The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Erin Scherney has never been so at ease.

"No, devil, the second deal is a piece of cake for you. I don't need any leverage. The rest of my souls are more than enough to pay you."

As if in retaliation, Eileen gently shook her head, gave the devil a gentle and warm smile, and then confessed the contents of the second transaction.

"Kill me, and distribute me evenly throughout the underground water system of this planet, cell by cell. From then on, my soul will belong to you."

The devil was aware of her thoughts, but even so, Eileen could still feel the gaze of those purple eyes scrutinizing her for a moment.

After looking away, the devil rested his thumb on his chin, pondering for a moment, seemingly calculating whether the deal was worthwhile.

After a moment, He broke the silence softly.

"I see. Miss Eileen has decided to become Karen's [hero]."

"I never even considered that kind of thing. In the end, wasn't all of this part of your plan?"

"Indeed, Miss Eileen lacks male mates. Even if she didn't, with such a small population, it would be difficult to reproduce and rebuild a race on this planet simply through procreation. Moreover, the Karen civilization has already disappeared, leaving no record of its wisdom in any form of medium. The extinction of its civilization is a foregone conclusion. Morag Bal anchored Karen's destruction from the higher dimensions of the Tree of Life. Therefore, even if you travel through time to the past, there is no possibility of changing the outcome. So you chose the most economical and practical way—you chose to abandon the past and pursue the future."

"Yes, Miss Charlotte, let's continue calling you that for now. Your position on the Tree of Life is clearly higher than that of Morag Bal, the sun god. After figuring this out, I found a way to obtain the greatest benefit with the lowest cost and lowest risk—by sacrificing my remaining soul, I would have you kill me and spread my cells into the underground water system, thereby anchoring the future of this planet and causing the Karen people to re-evolve. Furthermore, without even considering the authenticity of your previous outburst, you could also vent your anger by killing me with your own hands. It would be a piece of cake for you, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, that's reasonable and cost-effective."

The gray devil took the silver briefcase into a rift that appeared out of thin air, and then slowly removed the glove from his right hand.

As He was picking them, He asked again.

"So, this is the last time I'll ask, and hell lies ahead, Miss Eileen Scherney. Do you still have any doubts about the details of this deal?"

"No, this is the result of my careful consideration."

"Do you need a little more time to pray, say goodbye, or even cry your heart out?"

"No need, I'm afraid I'll regret it."

This time, it was Eileen who squeezed out the last few words from her slightly trembling lips.

"I see. Then—the contract is established."

The gray devil calmly removed his gloves, walked slowly to within a step of Eileen, and extended his hand in a gesture of respect.

Eileen gazed at the excessively pale, even slightly ashen, right hand, watching as a bluish glow gradually appeared on its delicate surface.

She knew that when she held that hand, the human race named Erin Scherney would come to an end, and the civilization named Karen would one day in the future, under a different name, see the dawn.

Even though she had cried her heart out the night before, Eileen was still caught in an instinctive hesitation at the last moment of her life.

She was right. If she waited any longer, she would regret it, be afraid, run away, and spend the rest of her life in greater and deeper regret.

In contrast to Eileen's hesitation and indecisiveness, the devil remained calm.

Faced with that composed demeanor, Eileen, still unwilling to give up, finally asked the question that had been buried deep in her heart.

Perhaps, there is more than one question.

"why?"

"what do you mean?"

"Why did you give me the answer? You came here with the answer in the first place, and you deliberately chose the form of painting. You even made up the story of that gray mouse. In the end, you practically gave me a sun for free. Why?"

"This is also part of the business."

The devil answered calmly, a smile on his face, but the smile was still devoid of warmth.

Yes, that cold smile, those hypocritical gestures, and the experience of being completely fooled—these are all things that Eileen finds hard to accept.

Admittedly, Erin Sheryl never boasted about her talents, but there is no doubt that she grew up as a darling of fate. Having never suffered so much, at the last moment, out of the competitive spirit that a girl should have, she wanted to get back at them.

But the devil's reply was truly flawless, even impeccable.

"Then what about all those blue accessories you're wearing, your hairband, your glasses, and all those magic markings?"

"It's just a personal hobby."

"But you said that the little prince liked blue things."

"That's just a lame joke that's popular in the Astral Plane."

"The little prince doesn't like golden snake scales..."

"That's the story of the snake. As you know, I'm just a gray mouse."

"you……"

The devil remained calm, leaving Eileen speechless with anger.

"There is plenty of time, but Miss Eileen, is your heart still hardened?"

"..."

"Of course, everything is based on your wishes, Miss Eileen. As you know, under the great Shadow Covenant, we devils will not interfere with our clients' private wishes, nor will we urge them to make a quick decision. Everything depends solely on your own heart."

The devil spoke so eloquently.

Eileen just thought He was too cunning.

"Then, one last question."

"Excuse me."

"...Did that fake Cinderella finally meet her prince?"

"Because it's a fake, it naturally doesn't exist."

"Honestly... even if you just made up a story to fool me at the end, that would be fine..."

In the end, with a hint of reluctance, Eileen grasped the right hand that was glowing with a bluish light.

"!"

Then, Eileen was astonished to find that the blue glow in the devil's palm was so warm and so gentle.

That was not the warmth a poor girl who died in the frozen ground would have, nor the light a bloodless and tearless devil could possess.

"You liar, you liar..."

In her final moments before her consciousness completely faded, Eileen bid farewell to her last lingering resentment and smiled with relief.

In the boundless, silvery sea, deep in the ocean, the mirror-like surface reflects the brilliant starry sky.

The gray-haired girl slowly awoke amidst a sea of ​​stars.

Charlotte drowsily raised her head, sat blankly on the sea, gazing at the enormous celestial body in the starry sky, the pitch-black sun.

She seemed to be still dreaming, as if she had not yet woken up.

A moment later, she pulled out a blue notebook and a blue pen from the subspace rift, wrote on one of the pages, and settled another transaction.

The objective of that deal was simple and clear—to recover assets stolen by a son of Baal and relocate them to a suitable place.

The location can be chosen locally.

She had always intended to establish a separate star in that galaxy, and after dealing with the Son of Baal, the only obstacle left was the primate girl who survived alone in the assets.

Fortunately, that girl ultimately rose like a morning star and fell like a shooting star.

Over the long years, Charlotte was repeatedly thrown into various corners of the mortal realm by her teacher, who intentionally made her witness with her own eyes what is beautiful and what is ugly.

For those who have reached the boundaries of time, conventional linear measurement methods have long lost their meaning; the only thing they can rely on is their own memory of how many years have passed.

Over the years, she has traveled to many places, met many people, and witnessed many things.

Karen's birth was a gift from the devil; the moment she signed the contract, the end of her cycle was destined to come.

Miss Eileen has an honest heart that has never been tarnished.

Therefore, Charlotte decided to make that lady a "hero." She could not change the lady's fate, but she could decide how it ended.

Rising like the morning star, falling like a shooting star.

……

My mind is still not clear enough, and the temptation of taking a nap is already lingering in my heart.

Charlotte's sleep quality has always been poor.

Having lived in constant anxiety since childhood due to various factors, she has always been a light sleeper.

Even now, many years later, the threshold for getting quality sleep remains ridiculously high.

This gentle sea was one of the only two places where she could sleep soundly and peacefully. The gentle tides and warm waters cradled her through countless long nights.

I'll sleep a little longer, before Miss Yu Yi comes back.

That fox lady was good in every way, except that she was too strict. She couldn't stand Charlotte being idle and always assigned her mountains of work orders, while constantly muttering things like, "She's not ruthless enough, she'll disappoint her teacher"...

Charlotte was most afraid of that fox lady, and kept saying that her teacher would be disappointed in her.

She has always been very timid. Whenever she got into trouble or was bullied during her childhood, she would just hide in a corner where no one could see her and cry.

A timid, clumsy, and crybaby girl—that's pretty much how Charlotte describes herself.

Correspondingly, the little madwoman who is both bold and meticulous, and has a strong drive to act, is Pandora.

Whenever Charlotte gets into trouble or is bullied, Pandora will step in and smooth things over while Charlotte cries.

Even when Charlotte first met her teacher, she cowered in a corner, her mind blank after the secret of the Abyss Garden was exposed. She didn't dare to move except to shed tears, while Pandora already had a knife hidden in her hand...

"babble!"

Charlotte's profile suddenly turned icy cold, and before she knew it, she let out a mournful cry like that of a small animal, a sound she often heard in her childhood.

But she was no longer the crybaby she once was. Precisely because Pandora was a genius, she, lacking talent herself, had to do everything in her power to catch up, just so she wouldn't be left behind by her teacher...

The one-winged demon instantly entered a state of combat readiness, its main body directly detaching from the current timeline, transforming into a visible yet untouchable shadow in an instant. What remained at the current point in time was only an annihilation core constructed from deeply refined ether...

The newcomer casually picked up the annihilation core, tossed it into his mouth, chewed it for a while, and then revealed a satisfied smile.

It was a boy dressed in a black kimono with gold maple leaf patterns on the sleeves. His ink-black hair fluttered in the night sea breeze, and his red-gold eyes were filled with a bewitching, fiery, and mischievous light. He sat on the sea beside Charlotte and winked playfully at the little devil who was out of time.

"It tastes good, little one. What are you thinking about again? I think I see tears in the corners of your eyes. Did someone bully you? Don't cry, don't cry. Teacher brought you ice cream. Tell me who did it while you eat it. After you finish eating, Teacher will go with you to set that silly thing off like a firework."

The perfectly disguised little devil slipped back to the original timeline in an instant, and then threw herself into the boy's arms without any hesitation. She shed all her glamorous adornments and transformed back into the Cinderella who was lost in the abyss of frozen soil.

"Long time no see, teacher."

Charlotte murmured softly, contentedly sinking into the only two places she could sleep, into the warm embrace she cherished.

"Long time no see, Charlotte."

The believer placed the dessert on the sea surface and then gently soothed the little snake he had tamed.

When he noticed the girl's subtle, deliberate breathing, which she managed to conceal well, Shinju rarely showed a hint of helpless smile—he understood somewhat what Aoko felt when he held her.

……

Chapter 159 Dragons (Part 1)

Why should you copy me?

Feeling that it was about time, the believer withdrew her soothing right hand from Charlotte's hair.

He composed himself and asked calmly.

"!"

Cinderella, who was burying her face in his chest, was startled by his words and then buried her face even lower.

"Playing the ostrich won't help; answer my question."

"...In terms of efficiency, the teacher's method is the most efficient and practical choice..."

Charlotte's voice was initially as calm and composed as it was in front of strangers, a flawless response. But as the conversation went on, her voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely audible at the end.

"But you're a girl, how can you be so careless with yourself? Is my quick and decisive way of taking the blame something you can learn?"

The believer looked up at the sky, rolled her eyes, and then said with great distress.

"No, Charlotte can only learn and use the methods that the teacher can use, unless the teacher himself doesn't use them either."

The Cinderella who was pretending to be an ostrich seemed to have encountered a bottom line that she could not back down from. This time, her voice was filled with stubbornness.

"Charlotte, I stopped using that self-degrading method to please others a long time ago."

"Then why do I always find a new set of bad things about the teacher whenever I find a new altar to worship him?"

"That has nothing to do with what I've been doing lately. Since Lilith's wedding, the number of teachers being criticized has been increasing day by day. Now it's as numerous as the stars in the sky. I can hardly count them myself, let alone care about them."