Revelations

With Paul providing her extra Papaw Sauce, Kishirika was relatively well behaved until the group reached the hostel. There, she took one look at the group of girls present before staring back at Paul and inquiring, "So, what exactly are you?"

Confused by Kishirika's question, Paul questioned, "What do you mean? I already told you who I was and where I came from."

"Yeah, and?" replied Kishirika. "Normal humans aren't able to absorb the essence of other creatures. And then there're these girls. Except for that cat woman and the girl in the glasses, everyone here appears to be some kind of Spirit. However, I know the names and identities of every Ancient, Great, and High Spirit. You can't simply create new ones out of thin air, so where did these come from...?"

Though he was tempted to ask for clarification regarding his ability to 'absorb the essence of other creatures,' Paul retorted, "You're supposed to be providing me with wisdom, not asking questions. I don't mind telling you, but we would first have to draft something more official than a simple verbal agreement..."

Crossing her arms and puffing out her nonexistent chest, Kishirika adopted an unabashedly cheeky smile as she stated, "Wisdom is the reflection of a person's experiences. To pass it on to another, you first need to understand their situation and the type of person they are. If you just offer advice arbitrarily, it can lead to disagreements, conflicts, and all sorts of unpleasantries. After all, everyone has their own way of viewing and interpreting the world around them. So tell me, Paul Greyrat. How do you view this world...?"

Not expecting such a response from what many considered a comic relief character, Paul found himself at a momentary loss for words. As a result, Venti was able to remark, "It seems we've picked up an interesting ally to accompany us on our journey~."

Shifting her attention to Venti, Kishirika's left eye spun like a slot machine before landing on a luminous green iris with a reticle-like pattern. It was a little creepy to witness, but Venti just smiled and mused, "That won't work on us~."

Snorting through her nose, Kishirika replied, "Yeah, I know. That's one of the things that's been bothering me. The energy you're constituted from is something different from Mana. As far as I know, you shouldn't even be able to exist, much less be as powerful as you are."

Returning her attention to Paul, Kishirika added, "I'm guessing you're their anchor to this world. Your body possesses the same energy within it, but you're also able to use Mana and something...different. If you didn't lack a Blessing and have this world's imprint on you, I would have assumed you were summoned here from someplace else."

Instead of answering Kishirika's speculation, Paul shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Who knows?" before questioning, "Have you met someone who was summoned from another world? I've never heard of anyone like that..."

Though his statement wasn't even remotely true, Paul also wasn't lying as he didn't regard the girls he had summoned from the IOF in the same light as the people he assumed Kishirika was talking about.

Unsurprised by Paul's words, Kishirika nodded her head as she adopted a disgusted expression and stated, "That's because there is someone doing everything in their power to conceal the truth. But yeah, I've met plenty of people summoned from other worlds. Most of them have raven-black hair and sharp eyes, so they are pretty conspicuous."

As the image of a certain Water God entered his mind, Paul couldn't help remarking, "You speak as if black hair is..."

Realizing that the only human he had ever met with black hair was Reida, Paul's words gradually trailed off. Most humans in the world of Mushoku Tensei had what could best be described as Western European features, specifically brown hair and brown eyes. There were a few exceptions, but they almost always had some kind of mixed heritage.

"Well, I'll be damned..."

Playing off of Paul's words, Kishirika remarked, "You're not wrong. With the sort of power you possess, it's only a matter of time before you catch the attention of the being concealing the secrets of this world. Once that happens, your only options are to resist or be played to death. Usually a combination of both."

Since there was no way Hitogami hadn't taken notice of him at this point, Paul surprised Kishirika quite a bit by firmly stating, "I'm not afraid of that imposter."

With her eyes glistening with excitement, a tremendous smile developed across Kishirika's face as she exclaimed, "I knew it! You're someone who has seen the 'truth,' aren't you!? Do you possess some kind of foresight!? Is that how you're able to recognize me!?"

Confused by Kishirika's words, Paul asked, "What do you mean? Does it have something to do with the fact everyone was ignoring you...?"

Nodding her head rapidly, Kishirika replied, "That bastard Laplace did something weird to me! I'm not entirely sure what, but he stole something very, very precious from me. Since then, even my closest allies and most trustworthy Generals have all but shunned me! Tell me what you know...!"

If not for Ei appearing to block her path, Kishirika would have jumped up to grab Paul's collar. The only other person she could talk to about things like this was Badi, but Kishirika was convinced he was actively avoiding her. He had consumed a mysterious potion that made him immune to her Demon Eyes, and he only ever appeared when she reincarnated, when she was kept as a slave, or when she got close to another man. The rest of the time, he wasn't even in the Demon Continent, leaving her to wander around and fend for herself despite the fact they were engaged to be wed for the twenty-ninth time...

Though he was a little surprised by the visible desperation in Kishirika's eyes, Paul gestured for Ei to stand down as he said, "Relax. We're going to be travel companions for a while, so we'll have plenty of time to talk about all kinds of things. As for what I know...well, let's just say more than most, but less than I should. I could give you exact details, but I would need to know you're someone I can trust."

Snorting through her nose, Kishirika stopped referring to him second-hand and outright stated, "If you're worried about Hitogami snooping around in my head, then don't. He hasn't appeared in my dreams in the past four thousand years. Even if he did, his power isn't to peer into a person's memories but look into their futures. To activate that power, he first needs to establish a connection with them, so even if you did reveal everything you knew to me right now, he wouldn't be able to peer back at this moment to learn what we discussed. More importantly, anyone who has been made his Apostle cannot refute it. So believe me when I tell you I am neither his Apostle nor will I ever trust that bastard a second time..."

Turning her attention to the rest of Paul's group, Kishirika asked, "What about you girls? Are any of you the Apostle of the Human God...?"

Out of consideration for the information Kishirika had provided, Paul decided to reveal a bit of his hand, stating, "The energy you're able to sense but unable to identify is known as Elemental Energy. It not only makes people unsusceptible to Hitogami's influence but prevents him from snooping around in areas where the concentration is high. Everyone here is either comprised of Elemental Energy, in possession of an artifact that grants them the ability to manipulate it, or grew up in an environment saturated by it. Unless they infiltrated from the outside, it's impossible for a member of my group to be one of Hitoshit's Apostles."

"Hitoshit...?"

Hearing Paul replace the 'god' part of Hitogami's name with 'shit,' a smile wide enough to display the majority of her razor-sharp teeth developed across Kishirika's face. It was difficult for her to believe Paul's words, but a boisterous laugh emanated from her throat as she held her stomach and repeated, "Hitoshit! Hitoshit! That's a perfect name for that shitty bastard! Bwahahahahahahaha~!"

Wiping away a tear from her eye, Kishirika suppressed her laughter long enough to reveal, "You should already be aware of this, but I'm afflicted by a curse that compels me to keep my word. If you're willing to tell me what you know, I can swear never to reveal it to another. At least not in this lifetime."

Though he had assumed Kishirika's propensity for keeping her word was simply a quirk of her character, Paul nodded his head and replied, "Sure. Now that we've revealed this much, our fates are more or less bound to one another. Let's shake on it."

Staring at Paul's outstretched hand, Kishirika was momentarily confused before she readily accepted his handshake. Paul couldn't help taking note of how tiny her hand was, but he summarily dismissed it, stating, "I can't reveal my source, but I have foreknowledge of this world and aspects of its future. That includes information related to certain individuals, yourself included."

Becoming increasingly more excited as Paul spoke, Kishrika asked the question at the forefront of her mind, specifically, "Then do you know my 'true' identity?"

Returning a smile of his own, Paul nodded his head and revealed, "I can't remember their names, but you are the daughter of the Demon God and the former Demon Empress. You-"

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it...!"

Interrupting Paul's words, a frenzied expression appeared on Kishirika's face as she balled her hands into fists and trembled due to a mixture of rage and excitement. She had memories of being brought to the Human World long ago and being left in the care of Necross Lacross, the father of Atoferatofe and Badigadi. The Immortal Demon Clan were the most fierce and dedicated supporters of the Demon God's bloodline, yet, whenever Kishirika brought up their shared past, Badi just laughed it off while Atofe didn't even recognize her despite witnessing her growing from a child into an adult multiple times.

Hearing Paul support what she had begun to doubt herself, Kishirika felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. She seriously doubted that Paul could help her reclaim the past she had lost, but it was impossible to describe just how elated she felt to meet someone who knew the 'truth' of her existence.

Seeing Kishirika hunched over and lost in her own little world, Paul smiled wryly and waited for her to return to reality. When she did, she caught him a little off guard by asking, "Do you plan to defeat Laplace...?"

After collecting himself, Paul replied, "Yeah, though I might not be the one to do it. My only real goals are to stay alive and become powerful enough to protect the people I care about. Beyond that, I kind of just do whatever I feel like doing at any given moment..."

Unable to resist the urge, Venti cheekily replied, "By that, he means us~."

Deadpanning in response to Venti's words, Paul was tempted to smack her upside the head before Kishirika surprised him for the umpteenth time by questioning, "Is that how you're able to absorb the essence of others? Through sex...?"

Since Kishirika had brought it up again, Paul couldn't help asking, "What do you mean by that? I know I grow stronger the more I have sex, but I am unaware of the...specifics."

Adopting an incredulous expression, Kishirika asked, "How am I supposed to know if you don't? All I know is that your 'essence' is no longer strictly human. There are traces of the Beast Race, a multitude of Spirits, several humans, and even a Migurdian within you. Based on what I can 'see,' you should have blue hair, cat ears, and a tail. Yet, despite that, you appear to be a perfectly normal human...at least on the surface."

Instead of responding to Kishirika's observations, Paul looked down at the Dendro Vision embedded into his belt. He didn't doubt Kishirika could see things he couldn't, so the only explanation he could think of was the influence of the Visions and the Intersection of Fate...

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