Paige, somehow and for some reason, felt like a younger sister to him. She felt someone he would be happy to take care of until she was strong enough to stand on her own feet. This was despite him having slept with her arms last night. Despite the fact that he would want to make love with her again until she had that look on her face. The look of pure bliss from being humped silly.

The pat on her head felt natural and she liked it albeit a little surprised. He could literally feel the warm bubbly feeling bursting inside her from the link they now shared. The Oath had worked as she had told him, it was just its method of implementation might need to change. It was obvious if someday he would tie an Oath with a guy.

Artus hesitated at the beginning. One part of him figured that it would be very stupid to not accept the offered Oath, well, especially along with unlimited access to a fine girl. However, the other part of him didn’t want his connection to her to be only based on physical attraction and a magical link called the Oath. 

It was a conflicting feeling that was haunting him even now with her in his arms. His Spirit just couldn’t accept this kind of arrangement, as it felt like he was trampling on her rights as a human being. The girl would be under his mercy.

But who was he to decide anything if the girl herself was delighted? She even said that the Edict would be her family heirloom. He was glad that she was jubilant about it but he just couldn’t cast aside the nagging feeling.

He wouldn’t have this conflicted feeling right now if he hadn’t been intimate with that many women already. The old him would have gobbled her up first and thought about the consequence later after his urge was satisfied. Nusia was right to tell him to explore this part of real-life before others could use it against him.

Artus was sure he was over it when Felicia had invited him to ‘know’ her better and he wasn’t even surprised. He was able to refuse the athletically attractive girl with a straight face on top of it. It might be nothing to others but that was a huge win for him. Her athletic charm would have swooned him if he didn’t know any better. Artus had allowed himself into that position just to put a test to his ability to say NO to such an offer.

“So, did you find any loot in the dungeon?” Paige asked him after she had settled down.

“Yeah, I’ve found a few interesting things,” he replied and took a few small gemstones out of his pocket. 

A quick trip into the dungeon was worth it. The blue and red stones glimmered on his palm as the girl gasped in surprise. Her jaw would have fallen onto the ground if it wasn’t any bigger. She had the look of a woman who had been offered exclusive jewelry as gifts. 

“Do you know what this is used for?” she asked him.

“I don’t know, to make a pendant, maybe?”

“Why would anyone make a pendant out of these stones?” Paige scoffed and smiled. “The dust of these gems are used in high-level potions. It’s worth quite a lot, and it would be a waste as mere jewelry.”

Artus almost hit himself on the forehead. Of course, it was. What he was even thinking? That she looked good with a blue pendant that matched with her eyes? He could say that it wouldn’t be a waste if she had it on her neck, but he would like to stay far away from cheesy lines playboys loved to throw around.

On second thought, there was something fundamental that he had no idea how it worked. He knew well enough how the Mana Points worked, but what about the other?

“Hey, Paige, how does our Health Point work? Will our life end if it hits zero?”

“Wh-what?” exclaimed the girl, surprised. “No, no one dies when their HP reaches zero, only their body natural healing ability will stop working. Though unlike mana, our health points won't refill without good rest, from food, or a night's sleep.”

“Or when we chunk down health potions, right?”

“Yes, but I guess that’s the reason why suddenly you asked me about it.” Paige sighed before she held one of his hands with both hers, “you do not know much about pretty much everything, do you?”

“I’ve already told you, don’t I?”

“Yes, you have, but I don’t really believe it. It’s just impossible for someone at your age to not know these things. How do you even grow up?”

He answered with just a smile and a pat on her hand.

Well, he didn’t grow up in the normal sense, but he could never tell her that. He could never tell anyone that a Celestial had built this body for him. Technically he had cheated his way to adulthood, from childhood all the way to his late teens. That was almost ten years of accumulated basic knowledge skipped in favor of survival.

‘What a crazy, senseless world,’ he chuckled.

Paige leaned her head on his arm, probably pitying him for knowing so little about the wide magical world. He also began to suspect that not many people knew how to do what his Celestial-lover-slash-mother had done for him. Running around in this world with a small kid’s body would have been a nightmare.

“How about lunch, Miss Paige? This can be the last time you can make me pay for it,” he chuckled.

“Sure, why not?” The girl giggled.

“Would you mind if I join too?” said someone suddenly.

They both turned to see another young man that felt familiar to Artus.

“Jacob, what are you doing here?” accused the girl. 

It immediately reminded him of the poor guy last night. Jacob was fished and hooked as quickly as he was let go after she got what she had wanted out of him. 

Girls could really be bitches even when they didn’t mean it or even realizing it. 

Artus imagined that if he was in the other man’s spot, he would have expected some action in the bed after being dragged by her all the way to her room. The expectation was, of course, destroyed when another man was in the room. That would sum up the face Jacob had shown the night before. 

Artus pulled Paige by the waist to test his theory out. A clear irritation showed on the other man’s face while the clueless girl let out a cute surprised yelp. He let go of her after he had got what he wanted out of their complicated connection. Any more than this, it wouldn’t be surprising if the guy demanded a duel for the lady’s hand. Well, if anything similar to that even existed in this world. 

But maybe Jacob’s parents would be more ‘accepting’ to their son’s choice of a woman after Miss Paige’s name became popular. That could work wonderfully for him.

“I believe we haven’t properly greeted each other,” Artus said while offering his hand for a shake. “My name is Artus, nice to meet you, Jacob.” 

Artus snickered inside when the other looked at the offered hand suspiciously. After a glance at the girl, the other young man had no choice but to accept the handshake. Good-natured guys were always like this. He knew because he had been one, in the other life.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jacob replied. Begrudgingly, Artus would add.

‘Yes, he would be a wonderful tool for me,’ he said inside as they shook each other’s hand. 

The other man didn’t try to squeeze it as other men would have, but Artus could feel the grudge building in his hand. Jacob was a perfect fool to be his heroic pawn.