156 Personal Matters

Bursting out from one of the apparel shop's changing rooms, Kishirika spun around excitedly as she exclaimed, "Da-daaaan~! How do I look~?"

Opening his eyes from where he was perched, leaning against a wall, Paul remarked, "Not bad. Pretty cute."

Puffing out her non-existent chest, now protected by a brown breastplate, Kishirika said, "I would have preferred beautiful or sexy, but I can't deny my current form is a work in progress. Getting my horns in and out of this hood will be annoying, though..."

In place of her skimpy black tube top, loose black hotpants, and belted black leggings, Kishirika now wore a black and white top that resembled a vest with medium-length sleeves, black monster-hide shorts, a studded black belt with a skull motif, black riding boots, and a stylish beige cloak. The outfit left much of her midriff, back, and thighs exposed, but there wasn't much Kishirika could do about that as she had ebony protrusions that jutted out from her ribs and thighs. They were apparently sensory organs, much like the goat-like horns on her head, so Kishirika preferred to keep them exposed as covering them would be like an average person wearing a blindfold.

If there was one thing Paul felt justified complaining about, it was the fact Kishirika was wearing the same fashion of undergarments as before. He had asked her to wear something a little more 'appropriate,' but she opted for a black v-string thong that was better suited to a seasoned Succubus than a prepubescent Demon Empress...

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Paul said, "We should get going. It's a long journey from here to Fort Necross."

While continuing to fiddle with her hood, Kishirika remarked, "Not really. If you didn't insist on traveling via carriage, we could reach it within a day or two, easy. Even in my current form, I could run from here to the Southern tip of the Demon Continent in three or four days. The same journey would take more than a month via carriage."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul retorted, "What, you in a hurry? The Demon Continent might not be the most scenic place in the world, but it's good to take things slow every now and again."

Catching Paul a little off guard, Kishirika bared her sharp-like teeth as she replied, "Am I in a hurry? Shouldn't that be obvious?"

Approaching close enough that she had to crane her head back to stare up at Paul, Kishirika added, "You're currently very weak. Sure, you might be strong enough to swagger about most Kingdoms as if you own them, but you would be helpless without that posse of girls to protect you. So yes, I am in a hurry. A hurry to see you get some sense knocked into you so you can grow stronger under Atofe's tutelage."

"..."

Exhaling through his nose, the smile faded from Paul's face as he quietly replied, "Right..." He knew better than anyone he was still weak, but even with the revelation of his ability to absorb the essence of other people, he still needed time to grow.

Unamused by Paul's lackluster response, Kishirika planted a surprisingly heavy punch to his gut as she exclaimed, "Be more spirited! You'll never get stronger offering such a meek response! Be bold! Be assertive! Be a man...!"

With his left eye twitching slightly, Paul rubbed the pit of his stomach and replied, "People don't need to run around shouting to be considered bold and assertive. Just wait until you mature a bit, and I'll show you..."

"Hoooo~?"

Linking her thumbs through the elastic band of her black thong, Kishirika popped it like a rubber band against her skin as she teased, "You talk a big game for someone who had to relocate to another room just to shoot one out into a cup. Appearances aside, I'm more than twenty times your age in my present form. Chronologically, I'm closer to eight, maybe nine hundred times older than you. Acting shy because I look like a child is just senseless. What can you show me that I haven't seen?"

Resisting the urge to grab Kishirika's horns and shake her by the head, Paul's expression morphed into a flawless deadpan as he flatly replied, "It's a matter of principle..."

Leaving Paul no ground to stand on, Kishirika retorted, "Says the guy who knocked someone up shortly after his tenth birthday. You're unbelievably full of yourself at times; you know that?"

Without waiting for Paul's response, Kishirika stepped past him and made her way outside. She didn't particularly mind Paul behaving like a brat, but she couldn't forgive close-mindedness and double-standards. If Paul was going to continue making a big deal about her appearance, she was going to get really annoyed, really quickly.

Following Kishirika with his eyes, various thoughts crossed Paul's mind before he ultimately shook his head and muttered, "Whatever..." in a tired voice. This was far from the first, and he doubted it would be the last time someone pointed out the contradictions in his worldview. But what was he supposed to do? If he didn't have any inhibitions whatsoever, he wouldn't even be human anymore, much less a man...

Lines had to be drawn somewhere...

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Emerging from the shop not too long after Kishirika, Paul was surprised to find Ghislaine with a bruised right eye and Ganyu, now in her human form, checking on her.

Though it was pretty obvious what must have transpired, Paul's brows furrowed as he looked around for Kishirika and said, "It hasn't even been two minutes. What did I miss...?"

With a wry smile on her face, Jean explained, "Kishirika came outside and asked if Ghislaine wanted a Demon Eye. When Ghislaine answered in the affirmative, Kishirika then asked her to bend over-"

Shaking his head, Paul clarified, "What I meant to ask was, where is that little imp? Please don't tell me she ran off..."

With an even wrier smile on her face, Jean answered, "That appears to be the case. Before departing, she said she had something important to take care of before bounding onto the roof and fleeing to the East. Would you like us to give chase?"

Shaking his head, Paul said, "Forget it. If I had to guess, this is her way of 'protecting' us. She'll likely pop up of her own accord when it's convenient for her..."

Making his way over to Ghislaine, Paul couldn't help hissing when he saw how swollen her eye was. She didn't appear to be in any meaningful pain, but it looked like she had gone ten rounds with a south-paw Heavyweight Champion. More importantly, her iris was far from the vibrant green Paul had been anticipating...

Instead of immediately asking what kind of Demon Eye Ghislaine had received, Paul's expression softened as he asked, "Are you okay...?" in a genuinely concerned tone.

Nodding her head, Ghislaine calmly replied, "It surprised me at first, but it didn't hurt. Instead, it feels numb."

Adopting a faint smile, Paul softly remarked, "Well, that's good..." before reaching up to pat Ghislaine on the head. Her ears and tail twitched as he did so, but she made no attempts to stop him.

Retracting his hand, Paul asked, "Any idea what eye she gave you? As far as I'm aware, you should have had the Demon Eye of Magic Power lurking in your right eye. This is one I don't recognize..."

Chalking up Paul's remark to his apparent future sight, Ghislaine reached up to touch her glowing, crimson red-eye as she revealed, "She didn't tell me the name, only that it would save your life if I stayed near you."

"..."

Exhaling a sigh, Paul muttered, "Of course..." before shaking his head in exasperation, adopting a wry smile, and adding, "Looks like we have even more reasons to stick together."

Adopting a smile of her own, Ghislaine offered a curt, "Nn." as the tip of her cat-like tail swayed from side-to-side. The more she learned about Paul and his mysterious abilities, the more she felt it was her 'obligation' to protect him. She had even started to believe he was the 'Hero' that her people had been expecting for generations...

Though he was tempted to continue patting Ghislaine's head, Paul defied the urge as he looked toward the half-loaded carriage filled with clothes. He was a little annoyed that Kishirika had run off after they purchased so many things for her, but, considering this was the first time she had been 'free' in thousands of years, he couldn't really blame her.

Turning to Ganyu, Paul said, "Don't worry about Ghislaine. Based on what I remember, the bruising should fade on its own in a few hours. Let's head out."

Folding her hands over her lap, Ganyu bowed ever so slightly as she softly replied, "As you will." in her characteristically calm and composed voice. Then, in a flash of icy blue light, she reverted to her Qilin form and bounded over to the front of the carriage. Her transformation garnered a suitable amount of attention, but very few stuck around to gawk as Paul went about attaching Ganyu's harness, a duty that was his alone...

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After confirming that Paul and his Party weren't giving chase, Kishirika popped up from the monster burrow she had hidden in a few hundred meters outside the city, remarking, "At least he's sensible when it comes to things like this..."

While wiping away the dust from her freshly purchased clothes, a faint smile developed across Kishirika's face as she caught sight of the ring on her left ring finger. She usually didn't care about such trinkets, but the ring Paul had gifted her was an exception as it symbolized her newly acquired freedom and, to a lesser extent, their engagement.

Resisting the impulsive urge to bite the ring to test its hardness, Kishirika shifted her gaze to the East, her left eye swirling like a counter-clockwise vortex as a futuristic-looking castle appeared within her vision. Now that Paul had granted her a semblance of freedom, there was a possibility she would be able to enter her castle. It was a long shot, but it was necessary if she wanted to help Paul meet Betobe...

"Let's just hope that pain in the ass Guardian is willing to listen to me..."

Without further comment or so much as looking back in the direction of Paul and his Party, Kishirika broke off into a somewhat comical-looking run. Despite this, her speed was fast enough to leave a prominent trail of dirt behind her, as, even in her current form, she could sprint upwards of 120km/h without feeling even remotely tired. At that pace, she could run from Kurasuma to the Capital City of Rikarisu in just under fourteen hours, take care of her personal matters, and still catch up to Paul and his Party before they reached Fort Necross.

Unless something got in her way, there was no way Kishirika would miss witnessing Paul suffer a beating at Atofe's hands...

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Far from the location of Kurasuma, quite literally on the opposite end of the world, a young man with long, windswept black hair and dark red eyes was standing stalwartly atop a hill located next to a small, isolated village near the heart of the Begarrit Continent.

Despite his youthful appearance, the man had been perched atop the hill for more than seventy years. He had received a prophecy long ago that a legendary creature known as a Behemoth would appear near the village, so, even though several generations of villagers had come and gone, the 'young' man waited patiently for the beast's arrival. Instead, a youthful-looking woman with dark hair, bronzed skin, and strange white markings covering her face and arms was about to interrupt his inordinately long wait with an entirely new prophecy...

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