Chapter 73: Open those damn doors before I will kick them open!

"I'm an outsider too."

Those words... There was hardly any way for me to respond to them. So, just like before, rather than trying to be smarter than I was, I simply fixed my hold on Fay's shoulder, holding her in a tight embrace.

"So we are both outsiders, huh?" I muttered silently after a while, finally able to understand what Fay was talking about.

She was born a bastard to the two leaders of the opposing factions. And given how quite a lot of the protectors came from aggressive lineages, she was, in a sense, a child of peace.

Or, in other words, an existence that had to be kept under wraps, or those more aggressive elements of both factions would be sure to come and relieve her of the duty of living.

I was an outsider because I came to this world from the outside. And I had literally nothing to do with the local conflicts. On the other hand, Fay was born and raised here... but she was still an outsider, although not because of her own choices.

And so, I held Fay as tightly as I could, without going far enough for my body to start acting up. And yet, after a mere moment of silence when I had nothing but the slight weight of Fay to think about, this precaution of mine proved to be quite... well, pointless, as it led to a certain part of me growing quite pointy.

Even though we simply sat down and hugged, Fay still managed to sense my slowly growing excitement, be it by reading my aura or simply feeling the early stage of my boner poke her in her thighs.

"You don't need to hold back," she whispered softly, directly into my ear. And even though, for the moment, I couldn't see her face, I could swear she had a slightly amused and maybe even happy smile on her lips.

"More than that," her voice grew better as she climbed up my shoulder and brought her sweet lips even closer to my ear. "I'm happy that you still desire me."

Hearing those words, I couldn't help but laugh while lightly patting the girl on her back... or rather, on the cushion of her long, soft hair that shielded her back from my hand.

And how could I not laugh? Fay's assumption that there existed a scenario where I could stop desiring her was simply too damn amusing!

"Still," Fay pulled back a bit, leaving my shoulder and sitting deeper into my lap so that she could cuddle up to my chest instead. "I think it would be better if we waited until we got back to your place," she suggested while tapping her fingers against the free side of my chest.

"I mean," she removed her hand and scratched herself behind her ear, "your bed is far better of a bedding than a bunch of sticky sticks and cold ground..."

'My place is just a run-down shack, with only the most necessary furniture in place,' I corrected Fay's statement in my mind, only to realize that I've failed to take care of this one aspect of our cohabitation.

I looked down at the small pouch now resting along the rest of the luggage. This one bag was different from the rest, though, as rather than holding my gifts from the earth, it contained all the herbs that I've gathered in this world instead.

Fay then seemingly pulled back, lowering her eyes and rubbing her chin as she thought hard about something.

"Then..." she muttered after a short while, raising her lovely eyes to my face. "Back then, when you grabbed those herbs, you finished one of those missions that you just spoke off?" she asked, proving that not only she was actively listening to my explanations, but she even went the extra mile of analyzing the meaning behind it.

"That's my girl," I spoke with satisfaction, patting Fay on her back again.

For some reason, having her figure stuff out all on her own felt pretty damn fulfilling.

'Is this what feeling pride in one's partner feels like?' I thought, amazed by this wonderful feeling.

"And yes, back then..."

"Wait," Fay stopped me before I could explain the details of what happened back then. "She's coming," she added, jumping up from my lap and turning her eyes in the direction we last saw Madam leave.

And quite noticeably, her face turned angry. Her anger grew more and more intense with each passing second, reaching its ultimate, wrath form right as Madam stepped out from between the trees with a look of wild satisfaction on her lips.

The happy smile Fay's mom held only led to Fay's frown growing even stronger. And before I could even say a word, Fay grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"Hon, let's go," she requested, paying no mind to her mother as she pulled me away. "We won't find any peace here, so let's just return and spend some quality time back at your place!"

I internally sighed.

'Does she even have an idea of the connotation of those words?' I asked myself while rolling my eyes.

At times, Fay felt a bit too forward to my liking. And not because I didn't enjoy those moments when she went ahead... but because I was simply worried I couldn't keep up.

Keep up I could right now, though, using my free hand to swipe at the air, summoning the portal just nearby. Thankfully, it's been already a while since its cooldown refreshed, with our talk from before being the only reason why we didn't return any sooner.

We stepped forward, passing through the vividly violet portal while holding each other's hand. Yet, on the other side, rather than peace and quiet...

"OPEN THOSE DAMN DOORS BEFORE I WILL KICK THEM OPEN!"