The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 46

The VIP room was quiet. Yao Yuan picked up the black tea cup under immense pressure, but as her lips touched it, she found the liquid inside had vanished. She had no choice but to set down the saucer, and as she did, the teacup itself disappeared.

“It can’t be that serious, is it? Just to ask a question, you had to change rooms? Xing Kong, don’t you have that kind of swoop power to segment space?” she muttered distractedly, her eyes darting around.

The Devil did not answer for the moment; she was still adjusting the brightness. The lights rose from a gentle, warm orange to a somewhat harsh, white glare.

Only when the light was so bright it seemed to expose everything did Xing Kong sit down directly opposite Yao Yuan. Her posture, with her legs crossed, should have looked unrefined, yet when the Devil gently rested one leg over the other, the sense of oppression was overwhelming.

【She’s doing this on purpose.】Yao Yuan couldn’t help but grit her teeth, feeling tense.

“Speak. My lovely sweetheart’s little secret.” A gentle smile mixed with just the right amount of distance—at this moment, the Devil was truly as cold as when they first met.

She’s doing this on purpose… deliberately using these little tricks to force the truth out of me, but I have to admit, it’s working.

Taking a deep breath: “I might have awakened a precognitive ability.”

“Might.”

Yao Yuan was secretly alarmed: “Yes, it’s ‘might’ for sure. You’ve seen my magic circuit, right? Da Ju said it shouldn’t be at the heart position, but I really feel the key node is there.”

Her breathing quickened because the Devil rose directly from her seat and placed one hand over Yao Yuan’s chest. There was no stroking or feeling, just a simple penetration of her body with shadow.

“Your circuit status is normal,” the Devil withdrew her hand. “There is no node at the heart position.”

Is that so? Then why… why is your expression so serious? Yao Yuan shook her head in confusion: “That’s good, then. Anyway, I definitely saw something before she walked over this time.”

Xing Kong returned to her seat. Yao Yuan’s voice floated out distantly: “I saw her attack you with a dagger.”

The look of surprise lasted only for an instant. “Heh.” The Devil’s lips curved slightly, as if she had heard something very ridiculous.

“Don’t laugh, it’s true.” Yao Yuan was slightly anxious. “I saw her balala conjure a dagger and stab you directly in the waist!”

“Firstly, she would need to get close to me. Secondly, I have very powerful defensive magic surrounding me.”

“Yes, and then she stabbed you right through, and you burst into a flower of fireworks.”

“…Foretell what I am going to do next.”

“You won’t pinch my face, wah—” Yao Yuan suddenly lost her balance and, before she realized it, had tumbled onto the Devil’s lap.

“At least one thing you guessed correctly.” The Devil’s voice paused.

“Which thing… You, you?!”

The shirt was casually unbuttoned and tossed aside. Scarlet runes pulsed on her waist, and blood mist swirled with shadow.

“My weakness is indeed my side, at the waist.” Her finger traced a circle over the runes, her casual tone laced with a hint of ruthlessness: “This wound won’t heal in a short time.”

“Who… are you willing to say?”

“I will kill her later.” Xing Kong gently squeezed the fingers Yao Yuan tentatively reached out, pressing them onto her side before she could retract them.

The sensation was not skin, at least not at the wound. It was void… yet the void contained a slight solidity, more akin to a lake or a river. Is Xing Kong’s true form a liquid being?

“A normal dagger would be ineffective here, but what she used must have been something granted by a False God.”

“You believe me now?” Yao Yuan quickly pulled her hand back, feeling a little pleased.

“Why wouldn’t I believe you? I said, trust is a contract.” Xing Kong’s eyes reflected her face: “Do you remember?”

“Of course… to be honest, I didn’t remember just now, heheh?”

“Incredible.” Xing Kong’s fingers traced her cheek: “I dislike it when others pretend to be naive in front of me, but you doing this…”

“Is cute?” Yao Yuan blinked expectantly. As long as she was the ‘special one,’ her safety level would increase significantly!

“Hmm.” The Devil seemed to ponder seriously for a moment before finally smiling and admitting: “Yes, you are truly foolish, so I am not angry.”

cont.

Yao Yuan instantly deflated like a sunfish: “Then you can try contracting with fools from now on! They’ll believe anything you say anyway!”

“No, I also dislike humans who cannot communicate normally.” Xing Kong shook her head honestly: “You might be foolish just enough.”

Is this a compliment?

After she fell into a daze and then asleep, the plane pierced through layers of clouds and continued its journey forward. After an unknown period, a gentle tap caused Yao Yuan to jerk her head up: “Mmm… chocolate… Wow! We’ve arrived?”

“We are already on the island now.” Xing Kong smiled, lifting her by the collar and signaling her to look ahead. What greeted her was a tropical rainforest-like landscape; broad-leafed trees and humid air dominated her senses.

“Xing Kong, did you take me to Africa while I was asleep?” She rubbed her eyes, but rubbing them again still showed a tropical rainforest.

“This is not Africa, it’s an island~” The Young Miss suddenly appeared behind them, looking at Yao Yuan with interest: “You slept soundly. You missed two meals, you know?”

“I slept that long?” Her stomach rumbled at the right time. Yao Yuan was a bit embarrassed, but the emptiness in her heart had vanished.

“Yes, you slept that long, almost missing the good show.” The hand the Young Miss extended was slapped back by Xing Kong, but she didn’t get angry, merely muttering to herself: “Follow me. They should have already decided the winner.”

“Winner?” Yao Yuan followed her gaze toward the cliff not far away: “Did you, you force them to free-climb?!”

“Pfft! I’m not the Devil~ Why would I do that?” The Young Miss winked, making a bang gesture: “I just had them play a lighthearted and fun game of jungle sniping.”

“Sniping?!”

“Why are you so rigid? It was paint-ball guns, not real ones.”

“I’m sorry…” Yao Yuan shook her head. Following the Devil for too long had started to mess up her common sense.

“Oh, right, did I forget to introduce myself? You can call me Xiao Ke from now on.” The Young Miss’s hair fluttered in the breeze: “My full name is Wang Runke. I don’t like that name, and don’t call me A Ke either.”

“Alright, Miss Wang.”

“Hey~” The path was not muddy. A line of polished cobblestones marked a small road leading straight to the villa by the cliff. Upon entering, servants helped take their coats and tidy their shoes.

The wooden floor had an oiled sheen, and her soles felt pleasantly springy stepping on it. Xiao Ke walked into the living room, where three velvet-cushioned chairs stood by a table. The circular table in the center was highly conspicuous: large enough for about ten people, covered in beautiful, intricate carvings. These ivory-colored carvings had no clear symbolism, only suggesting birds or flowers. Only the crown at the center of the tabletop was distinctly concrete.

“Ahem, please have a seat.” The Young Miss happily sat down in her main chair, then looked at the two of them with sparkling eyes: “Do you believe in magic?”

H-how am I supposed to answer that?

Yao Yuan placed a hand over her lips: “Yes, I am a divination enthusiast.”

“Yay~ That’s perfect, I’m a divination enthusiast too, although I only started learning last week~” Xiao Ke’s voice instantly rose by eight octaves: “But what I’m talking about now is magic, real magic.”

“Ah… I believe in it. Would you like to demonstrate a fireball spell right here?”

Yao Yuan’s reaction was extremely flat, with no hint of excitement in her eyes, only fatigue. It’s unsurprising that more and more spellcasters are appearing in this world.

“What kind of reaction is that? Fail!” Xiao Ke immediately straightened the bow tie on her collar: “I paid a great price to obtain this set of magical props, and now I’ll show them to you!”

Her palm slapped the crown pattern on the table. A circular arc of light illuminated, and a simple radial pattern in the middle flashed and vanished, replaced by three red beams directed at the three people.

“Is this an automated desk lamp?” Yao Yuan poked the red line in front of her. Nothing happened.

“Don’t underestimate magic! I call this prop the ‘King’s Round Table’!” Xiao Ke covered her left eye with one hand and stylishly pulled a deck of playing cards from the side of the table, slapping it down in the center.

The well-established Young Miss persona instantly shattered into pieces, reforming into a complete chuunibyou (eighth-grader syndrome) character.

cont.

“So how does this King’s Round Table work? Does it summon 12 Knights to help you find the Holy Grail?” Since she had nothing else to do, Yao Yuan casually picked a card from the center deck. Is it a club or a diamond… hmm?

Her brows furrowed as the card was revealed: it wasn’t a playing card design, but a crown.

“Whoa, I haven’t shuffled yet. Logically, since there are three people here, I should only take three cards, including the King card.” The Young Miss’s expression was relaxed. She picked up the remaining cards, selected numbers 1 and 2, covered them, and then continuously cut the deck before handing it to Xing Kong: “You draw the number card first.”

Xing Kong didn’t even look at her, drawing the card on the left and showing it to Yao Yuan: the face of the card was blank.

“Heheh, see? That’s the first layer of magic~ Order Concealment.” Xiao Ke flipped her own card with satisfaction, flicking it with her fingertip: “Even if you show it directly or say it, you can’t report your own number.”

【My number is 1.】Xing Kong’s voice sounded directly in Yao Yuan’s mind, making her want to laugh. Is this getting called out on the spot? Maybe I shouldn’t tell Xiao Ke the cruel truth.

“Since it’s the first layer of magic, there must be a second one?” Yao Yuan turned her face away, unable to bear watching.

“That’s right! The second layer of magic is the super-amazing—King’s Command!” Xiao Ke slapped the table: “Issue the command. Since you drew the King card, please give the order.”

Isn’t this just a chuunibyou version of the King’s Game? The rules are exactly the same.

Yao Yuan suppressed her urge to laugh and cleared her throat: “Then, I request that Number 2 lift Number 1. They must be lifted above the head.”

Hehehehe, making Xing Kong lift Xiao Ke would be easy, but if it’s the other way around… let’s see how you lift Xing Kong! A Young Miss like this will surely realize they’re being bested and immediately— WHAT?!

Her eyes widened at the astonishing sight: Xiao Ke really exerted herself and lifted Xing Kong! And she used a completely unscientific, comic-book posture of gripping the ankles!

“Xing Kong, you were willing to be lifted by her?!” Even if the Young Miss had superhuman strength, the Devil shouldn’t allow it if she didn’t want to!

“There’s no need to expend extra magic to resist this level of force.” Xing Kong successfully landed, stepping off Xiao Ke’s hands.

“Ha, ha… How about that? That’s the power of magic.” The Young Miss collapsed weakly into her chair, panting: “Although, although it drains a little stamina… or something else, the command is absolute! The others will be back soon, you, you guys wait and continue playing with me~”