Signed... the Wrong Contract?

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

A Magic Array Pattern appeared above Petty's hand. Zheng Yichen scratched his head. This was the first time he'd seen a perfectly circular Magic Array Pattern, 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.

Seeing that Zheng Yichen seemed to 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. The Equal Contract is the hardest kind of contract to use for deception."

"Oh."

Zheng Yichen nodded and lightly touched the Personal Mark floating above Petty's palm. Information flowed into his mind. There wasn't much to it, just the terms of a Summoner's Equal Contract. In short, Petty could use the contract to summon him, but whether to answer was entirely up to Zheng Yichen.

Beyond that, neither party could directly harm the other. The terms were simple, so the contract's binding power was weak.

He also understood what Petty meant about deception. When he touched her Personal Mark, he clearly felt her goodwill. The contract showed no sign of affecting his soul, either. It was like a slightly unusual Magic Array Pattern: even if it was etched into his consciousness, he could erase it at any time.

Once he was sure there was no problem, he accepted the contract. The Personal Mark that had been floating before his forehead, always just beyond his touch, slowly sank into it.

The process was slow. Zheng Yichen could sense every detail as the contract took shape; if he noticed anything wrong, he could still sever it in an instant.

Zheng Yichen looked at the Personal Mark now present in his consciousness and gave a slight nod. The contract wasn't very secure, only a little more so than a Magic Array Pattern. He could erase it outright whenever he wanted. When he focused on the mark, he could sense Petty's presence.

"All right, your classmates are probably getting anxious. Hurry back, and remember to find a chance to summon me somewhere no one's around." Zheng Yichen waved Petty away.

After making sure 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 Illusion Demon Forest to train their willpower, they couldn't breathe a word of it.

They couldn't even indirectly warn anyone that the place held a "special" danger!

"Let's go back," Zheng Yichen said to the Ghost Maid. With her leading the way, the return trip was easy. When the castle came into view again, 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's eyes widened as he looked down at Lolise. Was she trying to throw him into a pit of fire?! Was she angry?

"An Enslavement Contract with you as the master."

"Huh? You can do that?!" Zheng Yichen's mouth fell open slightly, but then he shook his head. Even if he could, he still would have chosen the ordinary-looking Equal Contract. Petty wasn't very old, but she was already a little beauty, with plenty of potential as she grew up. An Enslavement Contract sounded downright sinister.

"Aren't you curious why I made that Equal Contract?" Zheng Yichen asked, puzzled, as he watched Lolise walk back.

A moment passed before Lolise answered. "That's your business."

Was she really not angry? Zheng Yichen's mouth twitched, and he walked into the castle, still troubled.

Three days later, at Olin Academy.

Petty's roommate shook her head as she watched Petty lapse into another bout of silly grinning. She'd been doing it now and then ever since she returned. Her roommate wondered whether the illusions in the Illusion Demon Forest had affected Petty's mind and left her a little unwell.

As for why the illusions they'd picked up had suddenly erupted, the Confidentiality Contract meant they couldn't ask anyone else to help them investigate. They could only puzzle it out themselves. They had followed every precaution for that place, too.

No sources of fire, no mages or warriors who specialized in fire... Only a handful of things could have caused the illusions picked up in the Illusion Demon Forest to flare out of control.

They might have encountered a creature living in the forest and fallen prey to one of its hidden tricks. That seemed unlikely, though. The creatures there were unusual and highly sought after by mages specializing in illusions. Their direct combat ability was weak, so they were constantly being captured. They were valuable.

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

An Illusion Demon Beast was unlikely. They hadn't ventured far into the forest, so encountering one of those Magic Beasts would have been difficult. Another possibility was an attack by a mage specializing in illusions. Or someone might have set fire to the plants in the Illusion Demon Forest!

The forest's plants had been steeped in a special power for years and had all mutated. Even a single blade of grass had a mild hallucinogenic effect. Of course, the mutation only persisted within the Illusion Demon Forest. Take anything from it outside, and it would soon become an ordinary plant.

In the forest, the scent of burning trees had the strongest effect. It could greatly intensify the hallucinations of anyone already affected...

All three were possible, but they couldn't launch a large-scale investigation now, or even draw attention to the matter. They could only take it slowly and find out whether it had been an accident or someone was trying to hurt them!

"Why don't we find a priest or a doctor to give you a checkup?" Petty's roommate asked kindly.

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

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 too many Summoners more capable than she was. If they found out, they would surely try to lure him away... Petty patted her cheeks and pulled herself together. She had to work even harder from now on. Only by growing stronger could she truly earn that dragon's recognition.

She'd sensed it when they signed the contract: Zheng Yichen hadn't chosen her because he saw something special in her. He'd done it because he needed something. That wasn't recognition. A contract without the summoned being's approval might be dissolved any day.