Longing

"Oh my goodness, Fischl~!"

Upon seeing Paul and Fischl enter the kitchen, Xiangling's face lit up. She wasn't particularly close with the quirky blonde, but that rarely got in the way of her being friendly.

Returning a faint smile, Fischl had to pause for a moment before stating, "The fates align to see our paths cross once again. Harken, Maiden of Flames. Know that it gladdens this Prinzessin to see thee in fair health."

With a wry smile on her face, Xiangling asked, "Did the two of you come here to eat? I can whip something up pretty quickly if you'd like."

Answering in Fischl's stead, Paul requested, "Can you include a bunch of meat? Fischl just spent the last three months camping outside, so she's a little thin around the waist and shoulders."

As Fischl blushed faintly, Xiangling returned a radiant smile as she replied, "Of course! I'm missing a few of the essential ingredients, but I should be able to whip up a Die Heilige Sinfonie. I'll also prepare some cocoa to help warm your bodies~!"

Having memorized the favorite/specialty dishes of everyone that Paul had summoned, Xiangling wanted to prepare Fischl's as a homecoming gift. It was basically just a cold cut platter of thinly sliced meats with some leafy greens, so she could whip it up pretty quickly.

After thanking Xiangling, Paul guided Fishl to the bedroom upstairs before inviting her to take a seat at the private dining table they had set up due to the growing number of patrons downstairs. Paul noticed her staring at the bed with a bit of trepidation, but as he had absolutely no intention of forcing her, he didn't let it bother him as he sat down and asked, "How's Oz? I'm a little surprised he isn't with you."

Touching the ornate eyepatch covering her left eye, Fischl momentarily dropped her facade as she explained, "I have him following a caravan of Slavers. Once they reach their destination, I intend to have Rosaria look into them..."

With the vision of her left eye linked to her Electro Familiar, Oz, Fischl was able to keep track of targets several thousand kilometers away. She could also use it to communicate across vast distances nigh-instantaneously as she and Oz were telepathically linked.

"I see..."

Nodding his head in understanding, Paul paused to consider his following words before asking, "Will you join my Party, or do you intend to continue working as a Surveyor for the Guild? I would honestly like to travel around and spend more time with you..."

Shifting her lime-green eye to the nearby bed, Fischl surprised Paul by asking, "Would you lay with me...?"

"Uh..."

Following Fischl's gaze, Paul found himself at a momentary loss for words. He didn't think she meant anything explicit, but it wasn't easy to know for sure.

"If you want...?"

Offering a faint smile, Fischl scooched a little closer to Paul before silently leaning her head against his shoulder. A few years prior, she had regarded him as her destined lover. Now, Fischl wasn't quite sure what to think. All she knew for certain was that she wanted to feel the warmth of another...

"I'm tired of being alone..."

Feeling as though he could sense the loneliness exuding from Fischl's body, Paul found himself embracing the slender woman with his right arm. Then, even though he was more than a little uncertain whether or not it was the correct decision, he guided Fischl to look up at him, whispering, "Then stay with me..." before planting a chaste kiss on her lips...

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Though he encountered more than a handful of Dragons and Drakes along the way, Gal ultimately managed to pass through the narrowest section of the Red Dragon Mountain Range without too much trouble. Afterward, he spent the better part of three weeks slowly meandering toward the center of the Strife Zone.

"That's one hell of a spear..."

Seeing the aftermath of Zhongli's and Kusanali's attack on the Markien Mercenary Country, Gal couldn't prevent a cold sweat from breaking out across his body. He was confident that he could slay even a God Ranked Mage, but there was no way he could stop a 300m long spear capable of piercing through a Saint-Ranked Magical Barrier as if it were paper.

While thinking that Magic should be outlawed altogether, Gal made his way to the ruined palace located at the center of the now verdant city. It was a little jarring to see so much greenery in the middle of a wasteland, but Gal didn't let it bother him as he approached the group of bandit-like men guarding the entrance to the palace.

Noticing Gal's approach, the leader of the group was about to call out and tell him to stop when his vision suddenly spun. By the time he understood what had happened, darkness was creeping in from the edge of his vision as Gal casually bypassed the headless bodies of himself and his friends...

Cutting down everyone in his path, it wasn't long before Gal found himself in the center of a ruined throneroom, his blue eyes fixating on a short girl with braided brown hair, drooping, fur-covered ears, and a relatively thick tail covered in white fur with black spots. She was garbed in a tribal outfit that resembled the clothes of an exotic dancer, but the thing that caught Gal's attention was the massive, oversized hunk of metal that appeared to be the girl's sword.

Shouldering his comparably small yet resplendently golden sword, an amused smile developed across Gal's face as he remarked, "It's pretty rare to see a member of the Beast Race using something other than a machete or a meat cleaver. Tell me, brat, do you know how to use that thing?"

Gripping the handle of her oversized sword, the petite girl suppressed her instinctual urge to run away as she asked, "Why are you doing this? If you wanted to occupy the palace, you could have just challenged me directly. What's the point of killing everyone?"

Resisting the temptation to cut the girl down for ignoring his question, Gal squinted his eyes and replied, "I'm not here to kill everyone. I'm here to investigate the Strife Zone and deliver a message. Those fools got in my way and paid the price. Now, tell me, do you have any connection with the people that attacked the Markien Mercenary Country? Consider your next words very carefully..."

Despite feeling an almost overwhelming desire to run away, the diminutive beast girl stood her ground as she answered, "My name is Anko, leader of the Markien Mercenary Country's Assault Squadron. I have no connection to the people who attacked our country..."

"Hmm..."

Sensing no falsehoods in the beast girl's words, Gal briefly considered his next course of action before asking, "What do you know about the people responsible? Was it truly just two people that did all this...?"

Looking around the throne room, Gal felt as though he was in the center of the Great Forest. Thorn-covered roots and vines covered nearly every surface, but the thing that stood out the most were the flowering plants and berry bushes. A spell that could produce fruit-bearing plants from inert stone was something the Asura Kingdom would pay handsomely to acquire or do everything in their power to erase...

Nodding her head, Anko tentatively explained, "It was two women, one with pale skin and the other with dark skin. The people of the Strife Zone have come to know them as the Spear God and the Plant God. As for their location and why they attacked the Markien Mercenary Country...if I knew that, I would have hunted them down myself..."

Though she hadn't been particularly close to the people in charge of the Markien Mercenary Country, Anko was nevertheless loyal to them. A few of their members had saved her when she was being trafficked as a slave, so she had dedicated the last ten years of her life to repaying that debt.

Noticing the fiery glimmer in Anko's eyes, an approving smile developed across Gal's face. If she had been a bit younger, he might have taken her as his apprentice. Instead, he eyed her massive sword as he asked, "Has the Water God come through here?"

Furrowing her brows, Anko tightened her grip on her sword as she asked, "What business do you have with Master?"

Clicking his tongue, Gal muttered, "Figures..." before turning around and adding, "When that old bat returns, tell her that Sword God Gal Farion is waiting for her at the Capital of the Shirone Kingdom."

Without waiting for Anko's response, Gal departed the throne room with a casual gait. The moment he left, Anko's legs immediately gave out as she plopped to the ground with a thud. Her instincts informed her that Gal was exceptionally dangerous, but she never expected his identity to be the Sword God...

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Despite nearly three years passing since her separation from Paul, Reida appeared even younger than during their initial encounter. As a result, the eyes of every man and woman she passed were glued to her as she made her way through the corridors of an underground compound, guided by an exotic beauty with pale-blue hair and peculiar, red and black horns.

After reaching their destination, the pale-haired beauty, Ganyu, turned to Reida and politely informed, "Lady Ningguang can be found within. Please try not to create a scene."

Returning a confident smile, Reida said, "Relax. I may have come here at the King's behest, but I have personal reasons for wanting to meet with your leader. I won't draw my sword unless your people attack first."

Instead of responding to Reida's words with her own, Ganyu offered a polite bow before opening the door to an underground conference room. Inside, a fully matured Ningguang, flanked by Zhongli and Xingqiu, could be seen sitting at the far end of a long table.

Though she was briefly stunned by Ningguang's appearance, Reida's expression didn't show it as she entered the room and remarked, "Kids grow up fast these days..."

After giggling in response to Reida's words, Ningguang gestured to the seat further from her, suggesting, "Please, take a seat." before turning to Xingqiu and adding, "Xiangqiu, be a dear and prepare tea for our guest."

Bowing low, the slender yet mature bluenette replied, "As you will, Lady Tianquan." before stepping off to the side to prepare some tea. Reida's eyes briefly followed her, but they quickly snapped back to Ningguang as she said, "Before we get down to business, there's something I needed to inform you about."

Maintaining a business-like smile, Ningguang casually inquired, "Does it have anything to do with your, or should I say, Master Paul's twins...?"

Unsurprised by Ningguang's inquiry, Reida simply nodded her head as she answered, "Yeah. I was a little careless and allowed that brat to knock me up. Since you seem to be the mastermind behind everything, I wanted to ask for your opinion before their true identities came to light. I can't keep them a secret forever."

Having anticipated Reida's request, Ningguang inclined her head toward the thick stack of papers sitting in front of the God-Tier Swordswoman as she explained, "That document has two parts. The first half details the actions you should take over the next three years, while the second is a proposition to your King. I believe you are well aware of this, but Paul has no intention of opposing the Asura Kingdom. It is the First Prince and his faction of fools who seem determined to make him into an enemy."

Nodding her head, Reida replied, "I am well aware of that. However, the First Prince has never been the type to listen to reason. He is weak and inept, so he fears and resents those more capable than him. Unless Paul is willing to bind himself through a magical contract, I can't imagine the First Prince allowing him to move freely within the Asura Kingdom..."

Adopting a mischievous smile, Ningguang countered, "I considered that when I drafted the proposal to your King. So long as you deliver it to him within the next two years, everything should be sorted."

Furrowing her brows, Reida wanted to say that Ningguang was severely underestimating the First Prince's faction but ultimately decided against it. Instead, she picked up the stack of papers and requested, "Can you get someone to read this for me...?"

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