Forced to Become the Protagonist of a Restricted Novel [Transmigration & Rebirth] - Chapter 4

Her foot arched reflexively, toes pressing against the demon’s throat.

His teeth caught the protruding ankle bone, nipping lightly, sending tingling waves of sensation radiating outward.

The Incubus’s tongue traced the contours of the bone, his strong fingers gripping her Achilles tendon, long and powerful digits encircling her slender ankle.

The skin beneath his grasp flushed a faint pink.

A mix of saliva and blood seeped from the corner of his lips, trailing down his jaw, over her heel, and dripping onto the floor.

Su Cheng: “…………Blood.”

The demon froze.

Su Cheng quietly tried to pull her foot back.

The demon sat rigidly in place, feeling the cool skin slip from between his teeth, the shape of bone and veins still vivid in his mind.

Su Cheng stared blankly at the damp marks on her ankle, utterly speechless.

Su Cheng: “I carry a death curse. Your blood can alleviate it. When I ask you for something, what else could it possibly be besides your blood?”

He’d said one dose could last ten days to half a month without symptoms. That might be true—for ordinary curses.

The one she bore defied conventional logic, so its effects were likely diminished. She needed multiple contingencies.

The demon fell silent for a few seconds, casually wiping his mouth. “I thought humans always—”

Su Cheng’s face darkened. “Stop with the stereotypes! You Incubi are the ones with that reputation!”

Angrily hopping off the table, she fetched several clean empty bottles and slammed them onto the surface, ordering him to start donating blood.

The demon complied without a word.

After filling several bottles, he collapsed weakly onto the couch.

Su Cheng sat beside him, touching the chains around his neck again to continue easing the binding seal’s power.

The demon shuddered violently.

The chains around his neck trembled, his broad shoulders and back tensing, muscles rippling like sculpted stone in the dim candlelight.

The flush spreading across his skin resembled berry juice staining fresh snow.

Su Cheng’s fingers lingered on his collarbone before her gaze inevitably drifted lower.

Su Cheng: “…”

That’s a massive wound.

Su Cheng: “You seem to still be bleeding. Should I wipe it for you?”

As she spoke, she reached out, her fingertips brushing over the firm, hard abdominal muscles before lightly touching the wound that stretched across his waist.

Sharp at both ends and slightly wider in the middle, the edges were cleanly cut yet seared, the flesh charred—evidence of the swordsman’s swift and precise strike.

The demon gasped, narrowing his eyes at her. “You refused when I asked earlier, and now you’re starting again? Do you have some kind of—”

Su Cheng looked up, noticing the slight tremble in the wings behind him, and couldn’t resist touching the base where they connected to his shoulders.

The demon inhaled sharply, his muscular chest rising as his lean abdomen tensed involuntarily. “If you want to do it, then—”

A thin sheen of sweat quickly formed over his muscles, glistening temptingly in the candlelight.

That flexible, powerful tail coiled around her thigh once more, attempting to pull her closer.

Su Cheng pressed a hand against his chest. “…Don’t you think the timing is a bit off now?”

They were mere inches apart.

The demon stared at her in silence, icy blue eyes flickering with dark flames, as if trying to etch the human before him into his mind.

“Magician, what’s your name?” he asked quietly.

Su Cheng shook her head. “I don’t want to know you, nor exchange names. In fact, it’s best if we stop talking altogether.”

The demon glared at her before letting out a cold laugh. “You think—hah, mere human!”

The chains around his neck loosened slightly, and with some of his strength restored, he abruptly released his tail and stood up.

The movement was like a mountain rising from the earth, and Su Cheng found herself engulfed in his shadow.

She wasn’t particularly short—of average height among humans—but the demon towered over her, his chest level with her head.

Su Cheng crossed her arms and tilted her chin up to look at him. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

The demon shot her a glance, then moved like lightning, slipping through the window in an instant. With a powerful beat of his wings, he vanished into the vast night.

Su Cheng immediately began changing her clothes, washing up, and tidying the room with practiced efficiency, restoring everything to its proper place.

There was still more trouble to deal with.

—This demon had escaped from the Church’s prison, and naturally, pursuers wouldn’t be far behind. They would arrive soon.

A few minutes later, clamor erupted in the courtyard.

Soon, someone knocked on the door.

Su Cheng walked over and pulled it open, revealing a courtyard filled with fully armed knights.

They wore white-gold armor adorned with the emblem of a cross and flames on their chests, shields in one hand and weapons—longswords, maces, hand axes—in the other.

A faint golden glow shimmered around them, like layers of film encasing their armor and flowing along the edges of their blades.

In the dim night, it formed a shifting sea of luminous threads.

The Holy Knights of the Church.

Their formation was immaculate, not a word spoken, yet an overwhelming pressure radiated from them.

The servants of the Lin estate stood far back, not daring to approach.

One Holy Knight captain stepped forward slightly.

Her armor was more intricate, its engravings elaborate, and three seal chains hung from her cloak’s epaulets, marking her rank as a battalion commander.

The Holy Knight rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. “We are tracking an extremely dangerous fugitive. He entered this residence.”

Su Cheng wore a bewildered expression. “…I didn’t see anyone enter the courtyard, but I’ll certainly cooperate with your work, officers. What do you need me to do?”

In the original story, Lin Yun had blackmailed the demon into sleeping with her, which took much longer. The two were still in the midst of it when they were startled by the commotion outside.

At least the supporting female character had recovered some strength and hastily teleported away. By the time the door was smashed open, only Lin Yun remained, barely clothed as she scrambled up from the bed.

In the end, it was only thanks to the old man in the bracelet that the situation was glossed over.

Su Cheng: “…”

Now she could only rely on herself.

Su Cheng looked at the Holy Knight captain before her.

Though obscured by armor, the voice and the lack of an Adam’s apple confirmed this was undoubtedly a woman.

Just like in the original story.

—Clearly, not everyone outside the Lin family relatives, or rather, not all characters with significant roles had undergone a gender swap. Like her cheap uncle, and now this person before her.

The Holy Knight captain circled her room once before turning back. “…It’s quite late, miss. You’re not asleep yet?”

Su Cheng shook her head. “I have things on my mind.”

Joking aside.

She knew this was an expert who could hear her breathing from afar and determine whether someone in the room was asleep while still in the courtyard.

So she couldn’t lie about such things.

The captain glanced at her but asked no further, simply returning to the courtyard.

Before Su Cheng could react, the dozens of Holy Knights in the courtyard suddenly turned in unison, swiftly parting down the middle before kneeling on one knee.

Their movements were synchronized and rapid, the clanking of their armor perfectly aligned.

A piercing cry suddenly rang out from the sky, thunderous and resounding through the heavens.

The clouds in the night sky seemed to shatter from the vibration.

The entire Lin estate, along with several neighboring mansions, was engulfed in an enormous shadow.

Su Cheng looked up.

A massive figure descended from the clouds with roaring winds, then abruptly halted, hovering midair.

Its outstretched wings resembled heavy storm clouds, stirring tumultuous gales.

Trees in the courtyard swayed violently in the tempest, horses in the stables whinnied nervously, some even collapsing with froth at their mouths.

The colossal beast in the sky raised its head high, its scales gleaming with a metallic sheen across its powerful frame. Its vast wings beat slowly, controlling the raging winds.

“…A dragon?!”

Servants in the distance gaped in shock. “Is that a dragon?!”

Among the ancient dragonkin, the most common and numerous were the draconic creatures with various animal features—morphologically closer to dinosaurs.

Then there were the winged, bipedal wyverns, resembling giant reptiles, a cross between lizards and crocodiles with bat-like wings.

Wyverns were massive, varying by species, but even the smallest adults started at ten meters in length.

As for true dragons—

Their size resembled wyverns, but with four legs and two wings. Larger, stronger, and far more intelligent, they innately commanded greater magical prowess.

Dragons have five growth stages: infancy, juvenile, growth, maturity, and full maturity.

Any dragon in the growth stage possesses magical power comparable to a Grand Archmage and physical strength no less than a Battle Venerate, equivalent to an eighth-tier magic-warrior dual cultivator.

By extension, a mature dragon equals a tenth-tier mage and warrior, while full maturity surpasses the eleventh tier, wielding demi-god level power.

“…That’s a Dragon Knight!”

Someone spotted the figure swaying on the dragon’s back.

—Dragons are immensely powerful, prideful by nature, and possess intelligence no less than humans, making it extremely difficult to become their contracted partners.

Most so-called Dragon Knights people mention are actually contracted with wyverns or lesser drakes.

Across the entire Silvermoon Empire, true Dragon Knights are exceedingly rare.

Su Cheng also put on an expression of feigned surprise.

This Dragon Knight was a high-ranking figure from the Church, appearing briefly in the original story—merely passing through the sky before heading elsewhere.

He wouldn’t properly appear until much later.

She vaguely remembered him being some beast-eared female captain.

Su Cheng tilted her head to observe the dragon above, but after watching for a while without seeing it leave, she grew puzzled.

Suddenly, a figure leaped down from the dragon’s back!

The person ignored the hundred-meter drop, landing gracefully in the silent courtyard.

Logically, from such height, even if the person were unharmed, the ground should’ve been cratered.

Yet the newcomer landed lightly, leather boots touching the stone tiles without leaving so much as a scratch.

Su Cheng: “?”

The Dragon Knight came down?!

Wasn’t he just supposed to make a cameo in the sky before leaving?!

“What a lively gathering—”

The newcomer strode forward calmly.

The Holy Knights in the courtyard remained kneeling, none daring to look up at him.

He walked through their midst until standing directly before Su Cheng.

Su Cheng: “???”

The man was tall and imposing, with deep crimson curly hair, pale complexion, and strikingly handsome features, his ears adorned with rhombus-shaped white studs.

He wore a fitted dark hunting outfit—a short black leather jacket over matching innerwear, with thigh-high boots accentuating his long legs.

Leather suspenders hugged his muscular frame, crisscrossing to outline his well-defined chest, several silver rings glinting brightly.

But most eye-catching were the pair of beast ears atop his head—triangular pointed ears covered in reddish-brown fur, with fluffy inner tufts.

This marked him as a half-beastman.

Across the northern and southern continents, the most populous intelligent races were humans and beastmen, followed by half-beastmen born from their unions.

Beastmen bear obvious animal traits, while half-beastmen resemble humans more closely, retaining only minor features like ears, tails, or claws.

“Good evening, Miss Mage,” the red-haired man said casually. “What troubles could someone so young possibly have to stay awake this late?”

Su Cheng: “…”

Alright then.

The beast-eared girl got gender-swapped into a beast-eared man.

“Ah, I forgot introductions. I’m Ling Yang, Supreme Commander of the Holy Church’s Northern Continent Knight Order, Silvermoon Empire Eastern Jurisdiction—”

The red-haired man continued breezily, “I’m pursuing a fleeing heretic.”

Heretics generally refer to various pagan believers and the God of Darkness’s affiliated deities and their followers.

Su Cheng bowed her head. “It’s an honor to meet you, Legion Commander.”

The Lin Family Head rushed over from afar, barely managing to steady himself when he slipped at the courtyard gate upon hearing these words.

The Church’s stationed forces across the entire Northern Continent are divided into nine major jurisdictions, each corresponding to one of the nine legion commanders—and one of them stood right before them now.

This was already a figure at the very pinnacle of the Holy Order’s hierarchy.

“Pleasure to meet you, mage,” the red-haired man nodded. “What happened to your forehead? Are you injured?”

“Oh,” Su Cheng touched her slightly swollen forehead. “I hit myself because I was angry… Well, let me tell you, my fiancé wants to break off our engagement.”

“Is that so,” Ling Yang frowned. “He truly has no taste.”

“Thank you, but I’m not angry because I like him—I just feel humiliated. My cousins have been mocking me over this…”

Su Cheng sighed dejectedly. “I was so upset I fainted during the day, and couldn’t sleep at night thinking about it, so I hit my head with a book. Ah, now even your Holy Knights know about it.”

Ling Yang studied her for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. “You’re truly adorable, my lady. Don’t worry, I guarantee they won’t breathe a word of it.”

Su Cheng sighed. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. It’ll probably spread soon anyway. Let them talk if they want—if it amuses everyone, that’s fine too.”

The red-haired man nodded. “By the way, a fugitive passed through here—though he’s already left now.”

He said this casually, his eyes suddenly glowing with golden light.

The radiance was dazzling, like two burning flames, yet carrying an intense sense of intimidation.

“So I’ll need you to undergo a truth spell test, miss. Answer a few questions for me, and please don’t lie—otherwise you’ll be reduced to ashes by holy fire.”

Su Cheng feigned confusion, showing a hint of fear. “Alright, I’ll definitely tell the truth.”

Ling Yang curled his lips. “First, about that fugitive who entered your residence—do you know who he is, miss?”

Su Cheng: “No.”

She genuinely couldn’t remember that demoness’s name—something like Renierena or similar.

Lin Yun had slept with too many people, and foreign names were easily confused—even the author frequently got them wrong.

Su Cheng had anticipated this line of questioning, which was why she’d deliberately angered the demon earlier to avoid exchanging names.

“Good,” Ling Yang seemed satisfied. “Do you know where he went?”

Su Cheng shook her head without hesitation. “No idea.”

“Excellent,” Ling Yang clapped his hands, the golden light fading from his eyes. “You’ve passed the truth spell’s lie detection. Since everything was truthful, we have nothing further to ask.”

Su Cheng secretly sighed in relief.

Originally, this truth spell interrogation was supposed to be conducted by that captain.

Lin Yun had exchanged names with the demon and spoken at length—he actually couldn’t have passed, relying on the cheat old man to cover for him.

“However—”

The red-haired man tilted his head, then sniffed the air as if catching a scent.

The beast ears atop his head twitched slightly, resembling two reddish-brown feathered wings, their soft fur continuously quivering.

“There’s a certain scent on you…”

Ling Yang suddenly leaned in close.

Su Cheng had no time to dodge as the tall man abruptly closed the distance, his prominent nose brushing against her shoulder.

Through her outer coat and inner garments, the heat of his breath seemed to penetrate her skin.

That was where the demon had bitten and sucked her blood.