74 Bravado : Bluster

After paying a rather exorbitant fee at the Eastern gate, Paul and Party made their way over to the staging area at the side of the Guild.

While it was rare for individual Parties to own wagons, the Guild would sometimes stage large-scale expeditions when a monster horde or a new Dungeon appeared. Such ventures would require hundreds of Adventurers and dozens of wagons, so any Adventurer's Guild worthy of its name had a large staging area that served as a bulk drop-off location.

Upon learning of Paul's return, Lisa, accompanied by an Elven woman with short blonde hair, pointed ears, and leaf-green eyes came out with seven other Guild employees. While the latter immediately proceeded to process Einherjar's bounty, Lisa and the Elven woman approached Paul, the former initiating the dialogue by saying, "Welcome back, Paul, Einherjar. Allow me to introduce you to Sharia City's Guild Master, Lady Sionia Barrows."

Nodding her head in response to Lisa's introduction, the profoundly flat-chested Sionia met Paul's gaze with a faint smile on her face as she said, "Lisa has regaled me with many a tale of your exploits, Sir Paul. I see now that she wasn't exaggerating..."

Demonstrating she was in possession of some form of Demon Eyes, likely the Demon Eyes of Magic Perception, Sionia gave Paul a quick once-over, surprised by the quantity and purity of his Mana. The only forms of Magic he actively endeavored to use were Healing and Detoxification Magic, so his 'aura' was a shade of leafy green that matched his eyes.

"Very impressive. It's almost a shame you've chosen to waste your talents on swordsmanship...you would have made an excellent Mage..."

Smiling wryly, Paul refuted, "You'd be surprised. Before I consumed some Mana Draught, I couldn't even cast a Beginner Waterball or Healing Spell. What you see now has come about due to arduous training and...well, let's say I'm very 'proactive' when it comes to increasing my Mana pool..."

Raising her brows, Sionia asked, "You've discovered a method to increase your Mana?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul answered, "Something like that." before asking, "Is there something you required of my Party? I don't imagine you came out just to say hello."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Sionia answered, "Sir Paul is correct. I actually came out here to thank you."

Tilting his head to the side, Paul asked, "Thank me? For what...?" in a marginally confused tone. Several things came to mind when he heard Sionia's words, but he wouldn't know for sure until she explained herself.

Placing her hand over her heart, Sionia offered a sincere smile as she said, "I heard about what you did for Revaan and all the other people you freed from slavery. The Guild has also conducted an official investigation into you and your Party, so I am aware of your contributions to the Ranoa Magic Academy and your ongoing efforts to improve the conditions of the Beast people living in the Western slums. Sir Paul is truly a generous and charitable man..."

Crossing his arms, Paul furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "What are you getting at? I appreciate your gratitude, but I can't imagine it's the real reason you came out to meet me. You don't get to be a Guild Master if you lack social and political awareness..."

Looking around at the growing number of people closely monitoring his conversation with Sionia, Paul was pretty confident in his assertion. The slim and noble-looking woman clearly had a request to make. Either that or she was publically praising him as a sort of publicity stunt...

Realizing there was a reasonably high possibility of the latter being the case, especially with Lisa present, Paul's smile immediately cramped as he uncrossed his arms and adopted a less standoffish posture.

Amused by Paul's quick change in demeanor, a soft chuckle emanated from Sionia's throat before she whispered, "It appears we're now on the same page. I was a bit worried you were going to make a scene..."

Scratching the back of his head, Paul explained, "Sorry. It's just, we were stopped by a Surveyor's Party on the way back, and there was a bit of an incident. Hearing you mention the Guild conducted an investigation kind of put me on edge..."

Nodding her head, Sionia offered a curt, "Understandable." before raising her voice and adding, "In recognition of your services to the City of Sharia and its people, the executives of the Guild have convened with the Mayor and the Principal of the Ranoa Magic Academy to discuss a fitting reward. In short, we have decided to reward Party Einherjar with the provisional status of an A-Rank Party. You'll need to increase your actual Ranks if you want to be viewed as A-Rank elsewhere, but for the duration of your stay in the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, you will enjoy the status and benefits of an A-Rank Adventurer. Congratulations, and thank you for your services."

As Sionia bowed her head, many of the Guild staff present, Lisa included, began to clap. Their ovation prompted several citizens and a few curious Adventurers to join in, much to Paul's chagrin...

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After having their materials processed, Paul and Party followed Lisa to upgrade their Guild Cards from F to D-Rank. While that was taking place, Paul had Lisa sit astride atop his lap, his hand caressing the interior of her left thigh as he asked, "What was that about? Some ploy by the Kingdom to bait us into staying long-term?"

Tearing her eyes away from Paul's mischievous hand, a naturally alluring smile developed across Lisa's face as she met his gaze and teased, "I'm surprised you actually caught onto that. It seems your time at the Milbots Academy for Nobles wasn't completely wasted..."

Raising his brows, Paul slid his hand further up Lisa's thigh as he asked, "Are you taunting me...?"

Showing no signs of fear or trepidation, Lisa leaned into Paul, her ample bosom pressing into him as she replied, "Maybe..." in a hot, purring tone.

Inhaling a deep breath, Paul resisted his almost instinctual urge to tear apart the mature vixen's skirt. Instead, he slid his right hand up the side of her body before sinking his fingers into her pillowy breast and asking, "Do we know who's responsible? As far as I know, Princess Andromeda's connections lay with the Neris Kingdom. Unless this is Ranoa's attempt to poach her, I can't imagine why they would show me any favoritism..."

Though there were actually several reasons why a Kingdom like Ranoa would want to recruit him, Paul dismissed most of them as he had yet to form any actual connections. Approaching him at this point would be an extreme gamble for even the most desperate of factions, so unless they viewed him as an idiot, it wouldn't make sense to try and curry favor with him before introductions had been made.

"Mmm...we're still looking into it. Though I'm pretty close with the Guild Master, she doesn't trust me implicitly. I know she is acting at the behest of someone affiliated with the Royal Family, but their identity is currently unknown. However, considering their ability to influence an 'independent' organization such as the Adventurer's Guild, I imagine their titles include Highness or Majesty..."

"Do you-"

Before Paul could ask for information about the Royal Family, Lisa placed her index finger on his lips and said, "If you keep teasing me, I'll have no choice but to go on the offensive..."

Causing Lisa to feel a marginal amount of disappointment, Paul stopped tracing his finger over her silken panties. Fortunately, he didn't leave her completely hanging, stating, "Tomorrow evening. Make sure to clear your schedule or get off of work early. I'm not letting you sleep a wink..."

Having already made 'arrangements' with Eula and Ei, Paul, unfortunately, couldn't ravish Lisa. He really, really wanted to, but she was currently in the midst of her shift, and he still needed to check the IOF to see if there had been any changes.

Catching Paul by surprise, Lisa drew her face closer to his, her expression comparable to a Succubus as she purred, "I have two years' worth of sick days stockpiled...I could take an entire month off if you think you're up for it..."

Though he could feel the pressure in his pants increasing, Paul managed to maintain a relatively relaxed smile as he planted a quick peck on Lisa's lips and said, "Tempting, but I'm pretty sure we both have a lot going on. Besides, as 'capable' as you present yourself, I have a feeling you're not very experienced in bedroom affairs. I don't want to break you..."

Squinting her emerald-green eyes, Lisa was tempted to regale Paul with tales of her bedroom exploits. While some people attributed her behavior to her particular preference in books, she was the author and inspiration for many of the books she circulated among the female members of the Knights of Favonius. She didn't have any official partners during her stay in Mondstadt, but she had been rather 'prolific' during her studies at the Sumeru Academia. She may have been their most distinguished graduate in 200 years, but not all of her grades were legitimate...

Bringing her face even closer to Paul's, Lisa's eyes glistened with magical energy as she said, "You're adorable..." before sealing his lips with a kiss. When she did, Paul felt as though a warm balloon had popped in his mind, its heat permeating through the rest of his body as Lisa's tongue invaded his mouth...

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Though he would usually be the one to leave women panting or in a state of borderline unconsciousness, Paul found himself breathing heavily with his forearm resting over his eyes. At his side, smoking an ornate pipe filled with something other than tobacco, Lisa had an amused smile on her face as she remarked, "You aren't wrong to feel confident in your technique. By and large, you are the most 'capable' man I've ever bedded..."

Following her words, Lisa grabbed Paul's still-erect member, faint Electro Energy emanating from her palm as she stroked him up and down, adding, "Unfortunately for you, I've been stimulating myself using Electro Energy since I was a tween. As capable as you are, nothing quite compares to a controlled surge of Electro Energy to the clitoris..."

Squeezing the base of Paul's penis, Lisa's eyes sparkled as he produced a veritable geyser of semen. Paul had held out better than most, but, after a few hours of careful guidance, he invariably ended up as putty in the palm of her hand. If he didn't have several other women he needed to pleasure, she might have sculpted him to her particular preferences...

Licking up the semen that had stained her gloved hand, Lisa shifted her gaze to Paul's muscular body, an unconcealed thirst glistening within the depths of her shimmering green eyes. Including the time she had spent in Mondstadt, it had been more than a decade since she last 'experimented' with such a fine specimen. In fact, Paul might very well be the finest she ever worked with...

Missing the feeling of Paul inside of her, Lisa lay next to him, her lips close enough to tickle his earlobe as she caressed his chest and whispered in a half-moaning voice, "I've had my fun...it's your turn..."

Though he didn't immediately respond to Lisa's words, Paul had enough of his mental faculties intact to understand what she was saying. A part of him wanted nothing more than to get even with her, but, fearing she might awaken something within him, Paul promptly suppressed any thoughts of 'revenge.' It only took having his ass licked, and prostate stimulated once to understand that Lisa was anything but inexperienced. Even if he could get even with her, he would have to pay a very steep price...

Eliciting an amused chuckle from the lascivious brunette, Paul adopted a slightly wry smile as he asked, "Can we just cuddle for a bit...?"

Leaning forward, Lisa planted a kiss on Paul's cheek before playfully repling, "Just for a bit..."

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