86 Progress

Though her progress wasn't nearly as extreme as Paul suggested it might be, Roxy couldn't deny there had been results.

Over a two-week period, Roxy went from being able to cast an average of 22 consecutive Water Balls to a maximum of 27. While this might not seem like a lot at first glance, it indicated that her Mana Capacity had increased by roughly 27% in a relatively short period of time.

Using the Water Ball spell as a baseline, Roxy estimated her aggregate Mana to be around 240 when she started her training. If she experienced comparable results every two weeks, she would have more than doubled by the end of the following month.

Though she expected to hit a bottleneck at some point, Roxy couldn't help feeling excited by her progress. She had fallen in love with Magic from the moment she successfully cast her first Water Ball. Now, using that very same spell, she was strengthening herself with each passing day.

If the increase in her Mana Capacity wasn't enough of a reason to be grateful towards Paul and his Party, Roxy had been learning Magic from Lisa and Fischl. Lisa, in particular, had previously been invited to become a Professor at the Ranoa Magic Academy, so she was a veritable fountain of knowledge with an extensive collection of books.

Whenever she had questions, be they personal or academic, Roxy could always count on Lisa for the answer. The only downside was that she had to endure the mature woman's constant teasing.

Due to her appearance, Roxy had been forced to become accustomed to all manner of teasing. Migurdians didn't have the pointed ears or peculiar complexions typically associated with members of the Demon and Magic Races. Their only racial characteristics were their diminutive appearances and blue hair, traits not infrequent to other races. They could also live for several hundred years, but most humans couldn't really wrap their heads around such a concept as they lived much shorter and transient lives.

Fortunately, as much as Lisa teased her, Roxy quickly learned that it had little to do with her appearance. Rather, Lisa teased just about everyone she interacted with, be they young children, veteran Adventurers, or the members of Paul's group.

Speaking of Paul...

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As it was rather conspicuous seeing women like Ei and Eula constantly following Paul around, Roxy eventually summoned up the courage to ask him, "Just what is the relationship between you, Ei, and Eula? The three of you seem pretty close..."

Since it was as good a time as any, Paul decided to be honest with Roxy, answering, "It isn't just Ei and Eula. Xiangling, Fischl, Ghislaine, Lisa, and even Amalie. I'm 'pretty close' with all of them..."

With Paul naming off just about every member of his group, at least the members she had met, Roxy couldn't help staring at him in disbelief. He had been very nice to her thus far, never once mentioning her height or drawing attention to her 'youthful' appearance. She had kind of hoped he was different from the other human men she had encountered, someone who looked past appearances and saw the best in people.

Realizing that Paul's behavior could be an indication he simply didn't care about her, Roxy's mood diminished considerably as she slumped her head and shoulders, muttering, "I see...you're a lucky man to be surrounded by so many mature and attractive women..."

Though he could tell Roxy was disappointed with him, Paul nodded his head, appending, "You're right. Not a day goes by that I do not feel like the luckiest man in the world. It's one of the things that keep me moving forward, regardless of what this world may throw at me."

Hanging her head even further, Roxy repeated, "I see..." in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Adopting a wry smile, Paul resisted the urge to pat Roxy's conveniently placed head. He got the feeling she would become even more depressed if he did, so he waited a few moments before asking, "What's wrong? You look like you just found out your puppy died."

Exhaling a sigh, Roxy moved to stand up and walk away, but Paul grabbed her sleeve, saying, "Talk to me, Roxy. We're on the same side, remember?"

Shaking her head, Roxy refused to look back at Paul as she said, "I'm just feeling a little under the weather. Don't-"

Interrupting before Roxy could finish, Paul stated, "I've been nothing but honest to you. If you're going to lie, at least look me in the eye as you do."

"..."

Feeling a little guilty, Roxy suppressed the urge to pull her sleeve free from Paul's grasp. Instead, she hung her head for a few seconds before muttering, "I just want to be alone right now. I need time to organize my thoughts..."

Releasing his hold on Roxy's sleeve, Paul said, "If that's the truth, I won't stop you from leaving. However, if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here. I might not have all the answers, but I'm a pretty good listener when I need to be."

Looking back, Roxy found Paul staring at her with a comforting smile on his face. At the same time, she inadvertently revealed the fact she was on the verge of tears.

Having accumulated a considerable amount of experience dealing with all kinds of women, Paul's expression softened as he softly pointed out, "You don't look like you want to be alone..."

"..."

With Paul extending his hand to her, Roxy just stared at it for several seconds before asking, "Is this one of the tricks you use to make women fall for you?"

Instead of refuting Roxy's words, Paul chuckled lightly before answering, "Something like that. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears."

"..."

Not expecting Paul's 'shamelessness,' Roxy briefly found herself at a loss for words. Her mind was racing, but she couldn't think of anything to say in response to such...brazen behavior.

Raising her hand, Roxy made as though she was about to place it into Paul's but stopped halfway, asking, "What happens if I let you grasp my hand?"

Instead of answering Roxy's question, Paul left her feeling at an even greater loss as he raised his hand and closed it around hers. Then, as her brain attempted to process his shamelessness, he answered, "That's up to you. Just make sure you don't have any regrets..."

With a crimson hue creeping up her neck and spreading through her face, Roxy retracted her hand from Paul's as if it were a hot stove. Then, even though it drew a lot of attention, she squatted down and covered her face as a variety of emotions assailed her.

Seeing how small Roxy was when she balled herself up, Paul briefly felt that he was tip-toeing a line he shouldn't. He had a sudden urge to slap some sense into himself but promptly disregarded it as he bent down to pick Roxy up, saying, "Don't scream. I'm carrying you back to the bakery, not some random alleyway."

Hearing Paul's words, the scream threatening to escape Roxy's throat got stuck. For a brief moment, she even forgot to breathe as Paul carried her towards Amalie's Bakery like a Princess or a bride.

"You good...?"

Noticing Roxy's face turning purple, genuine concern appeared in Paul's expression as he stared down at her. This was enough to bring Roxy back to her senses, a rather severe pout replacing her befuddled expression as she asked, "Just what do you think you're doing...!?" in a whispering shout.

Without missing a beat, Paul answered, "I already told you. I'm carrying you to the bakery. You'll feel better once you warm up and get something sweet in your belly."

Though she couldn't refute Paul's words, that didn't stop Roxy from trying to wriggle out of his embrace as she exclaimed, "Put me down! I can walk on my own!"

Catching the diminutive Magus by surprise, Paul slowed to a stop, asking, "Are you sure...?" before preparing to set her down. He wanted to make it transparently clear that she still had some semblance of control over the situation. If she didn't want him to carry her, he wasn't going to force the matter.

Realizing that Paul was serious about setting her down, a conflicted look promptly replaced Roxy's fretful expression. There was something about how willing he was to set her down that annoyed her...

"I changed my mind. Carry me..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul returned a smile and said, "If you say so." before continuing toward their destination. As he did, several members of the Beast Race community greeted him while absolutely none questioned why he was carrying Roxy in his arms...

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Recalling the previous day's events, Roxy briefly lost focus in the middle of trying to cast a Water Ball chantlessly. She realized it was happening and attempted to rein the spell in but ultimately failed, the head-sized ball of water exploding and soaking her entire body.

"..."

Having made a habit of accompanying Roxy during her afternoon training, Paul witnessed the uncommon phenomenon first hand, compelling him to ask, "Are you okay? Want to head back and grab a fresh pair of clothes...?"

With her back facing Paul, Roxy did her best to conceal the glowing of her face as she replied, "I'm fine. There's no sense in going back early when I only have a few more casts to go."

Though Roxy couldn't see him, Paul nodded his head and said, "So long as you don't catch a cold, it's fine. Good luck."

Returning a nod of her own, Roxy raised her hands and attempted to cast another Water Ball chantlessly. Things went a lot better this time around, but the size was much smaller than usual, roughly the size of a grapefruit despite expending a comparable amount of Mana.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Roxy regained a bit of her usual confidence as she attempted several more Water Balls in quick succession. Paul had already informed her that chantless magic was weaker than traditional magic, but it had the benefit of being much faster. More importantly, it gave an absolute advantage against enemy Mages and people that had memorized specific incantations.

In a world where competent Swordsmen could easily shatter the sound barrier, being able to cast a handful of spells without chanting could be the difference between life and death.

Feeling the last of her Mana leave her body, Roxy suddenly became distinctly aware of the frigid temperatures. At nearly the exact same time, a thick overcoat plopped onto her shoulders as Paul asked, "Need me to carry you...?"

"..."

Though she felt compelled to refuse, Roxy's heart and body refused to listen to her commands. As a result, she soon found herself scooped up by Paul, a smile developing across the latter's face as he said, "Let's get you warmed up."

Since it was already too late to refuse, at least in Roxy's mind, she just nodded her head and intoned an affirmative, "Nn." She truthfully didn't know what she wanted from Paul, but she enjoyed his concern and the time they spent together. If he didn't have an evidently massive harem, she might have already confessed to him...

Noticing Roxy's unblinking stare out of the corner of his eyes, the smile on Paul's face became slightly strained. Despite his considerable experience, he wasn't very good at dealing with the before and after of a relationship. He was more than a little apprehensive about laying a hand on her, but a growing part of him wished Roxy would just make up her mind.

Fortunately for Paul, not that he was aware of it at the time, Roxy would be forced to make her decision pretty quickly as, around the time he was carrying her to Amalie's Bakery, a peculiar trio was trying to gain passage through Sharia's Western Gate...

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