who was still shocked and confused by the content of the contract: "Drip a drop of your blood onto the signature line at the end of the contract to complete the signing."
Keira's face was complex—anxiety about the future and fear of the unknown binding force.
She silently took a sharp dagger from the small pouch on her belt.
She did not hesitate, gritted her teeth, and the sharp blade quickly cut the palm of her right hand, and bright red blood immediately gushed out.
She endured the pain and aimed at the signature line at the end of the contract scroll, which hovered in the air and emitted a golden light, and suddenly squeezed her hand.
A few drops of bright red blood fell onto the light projection area, and at that same instant, BAM!
The contract suspended in the air suddenly exploded with a golden radiance, far more dazzling and pure than before.
The scroll began to automatically rise, as if lifted by an invisible hand.
At the same time, Keira suddenly felt a strong palpitation.
This feeling did not come from spiritual oppression, but from a deeper place.
It seemed that an indescribable, immense gaze, penetrating through flesh and blood and bones,
then looked at her from within, from her past memories to her thoughts at that moment, and even to the most secret corner of her mind.
Under this gaze, she felt as small as dust, without secrets.
She looked around anxiously, almost in terror, trying to find the source of this gaze.
However, in the quiet room, besides the quietly burning candles and the cozy furniture,
there was nothing but Karl, who stood opposite, with a calm expression, as if expecting this.
She noticed no abnormal energy fluctuations or traces of invisible beings, and before she could recover from this inexplicable feeling of being watched,
the contract, suspended in the air and shining with light, seemed to have finally fulfilled its mission.
It gradually became transparent, then transformed into countless fine golden specks of light, dispersing in the air like fireflies, leaving no trace.
And the moment the contract completely dissipated, Keira suddenly felt an inexplicable connection established between her and Karl.
It was not telepathy, but rather an invisible shackle or link that allowed her to vaguely sense Karl's existence,
and a binding force emanating from the soul level that could not be bypassed.
She subconsciously looked at Karl, her eyes full of suspicion and inquiry.
Karl seemed to understand what she was thinking, smiled, and simply explained: "Since it's a contract, naturally a god is needed as a witness."
"Just now, the goddess Freyja cast her gaze upon you to ensure the contract is fair and unbreakable, so don't panic."
"Freyja?" Keira was startled, then swallowed the saliva that was being secreted too much from nervousness.
Her breathing became involuntarily rapid, and her face was full of doubt and disbelief.
"You mean... Melitele? Freyja, the goddess of sailors and peasant women of the Skellige Isles?"
"Does... does this world really have gods?"
"I thought... I thought this contract was just some incredibly powerful binding spell I'd never seen before..."
Karl shook his head, his words carrying a slight hint of indifference, stating the simplest facts.
"That's because your vision is too shallow, and your thinking is limited by existing magical theories."
"The goddess Freyja exists, but she is very busy and doesn't have the free time to pay attention to you mortals who aren't even devout believers."
Keira caught the key word in Karl's words—"you"—and he grouped her with other sorcerers and ordinary people.
Her eyes flickered; a bold guess arose in her heart, and she couldn't help but ask with doubt and hesitation: "Us? Lord Karl, are you... not one of us?"
Karl only smiled faintly and remained silent, not wasting words to explain the shocking question in Keira's eyes.
He raised his hand and casually flicked his fingers, a faint, invisible golden speck of light containing pure life energy.
A wisp of casual divine power instantly crossed the distance between them and sank into Keira's body.
Keira first looked surprised, and then an indescribable, incredibly warm and comfortable current, like a mother's embrace, instantly coursed through her body.
It felt so good that she couldn't help but let out a low, satisfied moan from her throat.
She subconsciously raised her right hand and saw the wound on her palm, which the dagger had just cut and was still oozing blood.
The bleeding stopped at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a scab quickly formed and fell off, revealing even more flawless and smooth skin underneath.
She quickly created a simple illusion, conjuring a clean mirror before her.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, her whole body stood in shock.
In the mirror, where was the gaunt, downtrodden peasant woman with disheveled hair, dark skin, and sunken eye sockets?
All the negative traces caused by the unbearable life of the past few months—
the sallow complexion, the thick dark circles, the dry and split hair, the rough skin... all disappeared without a trace.
Now it was a radiant, fair-skinned face with smooth eyes.
It was even more beautiful and bright than the state she had carefully maintained as a court advisor using all the expensive herbs and alchemical potions.
This was a miracle! A wave of regret instantly washed over Keira's heart. Knowing that Karl possessed such incredible abilities,
why had she angered him and insulted his mother for the sake of her pitiful pride and foolish arrogance?
If she had bowed her head and admitted her mistake back then, how could she have endured the torture and despair of a life worse than death for the past six months?
At that moment, Keira's eyes again looked at Karl—no longer just with admiration and obedience.
Instead, it was a mixture of unparalleled fire, reverence, and an almost maddened possessiveness.
Not physically, but a strong desire for this power that transcends the mundane and allows her to remain young and beautiful forever.