Chapter 111

I woke up rather refreshed. Sleep was more something I did because I enjoyed it and to relieve any kind of stress. My body no longer needed to 'physically' sleep, as in there would be no noticeable detriments to my body, besides mental fatigue and the like.

It was a large room, a bed that could easily fit 5 people, extravagant would perhaps be too mundane word to describe this room.

As expected of a person who claims to be royalty.

Almost out of habit, I pulled out my scroll, poking at it a few times to check the news.

Just as Junior said, the Vale council came out in support of Mistral. I guess what happened was too high profile for them to stay quiet, especially since we were known to live in Vale. We got thrown under the bus immediately as well, pretty much blamed for everything that happened.

I mean, technically we did, but there was also the fact that the authorities were pretty damn aggressive with their actions.

Atleast they got my good side with my 'wanted' picture.

"Wait…" I muttered, staring at my scroll. "How am I getting a signal now out here?" Remnant wasn't like earth with Satellites in space, they had massive 'towers' that broadcasted throughout each Kingdom, and I am certainly very far from any Kingdom.

Curious.

With a hum, I snapped my fingers, the bounded fields I set around the room came down.

Contrary to what one may expect, it was considered polite to put up your own defenses like this when inside another Mage's domain you were invited into. While I don't know if that particular bit of etiquette carried over here, I did put up some basic defenses.

It was basically something like 'You are a dangerous person, therefore I will protect myself', but with a certain politeness to it, as well as it being compliment to the host.

Fixing myself up, brushing my hair and making sure my clothes were tidy, I left my room. Immediately greeting me was a strange creature.

A Grimm, obvious from the looks of it, but it was like a floating octopus. It didn't react to my presence, just merely floating there…

I poked it.

There was no reaction, so I poked it again.

And again.

Well, whatever.

I turned to walk away, and it began following.

Every step I took, it was there floating behind me.

"Well, would you happen to know where the kitchens are?" I poked the floating grimm again.

It made…a sound. I don't know what it was trying to convey, but one of its tentacles lifted, pointing down the hallway.

I just shrugged and went off with my new friend following behind me.

***

The kettle hissed, steam shooting out. "Would you like some Tea?" I eyed the person who entered the kitchen out of the corner of my eye.

Salem walked in, she gave me an inquisitive look before taking a seat at the very large table. "I do not require sustenance."

"Needing and wanting are two different things." I replied, putting a little bit of sugar in my cup before stirring it. "I technically no longer require sustenance either, but enjoying the taste of food and drink is one of life's pleasures."

"If you are offering then I shall not refuse." She said plainly.

I poured a second cup and took it down to the table, setting it infront of her as I took a seat nearby. "Oh, before I forget." I waved my hand, allowing a small platter to appear between us. "I have Mint, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Basil, and Lemon if you prefer any of those, along with some basic sugar if you don't want yours plain."

Raised Japanese, lived in England, my tea game is always on point, though I've been leaning towards English tea standards lately. Honestly, my reserves of the Japanese variety are miniscule in comparison, I'll need to pick up some good tea leaves next time I head back to my home country.

She looked at them curiously, taking a small spoon and added a couple things to her cup before stirring gently. I saw her take a small sip and a very brief expression of content crossed her face. "It is acceptable."

"I'm glad you like it." I took a sip of my own. I looked her over again. She was wearing something slightly different today. It was more or less the same design, but this black dress she was wearing hugged her body much better than before, not to mention the boob window was much more pronounced. I had to stop myself from staring too much. Her hair appeared to be more 'preen' as well, like instead of a casual acceptance, she took the time to make sure everything was nice and tidy. I think she noticed my looks because a small smile quirked on her face. "You look lovely." I decided to voice my thoughts.

She didn't respond to it, but I think she was pleased by my words. "Were the accommodations acceptable?"

"They were, I slept very well." I replied. "And my new friend was helpful." I gestured towards the Grimm still floating in the corner.

She glanced at it. "It is one of my more intelligent creations. It can help with basic tasks."

"Oh, is this one of the ones you made?' I gave it another look. "It makes me curious as to what abilities it possesses."

"The Grimm interest you?" She asked, a small look of intrigue on her face.

"Of course, it was one of the reasons I decided to come here." I admitted.

"One of the reasons?" She raised an eyebrow, adjusting herself. I was surprised she attempted to show off more of her bosom.

Was she trying to seduce me? Or at least make me more willing to reveal information this way…..how amusing. "Indeed." I smiled innocent, not reacting to her obvious insinuation. I think she was slightly annoyed as well, relaxing back again without her chest puffed out. Was she expecting me to just start drooling with her breasts on display? I mean, I would normally, but I also don't like being led around by the nose – or rather the dick in this circumstance. "The Grimm are rather interesting creatures though. A magical construct that mimics lifeforms to the extent that their source of magical energy forces them to exist with the same weaknesses."

She perked up slightly. "An interesting notion, to claim my Grimm have the same weaknesses as normal beasts."

"Don't they? Sure, they may be significantly stronger than a normal animal, but if you stab a Grimm through the head, it will 'die' same as its normal counterpart."

"Magical Energy – the term you used, if they were sustained on such a thing, why would their existence care about something as mundane as a stab to the head?"

"The concepts woven in their creation. I can only assume that at their base, they used the templates of real creatures to build their foundations, to give the magical energy a form to bind and give structure to. Otherwise, each Grimm would need to be created from the ground up, and the effort and time to do so would make such a thing simply inefficient. I don't doubt you've perhaps done so in the past, but to put out the numbers that currently inhabit the world, the simplest method to mass produce them would be required, which would inherently come with certain detriments."

She blinked at my response, lost in thought for a moment before responding. "You are quite knowledgeable; I had not expected you to be able to discern such things without experience of their creation."

"Well, I am a researcher before anything else." I smiled. "Grimm are a curious thing that drew my attention." At my core, and that of Zelretch, we are researchers and I don't think that would ever change. "I'm curious about the ease at which you were able to manipulate gravity as well."

"Oh, that?" She genuinely seemed happy form my words, like she was unused to receiving praise. "It was just a small trick to condense the natural gravity in the area." She gave a small smile. "But you seemed capable enough to destroy my spell with ease."

"I was forced to distort the local space to disrupt your gravitational increase, it had caught me by surprise. I don't know many people capable of manipulating gravity with such ease." That was a bit simpler in explanation. I actually had to quickly alter the curvature of the surrounding space to even out the gravitational anomaly she created.

"So, there are many people you know capable of magic?" She asked, but I gave a noncommittal hum. "Perhaps we should restart our 'game' from where we left off?"

"You're not worried about what I may ask?" She seemed a bit flustered yesterday.

"If you wish to waste questions on asking me about my undergarments, why would I be bothered? Perhaps my answer will have changed since yesterday." She gave a coquettish smile, though it seemed a bit insincere.

I knew what she was doing, but….. "Alright, same rules as yesterday."

"Are you my enemy?" She asked me bluntly.

It was a simple question, but one she probably should have asked yesterday. I think she was just too thrown off by my sudden appearance to clearly think through everything. "At the moment, no. But I can't claim to see the future." She didn't react, so I assumed she accepted that answer. "Do you hate humanity?"

"What?" She seemed a bit taken back by my question.

"Well, you create grimm, which are essentially the enemies of humanity --- and Faunus, for that matter. I'm just curious if you hate them."

She looked contemplative at my question, a scowl formed as she seemingly thought deeper on it. "I do not hate Humanity. These things that exist now are not the humanity I know. They lack magic, they lack the same things that made humanity whole. They are but a hollow shell of what they are supposed to be."

She didn't elaborate beyond that, but I could understand her sentiments. It also filled in some blanks regarding this world's history, and I think she assumed I knew of it as well. I guess in a previous time, Humanity was capable of magic on a much larger scale, and they somehow lost it. It would explain why she was fixated on my apparent usage of magic and anyone I knew who could use it as well.

"What were your intentions in coming here?" She finally asked. Which was another question that should have been answered yesterday had she had more time to contemplate.

"I wanted a measure of the person who ruled over the Grimm." I responded. "What is your end goal?"

"End goal?" She questioned my wording.

"What do you hope to achieve with all of --" I waived my arms around. "-- this?"

She was silent for a moment. "Pass." She stated. "What did you mean by a measure?"

"I used the Relic of knowledge to learn about the Grimm, I saw several images of you and was smitten, so I wished to get an understanding of you better to see if there was a chance in the future." I explained. "But I digress." I stopped her from responding and asked my question. "What would it take for you to stop using the grimm to attack people?"

"That depends on what you are willing to give. I suppose I can be…persuaded." She stared at me intently.

My lips quirked up, did she not realize how that could be interpreted? "If my innocence is what is required to stop people from dying, then I shall give myself to you."

Salem blinked, registering what I said. "I was speaking of the relics!" She huffed. "Do your perversions know no bounds?"

"Says the woman trying to seduce me." I pointed out.

"I have done no such thing." She crossed her arms, covering her ample boob window.

Hah, I don't think she expected me to call her out on it. "Oh, and if I asked that as my next question?" I decided to prod her again.

"It is my question." She said, turning away and changing the subject, only taking a glance back at me again when she appeared ready to speak. "Why are you being so….."

"Blunt?" I finished for her.

"Yes."

Actually got her to waste a question for something like this.

"Hmm, I don't see the point in being coy or ambiguous. I see something I like so I go for it, simple as that." I guess she was not used to people being so obvious in their attractions. I'd rather not play those games, if someone isn't interested, I'd rather be told up front rather than waste my time. "Do you dislike it?"

I think she hesitated for a moment. "I believe I am done for now." She stood up, leaving the room.

Did I do something wrong there? Did I press a button I shouldn't have?

Maybe I should apologize?

***

Admittedly, I don't think this is one of my best chapters. I think my next one is much better, but that could just be my biased opinion. I'll give it another look over in the morning after I cleared my head and had a good nights sleep.

So, MC meets Salem again in the morning. She tries to play off his obvious 'interest' and that doesn't go as planned, instead gets a thrown for a loop again at his nonchalant way he just admits he is interested.

Anyways, if you want to read 5 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone.