The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 20

“A little brat who isn’t even a monarch—” The Succubus’s fury was forcibly cut short by a gem-encrusted dagger piercing right through her body. Blood vessels burst in her pink eyes: “It seems I misjudged you~” The devil drew a line with her finger, and unseen threads of blades sliced the body before her. Every cross-section was extraordinarily smooth, looking more like jelly than flesh and blood.

The “jelly” landed on the floor with a sizzling burn, and the Succubus’s body color gradually faded.

A terrifying image flashed through Yao Yuan’s mind as she crouched under the table: Something is going to strike the devil’s side!

“Xing Kong! Be careful of your side—” A layer of dark shadow quickly linked the devil and Yao Yuan, tightly engulfing the two of them.

“The female lead’s special privileges are truly excessive,” the Succubus laughed in extreme anger. The direction of the dagger in her hand subtly changed. The thrown dagger was swallowed by the darkness, and she finally faded into transparency and disappeared.

“Xing Kong, are you okay?” Yao Yuan quickly scrambled out from under the table.

“I’m fine. Were you just worried about me?” The devil cast a shadow over her, reminding Yao Yuan of that terrifying reaction the other night. Oh wow, is this guy going to say something about pity equaling insult again?

Yao Yuan gave the devil a pitiful look: “I wasn’t that worried. I really did see that guy attacking you just now.”

“See? An interesting ability.” The devil didn’t say anything more. She walked to the table, sat down, and used a ceramic knife to cut the steak.

The steak’s interior showed a lovely pink color. Yao Yuan sat down nervously, stealing glances at the devil several times before finally picking up her fork and gently poking a small piece.

As soon as the beef entered her mouth, it melted. She exclaimed in surprise. This is too rich, isn’t it? And it tastes a bit raw.

A flame rose from the bottom of the plate, instantly cooking the steak to a perfect well-done.

“Thanks~” Yao Yuan took another bite and finally showed a satisfied look. She stirred the spaghetti with her fork, put it in her mouth, and savored the rich tomato flavor.

Dinner finished quickly. As Yao Yuan swallowed the last sip of black tea, Xing Kong suddenly looked straight at her and somewhat sternly lifted her chin: “Xiao Yuan, is there anything you want to ask?”

“Actually, no,” she said, carefully putting down the cup. It would be bad if the devil suddenly went crazy.

“Just leave fellows like that one just now to me in the future. They are just artificially synthesized small fry.” The devil touched her cheek, seemingly in a good mood.

“Then, Xing Kong… can you teach me some magic?” Yao Yuan asked, emboldened.

“The magic I master is not suitable for you, but I won’t stop you from seeking instruction from others.”

Others… Right, if the earlier incident was a trap, then the Succubus must have been the Magician’s summoned beast?

Xing Kong turned off the light: “Hurry up and sleep. The ship has sailed. The next two days will be very interesting.”

“What? The ship has sailed?!” Yao Yuan scrambled to push the table aside, rushed to open the door, and darted to the deck, where she indeed saw the sea reflecting the moonlight in shimmering ripples.

This is terrible. People always die when this sort of thing happens in literature.

Xing Kong casually picked her up, carried her back to the room, and tossed her onto the bed, burying her under layers of blankets: “Good night.”

The sound of a bell rang in the cabin, like Lapis Lazuli walking around.

Yao Yuan suddenly opened her eyes. Xing Kong was tying the last butterfly knot on her skirt. She got up from the sofa and shook her head: “What time is it now?”

“9 AM. There’s one hour until the assembly.” Xing Kong picked up the cake next to her: “Eat breakfast first.” The plate held a stack of colorful macarons. It seemed to be the menu arranged by the veteran sweet-tooth group administrator.

Yao Yuan finished washing up and ate the macarons one by one with hot chocolate. She was relieved that Xing Kong hadn’t tried to feed her. The devil’s overly meticulous attitude always reminded her of cat owners.

Wiping her mouth, she considered her words: “Xing Kong, can you tell me why the Succubus yesterday came for me?” She was also muttering strange things…

“Of course, it was for your soul. I won’t give your soul to anyone.”

So, can my soul be eaten or drunk? Yao Yuan was exasperated: “Isn’t the soul your universal equivalent? Is it just for one coin?”

The devil opened the door for her: continued  “No, a rare soul is the best collector’s item.”

“If the contract is complete, where are you planning to collect my soul? A bookshelf, a clothes hanger, or some strange potted plant?” Before the devil could answer, she laughed herself: “Forget it, don’t tell me yet, so I don’t get scared.”

Stepping onto the deck, the sea breeze brought a salty smell. Yao Yuan walked to the outer edge and peered over. The color of the blue seawater was almost vibrant, somewhere between transparent and opaque.

A few fins suddenly broke the surface. Are those sharks? The answer soon came: several plump killer whales emerged to breathe. They were moving forward right alongside the cruise ship’s side, appearing to be a whole family.

“So cute~ Wait, why are there killer whales here? Where exactly have we drifted off to?” Yao Yuan instantly grew nervous: “Is this spatial magic from a game?!”

Xing Kong: “You’re overthinking it.”

Fire Opal walked out of the cabin and glared fiercely at them.

“Good morning~” Yao Yuan greeted awkwardly.

“Don’t try to be familiar with me. We are enemies!” Though she said that, Fire Opal didn’t leave immediately. She looked closely at Xing Kong behind Yao Yuan and shouted: “Don’t be smug. I’ll have a familiar someday too, and it will definitely be stronger than yours!”

“You’d better not set your mind on that.” Yao Yuan smiled bitterly: “The price I paid was my soul.”

“Stop trying to trick me. Do you think you signed a contract with a demon?” Fire Opal scoffed dismissively and ran towards the hall, clutching her red dress.

Yao Yuan thought they had arrived early, but when she entered the hall, most of the seats were already taken.

The hall was like another world compared to the deck; the interior furnishings reminded one of a solemn monastery. Interestingly, the stained-glass windows didn’t depict the Virgin Mary and the Child but rather various strange runes.

What was even more different was that, aside from gold and silver items, everything in the hall avoided metal.

The outfits of those present varied. Some looked like they were cosplaying anime or game characters, while others wore casual clothes or uniforms.

However, everyone shared a common trait: they all looked completely nonchalant, without anyone being particularly excited or shy.

“Please sit anywhere.” Lapis Lazuli glanced at Yao Yuan and nodded at her, then returned to conversing with others. There were 36 people in the group chat, but the people here looked to be about fifty, seated at 4 tables.

The one seated at the head table was the group administrator, White Crystal. Her pure white long dress was somewhat similar in style to Lapis Lazuli’s. She looked unusually young, perhaps not even finished with high school.

Yao Yuan scanned the hall and immediately noticed the boy and girl seated in a corner.

It’s the people I saw on the day of the car accident!

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, she walked toward them. The boy maintained his posture of having his head turned away, while the girl gave her a friendly nod.

“Are you two also from the group?” She made small talk, her eyes fixed on the girl’s beautiful purple eyes.

“No, I was just curious,” the girl smiled slightly.

“My name is Yao Yuan. Could we get acquainted?”

“Okay, my name is Lin Xiaoyu,” the girl said halfway before the boy rudely interrupted: “Ling, why are you wasting words on a dead person?”

“Xiao Mei~ Don’t be so harsh. She’s not dead yet.”

“It’s not far off,” the boy called Xiao Mei finally turned his head: “Signing a contract with a devil… I don’t know whether to compliment your intelligence or curse your stupidity.”

“Only I can fulfill her wish,” Xing Kong wrapped an arm around Yao Yuan’s waist, her tone very impolite. Her attitude seemed much more serious than when she faced the Succubus last night.

“Fulfilling a wish and then granting eternal imprisonment. That’s some good charity work.” He suddenly looked at Yao Yuan: “You’re lucky. Do you want me to help you?”

“Help?” Yao Yuan didn’t react immediately.

“Yes, help you release your soul.” The boy’s sarcastic smile was wiped away by a gloomy look: “As long as I eliminate you here, the devil won’t be able to complete the contract.”

If I nod, I will surely die here.

A cold shiver enveloped Yao Yuan: He’s serious.

“I absolutely forbid it,” the devil sneered, dark shadows surging around her.

“That’s not up to you,” the boy countered sharply, tightening his grip on the ruby he was toying with.

“Come on, come on~ Peace, peace! We finally get a vacation, why are we fighting?” Lin Xiaoyu chuckled: “I actually think they look quite compatible~”

“Don’t interrupt with your romantic nonsense!” the boy retorted ungraciously.

“Thank you both for your kind intentions. I—don’t want to die yet.”