A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1468 - 992: Signing the Contract_2

Chapter 1468: Chapter 992: Signing the Contract_2

I heard that this brat was considered quite a famous strong practitioner in the Devil World, but who would’ve thought he’d actually die at Duanmu Huai’s hands...

"............"

After listening to Banriya’s recount, Naruse Mio sat dumbfounded on the sofa, silently unresponsive. It’s no surprise—after all, she had just witnessed her parents being killed before her eyes, only to then have her cousin tell her that they weren’t her parents at all, that she wasn’t even human, but a demon, and not just any demon—a highly noble Superior Demon.

"Alright, I think I’ve got the gist of things."

Duanmu Huai nodded lightly.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"This... I’m still considering..."

"By the way, since we’re all demons, why don’t I introduce someone to you? She might be willing to help."

At this moment, Duanmu Huai thought of Liliath.

"I have a student named Liliath Gimonri. She seems to be a Superior Demon as well. Could you ask her for help?"

"The Red-Haired Murder Princess? Didn’t expect her to be in this city too."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s suggestion, Banriya frowned.

"Indeed, the Jimongli Family belongs to the Sturdy Faction and is on good terms with the current Demon King... But no way! No matter what, we are of a family equal to the Jimongli. If Lord Mio were to seek protection from them and they actually took her in, our family would lose all standing!"

"That’s really troublesome. Relatives... Given everything’s fake, I assume there’s no blood relatives to contact either, right?"

"Yes..."

Banriya lowered his head in frustration.

"Actually, ever since Lord Mio’s father passed, the dynamics within the family began to shift. Right now, I’m the only one left protecting her..."

"So even the main family can’t be relied on... Alright, guess that’s not surprising."

After all, everyone wants to be clan leader, don’t they? Who would willingly yield imminent power to a young girl? They probably wished Naruse Mio would get wiped out, so they wouldn’t have to deal with her as a burden anymore.

"Forget it, let’s not dwell on this for now. We should tackle the issues in front of us first."

Duanmu Huai shook his head, decisively pushed the problem aside, and looked at Naruse Mio.

"So... Naruse, I imagine you must be exhausted after everything. Take a bath, change into some clothes, and rest for a bit... Banriya, since you’re a demon, do you have a way to handle the situation outside? Bringing the police here would be a hassle."

"Oh, don’t worry. I’m a Nightmare. I can modify humans’ memories to some extent, but..."

At this point, Banriya lifted his head and stared at Duanmu Huai.

"You’re Mr. Duanmu, right? Excuse my boldness, but why are you going out of your way to help us?"

"First of all, we’re neighbors, and we’ve met a few times, so I’m not completely unfamiliar with you. Secondly, given the mess you’re in now, I can’t just leave you hanging. And lastly, we’re all tied together on the same rope now."

"What do you mean?"

"That guy I took out—Zorke or whatever his name was—it might not mean much to me personally, but I imagine it’s going to stir up trouble for me in the Devil World, right? Since trouble’s already knocking at my door, it doesn’t matter if I draw a clear line between us, they’ll still come after me anyway. Herding one sheep is herding, herding a whole flock is also herding. If they dare come at me, I might as well wipe them all out—makes it easier for me. That said, this only works under the condition that you don’t pose a threat to this world or humanity, because if you do, I won’t hesitate to deal with you instead."

"Um... Mr. Duanmu, you really have a lot of confidence in yourself..."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s explanation, Banriya couldn’t help but quietly comment. Then again, recalling the scene where he had executed Zorke earlier, Banriya couldn’t say he was just bragging.

After that, Naruse Mio obediently followed Duanmu Huai’s advice and went off to bathe and change clothes—perhaps due to the overwhelming shock, or maybe because her mind still couldn’t process everything, she seemed entirely dazed.

Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai worked with Banriya to handle the arriving police and firefighters. Following Duanmu Huai’s instructions, Banriya altered their memories, turning the evidence of a battle into a gas explosion, with the couple presumed dead in an unfortunate accident. Naruse Mio became the sole survivor... which, in some sense, wrapped up the crisis.

After all, they couldn’t exactly claim it was caused by demon attacks.

Once everything was dealt with, Duanmu Huai dragged his exhausted body back home. This day truly had been eventful—not only had he been forced early in the morning to discover a group of demons’ real identities, but after school, he was summoned to the police station due to a pervert trying to reenact graphic novel scenes. And upon finally returning home, drama happened with the neighbors—ending with a fight against demons and acquiring a demon noble girl in the process...

"Haaah..."

Since Naruse Mio and Banriya occupied the bedroom, Duanmu Huai didn’t bother with decorum, and simply sprawled on the sofa, pulling a blanket over himself before closing his eyes to sleep.

"............"

Unknowingly, Duanmu Huai woke to the sound of voices.

"Hurry, now’s the time, Lord Mio!"

"But... isn’t this a bit wrong..."

"What are you talking about, Lord Mio? Right now we need allies. This gentleman is the perfect candidate. Come! Just one push and it’s done..."

"Haaah... What are you guys up to?"

At that moment, Duanmu Huai opened his eyes, yawning. Then he saw Naruse Mio, dressed in pajamas, along with Banriya, standing a short distance away from him. On the floor, a glowing magic circle was already taking form.

"Please don’t worry, Mr. Duanmu!"

Seeing Duanmu Huai wake up, Banriya gave a mischievous grin.

"This is just a small ritual to ensure your soul connects with Lord Mio’s! That way, you’ll always know each other’s location! Now, link up!"

As he spoke, Banriya raised his arms high. But in the next instant—a sudden flash of golden light streaked across the back of Duanmu Huai’s hand!

Following that...

"Aaaaah—!"

With a sharp scream, Naruse Mio collapsed to the ground, and at the same time, a symbol carrying an emblem-like mark appeared on her neck.

"What... the hell is this?"

Witnessing this scene, Duanmu Huai was completely stunned.