Chapter 218 - 190: A New Contract
"Master, what are you saying?" Elma took a step back, her hands spread open.
"Don’t be surprised, Agatha," the Lust Clone in the mirror said with a wave of her hand, "or perhaps I should call you Elma. After all, you’ll be returning to your original form soon enough."
She smiled faintly. "Getting rid of a bothersome Demon, isn’t that what you humans dream of? I can terminate the contract right now. Then you’ll no longer feel that your soul lacks freedom."
"How wonderful," Lust spun around in the mirror, her long dress flaring out like a flower about to bloom. "From now on, you can live under your own name. Don’t you hate this face? Now’s your chance, Elma."
"No, this joke isn’t funny at all." Elma stared intently at the mirror, her shoulders trembling slightly, her face as white as a sheet of paper. "I haven’t found that eye yet. The contract isn’t complete."
"Ah, no need for that," Lust said with a smile, shaking her head. "I’ve already found someone else to help me. He might be more useful than you."
Then, Lust raised a hand, coquettishly tracing her cheek with a finger before flicking it into the air. A flash of fire flared in the mirror, and a wax-yellow parchment scroll materialized, floating beside her. "It can be terminated right now, human Mage. You’re about to be free."
"No, no," Elma said repeatedly. She rushed forward and grabbed the mirror frame, even trying to push her whole body into the mirror. But that was just a fantasy. The reality was cruel; she could only remain outside the mirror, watching the parchment scroll float in the air.
"Oh?" Lust tilted her head, leaning closer. "It seems you don’t really want to end this contract. Why is that?"
She didn’t give Elma a chance to answer, instead pacing back and forth in the mirror. "A face that isn’t yours... to think it would make you so emotional, Elma."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Lust said, looking disappointed in her. "It seems you’ve grown fond of your current identity."
"No, I haven’t," Elma cried out immediately.
"That’s right. An identity that isn’t yours. Just because she was born a little earlier, she’s so radiant and dazzling, with a prettier face, stronger Magic Talent, and she’s smart enough to get into the Royal Grammar School." Lust stood still, glancing sideways at Elma. "It’s just because she was born a little earlier, isn’t it? Why is that, Agatha?"
Hearing Lust call her "Agatha," Elma shuddered violently. She then lowered her head, her face twisting into a hideous, contorted expression.
"There’s nothing to be done. Our contract is ending, Elma, and your sweet dream is about to be over." Lust wagged a finger, and the floating parchment spun along with her motion. "This game of make-believe you’ve been playing is also ending. I’ve let you experience this wonderful life for so long, I imagine you must be satisfied."
Lust watched as Elma’s head snapped up. She said nothing else, simply bringing her fingers together, preparing to snap them. The moment she did, the contract would be incinerated by flames. At that point, Elma’s face, Elma’s Magic Ability, and even Elma’s current social status would all turn to sand and be blown away by the wind.
"No, no, Master!" Elma screamed, trying to stop the figure in the mirror. She fell to her knees, her head bowed. "I can still work for you! I can keep looking for that eye, or anything else! I just beg you, don’t take all this away!"
Seconds ticked by. Elma waited for nearly ten seconds without hearing a snap. Hopefully, she raised her head and looked into the mirror. But the face of Lust in the mirror was no longer Agatha’s. While she had her head bowed, it had already changed to Elma’s own original appearance.
"Your sincere pleading truly puts me in a difficult position," Lust said. With a beckoning gesture, a slender black viper appeared at her feet. It quickly coiled up her body, slithering onto her pale white arm.
Lust used her fingers, slender as spring onions, to stroke the black viper’s chin back and forth. "How enviable. Even I can’t summon a Star Realm Snake, only conjure up this ugly little serpent."
"Master, I can work for you," Elma said again, urgently. As a successor of the Twelve Bloodlines, she knew full well that her own Ability was no match for her sister Agatha’s. Not only had her sister awakened her Magic Talent early on, but in addition to summoning a Star Realm Giant Dog, she could also use several kinds of Star Realm Magic. Elma, on the other hand, could only summon that one thin Star Realm Snake.
Although many people had told her it was simply because the bloodline had been diluted—that their ancestors could use all sorts of Star Realm Magic—Elma was still furious. Because whenever she and her sister Agatha stood together, everyone would praise Agatha’s bloodline while intentionally or unintentionally ignoring her, as if she were just an "illegitimate daughter" who had stolen the bloodline’s Ability.
"Well, I can’t help being a good person," Lust said, raising a hand to brush her hair. "Someone even called me the Forest God before. How embarrassing."
She flicked her finger forward. The parchment scroll flew, hitting the mirror’s surface with a WHOOSH. Then, as if passing through a curtain of water, it emerged from the mirror and fell in front of Elma.
Elma quickly snatched the scroll from the floor and unrolled it. "Go to the Royal Capital of Plantagenet and figure out what trick ’Pride’ is playing?"
She looked up at the mirror with wide eyes. Lust was teasing the black viper on her hand, not even glancing at her. "Yes. Go see what that fellow is up to. That way, you can continue playing your ’pretend to be your sister’ game, and you can also complete my task. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?"
"But... there’s no deadline on it." Elma glanced at the parchment and looked up again, biting her lower lip tightly, her heart clearly in turmoil.
"Don’t expect to easily find the trail of a Demon Lord. You might not uncover its scheme even by the time you die." Lust smiled, pinching the black viper’s head between her forefinger and thumb. Without any apparent effort, she suddenly crushed its head. The entire viper then exploded into a puff of black smoke, which scattered in a gust of wind.
Elma knew this was a warning. She could only shut her mouth obediently and wait for what the other would say next.
"Go on. The contract will be considered complete whenever you figure it out," Lust said, running a hand over her own face. As she did, her features changed back into Agatha’s. "If you never find out, then you can just wear this face forever."
"See? Aren’t I quite merciful?" Lust waved, then turned and walked into the depths of the mirror. As she vanished, her words drifted out.
"You can start your investigation with the Second Prince."