Chapter 367: You Shouldn’t Make A Deal With The Devil So Easily "Who are you?!" Victor asked after summoning dozens of Water Spears and pointing them at the stranger who had entered the room without his notice. "Did the Demon Worshipers send you?!" "You don’t need to know," the Shadow Lady replied. "Because soon, you don’t have to worry about anything." She then took a step forward, prompting Victor to direct a barrage of Water Spears at her. He had a suspicion that he was hilariously out-classed, but surely he couldn’t passively wait for this person to make the first move when she seemed to be after his life! The Water Spears pierced through the shadow, with none seeming to deal any substantial blow. "N-No!" Victor shouted. "Don’t come near me! Stay away! Spare me! I don’t want to die!" His words failed to even slow down the Shadow Lady, who simply stabbed his chest with her bare hands, piercing through his heart. The greasy heir was then engulfed black flames, making him shriek in pain and fear. "Don’t worry, I won’t kill you," the Shadow Lady promised. "Others will do it for me. All I need are your memories." Whether Victor could still hear the lady’s words or not, no one knew. He was too busy screaming his lungs out from the horror of having his memories rippled away from him. A few minutes later, the young noble collapsed on the ground, drool and snot dripping freely down his chin. With a puff, the Shadow Lady vanished from the Disciplinary Room and reappeared in a tower that overlooked the northern part of Frieden Academy. In her hands was a blue orb containing all of Victor’s memories. As she walked, the shadow covering her body parted away and revealed a lady with long black hair wearing a fox mask. A devilish chuckle echoed inside the room as a sinister shadow rose from behind her. "Here is the payment." The Fox Lady handed the blue orb to the shadow. "You can keep the change." "Good," replied the shadow with the wings of a devil, amusement evident in his tone. "You have fulfilled a contract. You have ninety-nine more to go." "You really are a Devil," the lady wearing the fox mask commented. "That’s why you shouldn’t make a deal with the Devil so easily," the Shadow Devil pointed out. "Are you sure doing this is the right thing to do? The Headmaster might get angry later when he finds out you’ve done something without his permission." "It doesn’t matter," the lady answered. "I’m sure Professor Rowan will not mind. After all, if we had been too slow, we would have been left with Victor’s corpse. The Demon Worshipers would have surely eliminated him to make sure he couldn’t implicate them." "Well, you’re not wrong." The Shadow Devil nodded. "Since you’ve completed one of my contracts, how about I reward you? What do you want?" "Are you trying to make me sign another contract?" the lady asked. "No." The Shadow Devil shook his head. "This one is a freebie. So, what do you want?" The lady thought for a while before saying the thing she wanted the most. "A dream," the Lady said. "A happy dream since I’ve only been having nightmares as of late." "Same as always?" The Shadow Devil smiled evilly. "Yes," the Lady answered. "Also, give me some pocket money. I already used up the funds you gave me." The Shadow Devil chortled. "You sure are one high-maintenance client. I’m not sure who is the one benefiting more from this arrangement. Don’t you think you’ve been treating me too much like a personal butler?" "Isn’t that nice?" the lady asked, smiling behind her mask. "After all, no one is more faithful and more loyal than you." The Shadow Devil sighed before patting the lady’s head with one of its shadowy hands. "Fine, a good dream and some pocket money," the Shadow Devil replied. "I can’t believe I signed a contract with such a slave driver." Even so, the Shadow Devil still chuckled with amusement, seemingly enjoying its life at the moment. When the Shadow Devil disappeared, the lady wearing a fox mask looked in the direction of the Ironheart Dormitory. She then summoned a cape that was a little bit dirty. If Alex had seen this, he would have instantly realised that this was the cape he had left in his room after changing into his uniform. "You fool," the lady muttered as she pressed the cape closer to her chest. "Acting like a prince in front of other girls. You still haven’t changed after all these years." A moment later, the lady wrapped the cape around her body, as if seeking the warmth that she had lost since what felt like a lifetime ago. ——— Alex stopped in his tracks and looked toward the north. For a brief moment, he felt as if someone had called out to his name. And yet, no matter how much he strained his ears to listen, the voice he heard never spoke again. ’Am I just imagining things?’ Alex thought. "What’s wrong, Alex?" Charles asked. "Did you forget something?" "No," Alex replied. "It’s nothing." The Headmaster had given him a High-Quality Potion, healing all the injuries on his body. In truth, Alex was not really seriously injured. Everything was just an act, but they had to keep up the act! As such, he gratefully accepted the precious potion, only to secretly stash it inside his storage ring when no one was looking. He then consumed an ordinary potion to heal himself. The potion revitalized his body, but traces of the punch he’d given himself still lingered. He wanted everyone at the party to see the bruise on his face so they could badmouth Victor more. Alex would not be satisfied until everyone knew what a sleazy good-for-nothing Victor was! As the two young men neared the Grand Hall, they noticed that their friends were waiting for them on the way. Vaan, Nessia, Lotte, and Lavinia stood in their way like they were a toll gate that refused to grant access unless Alex paid up. "Nessia told us everything," Lavinia said calmly. Lotte moved closer to Alex. "Latifa returned. She felt so embarrassed for worrying about you when you’re not really hurt," Lotte murmured in his ear, her voice low but sharp. "You better clear up this misunderstanding after the party. She cried for real, you know?" "Tell her I’m sorry," Alex whispered. "I won’t." Lotte shook her head as she took a step back. "You tell her personally," she said, her volume normal again. Alex pursed his lips briefly. "I understand." It had been necessary to keep them in the dark, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty about it. Lotte was right. He did owe Latifa an apology. However, since he knew that the fox lady wasn’t the only one who had freaked out over his condition, he also apologized to Lavinia, Lotte, and Vaan for causing them needless worry. "Good," Lavinia said, pleased that Alex was asking for their forgiveness so sincerely. She did understand his considerations, but nobody liked a leader who disregarded everyone’s emotions for the so-called greater good. "Let’s go back to the party. But, first things first." She took out a healing balm from her storage ring and personally applied it to the bruise near Alex’s lips. "You don’t need this anymore," Lavinia stated. "The Fairies have already shown everyone the recording of how hurt you were. Besides, a bruise doesn’t suit your face." Alex was touched by her words, so he didn’t resist and allowed her to apply the healing balm to his injury. A few minutes later, all traces of the bruise disappeared, returning the young man to his handsome self. "Much better," Vaan commented after seeing the bruise fade away. "Well then, shall we go back?" With a wide smile, he took Alex’s hand and pulled him gently toward the Grand Hall. Lavinia reached out to hold Alex’s other hand and pulled him away as well, leaving Charles and Nessia behind. "Shall we go as well, My Lady?" Charles asked, raising his arm in an attempt to escort Nessia the way he’d seen gentlemen do all night. "Let’s." Nessia smiled and accepted his offer. The two walked side by side as they entered the Grand Hall, where the continuation of their memorable night was about to begin.