Rumors : Wyrm's Whiskers

"Still pouting? It's not like I blamed you or anything..."

Instead of replying to Paul's words, Ghislaine continued blowing bubbles in the warm bath he had created for them using Beginner Rank Water and Fire Magic. She had come to her senses about three weeks after the start of the mating season, and she had been in a glum and gloomy mood ever since.

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul allowed Ghislaine to continue sulking and just focused on cleaning her thick mane of ashen-grey hair. Their bestial lifestyle had left them smelling like sex and roadkill, so he was giving her a good cleaning after wiping down his own body.

Interrupting Paul's rhymic scrubbing, Ghislaine muttered, "I did something awful...you shouldn't let me off so easily..."

Without missing a beat, Paul asked, "And who is it that decides that? Last I checked, I was the boss between us. Since I already forgave you, who are you to insist I punish you? Now, close your eyes and cover your ears. I'm going to rinse you off."

Flattening and covering her ears, Ghislaine continued to sulk as Paul used a weakened version of the Water Ball imbued with Fire Magic. It required him to suppress his Touki, but he could still use Magic if he remained calm and focused.

Leaning forward, Paul gave Ghislaine's hair a sniff test to make sure it no reeked like a stray cat's ass before rising from the improvised hot spring and asking, "Want to continue camping here for a few days? With a bit of cleaning, this place should fix up pretty nicely."

Instead of immediately answering Paul's words, Ghislaine crawled out of the bath, belly up as she lay on the cold ground, and said, "Please punish me..." with her hands drawn up like a cat's paws.

"..."

Realizing Ghislaine wasn't just going to let matters lie, Paul paused for a moment before exhaling a sigh and saying, "How about this...instead of a punishment, I'll have you make a promise..."

Without rising from her back, Ghislained tilted her head and body in an adorably alluring manner as she asked, "What promise...?"

Squatting down, Paul traced his hand on the explosion-shaped birthmark on Ghislaine's belly, gently caressing her smooth yet toned muscles as he said, "I'm actually a pretty possessive person...I may philander about and do stupid shit, but there are certain women I want to keep all to myself..."

Tracing his fingers down the line of Ghislaine's abdomen, Paul whispered, "Promise to be mine, and mine alone...at least until you find someone you truly love..."

Observing Paul's actions, Ghislaine could feel her body beginning to heat up. She was no longer in a frenzy, but the mating season typically lasted from the third week of the ninth month to the second week of the first. It varied from person to person, but most girls would be in a lesser state of heat for around fourteen weeks.

Though she felt a little muddleheaded, Ghislaine didn't need to be clear of mind to answer, "Okay...I promise..." in a voice that sounded like a purr. As far as she was concerned, Paul was her lifelong mate unless a member of her tribe managed to defeat both of them in a duel. Even then, she would give it her all to keep her promise.

Feeling gratified by Ghislaine's response, the corners of Paul's smile hiked upward as he traced his fingers further south and whispered, "Sit up...now that you've recovered your senses, there's a lot I want to teach you..."

Nodding her head, Ghislaine sat up before leaning with her back against Paul's chest. What followed caused her back, toes, and tail to curl...

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Returning to the Sword Sanctum around the end of the first month, Paul and a very clingy Ghislaine were surprised to learn that Gal was currently on a mission for the King. Paul, in particular, found himself at a complete loss for words as the mission in question was rumored to be suppressing a group of rebels that had established themselves in the Strife Zone.

Since the Asura Kingdom never involved itself with disputes in the Strife Zone, it wasn't difficult to imagine the actual reason for Gal's deployment. Ningguang had probably done something drastic, and they wanted to get rid of her before she could become a threat to the Kingdom.

Upon returning to his room, Paul surprised Ghislaine by saying, "It's a little sooner than I planned, but I plan to depart the Sword Sanctum and head East. Will you come with me...?"

Without needing to consider her response, Ghislaine nodded her head and said, "I'm going." in a firm, almost threatening tone. She could tell Paul was planning to head into danger, and there was no way she was going to let him go alone.

Seeing through Ghislaine's intentions, a soft chuckle emanated from Paul's throat as he gave the slightly taller woman a head pat and said, "You're cute when you worry."

"Nn..."

Though she would punch anyone else that called her cute, Ghislaine let Paul say and do as he pleased. She could defeat him nine times out of ten if they were to fight, but he was still her Boss and, more importantly, the Master of her body...

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Deciding to strike while the iron was hot, Paul and Ghislaine departed first thing the following day after informing the instructors of their intention to become Adventurers and head to the Begaritt Continent. Their status as Sword Saints allowed them to leave the Sanctum whenever they wanted, so, after saying farewell to some of his past flings, Paul and Ghislaine set out for the East rather than the South.

Before their separation, Ningguang had explained many of her short and long-term plans to Paul. One of her plans involved installing Andromeda as the Queen of the Kingdragon Kingdom, so Paul intended to check in on her, Rosaria, Lynette, Fischl, and Lisa at the Ranoa Magic Academy before traveling nearly 3600km along the Red Dragon Mountain Range. Once he reached the Eastern coast of the Central Continent, he would then take a ship around the mountains and enter the Strife Zone from the East.

If they hurried, Paul and Ghislaine could cover the nearly 5400kms to their destination in around 130 days. In actuality, Paul imagined the trip would take closer to a year depending on how many people he brought out of the IOF and how many stops they made along the way. Regardless, much like his original counterpart, Paul's expedition had officially begun at the ripe old age of twelve...

It was a little uncanny...

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Before reaching the border of Ranoa, one of the three Magic Nations that had formed an alliance in the North, travelers had to pass through a forest known as the Wyrm's Whiskers.

As the name implied, the Wyrm's Whiskers were located near the 'head' of the Red Dragon Mountain Range. However, what made the forest unique was that it had become a den for bandits, thieves, and criminals who had fled the Asura Kingdom. There, they had gathered to form a community for mutual protection, championed by a man known as Faceless Jing, the self-anointed King of Bandits.

So long as you could afford the toll fee, the most dangerous thing about the Wyrm's Whiskers were the monsters who inhabited them. Most were relatively weak, such as Horned Rabbits, Flying Snakes, and Leopard Bats, but others, specifically the various Wyvern subspecies, needed at least a B-Rank Party of Adventurers to take down...

"Not gonna lie...that's kind of cool..."

Seeing a Wyrm that reminded him of a Nargacuga, a panther-like Wyvern from a game called Monster Hunter, Paul was seriously tempted to track the beast back to its lair and see if it had any eggs. He wasn't going to, as that would be a pretty dickish, albeit human move, but the idea was very, very tempting.

"Should we attack it? The Sword God always told me that the materials from Wyverns sell for a lot."

Since even lesser Wyverns were graded as B-Rank monsters, Paul wasn't even remotely surprised by Ghislaine's words. Their bones were as tough as metal, used to forge powerful and durable weapons, while their scales could sell for as much as an Asura Silver Coin a piece.

The real question on Paul's mind was whether or not he and Ghislaine could even hurt the agile-looking creature. There was a reason the best armors in the world were assembled from Dragon and Wyvern Scales. It was exceptionally durable and resilient, so much so that a Saint-Ranked Longsword of Light might not be able to cut through it.

After mulling over their options for a short while, a bit of conviction began to form in Paul's heart and mind as he muttered, "We'll never reach our full potential if we fear a challenge. A Wyvern of that size shouldn't be higher than A-Rank, so I'll draw its attention while you look for an opportunity to strike its weak spot..."

Recalling the time Reida stopped a massive, rhino-like Wyvern in its tracks using nothing but her bare hand and Touki to 'reverse' its momentum, Paul decided to put his own Water God Style and Touki to the test. He couldn't really imagine himself stopping a monstrous rhino's charge without it even disturbing the ground beneath his feet, but the fact it could be done at all was more than enough to compel him to try his best.

Without waiting for Ghislaine's response, Paul emerged from behind the snow-covered rock they had been hiding behind, his acceleration kicking up a storm of ice and snow as he bellowed, "Come at me, you Nargacuga wannabe...!"

Reacting more so due to Paul's intent than the sounds he was making, the panther-like Wyvern issued a surprisingly high-pitched screech that gave off the impression of an irate bird rather than a dragon. Then, as it dug its forepaws into the dirt, spear-like spines began to protrude from its glossy, black, almost metallic fur.

Trusting in his instincts, Paul ceased his forward charge and held up his Black Sword in a 'middle stance,' the tip pointed towards the Nargacuga wannabe and his weight perfectly distributed between his feet.

Matching Paul's expectations, the enraged Wyvern unleashed a volley of eighteen exceptionally lethal-looking spines. Fortunately, only four were actually in line to hit him, so Paul skillfully deflected them before charging towards the startled creature with even greater momentum.

Realizing the danger Paul presented, the panther-like Wyvern decided not to try and face him directly. Instead, it dodged to the side before spinning around to displace a considerable quantity of ice and snow using its thick, spine-covered tail.

To Paul's considerable satisfaction, he actually managed to slice through the thick blanket of snow using the shockwaves generated by his sword swings. Unfortunately, even though he managed to break through almost immediately, the panther-like Wyvern had already turned tail and run...

"Are you fucking serious...?"

Though he could understand why the Wyvern had simply chosen to run away, that didn't stop Paul from throwing his Black Sword at the fleeing beast. He didn't get anywhere close to hitting it, but the gesture was more symbolic than anything.

Appearing at Paul's side, Ghislaine's ears and shoulders were drooping a little as she said, "Sorry...I didn't see any opportunity to attack..."

Shaking his head, Paul said, "It's okay. Even I didn't expect it to run away so quickly. I sometimes forget that 'monsters' are just animals doing their best to survive..."

"Nn..."

Looking in the direction the Wyvern had fled, Ghislaine asked, "Should we hunt it? A creature that size shouldn't be difficult to track..."

Shaking his head a second time, Paul answered, "Nah. If it wants to live that badly, then let it. Spending hours or days tracking a monster we're not even guaranteed to kill is a waste of time. Let's go."

Though he would have fought tooth and nail if the Nargacuga wannabe stood its ground, Paul had never approved of the very human mentality of hunting monsters to extinction. He would cut down those who barred his path or tried to kill him, but he wasn't going to go out of his way to track down an animal that just wanted to live. He wasn't a complete asshole...

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