"The Serpent of Eden is indeed no ordinary breed of worm!" Evenson said viciously, but then frowned in confusion. "But how did this happen? Even a great devil like Nahash couldn't bear the consequences of violating a contract, unless..."
As he spoke, Evenson reached into his backpack, pulled out the Devil Contract they had signed, and studied it carefully. A moment later, he slammed it onto the table. "Damn it. I was still too careless. This contract never stated that Nahash had to leave Coulson's body."
That was the thing about dealing with devils: even if one stayed alert to the fullest extent, they could still find a loophole to exploit. Evenson had once mocked the legends in which some human used their intelligence to toy with a devil and gain a huge advantage in a bargain. He had called them nothing but fairy tales, perhaps even smokescreens deliberately spread by devils to mislead mankind.
Yet today, he had become the protagonist of one of those foolish fairy tales. He had been far too careless with Mephisto.
When Evenson had made his first deal with him, he had exploited a loophole in the contract and intercepted the Sanctum Sanctorum Contract, the contract containing a thousand sinful souls. That one success had filled him with immense confidence.
It had made him think Mephisto was nothing special. As long as he dealt with him carefully, he might not gain an advantage, but at least he would not suffer a loss. He might even be able to establish a win-win arrangement.
But now that he thought about it, did Mephisto truly value that contract so much?
The Sanctum Sanctorum Contract had been out in the world for more than a century, while Cartesley, the Ghost Rider guarding it, was merely an oath-breaking Ghost