I didn’t see that coming.

I thought she was unaware but I wrong.

As my knees touched the ground and I was holding my bleeding nose. My anaemia was acting up again but this is solely my fault.

Now, what just happens was that as my fist was striking at her abdomen, in that split second, she slightly ducked and my fist was went towards at her face.

She then activated her [Pacifist].

Her power is not nullify any damage but rather it a reflection of the damage. It has a similar concept with Kiefy [Dispersion] but different execution and method as it doesn’t accumulate the damage inflicted and released them in a burst of kinetic energy but an instant reflection of equal amount and it can be cast on self and anyone else in a certain radius.

Now, why was I trying to punch her?

Well there’s a bet between the two of us that is if I could inflict any kind of damage on her without her activating [Pacifist] then she would write an entire smut novel and published it under the name of ‘Incontinentia Via Dickus’.

If I can’t inflict any injuries on her when six months had passed, I would owe her a favour although she puts a very vague wording about the favour but nonetheless this happen because of our disagreement on which is a more efficient library classification system: My Dewey Decimal or her’s world version of the Universal Decimal; albeit different from our but almost the same.

“Why the face?!”

I groaned in pain. Bleeding from the nose is not a nice sensation for a non-masochist.

“It was either that or do you want me to hit at the lower part? I’m pretty sure you don’t want to feel pain on that part.”

She smiled coyly, immensely satisfied with the result. Yeah, I won’t deny that. I don’t want to be punched there, I never been punched in the nut and I never had the need to know how much it would hurt.

“Oh, I can’t stand looking at the dishevelled you!”

She got close on the suffering me and tidied up my shirt. After she was satisfied with the symmetry of my shirt, she stepped back and nodded to herself.

…

After some moment of me stabilizing my bleeding with Light Green Eomancy and Tevalini waiting for me as she enjoyed the view, I promptly got up, ready to ask her a question of mine.

There still like a month left for me to win the bet.

“Anyway, I have a question to ask and only you can answer it and can you keep this a secret especially towards Vefal?”

“Oh, this sound serious, as your personal confidant, I am willing.”

It’s quite a personal question and I have no one to turn as this question is delicate in nature and a little bit embarrassing but Tevalini is the best suited person for this for various reasons.

I had wanted to ask this to her during several of our interactions but I felt there were no rush back then but seeing how Vefal had pulled a fast one on me so I needed to know.

“… Is it possible for me, a human to… procreate with another humanoid race? I mean to what extend we are similar?”

“Ah, I see, it’s natural to be worried about that since in your world, there’s no other humanoid races but you gotten yourself in a relationship with Vefal and… ‘Her’. Luckily for you, I come from such world where it’s a melting pot of various races.”

She smiled knowingly as she twiddled her index finger on her right hand. She continued-

“There’s a proven theory back in my world called ‘Humanoid Blueprint’. It’s a fact that all humanoid beings shared the same foundation in structures but undergoes different evolutionary stages. Even so, the core of their being is still the same. Usually, most humanoid races shared an almost similar process of reproduction system so for a Herlf or ‘Homo Evelen’ and a human or ‘Homo Sapien’ to produce offspring is possible. There are lots of mixed race children’s back in my world and I myself had a child with a ‘Homo Erivus’, a cyan skinned humanoid.”

“You’re married?!”

As I listened on to her and became inwardly elated at such new, I became more shocked that she was actually married and even had a child.

“Ah, I never told anyone that but my current status is actually divorcee. I was never in love with him as… I was marrying out of obligation. His infatuation needed a reward but we drifted away after ten or so years, it didn’t matter because I never felt any sense of loss but our child had it hard. He didn’t want to see me again because I didn’t put enough effort for our family. It’s a pity, I supposed.”

Tevalini snorted pitifully.

“… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. Since we’re all basically a new person in this world, I already mentally left all those things behind. So, is there anything else I can assist you with?”

And for the rest of the time, we talked of mundane topics, comparing our thesis and such.

--

“You want to help me during the review?”

Ghiscra looked at me with a slightly puzzled gaze. The two of us were walking back towards the portal. Using this chance, I accompanied her while Erganisu stayed for further revising his compilation while Tevalini went to the Tower of Formulae looking for some research materials.

“Yeah, I mean I was your research assistant even for a while but I’m quite glib and at the very least, useful.”

We walked in silence after I say that and Ghiscra expression was that of being thoughtful.

“Alright but we need to divide the segments and questions. You still have your research notes?”

“Yup!”

With an affirmed expression, she agreed for me to participate. We discussed until we reached the portal gate.

“So tonight is it?”

“Yeah, we’ll talk about this tonight as of right now, I have to make several visit to the other summoned.”

Ghiscra nodded and went towards portal. Now, first visit is towards the Crafting Association.

--

“Huh, so you want me to make two pendants for them girls is it?”

In a room within the Smithing hall, Sweating with perspirations, Akujin was currently smithing a sword-like weapon with a distinctive handle.

The Crafting Association include makers of every kind from glass-blowing, to wood making and black smithing. Akujin, who was a blacksmith back in his world, naturally found affinity here. He obtained a special position in the association but it wasn’t because he was a summoned rather he had proven his worth by making several items that had been highly appraised.

“Yeah… wait, make it three… yeah three. Think of this as compensating for my shirt.”

“Three pendants for a shirt? If you were in my old world, I would fling hammer at your face for being so cheap-ass with the trade.”

Akujin continued hammering as he talked.

“… It was a very expensive shirt you know.”

“… Fine, you bastard, it’ll be ready in three days as I had received a lot commissions.”

He nodded and coughed. Well, that’s done.

I nodded my thanks to him and left.

--

“Hey, Rino.”

Waiting for me in one of the many gazettes along the river was a beautiful lady wearing a purple dress with scale-like design.

Her red, fiery hair was tied in a bun and each side were braided.

Her image of a warrior-woman was replaced a breathless beauty.

The last time I saw her beautiful side was during our dinner at that night. Even in broad daylight, it did not diminish that sight.

She stood up after I called her out and smiled.

“Ruigne.”

Before I went here, I went back to my Fhagec after my visit to Akujin and changed my clothes into a fancier one from the gift chest which is a green tail-coat suit and white undershirt and plain white pants.

“Escort your lord for sightseeing and it is good that you had taken the measure to dress prettily like flowers in spring.”

“The lord is allowed to gaze but not to touch.”

With a haughty expression, I started our role-play and she played along. I still remembered her oath back then and couldn’t help being amused on how spontaneous it was.

I started walking and she followed beside me as we walked through the street.

Even though people recognized who we were, we weren’t hounded by them and were treated like a normal people. This indicates that we’re more like politicians rather than celebrities.

As we walked, I started the conversation-

“Where are we going today? The Practice Ground? The Weapon Gallery?”

“Hmm, I’d been all of those with Vefal already so let’s try something milder.”

Vefal and Rino are too likeminded and suitable for each other that it’s like I’m third-wheeling them.

“Milder is it? So let’s go at the Aquarium or the Garden?”

She cocked her head slightly to the left, wandering. After a few second, I forward my third choice-

“How about the Debating Court? Who doesn’t like regulated and partially controlled free speech and intense yelling contest!?”

There are several of Courts located in Tchekaz for the sake of fulfilling the demands and relieving the boredom of the citizens. The usual’s are like the amphitheatre, the dancing court, the sports court just for examples but some are more niche like the aforementioned debating court, solely used for the citizens to settle argument over any matter, official or non-official. Of course there are restrictions on the contents but still it gives them enough room to not suffocate them with censorship.

“That sounds interesting. I heard about that place from Annastasha as she often went there to hear these debates. Even here, she stills maintain her interest in politics and see herself as a leader.”

Rino mused to herself.

After some time, we reached the place itself. I went here a few times and usually the patrons would be about dozens but today were packed.

Perplexed, I grabbed the shoulder of a person in front of me who was walking on my right.

“What’s going on here?”

The person that I stopped was a Wolven.

“Oh, there’s a debate about the proposal for an economic reimplementation of a currency system. The representative from the markets association will be the one to advocate it while a representative from the Palace of Tchekaz will be against it. It’s an official debate issued by the markets association.”

The man promptly explained and turned to leave, not waiting for my response.

Ah, I remember. There was a footnote in a ‘History of Athryshiayl Policies’ that I read about a similar debate happened about five years ago but the one who won the debate was the Palace as they mainly cited the economic disaster that had happened a hundred plus or so years ago. It turns out that Athryshiayl and the other states had practiced a full currency system but it was heavily exploited by those who held powers like the Eight Great Houses (Before they became Ten) and other major powers, introducing a wide gap in disparity between classes and lack of purchasing powers for the middle class and lower. Because of that, the Eighth Summoned Inheritors had dissolved that system and made the economy system that we have today.