The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 62

Dong—Dong—Dong…

The fatal bell rang in Yao Yuan’s heart. She finally understood the meaning of the sound she had once heard. It was perhaps a funeral march for herself, or for others.

Whether it was a magic item or a real-world threat, all she wanted now was to escape, just like a long, long time ago. Surely, luck would favor her this time?

It was ironic. The last time she ran, the slightly ethereal magic was her comfort, as reality was too cruel. Now, the situation was reversed. She could only feel the existence of reality when running on the concrete road. The blurred modern high-rises around her also helped calm her mind.

【This is not the False God’s Divine Realm, but her real world.】

So, as long as she ran, as long as she tried to escape, she would surely wait for Xing Kong’s rescue, just like the time-traveling strike she had just witnessed.

Ha… Ha… Huff… Her chest ached constantly. She had run too fast. The distance from the bar door to the parking lot was covered almost in a flash.

The Succubus moved incredibly fast. Even without considering magic, she might be able to slice off her head in the next instant. After all, devils are creatures that do not hesitate and make quick decisions.

Fortunately, at that moment, an unparalleled black sports car came into view. It was a car the Devil had solidified and transformed with magic power! No wonder it still glowed brightly in the fading environment.

【Angel!】

She instinctively climbed into the sports car and, using her last bit of instinct, operated the controls. Without even understanding how, the sports car started as usual!

Excellent. Not even a Succubus could outrun a sports car, right?!

The car’s speed was reliable. After clearing a path in the empty space… her smile froze. There were people on the street!

So, the parking lot wasn’t shrouded in night, but by a black mist.

She swallowed the fiercely secreted saliva under the sunlight, and sweat dripped down.

【It’s daytime now. I don’t know which day it was reversed to, but there are people on the street.】 Her hands trembled so much she couldn’t hold the steering wheel, and the car’s speed plummeted.

She couldn’t see the Succubus in the rearview mirror yet, but her intuition screamed that the enemy would arrive soon.

What should she do? What should she do?

If she floored the gas pedal and drove recklessly here, she 【would surely】 shake off the pursuers and delay them until Xing Kong arrived, using the Devil’s power to cover up the evil deeds she committed.

However, if she were to actually do that—what a joke! Ignoring the sudden surge of malice in her mind, she forced the car to a slow stop by sheer will.

Better to leave everything to fate than to seize the happiness owned by others.

Besides, she wasn’t ready to leave everything to fate. Since the sports car was inconvenient here, she should get out and run…

【You have qualified.】

The scorching sunlight shone into her eyes, freezing her actions. A dazzling golden bird stood above her, announcing in a serious tone.

【You have qualified. I shall grant you a new duty: to serve as the Mother’s assistant and wait with us for her return.】

Layers of light rings wrapped around her from top to bottom, and a pair of wings forcibly unfolded behind her back. If Yao Yuan had ever seen the stained-glass paintings of angels in a church, she could probably imagine what was about to happen.

Even without seeing them, she understood that the otherworldly radiance would give her a way out.

But out of caution, she still spoke.

【Where are you taking me?】

【To the world created by the Mother.】

The bird overflowing with sunlight probably understood that this was a blank check. As its wings unfolded, it transmitted some fragmented images to Yao Yuan.

The massive stream of information was compressed into just a few seconds, showing the beginning of the heavens and earth, the birth of the elements, the emergence of life on the planet, and finally settling on a primeval village.

He needed her—someone who possessed a portion of the Mother’s power—to act on the Mother’s behalf, to carve out a complete world for the Mother, and wait for the Mother to truly wake up and reappear on Earth.

Yao Yuan had many questions she wanted to ask, such as: Who is the Mother, what is the world like specifically, what would she become when she got there, and what she would have to do.

Yet, the question that came out was: 【Can Xing Kong go there?】

【The Devil does possess the ability to cross worlds, provided she spends the time to determine the coordinates. Perhaps a thousand years, perhaps several millennia.】

【I don’t want to leave this place. I have an agreement with her.】

【What I can do in this world is very limited. If you die here, many people will be troubled.】

She knew what the golden bird said was true. Since she was unwilling to leave, she would likely be killed by the Succubus who would soon arrive.

The light spot in her soul would either be taken by the Succubus or reclaimed by Xing Kong according to the contract.

In many, many literary works, the heroine dies at the end, and the lover always arrives a step too late.

【I’m sorry, I cannot accept your kindness.】

The moment her definite refusal came out, both the wings and the halo instantly vanished. The light also gradually weakened; perhaps the bird’s power was only enough to maintain itself for this short time.

【Why? Why do you prefer death to acceptance?】 The serious voice held a hint of confusion. 【Even if the Devil were to judge, she would consider you going to another world first to be more rational than dying.】

Grateful for the other party’s politeness and lack of coercion, Yao Yuan’s voice held a smile as she explained.

【No, Xing Kong is different from others.】

Why? Logically speaking, whether the Devil has mind-reading or not, humans cannot read the Devil’s mind. They are not the same kind, and she is ordinary. How dare she rashly claim to understand Xing Kong’s thoughts?

【Xing Kong… she is very arrogant.】

The light continued to dim and would soon completely dissipate.

【Xing Kong, if it is Xing Kong, she will definitely consider accepting a contract from someone else and slipping away to another world a betrayal. That person… that Devil loathes that more than death.】

“And I’m not going to just die easily,” Yao Yuan said this aloud instead of thinking it. “I’ll see if there are other ways, whether to run or find a weapon…”

Her words suddenly stopped, not because of the rope that appeared in the rearview mirror, but because of the display screen inside the car.

The network-connected screen faithfully displayed the exact date and time. Coincidentally, this time… it was that day, 8:49 AM on that very day!

And the location was… When she saw the traffic light, she felt dizzy.

That’s right. At this moment, Yao Yuan was completely unaware of the life-and-death line she was on. She didn’t have time to look in the rearview mirror; she only noticed the person walking to the other side of the road…

【Herself.】

If her reason were still intact, she would definitely ask the Sun Bird about the danger of doing this and would then miss the only opportunity.

However, her body moved faster than her consciousness.

【Why don’t you use this place more, use it more.】 Xing Kong had said that once, but this time her only answer was—【There’s no time!】

Yao Yuan slammed on the gas pedal. The black sports car sped toward 【herself】—”Hiss—Bang!”

After the fierce collision, she only felt a burst of warmth. Was this warmth the Sun Bird’s final care for her? Or the temperature brought by the flowing blood?

Why… are her lips a bit hot? In a daze, she seemed to see Xing Kong’s face. She finally fell backward in the warm, cozy sensation.

【Even for the Little Match Girl… this ending isn’t so bad… is it?】

“Di di di, di di di di…” The alarm clock suddenly went off. Yao Yuan snapped her eyes open.

The familiar feeling made her scalp prickle. She quickly scrambled out of the quilt and looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the surroundings were a comfortable room and not the school dormitory.

She would cry if she woke up to find that everything had been a long dream. Wait, maybe everything being a dream was a good thing?

Lying back in the quilt and closing her eyes again, she thought with a bit of a wry smile: If everything truly started over, would she still sneak to the basement to wait for that black sports car?

【She definitely would.】 A feeling of security enveloped her heart. This time, the voice of inspiration definitely did not belong to that bird.

“Here, try this.”

A fork with a slice of cut beef was offered to her.

“Ah~” She chewed it after putting it in her mouth. It wasn’t steak, but more like tomato beef brisket, with a faint tomato sweetness and sourness. She suddenly opened her eyes: “Xing Kong! You’re back!”

Yao Yuan scrambled out of bed awkwardly, nearly putting on her slippers with her hands: “Where’s the Succubus? And Chu Yan, and all those weird False Gods, have you driven them all away?”

“Except for the False God, all have been obliterated.” Xing Kong used the edge of the spoon to wipe the tomato sauce from her lips: “How does it taste?”

“It’s delicious~” Yao Yuan was much more relaxed. She extended her little finger, which had been cut off once before, and wiggled it: “It’s fine now, right?”

“Almost. If you wish, I will assist you in your actions for the remaining time.”

“Don’t you dislike following the orders of the Demon King?” Yao Yuan blinked.

“Indeed, but I don’t dislike your request.” Her voice was sweetly tender.

“S-sweet talk.” The tone of her complaint was increasingly mixed with laughter: “Anyone can just say that. Maybe you… maybe you’re just slightly better toward me than you are toward a contractor.”

However, a complaint was just a complaint. They both understood the truth of the matter.

Xing Kong put the plate back on the table: “I strongly dislike humans who are unchanging; they bore me.”

“And then?”

“I also strongly dislike humans who give up easily; they are not worth paying attention to, like maggots.”

“Hmm, continue?” Yao Yuan started to get angry. She felt a strong sense of personal offense! She was lazy and boring, and she was very sorry about that.

“I detest any being that is recklessly ignorant, lacks self-awareness, and dares to question me.” The Devil, who was walking closer and closer to the bed, had eyes that deepened into crimson. The arrogance of the predator surged.

“So, so.”

If she could control it, Yao Yuan would definitely control the action of swallowing her saliva right then and there, but who could control that?

In the rhythm of the Devil drawing nearer, she kept backing away until she collapsed onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow.

“So the difference is huge.”

“Eh?” Her mind was a mess, and she couldn’t understand what Xing Kong meant by “difference.”

“Sticking to convention, foolishly timid, unable to control herself and saying whatever comes to mind, jumpy, and good at shifting blame. You’ve done everything I dislike, and you possess all the traits I hate.”

“You, you—” “Even so, I have never harmed you. What do you think?” The gentle kiss on her lips gradually intensified the pressure of the Devil’s teeth.

“…”

“If it were anyone else, regardless of whether they were a 【precious contractor】, they would not be allowed to remain in the mortal world.” After their lips parted, the Devil’s smile gave the illusion of doting. She gently touched the shallow scratch on Yao Yuan’s lip with her finger.

“Xing Kong.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you… love me?”