Confidentiality Contract

"Guh! Guh-guh!?"

The rabbit that had come face-to-face with Zheng Yichen went wide-eyed. A moment later, it flopped flat on the ground. As it fainted from fright, its form rapidly blurred and vanished.

"...Huh? It fainted..." Petty hurriedly tried to contact her Summoned Creature through their contract but got no response. The contract was still intact, though, which meant it was alive. Most likely, it had simply fainted from fright.

"It's fine." Zheng Yichen gave a light wave. Calling that creature a rabbit was a stretch; it was more of a Half-Rabbit, several times larger than any rabbit he knew. Judging by its behavior just now, it was fairly intelligent too.

At the very least, Zheng Yichen could tell from its terrified eyes that it had recognized him. It had been one breath away from screaming like a person, "There's a dragon!"

"Can Summoners only bring their Summoned Creatures over as projections?"

Petty looked embarrassed. "I don't have much mana, so that's all I can do. If I were stronger, I could summon one here in its true body."

"Then if you contracted a more powerful creature, wouldn't you be unable to summon it when it mattered?" Zheng Yichen asked as he studied the pattern drawn in the center of his palm. It was the Summoning Array Pattern he had just seen.

A three-dimensional pattern like this was harder to draw than a flat one. With a flat pattern, at least all he had to do was get the design right. A three-dimensional one demanded far more consideration.

Petty shook her head. "If a contracted Summoned Creature is very strong, the Summoner receives an extra boost from it. Even if they can't summon its true body, they can still summon a projection. And if the Summoned Creature is willing to share the mana cost, they can definitely summon its true body."

"Hmm, I see." Zheng Yichen nodded slightly. "That rabbit could help cover your mana cost too, couldn't it?"

"It's a little timid, so whenever I summon it, it comes as a projection first to take a look," Petty said helplessly. She had even hidden Zheng Yichen's presence from it during that last summoning. Otherwise, the Half-Rabbit probably would not have accepted even a basic summons.

Zheng Yichen nodded to show he had no more questions. After they chatted a little longer, Petty seemed to relax. She watched him stare absently at the Magic Array Pattern drawn on his hand.

She took several soft breaths. The instant Zheng Yichen dispersed the Magic Array Pattern, she edged up beside him. "Um, Mr. Dragon, may I touch you?"

"..." Seeing the hope in her eyes, Zheng Yichen nodded.

With his permission, Petty reached out a trembling hand and touched a scale on his leg. The thrill that shot through her nearly made her jump. I'm really touching a dragon!

"Mm... I'm not dead?" At the weak voice behind her, Petty reluctantly drew her hand away from the scale and turned. The second girl to wake was her roommate, a Mage rather than a Summoner. Perhaps Mages had stronger mental strength, allowing her to shake off the illusion sooner.

The others were due to wake soon as well. With Petty there to reassure them, they were startled to see Zheng Yichen, but none reacted as wildly as Petty had at first.

"Why hasn't our teacher woken up?" Petty's roommate looked at their still-unconscious instructor in confusion. "Have we somehow gotten stronger than him?"

Where did young people get that kind of confidence? Zheng Yichen glanced at the girl and pointed to the long staff planted in the ground nearby. "He woke up before you, but he hadn't escaped the illusion, so I knocked him out again."

"Now that most of you are awake, take him and leave." Because of them, Zheng Yichen had not moved from this spot for a day and a night.

Petty looked at Zheng Yichen and nodded reluctantly. In the end, she could not bring herself to voice the wish she had harbored all along. She wanted to sign an equal summoning contract with him... No, she would even accept a contract that placed her beneath him!

But it remained only a wish. She did not dare say it outright, even though Zheng Yichen was nothing like the Dragon Race described in books and had even taken the initiative to save them...

Books all said dragons were proud, and they had every reason to be. She, meanwhile, was merely a novice Summoner. What right did she have to make such a proposal?

It would be like a beggar wanting to throw an arm around a wealthy man and sit down with him for food and drink. If she said it aloud, he would surely fly into a rage, wouldn't he?

And then her classmates and teacher would be dragged into it.

"Oh, and don't tell anyone about me," Zheng Yichen added as Petty and the others prepared to leave.

The students hurriedly nodded in agreement. Just as they finished gathering their things, the Ghost Maid who had left not long ago returned. She stopped them all, then placed a sheet of dark paper in Zheng Yichen's palm.

"Hmm... A Contract Document." Zheng Yichen narrowed his eyes as he read it, muttering loudly enough to be heard. Two of the students' faces stiffened for an instant.

Zheng Yichen glanced at the pair and gave a soft snort. He was no fool. Their reactions made it perfectly clear that they had something to hide.

The two students he had looked at instantly turned deathly pale, and both felt an urge to run. They did not know much about dragons, but even they could tell that Zheng Yichen was, at most, a young dragon. He probably was not that strong. If they went back and reported this to their Lineages, it would be a major achievement.

After all, there had never been any sign of dragons in the Illusion Demon Forest. The forest's peculiar nature meant that only certain kinds of creatures could survive there.

After reading the document, Zheng Yichen set it down in front of Petty and the others. "This is a lot more binding than a verbal agreement. Go ahead and sign it."

The contract required the students and their teacher to keep everything about him completely secret. They could not deliberately reveal it by any means. If they did, they would lose everything that belonged to them, down to their very souls!

As they read the contract, the two already-pale students looked even worse. It plainly put an end to every plan they had entertained. And the dark energy rippling from the paper showed that this was no ordinary Magic Contract. Contracts that gave off such an aura were generally extremely sinister, and their binding power was stronger for it. Even the slightest violation would trigger the full penalty, leaving no room for mercy.

The kitten at home has gone missing, and I can't focus on anything... Just one chapter today.