Chapter 273

273 The fifth retainer joins the hero

“Are... are you planning to kill... kill me here?” Vincent asked. He became conflicted about this situation. Did she accept him or not?

Sakura let go of Vincent and backed away. Unlike what she just did and what her action could mean, a saddened look appeared on her face. She looked like she was the one who suffered from this one-sided exchange.

“That... that was my first hug. I am hard, right?... no one wants a hard woman...” Sakura was saying before Vincent interrupted, “That isn’t how people hug each other. Everyone will die if that is the norm.”

[Well, she said it was her first romantic hug, hehe. Don’t be so mean on her because it looks like it took a lot of courage...]

[Opps, I forgot Sakura could hear me ~ehe~]

Vincent stopped being on guard for another surprise bear hug and asked, “You suffered through a lot these past few days, but can I show you how a real warm hug is? Can this human touch you?”

Vincent was worried about the suffering she had to go through because of humans. He didn’t want Sakura to see all humans as unredeemable beings.

“Only if it’s you, human, yet not Vincent. Not all of your blood is red... so I can trust you a little.” Sakura revealed why she accepted him after what humans did to her. Because he showed his mutated green blood, Sakura decided to place her last speck of trust on Vincent.

[Ho~ho, this is interesting.]

.....

Vincent approached Sakura and slowly hugged her. However, she started showing signs of being uncomfortable. Vincent stopped and backed away in fear of triggering horrible memories.

“You barely touched me... you dislike this hard manly body of...” Sakura had her lips stolen to stop undermining her attractive athletic body.

Vincent then took the opportunity to slap her butt once more and chuckled when he heard her yelp like a little kitten.

“That is what I think about you and your body. It will be your choice in the end if you want me or not.” Vincent winked at me and said, “I don’t mind a woman like you. My hands nor lips touched anything hard.”

Sakura was shocked to her core. She received a hug, followed by a kiss, then ending with a gentle slap on her bottom.

‘Vincent... does he truly not find this body repulsive? I am not like his other human woman... I am not soft like the golden-haired one...’ She contemplated.

No matter how many men or women looked at her, no one wanted to be with her. She didn’t have an ugly face nor an ugly body, but having a body no other female demon wished to have made everyone treat her differently.

In the end, similar to Ester, Sakura suffered from a body complex. She became jealous of petite women like Ester. Ironically, the two of them will surely want what each other has since Ester might be jealous of her ample chest.

“Then let us begin. Retainer Bond start.” He ordered, breaking Sakura from her daze.

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[Start [Blessed Retainer] test?]

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[Agree] [Cancel]

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“I agree.” He said.

Sakura saw the notification window appear in front of her. Without hesitation, she said, “I agree.”

.

[[Blessed Retainer] test starting.]

[Checking compatibility...]

[Checking personality...]

[Blessed Retainer extra test start...]

[Checking seven deadly sins...]

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[Test passed.]

[Sakura has passed the important factors.]

[Blessed retainer gained.]

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Sakura became encased by a layer of bright glowing light.

Surprisingly to the opposition of not liking being touched, or if Vincent was lying to her or not, the process was completed smoothly and quickly.

Sakura grunted and touched her bottom. The mark appeared under her tail.

“The retainer bond is done, and the system accepted you as someone I can trust. Also, the pain will stop soon.” Vincent continued with a worried voice, “We will return shortly, but please don’t get hurt anymore. I saw you injured enough in this lifetime. Protect the others from the fireball while protecting yourself. You are a part of my family now.”

When the last word ended, the darkness began to fade, and the light returning. Sakura saw her body frozen in time, but it wasn’t easy to tell if it was her body or not as it glowed green.

Sakura didn’t feel pain anymore. Instead, she felt a rush of mysterious energy and power.

Sakura couldn’t move her body even when the time returned to normal. She was hovering in mid-air, and everywhere around her was illuminated by bright green light. However, the fireball didn’t stop to wait for her.

The danger was approaching, and Sakura was stuck in the rebirth phase. Sakura grit her teeth and clenches her fists. She swung her newly grown tail and managed to twist her hovering body the moment the green light was starting to dim and losing its power.

Sakura forced herself to land directly behind Lilith and Sofy. After unconsciously using a new skill, she extended her tall hands covered by a pair of mysterious glowing translucent gauntlets.

The translucent and faintly glowing gauntlets had a rainbow-like toxic color, similar to when oil or car fuel is mixed with water.

Sakura opened her hand and caught the fireball with ease. Lilith and Sofy raised their heads and saw a colorful gauntlet holding a ball of flame like a standing torch.

Sakura glared at the three spell casters standing at the back and clenched her hand tight with the fireball in her hand. The fireball was extinguished as if it never existed in the first place when her hand closed.

Sakura became stronger than she was before her nightmare started. She looked like a reliable addition to the team.

Vincent became relieved the gamble to turn Sakura into a retainer and try to save the others worked. Additionally, his stats rose by ten while donning Overheat form.

Vincent could feel stronger. His perception of his surroundings, such as vision and sound, increased as well.

*Thump, thump, thump*

Vincent frowned when he began to hear a strange thumping sound of heavy footsteps. At first, he thought his hearing needed some adjustments from the perception difference, but the sound neared closer after each thump.

Soon, the cause for the sound arrived in the large guest hall with a big...

“Ahh!” The three mage soldiers shouted the moment multiple hard objects hit their backs and sent them flying.

*Grrrr* A three-foot-tall blue fox appeared. It was Plow after using Digest to grow larger and temporarily receive additional stats.

“What is this monster? Why is a Demonic Beast here?” A soldier said while he helped a mage soldier get up. The mage soldier fell to the ground from his pained back, and similarly, the other mage soldiers couldn’t stand as well.

*Pho* “Plow is not a monster. Plow is a fox, you bad man.” Plow didn’t like what she heard. “Vincent Vincent, Plow is here.” She continued to make sure her bed didn’t abandon her again.

Vincent was happy to see Plow, yet worried since there was no ally beside her. Digest Trait gives a time-based boosted form, and it lasts depending on the stored nutritious food Plow ate. The problem lies with the remaining time.

Plow will be in danger if she reverts back into a small and powerless cute blue fox.

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[Name] Plow

[Race] Mutated Nine-Tailed Fox

[Age] 8

[Condition] Healthy, Digest Form (Combined Stats – 10 sec)

[Core] Tamed Mutated Core

[Traits] Devour, Digest, Mutated Blood Tails, Mutated Blood Control

[Stats] Strength 4 || Agility 3 || Perception 6 || Mana 0

[Stats] Strength 11 || Agility 8 || Perception 8 || Mana 3 || Time 10

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[2x Steel Sword (Common Quality) summoned. x1 remaining.]

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Vincent summoned two swords and ordered, “Plow, come and protect those behind me. Hurry up!”

Vincent threw the swords at the soldiers to distract them. Plow rushed to the sofa while using her tails to push or hit the soldiers to make way.

Plow shortly arrived near the sofa. She saw three little girls huddled together looking at her.

*Poof!* Plow’s body quickly turned into a foam-like body, and Plow fell from her previous three-foot-tall majestic body. The foam body shortly bubbled and popped out of existence, similar to ordinary bubbles.

“Awww... Plow is not big and strong anymore... Plow is sad...” *Pho...* Plow became discouraged that all the days she spent eating only gave less than thirty seconds of a bigger body.

The three little girls looked at the cute little fox pouting with a pair of cute puffed cheeks. Their eyes sparkled when they heard the little fox speak.

“A puppy!” The youngest of the three little girls said. She quickly got down from the sofa and lifted an unhappy Plow.

“Plow is not a puppy. Plow is Plow, and Plow is a fox.” *Pho* She complained.

The oldest little girl got down from the sofa and bravely said, “We protect the cute puppy from bad misters.”

.....

She broke Plow’s little heart.

“Plow... Plow protect you...” It didn’t take long for Plow to give up after being placed on the sofa and then shared by the three children. Only her head was left visible. Small arms sheltered the rest of her body and tails.

Plow was defeated.

“Was that a familiar? I thought that beast was a Demonic one!”

“Don’t ask. We need to capture or kill them for what they have done.”

The soldiers said.

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Sakura went beside Vincent. She was taller than him by half a foot and possessed the same imposing stature of Overheat Vincent.

Sofy stood on Vincent’s other side after she asked Lilith, who was unnaturally profusely sweating from trying to fight against her panic attack, to stay with the little girls sharing Plow like a soft toy.