"Heavy..." Lone grumbled as he opened his eyes only to greeted by a system message.

Congratulations! The host’s passive skill [Sex Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

Lone groaned. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m a beginner.”

He must have missed the notification after he and Soph finished training that particular skill.

Regardless, he glanced down at the sleeping beauty laying on top of him and he smiled.

She yawned and blinked a few times in confusion, seemingly having been woken by his words. Once she recognised that she was on top of him, she smiled.

Soph raised her head and kissed him softly. "Morning."

‘What a perfect way to start the day.’ Lone thought before he returned her smile. "Yeah, morning."

They both slowly disentangled from one another and got dressed.

“This form is so stuffy…” Soph murmured while glancing down at her adult body.

“You’re just not used to it. Besides, no matter how comfy you find your other forms, you’re drop-dead gorgeous in that one. Plus, you act more mature when you look like that for whatever reason,” Lone noted.

Soph blushed as she slipped on her shirt. “It’s weird to act like a child when I don’t look like one. It just feels more natural to be more… mature, you said right?”

Lone shrugged. “You’re still you at the end of the day but yeah, I guess it is a little weird. Have you tried to fuck around with that body at all?”

“You mean other than with you?” Soph teased. “No. I’m loyal.”

“Hah, not what I meant but I appreciate the humour. I mean Body Manipulation, your skill. It’s pretty useless beyond maybe shifting mid-fight to throw someone off balance. It’s got to have more uses since it’s a unique skill just like Teleportation, Mental Destruction or the other skills we have,” Lone explained.

Soph frowned. “I have tried but I don’t really know what to do…”

“Shame. Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually. I was lucky to develop Bone Armour from Basic Regeneration. You’re even luckier than I am if your status is to be trusted, right?” Lone encouraged.

Soph smiled. “Right. I won’t stop trying until something happens, at least.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Lone replied.

Once they were finished getting dressed, they left the inn though not before Sophie took control of Soph’s body.

She was the far better actor when it came to playing the disinterested noblewoman, after all.

Their goal today was to find a library and perhaps probe some people on how restrictive the rules on magic and leaving the country truly were.

Three hours meandered on by as the morning slowly rolled into the afternoon.

"No library, huh?" Lone sighed as he looked at the small miscellaneous store that sold a variety of things which was in front of him and Sophie.

One of the things it sold was books, or so the sign out front said. "Here's hoping it has some stuff on common knowledge and not some obscure shit like how best to pickle a potato or whatever."

Sophie, who was holding into his arm for perceived guidance, shrugged and whispered, "We can only hope. By the way, someone has been following us for the past ten minutes."

Lone's eyes sharpened. "Are you sure?"

Sophie nodded. "There's three of them. One has a lot of mana, but the other two seem fairly ordinary. It was hard to tell at first, but they've consciously been maintaining a distance of no closer than 20 metres from us."

Lone frowned. "Hopefully they're just curious about me because of my rare heritage."

Sophie shrugged once again. "They have no extremely strong emotions. Or at least, none that we can feel through their mana like with Soph and the elven women."

"That's good, I suppose. Well, for now, let's buy some books. Information is key if we want to get anywhere fast here," Lone said and then lightly pulled his 'master' into the store.

A small bell rang as the two entered the shop. The somewhat bored-looking old man behind the counter gave them a cursory glance and whistled.

"It's rare that such a good lookin' demi is wanderin' 'round these here parts. Whatcha lookin' for, young man, or are ye actually a few hundred or thousand years old? It's always hard ta tell with you demis," the wrinkled man asked with a toothy grin.

'What? So demis are long-lived? Or maybe free from the risk of ageing entirely? Interesting. He also doesn't seem racist... I think. That's a great start,' Lone thought privately.

He cleared his throat and returned the old man's smile with his own. "I'm young, thank you. My master here loves books. Well, she loves it when I read them to her. Would it be possible to buy all of your books? The topic doesn't matter."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Ah’m an old man with enough money ta buy a store that sells books an’ enough smarts ta hold onto it in a country more rotten than ma chamber pot. Ah can see a lie when it slaps me across the face..”

He chuckled, revealing his yellowed teeth once more. “Ye’r clever actin' like a slave, I’ll give ye that. It'll keep some folk away. Can't fool me though. Ye might wanna brush up on those there actin' skills of yers, Son. I hope yer strong enough te defend yerselves. 'Cause if ye don't go lookin' fer trouble, ye can bet yer sweet arses it'll come lookin' for you. S'not every day a Golden Foxkin appears."

Sophie tensed up and prepared to kill the man instantly but he just laughed. “Thick bloodlust. C’mon, I’m no danger. I’ve got skills ta help with this kinda stuff. Most merchants do. If I was gonna rat ye’s out, why in the name ah the Primals would I tell ye about mah suspicions?”

Sophie didn’t move but she remained vigilant.

The bookseller smiled and cracked his back before he began walking around the room collecting tomes as he hummed a little song that Lone didn't recognise.

"Um..." Lone was a bit lost for words. "How'd you know, sir?"

The shopkeeper laughed. "'Sir'. That's a good'un."

He turned to look at Sophie and smirked. "The girl was a massive giveaway outside ah mah skills. She's pretty smitten with ye. I can smell 'er feelin's from a mile away. Looks like ye return 'em too. I ain't ever 'eard ah a slave in love with ‘er master. Sure, it 'appens, but a slave like you?”

He laughed so loudly it was like the mere notion of such a thing had set a fire in his belly.

“Not a chance. I ain't no powerful sage or nutin', but I can tell ye right now, a guy like you, being enslaved to a girl like her? Never. I could be wrong, but I'm willin' to bet that I'm not. I’ve travelled enuff ta ‘ave actually left this pisshole of a kingdom once or twice," the elder claimed.

Lone's eyes widened for a moment before he smiled in defeat. "Wouldn’t happen to have any advice for us then, would you? You said you’ve no plans to reveal our little charade, which I really appreciate, but a few words of wisdom would go a long way."

The merchant shrugged. “Most won’t be able ta tell, trust me. Some merchants might but they likely won’t care. Best ta shop alone though I guess.”

He scratched his head before shaking it. “Nah, not this book.”

“I see…” Lone said. “Any advice regarding the ban on magic or leaving the country before our temporary citizenship expires?”

“Aye… First, don’t use magic, second, don’t leave until it expires,” the old man laughed. “Why? Plans to go slingin’ spells or flee this lovely little shitstain on Teresta?”

‘Teresta? Is that the continent’s name? Also, I thought old people tended to be more patriotic… Well, it’s helpful that he doesn’t like this place much, if nothing else,’ Lone thought.

He then smiled awkwardly. “Not exactly, but I certainly don’t like being restricted.”

The old man nodded. “Fair ‘nuff. Can’t be usin’ magic unless ye’r allowed ta by the royals. That - or ‘ere’s something they don’t publicise much - join the guild.”

Lone raised an eyebrow. “A mage’s guild?”

“Nah, we don’t got nutin’ like that here in rural ol’ Milindo. We do got an Adventurer’s Guild though. Only one office which is up in the Capital, the Holy City of Ranton. Adventurers aren’t looked upon very well by the officials but commonfolk like you or I appreciate ‘em,” the man explained.

He wandered back to his counter and placed seven books on it. “They get shit done way quicker an’ better than the army even ‘as. Plus, ye can use magic all ya want since they’re a foreign force. Might even be able ta invalidate a temporary citizenship legally fer ya. Dunno though.”

Lone wore a thankful expression on his face. “That’s all very useful information. Thank you.”

The bookseller sat back down on his stool and smiled again. "These'll be two silvers,” he said, gesturing to the books. “I’ll take 50 coppers for the advice. I’ve no ‘ate fer yer kind nor love for my country, but I do ‘ave a bottom line that needs ta be met.”

Lone reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. It was one of the few that he had plundered from the Goblin King’s throne room.

"Here. I really appreciate your kindness," Lone said.

After Lone had picked up the books and was walking out of the store with Sophie, the shopkeeper said, "Good luck out there, son."

Lone nodded in response. As soon as he and Sophie were back on the cobbled street, he looked at Sophie. “Luck, huh?”

She replied, “That was an incredibly lucky encounter. Such a useful stat.”

Lone slowly grinned. "So… you're 'smitten' with me, now are you?"

Sophie scowled. Her cheeks were red as she glared at Lone with her lifeless eyes. "That senile old man was clearly blinder than we are. Of course we have no feelings for you."

Lone chuckled. "You're just as cute as Soph is, but only when you're flustered. How weird."

Sophie scoffed and simply moved on, choosing not to take his bait unfortunately enough. "The three people from earlier are watching us. We're hiding our mouth from them since we are supposed to be mute, but what shall we do?"

Lone wore a serious expression. "I guess we find a deserted alley and confront them. Either that or we act like we haven't discovered them. What do you want to do?"

Sophie shrugged. "We are confident that we can handle them. Teleportation should be enough to cripple them."

"Morbid," Lone replied. "Fine. Let's find out what their goal is then."

Five minutes later, Lone and Sophie were now in a fairly isolated road between two buildings. Hardly wide enough to be called a street, but not narrow enough to justify being an alleyway.

Books still held in his hand since he didn't want to expose his Dimensional Storage ability, Lone spoke loudly, "We know you're there. Come out now and explain why you're following us."

“Didn’t expect you to be able to detect us, honestly, what with you two being H-rankers,” a man in a well-fitting robe said as he and two other men revealed themselves.

One had a sword at his waist and a shield strapped to his wrist. The other was short and rattish but had a few daggers affixed to his thing-guards.

Lone frowned as he readied himself for a fight. “Can we help you?”

The robed man shook his head. “No, but we might be able to help you. You see, we’re adventurers. Quite powerful adventurers, even. For this shithole anyway. The lord here wants us to scope you two out for him.”

‘Scope us out? Why? We’re not that extraordinary, are we?’ Lone thought.

“Haha, I understand that look,” the adventurer chuckled. “We’re gonna do our jobs because who’s to say what that overweight pig of a lord really wants, right? Could just be investigating a strange couple of foreigners. Unlikely, but possible. However, he didn’t order us to tell you to fuck off.”

The rattish rogue nodded. “Ain’t no good ‘at came come out of a nine-traited beastkin in these parts. Ma money’s on the lord wantin’ ya as a sex toy.”

‘Nine traits? My tails? So nine isn’t the normal number for Golden Foxkin?’ Interesting information, Lone felt.

The warrior of the group nodded. “The guildmaster up in the holy city is a beastkin too. We’d be hung if our work here led to something bad happening to you. By the way, I have to ask, is she really your master?”

He then ran his finger across his neck as if to signify that they were willing to kill her to set him free if need be.

Lone shook his head. “She isn’t. It just seemed like a good cover story,” he admitted.

These three individuals had him on edge. Something about them made him feel like they could kill him at the drop of a hat.

Even if he could handle two of them with his Mental Destruction, the third would surely get him. ‘Just how strong are they? I guess I have to thank Sophie’s Luck stat for them having a conscious.’

The robed one nodded. “As good a story as any. Head to Ranton. Join the guild. If it comes up, say we helped you, would you? A favour for a favour and what not. I wasn’t kidding when I said the guildmaster dotes on his kind. Heck, anything not human he gives extra care to. Our group’s called Iron Tong, by the way.”

‘Ah, selfish motives. Now that, that I can trust,’ Lone thought. “We can do that. Why Iron Tongs though?”

The robed man laughed. “I was a blacksmithing apprentice before my mana organs awakened. Funny how life works sometimes, eh?”

As soon as the adventurer’s had left, Lone turned to Sophie. “We'll do as they and the shopkeeper suggested. Becoming an adventurer will at least make it legal for us to use magic and give us a net of protection from the sounds of things. Do you mind teleporting us as far north as your mana will allow?"

"We do not. We can do so without risk of discovery, but what of the ship?" she replied with her own question.

Lone shrugged. "Who gives a fuck? I can build a new one later if we ever need to sail again. It’s a shame Soph can’t work on her new skill, but our safety matters more right now. We need to get out of Ros as fast as possible. I don’t trust the intentions of a lord who doesn’t approach us himself but instead hires people to probe us.”

Sophie didn’t argue against his points.

"We can agree with that," she said before grabbing his arm and activating her unique skill. The two vanished instantly.

Ten minutes later, in the city lord's keep, three men stood before the ruler of the city.

His flabby face wore a frown at these men not bowing or kneeling before him, but they were all B-rankers, so he couldn't risk offending them right now. "Well? I trust that you have good news?"

The middle man of the three, the warrior with the longsword strapped to his waist and kite shield, replied, "Yup. They're both H-rankers."

"Are you certain?" the lord questioned with his anxiety clearly on display.

The adventurer clicked his tongue and picked at his ear with his pinkie finger. "Look, we did the job. Pay us. They're both H-rankers, okay?"

"Of course, of course. You," he said as he pointed at a servant, "go fetch me three white-gold coins."

The rogue grinned and asked, "What, ye don't 'ave the coins on 'and?"

The city lord wore an apologetic face. "No. I didn't expect you to accept the commission so fast, nor did I expect you to complete it so soon."

The glasses-wearing robed adventurer stroked his beard and hummed lightly. "Understandable. We were rather fast."

He readjusted his grip on his magic cane and smiled, seemingly amused by something but the lord didn’t bother asking what.

It would only make the unruly adventurers respect him even less which he simply could not allow. Let the petty men keep their petty secrets.

A few minutes later, the servant returned, and the men were paid. One white-gold coin was worth 100 gold coins, so they had made off quite handsomely.

The second they left the audience room, the city lord's face morphed into one of rage. "Impudent adventurers! Not showing me even a modicum of respect! If they weren't protected so fiercely by that guildmaster of theirs, then I'd have their blasted heads!"

A mere second later, the doors to the room swung open again. Gazing at his hall’s new intruder, the city lord's face regained some composure. It was the blonde-haired rogue who he had on his payroll.

"Well? What have you come here for, Ceela?" He was certain that he had ordered her to watch the foxkin and the foreign noble until she was given further instructions.

"L-Lord Griffset... T-They disappeared... T-The two of them are no longer in Ros..." Her face was pale, and her eyes were plastered to the floor as if she had been charmed by the velvet carpet.

"They... what?" The city lord was hoping that she was mistaken. "You were a fool to return if what you say is true. You know what becomes of those I deem incompetent, yes? Your life in Milindo will be over. A difficult task I could forgive, but something so mundane? All I asked of you was to watch two people! Two people who I’m told are nothing more than H-rankers!"

"Y-Yes, Lord Griffset. Please... command me to hunt them down. I will not fail you again. They simply used a trick on me. I won't be fooled twice," Ceela begged.

Had she chosen to run, her family would be sold into slavery and she would have eventually been caught to join them in such a sorry existence. Such was the fate the lord decided in his mind.

Her willingness to prove herself though gave him cause to rethink.

"Hmm... Very well. They are only H-rankers as I said. I can’t imagine they’ve gone far if they left the city. Every second wasted is another step taken by them away from Ros. Go. Find them. There will be no more chances." His eyes were cold, and despite his rotund figure and lacking strength, he was putting vast amounts of pressure on the C-ranked girl.

"Y-Yes! I won't fail you again, Lord Griffset!" She practically slammed her head onto the floor as a show of loyalty.

"Good. Should you find out that they have a set destination, return and bring Bastion with you. He needs the experience. Otherwise, offer to buy the fox from the noblewoman. Should she decline an offer of ten ruby-gold coins, kill her. I'd rather acquire the fox legally to avoid any trouble, but the risk of offending foreign nobility is worth the gains I stand to acquire should it prove necessary." After saying that, the city lord didn't wait for a reply and left the hall.

He was hungry, so it was time for lunch. No matter the events of today, he still had to eat to maintain his overflowing, as his wife put it, ‘health’.