MI119: Discourse (Patreon)

Though he wasn't even remotely surprised by Varuna's question, Paul asked, "You want to know what justice means to me...?

Nodding her head, Varuna continued to stare unblinkingly into Paul's as she slowly raised her right hand and explained, "I wish to know what kind of man the God of Boundaries chose to be our Champion. If your answer does not satisfy me..."

As Varuna allowed her words to trail, a harsh sound reminiscent of metal sliding against metal spread through the area as Ei flashed forward with her Musou no Hito-tachi drawn. Paul wasn't sure of the actual distance, but her blade appeared to stop less than a millimeter away from Varuna's neck as she practically growled, "This is not a situation where you can do as you please..."

Seemingly unbothered by Ei's actions, Varuna's expression remained calm as she said, "If the man chosen to by the Gods possesses a wicked heart, it would be better to let our world fade into oblivion. Ruining this world for a chance to restore our own...the only way our actions can be justified is if we do everything in our power to better both."

While continuing to stare into Paul's eyes, Varuna added, "So tell me, Paul Notos Greyrat. What is your version of justice...?"

Instead of immediately responding to Varuna's words, Paul took a moment to inspect his dampened clothes and the layer of moisture that covered his body. When Varuna raised her hand, water from the air had started to condense and swirl around him, Kokomi, and Mona. Ei's attack had rendered most of it inert while the rest was conveniently repelled by the two women at his flanks, each possessing Hydro Visions.

"Hmm..."

Though Varuna's attack should have made him more cautious, Paul felt more than confused than anything. There had been no hostility within her attack, so unless she was a complete psychopath who felt nothing when trying to kill people, the attack was more likely to put pressure on rather than harm him.

"Ah, fuck it..."

Adopting an inordinately serious expression that caused Varuna to narrow her eyes at him, Paul went on to surprise everyone present by answering, "Ass and tits." in a firm, ostensibly resolute tone.

While Venti suddenly erupted into laughter, Varuna did away with her mask of calm, a very clearly displeased expression on her face as she repeated, "Ass...and tits...that's your response?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul replied, "Your question is dumb, so I gave you an equally dumb answer. I mean, seriously, there are as many forms of justice as there are people in the world. Beyond that, there are societal notions such as social justice, economic justice, criminal justice, and even poetic justice. When it comes down to it, the 'justice' most people speak of is a convenient excuse at best and completely arbitrary the rest of the time."

Though it looked like Varuna was about to grab him by the shoulders and bite his head off, Paul tried to mimic the tone of his Ethics Professor from his previous life as he added, "The most meaningful form of justice is as a mirror for society. It's what brings us together, helps us identify right from wrong, and unifies us against outside threats. You want to know what kind of man I am? You won't find that out by asking asinine questions that only serve as an excuse to compare your idea of justice to others. That's what we call Absolute Justice. Not because it's better than any other kind, but because it's Absolute Bullshit."

"How dare you...!"

Unable to sit idle as Paul insulted her Goddess, Lyney picked up one of the many weapons littering the ground and attempted to charge at Paul from behind. What she didn't expect was for a wall of water to rise from out of nowhere, pushing her up and ensnaring her in a vortex as Varuna said, "I am not so feeble of heart and mind that I need others to express outright in my stead..."

Returning her attention to Paul, Varuna didn't seem to care that Ei's blade had pricked her neck as she said, "Though your choice of words leaves a lot to be desired, I am not incapable of seeing the reason within them. To that end, allow me to rephrase my question as such...what do you intend to do once you finish linking the two worlds? When the authority afforded to you as Champion no longer serves a greater purpose, will you cling to it or relinquish it without complaint?"

Rolling his eyes, Paul left Varuna feeling taken aback as he replied, "See, that's exactly what I mean. If you actually took the time to learn about me rather than basing your views on how people answer your questions, you would find that I've only ever used my authority a single time. Even then, it wasn't to serve any 'malicious' or 'wicked' ends. I just wanted to know the truth. Since then, I have never used my authority. If the God of the Boundaries wanted to take it away, she could shove it up her ass for all I care."

"..."

Taking advantage of Varuna's silence, Zhongli elected to explain, "Before today's summoning, I was careful to inform our Master about the dangers posed by you and the Tsaritsa. I told him that, for the sake of protecting himself and others, he should be prepared to use his authority to compel your obedience. While I still believe that is the best course of action, it is clear he has chosen to adhere to his principles and stand his ground in a moral discourse. That should tell you everything you need to know about his character..."

Though her expression darkened when she heard Zhongli disclose her intentions to have Paul compel her obedience, Varuna didn't lash out. If what Zhongli said was true, it meant she had severely misjudged Paul's character. She had presumed that any mortal in his position would use their authority to basically do as they pleased. After all, she would have doubtlessly done the same...

"I see...then, at least for the time being, I will set this matter aside and observe for myself what kind of man our Master is. That being said..."

Meeting Ei's Electro Purple eyes with her glistening Hydro Blues, Varuna asked, "How much longer do you intend to hold your sword to my neck?"

Maintaining a look as cold and ruthless as the Electro-formed blade in her hands, Ei replied, "We are our Master's sword. Unless-"

Interrupting Ei's statement, Paul said, "It's okay, Ei. We may have gotten off to a rocky start, but I choose to believe that the person Lynette spoke so highly of is a respectable person. Once she integrates with our group and realizes what we're trying to accomplish, I believe she will become a powerful ally."

Though he was more or less talking out of his ass, this wasn't the first time Paul had gambled with his life. He wanted to believe he could reach the end of his journey without becoming the piece of she the IOF clearly intended him to be, so, even if Varuna or the Tsaritsa turned against him, he would rather fight them head-on than manipulate them against their will.

Some lines should never be crossed, not so long as a single other option remained...

After one last narrowing of the eyes, Ei allowed her Musou no Hito-tachi to dissipate. Instead of returning to where Yae and Klee were, however, she elected to remain close to Paul, ready and willing to protect him at a moment's notice.

Taking advantage of the momentary lully in the conversation, Venti, once again, attempted to make herself noticed by musing, "And thus concludes the heart-racing first encounter between the Champion, his loyal shadow, and a misguided Goddess of Justice. This will make a fine first chapter in our shared tale, the Ballad of the Broken Worlds."

Looking past Varuna, Paul met Venti's gaze before shamelessly lowering his eyes to her melon-sized breasts. That was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was the first thought that came to mind when seeing Venti's round and full breasts threatening to burst forth from her blouse.

Without minding Paul's gaze, Venti returned an ostensibly helpless smile as she said, "Now you notice me." while simultaneously crossing her arms in a manner clearly intended to display her assets.

Shaking his head, Paul risked incurring Varuna's displeasure as he firmly asserted, "Oh, trust me, I noticed you. In fact, you were one of the two Archons we were aiming for during tonight's summoning, so I was pretty stoked to see you pop out. No offense to you, Varuna."

Contradicting the mildly annoyed look on her face, Varuna replied, "None taken." in a borderline monotone. As for Venti, she adopted a natural smile and mused, "Oh? Am I finally entering my popular phase after a thousand years~?"

Returning a smile of his own, Paul replied, "Something like that." before looking toward Ningguang and saying, "Let's hurry and ob-well, that was fast..."

Seeing several stacks of parcels atop Katheryne's desk, Paul didn't have to ask to know what they were. Either Ningguang had told her to prepare them, or Katheryne had been listening when he expressed his intention to make a bulk purchase. Either way, he ended up forking over an additional 3600AGC, bringing his total expenses for the evening to a whopping yet tolerable 16,200AGC...

...

..

.

Making good on his promise from earlier, Paul maintained a firm grip on Zhongli's hips as his own smacked into her ass with enough force to send ripples through her back and make her tits smack her chin. She wasn't the most reactive girl, silently enduring no matter how intense things got, but at least her expression was honest.

Though she was using a technique frequently employed by Adepti to limit their sensitivity to things like pleasure and pain, Zhongli's eyes had glazed over as a mildly distressed look replaced her usually stoic expression. She had severely misjudged just how sensitive her body was when stimulated by someone who knew what they were doing.

Feeling his climax building, Paul took Zhongli by surprise with a sudden position changing, turning her onto her side as he sat stop her left thigh and began to piston her from a different angle. He had told her they were going to continue until her eyes rolled toward the back of her head or she cried out in pleasure, so he watched her closely as he released his twelfth shot in the deepest regions of her perennially writhing vagina.

"Come on! I can't see your eyes properly if you close them! Where is the usually calm and collected Zhongli at, huh...!?"

Without waiting for a response, Paul adjusted his position before pulling Zhongli to sit astride his lap as he whispered into her ear, "I can't even count the number of opportunities I gave you to back out. Instead, you kept taunting and trying to goad me into action. Now, you have a body that's literally designed to take my cock. In other words, you're no longer just the Geo Archon. You're an extension of my hip...a sheathe perfectly suited to house my sword..."

Partially opening her amber eyes, Zhongli stared back at Paul with a hint of disbelief in her gaze. She knew she had effectively brought this upon herself, but the way Paul was behaving was so drastically different from anything she anticipated. She had mistakenly believed he would continue to do her from behind pretty much indefinitely, never saying a word from start to finish.

Further increasing Zhongli's confusion and disbelief, Paul took advantage of the fact she was facing him to steal her lips and slip his tongue into her mouth. He hadn't actually overcome his inhibitions towards the befuddled brunette; he just wasn't stopping to think. All of his focus was on fulfilling the objective he had set for himself, so, even if he had to keep fucking her for an entire week, he wasn't stopping until Zhongli had either cried out or passed out...

...

..

.