Chapter 22: The Sacred Accord
“Hunger?”
Bai Xuan blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected Serene’s weakness to stem from something as simple as hunger.
But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
Ever since she’d been summoned to this world, Serene had survived on nothing but milk.
So the real question was—what did Serene, a succubus paladin, actually eat?
If ordinary food couldn’t satisfy her, then what did a succubus need to survive?
“Serene, back when you were with the Holy See, what did you usually eat?” Bai Xuan asked.
“To uphold my vows, His Holiness the Pope would prepare a special food for me called the Flower of Life,” Serene replied softly.
“Flower of Life?”
“It’s a blossom formed from Her Holiness’s own mana. Just one is enough to sustain me for three months without needing to eat again,” she explained.
Bai Xuan raised an eyebrow.
At last, the contradiction at Serene’s core—paladin and succubus—had come to a head.
As a paladin, she was bound by sacred vows to resist her demonic desires. But as a succubus, she needed to absorb life energy just to survive...
Bai Xuan promptly pulled up Serene’s status panel.
【Serene】
【Age: 23】
【Quality: Epic】
【Level: F (Linked to you)】
【Identity: Paladin (Blue)】
【Race: Succubus (Blue)】
【Affection: 72】
【Attributes: Strength A, Agility A, Constitution A, Spirit S】
【Abilities: Sword of No Light (Purple), Fire of Justice (Purple)】
【Hidden Setting: ? , ? (Unlock by completing Character Mission)】
【Character Mission: Locked】
【Status: Hungry (?)】
“There’s a question mark?”
Bai Xuan tapped the status bar, expanding the flickering question mark.
【Hungry (?): Hunger has left Serene extremely weak, but directly consuming life mana would break her vows. You can learn a miraculous spell to avoid this outcome.】
【Learn this spell?】
“A miraculous spell?”
Bai Xuan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he hit confirm.
“Learn!”
【You have learned the spell—Sacred Contract (?)】
【Sacred Contract (?): Draw a contract sigil on Serene’s lower abdomen to forge a sacred bond with her!】
“...?”
Bai Xuan arched a brow, reading the spell’s description.
This contract...
He turned to Serene. “I just learned a spell. It might help suppress this abnormal state you’re in.”
“What spell?” Hope flickered in Serene’s blue eyes.
“Sacred Contract.”
“Sacred Contract?”
“Do you trust me?” Bai Xuan asked.
“Of course. I trust you,” Serene replied without hesitation, her gaze unwavering.
“But—the contract sigil has to be drawn on your lower abdomen,” Bai Xuan warned.
“All right.”
“Wait, you don’t mind?”
“Why would I?”
“Okay, let’s begin the Sacred Contract.”
“Mhm.”
Serene lowered her head slightly, following Bai Xuan’s instructions.
She wore a one-piece pajama suit. All she had to do was pull the zipper down a bit, and her smooth, pale stomach was exposed.
She wasn’t truly undressed, but that subtle hint of bare skin—half-concealed above, the zipper stopping just at the base of her belly—radiated an unfiltered, dangerous allure. Just a single line separated her from the abyssal temptation of a succubus.
Gulp.
Bai Xuan swallowed hard.
So this was what it meant to be a succubus...
“I’m starting.”
“Mhm.”
Bai Xuan reached out with his right hand, gently pressing his fingertip to Serene’s skin.
As the contract activated, a thread of golden mana flowed from his finger, seeping silently into her pale flesh and tracing out a radiant sigil.
“Mm…”
Serene bit her lower lip, a faint sound escaping her.
“It’ll be over soon,” Bai Xuan murmured, his eyes never leaving her abdomen.
The sigil was taking shape—but the more he looked, the more something felt off.
That was a succubus’s sigil, wasn’t it...?
Was this really a Sacred Contract?
Before he could puzzle it out, the contract was complete.
With a soft moan, Serene’s eyes fluttered shut. Her body went limp, then floated lightly into the air.
“...?”
Bai Xuan stared, bewildered—until a barrage of system prompts exploded before his eyes!
【Sacred Accord Activated!】
【Succubus Paladin Engaged!】
【Warning!】
【You are attempting to assume the provisional contract of ‘Succubus Paladin: Serene’!】
【Original Contract Holder—Pope of Light】
【Question!】
【Do you swear to embrace the Light, take responsibility for Serene’s sustenance, and forge a sacred bond with her?】
【YES】 or 【NO】
“Sacred Accord?”
Bai Xuan stared at the golden letters before him, shock flickering in his eyes.
Could this Sacred Contract have originated from the Pope of Light herself?
But these brilliant golden words, radiating solemn power, were clearly suppressing Serene’s abnormal state.
“Yes!”
【Contract formation in progress…】
【Contract successfully formed!】
【From now on, your bond with Serene has deepened!】
【Source of Life unlocked!】
【Affection +5!】
“Source of Life?”
Bai Xuan’s eyes brightened as another message appeared.
【Source of Life (Gold): A primal sigil infused with life mana, used for mana recovery or empowerment. Current reserve: 100% (Source: Flower of Life)】
“A gold-tier Setting?”
Bai Xuan was stunned.
Forming this contract hadn’t just lifted Serene’s hunger—it had granted her a rare, gold-quality ability!
As the contract finalized, Serene floated gently back to the ground.
Her eyes fluttered open, blue irises shimmering with light.
She whispered, “That strange feeling… it’s gone.”
“Feeling better?” Bai Xuan asked, concern in his voice.
Serene nodded softly, a faint smile curving her lips. “Much better.”
“Good.” Bai Xuan finally relaxed and nodded.
He glanced at his phone—then froze.
It was already ten o’clock!
Damn!
He was late for school!
“Whatever. At this point, I might as well call in sick.”
Bai Xuan quickly messaged his teacher to request leave.
But in a world plagued by Anomalous Disasters, asking for leave wasn’t about explaining your absence. It was about letting your teacher know you were still alive.
“I wonder how my sister’s doing…” he thought, sending a message to Bai Yu.
Even though they’d already moved to the safehouse, nowhere in this world was truly safe.
Soon, Bai Yu replied:
Bai Yu: “All’s well on my end.”
“Glad to hear it.” Bai Xuan let out a sigh of relief, then opened the Book of Worlds to check for new missions.
Ninghang City remained calm—no sign of the telltale red glow, meaning no new Anomalous Disasters had appeared.
He shifted his attention to the map of Baihai City.
Unlike peaceful Ninghang, Baihai’s map was practically blanketed in red dots.
More than thirty, densely packed.
But that made sense. Baihai City lay on the edge of the Bai Sea, and both its administrative level and population far exceeded Ninghang’s. It was one of only three A-rank cities in Huaguo.
A-rank meant the city could withstand A-rank Anomalous Disasters.
Ninghang, on the other hand, was just a C-rank city.
“Let’s head to Baihai City today.”
Bai Xuan opened Baihai City’s mission log, carefully selecting a new objective...