"Thorn Velvet? Does Scholarly Society usually use codenas during gatherings?"
Hearing this na, Dorothy controlled Brandon to ask Nephthys, who nodded in response.
"Hmm... It’s said that one of the previous presidents once claid that true secret society mbers always have codenas. So, from that point on, the Scholarly Society tried to imitate this idea. During gatherings, everyone wore masks and addressed each other by their codenas. But in reality, aside from the initial novelty, everyone soon found it cumberso. Since we all studied at the sa school, even with masks on, we still recognized each other. So, this rule wasn’t strictly followed.”
"But Thorn Velvet was different. From the mont he joined, he always wore a mask and dressed very conservatively whenever he appeared. Even though he was also a student at our school, no one ever knew his real na—we could only call him by his codena."
After listening to Nephthys, Brandon pondered for a mont before continuing.
"Alright, tell more about this Thorn Velvet."
"Okay."
Nephthys nodded and went on.
…
Thorn Velvet joined the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge over six months ago. From the mont he arrived, he demonstrated an extraordinary level of expertise in mysticism, far beyond the usual hobbyists in the society.
Not only was Thorn Velvet highly knowledgeable, but he was also willing to teach others. Because of this, he quickly beca the center of attention and gained significant influence within a short ti. More importantly, he displayed genuine mystical abilities in front of the society mbers, proving himself to be a true Beyonder. This earned him the admiration of many students in the society.
After joining, Thorn Velvet frequently instructed mbers in mysticism and showcased his powers, elevating his status even further. He also went so far as to lend his personal collection of precious mystical books to the students in the society.
…
"Mystical books?"
Hearing those words, Dorothy controlled Brandon to ask in confusion. Nephthys explained.
"Yes... According to Thorn Velvet, these books allow us to glimpse deeper mysteries and even seek transcendence. There were eight volus in total, and he let us borrow them for study. The knowledge inside was truly fascinating. Once you started reading, you couldn’t wait to read the next one. No... to be precise, you desperately wanted to read the next one. The more you read, the more you craved to continue…”
"Honestly, those who had read several volus beca almost frightening in their eagerness for the next book."
Nephthys spoke with concern. Listening to her, Dorothy furrowed her brows from afar. She imdiately recognized the symptoms—this was clearly cognitive poison contamination.
Those eight books were likely a classified mystical knowledge, highly diluted into eight separate volus. Thorn Velvet was using cognitive poison to corrupt the Scholarly Society.
"After reading those books, did the society mbers start exhibiting strange ntal symptoms? And the more they read, the worse it got?" Dorothy had Brandon ask.
Hearing this, Nephthys was montarily stunned.
"Ah... Yes, exactly. Just as you said. Those who read the books started becoming emotionally cold and distant... People who used to be easygoing and friendly beca sowhat extre and violent. Small disagreents could suddenly escalate into physical conflicts—things that would have been unthinkable before.”
"And most importantly, the more they read, the more they revered Thorn Velvet. It reached the point of outright worship. Once, a mber who hadn’t read the books complained about Thorn Velvet during a gathering, and several people imdiately beat him up. It was terrifying..."
Nephthys shuddered as she recalled this. Dorothy, too, silently contemplated.
“A cognitive poison that induces violence and worship”
…
With his knowledge, abilities, and books, Thorn Velvet quickly rose to an unchallenged position within the society. Before long, nearly every mber had been coerced into reading his books to so degree and developed reverence for him. In just two months, this newcor forced the forr president to step down and took over the society himself.
Once he beca the leader, Thorn Velvet drastically restructured the society. He introduced strict regulations, established hierarchical ranks, and organized regular gatherings, transforming what was once a casual interest group into a tightly structured organization.
Afterward, Thorn Velvet started using the society mbers for various tasks. They helped smuggle outsiders into the school. They scoured the campus for certain mysterious symbols he showed them. They even smuggled knives—and at tis, firearms—onto school grounds. They were forced to make "donations" to the society. They covertly recruited others using his books as bait.
By then, the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge had completely changed. It was no longer just a student club—it had beco a tool for Thorn Velvet’s unknown agenda. But since most mbers had read his books and fallen under his influence, they followed his orders without complaint.
There were exceptions, though. Two male students resisted the pressure to read the books and refused to acknowledge the society’s changes. They publicly confronted Thorn Velvet, announcing their resignation and threatening to expose his activities to the school authorities.
The next day, both of them disappeared.
They vanished without a trace. No one knew where they had gone. When the police investigated, they found no leads. anwhile, the society mbers who worshipped Thorn Velvet remained silent, refusing to provide any information. Even those who tried to report things anonymously t the sa fate.
It was at this point that Nephthys fully realized just how dangerous Thorn Velvet truly was.
…
"By that ti, I finally understood—Thorn Velvet had been using us as re tools. Once he had full control over the society, he dropped the pretense and revealed his true nature. He beca more and more ruthless, constantly interacting with outsiders and bringing them onto campus. Compared to us, he trusted those people much more.”
"For us original mbers, the only way to get close to Thorn Velvet was to read more of those eight books. He only trusted those who had read at least four. Unfortunately, one of my close friends in the society couldn’t resist the temptation of the books. She’s already read five volus and has beco a fervent devotee of Thorn Velvet. But because of this, she got close enough to learn more about him.”
"It was by secretly reading her journal that I discovered the true na of Thorn Velvet’s organization: The Eight-Spired Nest.
"They ca to the King’s Campus for sothing… They’re searching for sothing."
Finishing her explanation, Nephthys took a sip of tea and let out a deep breath, her face filled with helplessness.
Seeing her expression, Brandon asked, "Your friend and the original society mbers have been manipulated by Thorn Velvet. So even went missing. Is that why you want to resist the Eight-Spired Nest?"
"More or less... Because of Thorn Velvet, being in the society now feels suffocating. After seeing what happened to others, I don’t dare to quit, nor do I dare to report him. I’m constantly on edge. So I wanted to do sothing—anything."
"I saw your lost-and-found notice in the school paper. The symbol you described on the lost item was almost identical to the one Thorn Velvet had us searching for across the campus.”
"I didn’t want Thorn Velvet to succeed, so I had the idea of claiming the item before he could get it. But I never expected that, Mr. Brandon, you would also be a Beyonder. And that behind you stood a secret society as well.”
"This lost-and-found notice was actually a trap you set… and both I and Thorn Velvet’s people walked right into it."
Nephthys finished speaking and fell silent, looking at Brandon, indicating that she had told him everything.
After listening, Brandon nodded and slowly said, "Good. You’ve explained the situation clearly, and I’ve drawn so conclusions. You should be grateful for your conscience, Miss Boyle—because of it, there’s still a chance to turn this around."
"But... there’s sothing I’m curious about. You said that all mbers were forced to read Thorn Velvet’s books, and those who refused disappeared. Yet, you’re still here.”
"So tell —how did you resist the books’ influence?"
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