Chapter 3 : Are You My Master?

I woke up? Where am I now…

Yide slowly came to his senses.

He sighed, looking at the dark, rain-drenched surroundings.

Oh, it’s this situation again.

It was the same last time when Loveland summoned him; although the summoning was successful, he didn’t wake up immediately.

Later, he found out that there was a full month between Loveland summoning the Millennium Puzzle and his awakening.

So, who is his host this time?

Thinking this, Yide observed his surroundings more carefully.

Then he froze.

Looking at the scar-faced man in black, holding an umbrella in one hand and the Millennium Puzzle in the other, Yide felt completely unsettled.

He didn’t expect to be summoned by a beautiful girl every time, but it shouldn’t be some gang leader who looks like he’s from a criminal organization, right?

Fortunately, after careful discernment, Yide confirmed that the person in front of him did not have the aura of a contract with him.

So, whose hand is he in right now?

Just as Yide was wondering, the man in black spoke.

“Hurry up, give us a straight answer.”

“Bet your house and duel with a duelist from our Wildheart Gang.”

“If you win, you can have it back.”

“If you lose, get out of this city.”

Hearing the man in black, Yide noticed a girl standing on the other side of the rain curtain.

The rain poured down, and the girl stood in the middle of the street, letting the strong wind and rain patter on her black short cape.

After a long time, she finally whispered.

“…I won’t agree to such an unreasonable duel.”

“Of course, you can refuse.”

Another man in black, with a cigarette in his mouth, lit a match with one hand, then looked at the people standing behind the girl, their faces full of indignation.

“Anyway, even if you don’t agree, I can start with them.”

“Once we’ve taken all the surrounding houses, we have ten thousand ways to make you unable to stay here.”

“So, you poor wretches, even if you huddle together, you’re still wretches. You have no backing, no dueling power, and you still want to live in the lower district. You must be dreaming.”

“Why don’t you give us your houses? We can at least help you sell them for a good price.”

Seeing that the group of people remained silent, the man in black felt bored and looked back at the girl.

“Of course, we’re not devils. If you can come up with something valuable, we can temporarily let you go.”

“Unfortunately, your family, which claims to be from the upper district, seems to be all show. There’s nothing valuable besides the house; how poor.”

“You… searched my home?”

The girl’s pupils widened, and she rushed forward, grabbing the man in black’s clothes.

Seeing the girl’s reaction suddenly become agitated, the man in black sneered and pushed her away: “Is that so strange? Have you been in the academy for too long and forgotten what the lower district is like?”

“If you could maintain your identity as a dueling academy student, of course, we wouldn’t dare touch you.”

“If you had C-level strength, we wouldn’t casually provoke you either.”

“But you’re just a good-for-nothing who had a chance to summon a duel spirit but failed.”

The man in black’s words pierced the girl’s heart like knives.

He straightened his clothes: “So you should feel honored. We didn’t forcefully seize anything; instead, we’re letting you enjoy one last duel before leaving this city.”

The people standing behind the girl immediately became enraged.

“What a joke! Your gang’s thugs all have the skill level of D-rank duelists! How can that be considered a fair duel?!”

The man in black pouted: “Isn’t that her problem?”

“If you really don’t want to duel, you can just leave, but don’t think about taking anything with you.”

“I’m not afraid to tell you, this matter is an instruction from the big figures in the upper district; they just don’t want to get their hands dirty, so you absolutely cannot escape.”

“By the way, I’ll return this to you first.”

Clink, clink.

A clearly sounding accessory was thrown in front of the girl.

“They say this is what you summoned when you tried to summon a duel spirit. It feels pretty heavy. If it were pure gold and you sold it, you could probably get some money for it.”

“But compared to a duel spirit, this piece of junk is worthless.”

“Ha, summoning something like this, even without us, your life is pretty much over.”

Hearing the man in black’s mockery, the girl bit her lip lightly and looked at them, a hint of determination in her youthful eyes.

“Even without a duel spirit, I can still defeat you.”

“Alright, alright, whatever you say.”

The other man in black stomped out his cigarette on the ground.

“Anyway, even if that one-in-a-million miracle truly happened and you won, you still wouldn’t escape the machinations of those big figures from the upper district.”

“Of course, such a miracle won’t happen. After all, our thugs aren’t like you, a good-for-nothing who failed at summoning, haha.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Watching the men in black walk further and further away, people finally gathered around the girl.

“Let’s go find shelter from the rain, Sonia.”

“Sorry, little Sonia, none of us are duelists, so we can only stand behind you at times like this.”

“If it really comes down to it, just leave this city. Don’t worry about us.”

Hearing the encouragement, Sonia’s nose stung, and the tears she had been holding back seemed ready to burst forth with the rain.

But she still held them back and left the people gathered around her.

“No need… Uncle, Auntie, you’ve already helped enough.”

“Let me prepare by myself…”

She couldn’t implicate anyone else…

Sonia stumbled away from the crowd, not using an umbrella, letting the rain slap against her shoulders with a whoosh-whoosh sound.

Her neighbors were rare good people in the lower district, but they weren’t duelists.

Ordinary people were helpless against duelists; she couldn’t let them be directly targeted by those guys.

Moreover, as long as she didn’t abandon her identity as a duelist, she couldn’t escape the fate of dueling.

Even if they helped this time.

What about next time?

Ultimately, she had to face it alone.

In an instant, loneliness, solitude, and coldness all struck at once, making Sonia hug her shoulders tightly.

But just then, a subtle rustling sound caught her attention.

She turned her head and saw something lying in the middle of the street, seemingly shimmering in the darkness.

It was that accessory…

Sonia remembered something and, dragging her heavy steps, returned.

When the man in black threw it, Sonia hadn’t reached out to catch it, so the accessory had been washed by the heavy rain for a while.

Sonia picked it up, a bitter smile appearing on her face as she looked at the eye emblem carved in the center of the pendant.

In the end, are you the only one accompanying me…?

But what’s the use?

The inverted pyramid-shaped pendant hanging from the cord swayed in the heavy rain, making a crisp sound.

In an instant, the girl’s eyes widened.

“I ask you, are you my Master?”