-Rem POV-
I watch as Zack smashes The third class samurai's into meat paste. I still can't believe I met someone from across the waterfall. There are stories of people from beyond the bounds of our world, but I thought they weren't true.
Why is he so kind to me? Going so far as to smash those slaves who would have done things I would not care to think about. Freeing me, and giving me a technique that enhances the body of those who use it by meditating.
Or by getting beaten up. Sure, the first few ranks in this ability only make you strong enough to go toe to toe with me before My horn was removed and only take a few hits to the gut or face to achieve.
This technique would cause people to go to war, Lugunica would burn down the entierty of Kararagi just to get half of this technique. the other half of this technique, the half that turns out to make it possible to smash a country with a single flex of ones arm, even if it takes 100's of years to gain that much ambient mana to infuse into the body- the whole world would go to war.
"Why did you trust me? So easily? With a technique that can make you nearly immortal and push you to impossible levels of strength? Why me?" I found myself asking.
He just smiled at me and said.
"I felt you were the only person I could trust, and I think you are beautiful, and after I heard your story, I felt like I needed to help you." He then looked away and says something I wasn't expecting.
"And I think I like you, I mean I like you as a woman. The moment I met you I felt a spark that-."
"WHAT?!" I found myself shouting. "That doesn't happen! That never happens to me! I don't believe you! No one has ever liked me like that, and I KNOW that I'm not worth anyone's time, if my sister were still alive, She would be a better fit for a kind person like you! not me! I don't deserve to-" I found myself sobbing, and he approached me, He hugged me and I continued. "I don't deserve to be liked when I should have died that day with my best friend Emelia! I should have been with her, I should have died in the ice, or at least protected her! She was the only friend I ever had-"
The last thing I heard before collapsing of mental exhaustion was the words, "I'll protect you. You're wrong, I feel like you're the only person in this world who matters."
-6 hours later.-
I find myself in the arms of someone, I open my eyes to see we are moving at incredible speed through a forest. I feel stronger again. I find myself blushing in embarrassment for my outburst.
"Good morning, beautiful." He smiles down at me, and stops on a thick branch of wood on a very tall tree. I hide my face in his shoulder. "I'm not beautiful." I say,
"You're wrong," He says. "you are the most beautiful person I have ever met. but- I'm sorry for pushing you too. I shouldn't have put pressure on you. I know we just met and I think If you aren't ready to give me an answer, or if you don't like me it's fine."
I look up at him, and I see his vulnerable frown, and my heart clenches. I want to protect him too.
"I like you, too." I look away in embarrassment. "But before we can date, I think we should survive and escape this country first." I look in a direction and notice two reasonably strong mana signatures approaching. this power of 'spirit sense' sure comes in handy. I wonder how they found us.
-Zack POV-
I notice Rem has surpassed me by cultivating while sleeping.
I also notice she is looking in a direction. I sense them 1 minute after she does.
"Put me down, I wanna fight them this time."
I grin, and set her down. We land in front of the samurai just as they approach the tree.
"Hello, Kararagian scum," I hear Rem say as she pulls her Morningstar from her magic gate. I grin, and lean on the tree to watch.
The fight is short and brutal, they charge at what seems slow to even me, They seem to be at lowest celestial basic 2 in body strength. a whole 5 lesser realms below Rem.
one of them is utterly destroyed and one of them dodges on instinct, and tries to approach Rem, only for the Morningstar to curve back and smash him into paste as well.
Rem smiles at me.
I grin back at her. "Nice." I say.
I think I might be messed up in the head if none of this blood and viscera bothers me.
I still feel nothing for these people. They all seem so below my attention.
I wonder if that makes me a monster.
But then I realize I don't care.