Zaroth's heart stopped for a moment, as did his breath.
Looking at the beautiful vampire, hundreds of different questions flooded his mind.
But in the end, he managed to filter them out, leaving only two remaining.
First, Luna should have seen everything, yet she hadn't told him that she was weaker. If the worst happened, Zaroth could summon his dragon as a last resort.
But this would be the worst-case scenario. The moment Luna turned into a dragon, there was a very high chance someone would notice her menacing aura and begin an investigation. That meant a confrontation with the vampire was the worst thing that could happen.
The second thought in his mind was that he had found a demon. He wasn't sure how strong she was compared to other demons, but if he applied the logic 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' befriending her might not be a bad idea.
Having made up his mind, he began raising his arm.
"Lis—"
Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Midnight Bloodrose charged at him without changing her expression.
She suddenly appeared an arm's length away from Zaroth, her mouth open and ready to sink her fangs into his neck. Her movements were too fast for Zaroth to follow, giving neither him nor Silverfang any time to react.
In response, the only thing Zaroth managed to do was raise his left arm. As a result, Midnight Bloodrose's fangs sank into his arm rather than his neck.
The next instant, he felt his blood being sucked away. The most disturbing thing was that he didn't feel pain—somehow, it was a strangely pleasant experience.
He wasn't an expert, but from what he remembered about vampires, when they bite their victims and start drinking their blood, they release a hormone that numbs the victim's senses, making it harder for them to react.
Midnight drank his blood, and unexpectedly, for the first time, her face showed emotion. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she took a few steps back as she began coughing violently.
She couldn't help but mutter,
"What the fuck is wrong with your blood?"
"My blood?" Zaroth felt dazed for a moment, trying to understand her reaction, until his eyes lit up.
"Wait! Is it possible the alcohol in my system made her reluctant to drink it? I really have to thank Roran later," he thought.
"No matter," Midnight muttered as she stretched her fingers, ready to attack.
"If I can't drink your blood, then I'll have to eliminate the witness by other means."
Zaroth's mind was working overtime, trying to think of a way to come out of the situation unscathed. As Midnight moved into position to rip him to shreds, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"A deal!" he shouted, which made Midnight flinch for a moment and stop in her tracks. "You're a demon, right?! From what I know, you love making deals with humans, so how about it?"
Zaroth tried to appear composed, but the truth was, he was anything but calm.
Hearing his offer, Midnight Bloodrose returned to her natural expression and straightened her back as she gazed at Zaroth, clearly considering the offer.
"A deal?" she began, raising an eyebrow. "You wish to make a deal with a demon? One who has just killed your peer in cold blood?"
It seemed she was testing him.
"Why would I care about someone I don't even know?" Zaroth countered, raising his own eyebrow, trying to appear unfazed.
Inwardly recalling the words of his professor about how you shouldn't try to outwit a demon, he thought, 'Well, I don't have much of a choice now, do I?'
Midnight was silent for a moment before responding. "You want a deal? Why? And what kind of deal are you proposing?"
He met her terrifying gaze and answered, "Truthfully, it's because our enemies align. So, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' kind of situation. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to befriend a demon. As for the deal..."
His gaze shifted to the student lying dead on the ground, likely drained of all his blood.
"We keep what happened here a secret and don't share what we learned today with anyone. How about it?"
Midnight studied him for a moment before replying in her usual stoic voice, "No. The deal is too one-sided. You know something about me that is a grave secret, yet I know nothing about you."
'Too one-sided?' Zaroth cursed inwardly. 'Why do deals with demons work differently than I imagined?'
'Yes, they do,' Luna's voice suddenly chimed in, explaining, 'If the deal is too one-sided for the human's benefit, the demon won't agree to it.'
Zaroth was lost in thought for a moment before deciding, 'Well, I guess I just have to risk it all.'
"So, if I reveal an important secret about myself, will you agree to the deal?" he asked.
"If your secret is as important as mine, then sure," Midnight responded in her eerily emotionless voice.
Zaroth took a deep breath before speaking. "I am a Beast Master."
Midnight raised an eyebrow and replied, "I know. I can see the wolf behind you. This isn't enough of a se—"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence as light began to form beside Zaroth. In the next moment, a tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes appeared, glaring daggers at Midnight.
"Nice to meet you," the woman said in a pleasant voice. "I hear you've attacked my master?"
Despite speaking in a pleasant voice, her eyes and body radiated such a powerful and violent aura that Midnight took a few steps back, her composure completely shattered as she took deep breaths, trying to compose herself.
Seeing the sudden change in Midnight's expression, Zaroth smiled and added,
"This is one of my beasts. I'm sure you can feel how strong she is. Keeping in mind that no one knows about her, how about that deal now?"
Midnight was still taking irregular breaths. Just being stared at by the woman Zaroth had summoned made her skin crawl and her instincts scream to flee. After taking a few moments to compose herself, she spoke,
"I... I accept the deal," she began, but then pointed at the body near her feet.
"But on one condition, if you see me feeding, you are not to intervene or disclose that information to anyone."
Zaroth shifted his gaze to the body, considering for a moment, then responded, "Only if the person you're preying on isn't connected to me in any way."
Seemingly satisfied, Midnight began walking toward Zaroth, startling him for a moment.
"Relax," she said. Her voice no longer carried its usual threatening edge, likely due to her fear of Luna, who was still watching her silently.
The unspoken message was clear, 'Don't try anything stupid.'
Zaroth found himself standing an arm's length away from Midnight Bloodrose. Her crimson eyes glowed like the color of blood, and her perfectly pale face might have drawn him in if he weren't on guard.
Without saying anything, Midnight used her nails to make a wound on her palm. Sensing he should do the same, Zaroth used the sword on his back to cut his hand.
Midnight reached out with her hand for a handshake.
'Luna hasn't warned me, so I guess it's fine?' he thought as he grasped her hand.
"I accept the terms of the deal," she said, looking directly at him. Zaroth repeated her words.
Then a small crimson symbol appeared on the back of his right hand, only to disappear moments later.
"That's it," Midnight said. "If you speak of this to anyone, your heart will burst, killing you instantly. The same applies to me."
With that, she disappeared, muttering, "I hope we don't see each other too often."
Zaroth was left standing, staring at his hand, lost in thought.
'Huh, so I made a deal with a demon.'