My irregularities surpass Reality.

Chapter 51- Undeniable changes.

“whoa! Today's meal is great!”  I was saying with great pleasure since the meal really was great. It was curry.

“The exquisite flavour of the curry and the small chunks of meat among the vegetables and slightly chilly flavour went great with rice.”

As I gave such 5 star reviews, Systy also nodded with a smile. On the other hand, the one I was praising looked….. Smug….

“Heh! What did you think! my noble Self has made this Curry! It is flawless!” Alice said, puffing her chest. She was quite proud of her cooking. 

After a lot of trial and error the prodigy had proven herself right, no matter what it was… she could certainly learn it if she wanted.

“You know I never saw someone being so smug. Also, I have never seen a cook say such haughty words… well as I say, praise should be given where it's due so I can't argue…” Even though Alice’s attitude had not changed in the slightest, she had become quite good doing house work and even cooking.

“Well since Alice can only cook the Curry, it is understandable but I have to Agree Master. Alice is the best curry maker!” Systy gave such critiques while also chuckling to herself.

“Yeah you should praise me, because this is only when I am here! My noble self is never going to do it when I get back!” Alice was still talking about that stuff. I had made her work since the day we got in here. I liked equal treatment and independence. Being strong doesn't mean you deserve to lord over others.

 “But Alice, when we go on overnight adventures, we will have to prepare our food and sleeping arrangements, you know?” Systy said.

“Hmm, then….. Yeah, Rekka will cook obviously! Aren't you gonna be a husband , take that responsibility and feed me!” Alice said in the least womanly way possible. it wasn't even a question, it was an order. But by now I was already used to her antics. So I responded with the tone of a husband in love with his wife.

“I don't mind working or feeding you, if you want I can even spoon feed you My Lady~…” I said sarcastically which made Alice really mad, she pouted and glared at me with utmost aura. 

“You know? if you make such a cute face, I might really have to do that.” Alice may have had the same attitude but by now she had lost that venomous arrogant side. she was still arrogant, that was her trademark but she had become more noble in a way. Doing everything you have to do and relying on oneself alone. That experience makes a human grow in ways one can’t imagine. The same had happened to Alice.

But as I said such things, she got red in the face. her pout got even fuller and she turned back with a “hmph!”

“Master, you are becoming more and more good at making women fall for you.” Systy said looking at the scene…

“Come on, I am not like that? I mean you didn't fall for me.” I said refuting her comment.

“Hey I also didn't fall for him, I am just following him because.. it .. it’s convenient!” Alice on the other hand seemed to get back her normal sense.

“What? aren't you supposed to be a honourable noble? How can you just use me as an opportunity like nothing with your honour on the line…” As I got Alice in her own net, she started to fidget a lot… 

Whenever I talk about her Honour, she gets like this. Somehow her attitude could annoy people but now I really liked that about her too. She was hungry and selfish and always made braggy speeches but what can I say, I guess I had also fallen in love with her but she wasn't unaffected either, since we came in here, we spent so much time together while training and fighting that we inevitably got close.

“I..I mean… I wont be with anyone other than you… you know... so I can use your help….. can’t I..?” Alice said with such a soft and shy tone that anyone could hardly believe that this was the same haughty girl who was bragging about how good her cooking was. 

That's right, somehow she seemed to have fallen in love with me… really the girl who knew nothing about love... even I don't know how that happened... since I don't even know How I had fallen for her as well.. 

I couldn’t blame anyone here… although, Systy did say that Alice’s demanding nature was what had made me fall for her.. But I don’t know if that was the reason or not… still to think the girl who wanted to marry me only since I was stronger then her would become like this. The change was unimaginable.

“Oh ho! If I really stay with you two lovey-dovey couples I am gonna die love sick! So stop flirting in front of me!” Systy said with a shy but irritated tone…  

“Ha ha well sorry for that… you're beautiful too, you can easily land a good guy no problem.” I said to Systy with a cheering tone, on the other hand, she looked extremely dissatisfied.

“Master, don't just compliment me like that, you're not even aware of what I have to control to not fall for you...haaah!’ she sighed, hiding her blushed face… well sorry about that, these lines just come to me I can't help it… 

Calling her just beautiful was underestimating her charms after all… and I don’t want to make the situation any more stickier than it already is… so I am sticking with beautiful for now.

“Hmph I am glad that I am not the only one!” Alice said, patting Systy on the back.

“Don't add me with you guys! And hey don't look at me as if you get what I am going through..” 

Both of them had become really good friends in these 2 years and I had to say, the duo presented quite an alluring and cute sight. Alice with a fiery attitude and her long hair that was styled in a ponytail with a haughty nature and a beautiful face as lively as one could get, then the blue haired Systy with a cool and composed attitude with the same ponytailed long hairstyle and an equally elegant face of a charming women. 

These two together can make any man daydream…. And since they were still growing teenagers, they looked like blossoming flowers..

“It’s hard, you guys are getting Beautiful day by day!”  I say this line frequently, actually since I was getting desperate for Leila….

“Hmph! I know I am! You should be pleased you could be my husband!” the haughty remark of Alice and “come on master don't torture me like that!” the shy but pleased look of Systy with a modest answer.

Although Alice can be a little shy when I get a bit romantic with her, she still takes all the compliments with a smug face. when we are not alone though.. Unlike Leila who becomes daring when we get alone, Alice gets shy and meek, I really needed much more time to figure her out.

Systy on the other hand since I had accepted her as my first underling or worker, she had made a vow to be at that post so no matter how she felt about me, she made a “would try to avoid being in love with me” stand. 

I did say that it’s not a problem, but she was insisting on hanging on to our current relationship of master and servant as long as she could, so I also agreed to her wishes.

Since Leila had already said she wouldn't mind me having more wives or mistresses, I wasn’t in any trouble either. So if Systy ever would say that she would want to be with me, I would agree to her in a heartbeat. She was a good natured girl and very obedient. I could really like nothing more! 

At this point I was accepting the fact that I would probably go down the line my granny had made… the womanizer line she was famous for.

As such our dinner ended and we all headed to our rooms. The night although would have been more romantic since the dinner looked like it was filled with fuzzy scenes where the three of us teased one another… as soon as we left to our rooms…. Yeah… we fell asleep in a heartbeat.

On the other hand where my 2 beautiful companions were getting more and more beautiful with each day, I was changing too. I had become quite tall at 5.9 feet. In these 2 years I was approaching 6 feet very fast. It seems that my training these 2 years also contributed to my growth, although I was strength training and all, I didn't turn into a bulky muscle man. 

In fact my muscles looked balanced and made the body look like a battle toned warrior with speed specialty, but the truth is I was equally that much stronger too. These muscles were condensed to this point. 

Anyway the thing was, I was enjoying not being a kid anymore and the blessings that I had were also affecting my attitude a little. Especially  the love goddesses blessing. it made me compliment women without me even realizing it, in a sense… I was becoming someone who wouldn’t be able to hold thoughts about the girls that would come around me… although being honest with girls is good and all… I don’t know if… it would make things easier or harder....

if any women that I liked as a opposite s*x talked to me, I would easily drop out flirty lines like I was a professional player, the blessing had changed the characteristic that I had of holding my thoughts. 

The problem was that it wasn't an empty flirt like those players did.. If I like a girl for her eyes, I could only say good things about her eyes... I hated people like that on earth from my core but this is Irony I guess. Well I hope I won't go around doing affairs and such since after getting out, I will get engaged! But at least I won’t be giving people empty flattery that was at least somewhat relieving.

Ooh!! Leila, when will I see you?

I was a teen. What would you expect from me? And since I was going through puberty again for the 3rd time... it felt like life was really playing a joke on me….

Man I should have just become an Immortal. At least I didn’t have to start over from scratch every time.

As such thoughts went around in my head, I rustled on the bed. Sleep was nowhere to be seen, although I had trained all day, exhaustion did not come to me. although I could sleep of course but I felt as if it would be fine even if I don't sleep…. My body had changed to the point superhuman would be an apt word.

[You still have a long way to go.]

“I know… using your power to strengthen myself isn’t working at all…”

[The 10% is probably your threshold, you have to feel despair!!]

“Yeah yeah! Just go to sleep!”

Amanori was saying something about how without despair I wouldn’t be able to get more of her strength… it was really convincing… I had nothing to despair over! Life was great! I can’t despair over that now can I?

As the night became morning, all of us got up. The one with the cooking duty cooked. And after breakfast that was silent, each one of us headed our own way.

Just like me, Alice and Systy had found what they wanted to do. They did their own things. I had already drilled enough info that could help them with enhancing their strength, the knowledge about the body and the knowledge about their own elements. 

At the end of the day… They had to find the rest of the strength on their own. Unlike me who used spirit energy, mana had a lot of limits after all.

“So Amanori, I wanted to ask, among your wielders, the one that held you the longest, he was a demon?”

[Yeah, although he was a good one. He even married a human girl. They lived very happily.]

“Wow… that might have been a nightmare for you.”

[Yup, I had no way to kill him.. I could slowly slowly steal his life span. Even still...]

“Still?”

[He died one of the worst deaths I could have ever seen…]

“Haah…. I see…”

[I thought you were like that demon at first, although I couldn’t kill him for hundreds of years… he was still dying from holding me.]

“But I am not like that, fortunately, my soul is sturdy.”

[Although you resemble that demon too much.]

“I do?”

[That's why, I am going to teach you something that demon could do, with this technique, your weakness in defense would disappear.]

“...A demon's technique… I wonder if it will work.”

[Of Course it will.]

“Alright lets try.”

As I used Miasma, it covered my body. It was normal, this usually happens when I let go of the control of the miasma. Now it only hovered around my body.

[It’s already near perfection, just like that demon… your body's characteristics are the same, now you just have to concentrate the Miasma into a fog-like aura, it’s not a barrier, think of it like a layer of thin Miasma.]

“What does this technique do anyway?”

[This technique harvests the souls that you kill.]

“Wh-what?!”

[It’s not a bad technique!]

“Yeah right! I don’t want to be a reaper!”

[Sigh!.... You fool. I am the reaper!]

“I’m not going out to kill people indiscriminately!”

[This is a great technique that has a deeper meaning to it…. Now learn this obediently so you won’t despair!]

As Amanori said… I although was reluctant… I still Started to learn the technique… although I didn’t know what it meant to actually harvest a soul was like…

There is truth in the sayings where age meant wisdom. And the things that Amanori forced me to do… those fell in that category. The wisdom from her was wisdom that kept you from making mistakes.  And no matter how horrifying her techniques were… if she forced me… then they would probably come in handy some time… just like those Miasma whips… they were unthinkably the strongest long range weapon I had now.

Like that time passed. Two years are nothing when you concentrate to improve whatever you can… more so… when you feel detached from the world.