The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 64

The sun shone behind the two people, and the amusement park was exceptionally quiet in the afternoon.

This tranquility might not be a coincidence, but rather the result of multiple causes working together. Yao Yuan could feel the pulse of the light specks in her heart.

[They] were approaching their true owner. Unlike the starry sky, this power did not belong to her.

While strolling down the tree-lined path, Yao Yuan suddenly raised her tightly held right hand: “Starry Sky, can you give me half an hour? I want to talk to Shanshan alone.”

“Your soul belongs to me; I must ensure your safety.”

“If Shanshan wanted me dead, she would have done so already.”

“What she thinks is irrelevant to me.” A devil would not follow a god’s instructions, whether true or false.

This time, the human who always backed down and admitted defeat remained firm.

“This is my will. I need to talk to someone who presumptuously bestowed power upon me. I hope you can understand.” Yao Yuan dropped her gentle expression: “I order you, as your owner, to wait here.”

“…Hah.” After a soft chuckle, Starry Sky took a step forward to stand beside her and leaned down to pinch her shoulder: “Do you think I would emulate that bastard and treat the so-called [Owner] with utmost respect?”

Who was that bastard…? It felt like a very sensitive topic. The warrior who had just danced gracefully in the lightning field was already starting to back down!

“Th-Then, are you going to disobey my order?” Okay, she’ll apologize as soon as he says “yes.” If she apologizes fast enough, the punishment won’t catch up to her.

“No, since it is the [Owner’s Command], I will obey.” Starry Sky took a step back, truly seeming ready to wait there. However, the last sentence made Yao Yuan uneasy.

[I will also remember.]

Wow… She really did anger Starry Sky. She definitely won’t dare to do it next time. Carrying five seconds’ worth of regret, Yao Yuan sat on the Ferris wheel.

The moment she touched the seat, a sense of calm washed over her. In contrast to her calm mind, the golden specks of light began to boil, and the sunlight in the sky grew increasingly brilliant.

The light was so warm and dazzling, as if it was about to transition from gold to golden-red, expressing countless intense emotions toward the direction the sun was observing.

“Thank you.” Under the sunlight, a figure in shallow red gradually condensed. In legends, departed souls are always afraid of sunlight, but the figure before her was fearless.

Yao Yuan could finally be sure that she did not “know” the girl before her. Perhaps in the distant past, that memory had been completely erased by some will.

If she had to say, “Shanshan’s” appearance resembled her a little, and also resembled Chu Yan. Individually, the three of them looked like friends with similar features, but if they stood together, people might speculate about a blood relationship.

“Am I real?” Yao Yuan was still bothered by this question. Although some scientists suspect the entire world is virtual, and His Majesty the Demon King also said the world is a derivative of a certain tree, with multiple parallel existences. Yet, she still hoped she had a [real] part.

Shanshan calmly nodded: “Of course. You are not my shadow or creation. You are you.”

“Thank you.” This sentence instantly relieved Yao Yuan. She didn’t want to dwell on the phrase “God loves the world.” She would just trust the truth she wished to believe.

“I should be the one saying thank you. You have carried a lot for me.” The ethereal shadow floated opposite her: “To contain the false god, my true body has been completely unable to leave this place all these years.”

“I see. Do you know where my parents are?” Yao Yuan urgently pressed, her mind containing no concept of her parents, as if they were buried in a fog.

“The current me doesn’t know. I am only a wisp of a soul. But perhaps you can recall.” The red figure gradually faded: “You have met my true proxy. You were even startled by her the first time you met.”

Everything seemed about to end. All she had to do was watch the phantom before her gradually vanish, and then leave this place with hope for a new life.

Even the simple-minded Yao Yuan knew that after leaving this amusement park today, she would probably never return. Whether it was the approaching contract or the avoidance of past misfortune, things would push them further and further apart.

But another feeling still persisted. At this moment, she reached out to the fading phantom.

“Shanshan, no, Lord God, can I return your power to you? Now that the succubus and Chu Yan are dead, if you get your power back, you can be [resurrected], right?” Yao Yuan grabbed her wrist. The phantom had no substance, yet [she] could hold [her]. The golden specks of light formed a strong link between them.

She still remembered the vision the Sunbird had shown her, a place that needed a being with divine authority to expand the entire world.

If no one fulfilled this duty, that world might gradually dissipate, like a cooling flame. Even if the person the Sunbird was waiting for finally arrived, [that] world would cease to exist, and a brand-new world would be restarted.

Just like her and Shanshan right now.

“I can give the power back to you. My soul will soon be taken by the devil.” A strong wind blew away Yao Yuan’s tears. The honorific disappeared. She only wanted to return what belonged to Shanshan to this friend from a distant time and space.

“There’s no need. Without power, I am just an illusion. This world and the world where my true self resides are different.” Shanshan’s words were ambiguous, yet the underlying sense of relief was clearly conveyed.

[There is always a reunion in countless worlds. May your future be smooth.]

The Ferris wheel, reaching its height, seemed very close to the sun. Yao Yuan rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath in the warm sun. Perhaps there was a world where Shanshan hadn’t been stripped of her power, perhaps in some world she would meet her again. But ultimately, they were strangers now, and the phantom also dissipated into the wind.

The gondola descended to the bottom. Her mood was a little low but surprisingly relaxed. She patted her skirt and walked out, naturally placing her hand in Starry Sky’s palm: “Alright, it’s over.”

“I heard a sentence just now.”

“What sentence? How about we go get some grilled sausage?”

Starry Sky met her innocent gaze and could only smile wryly: “Never mind. I don’t want to pursue it this time.”

“So mysterious~ Oh, I want ice cream!” Yao Yuan stuck out her tongue and suddenly saw an ice cream stall not far away.

The devil sensed something and stopped in place. However, even though she didn’t move forward, the ice cream stall rolled toward them on its wheels.

Yao Yuan walked towards the stall: “Two ice creams. I want vanilla flavor. What about you, Starry Sky?”

“Her sense of taste is not sensitive; she needs a strong flavor.” The tall clerk took off his hat, and a head of smooth silver hair scattered in the wind.

“It’s Lady Barbatos!”

“And me, and me~” A petite Demon King in an apron straightened up and poked her head out from behind.

His Majesty the Demon King seized the opportunity while Yao Yuan was in a daze and stuffed the vanilla ice cream into her hand: “Here, the ice cream you wanted. That child definitely won’t accept the ice cream we give out, even if you force her.”

“I want chocolate flavor.” Starry Sky reached out without hesitation after hearing this.

His Majesty the Demon King paused, and the Barbatos beside her rushed to hand out the ice cream as if she had heard a hilarious joke: “Here, catch.”

“…” The devil’s gaze was probably enough to kill the two people in front of her back and forth ten thousand times—if they were ordinary humans. But ultimately, she was unwilling to violate the words she had spoken and accepted the chocolate ice cream.

Under the varied gazes of the onlookers, the devil took a bite of the chocolate with the ferocity of a predator killing its prey: “Speak. What are you doing in the material world?”

The silver-haired Barbatos pushed up her glasses: “It’s His Majesty the Demon King’s vacation arrangement.”

“What is the real purpose?” Starry Sky’s eyes were filled only with disgust: “Every moment you stay consumes enormous energy. Vacation is not a good reason.”

“I didn’t expect you to be in this state, too. What do humans call it again?” Barbatos clapped her hand as if waking up from a dream: “Rebellious phase?”

[She… she said it!] At this moment, Yao Yuan and His Majesty the Demon King’s inner thoughts were surprisingly consistent.

The devil named Barbatos was practically treating Starry Sky’s bottom line like a crosswalk, stepping on it once, then again, and then driving a road roller over it and stepping on it one more time!

“Your Majesty the Demon King…” Yao Yuan crouched down and asked in a voice she thought was very quiet, but which everyone present could hear: “So… is Lady Barbatos Starry Sky’s mother?”

This time, a second road roller appeared on the crosswalk, driving forward shoulder to shoulder with the first!