The night grew deeper.
The campfire Amir had lit had long since burned out, leaving only a few faint sparks that flickered occasionally in the cold wind.
Though she had said they should sleep early, Amir found herself unable to actually fall asleep until the silver-haired girl beside her began to breathe with a steady, even rhythm.
“…”
She turned onto her side, studying Histori’s sleeping face by the moonlight while lightly pressing her fingertips against her temple, letting out a long sigh.
‘A miscalculation… I acted too early.’
Before Histori could inflict any actual harm, Amir had intercepted her out of pure instinct.
The only wound the girl had managed to leave on her body was that shallow mark on her fingertip.
Honestly, if she had waited just a few seconds longer — until those teeth had truly punctured her skin — she could have left Histori speechless.
‘Acting like that just makes the situation more ambiguous.’
Feeling a surge of irritability, Amir instinctively reached out to bite her own knuckle, but the moment she remembered that specific finger had just been inside the silver-haired girl’s mouth, she lowered her hand unnaturally.
‘Sigh, to think she’d use cake as an excuse… What a despicable and cunning member of the Demon Race.’
However, she really hadn’t noticed whether Histori was holding that piece of cake when she climbed onto her.
Amir supposed that was her own oversight; there was nothing she could do about Histori taking advantage of it.
‘I’ll just have to be more careful next time.’
Amir sighed once more, then pulled her gaze away from Histori to examine the bite marks on her knuckle under the moonlight.
This girl, who claimed the Demon King had cursed her into becoming a member of the Demon Race, truly possessed the sharp fangs characteristic of a predator.
Yet, Amir still couldn’t be certain if those tooth marks were left intentionally, or if they were the result of her fingers getting caught in the girl’s mouth when she suddenly sat up.
If it were the former, it proved she was a dangerous person.
But if it were the latter…
Then she had done something quite terrible.
A faint scent of cream drifted to her nose.
Amir turned her head and looked at the cake she had placed beside her.
The soft sponge was piled high with pale yellow cream and topped with a nameless fruit.
It certainly looked much more appetizing than the dried meat and milk jerky in her storage ring.
‘How strange.’
If Histori’s only goal was survival, she had already flown quite a distance earlier.
She must have realized that Amir had no intention of hunting her down.
And yet, after a short while, she had voluntarily returned to her side.
Could it be that, just as Histori claimed, she had made that round trip back to the Demon King’s Castle just to get her a piece of cake?
‘Heh… I’d sooner believe Histori was once a normal, kind human than believe that.’
Amir stood up from the log and lightened her footsteps, quietly walking over to Histori’s side.
Even as a member of a different race, Amir had to admit that this face was breathtakingly beautiful.
Long silver hair spilled across the grass like a waterfall, her long eyelashes cast small shadows over her eyelids, and her fair skin possessed a faint luster under the moon’s glow.
Even in sleep, Histori’s face carried a natural sense of enchantment, much like the legendary succubi who specifically seduced the hearts of men, or a captivating fairy.
‘Honestly, with a face like this, how do you expect me to believe you’re just an innocent, ordinary human?’
“Heh, hehe… cake… ehehehehe…”
Hearing the muffled, incoherent mumbling from the corner of Histori’s mouth, Amir couldn’t help but smile.
She curled her lips helplessly, then reached out and gently pinched Histori’s earlobe.
Well, regardless, after she had startled the snake by striking the grass tonight, Histori wouldn’t be making any more moves for the rest of the evening.
‘Goodnight, little liar. I hope you can hold out a bit longer… Don’t let me catch you.’
Before turning to leave her side, Amir cast one last glance back at Histori’s slightly fluttering, long eyelashes.
‘Also… my own sleeping face?’
To say she had climbed on top of her just to admire her sleeping face…
She didn’t know whether to call the girl clever or bold.
In the past, no one had ever used the word “cute” to describe her.
Amir’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at Histori, but it quickly returned to its cold and indifferent state.
Despite the many mysteries surrounding the girl, she would leave things as they were for now.
However, the next time she bared her fangs, things would not be so simple.
—
At the same time, Histori was dreaming of stomping a precious ruby under her foot.
She leaned on the Hero’s heavy greatsword like it was a walking stick while viciously mocking the incompetent Demon King beneath her.
“Heh, hehe… You little brat, you thought a small trick like this could hurt me? You’re a hundred years too early!”
“To tell you the truth, this lady has plenty of tricks up her sleeve! Even if I didn’t have cake in my storage space, I have more than ten other ways to escape the Hero’s clutches!”
“You want to drag me down to the grave with you? No way!”
【…Heh, laugh all you want for now, my dear daughter.】
The Demon King’s cold voice echoed in Histori’s ear as usual —
【However, I advise you not to forget that another name for the King of the Demon Race is the “King of Contracts.”】
“Ugh…”
Histori’s laughter caught in her throat, causing her to cough repeatedly.
“Wh-What do you mean by that?”
【It means that since I was able to plant a contract on you, I can naturally modify it as well.】
The phantom of the Demon King transformed into a massive black dragon, crouching lazily in front of Histori —
【Histori, this time, you only tasted a few drops of blood from the Hero’s finger, which temporarily suppressed your bloodlust. But what about next time? Or the time after that?】
【As the duration of the blood contract lengthens, your longing for her will only grow stronger, and the amount of blood you require will increase. When that time comes… what will you do?】
Though she felt a bit guilty, Histori still crossed her arms defiantly, feigning indifference.
“Heh, as long as I stay by Amir’s side and don’t think about running away, your blood contract won’t have any effect on me, right?”
【That is true. However, even if Amir never sees through your identity, she can’t keep a burden like you by her side forever, can she?】
Beneath Histori’s feet, the ruby began to emit an enchanting, iridescent light —
【— So, before the Hero’s patience with you is completely exhausted, you had better find a way to kill her, or quickly gather…】
*Shua!*
Before the Demon King in her dream could finish his threat, Histori rolled over and sat up from the tree stump.
She opened her eyes, piously traced a symbol in Amir’s direction, and then cast the highest-level blessing magic she had learned over the last two months on herself.
【…What are you doing?】
“I’m praying for the gods to ensure my identity is never exposed, and while they’re at it, I’m praying that Amir will be willing to keep a burden like me by her side for the rest of her life. Amen.”
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