Chapter 165: Rough Start – Part 1

Chapter 165: Rough Start – Part 1

"Who was that person?" I sternly question as I release Caterina's hand, who slowly sheathes her sword as she stares at the Travelers suspiciously.

"Whakaahua, our healer," Samkelo answers, eyeing the Punisher Captain quite warily.

"What the fuck is going on?" U Thant growls, but he doesn't seem like a threat, even though he's a lionfolk. I can feel that he's just posturing to not look like a wimp.

Ciel then uses her angelic aura to diffuse the situation. "We're all among friends and allies here, so let's sit down first and talk through this calmly," she kindly suggests, the power of love in her voice soothing even Caterina, who un[Equip]s her armor.

And so we do as she says.

I get some looks of disbelief from the Travelers as my wives and I occupy a whole sofa and also my lap. There are also wandering eyes since the girls are all wearing very attractive clothing that shows a lot of skin, but it's Aoi who receives the most glances as they start to imagine the logistics of fucking a dragon.

Chesa, the Thalanthro girl, seems more interested in Gify, though. She also barely showed any reaction to Whakaahua's disappearance and Caterina's shouting, so I already have her pegged as a "weird one."

There are two Chimera soldier guides here, so I point to one and order, "You, call Prince Hekeman-u. We have a serious situation here."

I know that this soldier knows Andraste, and though he freezes for a second in indecision, he still bows and hurries out.

Then I turn to the Travelers... the Heroes, and command, "Now, tell us who this Whakaahua was."

But U Thant, the snow lion, really wants to take back control of the conversation. "Wait, wait. What did you do to him that made him teleport? You two were just staring at each other when he suddenly jumped in his seat and went 'oops,' then just disappeared."

I think that's a fair question, so I answer honestly, "I have a skill called [Sense Soul] that lets me see some of your 'Stats,' and what I saw when I used it on Whakaahua was... confusing. To begin with, his 'Name' is definitely not Whakaahua."

"Then what was it?" Samkelo eagerly hums.

I frown and look away as I try to remember, and Gify gives me a little clawed hand by showing me the memory in question, "Some random characters, like, 'Munzer K-N-Q,' then it was..." -I hold back a grin because that'd be inappropriate- "'Tycho peeweechinchin wowowo baa~sd.'"

"[What...]?" the young gnome quacks in English confusedly.

I shrug and let out a deep sigh. "That's what I saw... along with some numbers that were ridiculous, like twelve 'plus' eighty-six 'Strength.'"

"What does that even mean?" Urmeie asks out loud, but she doesn't get an answer.

Adding those numbers, you get ninety-nine, which is a common "max value" in certain RPG games. Coupled with his name being as if someone had just typed random things (chinchin is schlong/penis in Japanese), I believe he was some sort of "cheat-like" existence. Could've been a Gifted, but that'd make him a very frightening Gifted, if not God-like.

"How about we recall Lily? She should also hear what happened," Alissa suddenly suggests, and even I agree.

I turn to one of the Companions and calmly order, "Call her back for us." And she promptly obeys with a nod, though I sense a lick of fear in her expression. I am sending her to basically convince a grumpy, angry dragon to come back.

Samkelo turns to Alissa and questions curiously, "How do you know her name?"

But Alissa smiles proudly. "I know quite a lot about my husband's former wife."

"Former wife?" Urmeie repeats in disbelief.

"You're from Earth, right? Aren't you too young for that?" U Thant questions me, his fanged jaw slack from surprise.

"I'm thirty years old," I answer with a wry smile.

"Fuck, you're the same age as me!" mama bear... sister bear shouts, taken aback, but then she suddenly frowns. "That explains some things..."

"Ayy, another fellow old fart!" Samkelo cheerfully exclaims with a grin.

"I-I'm not old!" I retort, horrified.

But the (old) young gnome ignores me and points to Chesa and U Thant as he teases, "These two squirts are little teens, just like most of the soldiers, so it was just Lily and me who were mature here, and it was starting to get lonely."

That draws some soft chuckles as the tension starts to diffuse.

"I see you have an enviable inclination towards nonchalance," Caterina calmly states, and I take note of her use of "enviable." She is someone who needs to chillax a bit more, after all.

He shrugs as he smirks and leans back in his seat. "I've made Lily and the white cat mad a few too many times, so I'm used to it."

"Why do you call me 'cat' but call Lily by her name?" U Thant dryly asks.

The gnome flashes him a cheeky grin. "Cuz it ain't funny when she's mad."

"Oh, it is; you just need to learn how to dodge," I state matter-of-factly and mirror his expression.

"I believe you meant not literally," Yunia calmly clarifies, and her joke gives me a pure smile, wiping away some of the pain from this explosive first meeting.

And I wryly continue, "Yes. Well, the [Dodge] skill also helps, but if you need it, you did something wrong."

"Since you mentioned it. What was that exchange with her about, exactly?" Urmeie curiously inquires. I didn't peg her as a drama hound, but she is an adrenaline junkie, so I guess she likes any sort of excitement.

"We're monogamous back on Earth. Me creating a harem was a betrayal," I succinctly explain.

"Huh..." sister bear grunts thoughtfully. For once, she doesn't try to act irreverent, as it's clearly a serious topic for me.

"Are they really all your wives?" the mer girl curiously asks.

Alissa's pimping senses start tingling, but she also senses that Lily is returning, so she keeps it brief, "Yes, we are, and we're proud of our positions, but let's not talk about this right now because Lily is returning."

The Companion saunters into the room, quite happy with her successful mission, and Lily comes in right behind her, giving me a moment to finally appreciate Lily's clothes along with those of the other Heroes. They're all wearing a comfy but fashionable shirt and pants combo with vibrant colors and intricate silver trimmings that have a rather formal air but (unfortunately) aren't semi-transparent like normal Chimera fashion. I do like sharply dressed women, though, and both Lily and Chesa look ready to kill.

The Heroes also wouldn't be out of place on Earth, except for the fact that they're all non-human, though Lily could pass as a cute little girl. But then the venomous look that the roasted cinnamon dwarf gives me pulls me out of my musings. She even frowns at Lina, and I think I know why she'd object to me having a loli on my lap.

"The fuck happened?" she asks and looks around as she sits down.

And so I describe everything that I saw in Whakaahua's [Soul Info].

"You sure that skill can't be fooled?" Caterina questions, as even she finds Whaka's "Stats" to be ridiculous.

I shrug tiredly and honestly answer, "It's the first time such a thing has ever happened, and I simply have no idea what the fuck those 'Stats' mean. I only know what I saw, and Gify can confirm that there's no error in my memory."

"Gih!" she chirps and proudly stands up on my shoulder.

Chesa subtly bites her lower lip and puts a hand over her heart as she's lovestruck by my chibi white griffin's adorableness.

Gih!

And then Caterina grimly continues, "But the fact that he disappeared without releasing a single trace of mana means he either used heretical magic or he has level one hundred in [Mana Efficiency], which has only ever been achieved by Emperors or elderly Grand Mages."

"He was neither, but we don't know much about him. He was just the healer that was assigned to us," the snow lionfolk assuredly confesses.

"But if his 'Stats' were true, then he definitely could have perfect mana efficiency," I point out. Adding up the numbers in his "MP" entry results in 999,999 mana, which I assume is God Ruler level, if not beyond that.

But Caterina's words take such a somber tone that it gives us pause, "If an existence such as his truly exists... then the Realm is in danger."

We fall silent for a moment as we reflect upon that. Whaka's existence simply doesn't make sense.

And then Samkelo shares an interesting piece of information, "I saw him using an Inspection Crystal in front of us. If he could fool it, then maybe he could fool your skill, too?"

"So... a heretic," the Punisher affirms, her expression turning dark and murderous.

"Wouldn't be the first time a heretic spy has managed to get close to a Gifted," Alissa bitterly remarks. Indeed, the Innocent Nymph, the werefox spy that tried to approach us from behind, and the heretic that appeared in the bandit camp we attacked in the Misty Low Forest; all attempts to kill us.

"Are you sure the spell he used was heretical?" Lily soberly questions the Punisher.

"Only heretical magic doesn't use mana, and when you use mana, you always leave a trace," she states categorically.

"She's a Punisher Captain, by the way," I proudly add.

"Right, introductions!" Ciel suddenly exclaims.

And we finally share everyone's names. I also share my new name because the vision only showed them my earthling name.

"Chuuni," Lily grumbles, trying not to smirk, as I know that she doesn't really dislike my new name.

The other three do grin teasingly, though, and then the gnome curiously asks, "Why did you change your name?"

I turn to the other Heroes and ask, "What about you two?"

"South Africa. I used to be black," the beardless gnome answers with a grin.

"What?" I quack confusedly.

He just shrugs and answers amusedly, "I guess there aren't any black gnomes, or something? So that's probably why the Gods made me white?"

"I also had darker skin," U Thant quietly chimes in.

"I had pale skin," Chesa hums.

"We have no idea why we were changed this way," Lily flatly adds as she refuses to look me in the eye.

I want to say that she used to be lighter-skinned, but I don't have the energy to address her right now.

"You could always use [Alteration Magic] to change your skin tone?" Kaatohe questions them.

"We don't feel like it," Chesa nonchalantly answers.

"I like this white coat..." U Thant hums as he pats his arm with his furred hand.

And Samkelo just shrugs.

Then we turn towards Chesa, as nobody has anything else to add. "What...?" she whispers confusedly.

Her forgetfulness is... well, odd. "Where are you from?" I kindly ask.

"Philippines, Puanabik..." she answers, then immediately adds rather dryly, preemptively answering my question before I can ask it, "My mother was Russian, so I inherited her facial features and skin color."

Then Lily tiredly raises her hand and scans the non-Heroes as she shares, "For those who don't know, I'm an Indian who emigrated to Canada, but I assume only we know what those words mean?"

And Alissa doesn't miss the opportunity to be antagonistic, "We know quite a lot about Earth, as Wolfy has told us many stories about it, seeking comfort in the memories, for he had nothing else to remind him of home, alone as he was when he first came here."

Technically the truth, though it's more like I simply allowed them to peruse my memories through [Bind] and with Gify's help.

But the problem is that Alissa's little speech kills the mood just as it had started to recover.

"Sorry... I couldn't stop myself," she guiltily apologizes through [Bind].

"The Gods said that separating us was necessary..." Chesa points out, sounding rather sorrowful as she empathizes with my story.

Instead of guilting them further, I decide to impassively follow up with my opinion, "I am a King now, so I believe my purpose was establishing a safe territory that we could start spreading our earthling knowledge from, and I'd never have achieved this much if I hadn't been forced to abandon my old, meek self."

U Thant and Chesa share a look, then he worriedly admits, "We're dumb teens, so we don't know much."

"There's no hurry. You'll find your calling one day," Ciel kindly soothes them. Then the lion's eyes fall upon her massive cleavage for a split second before he looks away.

Then our chat is interrupted as the Chimeras have finally returned, but it's only Diplomat Tamapa with a couple of soldiers, and the zebra-headed man looks awfully tense.

Seeing that he has everyone's attention, he clears his throat and calmly announces, "Your Highnesses, Travelers, the King and Queen would like to speak with you about Mr. Whakaahua. We've already begun a search for him, but we have little idea of where he might've gone."

"I'll have my detachment join your men in the search," Caterina immediately volunteers. I believe her goal is to have the Punishers observe the Chimeras rather than for them to be useful to the search itself.

"You're welcome to join our men," Tamapa answers with a nod.

Then we leave the mansion.

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