The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 34

Yao Yuan shivered, getting goosebumps all over, and stiffly walked outside.

“My dear lady,” the low-budget Robin Hood continued his awkward act, “I shall pave the way for you, lest the thorns should prick your skirt.”

She walked left, and Robin Hood walked left; she walked right, and Robin Hood walked right. She had no choice but to stop in the center and confront this sticky nuisance.

He blinked his heavily dark-circled eyes, “Don’t you wish to be alone with me?” As he spoke, he plucked a fake flower and held it between his teeth.

“No, thank you,” Yao Yuan refused, enunciating every word while looking at the plastic flower he had flattened by biting.

The man grinned, stepped forward—then his pupils suddenly widened as if seeing a ghost. Half of the plastic flower fell to the ground, and he hitched up his pants and ran in the opposite direction!

A shadow fell over Yao Yuan. She couldn’t help but look up, “Xing Kong, you’re so slow…”

A fingertip gently touched her throat, the nail stained with a pale purple glow sliding up to her cheek. Yao Yuan stared blankly into the deep-set eyes.

“Xiao Yuan, are you asking for a kiss?” Xing Kong’s lips moved closer, a pair of fangs protruding slightly.

“W-w-w-waaah… Absolutely not!” Yao Yuan was startled by the sharp teeth and quickly pushed her away. “What’s wrong with your teeth?!”

Turning around, she didn’t need to ask again. Xing Kong’s indifferent expression, highlighted by a black ceremonial robe, looked a little languid. The blood-red accents, the silver bat motifs, and the characteristic fangs all revealed the role she was currently playing.

Yao Yuan’s heart fluttered slightly: this attire, closely resembling a Vampire Grand Duke, was much more impactful than her usual clothes… Truly a devil.

“Come here, lost lamb. I am your sanctuary tonight.” Xing Kong opened her arms. Her tall figure completely obscured Da Ju and Xiao Yu, who were watching the show behind her.

“Stop acting! Aren’t you embarrassed!” Yao Yuan’s face flushed red, and she playfully punched Xing Kong’s shoulder with her small fist. The devil chuckled and blew away a leaf stuck in her long hair.

“Alright, alright, stop flirting, what shall we play next?” Da Ju walked up to the two. Now, only he and Yao Yuan out of the four were not wearing actor costumes.

Xing Kong was dressed as a vampire, and Xiao Yu was wearing a hunter’s outfit.

“I don’t know, it’s so quiet around here… Speaking of which, what’s with your clothes?” Yao Yuan glared at Xing Kong and slapped away the fingers that were toying with her hair.

“Their clothes were probably changed by the staff. We two probably took the general path, right?” Da Ju shrugged. “It seems we weren’t sorted equally upon entry; they played favorites.”

“Ho~ So I guess I’m not pretty enough,” Yao Yuan huffed. Xing Kong was one thing, but even that Robin Hood guy had a costume.

“No, Xiao Yuan,” Xing Kong smiled, raising her chin with two fingers. “Perhaps they simply thought you were especially suited to play the maiden tempted by the devil.”

“Oh, thank you very much!”

Night had enveloped the artificial forest. There were no tourists around. Da Ju nervously sniffed the air but did not relax his furrowed brow even after a long while.

Finally, he gave up the search. “Hey, Yao Yuan, you’re not busy right now, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Good. You said you wanted to practice magic, right?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll start by guiding you through what you’re best at. The environment here is nice, there are few people, and the atmosphere is good.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Master, please teach me quickly!” She had been waiting for this. If she didn’t learn a trick or two, the next time she got separated, she’d only be left crying.

“Mm, the first step is the restraint and control of the familiar.” Da Ju’s gaze shifted from her face to Xing Kong. “Don’t deny it to me yet—did she sign a contract with you? Whether it’s an equal contract or a master-servant contract, both count.”

Yao Yuan cast a pleading look at Xing Kong. Receiving no hint, she had to bite the bullet and reply, “I don’t know, I guess it’s an equal contract.”

“So, she was indeed spotted by a powerful entity and signed an equal contract… Thankfully, it’s not a reverse master-servant one.” Da Ju nodded slightly. “Even with an equal contract, dominating as the Master is conducive to unleashing power, for both you and her.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He was puzzled. “An otherworldly being who signs a contract with a human isn’t working for free. You had no magic before, so she must have been after your vitality.”

Vitality… Judging by the name, it sounded ominous!

Yao Yuan timidly asked, “What kind of power is this vitality you speak of?”

“Why even ask what kind of power? You two call yourselves lovers, she must sleep with you every day, right?”

She couldn’t refute that; it was true. But something still felt wrong!

Da Ju saw Yao Yuan’s face turn the color of a peach. He had an “I understand” look on his face. “In short, since you have this contractual relationship, she should obey your command. You are the dominating party in this relationship, understand?”

“Oh, but Xing Kong is already very obedient.” Yao Yuan weakly retorted. Xing Kong had done so much for her these past few days, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t touched.

“Think carefully. Are the things she does what you demanded her to do, or what she did on her own?” Da Ju said seriously. “There’s a big difference between the two.”

“It’s more like what I wanted her to do. Xing Kong is very smart and always anticipates what I ask for,” Yao Yuan said, realizing something was wrong halfway through, and averted her gaze.

“I knew it… First step, change of address.”

“Eh?”

“Eh what, come here.” Da Ju, exasperated, grabbed Yao Yuan and made her stand face-to-face with Xing Kong, half a meter apart.

“Master, I think the current address is fine.” A bad premonition arose in her heart.

“Fine my foot! You can use whatever nickname you want, but don’t forget, you are the Master.” He stood behind Yao Yuan and loudly encouraged, “While the contract exists, you should dominate her with dignity! Come on, make her call you ‘Master’!”

No, absolutely not.

Fear was escalating, and both reason and emotion whispered: this was definitely the wrong choice.

“Um, Master… I’ll ask you one last question!” Even if it exposed something, she couldn’t care less. Her teeth chattered, “What if it’s like a devil’s contract? Many legendary otherworldly creatures hold grudges!”

“She’s an otherworldly creature? So what?” Da Ju was completely unfazed. “I’m telling you now, even if she is a devil, as long as the contract binds her, you can demand this.”

“R-really?”

“Really! I won’t lie to you.”

Yao Yuan slowly forced her pupils back into position, looking at Xing Kong directly opposite her.

The devil stood ramrod straight, a slight curve at the corner of her lips under the moonlight. Her dark hair and blood-red cape were blown by the wind. She gave no signal of agreement or disagreement.

[Damn it, this one always finds pleasure in choosing—no, in observing others’ choices!]

The sudden realization temporarily suppressed her fear of the devil herself. A corner of the young girl’s heart stirred: making Xing Kong call her Master sounded… not bad?

To do it, or not to do it? She instinctively reached for the Tarot deck in her bag but controlled her trembling fingers.

Yao Yuan took a step forward, “Xing Kong, call me…”

“Call me what?” The devil naturally reached out and pressed her hand onto Yao Yuan’s shoulder, leaning forward to look intently into her eyes.

“M-m-m-m-master?”

“Say it clearly.”

The devil’s smile was too dazzling, the scarlet rising in her eyes replaced by a rosy purple, outlining a pattern more seductive than any spell.

“M-Ma…” Yao Yuan was momentarily lost in the dizzying charm, then the rhythm of her tongue’s movement suddenly stalled. Her teeth accidentally bit her tongue tip, and she instantly sobered up. “You tricked me!”

“Hah, ha ha ha.” The devil embraced her, whispering in her ear, “Xiao Yuan, there were indeed one or two summoners who were quite rude upon meeting me.”

“…”

“They didn’t understand their place, styled themselves as the Master, and commanded me to grant their wishes.” The devil’s arms were very forcefully clamped around her waist. “The aftermath had to be cleaned up by their assistants.”

“…”

“Do you want to apologize? I will forgive you.” Xing Kong’s smile even held a hint of warmth, enough to make one feel overwhelmingly flattered.

“…No.”

“No?”

Under the invisible pressure, Yao Yuan raised her head. “Yes, I will not apologize to you.”

“Reason?” The devil’s smile was fleeting.

“I don’t think this matter warrants an apology.” She bit her lip, an ominous feeling vibrating in her mind. No, she would not apologize.

[I have nothing left to lose.]

Whether it was her lifespan or her soul, it had long been a chip placed on one side of the scale, swaying up and down, right? Perhaps her dignity as a mere human was insignificant, but she truly did not want to bend the knee for such a trivial matter again.

Did she really need an arrogant lover who wouldn’t even accept a failed joke? Was she that lonely, that humble?

She looked at the expressionless devil and spoke again, “Now, neither of us should apologize.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, as I said, this is a fair fight.” The human girl’s eyes reflected her [Lover]. “To curry favor by trampling on one’s dignity has never been my choice.”

The next second, time accelerated its flow.

Da Ju’s voice was lazy. “What’s wrong? It’s really good to do it after all.”

Yao Yuan spun her head around abruptly. “Do what?”

“Change the address, you did well.” He gave a thumbs-up. “Next is issuing a command. Just give her something to do.”

Sure enough, even someone who knew magic couldn’t resist the devil’s enchantment.

Yao Yuan had already anticipated that he hadn’t seen the time slow down just now. A surge of fire rose in her heart: she absolutely must let Xing Kong witness the will of humanity! Don’t assume everyone is a mere plaything for a devil!

Her mind was no longer focused on Summoning training; after all, Xing Kong wasn’t a summoned beast. She casually pulled out an untied fake branch and threw it far away.

Then came silence. Xing Kong, Da Ju, and Xiao Yu all looked at her quietly.

“Why are you looking at me?” Yao Yuan waved her hand. Wasn’t her action obvious enough?

Da Ju was the first to break the silence. “You… your meaning can’t be to make the familiar run out and fetch the branch?”

“Yes, didn’t you say to find something for the familiar to do?”

Da Ju shook his head and retreated several steps. “Your familiar is in human form! That command you just gave… that’s dog training!”

This time, Yao Yuan didn’t wait for Xing Kong to react; she dutifully dashed out. “I’ll fetch it!!” Dignity, well, that needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis!

The group headed toward the edge of the darkest part of the artificial forest. The sun had completely set, and the carnival was about to enter its most interesting night phase.

Yao Yuan looked back with a bit of curiosity. “Da Ju, let me ask you a question. Was it true when you said even a devil could be made to call you Master? Aren’t devils very arrogant in legends?”

“It’s true. You can certainly demand that he calls you that, and even use the contract to restrict and force him to say it.” Da Ju smiled nonchalantly. “Well, aside from the little demons who have no integrity, who knows what their reaction will be afterward, ha ha ha ha ha.”

Ha, ha ha ha? Ha what?!