After looting Andor's shop clean, Dick headed straight for the western outskirts with Mina in tow.
There were still several hours before dawn. The bright moon hung in the night sky like a guiding lantern, lighting their path forward.
Dick walked fast—so fast Mina had to jog to keep up. They marched in silence for dozens of minutes, the only sound the howling wind and falling snow.
"Dick… why did you kill Andor? Did he do something bad to you?"
The image of Andor being killed instantly kept replaying in her mind. Mina simply couldn't understand why the usually honest, gentle Dick had acted so violently.
After thinking it over, she concluded Andor must have done something terrible to push him that far.
Dick replied indifferently, "I've decided to live differently."
"Live… differently?"
From now on, Mina would serve as a tool at his side. She'd see many scenes like tonight's.
Explaining everything would be a hassle, and Dick didn't care to make excuses. So he laid it out bluntly.
"From this moment on, whatever I do, I'll choose the most efficient method."
"I needed money and medicine. Killing Andor was the most efficient option. So I did it. That's all."
Morality and emotion would no longer restrain him. In this life, he'd use any means necessary to reach his goals.
Only he would betray others—never the other way around.
Mina parted her lips slightly, hesitating.
"What, scared?"
Dick stopped and looked back at her.
"I… I…"
His cold expression felt unfamiliar, especially those eyes—deep, freezing, utterly distant.
They stood only steps apart, yet in that instant Mina felt as if he'd already gone somewhere far away, never to return.
Acting on instinct, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly. She was terrified of losing him.
Since their parents died, Dick had always been there for her.
He protected her, cared for her like an older brother, making sure she didn't die from illness, hunger, or cold.
"Dick, I'm not scared! Not at all! No matter what you do, I'll stay by your side—I'll give you everything I have…"
Tears streamed down her face like falling blossoms.
Yet Dick wasn't moved in the slightest, even knowing her feelings were genuine.
"Words mean nothing. I only trust tangible results."
With that, he grabbed her hand and led her deeper into the forest until they reached a patch of soft grass.
Mina immediately misunderstood. Her face flushed scarlet.
Her body tensed. She stayed silent while Dick fiddled with something beside her.
She knew this day would come eventually. In countless dreams, she'd even imagined names for their future children.
"It's snowing. Why are you taking your clothes off?"
"Huh? C-Can we… keep them on…?"
Dick instantly saw through her thoughts.
"I'm forming a magic contract with you. I'm not after your body."
"Oh… oh…"
Flustered, Mina quickly straightened her clothes. Trying to ease the awkwardness, she forced a cheerful tone.
"D-Dick… when did you learn magic? You look really skilled…"
In this world, magic had tiers: low, mid, high, ultra-high, and above that, divine-tier magic.
Magic contracts were special—they had no fixed tier.
Everything depended on the caster. The stronger the caster's magic, the stronger the contract.
Right now, Dick was only a level-1 Demon King. His raw magic power was low, meaning any contract he cast directly would be weak and easy to break.
So he planned to set up a magic circle, amplifying the spell with magic stones.
As for where those stones came from… well, courtesy of Andor.
In under half a minute, Dick constructed a mana-gathering array. The core material was a level-10 magic stone, providing magical output comparable to a level-10 Mage.
Thanks to the Mage talent Mental Chanting, he could cast spells without verbal incantations. The circle beneath their feet activated instantly.
Dense lines of text soon appeared between them—tens of thousands of words at a glance.
These were the contract terms.
Dick had accounted for countless scenarios, listing clause after clause in almost obsessive detail.
"Dick… what does it say? I… I can't read."
"You don't need to worry about it. Just prick your finger and press your thumbprint on the blank space."
"Oh… okay!"
Out of absolute trust, Mina did exactly that without hesitation.
Just like that, the future Dark Witch became Dick's first tool.
Once the contract was complete, Dick erased all traces of the magic circle and resumed their journey.
For now, Mina wouldn't betray him.
But compared to verbal promises… a magic contract was far more reassuring.