So, the Scoville Nightmare wasn’t done with me yet. I had expected it but I had a fiery exit. I did indeed wish that the initial dose had killed me. Inna didn’t return the next morning but Greg did visit. He came in and a smell of cologne came in with him.

I have heard that even while under house arrest you are causing problems…. The elves weren’t happy with that frozen lake.

That was an accident! But I can use Cygnus’ ultimate skill now!

That is good and what was this about trying to kill yourself with peppers?

I made a new secret weapon out of blue Scoville Nightmares.

That sounds deadly, blue you said?

I took a jar of blue oil out and Greg stepped back.

Chill, it's harmless in this jar.

I don’t think you can kill a god with that. Do you really need more weapons to kill humans and races that are quite mortal?

Hmm, you have a point. But! [X-1] will hopefully take care of that! I will work on [Kryokym] next and well [Nilah] is too complicated but I think she is good as is. The foxfires are an issue though…

And why is that?

I don’t know how to actively change that. It just happens automatically. Trying to learn how to alter that is as if I’m trying to teach myself how to breathe.

Hmm, so I suppose you need someone who has knowledge about mana runes but can’t use foxfires. Mind if I take a look?

I showed Greg the magic circles of my foxfires.

This is… are you sure this is magic?

Well, it is a mix of magic and spirit magic, it’s also a mix of fire and spatiotemporal magic.

Greg kept staring and asking questions but I tried to answer them to the best of my ability.

I’m sorry this goes over my head. You might have to ask another nine-tailed spirit fox or Azu to help you in this.

Hmm, thought as much thanks for trying.

Well, I’m not here to only chew you out, I might have found a method to get that debuff off you.

The one that makes me a lighthouse for cultists?

Yup, now this might take a while so sit still. Have you talked to Raishin lately?

Uhh, no, is he still upset?

No but he is interrogating elves again to find someone that suits you.

Again? Why?!

I don’t know you should go talk to him. It’s just… he told me he’s busy.

Raishin is busy? What is going on? Are we all going to die? Or is he busy with his chicks?

No not his chicks he seemed to have settled on 2. He is doing something but I don’t know what but I have also been busy. I am getting close to using elven magic!

Oh, that’s great! Any healing magic?

Uhh, only basic stuff. Our natural regeneration can mostly outpace it, I have a bad affinity with healing it seems.

Well, your mother was called the goddess of death so I’m not surprised.

Greg started to work on the [Biian’s Judgement] debuffs I had on me.

Agnis, I have a question that I needed to ask you. You are our [Silver Torrent] responsible for crowd control, which you call CC, right?

Yeah.

I don’t want to insult you or make you feel less important but what do you think about finding a healer?

Oh, I think that’s a great idea. We might not need one against humans but against gods… I’d rather have a Golden Angel. I don’t mind honestly. I can slack more if we have one.

Yeah, the battle against the gods made me aware that if Bellia and Ardella hadn’t healed us, we might have been in big trouble. I know that this is a sensitive topic for all of us but I think we might have to start increasing our team size.

Hmm I guess, but who would be able to put up with Raishin?

That is a very good question… maybe one of his female friends?

Hmm, what about Elliana?

What about her?

She knows Elvish magic, right? She’s an elf!

She isn’t a healer though…

It’s better than nothing!

I will see what I can do.

Just tell her that she might get involved in fighting gods and the like

What about Inna? Are you getting along with her?

Well on a baseline, yeah, but I don’t think I can get as good of friends with her as I'm with you guys.

Hmm, now I’m starting to wonder. Is this why Raishin is looking again?

How would he know!?

I think it’s his intuition.

I don’t want a house full of elven chicks!

So, what kind of person would you be able to become good friends with?

I don’t know. People like you, Raishin, Vinny, Toxic Donkey or Thalia.

I don’t know what we have in common.

Me neither.

You're a difficult person as usual.

You are difficult too; how many friends have you made?

… Fine you win this one. I suppose I’m difficult too.

I would argue that you're worse than me! But I guess this is what's needed to keep Raishin in check. We should vet those chicks he has chosen.

Heh, I agree. We won’t let a random chick claim Raishin, they better have some substance!

You do the substance part; I will see how stress-resilient they are.

Normally I would stop you but that is a very important trait to have when traveling with us so I would say do your worst!

We exchanged a brotherly handshake.

I got rid of all those stacks. I would recommend being careful in hurting cultists but if you do just give me a visit.

Already decided that I would blast cultists, eh?

Greg nodded. Wisdom is knowing that this advice will be short-lived on you. I also have full confidence that they will piss you off somehow so I’m just being realistic. They are after your fur after all…

Yeah, I need to get this spirit vessel thing done as soon as possible, the north sucks, especially Igrini Kingdom.

Oh, Elliana had swiped this from their family sanctum.

Greg reached for his bag and gave me a stack of papers.

It's written in elvish. I don’t know if that’s one of the many languages you know but I’ve translated it for you.

Just bond with her already and thanks!

I took the copy Greg had made and the translation. While I can’t understand elvish, I can read it. However, what I can read is ancient elvish, not modern elvish. I gave it a quick scan. It had a lot of similarities. I might be able to learn how to read elvish from this.

There are some parts of the last one that I had difficulties translating.

Oh, this is ancient Elvish, I can read this. But thanks!

As usual, you’re full of surprises. I will work on procuring the basic ingredients needed for alchemy. You have sneaked off to the outside, any recommendations?

Go south. West has the stinky city which sucks, east has Fahjin which is full of cultists, and north is closer to Bizax so I would recommend going south.

So, in the direction of Cnidaria hills, got it, thanks.

Also, a god with orange spiky hair and sneakers is looking for me. He’s a god of lightning, not a Sarian god. Kick his ass if you find him.

I will see what I can do.

Be careful.

Greg left and the smell of cologne left with him. Is this Elliana’s doing? I had tried to vet her and see if she was good enough for Greg but it didn’t take long for me to realize that she is a good influence for him. I just hope he doesn’t screw this up but he probably will. So, I have to deal with Raishin and troll ehh prank, I mean vet the chicks orbiting around him.

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I wanted to get up to prepare to see what Raishin was up to when I fell to the floor. The dizziness was back and I was seeing triple and sat down till it went away. I waited for 12 minutes before it disappeared. I had almost forgotten about this; this is the real reason I was ‘grounded’. I got up and inspected myself. Nothing seems wrong with me. I opened the door and Raishin stood before it. He pointed at me.

I now know why you can’t connect with Inna! She doesn’t possess the right color!

What in Hourai’s name are you talking about?

Like an aura! Your aura is blue! Hers is white!

Let’s pretend I know what you're talking about. What does aura have to do with this?

Raishin came in and sat on the couch and His girlfriends followed.

So, I had noticed that it just doesn’t work with the chicks that don’t match my aura!

Not because you’re a weirdo?

Hey! You’re a weirdo too! But my intuition is telling me to go off by aura! But I can’t find a chick that could fit you and also has a matching aura. Azu is the only one in recent memory.

So, this is just an intuition? Is this why Greg said you’re busy?

Yup!

So, will you give up now that you found that out?

I have no choice. I surely thought there would be someone here for you. I’m sorry…

Oh come on that’s not your fault. How about this I will give it a thought after I finish this spirit vessel how about it?

Ooh. So, we will go hunting chicks?

Ehh that’s not what I meant but I will observe how you do it and eliminate whatever won’t apply to me, so probably 99%

Hehe it will be fun!

Also. I pointed at the chicks besides him.

I'm declaring war on them. I will test if they are good enough for you!

Huh wait! I like them! Don’t do that!

A bond is for better or worse right? Aren’t you curious to know if they would stick to you because I’m sure you would do that for them.

They will! Do your worst!

I saw some concerned looks. This doesn’t bode well for him or the chicks. I have 0 tolerance for those trying to exploit my friends.

I had shadow clones go in stealth and [Shadow Meld] into their shadows as they left. It is time to find out their dirty secrets. Do they truly love Raishin or is he an easy target because he is the only male in this village that’s pursuing chicks?

I half believe Raishin’s story about the aura. None of these chicks seem to fit his vibe. They are too quiet and not energetic enough. Or at least not flashy. It is as if they have no personality.

I went back inside and went through the documents Greg had given me while my clones were listening in on his chicks. He seems like a horny idiot but he was treating them quite well, almost like a gentleman. Maybe his approaches just suck, once he’s in a relationship he might not be bad. I followed their interactions through my clones and I learned something shocking. Wait both of his girlfriends are sisters?

Raishin what are you doing?!

I facepalmed. I don’t know why but this is a terrible idea. We leave him alone and this happens. He had neatly dropped them off at their house. They went inside, Raishin wanted to step inside too but was blocked. They told him they were tired.

Tired from what? Not having a personality?

They went inside and It was quite spacious and tidy. I cut the visual because they went to change but after that, they went to have dinner together.

“What do you think Agnis meant with those words?” Elf sister A asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should stop this.” Elf sister B responded.

“Why? Raishin is the only male that looks our way or do you want to put in so much effort to attract an elvish man for him to treat him like he does his male friends? I’m so envious of the human race!”

“But what about Agnis? You’ve heard the stories, right? Pissing off a nine-tailed spirit fox is a very bad idea.”

Elf sister B seemed to be scared of me. Good!

“Everything will be fine as long as he doesn’t find out.”

I was devastated. It felt as if this had happened to me but it didn’t. I wasn’t expecting to find anything. Maybe that they are a bit shy or something. I feel very bad, almost sick to my stomach. It was hard to describe my disappointment. My best friend is getting used…

“But he said he would test us, right?” Elf sister B said.

“We just have to pass all of them, we have already won Raishin’s heart and have beaten all the other women.”

I was wondering if I should tell Raishin. This is going to break his heart… Maybe investigating them was a mistake. Ignorance is bliss. Would I want to know if I was being used in this situation even though I was madly in love? I don’t know. Probably not. But I would trust the words of my friends.

“How about we ask Inna what Agnis is like so we can prepare?” Elf sister A continued.

“I don’t think that’s going to work… she’s such a stuck-up on principles, she’d rather stay single than pretend. “

“So, she’s not pretending when she’s with Agnis?”

Elf sister B shook her head. “She probably has a different goal.”

Well, I already knew this. I just don’t know what Inna’s goal is. But if this is true maybe I can get her together with Raishin.

“Also did you see the face of Fianna when Raishin broke up with her because her aura didn’t match his or something?” Elf sister A said proudly.

“Yeah, it is good we caught on to that.”

They did something and it seemed their aura changed. Well color me surprised, Raishin was on to something. It was not something I could see but it felt as if they had become different people. Not by appearance or how they spoke. It was strange and hard to explain.

I did notice in the month that I was here that elves seem to be able to do this. Greg speculated that they can do this to connect to different parts of nature and different types of monsters or animals.

While nine-tailed spirit foxes are true shapeshifters, elves seem to be aura shapeshifters. I might have to ask Raishin what he means with aura. Because while it is a vague term, I might have a better idea of what he means but it’s still a vague concept. Or I can ask Inna.

Do I really want to throw myself into something else that’s complicated? I decided that I wouldn't, I will however confront these chicks. I will leave this aura thing over to Greg, it would probably be more up his alley.

The shadow clones appeared from their shadows and they became pale.

Good afternoon, ladies. As you have said before, pissing a 9t off is a bad idea, and you have succeeded. Now I have a suggestion. I will advise you to comply when I’m still asking nicely. Break up with Raishin and tell him exactly why, tell him what you have just said to each other. If you don’t, well... you don’t want to find out. Have a nice day.

The shadow clones disappeared back into their shadows.

One started to cry and the other became angry saying that it was wrong to eavesdrop. I don’t care. This is something that’s expected with a 9t nearby. Just how a dwarf will fix anything broken he sees when you invite him to your house, how an elf will tend to weakened or sick plants. 9t will always collect information to find the best way to prank someone or something. Nothing can be held secret for too long with our eyes and good ears. We are the perfect eavesdroppers. They got careless and now are paying the price.

I sat at the table and put my feet on the table while reading.

Inna came home and dropped her bag. “Whoa, stop doing that, you look intimidating with your eyes glowing like that!”

Sit down. We need to talk.

Inna sat down and seemed uncomfortable.

Now let’s hear the real reason you’re here. No bullshit, I just found out that Raishin’s ‘Girlfriends’ are just being opportunistic and don’t necessarily care for him. Now I have heard something interesting. You are not interested in me at least in a romantic sense but have a different goal.

Inna was fidgeting. “Will you promise to not get mad?”

It solely depends on the reason you’re doing this.

“I told you I would rather not go outside the village because of the humans and other things, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, that wasn’t completely true… I… I was hoping that if I got close to you, you would take me with you when you leave.”

I facepalmed.

Silly elf, why don’t you just ask…

“Would you just accept a random elf?“

Hmm, I see what you mean but kinda yeah. You are an elf so you won’t die easily. Judging from your personality you would fit in with us. So firstly, we wouldn’t flat-out reject you, and secondly, after getting to know you, we would conclude that you'd probably do fine in our group. Now there is one thing that has grabbed my attention.

I put my feet down and leaned forward causing Inna moved back a bit.

“Can you stop staring at me like that, please? It’s a bit intimidating and uncomfortable. It feels as if you’re seeing my past and future.”

Just today I learned, no actually, realized that you elves can change your aura, like aura shapeshifters. I want to know your real aura. Greg will be in charge of the details after I talk to him after he returns from his shopping trip.

Her face changed. “My real aura? How… ok…”

Inna’s aura changed and it felt… small and timid. I now understood why she did what she did. There is no way we would take her with this aura.

You do know that we are here because we survived a scuffle with the gods, right?

She tried to hide it but it seemed like she had it rough thinking of dealing with gods.

I admire your resolve but this isn’t going to work. I assume you can't keep up the act of the Inna I previously knew indefinitely, right?

“I… I can try”

Look into my eyes.

I looked into her blue eyes and showed her an illusion of the fight we had against Zack, the Noob god, and Tomato goddess. I made it look like she was there with us. She could act however she wanted in that situation.

She did decently well in the beginning but she turned into a mess afterward. Inaction, decisions that could get us all killed without any merit. Freezing on the spot and crying.

That is a normal response when fighting gods but unfortunately, that will get us all killed and it’s not something we could use in a team member. She is not made to endure the lifestyle we live. And that is fine. Our life is extremely abnormal.

I stopped the illusion because I had seen enough and she started to cry. I was unsure what to do, do I let her cry? Do I comfort her? Or will any attempt just make it worse? I decided to make some tea for her.

I put the cup in front of her and sat back down.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

That is fine. You should know now than to actually experience it. I am sorry but we can’t take you with us like this. We can have a short trip but you can’t travel with us. I’m sorry that it had to be like this.

“It’s fine. Thank you… I will get my stuff and go back home tomorrow.”

Can you also get me banned from this village?

I saw a tiny smile and she shook her head.

“I had told Byron what you’ve told me. He had the same initial reaction as I had but came to the same realization as I did. He will try to do something less extreme to get that effect. If it fails, he will ask you to do the thing.”

That desperate, eh? But thank you. It’s not exactly what I want but that works too. Putting the responsibility on themselves and not on other races is a good start.

Inna nodded and got up. “I’m sorry for deceiving you and thank you.”

She shortly petted Nilah before she went upstairs to get her stuff. I also didn’t expect this development but it’s for the better. Maybe I was too hasty in saying that we could just take Elliana with us. She might have a similar reaction to this illusion. I will remember this and subject any potential party member to this illusion.

They will be rejected if they put their own lives or our lives in danger. And if it’s impossible to find anyone suitable, then we will just stay a group of 3 forever.

Nilah jumped on the table and I petted her.

Do you think we will ever find someone that fits in?

I got no answers from Nilah as usual. Inna came down with her stuff. She hugged me before she left, and she promised to visit often.

The door closed behind her.

I just destroyed this woman's dream. Was this the correct thing? Her dream would lead her to her death. What would be worth more?

Many are willing to die for their dream. What is my dream? What am I willing to die for?

I don’t know...