Signed... the Wrong Contract?

"This is my Personal Mark, Mr. Dragon. All you have to do is accept it."

A Magic Array Pattern appeared on Petty's hand. Zheng Yichen scratched his head. This was his first time seeing a perfectly circular one, and a miniature dragon was drawn at its center.

"Just accept it? I don't have to do anything else?" Zheng Yichen eyed Petty suspiciously.

Realizing he might have misunderstood, she hurried to explain. "No. Once you touch my Personal Mark, you'll learn the terms of the Equal Contract. Then you can decide whether to agree. An Equal Contract is the one contract no one can deceive you with."

"Oh."

Zheng Yichen nodded and gently touched the Personal Mark floating above Petty's palm. Information entered his mind. There wasn't much to it: the terms of a Summoner's Equal Contract. In essence, Petty could use the contract to summon him, but whether he answered was entirely up to him.

Beyond that, neither party could directly harm the other. The terms were simple, so the restrictions weren't strong.

He also understood what Petty meant when she said it was impossible to deceive him. On touching the Personal Mark, he clearly sensed her goodwill. The contract had no effect on his soul, either. It was like an unusual Magic Array Pattern: even if it was imprinted on his consciousness, he could erase it whenever he wished.

Only after confirming there was no problem did he fully accept the contract. The Personal Mark floating before his forehead, which had remained just out of reach, slowly sank into it.

The process was slow, and Zheng Yichen could feel every detail of the contract taking shape. If he noticed anything wrong, he could still sever it in an instant.

Looking at the new Personal Mark in his consciousness, Zheng Yichen nodded slightly. The contract wasn't especially secure, only somewhat more so than a Magic Array Pattern. He could erase it outright if he wanted. When he focused on the mark, he could sense Petty's presence.

"All right, your classmates must be getting impatient. Hurry back, and remember to find a chance to summon me somewhere no one's around." Zheng Yichen waved Petty off.

After confirming that Zheng Yichen was completely fine, the teacher leading the group promptly took Petty and the others out of the Illusion Demon Forest. Once they left, everything that had happened there today would be buried. Even if new students came to the forest for training, they couldn't reveal a word.

They couldn't even indirectly warn anyone that the place was "especially" dangerous!

"Let's go back," Zheng Yichen said to the Ghost Maid. With her guiding him, the return trip was easy. When the castle came back into view, Lolise was waiting for him at the entrance.

At the sight of her, Zheng Yichen hesitated. "Uh, there's nothing wrong with that Equal Contract I signed, is there?"

"You should have signed an Enslavement Contract."

"Enslavement... huh?!" Zheng Yichen stared down at Lolise, his eyes wide. Was she trying to throw me into a pit of fire?! Was she angry?

"An Enslavement Contract with you as the master."

"Huh? That's possible?!" Zheng Yichen's mouth fell slightly open, but then he shook his head. Even if it was possible, he still would have chosen the ordinary-looking Equal Contract. Petty was young, but she was already pretty, and she'd only grow more so. An Enslavement Contract sounded downright sinister.

"Aren't you curious why I chose an Equal Contract?" Zheng Yichen asked as Lolise walked back inside.

After a moment, Lolise's voice came back to him. "That's your business."

Was she really not angry? Zheng Yichen grimaced and walked into the castle, troubled.

Three days later, at Olin Academy.

Petty's roommate watched her lapse into another bout of grinning to herself and shook her head. She'd been doing that ever since she got back. Her roommate was starting to wonder whether the illusions in the Illusion Demon Forest had affected Petty's mind.

They couldn't ask anyone else to help them figure out why the illusions they'd been afflicted with had suddenly intensified, not after signing that Confidentiality Contract. They could only puzzle it out themselves. They'd followed every precaution there.

No fire-starting materials, no Mages or warriors specializing in fire... There were only a few things that could make illusions flare up after someone entered the Illusion Demon Forest.

One was encountering a creature that lived there and being affected by its hidden tricks. That was unlikely, though. The creatures there were unusual, much sought after by Mages who specialized in illusions, and weak in direct combat. They were constantly being captured because they were so valuable.

Before entering the Illusion Demon Forest for training, they had even wondered how much they could get if they caught an Illusion Demon Beast.

But an Illusion Demon Beast was unlikely. They hadn't gone deep enough into the forest to encounter one easily. Another possibility was an attack by an illusion-specialist Mage. And the last was that someone had set fire to the forest's plants!

The plants in the Illusion Demon Forest had been steeped in a special power for years and had all changed. Even a blade of grass had a mild hallucinogenic effect. Of course, that change only persisted within the forest. Anything taken out soon became an ordinary plant again.

In the forest, smoke from burning trees had the strongest effect. For someone already afflicted with illusions, it could make them far more intense...

All three were possible, but they couldn't launch a large-scale investigation now. They couldn't even draw attention to the matter. They would have to take their time and find out whether it had been an accident or someone had tried to harm them!

"Why don't we have a priest or physician examine you?" Petty's roommate asked kindly.

"Huh? No need, no need! I'm perfectly healthy!" Petty quickly shook her head. She wasn't sick, so why would she need a priest or physician? The reason she'd been distracted these past few days was excitement!

Even now, it felt like a dream. She had actually signed a contract with a dragon! Other Summoners would be green with envy if they found out... No, she couldn't let them find out!

There were far too many Summoners more capable than her. If they learned about him, they'd definitely try to steal him away... Petty patted her cheeks and pulled herself together. She needed to work harder from now on. Only by growing stronger could she truly earn that dragon's approval.

She had sensed it when they signed the contract. Zheng Yichen hadn't chosen her because he thought she was special; he had agreed because he needed something. That wasn't approval. A contract with a summoned being who hadn't accepted her might be dissolved one day.