Rise of a Pretender Chapter 10

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…

The atmosphere turned tense as Furina’s chilling, blank gaze drilled into Astel. Every movement of wind against the curtains was palpable, easily louder than any other sound in the room.

Astel laughed.

As Furina stared at Astel with what was almost a pout, Astel laughed.

“What’s so funny!?” Furina demanded as Astel continued laughing like an idiot, a furious blush on her face at how amused Astel was when she was so upset. "I've been making sure our operation goes smoothly all morning, only to learn that you were frolicking with some girl!”

“Please forgive me for laughing, Lady Furina–I didn’t intend to annoy you.” Astel finally composed himself enough to reply as he apologized, still smiling widely at the flustered goddess glaring at him.

She was jealous. 

The Hydro Archon was jealous.

Not for any outstanding reason like Astel himself, but because Astel took the time to… ‘frolic’ with a girl when he was meeting up with her tonight.

She’s clearly been overthinking and preparing for the last two days, yet the moment she caught sight of Astel before their scheduled rendezvous, he’s… ‘fooling around’ with a pretty girl in full view of Fontaine’s citizens.

Not even trying to be discreet about it.

“Your intention clearly didn’t pass as intended, then.” Furina snarked with a raised chin, crossing her arms and turning away.

She was truly upset.

Astel’s wide smile softened slightly as he realized how displeased Furina truly was. He slowly stepped in front of her and kneeled, just as he did when they first met, summoning a scroll in his hands and presenting it to her.

“... I will be truthful with you, Lady Furina. I was not ‘frolicking’ today, as you seem to believe.” Astel smiled even as she narrowed her eyes at him unhappily. “I was hard at work… acquiring this.”

“Hmph! And what is within this parchment that is so impressive?” Furina harrumphed and grabbed the paper imperiously, unfurling it to read what’s inside with a frown. “If this is not sufficient to impress I, Focalors, then prepare to be thoroughly punishe-”

The paper fell from her hands.

It then slowly floated back into her hands just before hitting the ground, allowing her to confirm what she just saw once again.

*Astel, Founder of Teyvat International Trading Syndicate, vows to never speak, write, or divulge any information relating to the current Hydro Archon, Furina de Fontaine, to any individual.*

*Should Astel encounter or witness anything within their travels alongside Furina de Fontaine, they are obligated to, under no condition, mention such events.*

*Should Furina de Fontaine face any danger, Astel is to protect her life by any means necessary, ensuring that she’s never hurt under any circumstances.*

*The content of this contract is written and enforced under the purview of Lord of Geo, God of Contracts, Rex Lapis.*

*Those who dare break this contract shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock.*

At the bottom of the page, the unmistakable divine power of Geo glowed radiantly, signifying the authenticity of the contract and Morax’s enforcing of its content.

Furina gulped slightly as she felt the intense Geo energy before moving her gaze to a scribbled line in the contract that she barely managed to read. Her eyes widened as she did, a mortified blush covering her face…

In return: A kiss?

The line was scribbled out poorly, almost reluctantly…

“You had that on a contract with Rex Lapis as its witness!?” Furina practically shrieked while weakly smacking Astel’s face with the paper, unable to muster enough strength to truly hit him.

“Ah, yeah, he’s the one who told me to remove that condition. What a shame…” Astel sighed casually as he remembered, disappointed that he lost out on such an excellent opportunity.

“Are you insane?? That’s the Geo Archon!” Furina grabbed both sides of Astel’s head as she screamed, shaking him with genuine panic as she thought about how embarrassing that was.

And she wasn’t even the one there!

“What can I say… This is simply human nature, Lady Furina.” Astel smiled and tilted his head with a helpless shrug, as if he couldn’t control it. “With the chance to get a kiss on the cheek from the exalted Lady Furina herself, who could resist? It’s human nature to seek what seems so out of reach… yet so close.”

“...”

Furina was speechless. If the furious blush from before was intense, then her current face was downright violent.

Staring at the paper, she saw Astel’s signature at the bottom and a blank space for her to add her own signature.

“... Why?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking as the words left her lips before she could stop them.

Why would Astel go so far, to even seek the God of Contracts to oversee this contract, all for a set of conditions that only benefited her?

There was not a single benefit listed for Astel’s sake. Only several conditions, meticulously designed to leave no leeway for Astel to sidestep or break them.

All written by Astel himself.

Astel hummed softly.

There were several reasons. Many, many reasons for why he’d do this.

It would ensure that Furina felt slightly more at ease when interacting with him.

It would give him a reason to keep his little adventures with Furina a secret.

It was…

“For you.”

A million reasons, yet it all boiled down to two words.

Furina turned around and moved to her study, silently grabbing a pen.

She couldn’t turn around. Not right now.

‘It’s human nature to seek what seems so out of reach… yet so close.’

As she placed her signature on the paper and set the paper down, the parchment disappeared silently as Furina took a deep breath.

Slowly, she turned around and began approaching the still-kneeling Astel with purpose, her face hardening as her lips parted-

Chu!~

A small, fleeting kiss graced Astel’s cheek before the flustered goddess turned around and marched into a side room. 

“Wait for me on the balcony! Don’t you dare make a sound or leave until I return, alright?” Furina didn’t wait for a reply before slamming the door to the closet(?) room shut, leaving Astel to blink owlishly as he placed his fingers over where Furina kissed him.

“Huh…” Astel slowly lowered his hand with a small smile, shaking his head in amusement as he moved to wait on the balcony.

He wasn’t gonna complain about getting a kiss, no way.

Astel casually leaned back against the balcony railing as he stared at the moon, admiring its beauty while he waited for Furina to finish dressing (and panicking, since she was probably doing that inside the closet room).

SHATTER!

Astel tilted his head as he heard the sound of something shatter from below. Looking at a different balcony a story below his as he saw a maid staring up at him in shock with a jar, previously full with water, shattered at her feet.

Astel blinked.

He then smirked.

A bouquet of flowers appeared in his hands as he gestured to Furina’s room with his head before looking back to the maid, raising a finger in a shushing gesture.

The shattered jar at her feet slowly floated up and reformed perfectly into the maid’s hand while the water lagged behind just a second, stretching into a line as Astel manipulated it into the shape of a heart before having it slip back into the jar fluidly.

Then, a beautiful Rainbow Rose appeared in Astel’s free hand as he placed a small kiss on its petals before it was swept away by the evening breeze… and planted into the jar in the maid’s hands.

As the maid’s face gained an increasingly red hue, Astel delivered the killing blow by sending her a wink.

“K-Kyaaaaaah!” The wink was the straw that broke the camel’s back as the maid let out an embarrassed squeal before running out of the balcony and out of sight, leaving Astel to chuckle as he turned back to Furina’s room…

Only to find Furina staring at him with the most dead fish eyes he’s ever seen, the sheer judgement radiating from her gaze almost enough to bury him where he stood.

“A most radiant flower, you are, Lady Furina~.” Astel didn’t hesitate to immediately flirt with the newly arrived Furina despite her apparent anger, a smirk on his face as he stepped inside and presented the bouquet while admiring her ‘operation outfit’.

She has, very clearly, read too many mystery novels, and was wearing the classic detective clothing of a short, brown coat, an ‘inconspicuous’ hat (she would be spotted from a mile away with it on), and even had a pipe for good measure. With an outfit like that, she’d be hard pressed trying to walk down the street without being stared at, let alone patrol Fontaine undetected alongside Astel.

Still, she was stunningly adorable, as one would expect from the Great Lady Furina. Astel was more than capable enough to excuse her faux pas in her outfit, keeping her out of sight while they did all their ‘investigations’.

You’d be hearing no complaints from Astel! Nuh-uh!

“Not radiant enough to keep you from flirting even on my balcony…” Furina harrumphed even as she grabbed the bouquet angrily, pulling the flowers out of their wrap while marching over to her desk to throw some slightly wilting flowers into the trash and replacing them with Astel’s.

“Oh, that was most certainly not me flirting, Lady Furina. I wouldn’t dare.” Astel chuckled and shook his head with a sheepish smile, opening his arms innocently to show that he had nothing to hide.

“You expect me to believe that?” Furina crossed her arms while looking away, a pout on her face as she closed her eyes in displeasure.

Her eyes then widened to the size of dinner plates as she suddenly felt an unfamiliar arm wrap around her thin waist while a different hand gently tilted her chin to look into the electric, amused eyes of Astel.

“... Should you wish; I could show you what I’m like when I’m truly ‘flirting’, Lady Furina?” Astel offered with a quiet whisper, eyes slightly narrowed as he stared into Furina’s.

Furina’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to process the sudden change in atmosphere. A moment ago, she was ready to beat up the womanizer that flirted with several other women on the same day he was meant to meet her…

Astel’s amethyst eyes shined with a few sparks of lightning as they moved from her eyes to her lips for a few moments… before returning to her again.

Furina swallowed back some saliva.

Now, she was experiencing what the so-called ‘womanizer’ considered actual ‘flirting’!

“... You haven’t answered me, Lady Furina.” Astel’s quiet, deep voice pushed Furina out of her momentary daze as she jumped slightly in his grip before instinctively uppercutting Astel so hard that his body went flying to the other side of the room with strength that baffled even her.

She didn’t remember being this strong!

“A-Astel!” She called out in both concern and slight embarrassment, still very much affected by his earlier ‘flirting’ (That was a crime at this point!) even if she was concerned after her sudden burst of strength.

“A-Ah… As expected of the illustrious Hydro Archon.” Astel calmly stood up from the Astel-shaped indent in the wall, sweeping the rubble off his clothes as he smiled in awe of Furina’s power. “To think that I couldn’t even see that attack coming…”

Seeing that Astel was completely unharmed and unphased after the attack, even commenting in awe of her strength, Furina let out a sigh of relief before composing herself. 

“Why, this is simply the consequences of daring to tease your God, of course! Be grateful that I showed mercy by controlling my strength to not hurt you!” Furina proudly exclaimed while puffing her chest out and extending her arm out with the elegance and eminence of an Empress.

… Little did she know, Astel was the one who sent himself flying.

“You’re truly incredible, Lady Furina! Could you find it in your heart to forgive me for my mistakes?” Astel happily praised Furina, even asking for forgiveness for ‘daring’ to tease her.

“Hmph! While you may have overstepped your mortal authority, let it be known that the God of Justice is merciful! You are forgiven for all your mistakes!” Furina crossed her arms and raised her chin before finally forgiving Astel, freezing less than a second after she finished speaking. “... Mistakes?”

“Ah, Lady Furina is truly the most benevolent God in all of Teyvat… To even forgive my future sins of teasing my own God again, I am blessed!” Astel sighed contently while smiling brightly, clearly overjoyed with Furina’s forgiveness of all his past and future teasing.

“What- No- I- YOU!” Furina tried to backtrack after realizing her mistake, but quickly realized that Astel was just teasing her again.

She quickly began chasing after him with fury coloring her blushing face as the two ran around the room, with Astel deftly avoiding Furina’s furious flails while Furina tried to replicate her earlier feat of strength once more to vent her anger.

At some point, Astel began laughing as he avoided a projectile pillow thrown by the angered Furina, only to trip on the blanket drooping from the side of the bed as he fell to the ground unceremoniously. In response, Furina herself began laughing just as hard as she quickly dashed at Astel’s prone form, lunging forward before he could get up to push him back down against the ground as she pinned him down to the floor with her body.

“Now I’ve got you, my unfilial sidekick!” Furina declared victoriously while grinning as she made sure he couldn’t stand up by placing all of her weight over his chest, making sure his head didn’t move either as she wrapped her small, soft hands around his neck with an eager grin.

Astel raised an eyebrow as he she pinned him so thoroughly to the ground, keeping him from getting up… while also sitting in a rather precarious position atop him.

Furina soon realized what she was doing as well, her panicked eyes darting from where she sat atop his firm chest to where her hands wrapped around his neck tightly.

“I-” “... Is that it?”

Furina was interrupted as Astel smirked and questioned her, raising his hands from next to him to grab hers… and gently press them tighter around his neck.

“W-What…?” Furina questioned with a slight crack in her voice, her eyes widening and breath hitching as she felt his pulse beneath her fingertips.

“... This much pressure isn’t enough, Furina. You’ll need a lot more than just that…” Astel whispered with an entrancing, light quality in his voice that wasn’t previously present.

Furina found herself bewitched as her mind was suddenly filled with a haze, her lips parting breathlessly as her hands moved without her consent… Her grip over Astel’s neck slowly tightened further and further as Furina’s eyes watched Astel’s face intently as his breathing became more and more difficult, a hint of drool gathering at her lips as her eyes became more and more lidded…

“M-More…” Astel’s whispered encouragement only enticed Furina further as she felt her body heating up, her hands tightening around his smooth, hard neck until she could see Astel’s eyes clouding from the lack of air.

As Furina got more and more carried away, a hint of fascination filled her mind as she continued her actions, watching Astel’s every reaction intently-

Knock Knock!

Furina jumped off Astel’s chest with the velocity of catapult, almost crashing into the bedside cabinet if not for the sudden appearance of Astel behind her, catching her and setting her down before disappearing a mere moment before the maid knocking on the door stepped into Furina’s chambers, pausing as she saw the disheveled state of the previously pristine room.

“Lady Focalors!? What happened here?” Seeing the Goddess sitting on the floor while pillows and papers decorated the floor all around her, the maid exclaimed in shock and quickly moved to Furina’s side as the mortified girl froze.

Countless thoughts and emotions raced through her mind as she remembered every moment of what she had just done, shame coloring her cheeks with a furious red as she remembered every touch and every sensation vividly. 

She, the noble and fair Hydro Archon, had just pinned her newly acquired sidekick to the floor before choking him till his face reddened and his breath hitched. Till his eyes lidded and his body stilled…

All of that… and she somehow enjoyed it!?

“Shameful!!!” Furina suddenly exclaimed loudly in outrage, startling the maid next to her as her Archon screamed so abruptly.

“M-My Lady?” The maid stuttered, trembling, as Furina suddenly jumped to her feet with unmatched grace and glared down at her.

“Fifi! Send for someone to repair and clean-up my room!” Furina ordered the maid authoritatively, as the maid quickly bowed. “I’ll be out on an important errand–I expect this room to be pristine upon my return!”

As she spoke, Furina slowly moved to the balcony, climbing up the railings with all the grace of the Hydro Archon before taking a deep breath and turning around to look at her maid.

“I must instill justice upon those who dare corrupt the purity of Fontaine!” Furina declared with a hint of grievance, hinting at more than just the criminals she was out to catch and implicate in court. “Await my arrival, Fifi… Au revoir!”

With a farewell, Furina let out the breath she was holding and leaned back with her eyes closed, trusting in Astel to catch her as she began plummeting to the ground for a mere few seconds before her lithe body found itself within a strangely, now-familiar pair of arms.

Furina opened her eyes to find herself slowly descending through the air in the arms of a slightly amused Astel, staring at her with a raised eyebrow as he slowly hovered down from the Palais Mermonia amidst the beautiful nightlights and beneath the calm moon before disappearing moments before the people walking through the streets could spot them in the air.

They reappeared less than a moment later atop a distant building, far from where Furina’s quarters were as Astel gently set Furina down once they safely touched the ground.

“Was Lady Furina testing me by doing that, by any chance?” Astel asked after suppressing his amusement as Furina positively preened, clearly quite pleased with the thrilling fall she experienced.

“Huh?” Furina tilted her head in confusion at Astel’s words, not realizing the error of what she just did.

“While Lady Furina would’ve undoubtedly been fine without my intervention, you were testing if I’d still come to your aid, isn’t that correct?” Astel pushed Furina towards what her mistake was as Furina’s smile froze.

Furina… was the ‘Hydro Archon’.

A little jump like that was meant to be nothing for her, so Astel’s timely rescue wasn’t supposed to be ‘necessary’.

Had Astel chosen not to interfere… She’d be plummeting to the ground while unable to do anything about it.

“A-Ah…” As Furina registered the rather grave mistake she’s made, her thoughts halt as dread overwhelms her for a moment before she quickly manages to compose herself. “O-Of course! I’ve known your chivalrous nature well since our first meeting, so I thought I’d test your resolve once more for good measure!”

Furina’s face reflected none of the inner turmoil inside her, emitting the undeniable pride and authority of the Hydro Archon.

“... Still, that was quite reckless of you, Lady Furina. Please be more careful in the future, at least for my peace of mind’s sake.” Astel insisted, a small frown on his face as he hovered around the secretly flustered Furina.

“Ahem… Ease your worries, my dear sidekick! One as powerful as myself cannot be harmed by such mundane things.” Furina reassured confidently, hiding her own panic at her mistake. She’d definitely be following that advice, even if she said otherwise. “I was merely double-checking your capabilities as my sidekick. In case I need to use your strength in the future, you know? It’s quite boring being so powerful; capable of doing anything…”

“... In that case, I request that you never use your power while I am around, Lady Furina.” Astel nodded seriously to Furina’s words and made his request, taking her by surprise. “... There is nothing I’d hate more than for you to find our partnership boring or tedious. If Lady Furina allows it, I wish to vow never to let you raise a finger, relying solely on her sidekick.”

Astel, once again, kneeled before Furina, mitigating the noticeable height difference between them and lowering himself to just a few inches beneath Furina’s chin in a proper curtsy from sidekick to… master(?).

“Make my strength your own, Lady Furina. There won’t be a day where you’ll need to rely on your own as long as I’m around.” Astel promised earnestly, looking up at Furina with shining amethyst eyes. “... Could you let me do that?”

Furina didn’t reply right away, speechless at how… ‘Astel’ Astel was being. If she wasn’t so touched by every word he kept saying, she’d probably be exasperated with how many times he kept surprising her with his ‘devotion’. 

Suddenly, she wasn’t so suspicious about his supposed ‘commitment to justice’, having seen firsthand how well he was treating her simply because she was the God of Justice.

Now she felt kinda guilty, taking advantage of such a devoted, ‘noble’ man by deceiving him like this…

“A-Ah… Your devotion is truly commendable, even amongst all of my past and present admirers, Astel.” Furina cleared her throat and spoke with a hint of embarrassment, a small smile on her lips despite her guilt. “... If you insist, then this Archon shall grant you the honor of becoming her strength! Rejoice, my dear sidekick, for I officially acknowledge you as my… Divine Paladin!”

Astel blinked at the new moniker he was just granted, standing up now that Furina had acknowledged and accepted his request. Then he smiled a little in amusement, thinking over the new title.

“You truly spoil me with such a virtuous title, my lady!” Astel commented with palpable gratitude, looking quite pleased. “To be called the Paladin of Divine Justice… It is an honor.”

“Paladin of Divine Justice…” Furina repeated thoughtfully, a hint of intrigue and giddiness at having created such a thing in the heat of the moment. It was like the Marechaussee Hunters of Neuvillette, except she was the one who created this new position! 

She could already imagine all the stories people would create, idolizing her Paladin and praising them for their virtuous deeds while she was revered for having chosen such a worthy champion… Their achievements would become hers!

The ground she walked on would be worshipped! (It already was, but more people would do it!)

“Ehehehehe…” Furina began giggling dazedly as she imagined all the praise and valor she’d gain in the future, daydreaming about being admired by the masses and having Neuvillette admit that she’s more competent than him.

Astel just smiled, not at all bothered by Furina’s mischievous giggles or foreboding smile. He’d naturally help her with her machinations as long as she was happy.

“A-Ahem… Astel.” Furina composed herself after realizing too late that she was exposing her true thoughts to Astel as she cleared her throat and acted like nothing was wrong, calling out his name to grab his attention. “While I have no doubts about your investigative capabilities and prowess in the courtroom, as my personal Divine Paladin, I must still ascertain your physical ability and power…”

Furina had to ensure that her champion could actually beat people up if needed! While he was more than capable enough as an attorney, it’d be even better if he was a decent fighter!

She didn’t see a Vision on him, though… Yet he could somehow teleport around? Could he even manipulate any of the Elements?

As long as he could match at least a common Garde of Fontaine, Furina won’t complain!

“... There are only a few individuals in Teyvat that I would confidently say I cannot escape from, but if it comes to actual combat…” Astel hummed thoughtfully as he thought of his own capabilities, knowing full-well that he was perfectly capable of escaping just about anyone if it came down to it, but if forced to fight… “In Fontaine, the only two individuals I have absolutely no chance against for now are the Iudex of Fontaine, Neuvillette, and the Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers.”

Furina’s bright smile froze.

“Eh?”

‘What do you mean by only two people!? You don’t even have a vision!’

“S-Surely that can’t be the case, Astel… What about the exalted Champion Duelist!? Surely you couldn’t beat her?” Furina hid her inner thoughts as she questioned Astel, having seen Clorinde’s prowess many times in her duels. “You don’t even have a… vision…”

Furina’s words trailed off as Astel raised his hands, summoning all seven elements around him as seven orbs of glowing energy orbited around his body like planets, each a different color from the other, yet brimming with powerful energy all-the-same.

“That is not normal!” Furina blurted out in shock, forgetting her earlier words as Astel proved her wrong by not just manipulating an element, but manipulating all of them at once.

“Clorinde… She’d definitely be a tough match, I’ll admit. I’d love to face her at some point to test her strength.” Astel still answered Furina’s earlier question, even after displaying his Elemental Mastery. “I can’t confidently say that I’d beat her every time if we fought or anything like that, but I could easily escape her if necessary and I wouldn’t doubt my chances against her if I went all out.”

After all, Astel was an unknown element (heh) to Clorinde, capable of several things that she’s undoubtedly never encountered before. It’s not just a battle of strength, Clorinde is simply incapable of predicting all the bullshit Astel is capable of. She barely fends off the combined might of seven different elements bombarding her from all sides, only for Astel to appear behind her, whispering “Nothing Personal, Kid” and then smacking her from the back.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg, too. Without sufficient knowledge of what Astel is capable of, Clorinde’s superior skill and experience are negated completely by Astel’s sheer firepower and numerous techniques and abilities.

That’s why Astel didn’t say he’d confidently beat her every time. With every battle between the two, Clorinde would learn more and more of Astel’s capabilities, lasting longer and longer against him until she could match him… or so Astel wanted to believe. He hasn’t really faced someone on her level in a fight yet, sadly…

Except Eula, but that was Estel, and Eula took it easy on Estel as Estel isn’t as strong as Astel. Not with fewer elements than Astel.

Astel wanna fight someone strong too! Hmph…

Furina stared speechlessly as Astel seemed to contemplate battling the Champion Duelist, leaving her with a mixed feeling of horror and pride as she realized just how powerful her ‘champion’ turned out to be.

She thought they were playing in a mystery novel, not an Inazuman, Shonen light novel!

Still, she couldn’t help but be pleased with her sidekick… What other Archon can claim to have such a powerful retainer of such power!? Capable of manipulating all the elements- wasn’t she basically the Archon of all elements now??

“Hohoho! As expected of my Paladin of Divine Justice! Whether it’s Cryo, Pyro, or the most powerful of all–Hydro, my sidekick can enact my authority using all the elements!” Furina laughed proudly as she gloated about her Astel, her earlier daydreams returning with a vengeance as she now imagined vanquishing all foes of Fontaine and displaying her might to all of Teyvat.

Who would dare threaten her anymore?? She was the Hydro Archon, for Focalors’ sake!

“I couldn’t exactly call myself the ‘Ace Attorney’ if I wasn’t able to take matters into my own hands when necessary now, could I?” Astel asked amusedly as Furina gloated about his power like it was completely unprecedented. She has seen him teleport around across Fontaine effortlessly. She could’ve at least given him a little credit and assumed he wasn’t completely incompetent.

At the very least, he could teleport behind someone and then shoot them in the head with a gun. That’s pretty much enough for just about everyone in Fontaine, if not Teyvat.

Anyone not extremely exceptional.

“Oh? You’re quite mistaken, my dear sidekick!” Furina raised an eyebrow at Astel’s words before laughing imperiously and placing her hands on her hips to puff her chest out. “I could easily sense how powerful you were this entire time, I was simply testing your mentality and probing your capabilities–a common tactic in our investigative work!”

She lied as easily as she breathed.

“Incredible… Your wisdom and techniques are something to behold, Lady Furina.” Astel’s expression was awed as he clapped, praising Furina’s abilities as Furina puffed her chest out smugly.

Throughout Celestial & Teyvat, He Alone Was… The Biggest Simp.

“You will learn my ways in time, my dear sidekick! I would never deprive you of my teachings, after all.” Furina promised with a smirk, finally turning around and stepping forward to stare down at her people imperiously. “But that shall come later–For now, we have our first investigation to commence!”

“I’m yours to command, Lady Furina.” Astel stood at Furina’s side with a small smile as he watched her, her bright eyes shifting over the crowds as she admired the rowdy yet warm atmosphere of her land.

“Hmph… Then let your strength be mine for today, Astel.” After snapping out of her momentary daze, Furina turned to Astel with a smirk, clearly happy despite everything that’s happened today. “Now… Um…”

As Furina was about to command Astel on what to do, she suddenly realized that she didn’t actually know how he usually patrolled or investigated.

How does one locate, investigate, infiltrate, and then act as an attorney all at once? 

“Shall I take the lead for now and show you how I usually go about my daily operations?” Astel helpfully offered as soon as he saw Furina pause, not allowing the silence to stretch more than a second as she easily recovered thanks to him.

“You stole the words right out of my mouth! Very well, take us away, Astel!”

…

…

The choking scene was absolutely integral to the plot of the story, I solemnly swear.

The Greatest Actor in Existence needs a little BDSM action every now and then, too...