This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Nivalis crunched down on the chips with loud, satisfying snaps. For a dragon, chips were as soft as porridge, but she liked the sound they made when crushed. Crumbs scattered like snowflakes, and Rita winced as she watched the mess. With a wave of her hand, she used a cleaning spell to clear the floor.

Nivalis grinned as she floated to the other side of the room. "But you've made an equal contract with me. Your lifespan will be extended, too—you'll live for at least 500 years."

Rita, mid-flip with the spatula as she was about to turn the steak, froze. She whipped her head around to stare at Nivalis, her voice trembling with excitement. "Really?"

Nivalis responded casually, "Of course. Even though our stats aren't shared, a dragon can extend the lifespan of the other party in an equal contract. It's one of our blessings." Continue reading at empire

Rita's heart raced. "So you're willing to give me this blessing?"

Nivalis flapped her tiny wings and sat in midair. "Sure. It doesn't cost me anything. It's a dragon's gift. If I like you, I'll grant it."

Rita couldn't believe it. "This blessing... You won't take it back if we ever argue, right?"

Nivalis straightened up angrily, pointing a wing toward the sky. "Of course not! What do you take me for, some lousy dragon? Only a scumbag would take back a gift once it's given! For example, if I gave someone 53,028 gold coins, I'd never take it back, even if we fought!"

Rita: "..." Thank you for not directly naming me but instead citing the exact amount of my bank account balance.

Rita turned back to her cooking, deliberately exaggerating, "Oh no! My steak's burned!"

Nivalis: ...Your wings have grown stronger!

...

As the night fell, Brooks stood behind the coffee machine, zoning out.

She had rewatched the security footage from the previous night. The old lady had started out acting quite normal, looking like someone who genuinely wanted to do business with her. Judging from the fact that she hadn't lost anything except for an hour of memory, Brooks figured the old woman must've discovered her mind-reading ability...

Sigh. The world was vast. She could read minds, so why couldn't someone else discover it?

The old lady had actually shown mercy, only erasing one hour of her memory. If she had been more ruthless, Brooks wouldn't have survived.

As she was lost in thought, a sharp scratching sound caught her attention. It was like nails dragging across glass. Brooks looked out the window, but no one was there.

"Scrrrratch—"

There it was again!

Brooks looked again, lowering her gaze this time, and there she saw a tabby cat outside, locking eyes with her. It lifted its paw and scratched the glass again.

Brooks: "..." Living long enough, you encounter all kinds of customers.

The tabby cat raised its paw impatiently and tapped the door.

Brooks went over, opened the door, and let the cat in. The tabby confidently walked over to a table, stopped, and jumped onto the chair, turning back to stare at Brooks before tapping the tabletop: Come here.

Brooks didn't bother using her mind-reading ability. She had tried it on animals before and all she could hear was meowing. When used on someone transformed into an animal, all she would hear was the noises that corresponded to the animal's form. Her ability didn't come with a translation feature.

Rita, internally chanting *Our Father* loudly, tapped the table again: Hurry up!!!

Brooks walked over and sat down, only to see the cat's paw push a note across the table. It read: *"Considering I didn't kill you or reveal your Divine Gift to anyone yesterday, I want to ask you something. Can you hear my thoughts when I'm in animal form?"*

This cat is the old lady from yesterday?!

Brooks also realized she could no longer see the golden glow that had once radiated from this person, revealing their wealth.

Brooks' expression grew complicated as she stared at the tabby. "No need to test it. When you transform into an animal, I can only hear meowing. Whatever sounds you make, that's what I hear when I read your mind."

Rita's whiskers twitched. She could tell Brooks still wasn't being entirely honest. Rita slid another note across the table: *"Do you have any translation devices for animal languages on you?"*

Brooks' expression shifted slightly. She muttered, "No..."

Rita didn't react to whether she believed her or not. Instead, she produced a third note: *"Stay here. I'll be right back."*

Brooks: ...Excuse me?! The nerve!

The tabby quickly jumped off the table. Amid a few customers' comments like "So cute!" and "Why is there a cat here?" she darted toward the restroom, slipped inside, and a minute later, the same old lady in her floral dress and cloth shoes emerged.

Brooks, seeing the elderly woman again, forced a smile that couldn't have been more fake. "Happy to see you."

Rita casually replied, "Glad you are."

What happened last night had been a reflex. Still, given the chance, she would've done the same thing again. If she hadn't reacted like that, she would've been constantly on guard against Brooks' ability. The more she reminded herself not to think certain thoughts, the more likely she would think them. She wouldn't have been able to tell if her thoughts were her own or if Brooks had influenced them.

Today, however, she came fully prepared. Before arriving, she had recited *The Lord's Prayer* five times.

She even learned three catchy Christian hymns.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her mind was squeaky clean.

Sitting down, she asked Brooks, "Can you use your mind-reading on me again?"

That morning, Rita had asked Apache if there was any way to deal with mind-reading. Apache had shrugged it off, saying she didn't know because no one dared to use mental abilities on her. Though Apache hadn't explained why, her response reminded Rita of a skill she had bought long ago.

*[Soul Resistance (Passive)] (S)*: Provides a permanent spiritual defense. Immune to mind-control abilities. Reduces damage from mental attacks by 30%.

At the time, the words *mind-control* had scared her enough to buy it, just in case. Since it was a passive skill, she had nearly forgotten about it over time.

If mind-reading counted as a mental ability, would it be considered a mental attack?

Brooks hesitated.

Rita pulled out the first note again, pointing to the line: *"Considering I didn't kill you or reveal your Divine Gift to anyone..."*

Brooks: Fine, you win...

Brooks sighed, "Alright. But I'm doing it because you asked, okay? Don't go forcing potions down my throat again."

Rita nodded and began silently chanting *Psalm 23*. At the same time, she gathered up the notes on the table, planning to burn them later.

A few seconds later, Brooks' expression became one of utter confusion. She cut the connection and said, "I could read it, but it was choppy, like bad reception. Something about... the Lord is my shepherd... green pastures... mercy...

goodness…"

Brooks clutched her head. "Can I stop now? Seriously, enough with the scripture…"