Mediation

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Master Paul. I trust your stay in the Demon Continent has been fruitful?"

Though he adopted a faint smile, Paul didn't immediately respond to the buxom brunette that had just descended from Ganyu's back. Instead, he looked to see who else had tagged along, his smile becoming noticeably more sincere when he spotted a familiar, mint-haired girl with glasses.

Unbothered by Paul's apparent apathy, Zhongli maintained a professional smile as she explained, "Kusanali was unable to make it. She has been on an important assignment these past few months, so I brought along a few of your favorite people as consolation."

Since it was an opportunity for them to spend time with Paul, Zhongli had brought along Sucrose, Diona, and Lynette. Ningguang was a little worried about Paul's mental health, so she had dispatched the animalistic trio as a form of therapy. Alongside them were Yae, Shenhe, Yunyun, and Sayu, the former to check on Ei and the rest to assist in the exploration of Kishirika's castle.

As the girls descended from Ganyu's back, Kishirika couldn't help pointing out, "You really know how to pick 'em, huh? Too bad the soldiers manning the fortress are going to resent you even more once they realize there are even more beautiful women they can't lay their hands on."

With Kishirika's words serving as a reminder of her presence, Paul's smile turned slightly awry as he gestured toward her and said, "This is Kishirika Kishirisu, the former and soon to be modern Great Demon Empress. She's also my fiancee..."

Though she rolled her eyes due to Paul's lackluster introduction, Kishirika managed one of her characteristically toothy grins as she said, "That's right! I'm your Master's fiancee, so be sure to treat me with the respect I deserve~!"

Catching Kishirika a little off guard, Zhongli immediately offered a low and respectful bow as she said, "It is an honor to be of service to Her Imperial Majesty. Though my broader responsibilities will make it difficult for me to serve you to the utmost of my abilities, please do not hesitate to call upon me during our time together."

Feeling as though she had just walked face-first into a wall, Kishirika's face scrunched up slightly before she instinctually placed Paul between herself and Zhongli. She enjoyed being recognized and revered, but the impression Zhongli gave off was like an adult politely tolerating the whims of a child. It made her indescribably uncomfortable...

Whispering so that only Paul could hear her, Kishrika muttered, "We need to have a long talk about the nature and personality of the Spirits serving you. I don't like getting caught off guard..."

With Zhongli raising her head, Paul adopted a somewhat amused smile as he replied, "I'll keep that in mind." before punctuating his statement with a wink. In response, Zhongli covered her mouth as if to stifle a chuckle, but their interplay was interrupted by Atofe abruptly stating, "You didn't tell me so many people would be arriving. Fort Necross isn't a vacation home, you know?"

Though she knew why Paul had called in reinforcements, Atofe couldn't help feeling agitated. She was charged with the protection of the Demon Continent, and while Paul and his companions were technically allies, she wasn't comfortable letting them do as they pleased. It would be one thing if Paul chose to remain in the Demon Continent, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he returned 'home' and permitted Kishirika to run rampant...

Instead of responding to Atofe's words, Paul gestured toward her and said, "Allow me to introduce Atoferatofe Raibaku, the Immortal Demon King and the most powerful Demon Lord in existence."

As she had always been weak to compliments, Atofe regained her usual smile as she crossed her arms and puffed out her voluminous chest with pride. She knew there was a good chance that some of Paul's allies were more skilled than her, but not even Badi could compete with her in terms of raw power.

With the intention of eliminating the remainder of Atofe's apprehensions, Paul extended his left hand toward Diona. The latter was a little surprised but offered no resistance as he pulled her to stand in front of him, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said, "And this is Diona Kätzlein. She's the one that's been mixing all those drinks you've been raving about."

As Atofe's pupils suddenly dilated, Diona felt goosebumps develop across her body as she involuntarily trembled. She was accustomed to tolerating the ravenous stares of drunkards addicted to her cocktails, but the auras of Atofe and Kishirika were unlike anything she had experienced.

Though she usually tried to present herself as a mature and somewhat fierce woman, Diona unexpectedly turned around and buried her face into the fabric of Paul's tunic. He was a little taken aback by her unanticipated reaction but responded by quickly enveloping her in his arms, adopting a serious expression, and stating, "She's mine. Don't even think about trying to order her around or demanding she prepares drinks for you..."

Hearing Paul mention she belonged to him, much of the fear Diona was experiencing vanished into thin air, her tail curling into an s-shape as she squeezed his body and nuzzled against his diaphragm.

Feeling the gazes of several women lock onto him, cracks appeared in the mask of severity Paul was wearing. Fortunately, he didn't have to give an impromptu speech about how nearly everyone present was an important, irreplaceable facet of his life.

Narrowing her eyes, Atofe maintained her cross-armed posture as she mused, "There it is. I was starting to worry that you had given up being a Hero. It's good to see you haven't completely lost your convictions."

Though Paul had never made excuses or attempted to skip out on his training, it was evident to everyone that it had been wearing him down both mentally and physically. Atofe wasn't particularly concerned about him, but his increasing indifference was one of the reasons Kishirika felt compelled to recapture her castle sooner. If Paul simply 'gave up' after a particularly challenging day, she would have sacrificed her anal virginity for nothing...

Exhaling a faint yet relieved sigh, Kishirika gave Paul's group a quick once over before looking to Atofe and assuring, "You don't have to worry. Even if we reclaim my castle, it will be some time before I announce my return to the throne. The Demon Continent isn't prepared for such an event, so I intend to remain low-key for a while longer."

Shrugging her shoulders, Atofe lied through her teeth, stating, "I honestly don't care. Even if you did announce your return, no one would be foolish enough to follow or support you. I only listened to you this far because of my father's final request and because our resident Hero decided to spare my men in his assault. If you weren't leeching off of them like a parasite, I would have locked you in the dungeon or kicked you out months ago..."

Though it was only for a brief moment, Kishirika's expression revealed a hint of pain as she winced in response to Atofe's harsh words. There were a few instances over the past few months where she tried to rekindle her relationship with the blue-skinned Demoness, but she had been shunned on every occasion. She did her best not to let it bother her, but it was still painful to hear her former best friend regard her as a little more than trash to be tossed aside...

Forcing a shark-toothed grin, Kishirika retorted, "Well, you're in luck. Once we reclaim my castle, you'll no longer have to worry about me. I'll just-"

Before Kishirika could say something she would regret, Paul surprised her by placing his hand on her shoulder. The brief contact made him aware of just how tense the violet-haired Demoness was, but he pretended not to notice as he gave her an assuring smile before stepping in front of her and staring into Atofe's glowing red eyes.

Eliciting mixed responses from the group of girls in his surroundings, Paul said, "When I first arrived here, you were prepared to go as far as bearing my child to ensure peace between human and demonkind. I understand-"

As she had always hated speeches, Atofe interrupted Paul with an audibly annoyed groan before stating, "Just tell me what you want. In the Demon Continent, we respect the strong. As chicken-shit as you might be, you're surrounded by monsters that could run rampant throughout the continent. So long as you aren't too unreasonable, I'll abide by your demands."

"..."

Though Atofe's response left him at a momentary loss for words, Paul wasn't too surprised by them. The Aristocracy of the Demon Continent was a lot more pragmatic than their counterparts in Kingdoms such as Asura. Where humans would remain obstinant and talk about things like birthright and other insensible notions, as if their rule over others was ordained by fate, most Demon Lords only cared about whether or not you were stronger than them.

After closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair in a self-calming gesture, Paul met Atofe's carmine gaze and declared, "Once I'm strong enough to defeat you in single combat, I intend to make you mine. After that, I'll have you work alongside Kishirika as her sister-wife until my final breath...I expect the two of you to get along..."

Unable to contain herself, Atofe burst out laughing. She did not doubt that Paul would one day surpass her, but he had already made it apparent that he had no desire to rule. In other words, he intended to defeat her for the sole purpose of smoothing things over between her and Kishirika.

Though she didn't burst out laughing like her silvery-haired contemporary, Kishirika's smile became wry as she looked up at Paul and said, "You're an idiot..." in a soft, audibly moved tone. Everything would have worked out so long as Paul kept enabling her, but she still appreciated him speaking out and confronting Atofe on her behalf.

Suppressing her laughter after nearly a full minute, Atofe wiped away a tear from her eye before smiling broadly and replying, "Very well! If you manage to defeat me one day, I'll not only marry you, but I'll put up with this violet-haired fool for as long as the Demon Empire endures!"

As her penultimate goal was ensuring the prosperity of Demonkind, Atofe had no problem at least pretending to get along with Kishirika. She would prefer it if Paul installed himself as the next Emperor, but she understood why he wouldn't want to. After all, before the emergence of Laplace, both the moderate and progressive factions had been pushing to nominate her as Empress, something she had vehemently opposed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Paul was about to suggest they relocate to the Lord's Hall, the location within the Keep where feasts and banquets were held. However, before the words could reach his lips, Diona tugged on the fabric of his tunic, forcing him to turn around and make eye contact with the visibly annoyed cat girl.

Getting straight to the point, Diona asked, "Why are you making promises to marry other women when there are several others still waiting for your proposal? Weren't you trying to avoid political marriages!?"

Not sure what else to say, a befuddle, "Uh..." emanated from Paul's throat as conflicting thoughts invaded his mind. He knew that girls like Barbara were pretty serious about marrying him. It made sense that others were just as serious, but he had done his best to avoid such discussions since the annulment of his engagement to Ningguang...

Fortunately for Paul, he was far from alone in the courtyard. The moment she realized Diona might throw a tantrum, Yae took it upon herself to step forward and muse, "Come now, Diona. You know our Master cares for you very dearly. We'll discuss this matter in greater detail once we get settled in, okay~?"

Realizing she had nearly caused a scene, Diona's ears lay flat against the top of her head as she nodded and suppressed a few sniffles. It had only been a short while since Paul's departure from the Strife Zone, but nary a day went by where she didn't think about him excessively. It was selfish of her, but now that they were together again, she wanted him to focus on her, not make promises to other girls...

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