Juane says, "You are getting summoned? Just ignore it."
Bordeaux smiles. "Ignore it? Do you know who I am. I don't ignore summons."
Juane frowns. "But we are in the middle of giving you nuclear magic immunity."
Inwardly, she thinks angrily, I'm just now having fun blasting this guy with my nuclear magic and now he wants to leave. Curse whoever is summoning him.
Bordeaux says, "Don't worry, Juane. I'm just going to check it out, and once I'm back we are going to continue where we left off."
Juane clicks her tongue. "Fine."
Agera says, "Bordeaux, why are you always getting summoned, man."
Bordeaux chuckles. "I don't know. Maybe I just got that much pull. Well then, see you later."
He then disappears from the spot.
—
Elsewhere, in the midst of the war.
Shizue, still on the mountaintop, removes her mask and starts fixing herself up. She says, "I wonder if Bordeaux-san even still remembers me."
Just then, space warps. Maroon flames flare up and hover into a cocoon, and out bursts Bordeaux, wearing a huge smile as he says, "Blood… I feel so much blood. What is this?"
He then opens his eyes and freezes. "Shizue?"
Shizue is taken aback and blushes. "Bordeaux-san… you still remember me?"
Bordeaux lands on his feet as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Of course I do. But I'm a bit confused as to why you of all people would summon me."
Shizue says, "Well, look behind you."
Bordeaux says, "Huh?" and turns around. He sees bodies upon bodies of the dead, and a war still raging.
"Oh my," he says. "This is brutal."
Shizue says, "Remember ten years ago, before you left, you told me to summon you if a war ever broke out. Well… here it is."
Bordeaux smiles. "Shizue, you absolute beauty. I didn't expect you to actually do it."
Shizue replies, "Well, I don't like leaving favors unpaid."
"A woman of integrity, huh," Bordeaux says. Then he adds, "Well then, I shall help myself."
It lasts only a single second.
Shizue's eyes widen in shock. "Bordeaux-san… you feel real."
Bordeaux flexes his fingers, stretches his arms, and laughs maniacally. "So this is how a real body feels. This feeling… it's been so long since I've felt it."
Shizue thinks to herself, No way. He's gotten even stronger.
Bordeaux turns to face her. "Shizue. I thank you."
She quickly says, "No, it's not trouble really. So… can you permanently stay in this world now?"
Bordeaux nods. "Yes. I now have a physical body, which means I can stay permanently in the Cardinal World. This is wonderful."
Shizue smiles. "That's wonderful. I'm happy for you, Bordeaux-san."
Her smile then fades slightly. "So… Bordeaux-san. What are your plans in the Cardinal World now that you have fully manifested?"
Bordeaux smiles and says, "Well, It's to set the world ablaze."
Shizue stiffens instantly. Her hand moves on instinct, fingers brushing the hilt of her sword as her breath catches. Did I misjudge him? For a split second, her mind races. Is he actually evil?
Bordeaux notices the motion.
Then he bursts out laughing.
"You should have seen your face," he says between laughs. "You were probably thinking of slaying me right here and now, weren't you?"
Shizue exhales, tension leaving her shoulders, but irritation quickly replaces it. "Bordeaux-san, don't make jokes like that."
"Sorry, sorry," he says, wiping at his eyes as he struggles to catch his breath. "I won't do it again. Your reaction was just… comedy gold."
Shizue tries to hold it in, then smiles despite herself and lets out a soft laugh.
Bordeaux looks at her for a moment, then asks, "What about Ilfrit? Has he been behaving?"
Shizue nods. "Me and Ilfrit are like partners now. And it's thanks to you, Bordeaux-san."
"Partners?" Bordeaux repeats. "Not master and servant?"
She shakes her head. "I don't want anyone to serve me. I'm happy being on equal terms with Ilfrit."
Bordeaux hums thoughtfully. "Oh. I guess you really are a good person." He shrugs lightly. "As long as you're happy, I don't care how it's done."
Shizue smiles at that, then hesitates. "Bordeaux-san… do you remember what you said to me just before you left?"
"Huh?" Bordeaux tilts his head. "It's been ten years, Shizue. And I don't remember demons being known for exceptional memory. You might have to remind me."
Her heart starts pounding. Instead of answering, she steps forward.
She says, "Instead of reminding you, I'll show you."
Bordeaux watches her approach, confusion flickering across his face. She stops right in front of him, close enough that she has to look at his chest rather than his face. After a brief pause, she rises onto her toes, wraps her arms around his neck, and pulls herself up.
Her lips brush against his.
It's soft. Brief and warm.
Bordeaux freezes completely, eyes wide, unsure of what he's supposed to do or why this is happening at all.
Shizue lets go and steps back. She smiles, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "You said that if I wanted to thank you, I should do it with a kiss. So… that was it."
Bordeaux blinks once. Then again. "Oh. I see." He scratches the side of his face. "Thank you… I guess. That was just a joke though. I didn't expect you to actually do it."
"I know," Shizue says softly. "I just wanted to."
"I see," Bordeaux replies.
If this had been my first kiss, he thinks, or my second… or even my third, I probably would've frozen for real.
Thankfully, Blanc had already stolen more kisses from him than he cared to count.
He still didn't know how to explain that situation. Whether Blanc had some kind of brother complex or genuinely liked him. Either way, it was strange. To Bordeaux, the demon Primordials were his siblings. By name, at least. Demons weren't bound by blood the way humans were, but it still felt… weird. Especially with how touchy Blanc had become over the past ten years.
He'd just learned to ignore it.
With Shizue, though, he wasn't worried.
She might have feelings for him now, but that would all change when that overpowered slime appeared. Her future was already written. Trying to form an emotional bond here would only put his own heart at risk and he wasn't about to interfere with something that was never meant to be his.
Shizue looks up at him again. "So, Bordeaux-san… what are your plans now?"
Bordeaux smiles, eyes glinting slightly. "Oh. I have to visit a very specific dragon."
________________________________________
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