When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an empty white room.
I sat up and looked around...
Nearby, I saw a woman with long dark hair in a familiar outfit with fox ears atop her head.
There were also nine fluffy fox tails coming from her back in the same colors as her ears. Black with white tips.
"Hello, handsome. How are you sleeping?" She said.
I simply stared at her face and wondered where I'd seen her before.
"Who are you, again?" I asked bluntly.
She looked somewhat taken back by this.
"Y-you...don't remember me...?" She asked.
I shook my head.
"I could swear I've seen you before, but I can't remember who you are."
"Akari! From the guild!? The SS-Rank voluptuous beauty from the Dark Knights Guild!? Ring any bells!?" She said.
"I don't think I'd call you a voluptuous beauty, but I think I remember the name from the Guildmaster. You're the one who harassed us on our way out to a job, right?" I said.
"I was just saying hi!"
"Why did you feel it necessary to charm me, then? My wife's si-...I mean, my wife said you were doing that."
"Ridiculous! I would do no such thing!" Akari said.
Truthfully, I had noticed it too. I just didn't say anything. I mean...the Archmage literally allowed me to see magic whenever I wanted to.
"Liar. I saw it too. I felt it. Why are you after me? I already have enough girl problems as it is. I'm also married," I said.
I decided not to tell her about my sister-in-law. That would probably just confuse her and bring more questions that she didn't need to ask.
Akari frowned and crossed her arms.
"Usually most men are melting by now. Are you...playing for the other team...?" Akari asked.
"What...? What does that mean!?" I said.
"Do you prefer other men?"
I had to blink several times at the ridiculous question.
Me? With a man? What purpose would that serve? I'm not into that! DISGUSTING!!!
"Didn't I say I had a wife...? I'm going to say this slowly so you can understand. I. Prefer. Women! I married a woman for that very reason! I mean really! Me with a man!? Don't make me throw up!!!" I said angrily.
"Okay! Okay! No need to get so upset... Unless that woman is just a cover for-"
"I'm not joking around. I'm really not interested in men. That's disgusting! And if you don't shut up, I'm going to tear down this illusion and strangle you to death with those stupid tails," I said angrily.
"Oh my...so violent..."
"Are you going to tell me why you're invading my dream?" I asked.
"Ehm...well... I kind of wanted to know how you survived that job. And if I made an ally in the process, that wouldn't be so bad..." Akari said.
"None of your damn business. And why couldn't you have just asked?"
"Because your lady friend threatened to gouge out my eyes if I kept looking at you. You heard her, right?" Akari said.
Damn it all, Cassandra. You used an illusion, didn't you?
"She uses illusions to deal with people that cause me problems. I probably didn't see it because it wasn't directed at me," I said.
"Oh...I just thought a demon had possessed that pretty girl. She's normal, right?"
No, she's not. Not even close. By the gods, she's as far from normal as you can get! But you don't need to know that...
"She's...perfectly normal. Just a tad obsessive over her HUSBAND."
"Geez alright. I get it! You're not interested! Fine...even if I can't understand why... I'm definitely prettier than she is..."
I sighed loudly.
This stupid fox was getting on my nerves...
Isabella was clearly much more attractive. She didn't need to rely on being a demi-human for such things, either.
"Anything else you want?" I asked.
"Yes. Who are you? You seem absurdly strong for a new adventurer."
"My name is Mizik. That's all."
"Where are you from?"
"Hm...Lorelei," I said.
"Uhh...Lorelei...? I've never heard of that place... Where is it?"
"It's a town in Albatross," I said.
"Maybe I'm not asking the right questions..."
"Let me sleep!" I said angrily.
"Where is Albatross located?" Akari asked.
"In Avernia," I responded.
"FINE!!! WHERE IS AVERNIA!?"
"I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!!!"
"GAH!!! YOU'RE SO FRUSTRATING!!! And...pretty damn handsome if I have to admit..." Akari said with a wink.
I am not inviting another woman to join me for adventures. It was just supposed to be me and Isabella! Then Cassandra showed up! What's going on here!? I'm not a womanizer!!!
"I'm tired of this..." I said.
I raised my hand and used The Archmage to grab onto the dream spell Akari was using.
"Wait...what did you just do...?" She said suddenly.
Without another word, I severed the connection and woke up in bed.
It seemed like Cassandra had switched with Isabella while they were sleeping.
"Haah...my Mizik...so warm... Darling..." She mumbled in her sleep.
I thought things had been rather quiet.
Cassandra didn't snore loudly when she slept. She was sort of...quiet and graceful...
As graceful as an obsessive stalker could be, anyway...
I waited for a moment to get my bearings and...
Cassandra started...licking my neck while she was sleeping.
"Hey, wake up," I said as I poked her forehead.
"Nnn...good morning Mizik! It's so wonderful to see you first thing in the-"
"Why do you keep switching while I'm sleeping, Cassandra? That's not fair!" Isabella said sleepily.
"If you're not awake, then why can't I have a turn?"
"Don't start! And Cassandra, don't lick my neck while you're sleeping! It's...weird..." I said angrily.
"Wh-what!? She did what!?" Isabella said.
"Ah...I was having such a wonderful dream! Mizik and I were-"
"Stop fantasizing about my husband, Cassandra! And don't lick him, either! Ugh...my mouth tastes like sweat, now..."
"But you do it all the time! It's not fair! I wanna taste him, too! I already memorized his scent, after all...ehehe... Mizik's sweat tastes so good!"
GAHHHH!!! YOU'RE SO DAMN WEIRD!!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE NORMAL!?
Before Isabella could respond again, I held up my hands.
"Stop it! Please just stop!" I said angrily.
"R-right...sorry..." Isabella said.
Damn it all, Cassandra! How much weirder can you get!? My sweat!? Seriously!?!?
"It's...fine... Now listen, Akari just entered my dreams. She was trying to charm me again and looking for information on how we survived the job."
"But...we haven't turned it in yet. How could she know it was completed?" Isabella said.
"I could guess that she followed us... But then why doesn't she know what happened?" I asked.
"Hmm...maybe she arrived after we were done?" Cassandra mumbled.
That seemed likely.
Why was Akari so interested in us?
Regardless, I would make an effort to speak with her at the guild today.
I looked out the window and the sun was just beginning to rise.
"We're going to the guild," I said.
"Mizik, before we go, shouldn't we have a plan of action?" Isabella said.
"Hmm...we need to find heart stones, right? Let's try to get information on them while using the guild as a base," I said.
"And about Akari?" She said.
"I don't know. I'll figure it out, though."
Isabella nodded and we got ourselves ready for the day ahead.
* * *
From what I could tell, Delvandal was even less technologically advanced than Avernia.
They didn't even have running water in most places. Let alone a bath, a shower, or even a toilet.
Which meant we had to bathe in the nearby ocean or in lakes and rivers.
I could also make water using magic to clean us up, but Cassandra kept making it awkward.
Despite that, it's what we ended up doing. Away from prying eyes, of course.
Shortly after, we strolled through town towards the guild and a few people were selling things by the roadside.
It was still early morning, so there wasn't a lot going on.
We walked into the guild and a few people were sitting and talking quietly in the main hall.
Among them, we saw Guildmaster Gearo looking over the request board. We approached him and handed in the request.
"Wow. You actually managed to complete that one?" He said.
"Yes. Did you expect us to die or something?" I said.
"Eh...no... Well, maybe. But I didn't send you there to get rid of you. More like a test to see what we were dealing with."
"How dare you send Mizik on such a job! He could have gotten killed! Do you have any idea what we had to fight!?" Cassandra said.
I tapped her shoulder to shut her up and she bowed her head.
"Umm...they mentioned lots of people with crazy powers. And that the guy in charge was incredibly strong. What was it, exactly?" Gearo asked.
"Let's just say it was a Demon Lord and leave it alone, okay?" I lied.
I didn't want word getting out that we were god slayers. Even if we weren't the ones who actually killed Novak.
"A D-demon Lord!? My goodness... You two must be incredibly powerful to have dealt with such a thing! I'll have you promoted to SS-Rank immediately! Come see me later after I've had a chance to get ready for the day and I'll also have your reward ready. Sound good?" Gearo said.
"Yeah, fine. We'll be around here... Is Akari here?" I asked.
"Ah...finally came around? Got your eyes on our little fox, do you? She should be along shortly. She likes to take requests fairly early to keep herelf occupied throughout the day."
I immediately felt like punching him for implying that I wanted anything to do with that annoying woman.
"No...she tried talking to me in my dreams. I want to figure out what her motives are for bothering me. And preferably get her to stop," I said.
"Akari spoke to you in your dreams? I didn't know she could do that... You're a lucky guy uh...Mario?" Gearo said.
YOU FUCKER!!!
"How dare you! His name is Mizik!" Cassandra said angrily.
"My apologies! How is that spelled?" Gearo asked.
Cassandra's expression changed to one of great worry as she glanced over at me.
I shot her an irritated gaze and she bowed her head.
"I don't know how it's spelled in this country. We're not proficient in writing this place's language," I said.
"Strange...you speak it so well... And your application tells a different story. Although I suppose it's possible you paid someone..." Gearo said.
"I used magic to change the writing. Script magic isn't difficult when you understand the fundamentals. Also, we aren't speaking your language. We use magic to translate what we say into words that you can understand," I said.
"Script...magic...? And language too? You must be quite the mage to have something like that... I've never even heard of those types of magic. But I digress! I have to go, Marik and...Isabella? I'll send for you later. Please, relax and enjoy yourselves!"
I gritted my teeth in rage as he got my name wrong seconds after I corrected him.
After that, Gearo walked away and we sat down at a table.
A moment later, a woman walked up to us and smiled.
"Would you two like something to eat?" She asked.
We both nodded and ordered some of the food here.
They were serving breakfast, but I ordered grilled fish and Isabella had the soup.
"Eh...I don't really like soup very much..." Cassandra mumbled.
"Get used to it. I like soup and this is my body! I make the rules on what we get to eat!" Isabella said quietly.
"Ehhhh... Hey Mizik! Fish is your favorite food, right?"
"It is. How did you know?" I asked.
"I've already memorized many details about my darling from Isabella's memories! I've been combing through them and burning every little thing about you into my memory! Ehehe~!"
"How totally unpredictable..." I said.
"Cassandra...don't you think you're taking things too far?" Isabella said meekly.
"Of course not, sister! How am I to serve him if I don't know every single thing about him!?"
"You could just...you know...ask?" I said.
"Ah! You're right! Darling, later I plan to ask you all sorts of questions. I'll learn everything about you! Thank you so much for letting me know!" Cassandra said cheerfully.
That wasn't a challenge! Ugh...me and my mouth...
I knew full well that I would probably have to comply or she would cause a fuss again...
"Whatever makes you happy..." I mumbled defeatedly.
"I think...fish will be my favorite food too then! We have so much in common now!" Cassandra said happily.
I quickly decided not to comment.
Mainly because she was making things weird again...
Eventually, I saw Akari sit down a few tables away in the corner of the room.
No one seemed to notice her because she wore a cloak with a hood, but I could sense the type of magic she she had radiating off of her body. I recognized her immediately.
I contacted Akari with telepathy.
"Akari, you might think you're invisible, but I can still see you."
I saw her jump slightly and she looked around.
"It's Mizik. I'm sitting here and eating with my wife. Why are you hiding?"
"What kind of magic is this!? Are you reading my mind!?"
"No. It's telepathy. We can talk privately here."
"Oh my! Privately~? Well, how can I help you, you handsome-"
"Stop that. Flattery will get you nowhere."
"You can't blame a girl for trying~!"
"I want to know what your motives are. Start talking or I'll give you one hell of a headache. And no one will believe anything you say in protest."
"Ehhh...you're kinda scary...but I like it! Okay. I'm looking for someone reliable to be my partner in battle. I greet all the new S-Ranks because of that very thing. And you two have piqued my interest..."
"Actually, we're SS-Rank now."
"SS!? Wow! You might actually be stronger than I am! Can I join your party?"
"No."
"Awww...why not!? I'm pretty strong! I can keep up, honest!"
"Not interested."
"Well...how about this... I looked for this Avernia place. Same with Albatross and Lorelei. I didn't find them anywhere on the world map. Next, I asked around about you two. Lots of crazy stories... So I have a theory that you two...aren't from this world, are you? It makes perfect sense considering your strange powers and odd behavior. Also your clothes."
"Pretty impressive investigating. But how does that help you?"
"Because The Mad Admiral of Elysium likes to hunt down otherworlders and experiment on them. If word got out, things might be bad for you. You know what else they call him? The Walking Paradox. He's a monster with insane power. He showed up here one day and brought the world to its knees hundreds of years ago. He's also an immortal super genius that turned a tiny weak country into a global super power. So unless you want to meet him, we should talk about how we can help each other."
This kind of negotiation was very reminiscent of Isabella...
It also pissed me off that I had to be cautious.
We had already almost died once since coming to Delvandal and I didn't know what this Mad Admiral was really capable of...
If he brought the world to its knees, then obviously, he was a foe to be wary of. Besides, if it was true...this guy could be another god...
Reluctantly...I decided to agree.
"Fine, you damn fox... What do you want from us?"
"I was hoping you'd say that! Without the insult, but still! I propose an alliance. Our team of three can be called Foxfire!"
"What are the conditions?"
"Hmm... Well, I'd like to split the profits three ways. We can do...60/40. I'll be the leader, so naturally, mine will be the largest. And since you two are together, you can split the remainder!"
"I think we're making a lot of assumptions here. You seriously think I plan to take orders from you? Someone that's probably weaker than the three of us?"
"Umm...three? You can count, right?"
"Yeah. You might as well understand something. My wife has a bit of an issue. Her twin sister's soul is in her body. She switches from time to time and she's a lethal assassin that uses magic and illusions. Her name is Cassandra. My wife is Isabella. She's a support type that uses magic as well as a sword and shield. Lastly, I'm Mizik. I'm the main offensive fighter with a focus on versatile, all-around offense."
"Oh...that's...huh. Alright, nevermind. I'm Akari. My specialty-"
"Save it. Come over here and sit down. I don't want to hear this twice."
"You know, you're really rude! How do you expect to be friends if you can't be nice?"
"I'm not rude, I'm cursed. It affects my positive emotions. That's all you need to know. And we're not friends. I couldn't care less about that and friends don't threaten to sell each other to scientists for experimentation."
"Fair. Okay, I'm coming over."
Akari slowly got up and walked over.
"Everyone...unfortunately, we will be having company for a while," I said.
Isabella tilted her head.
Then Akari sat down next to me and hugged my arm.
"Get the hell off of me," I growled.
"Oh, fine! I'm just trying to be friendly!" Akari said with an annoyed tone.
"What is this!?" Isabella said as she glared daggers at Akari.
"Hello! I'm Akari! The-"
"Shut up! Stop touching my husband!" Isabella said angrily.
Here we go again...
"Wait! Hold on a second! Hear me out, at least!" Akari protested.
"No more females! I have enough trouble with...I mean..."
"She knows, Isabella. I told her through telepathy. She threatened to turn us in to some crazy warlord called the Mad Admiral if we didn't comply..." I said.
"Ugh...she better not be after you... I have enough headaches keeping Cassandra off of you!" Isabella said.
"You rang?" Cassandra said.
"Woah! Her eyes changed! And...huh...? Say, you're the one who threatened me the other day, right?" Akari said.
"What are you talking about? I never threatened you," Cassandra said.
"Liar. You threatened to gouge out my eyes for looking at Mizik!" Akari said angrily.
"I did not! I only pointed out the use of charm magic! I haven't done anything to you!" Cassandra said angrily.
"Ah...Mizik! If she's just going to tell lies, then how can we trust each other? I mean...you wouldn't want the Mad Admiral to find out that you're otherworlders, right?" Akari said.
Oh, this is hilarious. If I wasn't cursed, I'd be laughing at you.
"I'm not lying! I would never lie to Mizik!" Cassandra said.
Her expression was growing desperate as she glanced at me.
"Look...I can tell that you use illusion magic constantly. It radiates off of you. I know this because I use it too!" Akari said with a smug expression.
It seems like she's trying to create a rift. Okay...
"Just stop for a moment. I know how to tell what really happened," I said.
"Really? Can you actually read peoples minds with that telepathy thingy?" Akari asked.
"No. My solution is much simpler," I said as I turned to Cassandra. "Cassandra, did you threaten Akari?"
"No! I wouldn't threaten someone for no reason! And I definitely would never lie to my darling Mizik! That would be an unforgivable sin!" Cassandra said.
"Case closed. You're lying, Akari."
"Ah...wha... How can you just accept that at face value!? Aren't I just as much a member of this party as everyone else, now!?"
"No. You're only a member because you threatened us. Secondly, Cassandra wouldn't lie to me. She can't. She's physically incapable of it."
"It's true... Cassandra is obsessively in love with my Mizik. She couldn't lie to him even if her life depended on it. Actually...it's more like she worships the ground he walks on..." Isabella said.
"Akari, Cassandra is a valuable and trusted member of our group. She has already proven her worth," I said.
"Haaah...Mizik said I was valuable and trusted! He took up for me!!! I'm so happy!!! Ehehehehe~!" Cassandra said.
"Don't let it go to your head! Umm...my head... And stop getting aroused in my body!" Isabella said quietly.
Akari just glanced at her and seemed uncomfortable.
"Eh...I had...no idea that she was like this... Well, maybe I was just wrong! I could have sworn I heard someone say that! Ehehe! Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me!" Akari said.
You're full of shit.
"Well, if Akari can stop telling lies, I could maybe bring myself to be her ally if my darling Mizik told me to. Although...I don't know why she's joining us in the first place. It seems like she'll only cause problems," Cassandra said.
"She figured out that we were otherworlders and threatened to tell the Mad Admiral about us. Apparently, he's really powerful. I'm worried that he could be stronger than Novak and according to Akari, he likes to experiment on people like us."
And it might also be my fault... I need to keep my mouth shut. I expected her to just accept it at face value, but she might be smarter than that...
"So it's blackmail then? That's a pretty crude and despicable tactic. And for what? What does she want from us?" Isabella said as she glanced over at Akari.
"Uh...well, I'm not after your liver or anything, if that's what you're thinking...haha..." Akari said.
"Excuse me, what? What the hell does that mean?" I asked.
"Umm...maybe I should be quiet then..." Akari said.
I leaned closer to Akari and glared at her.
"What's this about our liver?" I asked.
"Ehm...well... Nine-tailed foxes are pretty...infamous predators of men... Seducing them and then...eating their liver in their sleep...ehehe... Not me, though! I only talk about it as a joke! I prefer regular food! Mmm is that fish? I love fish! Hehe..." Akari said nervously.
I was very certain she could sense my power based on her nervous reaction...
"Alright. In that case, how about this: you keep the 60 percent, and in exchange, I lead the party. You don't tell the Mad Admiral about us, and I don't shoot you in the head while you're sleeping. Sound fair?" I said.
"Sounds fantastic! Looking forward to working with you..." Akari said nervously.
"If you want to go, you can leave at any time. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," I said.
"I don't know how I feel about a 'predator of men' hanging around my husband..." Isabella said suspiciously.
"I'm not after him, I swear! Although he is very handsome... And he doesn't just follow after me like most men..." Akari said.
"Because I'm not interested in you. I would rather walk out of this place and never see you again," I said angrily.
"That's exactly what I mean! He isn't just another slave to my good looks and voluptuous beautiful body! Really...quite the man, I must say. Men are so much more interesting when they have some backbone and restraint."
"Enough! How about we speak with the Guildmaster? He probably has the reward for that request by now," Isabella said.
"Sounds good. I'd like to go check on him even if he hasn't sent for us yet," I said.
We finished our food, then got up and left. Akari remained at the table with our empty plates and we went upstairs.