More than meets the eye

"Vincent. Who is this woman?" Lupa approached menacingly while glaring at Beatrix. She seemed prepared to fight for her man.

"Fret not furry maiden. This heroine shall cleanse the evil from the wicked one beside you. Standeth back before mine void seer eye of reckoning activates." Beatrix continued her strange dialogue as if she was in a world of her own with a different silly pose than the last.

"You're not going to hurting my mate... huh? Why are you stop me?" Lupa was about to protect Vincent from whatever Beatrix announced to do, but Vincent grabbed Lupa's arm and stopped her advance from attacking Beatrix with her fists.

"Don't be hasty, Lupa, because Beatrix is joking. Her class is Beast Master and not a heroine as she is bluffing." Vincent tried to calm Lupa from causing a scene larger than it was. A few people were already looking at them. A few others raised a smile and continued walking as if it was something ordinary.

"This heroine jests not wicked one! Can't thou feel mine stare cleanse thy soul from wickedness?" Beatrix changed her silly pose to a new one and squinted her eye while continuing, "It seems thou can't feel mine stare. Henceforth. This heroine shall stare deeply into thy soul."

"Can you please leave? Can't you see you're bothering us? I will get mad if you continue with this bad joke. I'm a kindhearted man." Vincent tried to persuade Beatrix to leave peacefully. Having a bad reputation is always bad.

"Evil doesn't catch but a wink, so shan't I. Nor thy splendid eyes shalt sway mine pure heart."

"The moment thou entered this heroine's sight. Mine void seer eye of reckoning detected the truth about thou. The ominous presence thou commands symbolize evil. Only after evil leaves shalt this heroine leaveth. Henceforth, alloweth this heroine bless thou with mine stare of evil cleansing." Beatrix insisted while staring at Vincent. Once again, she changed her silly pose and made a V sign in front of her eye.

[I think she is one of those. You know. Those with an eighth-grader syndrome. People can only have one class, unlike you. This is my assumption unless she has a unique trait that does as she says.]

-I guess you have a point. Beatrix didn't say how I'm from a different world. Maybe she noticed my outburst at the familiar stand and thinks I'm evil or something.-

Vincent sighed and said, "Fine... stare all you want. Just don't take long. Also, what's with the rope around your neck? Are you a slave?"

"Ohh... Art thou interested in this servant of mine? This divine beast is merely a silver destiny basilisk afflicted with the horrible curse of disguise. This servant of mine looks like a mere mortal snake, but its power is unfathomable." Beatrix stopped staring, and as if thrilled to have her snake noticed, she patted the silver rope around her neck. A serpent's tail and a head poked in the opposite direction a moment later.

Vincent knew the snake could be the ultimate proof to understand if Beatrix was telling the truth or if it was all in her imagination. He used Inspection on the snake and became surprised by the result.

.

[Name] Peepee (Vigor Snake) (Female)

[Condition] Healthy, Vitality Boon

[Core] Tamed Earth Core

[Detail]

A snake that lives ten times longer than an ordinary snake. It possesses no combat powers, but its eyesight is ten times better than an ordinary snake. Vigor Snakes live a long boring life, mainly consisting of eating grass and hiding.

.

"Pfff..." Vincent held himself from laughing after learning about the real identity of the snake and the chuunibyou Beatrix.

"Don't make~a fun of me~a. I'm~a really big~a snake *Hiss* Only master knows~a *Hiss* " The silver snake spoke, surprising the four in front of it.

Ester, "Huh? Is that a high level familiar?"

Tula, "Look big sister. Pretty snake can talk."

Lupa, *Sniff, sniff* " Hmph, more females. Wolves are the best animals, and my mate knows it."

"Did that snake just talk? How is it possible?" Vincent stared intensely at the silver snake. Even Kazumi didn't know what to say. Both never thought of witnessing an animal speak like a person.

When Lupa is in her white wolf form, she communicates telepathically, and it is because of the retainer soul binding effect. No one but Vincent and Kazumi, who resided in his Soul Domain, could hear Lupa speak in their minds.

However, the snake spoke out loud with its mouth moving up and down. 'Maybe it's a Beast Master skill.' Vincent and Kazumi thought.

"What does thou mean, "how can my servant talk?" It's simply child's play for the level of mine divine basilisk." Beatrix stopped staring at Vincent as if she forgot what this strange discussion was for. Then she caressed her snake and boasted, "Mine divine basilisk shalt stare at thou for cleansing. Throw away any thoughts of resistance. Our stare shan't be beaten."

"Peepee is strong~a! I'm~a stare at you~a too!" The silver vitality snake Peepee added.

"Shhh! Don't say your name. It's embarrassing! Didn't I tell you to call yourself the servant of destiny?" Beatrix whispered, but Vincent, Kazumi, and Lupa heard her speaking with a pair of blushed cheeks.

"See. You can speak normally if you want to. Why don't you apologize for wasting our time and leave? Your Vitality Snake... Peepee, pfff, hehe... is nothing special, and neither is the eye you're hiding." Vincent wanted to laugh when the snake's name was as childish as her acting. However, Beatrix puffed her cheeks as if she felt offended.

"This heroine is appalled by thy hateful allegations. Mine sincerity to save the world from wicked people is unshakeable..."

"Ahem. This heroine shall put it in a mundane tongue. This heroine has the power to stare evil in the eye and make the host of such malicious thoughts not prowl in mine city of protection."

[This chick is beyond saving... At least, waiting for Ben isn't that boring.]

-Should I tease her?-

[Well, we don't have anything better to do. Ester and Tula are feeding the little fox while tuning in to our conversation from time to time.]

Vincent raised an eyebrow and teased the flustered chuunibyou Beatrix, "So basically, people run away from you? You know, like that man before you came looking for me. You make people uncomfortable and make their, ahem, as you call it, "wicked presence" disappear by staring at them."

"Pardon? Thou speaks nonsense about this heroine. Mortals don't evade me because I weird them out or anything... ahem. This heroine is simply a deterrent to evil. As such, mine resolve and resolution are of self-sacrifice and heroic deeds." Beatrix placed her hands on her waist and tried to show a heroic stance with a wavering poker face.

"People leave~a when we~a approach~a and stare at them~a. People~a know of our~a powers. *Hiss*" Peepee the snake admitted.

"Shhh! I don't agree with this man's words. His wicked aura has lessened, but not enough to call him cleansed. " Beatrix whispered, but once again, Vincent, Kazumi, and Lupa heard everything.

"But~a, this man~a in~a bandages, and wolf~a are scary~a. They know~a everything~a. *Hiss*" Peepee responded.

"Ahem... This heroine is experiencing a horrible day. In such an inauspicious day. Mine cleansing power can't be brought to full force. Consider thy selves lucky that this heroine has other things to do." Beatrix was about to turn to leave when Vincent joked, "Every hero has a bad day. On with your way then. You can run with your tail behind your legs, hehe."

"How wicked! Thy eyes art green like an emerald jewel freshly mined from a rich cave. However, such attractive eyes art nay match for mine void seer gaze. Thy spell of seduction shan't work on me. " Beatrix tried to change the subject while her face started to blush. It was her first time that a person kept up with her act of being a heroine. It was the first time she was defeated in a contest of words.

Beatrix didn't know how to leave without experiencing defeat because it was the opposite party that usually leaves from getting bothered.

As Beatrix was finding a way to leave with her pride of the heroine persona intact, a small group of children approached. It consisted of four boys and three girls. They all seemed to between the ages of ten and under.

"Yey, we found big sister Beatrix. Let's play staring at the baddies again." One of the boys said.

"I want to play with Peepee. I have a tasty present for it." A girl continued.

While the children asked to play with Beatrix, a tall, muscular man lagging a few steps from the children approached Beatrix from behind. The tall, muscular man then raised his hand and delivered a chop on Beatrix's head.

"Ouch! Divine retribution shall fall upon..." Beatrix turned her head to find out who was the person that hit her head. "Ahh! Distinguished Brother! Thy heroine sister has done nay deed lacking righteousness. Why did thou hit this righteous heroine?"

"Apologise and then go play with the kids. Remember to escort the kids back home when you are done playing and return before it becomes dark. You have an hour at best to play." The imposing tall, muscular man ordered.

"I... " Beatrix faced Vincent with a pair of eyes welling and a few tears of defeat about to trickle on her cheeks. "Fortunately, mine void seer eye has completed its job. This heroine is sorry for taking so long to cleanse thy wicked. Ouch... "

"A simple sorry is enough. You don't have to say a chapter of words instead of saying a short sentence." Her brother said after gently delivering another chop on her head.

"I'm sorry. This heroine is needed elsewhere. Oh, humble brother, thy heroine sister has to cleanse wicked ones with her disciples. Henceforth, this heroine shall depart and return to our humble abode at the promised time." Beatrix turned to the group of children and continued. "Children, let us deter evil with our gazes of evil cleansing."

"Yey. Stare at baddies is fun. The apple vendor gave me an apple for free after I was playing near him." A boy said.

"Thou shan't indulge in greed, or mine void seer eye must be used. " Beatrix said.

"I'm sorry for becoming greedy. I was happy for the free apple. Let's play there again and accept no rewards." The boy seemed to learn a good lesson. Beatrix was strangely teaching the children how to act with kindness.

"Learning to be generous is another way of life. Behold this heroine that confronts evil and doesn't asketh for rewards." Beatrix proudly said.

"We~a kind hearted~a. We~a generous to others~a." Peepee added while happily wiggling its tail.