Toward the Future

Though it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time, Paul still felt a little unsteady on his feet after Fayde teleported him, Ei, and Yae to Fort Necross. The process wasn't painful, but the experience was like having his body pulled through an opening the size of a straw, starting from his intestines...

Noticing Paul's complexion and the beads of sweat on his forehead, a teasing smile developed across Fayde's face as she asked, "Would you like me to lend you my breast? My body is pleasantly cool compared to a typical human."

Answering in Paul's stead, Yae mused, "Your concern is appreciated, but you can leave Master to us."

Punctuating her words, Yae walked over and pulled Paul's face into her bosom, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she caressed his head and whispered, "There, there..." in a soothing tone.

Exhaling through her nose, Fayde appeared annoyed as she crossed her arms beneath her comparably small breasts and remarked, "Our Master is entirely capable of speaking for himself. If my behavior bothered him, I'm sure he would let me know..."

Lifting his face from Yae's breasts, Paul asserted, "It doesn't. However, if you intend to be confrontational, just know I would always choose Ei and Yae over someone like you..."

Furrowing her brows, Fayde was tempted to argue that Paul knew nothing about her. However, given the context of the situation, such an argument didn't carry a lot of merits. She was, after all, an 'outsider' in this particular instance.

Realizing she may have spoken out of turn, Fayde performed her unique variation of a curtsy as she replied, "I have disgraced myself by trying to put words into Master's mouth. I am prepared to receive any punishment you deem appropriate..."

Recalling the comments Kishirika made about Fayde being a masochist, Paul shook his head and said, "Just drop it. I need to-"

Interrupting Paul's attempted dismissal, Atofe kicked open the doors to his room, shouting, "It's about time you showed up!"

Though he was somewhat used to Atofe doing whatever she wanted, her reason being that Fort Necross was 'her' home, Paul just smiled wryly and said, "We experienced a few hiccups during the raid. It took-"

With a thoroughly disinterested look on her face, Atofe said, "Don't care, didn't ask." before casting a glance toward Fayde and adding, "Get out of my fortress, you horny lizard."

Compelled to obey, Fayde snorted in disdain before looking toward Paul and saying, "When you're ready to return, call out to me. I'll be waiting..."

Casting one last narrow-eyed glare toward Atofe, Fayde disappeared in one of her black hole-like spheres. A smell reminiscent of ozone filled the room as she departed, but everyone ignored it as Paul turned to Atofe and asked, "What's with everyone antagonizing her? Isn't she supposed to be one of your allies...?"

Raising her left brow, Atofe crossed her arms and replied, "You're wrong. That wannabe Dragon was created by Dragon God Laplace to watch over and maintain Kishirika Castle. She is compelled to obey the master of the castle, but she has a habit of doing things half-assedly and can be pretty spiteful if you don't give her some kind of reward."

As Kishirika had once told him that only Dragons could create new Spirits, Paul wasn't too surprised to learn that Fayde was created by Dragon God Laplace. Instead, he responded with a terse, "I see..." before asking, "Any particular reason you just burst into my room? If anything happened while I was away..."

Understanding that Paul was concerned for the girls he left behind, Atofe rolled her eyes and retorted, "Just who do you take me for? My men might be rough around the edges, but their discipline is second to none. If they disregarded my orders and attempted to put their hands on those lasses, I would flay and cook them alive. No, I came here for a different reason..."

Adopting a broad, somewhat cheeky smile, Atofe revealed, "I received a report stating that my Grandson had appeared at Wind Port. I'm not sure who it was, but someone in his Party was spreading a bunch of rumors, so I went to pay them a visit. Needless to say, you don't have to worry about them attempting to track you down any time soon. I sent them on a quest that will take at least a decade or two to finish."

Blinking in surprise, Paul asked, "You really went out of your way to repel them for us? I honestly expected you to sit back and enjoy the show..."

Shifting her gaze to Ei, Atofe pointedly replied, "At his current level, there wouldn't be one. With that in mind..."

Returning her gaze to Paul, Atofe's smile became even broader as she said, "I bought you some time, so use it well. The next time your paths cross with my Grandson, I expect you to be the one to deal with him. If you keep hiding behind skirts your entire life, you'll never reach the top."

Having said what she wanted to say, Atofe turned around with the clear intention of departing the room. Before she could, Paul called out to her, asking, "You said his Party was spreading rumors? Can you tell me what they were saying...?"

As if she had just remembered something, a look of realization donned upon Atofe's face before she adopted a teasing smile and revealed, "It seems the King of Asura has made a concerted effort to bind you to the Royal Family. You have officially been assigned the Rank of Water King, your Title being the coveted 'King's Greatsword.'"

Recognizing the Title from his previous life and history books pertaining to the Asura Kingdom, Paul promptly took a seat on his bed and cradled his forehead. He had expected something like this to happen, but only as Ariel made her move for the throne. This was much too soon...like twenty years too soon...

Though she was somewhat amused by Paul's reaction, Atofe narrowed her eyes and barked, "Suck it up, brat! You wouldn't be in this position if you didn't engage those idiots and attempt to play along with them! If it bothers you half as much as you pretend, just don't go back to the Asura Kingdom! It's that simple!"

Raising his face from his hand, Paul was about to respond that nothing was ever simple, but Atofe had already turned around to leave. He could have called out to her, but the odds of her turning around to hear him out were pretty slim.

Shaking his head, Paul exhaled a sigh and muttered a word he had been attempting to avoid, specifically a disheartened, "Whatever..."

Taking their seats at Paul's flanks, Yae attempted to ease his frustrations by resting her head against his shoulder and whispering, "Try and look on the bright side...this is a sign that the King either holds you in high regard or outright fears you. By the time of your return to the Central Continent, you will have doubtlessly eclipsed a typical Water or Sword King. This just saves you the hassle of proving to others you're deserving of the Rank..."

Emulating Yae's actions, Ei also rested her head against Paul's shoulder as she appended, "Let us continue working hard...together..."

Though he exhaled another sigh, most of Paul's frustration had vanished the moment the two beauties flanked him. It was difficult to describe just how beautiful they were, so even if he still felt annoyed by his new status and Title, he also felt incredibly fortunate...

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After informing his Party that it would be difficult to defeat Paul at their current level, Alek expected some of them to protest and argue he had wasted their time. To his astonishment, Elinalize and Tallhand accepted the news in stride, accepting that if he, a North God, couldn't get the job done, there wasn't much they could do. Rynka was a little upset because of her defeat, but she calmed down pretty quickly when Alek revealed his intention to voyage to the Devil's Cave, the S-Ranked Labyrinth located at the center of the Ringus Sea.

Among Alek's Party members, the only person legitimately upset by the apparent failure of their mission was Savva. She genuinely believed that Paul would bring about a great cataclysm in the future, so while she could understand Alek's justifications for pulling back, she couldn't help feeling as though they were condemning hundreds of thousands of people to die.

Though Alek assured her he would never allow something like what she described to happen, people with firm beliefs were notoriously difficult to reason with. She believed that, by retreating now, they were quite literally setting in motion the series of events that would guarantee the cataclysm that had appeared in the prophecy.

Unfortunately, while Savva was a gifted Spiritualist, having mastered the unique Magic of her tribe, there was little she could do to track down and defeat Paul on her lonesome. Alek was her only hope, so even though her trust in him had taken a substantial blow, she still intended to accompany and marry him. After all, it wasn't like he had given up...

Among the people Alek expected to be upset, Geese was surprisingly the most agreeable regarding the sudden change in plans. He even went out of his way to talk Elinalise and Tallhand into continuing the journey to the Devil's Nest, arguing that it was an opportunity for them to become fully-fledged S-Ranks under the protection of a God.

As Alek had shown a complete disregard for things like wealth, most of the earnings of their Party were split between the other members. Since he was often the first into the fray, battling powerful monsters without the need for assistance, following Alek was an easy source of both reputation and income. Thus, with very little convincing, the two A-Rank Adventurers agreed to continue accompanying Alek for as long as the bounty on Paul's head remained active.

With their destination decided, Alek asked Geese to secure their passage back to Zanto Port. The only way to reach the Devil's Nest was to charter a ship from the Sanakia, Kikka, or Shirone Kingdoms. In other words, they would need to backtrack several thousand kilometers, pass through the Dragon King Kingdom, and up the Eastern coast of the Central Continent before they could even set out.

Though such a voyage would ordinarily take between 2-3 years, high-ranking Adventurers could complete the journey in as little as 3-4 months if they traveled during the rainy season and only stopped to resupply and report to the Guild. It had only taken Alek's Party three months to travel from the Begarrit Continent to the Demon Continent, so everyone was in relatively high spirits as they set out on what would ultimately turn out to be an adventure spanning years...

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Far to the West of the Demon Continent, across the Ringus Sea, a man with silvery-white hair and golden eyes was staring toward the East, his expression contorted in a perpetual glower. His tall and sturdy frame was garbed in a white trenchcoat covered in belts, a matching mantle adorned with black fur around the collar, a black undertunic, and black trousers, all formed from exceedingly rare materials.

Though he would ordinarily stay away from crowds and large population centers, the sanpaku-eyed man had been making numerous exceptions as of late. This might not sound like such a big deal, but as someone who has endured the same two hundred year loop well over a hundred times, even minor divergences to the timeline were of significant interest to the fiercely determined man.

"So you've even gone as far as capturing Kishirika's castle...just who are you really, Paul Notos Greyrat...?"

Eager to ascertain the truth, the silver-haired man turned around and headed towards a previously rare sight in the Strife Zone, a rapidly-expanding city with proper buildings and durable walls. Such outposts were becoming increasingly common as of late, but this one stood out even among the rest as it was just off the coast and expanding into the sea as a harbor city. There were noteworthy vessels as of yet, but even a layperson would be able to tell that the person in charge intended to make it into a trade hub as there was enough space to house well over a dozen merchant vessels...

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