*Meow*
Sitting cross-legged in a meadow, wearing a simple shirt and shorts that stuck to his sweaty body, Sol exhaled deeply before looking at the source of the disturbance.
“How are you, Sekh? Hungry?”
Gently patting the head of the white cat, Sol stood up and stretched his stiff muscles, each of his movements showing his perfectly sculpted body.
“Why do you need to sit cross-legged to meditate? Does the position change anything?”
“Well...Not really? I guess I do it because it looks cool?”
Sol coughed to hide his embarrassment at the incredulous stare Isis was throwing at him. What he was doing was basically his usual mana circulation training, but at a much higher rate than what Lilith or Setsuna had even advised.
During the fight against Rio, he had discovered how high his output could really become and he was training to become able to bring that level without much effort.
But did he need to sit cross-legged like some martial artist for that? The answer was no.
“Stop bothering him with your questions”
Chiding Isis, Nefertiti stood up with a towel in her hand and reached Sol to wipe out the sweat covering his face.
“Thanks.”
Nefertiti blushed at his heartfelt thanks and shook her head in a hurry, “No, My lord, it’s perfectly natural.”
‘How many times did I tell her to not call me lord?’
Sol sighed inwardly but did not correct Nefertiti this time. He knew that it was useless to continue. The time he had spent with Nefertiti might have been short, but it had allowed him to grasp her personality.
She called him Lord because she saw her life and everything that was her as now belonging to him.
Nefertiti was a very smart and skilled woman. But this wasn’t her core trait.
If said nicely, she was extremely nice and accommodating.
If said rudely, she was a pushover.
The kind of person who would continue to follow an abusive husband thinking that he still loved her. This was also why she hadn’t refused his wildest demands, such as having sex outdoor in the garden.
Truthfully, if Sol was a bad man, the end of Nefertiti would be very pitiful.
“*Blergh* Stop acting so mushy in front of me.”
Isis made the action of gagging at the view of Nefertiti acting like an obedient wife. The first time she had witnessed at such a scene, she had been so unbelieving she had to have Sheherazade pinch her.
Learning that the two of them had hooked up had been quite a surprise, but that was the extent of it.
For one, the budding feelings she had for Sol weren’t enough for her to feel jealousy. Their relationship was at an ambiguous level where they could be seen as less than lovers but more than friends.
On another point, the concept of harem was as prevalent and basically the norm in this world so it didn’t come as a surprise.
In fact, she even felt somewhat proud, because even though he had a perfectly willing phoenix, the one he would end up signing his first contract with was her.
The first contract was extremely important for a human. Not just because of the advantages it brought, but also because of the possible negative impact.
After all, the capacity used for the first contract could never be taken back.
With her talent and power, she didn’t know how much capacity points Sol would have to spend, but it wouldn’t be a small amount and if by some chance, the two of them broke off, or if she died, he would never get back what he lost.
For him to choose her despite the risk showed that he had great trust in her.
“What? Jealous?”
Even though Nefertiti seemed embarrassed, Sol was not fazed and even caught Nefertiti by the hips before giving her a deep kiss.
“Shameless bastard! Sheherazade, Sekhmet, come with me.”
This time, it was Isis’s turn to be embarrassed. She huffed as she took away a struggling cat and giggling fairy with her.
While running away, she couldn’t stop her face from flushing as the memory of how the two of them kissed kept replaying in her mind.
For a maiden like her, this scene had truly been a first for her. She could even feel her heart, beating widely in her chest.
Meanwhile, sitting on the top of her head, Sheherazade was grinning mischievously at this sight.
“Are you curious?”
“Heh?”
“I mean, don’t you want to be kissed like…”
Sheherazade had her breath cut short as she was caught in a tight grip by Isis.
“*Wheeze* I...I am...Joking.”
“Humph!”
Using a moment of distraction, she escaped from Isis’ hand and exploded in laughter.
“I would have never thought that the great Isis was a shy maiden!”
“Sheherazade!”
“Bye-bye!”
Sheherazade immediately fled without looking back.
---
Stopping the kiss, Sol chuckled as he watched the skit between Isis and Sheherazade. Next to him, hanging in his arms, Nefertiti also chuckled a little.
She had always been a little biased toward Isis in the past. But now that she had spent some time with her, Nefertiti had to admit that while Isis wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t someone who should have to bear so much infamy and prejudice.
“Sorry, I covered your robe in my sweat.”
“Hah…! It… It doesn’t matter. Not at all.”
Nefertiti waved her hands, trying to keep stoic. How could she tell him that she in fact found his natural body odor extremely erotic and wouldn’t mind taking away his shirt?
‘Calm down. Calm down. I can’t show him my slovenly sight. What if he thought I was a pervert?’
Sol thought that he was somehow forcing her to do shameful acts, but how could he know that in fact, she found those acts very much to her liking. She even thought that it was a shame that Sol decided to tone down their tryst.
Their last outdoor session had been such a thrill. Just thinking about it made her feel like she was becoming wetter.
*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*
Nefertiti felt her heartbeats speed up and her feet trembled a little. She could even feel her nipple slowly stiffen.
“Nefertiti?”
“Hah? Yes?”
“Are you alright?”
Feeling the hand on her forehead, Nefertiti was shocked out of her daze,
“Yes! Yes. I am totally alright, I apologize.”
“No, no need to worry. So, what brought you here?”
Nefertiti always came to visit him as much as possible, but never this soon in the morning.
Nefertiti followed one step behind him, showing her deference to him. It was another thing Sol wanted to correct, but everything had to be done in step.
What he couldn’t guess was that she was walking behind him, not only out of respect but also because only by standing behind him could she openly admire his whole body.
'I really should have worn underwear today.'
While thinking so, she still answered calmly.
“Lady Nent told me to decide a date in the coming day for the departure. She also said that she had heeded your request and that she managed to convince Lady Hathor to meet with you and discuss.”
“I see.”
At the mention of this business, Sol lost the mood to joke around and entered deep in thought.
This discussion was very important.
Before he left Lusturbg, Persephone had assured him that with the help of Medea and Camelia, she could most likely support Lilith for a month.
Since the flow of time in the Astral realm was currently set at 12:1, this means that he had twelve months to bring the means to heal Lilith. In theory, he could be said to have all the time in the world.
But if there was one thing that Sol knew and never forgot, it was that one should always hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Fate was a bitch. This idea became even more cemented in his mind after his discussion with Nent about Fate.
In a way, Sol felt that the chances of someone close to him being fucked up was very high and the most vulnerable one currently was none other than Lilith.
What if Persephone couldn't succeed in keeping Lilith alive as long as she said?
What if an accident occurred?
What if the wings of freedom attacked Lustburg?
What if he failed Luxuria's test and couldn’t form a contract with Isis?
What if it took more time to come back than he thought?
There were so many possibilities that it was mind-blowing.
Of course, Sol recognized that he could be worrying too much. Perhaps he was kicking a fuss for nothing.
But...What if he wasn’t?
As such, Sol decided to be better safe than sorry. This was when someone came into his mind.
The third daughter of Gabriel — Hathor, the Immortal Phoenix.
Sol remembered his discussion with Isis back then before he met Nent[1]. Out of the four king-ranked Phoenixes. Hathor was the one recognized to have the highest Nirvana skill and was recognized as an extremely skilled healer.
Even if her skills weren’t taken into account, the situation was tight.
Nefertiti’s skills were pretty weak.
Even though the Nirvana of Isis was powerful, she still lacked experience and she wasn’t king ranked. Using her skill on a powerful king like Lilith might backfire.
Nent had both the power and the skill, but she wouldn’t follow them in the dragons’ territory.
Nephthys was the queen and could not leave.
This only left Hathor and Neith, and the best choice between the two of them was self-evident.
This was why he hadn’t left the Phoenix’s territory yet until now. It wasn’t just because he was busy rolling in the sheets with Nent and Nefertiti.
Now, the moment he had waited for so long had finally come.
If he succeeded...It would make everything much easier. He wouldn’t be under the constraint of a time limit anymore. He wouldn’t have the possible death of Lilith hanging above his head like a sword of Damocles.
‘I need to succeed — No, I will succeed.’
---
A few moments later,
“I refuse.”
‘Welp, this isn’t going well.’
[1]: Ref CH 171
(AN: So, just to be clear. Nefertiti’s views toward marriage are pretty old-fashioned. They represent in no way my own view toward marriage or the like. Marriage should be a union between equals. There are no superior or inferior there. Also, it seems like she is a closet pervert. I guess the purer they are, the more easily stained they are. Seems like Gabriel is right in wanting to get rid of Sol fast.)
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