13.) Boathouse

"Mistress, what is this?"

Rin ran his eyes over the glowing piece of parchment his lovely mistress bestowed upon him. Peeking over his shoulders, Kris was curious as well and began reading some of the information that his eyes spotted.

"It's a contract that if you accept, you will forever be bound to me, but only with your consent first. There are rules that you and I must obey and don't break. You can only swear your obedience to me. If either you or I violate any of these rules, swift punishment awaits us. So take your time-"

"I've signed!"

Without giving it a second to think over his decision, Rin had already signed his name, and Dawn received a message.

{You have made a Soul Contract with Rin}

'So fast!' Dawn stared at the message before feeling a cold sensation grasp her hands and lost herself when a pair of crystal blue eyes fixed her with a look of reverence.

"So now I get to become one with Mistress, correct?" Such a simple sentence, but why to the ears of Kris and Dawn did it sound so lewd?

Sensing competition for its master's affection, Neko-chan, who was resting on top of Dawn's head, glared her amethyst eyes at the ice-elf, who sensed its hostile aura and returned the sentiments.

'A seven-foot elf vs. an adorable kitten? What a stupid sight I'm looking at right now,' Kris sarcastically labeled the scene happening between the two monsters before noticing the ice elf still held Dawn's hands and became annoyed.

"Okay, so where to next?!" asked Kris, butting in between the two, separating their hands.

Thinking of the next person she would like to recruit, Dawn smirked and said, "District U21!"

"District U21? To get there, we're going to need a boat." Pulling up his map, Kris began to analyze where they should head next.

"Luckily for us, a boathouse is not that far from here. We should reach there by tomorrow evening!"

"Alright, let's head out, team!" Dawn cheered and set off.

"Dummy, where we're going is south, not north!" Kris pointed out her mistake, which Dawn corrected by changing her direction.

Neko-chan, having already mapped the area, led them on a safe route void of monsters. After night had passed, just as Kris predicted, by evening the group approached the boathouse

Half of the building was destroyed, yet the other half, where the boats were stored, was still in good condition. Only three boats were left. Picking the one they liked best, the group loaded up on it when Dawn realized a problem.

"Does anyone here know how to drive a boat?" Dawn's question received a tired sigh from Kris.

"What would you do if I hadn't decided to follow you?" Climbing into the boat, Kris placed the key in, starting the engine. Taking control of the boat, he began driving it across the ocean.

"Wow, since when did you learn how to drive a speedboat?" Dawn stood in awe of Kris's skills, eyes peering out into the vast sea.

"Self-taught! I once stole my neighbor's speedboat and taught myself!" It really wasn't that hard for Dawn to picture pretty-boy Kris as a rebellious thief. She found it fit his bad boy image. Detecting a hint of smugness in his voice.

"So, who are we recruiting this time?" Kris asked and broke the silence.

"I want it to be a secret!" Dawn playfully smiled.

"Not if you want us all to live and so I can mentally prepare myself!" argued Kris.

Not wanting to push Kris's buttons and put their partnership in jeopardy, Dawn decided to tell the truth.

"Our next recruit is a succubus, and she is currently being held captive in District U21."

Dawn wanted to exploit other theories, and if her abilities allowed her to recruit only monsters, then she knew who she wanted to recruit next.

"First an ice-elf and now a succubus! What? Your skill only allows you to recruit demons and monsters?"

Kris only meant it as a joke, but when Dawn got quiet and refused to face him, he realized he hit the nail on the head.

"When I was looking over that ice elf's shoulder, I didn't get a chance to read the document you gave him thoroughly. But if I had to guess, your ability allows you to fuse and inherit the powers of those who sign the contract you hand out, correct?"

Dawn whistled and clapped her hands, showing her appreciation for the other's analysis skills.

"So smart~! Wow, how did you know?"

"It really ain't that hard once you think about it. Do you perhaps have a second ability? An ability to see the future or something? How did you know a Flame Griffin existed at the location of the volcano and now this succubus?"

Kris's barrage of questions put Dawn on edge, knowing she couldn't say that it was because of a book that she read. It was only a theory that their world might've merged with that of a fictional world. Plus, she did not want to risk the chance of having Kiris think she was a crazy person or, better yet, put them in grave danger.

Dawn didn't want to lose the raven companionship, who, during their short time together, made this surreal ordeal bearable.

"Y-yeah, you can say that!" Dawn laughed nervously, keeping her eyes away from Kris, hoping he wouldn't call her out on her lie.

"That's some OP skill, but you should keep it secret. If others become aware of this, they may try to take advantage of you." Kris's friendly advice made Dawn feel a bit touched by his sincerity.

"Aww, are you looking out for me~?" She teasingly pinched his cheek, ignoring the tick mark above his brows.

"Since it's obvious you have a few loose screws in that head of yours, someone has to!" Kris grumbled, ignoring that tingling feeling he could feel in his chest whenever Dawn expressed her joy and laughter.

Sitting behind them, glaring at this sweet scene, a cool breeze emitted from Rin's hands. A dagger made of ice took form.

'That boy and my mistress share a close bond. I don't like it!'

It took nothing but a second for the ice blade to fly out of Rin's hands and pause midair, centimeters from plunging itself straight through Kris's back and into his heart.

Cold lips curled into a smirk. He lifted his crystal blue eyes only to clash with Neko-chan's amethyst orbs. A dangerous glint of killer intent leaked from the feline's eyes, demanding his life if he so dared follow through with his intentions. Such a message made Rin chuckle.

'Must not make any reckless moves while that annoying furball is watching.'

The dagger melted and Rin leaned back against the boat.