When I arrive at the hot spring, Nina is already soaking in the water. Seeing me arrive, she smiles excitedly, and I join her. As we're enjoying the warm water together, I'm reminded of one of Ilina's earlier comments.
"Nina, your sudden desire to abandon our plans in the city earlier and come to the hot spring alone wouldn't have been a favor to Ilina, would it?" (Mizuki)
"Fufufu…yes, but I made sure to get something in return for my generosity." (Nina)
That sounds…ominous.
"Uhm…what did you ask for in return?" (Mizuki)
Nina makes a very pleased expression, then leans towards me and reaches past my head. I hear a faint rustling behind me for several moments as she seemingly digs through her clothes.
When she pulls back, she's wearing a smug grin and holding two plain rings. One of them is silver, and one is gold. She slides the gold one on her finger, then looks back at me expectantly.
"I procured these from Ilina in exchange. Now, give me your hand Mizuki. The Dragon Bond may be better than marriage, but nobody can see it. Fufufu…I won't have anyone thinking that Ilina was your first wife later, so I expect you to wear this." (Nina)
I can't believe this dragon actually got wedding bands for us. I stifle my laughter at the obvious issue, though, and she seems to notice.
"What is so funny, Mizuki? I hope you don't think that I'm joking." (Nina)
"Fufufu…no, no. It's just that…why did you get two different colors? Normally, wedding bands would be a matching set, so I don't think these will send the message you wanted." (Mizuki)
Nina's face contorts in surprise, and then annoyance. Eventually it transitions to bitterness, and I feel bad for her.
I reach over to touch both of our rings, then use my alchemy spell to convert both rings to pure silver. After, I slip the other one onto my own finger.
Realizing what I've done, Nina's eyes go wide, and she kisses me appreciatively.
"Thank you Mizuki! Now please put one of your shiny lights up so I can look at our rings!" (Nina)
It's after sunset now, so we only have the moonlight. I roll my eyes, but I do as she asked. After the ball of light is shining on us, she holds her hand up to compare our rings together and squeals in delight.
"Fufufu…excellent, now there can be no misunderstandings." (Nina)
Yeah…I don't think that was happening regardless, but whatever.
"Well, as long as you're happy. So, should we discuss our plans for Veyron tomorrow?" (Mizuki)
I sense a twinge of fear and anger from Nina at the mention of his name. She remains quiet.
"Are you nervous about fighting him again?" (Mizuki)
Nina nods solemnly, but she turns a determined gaze towards me.
"Yes, but I'm much stronger now, and I think I'm likely to prevail. So, I plan to pay him back for all the torment he inflicted in the past. Even if I were to lose, I know you'd never let him kill me." (Nina)
"That's right, I won't let anyone cut our time together short." (Mizuki)
Nina smiles at me appreciatively, and she seems to relax some.
"Fufufu…of course. So, how should we get him to agree to our terms?" (Nina)
"I don't suppose that the dragon-kin can communicate with him instantaneously, can they?" (Mizuki)
Nina shakes her head. Damn…there goes one plan.
"No, he can just sense when they lose their magic connection to him, like when they die." (Nina)
Wait…that might work fine, though. A small smile spreads across my face.
"Alright, Nina, here's what we're going to do." (Mizuki)
I explain my plan to her, and afterwards she begins laughing hysterically.
"Fufufu…Mizuki, Veyron will be enraged by that. He'll want to lord his strength over me for sure afterwards." (Nina)
"You think so? Thanks, I'm pretty happy with that plan to." (Mizuki)
At this point, it's well after nightfall. I guess it's time to wrap this up.
"Alright, Nina, you ready to head back to the palace and get some sleep?" (Mizuki)
"Actually, could we camp out here tonight, together?" (Nina)
Hmm…there don't appear to be any bugs, and temperature control is no issue. We can always teleport into the room at the palace later, so I guess that sounds kind of nice. I smile and Nina and nod.
"Sure, let's try it." (Mizuki)
Nina smiles back at me excitedly. She quickly climbs out of the hot spring and conjures a large tent-shaped shelter from the earth. I produce a large sleeping bag from my item box, which Nina got from Zevy's at the start of our adventures, and I toss it inside the tent. Before I can produce the second sleeping bag, Nina stops me.
"Don't you even think about us sleeping separately, Mizuki. You won't need these either." (Nina)
Nina grabs our clothes near the hot spring and tosses them into my item box while it's still open.
"Nina…seriously?" (Mizuki)
"Fufufu…I promise to keep you warm." (Nina)
I shake my head at her in exasperation, but I'm suppressing a smile underneath.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
The next morning, Nina and I teleport back to the east coast of the demon continent.
We're currently flying towards the camp of non-demons located west of Dez's camp. As we get close, I apply concealment spells to us.
When we arrive, I can see several of what I assume are dragon-kin. They essentially look like red lizards that learned to stand on two legs and grew dragon wings out of their backs – they're roughly the same size as humans.
They don't have any armor or weapons, and their 'camp' doesn't seem to have any tents or shelter. It's just a collection of campfires with dragon-kin sitting around them.
[Alright, Nina, you're up!] (Mizuki)
As I give Nina the signal, I drop her concealment spells and she transforms into her dragon form. Seeing this, the dragon-kin start to gather and prepare to attack. Bad move. Nina's gravity magic suddenly layers the whole camp, and the dragon-kin are forcefully pounded into the earth. Several pained screams can be heard throughout.
[Fools! Tell that worthless, overgrown lizard Veyron that the Elder Dragon of earth, Nedonera, challenges him to combat! I shall be waiting for him to meet my challenge a 30-minute flight south of here, and my prize shall be control over this continent. If he does not show today, I shall consider him a coward unworthy to call himself a dragon!] (Nina)
I prepare a magic dome covering their camp, and as Nina finishes her monologuing, she drops her gravity spell. Before the dragon-kin can recover, I will my spell to aggressively sap every drop of magic from within the dome, like I did when first removing Alto's contract.
After a few minutes, the sensation of magic flowing out of the camp ebbs and then stops. I release the spell, and all the dragon-kin can be seen lying around deflated. If their bonds to Veyron are magic, it should feel like they just died all at once.
Nina returns to her human form, then I reapply her concealment spells and we take off flying south at top speed for about twenty minutes. Truthfully, it should easily take Veyron an hour. That's just another tactic to piss him off if this works – implying that Nina can fly faster than him as well as best him in combat.
We land, and I drop the concealment spells. Then, I reach out with magic sense to determine where Veyron is and if he's moving. A smile slowly creeps across my face…he's every bit the sucker we hoped he'd be.
As far as I can tell with magic sense, he's heading straight for the dragon-kin camp, and he'll be there in about an hour.
"Alright Nina, it looks like it worked. In a couple of hours, you'll finally get a rematch with Veyron. Are you ready?" (Mizuki)
Nina gives me a vicious smile, and I sense anger and anticipation through our connection.
"Mizuki…you have no idea." (Nina)
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
A little over two hours later, I sense an Elder Dragon approaching us, and signal Nina to transform back into her dragon form. I teleport off to the side, but I don't apply any concealment spells to myself.
Eventually, a crimson dragon even larger than Nina comes flying into view and lands in front of Nina. I'm not an expert on dragon mannerisms, but it looks pissed.
[Nedonera, you insolent little weakling! What's this I hear about you claiming my continent as your own, and calling me a lizard and a coward?] (Veyron)
[It sounds like you already heard everything you needed to, Veyron. Are you too stupid to understand what those words mean? Perhaps that is why Cerilia will not take you as a mate, hmm? I shall make it clearer for you. I will crush you in combat, then you will yield this continent to me to atone for your weakness.] (Nina)
Ohhhhh, shit…no punches thrown, but the violence has already started. Veyron growls menacingly.
[Tch…did one of the last three beatings I gave you damage your brain, Nedonera? Not only do you stand no chance of surviving combat with me, much less winning, but you are not even worth the wager you propose. This continent already belongs to me, so you offer me nothing in return for wasting my valuable time teaching you another lesson in strength.] (Veyron)
Yeah, he's not wrong there, at least about him standing to gain nothing if he won.
[Fufufufu…not that it matters, but what would you want wagered in return?] (Nina)
Veyron seems to notice me for the first time.
[What is that little creature doing here? Is that a human? I told my dragon-kin to purge this continent of things like that.] (Veyron)
[That is my…attendant, Mizuki. I'm sure he's much more competent than any of your dragon-kin. They couldn't purge him if they tried.] (Nina)
[Fufufu…you finally get a subordinate, and it's just some human? How sad for you Nedonera. Very well, when I teach you some manners shortly, my prize will be eating this human in front of you. I look forward to you being alone again.] (Veyron)
Jeez…dick move.
[Fufufu…you overestimate yourself, Veyron. I'll consent to you trying to eat him, but if he accidentally kills you when you try, I don't want you complaining about me not upholding our deal.] (Nina)
Veyron growls even more menacingly at Nina.
[Your insolence knows no bounds, Nedonera. Very well, that detail doesn't matter. I won't have you putting off your punishment any longer. Are you ready, you worthless excuse for a dragon?] (Veyron)
Nina growls in response.
[Begin whenever you find the courage, you spineless lizard.] (Nina)
Without hesitating, Veyron lunges towards Nina and swipes at her with his massive claws. In return, Nina summons an earth wall the size of a building between them, but Veyron crashes through it easily and sends car-sized chunks of earth flying in all directions.
However, as he breaks through, she spins and smacks her tail into his face and sends him flying off to the side. After sliding a few meters across the ground, he picks himself up and growls.
[Tch…you managed to hit me, weak as it was. Too bad you had to resort to cheap tricks.] (Veyron)
Nina ignores him and sends several massive boulders flying at him. Most are off impact trajectory, but one is heading straight for his face. Veyron charges a large flame attack in front of him, then launches it straight into the oncoming boulder without flinching. The boulder is blown apart, and Veyron continues his gloating.
[Fufufu…you need to work on your aim as well as your weak attacks, Nedonera. You couldn't even…] (Veyron)
Before Veyron can finish his sentence, two of the boulders that missed him earlier come crashing into each side of his face at breakneck speeds in a coordinated attack. Nina feigned a miss and used her new gravity magic to loop them back and accelerate the boulders.
[GAHHHHH!] (Veyron)
The scales around Veyron's face crack and shatter as the boulders smash into him, and fine sprays of blood can be seen as he cries out. His legs shake a little bit under him, but he stays on his feet.
[Insolence! What was…] (Veyron)
Not giving Veyron time to react further, Nina's final attack descends on him. The final and largest of the boulders comes crashing out of the sky directly overhead onto Veyron's back at a speed faster than if it had been dropped from orbit.
The resulting shockwave as it pummels Veyron in the ground is so intense that I cast a magic barrier to protect myself.
As the dust clears, Veyron can be seen lying in a small pool of his own blood, but he's still conscious. Shockingly, he climbs to his feet after a moment and growls at Nina.
[Grrr…time to return the favor, weakling.] (Veyron)
He summons numerous powerful fireballs around him and launches them in differing arcs that all descend towards Nina from different angles. Seeing him prepare the attack, Nina suddenly swaps to her human form and pulls out her bow.
As his fireballs descend on her, she launches a barrage of arrows that rise to meet each one and they clash in an explosion of steam. Ahh, she must have negated them with a water attribute from the bow. Veyron is enraged.
[What is the meaning of this!? When did you acquire all this strange magic!?] (Veyron)
Nina once again ignores him, and she rushes him in her human form with daggers out. They're already glowing blue. She begins dashing around his legs, slashing into his feet with enough depth to produce fine mists of blood with every cut.
Veyron roars in pain and begins trying to step on her and swipe at her, but she's too agile in her human form, and dodges him easily.
After several minutes, when small pools of blood are forming around Veyron's feet, he lets out a huge roar of frustration.
[If you want to fight in this annoying and pathetic form, then you can die in it, Nedonera!] (Veyron)
At this point, Nedonera is directly under him and slashing away at his exposed legs and belly with her daggers. As he yells his threat, he pushes his legs out from under himself and tries to 'bellyflop' and crush Nina. The sight is as comical as it is desperate, but it's still dangerous for Nina in her current form.
However, right before he crushes her, she appears to get yanked backwards by an invisible force and goes flying out from under him in the nick of time. She lands in a crouch and slides backwards to a stop.
Woahhh! Did she use gravity magic to yank herself out like that!? That's halfway to being able to fly! As impressed as I am, Veyron does not share my positive viewpoint.
[Damn it, Nedonera, you worthless weakling! Do you have no pride as a dragon!? Weapons, cheap magic tricks, and surprise attacks! You truly are a disgrace to our kind.] (Veyron)
I can see Nina's face go deathly serious, and for once she responds. As she does, Veyron climbs to his feet once more.
[You want a demonstration of strength, Veyron? Then I'll stop trying to make this interesting, and I'll crush you head on. Prepare yourself, you loathsome idiot.] (Nina)
After she insults him, she transforms back into her dragon form and lets out a tremendous roar. As she does, an eerie pressure can be felt from the area of the battlefield where Veyron is standing, and Veyron is suddenly slammed into the ground so forcefully that the earth cracks.
Nina has decided to use her gravity magic to its fullest extent.
[GAHHHHHH!] (Veyron)
Despite Veyron's cries of pain, Nina doesn't let up. She roars out again, and the gravity magic seems to intensify. Veyron and the surrounding earth become compressed several meters by the force of Nina's spell. Eventually, he begins to make a rattling sound periodically, like he's struggling to even breathe.
Still, Nina doesn't relent. She levitates several huge pieces of jagged earth above Veyron, then drives the sharp rocks through Veyron's limbs like stakes. She continues this, with each attack causing a roar of pain from him, until Veyron is literally pinned to the ground.
After she's finished, Nina releases the gravity spell and walks over to Veyron calmly, then steps on his head with one of her claws. The merciless sight is enough to send shivers down my spine.
[So, tell me, Veyron, which one of us is the weakling now? Do you yield our match?] (Nina)
Veyron's breathing is so ragged at this point that it could be described as a death rattle, and blood leaks out of his mouth with every breath. In response to Nina's taunt, a faint thought message can be heard.
[I…yield…] (Veyron)
Nina removes her claw from his head. Then, she 'dissolves' the earth stakes she pinned him with.
[Good. Now transform into your human form if you want to live.] (Nina)
Nothing happens for several moments, but eventually Veyron is enveloped in a shroud of light. When it fades, a man can be seen lying in front of Nina.
He's mid-20s in appearance, tall and heavily muscled like Azazel, and has dark red eyes. He has long wavy hair that matches his eyes, and it's parted in the front and pushed behind his ears. His body is an absolute mess, with vicious wounds all over, and he's also…you guessed it…naked.
Ignoring his state, I quickly teleport over to him and begin healing him as quickly as possible. After quite some time, I can't see any more open wounds on his body, and I step away. I look over at Nina, and she seems to have returned to her human form while I was healing Veyron.
She's wearing a satisfied grin, looking down at Veyron.
"Hey, Nina, amazing job! I hope you feel better now?" (Mizuki)
Nina lets out a deep sigh, then gives me a radiant smile.
"Yes, Mizuki, thank you. This has been more liberating than you could possibly know, and I appreciate everything you did that made it possible." (Nina)
"Fufufu…I'm very happy for you. So, do you mind putting some basic clothes onto him with your magic, so we don't have to look at him like that?" (Mizuki)
Nina nods while she chuckles. The earth around him seems to liquify and envelop his body, then solidify on him into dark brown shorts and a light brown short-sleeved shirt.
"Thanks, Nina. How long do you think it will take him to wake up?" (Mizuki)
Nina shrugs. Figures.
"Alright, well let's go see Dez in the meantime, eh?" (Mizuki)
"Fufufu…sure, whenever you're ready." (Nina)
I teleport myself, Nina, and an unconscious Veyron to Dez's tent.
When we arrive, Dez is alone in his tent looking over papers, and he doesn't notice us immediately. I take the opportunity to remove the lingering barrier over their camp, and I place a new one around the tent along with a silencing spell.
"Ahhhh! Mizuki!? Ehem…hello, sorry for my outburst. What are you doing here? Also, who is that man?" (Dez)
Dez finally seems to have noticed us with a startled cry, and he is looking between me and Veyron with nervousness and confusion, respectively.
"Oh, hey Dez, you finally noticed. It's okay. I came here to give you some good news. The details with Veyron will be settled soon, but your fight is officially over. You can return to your villages and start rebuilding now, and neither him nor his dragonkin will attack the demons unprovoked again. This is him on the ground here, so when he wakes up, we'll get him to confirm it for you." (Mizuki)
I kick Veyron lightly as I reference him, and he lets out a groan. Dez's eyes go wide in surprise, and he seems equal parts grateful and fearful.
"T-Truly, Mizuki?" (Dez)
I nod at him patiently.
"Thank you, Mizuki! How can the demons ever repay you!? If it's within my power, I'll grant it." (Dez)
Dez is addressing me with something close to worship, and I'm not digging that vibe. Best to shut it down now.
"Err, that's easy. Make sure the demons know not to bother any green-eyed humans if they see us around here – just ignore us. I don't want any arguing about how it's not enough repayment, or how your pride won't allow it, or anything else. Leave us alone, don't start acting weird or reverent towards us, and I'll be happy with calling us even." (Mizuki)
Surprisingly, Dez looks very enthused by this decision. Maybe because he was afraid that I might be sticking around?
"Of course, it will be exactly as you say. I'll see to it myself!" (Dez)
At this point, Veyron starts to stir and pick himself up off the floor.
"Fufufu…I hope you're still sore from that beating, Veyron. I trust that you'll start being a lot more respectful towards me now?" (Nina)
Veyron, now on his feet, looks around in confusion. When he sees Nina, his eyes go wide in surprise.
"Nedonera…your strength was beyond my expectations. It is as you say, I can call you weak no longer." (Veyron)
"Fufufu…good, I'm glad we understand each other. Then about our wager…I hereby return the part of the continent to you that you used to inhabit separately from the demons. It is yours to do with as you wish. However, you and your dragon-kin are from this day forth banned from the remaining areas of the continent where the demons lived. No exceptions. Are we in agreement?" (Nina)
Veyron and I both look at Nina in surprise, but Veyron gives a shockingly polite response in return.
"Yes…our wager was that the continent would become yours. As such, it's your right to ban me from it, as well as my kin that I command. May I ask why you're returning my original part of the continent to me, though? Also, what do you intend to do with the rest of it?" (Veyron)
"I'm returning part of it to you because it's your dragon-kin's home and all they did was follow your misguided orders against their will, and because I'd hate for you to be a nuisance elsewhere. As for the rest of it, nothing really. I'll be giving the demons my blessing to live on it as they did before and act as caretakers. Things will go back to as they were before, and you will not bother the demons." (Nina)
Veyron looks thoughtful for a moment, then his eyes sparkle excitedly.
"Very well, I accept, thank you. If you won't be living on the other part of the continent, then…" (Veyron)
Veyron steps forward into a kneel and grabs Nina's hand before any of us can react.
"Nedonera, will you come nest with me? Please, be my mate!" (Veyron)
What in the actual shit…the room is dead silent, and we're all staring at Veyron with dumbfounded expressions. Nina is no exception.
After several moments, Nina is still staring at Veyron silently with a dumbfounded expression, and he is still holding her hands. Yeah…I think that's enough.
"Hey…you, horny lizard…let go of her hands if you want to keep them attached to your body." (Mizuki)
Veyron stares at me puzzled, as if a gnat just started singing jazz next to him.
"Begone, little creature, the adults are talking." (Veyron)
After his dismissive remark, Veyron turns back to Nina happily and I'm ignored. I can feel myself getting enraged…he's still holding Nina's hands.
Dez has gone pale and is staring at me fearfully, no doubt worried about getting caught in the crossfire. Nina is staring at me and…grinning ear-to-ear!? I sense deep satisfaction and amusement coming from Nina.
[Fufufu…this feels quite familiar, Mizuki, hmm? I like the look of jealousy on you!] (Nina)
Shit…she's got a point, but this is totally different than with Ilina! Right? Or…maybe not, if I think about it honestly.
We already had the Dragon Bond by the time Nina got jealous, so we were already committed in her mind I bet. Damn…if this is really what Nina wants, I'd be a hypocrite to interfere.
"Nedonera, what is your response?" (Veyron)
As Veyron speaks, Nina looks back at him puzzled like she'd completely forgotten that he was there. She looks down and sees him holding her hands. As though she just noticed it, I sense a wave of disgust and anger from her.
She pulls her hands away and slaps his forcefully. I feel a rush of relief.
"Fufufu…my response is no, and I suggest you don't touch me again if you want to live. Also, I was too distracted with other thoughts at the time to notice, but I just realized that you called my mate a 'little creature' earlier. His name is Mizuki, and if you disrespect him again, I'm going to suggest that he kills you, Veyron." (Nina)
Veyron's face freezes in confusion upon hearing the word 'mate', and he begins looking back and forth between Nina and me. After several minutes of this, he finally seems to process reality.
"Nedonera, surely you jest!? Did you really take this human as your mate!?" (Veyron)
"Fufufu…yes, and we even made the Dragon Bond." (Nina)
"B-B-But…why!? Humans are so weak, and short-lived…and weak!" (Veyron)
"That may be true for most of them, but Mizuki is not weak. He can beat me, more easily than I beat you earlier. How do you think I got so strong since we last fought, Veyron? My Dragon Bond with Mizuki expanded my power and abilities tremendously. As for his lifespan…he's ageless, like us." (Nina)
Veyron is staring at me in complete disbelief, and he keeps glancing at Nina like he's waiting for her to admit that she's joking. After a while, he shakes his head and goes to grab Nina's hands again.
"Nedonera, this is ridiculous. Leave this worthless creature and be with your kind. You shouldn't…" (Veyron)
I can sense satisfaction and amusement from Nina, and I know it's because she can sense my anger over Veyron trying to grab her again. I'm not letting it slide this time, though.
I teleport the three of us to the east coast of the demon continent, then immediately slow time as much as I can. I max out my body enhancement, then I layer magic around my skin and will it to repel matter and any high energy radiation – it's genuine magic armor.
Then, I calmly walk over to Veyron with time still slowed. As I do, the very beginnings of confusion at the sudden change in surroundings can be seen on his face.
I position myself between the two of them, then grab his neck with one of my hands, and his gropey wrist with my other hand. I drop the time spell, kick his legs out from under him, and then squeeze his neck and lower him to my eye level.
"Hey…don't make me repeat myself. If you try to touch her again, even after she told you not to, I'll kill you. This is your last warning before you die, Veyron." (Mizuki)
Veyron is making a choking noise like he's trying to talk, and he's throwing punches and fire magic wildly at my face and body. With my magic armor, I don't even notice his attacks. Looking at his eyes, there's a decent amount of fear, but there's more anger. So, he's not gotten the message yet, huh?
I throw him up into the air by his neck, then yank him back down into the ground with gravity magic. I pick him up by the neck again, and I look him in the eyes. The fear has increased some, and now there's surprise as well, but I still see plenty of resentment and anger. If that's how it's going to be…fine.
I repeat my throw, slam, choke, and assess routine repeatedly over the next several minutes, steadily increasing the force, until the only emotion I see on Veyron's significantly swollen face is despair. At that point, I toss him onto the ground, heal his injuries, then step away.
"Alright, Veyron, it looks like you've finally gotten the message. Now, why don't you tell me what you're not going to do to Nina ever again?" (Mizuki)
Veyron breathes raggedly, but he chokes out his response with a trace of fear still evident in his voice.
"I won't touch her! I swear! I'll never touch her again! If I had known you were such a monster, I'd never have ignored you in the first place. Please, just leave me alone!" (Veyron)
"Fufufufu…I tried to warn you, Veyron. Mizuki is not someone you want to fight. You should learn to listen better." (Nina)
As Nina chides Veyron, she wraps her arms around by neck from behind and rests her chin on my shoulder. She looks at Veyron with a smirk. I can sense immense satisfaction from her…which is more than a little dark, given what I just did. Even I feel a touch of guilt over it. I'm glad I didn't scare her though.
Veyron looks back at me fearfully, still sitting on the ground where I threw him. I let out a deep sigh.
"Relax, Veyron, I'm not unreasonable. Nina is just very important to me. If you don't bother me or her, and honor the rules of your wager, I won't bother you. Go back to your territory and we can forget this whole thing, I promise. You may not ever have to see me again if you do that." (Mizuki)
Veyron slowly climbs to his feet, and he eyes me cautiously. I remain calm and just nod approvingly. After a moment, he seems to relax some, and the fear in his eyes is replaced with relief.
"Very well, Mizuki. I will part ways peacefully and not bother you again. I hope you do the same – this encounter was truly unsettling." (Veyron)
With his last remarks, Veyron returns to his dragon form and promptly takes off west without another word.
"Fufufu…you were very jealous, Mizuki, hmm? I hope you know how it feels now." (Nina)
I grimace…I deserve that one.
"You're right, Nina, I apologize for not sympathizing with you more at the time. I didn't like him touching you, especially after you told him not to." (Mizuki)
I sense annoyance from Nina, but it's soon replaced with amusement.
"Yes, I agree, and I very much enjoyed watching you teach him some manners." (Nina)
I sigh in relief. I'm glad she's not upset.
"So, shall we wrap up this demon business and head back to the palace?" (Mizuki)
"Yes! Mizuki, after we do, I'd like us to have some alone time before you visit the city again with Ilina. I promised her you could go alone again today, so I expect to be taken care of before that." (Nina)
When do they keep making deals about me without my knowledge!? I groan out loud, but I am excited to have Nina to myself for a while. I nod my agreement to her and smile.
"I'm looking forward to it, Nina. Let's get going then." (Mizuki)
Nina squeals delightedly, then jumps onto my back. I can't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm and grin. There's really nobody I'd rather have at my back through these adventures…pun intended.
As I reflect on my wit, I sigh contentedly. Then, I teleport Nina and I away together.