A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1469 - 993: Overnight Passes

Chapter 1469: Chapter 993: Overnight Passes

"What’s going on?"

Looking at Naruse Mio, sitting on the ground with a flushed face, drenched in sweat, and appearing as if she had a fever, Duanmu Huai was utterly bewildered. He frowned slightly and glanced at Banriya, who also wore a deeply surprised expression. It seemed she hadn’t anticipated things turning out like this at all.

"Damn it, the curse’s effect..."

"Curse? What’s going on?"

In response to Duanmu Huai’s inquiry, Banriya hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Actually, what I just cast is a special master-servant contract unique to our clan. Once this contract is signed, it allows the parties to track each other’s location, and... to ensure subordinates maintain loyalty, the contract activates a punitive curse if the subordinate betrays the master or resists their orders. Of course, the curse is influenced by the personality of the one chanting the magic..."

"Oh-ho..."

Hearing this, Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Banriya.

"So, you were secretly trying to establish a contract to make me Naruse Mio’s servant?"

"Ahaha..."

Under Duanmu Huai’s stern gaze, Banriya let out a nervous laugh but quickly deflected the topic.

"N-no, that’s not the point right now! The problem is that Lord Mio seems to be resisting forming a contract with you, Mr. Duanmu. And for some reason, the contract magic I cast backfired, making *you* Lord Mio’s master instead! So, Lord Mio’s resistance to the contract was interpreted as betraying her master, which triggered the curse..."

This was nonsense.

Hearing Banriya’s explanation, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. After all, he was a True God. No contract could take effect on him—what a ridiculous notion. As a being with superior divine authority, the current outcome was inevitable.

"So now... what do we do? Cancel the contract,"

he said, shifting his attention to Naruse Mio, who had collapsed onto the ground, her entire body limp. Her face was flushed, her gaze unfocused. Her lips parted as she panted heavily, and her body wriggled slightly, accompanied by faint, agonized moans.

"Ah, well... once the contract is fully established, canceling it would mean waiting until the next full moon to perform the proper ritual..."

"In that case, I’ll just terminate it myself,"

Duanmu Huai declared, extending his hand. Being the God of Destruction, obliterating a mere contract was no challenge for him.

"N-no, don’t!"

Seeing this, Banriya let out a sharp cry.

"If the contract is not canceled through the formal ritual, it will trigger the self-destruct mechanism, and Lord Mio will die!"

"This..."

Hearing Banriya’s frantic exclamation, Duanmu Huai paused, hesitating slightly. While he was confident that his Destruction Magic could dismantle the master-servant contract, who could guarantee that it wouldn’t simultaneously activate some catastrophic curse?

"What should we do now, then?"

Duanmu Huai pulled back his hand decisively. There wasn’t much time until the next full moon anyway, and resolving Naruse Mio’s immediate issue seemed more pressing for now.

"Oh, that’s simple,"

Banriya said with a dry laugh, prompting Duanmu Huai to look at her questioningly.

"Due to the nature of the master-servant contract, the curse will stop as soon as the subordinate vows loyalty to the master. However, the current problem is that Lord Mio is entirely rejecting the contract itself. So, the first step is to make her fully submit and agree to form the master-servant contract with you, Mr. Duanmu."

"And how do I do that?"

"Well... kindly take action yourself, Mr. Duanmu. Just make Lord Mio... overwhelmed with joy to the point where she can no longer resist you. Once she succumbs, she’ll pledge her loyalty to you!"

"...Ha?"

Duanmu Huai was at a complete loss. "What the hell is wrong with you? She just lost both of her parents! Their bodies aren’t even cold yet, literally! Do you expect me to pull *this* kind of stunt? I’m not into that sort of thing, for God’s sake! Sure, Naruse Mio is beautiful, adorable, and has a great figure, but context matters! Their corpses were taken away only a few hours ago, and there’s still drying blood next door! Seriously, how is this remotely ’appropriate’?"

"Wait a minute, Banriya! What nonsense are you even spouting?!"

Hearing Banriya’s suggestion, it wasn’t just Duanmu Huai who was at a loss. Even Naruse Mio protested loudly, her face flushed crimson.

"There’s no other choice, Lord Mio! If this continues, you’ll die! Also, unless you comply from the bottom of your heart, the curse won’t disappear! Right now, this is the only way!"

"Ugh... but... this is just too..."

"Alright, I get the situation, but..."

Looking at Naruse Mio in her current state, Duanmu Huai frowned again and turned his attention back to Banriya.

"If the master-servant contract hadn’t reversed, wouldn’t I be the one in this ridiculous mess right now? Aren’t you afraid I would’ve attacked you both?"

"Ah, no need to worry about that," Banriya replied. "If a subordinate disobeys the master’s orders, the curse intensifies. Attacking the master, being the gravest betrayal, would result in catastrophic backlash. The subordinate’s body and mind wouldn’t withstand the strain—either they’d lose consciousness or suffer neural collapse."

"Heh, as expected of a Demon..."

"Oh dear, flattery won’t get me anywhere..."