The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 58

The crimson-gold throne gleamed, the crown atop it sparkling. Yet, the most captivating presence was not the shining, melted metal, but the crown’s owner—the Demon King with amethyst eyes.

“She must be the Demon King.” One look was enough to inspire this thought: smooth silver hair, delicate and regal horns, and eyes brimming with confidence. The black and red gown was completely overshadowed by her own overwhelming presence.

Although her appearance suggested she was no more than 16 or 17 and quite petite, this must be the Demon King’s personal will. Being too powerful, she simply didn’t care about her outward appearance.

“Your Majesty, the Demon King.” Yao Yuan stepped forward with almost no delay. Should she kneel? Single knee or double? She had no psychological barriers to kneeling; after all, this was essentially hell, and kneeling to the Western King of Hell was common practice.

“Dispense with the formalities. You are not yet my subordinate,” the Demon King’s voice was surprisingly gentle, bearing none of what Starlight had called “whimsical.”

“Yes,” Yao Yuan replied, lifting her head with curiosity, boldly looking into the Demon King’s amethyst-like eyes. How to describe it? She didn’t look like a devil at all, but rather like a righteous senior…

Golden light flickered. Crystals, gold coins, gems, magic runes… too many glittering elements formed the concept of the ramparts, yet only the person directly opposite captured all her attention.

The Demon King raised a finger, as if knocking on the door of Yao Yuan’s heart, bringing her drifting consciousness back.

“Hee hee, you shouldn’t do that with others, you know?” The Demon King let out a soft laugh, and Yao Yuan’s heart instantly tightened.

“I—I’m sorry. That was rude.” Her heart and circuits were trembling. If the Demon King had harbored ill will, she would surely have been shattered by the massive influx of magic just now.

To lessen the lingering tremor in her heart, she turned her head to look for Starlight.

She had expected Starlight to be watching the “hateful Demon King” with a difficult expression, but to her surprise, the devil’s gaze was fixed on a pillar on the far side.

Was she avoiding someone’s sight? Yao Yuan looked to the other side and indeed saw another striking individual. How to put it? If the petite Demon King’s aura hadn’t been so overwhelmingly strong, she would never have missed this person’s presence just now.

“The perfect butler, second-in-command, the foremost of the Four Heavenly Kings.” Such titles seemed most fitting, as the woman standing to the Demon King’s right was the very embodiment of Rationality and competence.

Silver hair, thin-rimmed glasses, and scarlet eyes similar to Starlight’s… Ah, was this Starlight’s relative? As Yao Yuan stared at her, the devil also shifted her gaze.

A charm that could almost be called demonic; she hadn’t activated any illusions, yet it felt as if one’s heart was captured by a phantom.

The silver-haired devil pushed up her glasses: “May I ask what matter brings the two of you to seek an audience with Her Majesty today?”

Yao Yuan was de-spelled once again, and slightly annoyed, she took a step back, retreating behind Starlight. Peeking around, she saw Starlight’s expression growing darker.

Wow, how much did she hate the person in front of her?

Starlight seemed to be tossed and turned in boiling water, but finally spoke: “I am here to ask for help.”

“Oh.” The silver-haired devil’s lips curved upward: “What do you ask of me?”

“Not you. I’m asking the Demon King to help her lift the curse of the False God.”

The Demon King on the throne tilted her head: “Is that so? Who is ‘her’? What I want to ask is…” Yao Yuan would swear she saw unconcealed mischief in the Demon King’s eyes at that moment!

“Who is ‘she’ to you?”

“She is now my Master.” Starlight’s voice deepened, enunciating every word clearly.

Yao Yuan looked at Starlight’s face with increasing concern. Her expression hadn’t changed, but her aura felt different.

“Well, in that case, there’s certainly no reason not to help~” The Demon King cleared her throat. She smiled, didn’t she? Absolutely! Both horns were trembling, yet she didn’t laugh out loud. She merely held back her smile and clapped her hands: “Barbatos, you go and have a good talk with… what do you call her now?”

Yao Yuan answered, feeling a little alert: “Starlight.”

“Mhm, Barbatos, you and Starlight go and have a good talk first. I will speak with this young lady about the details of the matter.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Demon King’s command was absolute. With just a sentence, the scene completely flipped. The setting moved from the Demon King’s palace to a fountain courtyard, including the suddenly appearing pure-white tables and chairs—everything was perfectly natural.

The devil named Barbatos vanished with Starlight from the previous setting, leaving Yao Yuan alone to face the petite Demon King.

“Don’t be nervous. To me, you two are like my juniors.” The Demon King’s hand reached for a cup, and warm, gentle black tea appeared in the teacup: “I actually know your name is Yao Yuan. Starlight’s journey to your world was also my instruction.”

“Your instruction?” The black tea by her lips suddenly felt a little hot.

“Don’t misunderstand, the child refused.” The Demon King blinked: “She’s very arrogant. She’d rather be beaten half to death and run away than fulfill our orders.”

“That sounds like something Starlight would do.” Unaware of the history, Yao Yuan cautiously inquired: “Then why did Starlight still come to me?”

“Hmm~ Fate, perhaps. Our expectation for her was to retrieve the power fragments of a dormant deity, but her own focus seems to be just your soul.” The Demon King reassured her: “Don’t worry. Since the child is willing to call you Master, she must care about you very much.”

“I… Is that so?” It would be a lie to say she wasn’t happy. The corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably, as if infected by the Demon King’s smile.

“That’s how it is. You have many things you want to ask, don’t you?”

“Yes. Regarding my finger and my existence, do you have a method for me to retrieve them?” Yao Yuan held out her hand, showing her little finger: “And what price do I need to pay?”

“Indeed, there is certainly a price. I require you two to assist someone, who goes by the alias White Crystal, in accelerating your world’s entry into the Age of Magic.” The Demon King clapped the table, and the entire scene shifted again, stopping in a vast, empty hall.

Various transparent crystal stones encased the four corners of the structure, and only at the very center was a small platform, on which rested a very thick book. The book’s cover had neither words nor pictures, but faintly visible golden light points emanated from it.

“Pay no mind, this is my dungeon; it’s entirely alive. It’s difficult to explain to you without a definite scenario.” The Demon King’s finger pressed on the book cover, and the next second, she flipped it open.

Amidst the pervasive golden light points, everything around became more illusory, seemingly closer to a projection. A tree grew in the middle of the projection. It grew larger and larger, soon exceeding the roof and becoming covered in lush green leaves.

“First, this is roughly the location of your world, very close to the Origin.” The Demon King pointed at a spot on the trunk, then slowly moved her finger to the branches: “The further a world is from the Origin, the stronger the power of magic.”

“Wait a moment, I understand your meaning is roughly that worlds can move. But why is this the case? Shouldn’t magic be stronger the closer it is to the Origin?” Yao Yuan finally understood the situation. The person in front of her seemed ready to explain starting from the very nature of the world.

“It’s simple. The source of magic is external space, not the World Tree,” the Demon King explained with a smile: “The World Tree slowly pushes most worlds to extend toward the position of the leaves. You can treat spellcasters or artifacts utilizing magic as chloroplasts. They react with the magic power from external space, feeding energy back to the World Tree.”

“This… But my world has experienced an Age of Magic before.” Yao Yuan had a sudden thought: “So, do some worlds also flow from the leaves back toward the branches?”

“Indeed, that is a very rare situation. First, let’s clarify a concept: the ‘True Gods’ recognized by the World Tree.” As the Demon King narrated, many indistinct faces appeared in the space.

“Please proceed.”

“A True God must be born in a ‘world completely devoid of any magic or abnormality,’ a pure-rule world that will not move toward the magic side.”

The phantom representing the World Tree lit up the lowest layer.

“These pure-rule worlds are sealing belts that isolate members of the magic world and external hazards. Any entity that truly enters a pure-rule world will lose its special powers,” the Demon King’s expression was solemn: “After all, pure-rule worlds directly guard the roots of the World Tree.”

“I can understand that. So, the Gods are the guardians of the World Tree?”

“Perhaps some Gods are like that, but the Gods I’m explaining to you this time are used for propagation.” The Demon King continued to gesture. Very small, light spots representing Gods separated from the light sphere at the Origin, moving to light spheres near the leaves.

“After being selected, the Gods are sent by the World Tree’s will into worlds near the leaves, allowing them to govern and create more worlds and breed more intelligent beings.”

“So you need the Gods’ power to create more worlds?” Yao Yuan was a bit confused. She understood the rules she was hearing, but she had no idea how to interfere with the world’s operation.

“No, the Gods’ power can also make the world where the Gods reside slide toward the leaves faster.” The Demon King revealed her hand very straightforwardly: “A certain False God wants to seize and destroy a weakened God’s power, causing your world to slide toward the Origin. Although I don’t understand her intentions, I do not wish her to succeed.”

“So, what should I do?” Yao Yuan circled back, ultimately choosing to follow the expert’s advice.

“It’s simple. Just survive for as long as possible. As long as you are alive, this world will continue to rise toward the leaves.” The Demon King suddenly stood up and gave her a hug: “I have faith in you.”

It was a very human-like expression; even the embrace was warm and soft.

Flowers filled the garden, and after the last petal shattered, the two returned to the initial Demon King’s hall. Barbatos wore a gentle smile, while Starlight still showed no sign of smiling.

What was particularly noticeable was that Starlight had changed her clothes. While less ornate, it was still a classical uniform.

“Your Majesty, the Demon King, please fulfill your promise.”

Starlight’s act of looking directly at the Demon King could be called impolite, but the Demon King herself waved a dismissive hand: “Understood. I will now tell you the method to resolve your existence problem. First, the False God must be completely expelled. Smart as you are, you surely know you need to first enter the Age of Magic?”

“Is there another way? She will die very soon.”

“Huh? I will die very soon?!” Yao Yuan looked at Starlight in disbelief. Did the contract have an expiration date?

“She has completely fallen in love with me. The contract will soon be declared complete.” Starlight stared straight ahead, not meeting her eyes as she usually did.

Yao Yuan moved her lips, wanting to refute but powerless to do so: a devil could surely distinguish lies.

“That truly is a nuisance. Out of loyalty to Her Majesty, I must ensure that the Demon King’s expectations are tangibly fulfilled.” The silver-haired Barbatos suddenly moved around the throne, descended the steps, and walked toward the two of them, step by step. She was quite tall; Starlight was already tall enough, but Barbatos was at least half a head taller than her.

“What do you want to do?” Starlight stood in front of Yao Yuan, an aura of shadow enveloping her.

“Guess?”

“Whatever you intend, I will stop it.”

“Starlight, look on the bright side. Maybe she just wants to give some good advice?” Yao Yuan tried to smooth things over, feeling helpless. Thinking about it carefully, being called a direct relative basically implied “Mother.” If their relationship was like that of a mother, she surely wouldn’t harm her child.

The attitude of the petite Demon King just now also made her feel favorably toward her: perhaps Starlight was merely going through a rebellious phase in the devil’s long lifespan?

“It’s wonderful that you can understand.” The silver-haired devil’s smile was sincere: “As long as you come with me first, you will quickly forget that ridiculous affection. She will never be able to complete the contract, and you will very safely gain a loyal servant you can command for a hundred years.”

“I must refuse!” Yao Yuan quickly slipped behind Starlight: Wuwuwu, it’s a good thing Starlight’s mind is completely normal!