Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 165: Date with Othinus
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- Felix -
The "party" ended quickly after I steamrolled Liu Zhigang. His bodyguards rushed to get him up immediately, though Zhigang ignored them and went for his shattered blades after he dusted himself off.
He seemed pretty upset about that, but I could tell he didn't blame me. He was taking the loss constructively, at least. If he were stronger, none of that would have happened, and he was the one who challenged me anyways. I could have done a lot worse to him if I wanted to.
His type of people never really took no for an answer anyways, so I imagine the ending would have been the same no matter what I answered.
His weapons were stronger than most Rare Grade equipment, but not quite at the Unique Grade level. Essentially, it was just junk to me. Fighting me with those things and expecting them to stay intact was dumb, and I wasn't nice enough to hold back against him.
I didn't know him, and I didn't really care for him or have any interest in him other than the fact that he was a Ruler vessel.
His fighting intent had calmed down somewhat though, but he wasn't particularly satisfied either. He seemed to be a bit of a battle maniac, and it was hard to be satisfied when one barely got to fight at all. I had fun though. Flexing to the normies is always funny. Though it also got old quickly, so I only did that in moderation.
I did tell Zhigang that if he wanted a good fight, Jin-Woo would likely offer a much closer match than I would, a suggestion Zhigang seemed to take with grace.
There were quite a few cameras on me at the time, so Adam was going crazy trying to make sure that things remained under control and that mass public panic didn't spread.
The sight of me slapping around one of their strongest Hunters certainly didn't help the people at the party feel better. In fact, they were back to being downright terrified, and Thomas's presence didn't help this time. They went from excited to terrified in under a minute.
Damn humans, always overreacting. I had no idea why I had such a bad image in this world. It was as if they became terrified of me on-sight alone.
"I do believe you introduced yourself as a Demon Lord, Master." Othinus chimed in with amusement. "That does not leave much to the imagination, especially with the preexisting connotation the title of Demon Lord has in a modern world such as this one."
Ah, right. There was that, huh? Well whatever.
People that were coping that their National Hunters could take me on ever since my debut in this world at Jeju Island are going to go crazy. That narrative had been peddled since I got to this world.
When people felt like they lost control over the situation, they tended to act rather irrationally. That was true in both a fantasy world like this one and ones without any magical elements whatsoever.
That was pretty much why so many people, even Gunhee, peddled that false narrative, because otherwise people would become harder to control. When people didn't feel safe, sometimes they took things into their own hands.
It was what happened to Granbell, and even Yuuki, back in the Cardinal World. They felt like they lost control over the situation, and so they took drastic measures. And that didn't work out very well for them.
Part of me was a little curious what bullshit they'd spout at me now, at least if anyone gained the courage to do so at this conference.
I didn't plan to attend a whole lot of the conference, only the last day to say my piece. So until then, I'd have to keep myself occupied. Milim would be going with Rimuru for one day, and then she said she'd keep me company for one day since, in her own words, I'd be lonely.
Now we were being escorted to the hotel rooms Adam had booked for us for the remainder of our stay in the United States. From what he said they were the best rooms on the market.
"Did Adam manage to introduce you to anyone of relevance?" I asked Rimuru. He did have a little bit of time before Zhigang showed up.
He nodded. "A few, but most of the business talks will happen tomorrow and the day after during the conference itself."
"Hmm, I see. Did any of them seem decent?"
Rimuru shrugged. "Some of them followed the sleazy businessman stereotype to a tee, but others were more reasonable. I'm pretty sure China's Prime Minister was one of the sleazy types." Rimuru noted.
"It is one of the most powerful nations in this world, some corruption is probably inevitable. Especially with a big stick like Zhigang to wave around." I noted.
Rimuru shrugged. "I'll be extra mean to him if he comes to me for a deal. Though it was mean of you to break that guy's weapons." Rimuru said with a grin.
I shrugged. "I just didn't care enough about Zhigang to intentionally prevent any damage. Besides, I did that knowing you'd be nosey and probably end up giving China a boon that would go right to Zhigang. You're a bit of a softy like that."
Rimuru sighed. "You know me a bit too well, I'm pretty sure."
"You're not a hard person to read."
Rimuru rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I still plan to be extra mean though. From what I was able to learn, China is responsible for mass producing a lot of the modern amenities I'd like for Tempest, so they'll be easy to exploit." Rimuru said with an evil grin. "They've even managed to adapt most technology to run on mana stones to a higher degree than most other nations."
Most countries had taken to using mana stones some years ago. That was the reason mining them in Gates was such a profitable industry.
"I didn't get to meet everyone Adam wanted to introduce me to, though." Rimuru sighed as he shot me a look.
"My bad. I didn't want to reject his challenge. It feels like it's been forever since someone politely asked me for a fight, even though it hasn't actually been that long."
Rimuru sighed. "I'll still get the chance to meet them in the coming days, so it's fine."
There was a limo waiting for us outside, which we all got into. Jin-Woo and Gunhee were staying in a different hotel entirely, so they weren't with us.
The drive didn't take long at all. I got a massive room for myself, though it had a massive bed that was more than large enough for myself, Lalatina, and Megumin, so the three of us ended up sharing a room. Rimuru did call me a lucky bastard under his breath when he learned that, but that was a given at this point.
Veldora, Ramiris, and Rimuru were sharing a room. Then Milim and Sirka got another room.
Speaking of Sirka, ironically enough, despite being the least threatening one here, she was the one that got the most looks. I guess her pale blue skin and pointy ears were more eye-catching than anything else about us. Ramiris was the only one who was getting a similar amount of looks, but half the time she just hid in my or Rimuru's breast pocket.
Gaia also came along, but he was inside of a tiny dimension that Milim created that she could carry along, mostly because Gaia didn't like all the attention.
Adam also already made some plans for Veldora and Ramiris since they weren't as interested in the content of the conference and were more or less just here for the ride.
They'd be going to a bunch of well-known areas that had a lot of stores that sold anime products and whatnot. So they'd mostly just be shopping and taking in more of this world's culture.
Rimuru would be attending the conference on all the days, like the hard worker he was. His goals were still the same; to broker deals to get a bunch of resources that weren't really present in the Cardinal World in exchange for the schematics on how to make certain weapons, and Rimuru said he may even be willing to trade the weapons themselves.
Plus, Rimuru thought he could take some inspiration from the conference in case something similar was needed in the Cardinal World, which was fair.
I wasn't particularly interested in attending every day of the conference either. Othinus and I would be having our date that I promised her due to her desire to explore our relationship in that direction. I had the free time, so we might as well make use of it, and Othinus was on board.
Though it was rather adorable that when she agreed, I could sense the sheer nervousness she was feeling as well as the excitement.
It put things a bit into perspective for me as well. Just as this was a new experience for me, it would be a brand new one for her as well.
I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't nervous about it. It wasn't everyday you went out with a being that lived within your soul and knew you better than you knew yourself.
At least one thing was for certain; even if nothing happened it wouldn't change our relationship whatsoever. The relationship Othinus shared went beyond something as simple as companionship. It was hard to describe.
But if Othinus wanted to be more intimate in the traditional sense, then I was more than open to it, but I'd also be perfectly fine with the opposite as well.
I felt a spike of embarrassment and bashfulness from Othinus, but she didn't say anything. It seems she was rather excited as well.
I wasn't even sure what we could do on a date that would actually be enjoyable for the both of us in the first place, but we'd see.
"Doing anything with you is enjoyable, Master!" Othinus immediately protested.
'I appreciated that. I enjoy doing things with you as well, but I was more so referring to the fact that there isn't a whole lot in this world that can actually entertain us on a date.'
With Hinata, it was more or less about exploring her home country, even if it was a different reality's version. Othinus and I had nothing similar that we were emotionally attached to that would give us enjoyment.
"...True."
Probably just going around and eating a bunch of good food was our best bet. Othinus hadn't actually eaten much before, only Raiden's cooking here and there, so perhaps that would be enjoyable for the both of us.
Or we could go out and explore a few dimensions in this universe together while also collecting data from those dimensions and experimenting with some magic. Those were all hobbies the both of us enjoyed.
But that was for future me to worry about. Now, I was going to cuddle up with Lalatina and Megumin and rest for the night.
- Liu Zhigang -
His lips twitched as he was slapped on the shoulder by one of his old friends. Or maybe calling them old friends was giving Thomas too much credit; the brute was acting the same way he always did.
He was being annoying.
"Bwahaha, that was quite the showing!" Thomas yelled as the rest of the party stayed far away from the two of them. Most of them were staring at him wide-eyed, and then staring at the damage that was caused to the room. The damage would have been far larger if that barrier hadn't been in place.
Liu Zhigang still couldn't quite believe just how easily he was dispatched, and he was going all out from the very beginning. The first attack he launched was capable of one shotting the bosses of even A Ranked Gates, and yet it did nothing to the Demon Lord he had challenged.
No one here expected this kind of result to happen, not even him. Thanks to the Rulers, he was far more aware of things now, and he knew that challenging the apparent Demon Lord would likely lead to a difficult battle. He still believed he had a chance, and he wished to test himself.
Clearly he was a fool.
There was also the fact to consider that him challenging Demon Lord Felix was a not so subtle suggestion from some of his higher ups. Of course he could reject, and there was nothing anyone could do, but in the end he wanted a good fight, so he saw no reason to reject.
But it was always annoying when the bureaucrats played their games. Perhaps they were hoping to make Felix's image weaker, so he could be taken advantage of during this conference.
Yes, many would most certainly be seeking to take advantage of the so-called Demon Lord; many humans were simply foolish. They believed that they themselves were strong merely because they were allowed to order around Hunters to prevent disasters. They believed those Hunters' powers were their own, and they had allowed it to get to their head.
Of course, not all humans were like that, but corruption still existed, even in this world of theirs.
He still couldn't quite understand why even before his fight with Felix, they believed that they had a chance at controlling someone who was more than capable of destroying something the size of Jeju Island. Casually too, at that, as in the broadcast Liu Zhigang did not think it looked like Felix was exhausted whatsoever.
Even back then, he had been impressed with his power, let alone now after he had learned the whole story from his patrons, the Rulers. For Felix to have taken out three Monarchs at once showed an extraordinary amount of power, a level far beyond what mere mortals such as they could handle at this point.
But he wasn't going to allow that to be an excuse to continue slacking.
"How does it feel to get slapped around like that?" Thomas asked unashamedly.
Zhigang sighed. There was only a certain amount of Thomas he could deal with in one sitting, and he was quickly approaching his limit.
For lack of a better word, Thomas was simply a dick.
Still, his mother did not raise him to be rude and ignore others speaking directly to him. "It was… enlightening."
"Enlightening? Haha, sure, let's go with that! You even got your little sticks that you bragged about broken!"
His lips twitched at Thomas's comment. That was something that actually stung. Not just the fact that his prized blades were referred to as mere "sticks" by Thomas, but the fact that they had been broken.
He would have to take it to his primary artificer in the mainland, and he could only hope that the man would be able to repair his weapons. If not, then he would be without reliable weapons for quite some time.
Most weapons that he could get his hands on at this point were simply too weak. If he channeled too much of his mana through them, then they would shatter entirely, making them useless.
His current blades were the only ones he was able to acquire that could actually handle his mana.
Though he didn't blame Felix for breaking them. He was the challenger in the end, someone who was challenging a clear superior. He should be happy he didn't lose anything else and was only flicked around, even if that also stung his pride.
Thomas then for once took on a more serious note. "Did you get in contact with any of the others?"
Liu Zhigang immediately knew what Thomas was getting at. All of his fellow "vessels" as they had been labeled had been brought up to date about everything, and it was no coincidence that they were all in the area at this exact moment.
The Rulers were setting a trap, one meant to lure in the Monarchs in the hopes of picking a couple of them off. With all of them here, united, they could put up a fight against the Monarchs' limited quantity, or at least that was what the Rulers believed, and Zhigang was willing to bet on them.
Soon they would meet and arrange measures to be made aware of all of the others' status at all times. Perhaps it was a violation of privacy to some, but all of them knew it was needed.
Some of them needed more convincing, but it was still doable. They had already spoken to one another through a mental plane of sorts the Rulers had pulled them into, which was where the arrangements were made.
"Not yet." He shook his head. "But I imagine we will all meet soon."
Thomas nodded. "I suppose we will. Think any of them will give me a good fight?"
They had all known about one another as the top-most Hunters in the world, but most of them didn't know each other beyond that.
Zhigang sighed. "Who knows. Perhaps I would be able to accompany you, but my blades are broken."
Despite his opinions on Thomas, Zhigang couldn't deny Thomas was extremely capable and would give him a good fight.
Thomas grinned and cracked his knuckles. "That's why fists are supreme!"
Zhigang just sighed.
"Well, good luck. I'm sure those busy bodies are going to want to speak with you soon." Thomas said with a grin before he finally left him alone.
Once Thomas was gone, someone else approached him.
"Sung Jin-Woo. I've heard quite a lot about you." Zhigang commented as he turned around to face his newest visitor.
He had even learned Korean just to communicate with Jin-Woo. He managed to do so in a week or so.
"It's an honor to meet you." Jin-Woo greeted him.
He had learned all about the newest Shadow Monarch from the Rulers. They had pretty much told him, and all the other vessels, everything about what was occurring in this world of theirs. He knew about the Rulers and Monarchs, their eons long war, he knew about the Demon Lord's involvement in things, and he knew about Jin-Woo's place in everything as well.
"It is an honor to meet you as well, Shadow Monarch."
"It was a good fight." Jin-Woo commented.
He rolled his eyes. "There is no need to be polite. It was a steamroll, as the Americans call it."
Jin-Woo quirked a small smile. "I was trying to be polite." He just shook his head. "I just wanted to introduce myself." His gaze wandered to his shattered weapons. "I'm sorry about your weapons."
Zhigang just nodded, and with that, Jin-Woo turned around and left.
With that, the party came to a complete end.
- Felix -
"Have fun." I said to Rimuru and Milim as they got into the limo that was meant to escort them to the conference.
It was already the second day of the conference. Yesterday was the first day in which Rimuru went alone since Milim wanted to accompany me to have some fun around the city, which we did.
We went to a few shops that sold artifacts and just window shopped, since anything there was leagues below even the worst of what was available to us in the Cardinal World. Then we went to eat good food. We even went to a fancy ice cream place that makes the ice cream in front of you with liquid nitrogen, which Milim seemed pretty interested in.
I had already spoken to Rimuru about getting Milim some lessons in cooking sweets, since Shuna and one of her subordinates could make some really good stuff. He of course agreed right away, and once he got back, he'd make arrangements for Milim.
The first day for him went rather well. He took some notes on what kind of preparations had to be made to hold a conference of this scale, in case something similar was needed in the Cardinal World. He made a few deals, he gave some weaker blueprints that were adapted to this world's technology via Raphael, though funnily enough he was still playing hardball with China.
Lalatina and Megumin were also going about and doing their own things, and Veldora and Ramiris were in a different city at the moment. Apparently, there was some big anime merchandise store in that city and the two wanted to go, so Adam arranged it.
Once Rimuru and Milim left, it was just me left at the hotel. The date I planned with Othinus was going to be today, as it was pretty much the perfect opportunity. Though even after some time, I was still struggling to think of something for us to do. In the end, we both just decided to wing it.
'You ready?' I asked Othinus internally.
"Yes!" Othinus replied excitedly.
I raised my hand, and from the palm of my hand another body formed. This one was a Parallel Existence of mine, but it was adapted for Othinus, so that she could do whatever she wished with its form, as she did back in Lune when it was under attack.
Her core would still be inside my soul as it always was, but this way she was sort of extending her presence into the Parallel Existence. She would still be within me, so it wouldn't perfectly allow her to disassociate from her inherent state as a Manas, but she could just dull her senses from within her core, which would be close enough.
After a moment, Othinus was standing in front of me, already perfectly clothed for our date.
I had only seen her in her chosen physical form once before, so I took my time to give her a good look.
Othinus twisted her body shyly.
"I prefer to be united inside of you, Master. That is why I do not assume this form often." Othinus responded with a shy smile.
The gap moe was rather adorable. When she was inside me she was always so incredibly confident, but now she was acting nervous and shy, like a high school girl with her crush. Of course I was honored and happy to be the crush in question.
"Mou, stop teasing me, Master!" Othinus huffed as she crossed her arms under her bust.
Othinus was beautiful, there was no denying that. She was wearing a tight-fitting dress that hugged her figure, all while showing off only a hint of cleavage.
Othinus smiled smugly at me, all around she was radiating a smug energy, which fit Othinus. Though the occasional embarrassment, elation, and nervousness I could feel from our bond offset the smug aura quite a bit.
She shared similarities with the appearance of Othinus from To Aru, at least as many similarities as a real person could when compared to an animation.
Though my Othinus was slightly more curvy.
Othinus blushed at my thoughts. I could hide my thoughts from her if I wanted to, but in this case, why would I? They made for perfect teasing material.
Othinus let out a small sigh, clearly sensing the playful intent behind my unfiltered thoughts. "You're incorrigible." She huffed, though the way her lips curved upward betrayed her happiness.
"Well, you're the one who wanted to come on a date." I teased, offering her my hand.
Her green eyes flicked down to it for a moment before she took it, her smaller fingers curling delicately around mine tightly, almost as if she didn't ever want to let go, which felt… deep.
"Even should this date be nothing unique, I still look forward to it." Othinus said. "A date with my Master is an entirely different experience than simply… existing together." She said softly. "I wish to simply enjoy the moment with you, rather than think through an infinite amount of things in a single moment. I wish to experience that kind of 'normal' beside you from time to time."
I wasn't aware of Othinus's desire for something like that until this moment. She could easily hide her own feelings and thoughts from me just as I could with her, but I was more than fine if she just wanted to act like normal people in a normal world.
I suppose her perspective on what most people are like is rather warped. It was hard to imagine what sort of life she was living when she vicariously lived through me. She was always thinking at lightspeed, and always analyzing the surroundings to the highest level.
When considering that, I could more than understand why she just wanted a slow day now that she was in a physical body. Being restricted to the material world may be considered a disadvantage to some, but in this case, I'd consider it an advantage. I couldn't imagine seeing the world from Othinus's perspective.
"Then normal it is. We can just see where the day takes us."
Othinus gave me a genuine smile. "At least at the start, I would like that. Perhaps later the both of us can travel to that Hell dimension. I am rather curious about the Demons of this universe." She said thoughtfully.
"Ah, I did want to visit that place."
Early on Jin-Woo went through an artificial dimension that contained a variety of demons from hell. The dimension was modeled after his home city, except it was in ashes.
The demons from that dimension didn't actually originate from there, but rather were stolen from their home dimension by Kandiaru to serve as a trial for Jin-Woo.
Other than that, I knew pretty much nothing about the hell of this universe, so I wanted to visit it.
Perhaps there would be something of interest there. At least it would keep the two of us occupied and be something to bond a bit more over, not that our bond could really run any deeper at this point.
We stepped out of the hotel together. Despite how advanced the world was, it still felt wonderfully grounded compared to the Cardinal World. There weren't any crazy phenomena going on somewhere in the world and no crazy surges of energy somewhere that I could sense. It was peaceful, and while I still preferred the chaotic environment of the Cardinal World, this was nice as well.
Othinus was clinging to my arm as we walked, looking around curiously at everything on the streets. This hotel was known to be one where tourists would stay, so there were many attractions right outside of it. It was just smart business.
We strolled through the district for a while with Othinus basically drinking in every detail, all while she continued to cling to my arm affectionately. It was simple, but thanks to our connection, I could tell she was enjoying it. If she was happy, I was happy.
She stopped occasionally to peer through shop windows, pressing closer to my arm each time someone passed too near.
She of course drew many gazes, even in a world like this where attractive Hunters were practically put on display, she was a cut above the rest, and I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't enjoying the feeling of having her clinging to me.
I felt the subtle sensation of embarrassment through our connection at my thoughts, which only made me smile more.
Othinus turned her head up at me with a slight pout, her green eyes narrowing in mock irritation. "You're enjoying this far too much, Master."
"Can you blame me?" I replied lightly. "You're one of the closest people to me. Let me have my fun."
She smiled smugly, as if my response was only expected. Though even as she did that, I felt the spike in her emotions at my words. Inwardly, she was elated. She was just so easy to read.
It was something that showed just how inexperienced she could be regarding these kinds of things.
Wait a second! Othinus was born from Odin, Lord of Cursed Knowledge when I became a Daemon Duke a few years ago. Othinus herself wasn't even a year old…. Was I robbing the cradle!? Was the multiversal FBI going to come for me!?
Othinus gave me a half-lidded gaze. "No Master, the "multiversal FBI" will not be coming for you. Due to my processing speed, it can be said that I am eons old."
I let out a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
Wait, so Othinus was a hag then! I was the victim here, not her!
My lips twitched as she pinched the arm she was holding against herself. She purposely made it so I could feel the subtle sting of the pinch too.
Actually, a large portion of my lovers are way older than me. Was I groomed? Am I really a victim!? Nah, I'd take responsibility for my own actions. Some of them may eclipse me when it comes to age, but I was the one who either initiated or responded to their advances.
No regrets though.
The first half of our date continued like that, with nothing magical involved; just the two of us going around and looking at random things and talking about random things.
Othinus spoke about the hobbies she got up to when inside of me, which mostly just consisted of coming up with ideas for random new absurd Skills. She was a bit skill-obsessed, which probably came from me if I was being honest.
But there weren't even many hobbies that could entertain a being like Othinus in the first place, so if she found enjoyment in making random Skills, then by all means that was fine.
She was more introverted by nature, so she wasn't interested in speaking with others of her kind. Or maybe it was because Chronoa was the only option, but Raphael would probably join their numbers one day.
Othinus didn't personally seem to care for Chronoa whatsoever. In her own words, Chronoa was a bum of a Manas who wasn't even as capable as Raphael, Lord of Wisdom, which I didn't think was really fair.
Unlike Raphael or Odin, Chronoa wasn't born from a Skill. She didn't have inherent capabilities like a Skill would have. Almost all the significant things that Raphael and Odin could do, Chronoa would have to learn manually, which was no easy feat.
Othinus just liked to hate on Chronoa for some reason. Maybe Othinus would be a bit surprised after my fight with Chloe. Hopefully Chloe has used the months she's had to master her rather absurd power level.
"What do you think of Raphael anyway?" I asked as she continued to grip my arm against her bust, and led me down the street.
Othinus tilted her head to look at me, intrinsically understanding the intent behind my question. "Hmm, I suppose she can be considered my nerdy little sister."
I grinned. "You consider her a little sister?" That was good. More social relationships were always good. Even though I'm pretty sure neither Othinus nor Raphael would bother with one another when it came to my and Rimuru's priorities.
Manas and Skills like that were really intense like that. You could probably consider them yanderes by certain definitions.
"Hmm, I suppose I do." Othinus mused. "We were born at similar time periods, are of similar nature even if I am vastly superior,"
I rolled my eyes at Othinus' snide comment.
"and have both interacted with one-another frequently. I also enjoy stealing "candy" from my nerdy little sister."
"By candy you mean?"
"Data, of course. She works so hard to come up with new things for Rimuru. It is always enjoyable to have her do my work for me." Othinus smiled smugly.
For some reason, that made me imagine Raphael in humanoid form, wearing nerdy glasses and studying really hard, but then Othinus just comes into the room, snatches her homework, and then just leaves, all while calling Raphael a nerd insultingly.
"Spoken like an older sibling." I laughed.
I knew Othinus was at least a little fond of Raphael, though to this degree was surprising. Othinus could be extremely anti-social, to the point that, other than to me, she barely spoke to anyone else. It was nice to hear she had some quality interactions with Raphael, in that case.
We mostly already knew every little thing about each other, so we could skip the "getting to know one another" phase most relationships had starting out, and move straight into the enjoying one another's presence portion of a relationship. It wasn't like dates could only be to get to know one another. They could be meant to just have fun as well.
It was definitely a unique experience for me, one that even with my experience I had no idea how to navigate. But winging it seemed to be working for the time being as Othinus seemed to just want to be close to me in the same way my lovers were.
If you asked me, I'm pretty sure she was a bit jealous at the attention they were getting when compared to her, which is why she asked for this.
Despite being the closest person to me, and literally inside of me, she still desired my attention in other ways, and she hid all that under the smugness.
Though that smugness still wasn't fake. At this point I'm pretty sure the smug was an inherent part of her, but she also used it as a mask as I was now noticing.
It was especially obvious when she couldn't hide her feelings as easily right now due to being in a physical body made from me. When inside of me, Othinus would have an easier time maintaining the sassy and smug Manas.
From what I understood, it wasn't that we weren't intimate enough, because we certainly were, it was that she wanted to be intimate in other ways. She essentially wanted everything I was offering to others and more.
So basically as I thought, which was fine. It was a normal emotion to have and feel, and this was Othinus' way of making her feelings a bit more clear.
She just wanted the same treatment as my lovers, which could maybe even be my own fault. I recall that when I first got Odin and she began developing, that I'd enjoy having a partner that would fit my own ideal for companionship, someone who would essentially be my partner in every way that mattered.
I adored each and every one of my lovers, and despite each of them growing in their own way to become even more wonderful, my partnership with them would always be skewed in my favor.
Which I was fine with so long as they were also fine with it. It wasn't like that messed up our relationship. It just made our relationship a bit more odd than normal. By normal morals, it was wrong, but we never followed "normal" morals in the first place.
There was nothing normal about us. Luminous was a bit different as we were both fellow Demon Lords, and I was enjoying how our partnership was developing. Same with Hinata, though there was nothing concrete with her.
But with Othinus, when she was originally being "born", I wanted everything a full partnership would have; a being who was truly mine even in the most impossible of circumstances. My other half, essentially, which was only possible since she was born from a spark of my own desires and will.
That's what made me think that my own desires are a factor that caused Othinus to develop that desire herself.
She could, of course, steer it in a different direction, but with my own original desire mixing with hers led to her desires getting catapulted in intensity, which led to the almost overwhelming feelings of affection and intimacy I was getting from her almost 24/7.
It was seriously overwhelming, the constant need I got from her whenever I delved into her desires. Perhaps I was a bit dense as I only thought it was the need a partner would have for its other half in a more symbiotic way, but I knew better now. Othinus wanted what we already shared, and then some. I suppose she also inherited that greed from me.
So really, what was happening now was still the result of my own actions and desires, so it was only right that I take responsibility. Not that taking responsibility would be a catastrophic burden I'd be taking upon myself. I'd consider it the opposite of that, in fact.
Our date continued like that until the afternoon came around. We didn't do anything major, but I enjoyed just exploring around with Othinus, and talking about small things, even though we already knew pretty much everything about each other. Unlike what I expected, it really wasn't hard to get lost in the conversations with her.
To be honest, I wasn't sure of what to expect from this date due to my and Othinus' nature, but I was glad she asked me out. As if sensing my own thoughts, Othinus shot me a giddy grin.
Really, she was adorable. I'd thought that many times throughout this date, and I'd likely think it many more times.
Othinus turned to face me. She leaned forwards with a smile on her face. "Thank you for the date, Master!" She said cheekily. "I enjoyed myself. Indeed, it was nice to get to walk beside you rather than through you."
"I had a good time too, Othinus. And if you want, I can come up with some way to get you a body on more permanent terms if that's what you'd like."
She seemed to enjoy just going around with me side by side, even though our actions themselves were relatively mundane.
Giving her more independence would likely reduce the capabilities of hers that I'd be able to draw upon, but that was fine. Maybe at the start of my rise to power, I was carried to a certain extent by Cursed Sage, and then Odin, but I've quickly gone off on my own to the point that at this point I could say that my power was fully my own.
I had mastered everything I'd stolen from others to the point that I could call them my own. After all, there was no point in copying anything without mastery, as I would just be mediocre in all aspects then.
I did tend to have a good bit of free time here and there, after all. I'd have to be an idiot to not make use of it. Plus, my own Thought Acceleration which could make me capable of thinking at the speed of light, though I didn't use it to that extent.
With Thought Acceleration, I could do mental training which, while not as useful as physical and direct training, was still an excellent substitute.
Still, my calculation capabilities would certainly decrease, but if that's what Othinus wanted, then so be it. I respected our partnership and cared for her enough to let go a bit if she wanted more freedom.
A look of pure horror dawned her face. "No!" She yelled, gathering a few looks, which we of course ignored. "No, while I enjoyed the experience, I treasure the bond we share." She said firmly, and I could feel how much she meant it. I could tell that if I made her do such a thing such as be independent, it would break her.
Perhaps we were more codependent than we thought. Oh well, that's fine.
"I treasure it too. Let me know if you change your mind though."
I wanted to leave the option open for Othinus in case she desired such a thing in the future. Everything I knew about Manas as a species contradicted that possibility, especially Othinus in particular, but I also didn't know everything about the existence known as a Manas.
"That will never happen." She huffed with certainty. "Let's go to this universe's Hell dimension now." She said as she held her hand out for me to grab.
And so ended the first phase of this date.
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. The conference continues in the background, we get some more information about some things going on in the background of this world, but that wasn't really the main focus of the chapter. This chapter we finally get to see Felix and Othinus go on a date!
This chapter kinda bit me in the ass due to the reasons Felix mentioned, I was having trouble coming up with things to keep the date interesting but not boring to read, hopefully I managed that pretty well.
Felix came to a few realizations about his relationship with Othinus. I wonder what that means for the future? Totally not Othinus in a mating press. It's not selfcest! Probably.
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace!
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax
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