Magical Ascension Chapter 24 (Patreon)

"Never having any hope of finding a good husband with your habits. Honestly, those siblings have corrupted you into being a meathead that only sees violence as the answer. No worse than that, you are already so cold and callous to the suffering that you cause others, that Lalatina automatically starts panting when you just look at her!"

And then a loud 'clonking' noise rang out along with a high speech squeal as Furina held her now bruised head as Keqing held the large soup ladle I gifted her and then smiled with her saying. "I like this one... It hasn't dented yet, like the other ones did."

'How hard do you have to be beating someone over the head with a soup ladle to turn the spoon part inside out... That is the type a woman any man would be scared of.' I thought as I had a brief little imagined scenario.

We were married, I just got home from work and she was making some nice dinner with a sauce being used in it. So like any normal person would, I would take a little spoonful of the sauce to taste it and when I wanted to add some salt. Wham! Instant battery via a wooden ladle that she would break over my head.

But honestly her fixation on beating on Furina via kinda racist objects was kinda validated as Furina was kinda shit. So when Furina ran away from another rightful bonk Keqing took out a rubber slipper and then she threw it like a ninja star with the slipper snapping into Furina's neck making her trip as her legs locked up at the slipper hitting her neck so hard.

Goodtimes honestly.

"Furina, I can't help but wonder if you are an even bigger masochist than Lalatina... I mean its like you are just asking for it honestly?" I spoke exasperated as in the last two hours we had been walking to the Misty Iron deposit this was Furina's sixth correction session!

Even as Furina pouted at my words Keqing had the perfect response as she said bluntly. "She was spoiled rotten for more than seventeen years or basically her entire life... She needs to be beaten for a good year or so to become a decent human being according to Master."

Furina's eyes watered as she looked at me pleadingly for support and with her pale skin turned a ruddy purple from the repeated bonks to her forehead in the same spot I couldn't help but feel some pity so I said. "Furina... Just be a good girl, and stay beside me. I won't beat you at least physically." I finished wryly.

Sure I had no qualms about verbally and or emotionally tearing the noble brat apart when she got uppity... But Keqing was beating Furina like a disobedient dog with how she was hitting the same spot and telling Furina where she went wrong in her deadpan cold manner.

Hearing my offer of clemency and mercy Furina went from the left side of Keqing and fell behind closer to Lalatina before she took the right leaving me in the middle of the formation as Lalatina being our healer needed to be behind us in case something came charging for us so we could respond quicker.

And I couldn't help but roll my eyes as Furina childishly stuck her tongue out at Keqing while using me as a shield from the purple-haired beauty but neither of us called her out on that as we were coming closer to the Misty Iron deposit. But as we crested over a small hill I heard Nahida whisper to me mentally.

"The Metal-Eating-Beetles are just over the hill... Can I eat them this time Jake?" She asked with some dissatisfaction as I didn't allow her to eat the spiders previously...

As I refused to hug her unless she took a bleach shower if she ate some spiders in front of me like she normally does. But for the beetles I nodded and said. "Yeah that's fine Nahida. Now you get your stuff ready while we prepare our spells." I spoke for everyone to hear and hearing me, they stopped as they realized that were close enough for Nahida's plant divination to pick up the other beetles.

Wordlessly everyone prepared their spells with Furina giving me a fierce look so I said with a smile. "Also Nahida, make sure to let little Furina here actually kill the monsters but their corpses will be yours alright."

Nahida being the adorable perfect lady she was nodded without arguing as she gave me a thumbs up as she broadcasted a mental message to everyone despite it taking some mental strain from herself. "There is seven beetles here and one of them is almost a commander monster!"

I nodded hearing that I looked to Keqing and said. "Alright Keqing, I will try to smash open the armored part of the beetle and then you will hit the smashed parts with your lightning alright?"

Before Keqing could respond though, I felt a small tug on my jacket and I looked down to see the shorter form of Furina looking at me with a deep pout as she kicked her feet on the ground and said. "But... I need to kill the beetle you know?"

I couldn't help but shake my head at how greedy she was so I said bluntly. "You can only summon the souls of unranked monsters and maybe with the strain you could do soldier-tier monsters... An almost commander-tier monster will exhaust all your magical strength so no, we aren't going to be compromised in a dangerous situation for a monster you cannot even summon." I stated firmly towards the end.

And as Furina's face went into a frown and was clearly going to throw a fit I laid a hand on her shoulder making her stiffen but I paid that no mind as I said firmly. "No Furina, I understand you want to get stronger. But you need to become an intermediate mage first before you can support having Commander Tier monsters and with your talents that won't take long at all."

Her face went still changing from a frown to a blank face before she shrugged off my hand and looked down as she stomped ahead with without meeting my gaze... But the thing was, Furina was a hyper-expressive person in all things and I could see how her hands were bunched up in fists showing she was feeling emotional about my words. And then after a moment, I saw past her bouncing blue hair to see her pale ears were red as well.

'Heh, she got embarrassed by my honest praise. Such a motley crew I am stuck with.' I thought wryly as Lalatina confirmed my thoughts with her muttering. "Ah... I want you to stare at me so sternly hnnnggghhh."

Ignoring Lalatina which made her make a weird keening noise at being ignored behind us Keqing and I caught back up with Nahida and Furina with the sounds of hissing and crumbling rocks ringing out as Nahida's thick roots had clearly began wrapping around the beetles through the thick fog before they could find us from the couple hundred yards our groups were separated by.