Chapter 108: Blood Oath

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Blood Oath

Raphael captured every shifting expression on the opposing face in his eyes. Then Raphael laid a condition on the table capable of swaying anyone:

"You just need to tell me everything about him. In exchange, I will find you another completely compatible body, accompanied by unlimited wealth. During that time, I will also keep this secret for you. If you still have doubts, I can swear on my soul. For the rest of your life, I guarantee you won’t have to worry for a single day."

Jeremy didn’t expect Raphael to be willing to bet to this extent for the original owner.

Truth be told, that condition was very hard to refuse.

A soul oath was irreversible, especially for Raphael - the inheritor of the Moon race bloodline, the bloodline known as the immortal soul.

Compared to the long, dragging days of constantly worrying about being unmasked, having to measure every gaze and every word to play the role perfectly, exchanging for a body with a simple, clear background was a bargain.

Add to that the personal commitment from the young master of the Northern Duke’s mansion. Even if Jeremy threw away the aristocratic young master shell, he wouldn’t need to worry about wealth or safety anymore.

Jeremy tapped his fingers on the tabletop three times: "Deal. But I have two attached conditions. You agree, and I will tell you the entire origin. But if not..."

The sentence was left hanging. Jeremy was clearly smiling, but there was not a single trace of a smile in his eyes.

"Then I think there’s no need for us to sit here any longer. To me, living one more day or one less day isn’t a difficult choice anyway."

Jeremy paused for a beat, then delivered the final blow:

"Of course, if I die, what will happen to the true owner of this body cannot be foretold."

A naked threat, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

A cold glint flashed through Raphael’s eyes: "I agree."

Jeremy: "..."

Raphael didn’t even bother to ask what the conditions were.

Agreeing so crisply meant the original owner’s position in Raphael’s heart was heavier than everything else combined.

Jeremy conversely began to admire this childhood friendship.

The smile on Jeremy’s lips didn’t drop: "Since the Young Duke is so straightforward, I will naturally cooperate fully. But before I open my mouth, please make the oath first. Otherwise, sitting here makes my back prickle."

"..."

Raphael glanced at him, and right in front of him, established a blood oath.

Fresh blood left Raphael’s fingertip, hovering in mid-air, forming a dark red circular mark before shattering and dissolving into his chest.

Jeremy didn’t drag it out either, casually laying his cards on the table: "My conditions are very simple. First, within five years, you help me kill Amber. The empire’s heir seat must change owners."

The crime of assassinating the crown prince was enough to exterminate nine generations of a family. Yet on Raphael’s face, there wasn’t a single ripple of hesitation.

After digging out everything Jeremy had to endure, Raphael himself had already harbored that intention anyway.

"Who do you want to succeed?"

This question was precisely a nod of agreement.

Who to let succeed... Jeremy honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead, so he left a way out: "Let’s decide after dealing with that guy."

Raphael didn’t pursue it to the end, merely jutting his chin to signal Jeremy to continue.

But Jeremy stopped right there: "The second condition, I will tell you after you find a suitable body for me. Don’t worry, it won’t cross your limits."

"Regarding the body, what are your requirements?"

Jeremy smiled: "An age similar to mine now, innate talent from a decent level or higher. Ideally, an orphan with no attachments who has just recently died. After all, possessing a living person is a bit cruel, and I am relatively kind-hearted, I can’t do such a thing."

Kind-hearted?

Raphael found those two words incompatible with the person in front of him by even one percent.

But Raphael didn’t want to waste time on that topic: "I agree to everything you said. Now speak. Why did he summon you to replace him?"

Jeremy didn’t push his luck. Aside from the fact that he came from Earth, Jeremy told Raphael absolutely everything else.

Half an hour later.

"That’s roughly it. As for the specific reason why he summoned me, I myself am not clear. But according to the God of Covenants, although his soul hasn’t dissipated and is still entirely within this body, because of suffering a rule backlash, the probability of him waking up is at most one percent. Even when I leave this body, I’m afraid he won’t be able to open his eyes immediately. You should mentally prepare yourself."

Jeremy looked at the face opposite him paling bit by bit, pondered for a moment, and decided to leave him some space.

"Your condition doesn’t look too good. We’ll discuss the rest next time, I’ll head back first."

Raphael’s fingertips were trembling. Raphael stood up, his voice hoarse: "...I will see you out."

Even at this point, this guy’s etiquette was still strictly executed down to the smallest detail.

Jeremy was just about to say there was no need, when Jeremy saw a glaring red streak seeping from the corner of Raphael’s lips.

Cold sweat broke out on Raphael’s forehead. Blackish-red curse lines crawled all over his body, most visibly on his neck, the back of his hands, and one side of his cheek.

Between the lines, a faint aura of death began to condense - a precursor to a coma.

Jeremy was slightly startled. Jeremy had forgotten that the other party’s illness was also triggered by emotions.

Jeremy stepped forward intending to support him, but was dodged.

Raphael himself probably didn’t foresee his illness acting up at this exact moment. The hand bracing against the table clenched, green veins bulging on Raphael’s forehead: "...Sorry. But do not touch me."

"..."

Jeremy retracted his hand, said nothing, turned to open the door, and jutted his chin towards the darkness at the end of the corridor: "Come in. Take your young master back."

A commotion no different from a battlefield ensued. Confirming Raphael had been escorted out of the tearoom, Jeremy didn’t linger for another second, striding straight out.

Returning to the Duke’s mansion, Jeremy only felt more exhausted than a full day of being tossed around the training grounds by Griffin.

But having the facade stripped off actually made Jeremy feel a bit lighter.

Jeremy had previously sat and mapped out all sorts of scenarios for the day he was exposed.

The current situation was a thousand times better than everything he had imagined.

This could also be considered a good thing.

It was just... that illness of Raphael’s, it probably wouldn’t turn into a major issue, right?

Jeremy fell silent for a moment, then suppressed that train of thought.

Let it go, he’d drop by in a few days to check on him.

Looking at this situation, Raphael likely wouldn’t return to the Northern territory. Raphael would probably be bedridden in the capital for the entire vacation.

Just as Jeremy was about to pull out a book to read to settle his mind, Jeremy’s body suddenly throbbed with a sharp pain that couldn’t be ignored.

"?"

Jeremy froze.

Before the day they left the academy, Jeremy had requested Griffin to remove the empathic curse for the whole group, and Griffin truly had removed it. This pain couldn’t be transmitted from those four.

But Jeremy wasn’t injured anywhere today. What the hell was this body up to?

Jeremy scanned his entire body once over, unable to find a single anomaly.

What was even more troublesome was - before the physical flesh pain could subside, a tremor from his soul crashed in.

As if an invisible suction force was gripping his soul and violently dragging it out of his body.

The tearing sensation made his vision go dark, waves of nausea surging up repeatedly...