The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 66

Is this the final ending?

If this were a game, would it be considered a normal ending or a good ending? Let’s call it: [Fulfillment of the Contract]. I hope the final CG shows Xing Kong’s face…

The shadow of death gradually receded, and Yao Yuan fell towards the Demon Realm in a warm, bright glow.

To call it the Demon Realm isn’t quite accurate; it should be described as entering His Royal Highness the Demon King’s castle once again. This castle is located in the seam between the Demon Realm and the material world, built on an unknown foundation.

Plop, Yao Yuan fell onto a layer of soft shadow. Xing Kong gradually reverted to human form, looking at the composed Demon King duo opposite with a complex expression.

The Royal Castle no longer carried a prison-like oppressive aura; it looked more like a noble lady’s courtyard. White roses surrounded the tables and chairs, and lighting crystals provided illumination.

“Sit, don’t just stand there~” At His Royal Highness the Demon King’s command, Yao Yuan obediently sat down across from them. Xing Kong stood behind her, acting as if he hadn’t heard, level with Barbatos, who stood behind the Demon King.

“Your Royal Highness, did you save me? The runes before…” Yao Yuan rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit touched. She had almost died.

Although being devoured by Xing Kong might not be a bad thing, dying like that would certainly be regrettable. She still remembered that Xing Kong had spoken the word promise at the time, not [love].

“Contract.”

“Huh?” Before Yao Yuan could react, a piece of parchment instantly appeared in a flame. It turned out that this word wasn’t calling out to her.

Unlike when she first met Xing Kong, this time, aside from the suspended flame, there were no other anomalies. The surrounding magical energy was completely still, as if a common scroll had simply appeared and been lit in a mundane way… This very naturalness was more unnerving.

The writing on the parchment was clear. Xing Kong’s eyes grew dark: “What does this mean?!”

“Don’t misunderstand, I have no intention of interfering with the contract between you two. I just want to sign a contract with the lovely human girl again~” The Demon King smiled, covering their mouth.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but I don’t think I can accept your contract. Even setting aside Xing Kong’s wishes, I have nothing left that you could desire.” Yao Yuan lowered her head awkwardly.

“Oh? Is that so? Think about it carefully?”

This catchphrase felt vaguely familiar. She focused her attention and explained: “My soul belongs to Xing Kong. As for divine power… its ownership belongs to Shanshan, and I have no right to allocate it.”

There was something she didn’t say because it sounded a bit helpless: If the Demon King before her genuinely needed divine power, they could simply seize it after her death without relying on a contract.

“You’ve misunderstood; this contract doesn’t mean that.” His Royal Highness the Demon King chuckled: “You can think of it as a forced conscription.”

“Conscription? I have no combat ability.”

“I don’t care about that. As King, I hereby declare—” The Demon King’s scepter gently tapped her shoulder: “I hereby conscript the Retainer’s Retainer!”

A part of Xing Kong dissolved into shadow, and pure energy accumulated, seemingly ready to launch an indiscriminate attack in the Demon King’s palace at any moment.

“W-What do you need me to do?” Yao Yuan stepped away from the stool, retreating a few steps to hug Xing Kong’s waist.

“Don’t be scared, ha ha ha ha ha.” The contract dissipated with the flame, and the Demon King suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Barbatos kindly helped explain: “You have now been requisitioned by His Highness, acting as His Highness’s subordinate. Until the conscription status is lifted, all other matters will be postponed.”

“Wait, what about the contract between me and Xing Kong?”

“You can think of it as asset freezing.” Barbatos’s smile was perfectly flawless. The asset naturally referred to Yao Yuan standing before them.

“Exactly~ Lord Barbatos’s explanation is brilliant. Whether the task I give you is simple or difficult doesn’t matter; the main point is that that child won’t be able to get what they want for now!” His Royal Highness the Demon King snapped a silent finger: “Unless I lift the requisition~” Amidst the turmoil of her thoughts, Yao Yuan finally grasped the key point: no matter what, the Demon King before her had temporarily saved her. She spoke cautiously: “Your Royal Highness, I truly am not skilled in combat, and I especially don’t want to do bad things. You understand, I am human.” Just the most ordinary human.

The Demon King merely took a sip of milk tea: “I know. Although divine power is strong with just a little training, I certainly wasn’t counting on you to shine on the battlefield. Throwing you onto a plane battlefield wouldn’t even withstand one round of a Black Knight’s charge.”

“Hee hee hee…”

“My first command is very simple: deliver a package.” His Royal Highness the Demon King tapped the table: “But not today. You two go rest first. Since you’re here, it’s good to have Lord Barbatos teach that child a few things.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Barbatos bowed deferentially.

The silver-haired devil walked ahead, carrying a lantern. Although equally tall and handsome, she and Xing Kong gave completely different impressions: respectful and polite, with a precise blend of allure and detachment.

“Miss Yao Yuan, does this form of address satisfy you?”

Stimulated by the magnetic voice, Yao Yuan mechanically nodded, only to see the silver-haired devil’s perfect, curving smile.

She was truly completely different from Xing Kong! Xing Kong wouldn’t even use the term ‘Master,’ let alone any honorific. ‘Xiao Yuan’ only carried intimacy. However, this kind of intimacy felt quite nice.

“Wake up.”

Xing Kong’s voice rang in her ear. She let out a dull “Oh,” saying, “Oh, okay. Xing Kong, look, Barbatos is so handsome!”

Heaven help her, the ‘handsome’ she was referring to right now wasn’t about looks, but the scene where the silver-haired devil pushed open the door, and as she extinguished the lantern in her hand, all the candles in the room lit up simultaneously.

The word [sense of ceremony] vividly came to mind. That’s right, the biggest difference was probably this elegant and natural sense of ceremony? She looked like an expert well-versed in this.

The bedroom was huge and empty, resembling a mansion’s great hall more than a bedroom. Perhaps every door in the Demon King’s castle concealed such vast spaces.

If a team of adventurers ran in for a dungeon crawl, they’d probably be exhausted sweeping from the first floor to the second.

“Does Miss Yao Yuan prefer my type?” The silver hair floated before her eyes, and the tempting voice stirred the heart.

“L-Like, no, I like Xing Kong…” Yao Yuan’s cheeks flushed. She tightly grabbed Xing Kong’s hands. The dangerous atmosphere around them finally vanished.

“If I had met Miss Yao Yuan first, you surely would have succumbed to my embrace more quickly.” This sentence wasn’t a question. Only sincerity was visible in her ruby-like eyes.

All the lamps in the bedroom seemed to enhance the person before them. For a moment, it was as if Xing Kong had lost his brilliance.

—Nonsense.

“Stay away from my lover.”

Xing Kong’s hand lightly covered her eyes, blocking Barbatos’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate.

“Did I hear that correctly? What did you just say?” Barbatos straightened up, feigning surprise.

“Human.”

“Just human?”

“Are you losing your mind?” Xing Kong narrowed his eyes.

“Heh, nothing. It seems you truly found an object of loyalty. I’m very gratified.” Barbatos placed one finger on her lip, holding back Xing Kong’s impulse to question further.

“Being gratified by you is truly disgusting.”

“Is that so? I am honored.”

The atmosphere was deteriorating again. Yao Yuan quickly interjected to change the subject: “Ah, that, Miss Barbatos… this bedroom… is so big.”

So, so cold.

Fortunately, Barbatos seemed considerate of her and nodded naturally: “Indeed. Actually, as long as His Highness requires it, any room in this castle can be expanded indefinitely. However, this particular room does have its unique characteristics.”

“Unique? Do you mean these candles and runes?”

“No, those are just the most conventional defensive spells. This room was also the original bedroom of your loyal retainer.”

She didn’t immediately register the term, but upon realizing it, Yao Yuan quickly looked up at Xing Kong’s expression. Thankfully, aside from a faint disgust toward Barbatos, nothing else was visible.

“So this was Xing Kong’s bedroom, ha ha ha.”

Curiosity has existed since the birth of humanity. After an awkward laugh, she finally asked: “Can you tell me the reason why Xing Kong dislikes you?”

Barbatos pushed up her glasses: “Arrogant and childish newborn. It’s perfectly natural for him to dislike anyone.”

Xing Kong didn’t even want to reply and walked straight past Barbatos. Fire incinerated the items on the bed, replacing them with brand new furnishings.

[I feel like both of them are very arrogant.] Yao Yuan moved her gaze away under great pressure and suddenly saw many empty bottles in a cabinet by the bed.

Thinking back carefully, whether passing through the corridor or stopping in the living room, she had seen similar empty bottle decorations.

Barbatos was bowing to leave. Yao Yuan seized the opportunity to ask: “Miss Barbatos, what are those empty bottles used for?”

“Those are containers for souls. The more exquisite they are, the more favored the soul was.” Barbatos chuckled and opened the door.

“But the ones I saw along the way had no stoppers, and I didn’t see any contents. Does a soul not need confinement?”

As Yao Yuan pressed her question, the silver-haired devil had already closed the door, her voice carrying through: “I no longer have affection for my collections, so I discarded all of them. You still have things to do, I won’t disturb you.”

This sentence made Yao Yuan blush: That’s great. It seems Xing Kong’s family members are all good people.

Now that she was alone with Xing Kong in the room, Yao Yuan completely relaxed and flopped onto the soft covers: “Xing Kong, were the bottles in your bedroom also ones you got tired of and released?”

“Those bottles aren’t mine.” Xing Kong’s coldness only lasted until he lay down beside her. Their fingers familiarized and clasped together.

“Then where are your bottles? How many souls have you obtained before?” she pursued, concerned.

Xing Kong turned his face to meet her gaze: “I don’t remember. I sold them all.”

“Sold?”

“Yes. They were all guys not worth remembering. Some were disposed of as soon as I got them.”

“Ugh… Sometimes you should learn from Miss Barbatos. Look, she released hers.” Yao Yuan mumbled in dissatisfaction.

“Heh.” Xing Kong’s short, cold laugh was heavily laced with mockery.

Silence enveloped them again, but even the silence amidst the cold touch didn’t feel bad.

Yao Yuan gently squeezed Xing Kong’s fingers: “Xing Kong, will you forget me later?”

“Why would I forget.”

“Don’t avoid the question. When my existence is taken back, you will devour me, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And then you’ll forget me, right? Your lifespan is very long, a thousand years? Ten thousand years? How long will you remember me?”

Pure darkness descended, and the human shape blurred. The magical candlelight could not penetrate, only obediently extinguishing.

Xing Kong’s tone was less like contempt and more like a special kind of praise: “You truly know nothing. You’re like a blank sheet of paper.”

“I certainly don’t know anyth—” Her defiant words were forcibly cut off, and a long period of dominance officially began.

[Continue. I said I would engage in intimate behavior recognized by humans with you.]

The “loyal retainer” commanded the “Master.” This space would exist without any barrier for a long time.