Mystique

Though the Western District was generally off-limits to anyone outside of the Beast Race, Guild personnel and certain merchants were regarded as an exception to the rule.

Much to the chagrin of her would-be suitors, Lisa was well-known within Sharia as one of Paul's many lovers. Some ignored this and tried asking her out anyway, but those that pushed their luck typically ended up in the hospital with advanced electrical burns.

Recognizing Lisa at a glance, the crowd of Beast People parted to let her pass, many greeting or referring to her as 'Big Sis' as she led Roxy toward the center of the gathering. There, they found Paul surrounded by a pack of Beast Race children, a carefree smile on his face as Esme and another girl dangled from his biceps.

"Oh, it appears we missed the show. How unfortunate..."

As the parting of the crowd was pretty obvious, Paul immediately noticed Lisa's presence, his smile becoming even wider as he asked, "Lisa? What brings you around here...?"

Realizing they might be in the way, the children assembled around Paul quickly dispersed at Esme's command. The crowd promptly followed suit, leaving Paul, Ei, Eula, and Fischl as the only ones present from the initial gathering. As for Xiangling? She remained back at the bakery, just in case the 'crisis' had been a diversion.

Waiting until the crowd had finished dispersing, Lisa adopted a squinty-eyed smile as she replied, "There is someone I wanted to introduce you to..."

Looking behind her, Lisa was presently surprised to find Roxy staring at Paul with a somewhat dazed look on her face. It didn't need to be said, but Paul was inarguably one of the more handsome men in the world of Mushoku Tensei. And that was without a Vision.

Adopting a slightly mischievous smile, Lisa's tone became borderline seductive as she intoned an amused, "Roxy~? Still with us~?"

"Huh...?"

Tearing her eyes away from the scene of Paul surrounded by some of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, Roxy craned her head to look up at Lisa, asking, "Did you say something?"

Gesturing toward Paul, Lisa explained, "This is Paul Greyrat, leader of the-"

Interrupting before Lisa could complete the introductions, Roxy's blue eyes became round as saucers as she shouted, "Paul Greyrat!? As in THE Paul Greyrat...!?"

Returning her gaze to Paul, a mixture of fear and curiosity marred Roxy's expression as she recalled the various rumors related to the increasingly infamous exile. Many accounts attested that he was a kind and devoted man who regarded all races as equals. Others depicted him as a monster in the guise of a man, a womanizing scoundrel with an army of enslaved people at his beck and call. The only thing anyone knew for certain was that he was the youngest Sword Saint in history and someone willing to trade even his lifespan for greater power.

Seeing Paul's current appearance and the bevy of beauties surrounding him, Roxy concluded there might be some truth concerning a few of the rumors...

Raising his brows, a fairly cheeky smile developed across Paul's face as he mused, "Oh? You've heard of me~?"

Further inflating Paul's ego, Roxy replied, "Who hasn't? You're one of the most famous people in the Asura Kingdom right now. People are saying you might become the youngest Sword or Water God in history."

Without giving Paul a chance to respond, Roxy looked up at Lisa and asked, "This is the person you wanted to introduce me to? How do the two of you know each other...?"

Since she wasn't sure how much Paul wanted to reveal, Lisa maintained her usual smile as she replied, "Paul and his Party, Einherjar, are the most famous group of Adventurers within Sharia. It would be stranger if I didn't know him."

"Ah..."

Recalling that Lisa was, in fact, a member of the Adventurer's Guild, a faint blush spread through Roxy's already ruddy cheeks. The shock of meeting someone as famous as Paul had left her a little muddleheaded.

Resisting the urge to pat Roxy's head and call her cute, Lisa suggested, "Why don't we move someplace more comfortable to talk? Conversing outside in the dead of Winter is just asking to catch a cold."

With Lisa looking toward him, Paul knew she was putting the ball in his court. In response, he nodded his head and replied, "Sounds good. We were just about to return to Amalie's Bakery. The two of you are free to join us."

Understanding that Roxy might still be a little apprehensive, Lisa followed Paul's words by explaining, "Amalie's Bakery is the most famous bakery in all of Sharia. Even the City's Mayor, Count Schmidt, visits once a month to try out their new menu items."

Hearing Lisa's words, a slight frown marred Roxy's face. She didn't sense any hostility from the predominately female group, but she couldn't shake the feeling she was being lured into a trap. Traveling across the world had given her a special sense when it came to things like this.

Noticing Roxy's apprehension, Paul raised his hands in a placating manner as he said, "You're pretty sharp, huh? How about this? Why don't you look for a place to stay and send me a message when and where you want to meet up?"

Since he had already decided to be somewhat truthful to the unnervingly youthful-looking woman, Paul chose not to pretend as though he had no ulterior motives. Instead, he surprised even Lisa by admitting, "I've been looking forward to meeting with you. Waiting a few more days isn't going to kill me."

Jumping back and away from Lisa, Roxy unholstered her wand, pointing it squarely at Paul's chest as she questioned, "You've been looking forward to meeting me? Why? Just what are you scheming?"

Though his training was screaming at him to move out of the way and to disarm his opponent, Paul did his best to maintain a smile as he replied, "I don't mind answering your questions, but secrets are better discussed in private. When you're ready to talk, send someone to inform me, and I'll be there in minutes."

Sensing no hostility, even as she gathered mana into the tip of her wand, Roxy eventually lowered her hand and asked, "Just tell me one thing...do you really have connections with the Ranoa Magic Academy?"

"Yes...?"

Though he was a little confused by Roxy's question, Paul quickly put two and two together when Lisa directed a playful wink his way. They knew that Roxy had traveled to Sharia with aspirations of attending the Ranoa Magic Academy, so he surmised that Lisa had promised to introduce her to someone that could assist with her admission.

"Hmmm..."

Shifting her gaze from Paul, Roxy took a moment to observe each of the women gathered around him. Fischl was a little more on the modest side, but everyone else had truly enviable figures and appearances.

Feeling annoyed all of a sudden, Roxy clicked her tongue before returning her wand to her sleeve and asking, "So? Where is this famous bakery that Lisa mentioned? I expect you'll be treating me, right?"

Nodding his head, Paul answered, "Sure." before lowering his hands and adding, "It's actually not that far from here. See that two-storey building in the distance? The one with the green roof and the large crowd outside? That's Amalie's Bakery."

Following the direction of Paul's finger, Roxy saw that much of the crowd that had previously gathered around him was currently standing outside a surprisingly luxurious-looking building. She had originally expected it to be an ordinary bakery, but her 20:10 vision allowed her to make out cakes, pastries, and other goods on display.

As sweets were nearly nonexistent in the Demon Continent and relatively rare everywhere else, Roxy couldn't help swallowing hard when she saw the cakes and cookies shaped like various animals. She had been eating nothing but rations for the past three and a half weeks, so the thought of eating sweets at someone else's expenditure quelled most of her previous concerns.

Putting the final nail in the coffin, Paul revealed, "The owner of the bakery is a 'very' good friend of mine, and the Chef working there is colloquially known as the God of Cooking. She can prepare just about anything, even the cuisine from the Demon Continent. Since I'd like us to work together in the future, you're free to eat there without having to pay."

Hearing Paul mention working together, Roxy wiped away the drool at the side of her mouth before staring him in the eyes and asking, "You want to work with me? Why?"

Adopting what he hoped to be a disarming smile, Paul answered, "We'll discuss the details once we get inside. For now, let's just say the rumors regarding me being able to identify especially talented individuals wasn't an exaggeration. I genuinely believe you can become an Emperor, maybe even a God-Ranked Mage in the future."

Opening her eyes even wider than when Lisa first revealed Paul's identity, Roxy retorted, "Have you lost your mind? There's no way someone like me can become a God-Ranked Mage. I can't even use the telepathy my race is known for."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul left Roxy feeling at an utter loss for words as he said, "That's why I mentioned becoming an Emperor first. Even I'm not sure what it takes to become a God-Ranked Mage, but becoming an Emperor should be pretty simple. You just need the proper knowledge and the requisite amount of mana.

"..."

Though she couldn't deny that mana capacity was vital when determining the Rank of a Mage, Roxy couldn't help feeling as though Paul was looking down on the magical community. If becoming an Emperor-Ranked Mage was as simple as he described, there would be a lot more than a dozen or so in the entire world.

Before Roxy could call Paul out on his ignorance, her mind blanked as Lisa casually manifested an orb of Electro Energy in her palm. Lightning Magic was typically limited to famous King and Emperor-Ranked Mages, so Roxy never expected to see someone from the Guild demonstrating it with such ease. She didn't even hear Lisa chanting.

"Just who are you people...?"

Drawing Roxy's attention back to him, Paul tried to sound mysterious as he replied, "Come with us, and you'll find out."

Furrowing her brows, Roxy left Paul feeling as though he had swallowed a bug as she asked, "Why are you suddenly behaving like a creep? Now I'm not sure I want to follow you..."

Fortunately for Paul, his embarrassed reaction was sincere enough to assuage any doubts Roxy may have had. Her ostensibly disgusted look turned into a marginally amused smile as she asked, "You really are a kid, aren't you? Tell me, was that your attempt to sound mysterious...?"

"..."

Adding insult to Paul's mental injury, everyone except Ei appeared to be amused by Roxy's observations. Lisa even giggled at his expense before adopting a squinty-eyed smile and appending, "He was forced to mature rather quickly. Don't be too hard on him."

Recalling some of the rumors regarding Paul's past, Roxy nodded in response to Lisa's words, revealing, "I actually experienced something similar." before slipping her hands into the pockets of her tanned brown mantle and adding, "We should head inside. My legs are starting to get cold."

Though she was dressed pretty heavily due to the frigid temperatures, Roxy was also wearing a leathery skirt in place of pants or trousers. Her village was located in the far North of the Demon Continent, so she was pretty used to the cold. The only reason she suggested going inside was because she could feel her stomach beginning to grow impatient.

Recovering from his momentary quietude, Paul regained his usual smile as he answered, "Sure thing. And when we arrive, I'll have Xiangling fix you up some hot cocoa. It's quickly becoming one of the most popular drinks in the city."

Hearing the words hot and cocoa, Roxy was unable to prevent her smile from growing larger. Chocolate was a rare commodity typically reserved for members of the nobility, so she was greatly looking forward to eating her fill. Upon seeing her expression, Paul couldn't help recalling his earlier thought about old men luring young children with candy...

...

..

.