Chapter 60: I Have a Demonic Friend

The joint meeting proceeded with utmost smoothness.

Conspired by the demon strategist Swier and the magic sword Apophis, the plan was rapidly refined and developed into a comprehensive contingency framework. Finally, Clementina nodded in satisfaction: "Let us leave it at that... Next, we await the actions of Saint Lena."

The assembled demons rose, bowed, and departed from the long table.

The lights in the grand hall dimmed one by one, and the doors on the lower level gently clicked shut... But soon, in the darkness, a door was quietly pushed open.

A figure cautiously surveyed the surroundings, then lightly followed the drifting phantom of Swier as it floated upward toward the top floor.

Swier leisurely made its way up the higher floors, passing the level where Minor resided and continuing upward. It paused slightly when it noticed a figure standing at the corridor entrance ahead of it.

Bathed in the moonlight, the young girl had her twin tails neatly tied behind her shoulders and wore a light-golden, fluffy Lolita gown. A pair of coiled demonic horns caught and reflected the shimmering light. She was observing her surroundings with a mysterious air, making sure no one else was around.

"Could this be... Lord Miguo? Do you perhaps require my assistance?"

"Swier." The Third Demon, Miguo, rubbed her small hands together and gave a light cough.

"I have a matter I would like to consult with you about..."

"I understand." Swier nodded.

Although somewhat puzzled as to why Miguo had not consulted Clementina, who was much closer to her, it nevertheless cast a soundproof barrier, enveloping both itself and Miguo.

"Please, speak of whatever troubles you, Lord Miguo. I shall not let it leak to outsiders; after all, I am the Librarian Demon."

Swier’s gentle and courteous tone caused Miguo to relax slightly. Twisting the hem of her dress with a hint of bashfulness, she finally lowered her voice and began to speak:

"Swier, this is something that happened to a demon friend of mine—"

"Ever since she was born and formed memories, she discovered that there was a fragmented magical formation deep within her mind..."

"A magical formation... Is it for inherited techniques?" Swier hypothesized, though he quickly shook his head:

"No, a complete heritage formation, even if accidentally fragmented, should be automatically completed by one's bloodline. As for other innate formations, they would likely be unbearable for a young member of the demon race... Therefore, it is far more likely that this formation was imprinted upon her when she was very young and her memories were still hazy—"

"In that case, there are many possibilities for such a formation. One of the easiest to establish would be a familiar contract formation..."

Miguo’s heart skipped a beat. She knew Swier possessed vast knowledge, and she had indeed consulted the right person!

She hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, it seems to be that one!"

"If that is the case, things become much simpler..." Swier’s tone relaxed.

"Lord Miguo, I wonder if you might allow your demon friend to record the magical formation in her mind and show it to me for identification? That way, I would be able to determine the precise function of that formation."

"Yes, of course!" Miguo nodded excitedly, though she immediately felt she had agreed a bit too quickly on behalf of "that friend."

"Er... I think it should be fine. Are you certain you can figure out the situation just by looking at the formation?"

"If it is merely a formation with simple functions, there should be no problem?" Swier nodded.

Miguo finally broke into a comforting smile.

Swier pondered for a moment, and to demonstrate its reliability, added: "If the crucial runes of the formation are not worn away, I can even identify the signatories of the contract at a glance."

"At that time, we would even know the name of the human your demon friend contracted with."

Her smile froze instantly on her face.

"N-No, absolutely not." Her face flushed bright red, and Miguo hastily waved her small hands in panic: "I just remembered that my demon friend, she, she... she suffers from severe dyslexia! Yes! Therefore, she is completely incapable of reproducing the formation for you!!!"

"Is that so?" Swier was taken aback, then offered an apologetic tone: "I am deeply sorry for your demon friend's condition."

"I-It's fine, I... I forgive you on behalf of that friend."

Feeling the pity in Swier's tone, Miguo's ears turned crimson down to their roots.

"However, my friend has already used other methods to basically confirm that it is indeed a familiar contract she signed with a human."

"A human, you say..." Swier narrowed its eyes, its tone turning perilous:

"There certainly are despicable humans who take advantage of the demon race's youth, using extremely inferior scrolls to lure mentally underdeveloped beast-demons into signing contracts and summoning them for dissection to harvest materials... Though beast-demons with normal intelligence generally do not fall for such tricks."

"Lord Miguo, it is truly a miracle that your demon friend has managed to survive until now."

"Who are you saying..." Miguo flushed with anger:

"Who are you calling low-intelligence, easily gullible, third-rate demons who get themselves summoned with a crude contract formation just by wagging their tails?!"

"Er... Lord Miguo, I do not believe I phrased it quite so harshly."

"In short! My friend does not seem to have been treated maliciously!" Miguo stamped her foot, feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed:

"The human she contracted with is still alive, but because the memories are from so long ago, she completely fails to recall anything about that human... Therefore, I—my friend is curious as to why the contract formation became fragmented... and why she lost contact with that human."

"The contract formation is fragmented, yet the contractor is still alive... Such a case is exceedingly rare."

Swier frowned slightly, murmuring to itself for a moment before shaking its head: "Lord Miguo, there are too few conditions; even I cannot deduce precisely what occurred. But for such a situation to arise, something quite extraordinary must have transpired."

"Even Swier does not know? How could this be..." Miguo's discouragement was visible to the naked eye.

"Is there no way to find the truth, Swier?"

"This... Perhaps you should ask your demon friend directly, Lord Miguo?" Swier hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My friend?" Miguo froze.

"Indeed. Some matters seem to be known only to your friend, do they not?" Swier voiced its lingering doubts: "For instance, how did she discover... that she had once contracted with that human in the first place?"

"Or perhaps, by what means did she acquire such untraceable information..."

Recalling the process by which she had obtained that intelligence, Miguo’s face flushed slightly, and her chest heaved with a somewhat unsettled rhythm.

Soon, taking a deep breath, Miguo made up her mind and nodded firmly.

"I understand, Swier. Thank you for your advice."

"It is my honor to provide you with counsel, Lord Miguo." Swier nodded, dispelling the soundproof barrier. Satisfied that Miguo had no further inquiries, it drifted away toward the top floor...

The cold, clear moonlight cascaded down, passing through the window and illuminating Miguo's fair, barefoot soles resting against the floor.

Miguo stood in the moonlight for a long, long time, her murmurs gradually dissolving into the darkness:

"It seems... I have no choice but to resort to interrogation..."