MI147: Value (Patreon)

After another exhausting day within the Ranoa Magic Academy, Roxy dragged her feet back to the Bastille, droning, "I'm hooooooome..." in a lazy tone the moment she entered.

As she had been living with Princess Andromeda, Roxy expected either silence or a calm, dignified response welcoming her back. Instead, she heard the familiar sound of a man responding, "Yo! We're in the Drawing Room...!" in a chipper tune.

Thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, Roxy groaned, "Great...now I'm hearing things..." as she made her way toward the voice's origin. She may have believed it to be an auditory hallucination, but it never hurt to be sure.

Upon entering the room and finding Paul staring back at her with a smile, Roxy's body immediately froze. At the same time, Paul raised his brows, remarking, "Wow...you look...tired?"

Instead of responding to Paul's words, Roxy turned around and bolted up to her room as if her weariness from earlier was the actual illusion. Paul could hear the sound of a door slamming shut, but before he could make his way up the stairs to investigate, Roxy shouted, "Give me five minutes!" and, "You better not come in here...!"

With a wry smile on his face, Paul shook his head and returned to the Drawing Room where Ganyu and the Princess were waiting. As he did, the latter exhaled a faint laugh before softly musing, "Roxy can be remarkably innocent at times. It's easy to forget she's more than twice my age."

"Right...?"

Making himself comfortable in a high-backed, almost throne-like chair, Paul stared at the silver-haired, silver-eyed woman seated a respectable distance away from him as he continued their conversation from before, remarking, "It's good that the Count is honoring our agreement. If he let human merchants invade the Western District to benefit at the expense of the Beast Race, I might have evacuated the entire population."

Raising her brows ever so slightly, Andromeda questioned, "You can do something like that...?"

Understanding that Andromeda probably envisioned him using a Mass Teleportation Spell, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he said, "Not in the way you're imagining. If anything, I would have them pack up and move Eastward. With the forces at my disposal and the hardy nature of the Beast Race, it wouldn't be that difficult to stage a mass exodus."

"Ah..."

Though she would have furrowed her brows if someone else made such a claim, Andromeda could easily imagine Paul leading hundreds, potentially even thousands of Beast Race people to a new home. He liked to present himself as an easy-going, borderline nonchalant individual, but there were moments when he gave off the impression of a King...

As Paul continued his conversation with Andromeda, the pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard descending the stairs before Roxy appeared at the door with visibly damp hair and a fresh change of clothes.

Adopting a mischievous smile, Paul asked, "Did you wash yourself up for me? I guess that means I'm allowed to smell you..."

As Paul rose to his feet, Roxy adopted an amateurish karate-like stance as she said, "Hold your horses, mister. First of all, why are you here? I could have sworn I told you to hold onto the Hydro Vision until after I graduate. You didn't need to come all this way."

Though she was happy to see him, Roxy couldn't help feeling a smidgeon of guilt when she imagined Paul traveling thousands of kilometers just to give her a Vision. She appreciated him keeping his promise, but it was so over-the-top that she wished he hadn't. After all, what could she possibly do for Paul that matched half the things he did for her?

Shaking his head, Paul ignored the much smaller girl's defensive stance, his arms wrapping around her as he softly replied, "A man's value may be measured by his actions, but his dignity is given form by his words. Even if I had to crawl all this way, I would still come..."

"..."

Not knowing how to respond to Paul's words, Roxy just closed her eyes and stood on the tips of her toes. Paul knew exactly what she wanted, so he unhesitantly bent down to give her a chaste but lasting kiss. He would have done a lot more than that, but he could feel Andromeda boring a hole in the back of his head as she watched their display of intimacy with a mixture of amusement and excitement in her eyes.

Releasing the petite Migurdian from his embrace, Paul resisted the urge to caress Roxy's face as he gestured toward his seat and asked, "Join me...?" in a soft tone. A rather prominent blush colored her cheeks when she saw him gesturing towards a one-person chair, but she didn't need to consider her response before replying, "Sure..." in an even softer tone.

With Roxy sitting side-straddle atop his lap, Paul went on to recount a bunch of things he had already written to her about before explaining a few recent developments, the most notable being his impending trip to the Demon Continent.

As much as the idea of traveling with Paul through the Demon Continent both fascinated and excited her, Roxy surprised him by promptly refusing his invitation. She only recently started her education at the Ranoa Magic Academy and, more importantly, her apprenticeship under Lisa. She didn't want Paul and his Party to have to protect her, so, as much as she disliked a few of her teachers, she intended to continue studying at the Academy until graduation.

Further demonstrating her resolve, Roxy went on to state, "As bad as this may sound, I'd prefer if you didn't return to Sharia after this. I don't mind if you visit Lisa, but I don't want you asking her about me. That way, I can surprise you by how much I've grown the next time we meet..."

Though he felt Roxy's request was a little excessive, Paul only hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and replying, "Sure...if that's what you want..." in a soft tone. Roxy smiled in response, but before she could thank him, Paul adopted a mischievous smile as he added, "In exchange, you'll have to introduce me to your parents when we travel to the Demon Continent in the future."

As the notion of bringing Paul home entered her mind, a tomato-red blush developed through Roxy's face as her body became statuesque. She had actively avoided thoughts of returning home; bringing a boy back to meet her parents was a leap she wasn't sure she could take.

Making things simultaneously easier and harder for the petite beauty, Paul mused, "Would you rather I meet them without you?"

"No...!"

Imagining the embarrassing things her parents might say or do once they learned Paul was her lover, Roxy added, "You better not meet my parents without me..." in a threatening tone that was undermined by how adorable she appeared.

Restraining the urge to laugh, Paul just smiled as he replied, "I wouldn't dream of it..."

...

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After giving Roxy an evening she wouldn't soon forget, Paul and Party set out early the following day, their destination the Biheiriru Kingdom on the Eastern side of the Continent.

Though he had initially intended to stop at the Strife Zone, Paul's reunion with Roxy made him realize how his presence could, at times, be a bit of a burden. When he had parted with everyone previously, they had expected him to be gone for as long as three years. If he showed up now, less than two months after his departure, it would undercut the emotional impact of their separation. Thus, as much as he wanted to return and spend time with everyone, Paul hardened his resolve and set his sights firmly on the Demon Continent.

With Ganyu's speed allowing her to cover the 3549 kilometers between Sharia and the Biheiriru Kingdom in a mere six hours, Paul found himself with a choice to make. He could allow Ganyu to carry them the remaining distance to a harbor town located on the Demon Continent's westernmost point, traverse the usually inaccessible Heaven Continent, or journey via the sea route to the Port City of Kurasuma.

Since the Heaven Continent was pretty much off-limits to all terrestrial races, especially humans, Paul decided to put off his exploration of the northernmost Continent until the far future. As for the sea route, it was a reasonably tempting idea, but it was ultimately an unnecessary expense that could invite all kinds of issues. Thus, while he was trying to get out of the habit of relying on Ganyu to transport him everywhere, Paul relented to having her ferry them the rest of the way to the Demon Continent.

Saving the group a considerable amount of time and trouble, Ganyu raced over the skies of Ogre Island, thousands of kilometers of ice floes, and a section of the sea that appeared purple and boiling before they reached the outskirts of a rather roughshod-looking port. 

Though it was populated with tribes that could live hundreds, even thousands of years, the Demon Continent was a veritable wasteland compared to the other Continents. There was little plant life, no roads, and, even if you were to venture to the Capital City of Rikarisu, most of the buildings were constructed from monster parts or using Earth Magic.

As Ganyu brought them down near a forest of ancient, petrified trees, Paul couldn't help remarking, "Wow...I knew it was bad, but this is a lot worse than I expected..."

Despite a much higher concentration of Mana, the environment of the Demon Continent resembled an endless, barren steppe. The ground had a rust-red hue reminiscent of the surface of Mars, and the few shrubs that were present had poison-covered spines longer than his fingers.

Out of curiosity, Paul brought out his Dendro Vision, held it up to his face, and closed his eyes to focus. It was the Vision he used most frequently, so Kusanali had taught him a few tricks on how to manipulate the energy without executing an Elemental Ability or Burst.

As the Vision hummed in Paul's hand, the ground near his feet gradually shifted from rust-red to a healthier shade of brown. Purple vapor could be seen rising from the ground, the remnants of a miasma that periodically swept through the Demon Continent, but Venti swept it away with a wave of her hand. As a result, tiny, bright-green blades of grass began to sprout around Paul's feet, their rate of growth rapidly accelerating until a circular patch of grass roughly five meters in diameter had formed.

Opening his eyes, a faint smile developed across Paul's face as he mused, "I might be shit at Magic, but let's see an ordinary Mage pull this off..."

Though it was utterly unnecessary, Venti clapped excitedly for Paul while the rest of the group just smiled. Afterward, they left the patch of grass and began their descent toward the large but impoverished-looking city a few kilometers away, Kurasuma. 

While it resembled a slum more than a proper port city, Kurasuma was one of the more prosperous territories in the Demon Continent. It was the only port where trade with the Sea Race was conducted, and its ruler, the Demon Lord Bagura Hagura, was actually the current Food God. He was a pig-faced demon that looked like the physical manifestation of an Asuran Noble's depravity, but his efforts had turned Kurasuma into the city with the most outstanding cuisine in the Demon Continent, potentially even the world.

As they drew closer to the city, Paul and the others could smell the aroma of alcohol, seafood, and spices blowing in from the port. The buildings of the city were literally formed of dirt, and there was trash littered about all over the place, but it was still the most fragrant city any of them had ever visited. So much so that Paul couldn't help grinning as he recalled that an AGC was comparable to a hundred Green Ore Coins, three of which could purchase nearly all the food and alcohol in a high-end bar...

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