Sophia Demiurge

Well, you see, I did not hand the Blueprint to the secretary of construction, but instead gave it to Eleanor with matching free reigns to modify it to her liking, this is so that Eleanor will be able to assimilate quickly to her role as a mayor and also a head researcher, after all, as the head of research she will have to create blueprints of big machinery that the city will be recreating, though the main reason is that I am certain that this Momoiro person is here to reunite with Eleanor, I mean if she is here to invite me because of Urduja's birthday, then she must be one of the adopted children or one of Urduja's wives.

That is why I will never allow the two of them to meet, or at least not until I know what their true intentions of Momoiro is for this visit. I don't think someone will send an esper just to invite me, a new hero to a birthday party, that will just brew misunderstandings, a lot of them, and no matter how absurd it may sound, a normal person or messenger is better fit for the job, at least the person being sent the invitation to (me, in this case) will not feel any hostility or will lower her guard a little.

Sending someone who can spy a secret just by existing is just trying to pick a fight, that or Urduja wants me to get riled up and blindly go to her birthday party.

[Or, you're just overanalyzing things.]

"Hmm... That's what my mind is saying too, because there is no reason for Urduja to do anything against me given the fact that Eleanor and I met because Urduja organized an expedition to find me way before I even became a hero prospect, however, there will be no harm if I want to be vigilant against my mother-in-law that is called the hero of the sun, right?"

[Aren't you just afraid that Eleanor will leave you?]

"Ugh... Don't hit me right in my trauma."

[No, it's just that... Sigh, you have to understand this one yourself, Sophia.]

"What did you just call me?"

I was rather shocked by what [Guide] called me that even though I am confident that I will not forget anything I heard, I instinctively asked him to repeat what he just said.

[That magic circle, are you sure it will work?]

However, it seemed like he was not inclined to repeat it, I squinted my eyes a little, but without any way of knowing what was happening to my unique skill, I left it as it is for now and just answered his question.

"I already confirmed that it does when I have to answer you verbally, right? Besides the spells of this world are written in the script in which the basis of the Filipino language (Tagalog) was derived from, so how can it not work?"

[Well, if you say so.]

"And I mean, you are here to help me formulate it, right? So I am pretty sure it will work."

[I just showed you the spells of Dodomekis, you did most of the work.]

"But that still helps."

Me and [Guide] started to converse more casually as the Carriage that was being pulled by Ruphas continued to inch closer to the trading hub of the north of our nation, Bulawan City.

[3rd Person POV]

Goblins, goblins, and more goblins that's what Momoiro could see everywhere, a very bizarre and rather refreshing sight for her as she ate a skewer of meat made out of a beast called Nochel, contrary to the supposed tenderness of common barbecue, the roasted Nochel instead became incredibly crispy, Momoiro gobbled it down, disregarding her noble identity, at the same time she confirmed that the nochel meat is real.

"But why would they skewer meat that is supposed to be a noble's meal?"

Momoiro mumbled, that's right, nochel is considered a delicacy to be enjoyed solely by nobles, not only because of the unique characteristic of its skin becoming crispy no matter how you cook it but also because of how hard it is to catch one. Nochel is a pig-type beast like an orc, but way more intelligent and is classified as an official community-type monster despite them not being bipedal, they are more intelligent than the unnamed Blazing wolves, not to mention they are stronger too.

One can just imagine how disastrous it is to try to catch one without the help of the Urduja Orphanage or Urduja herself, in Sophia's explanation to Agilus, Nochel are breathing tanks that can recreate the chariot formation.

"Did they just make these notorious monsters their staple food?"

And that however, is not the main point why Momoiro is sitting down on a bench on a certain roadside, confused, you see, as an esper from the great Dodomeki Race, she can read people's minds passively, though there exist limits, it is a fact that it's a very convenient and powerful skill, plus the fact that she can turn it off anytime she wants is a very good side of the skill.

But who would have thought that she would feel fear from the bottom of her heart the moment she used the ability to the people of this newly built city called Bulawan, you see the people around her are not even bothered by her existence, worse yet Momoiro, in their perception seem to not even exist, they just continued to transfer lots and lots of livestock to different areas, the livestock were rare commodities and considered gourmet, but the Forest, as the name suggests, is like a dumpster of those rare delicacies.

And what is worse of all is the thoughts coming from the people.

_Oh, so that is the rumored major visitor who wants to meet the queen directly..._

_That is a lot of eyes... how interesting..._

_Oh, so that's why Sipnayan is overjoyed, it seems like she can already see her first foreign customers before she can even ask for a permit for her restaurant._

_Such a convenient coincidence, how lucky of her._

That's right, Momoiro who has a petite yet well-proportioned body, has a modified Kimono so that it will become an off-shoulder and outline her rather curvaceous body (contrary to a kimono's original function) that was being ogled by an lot of people in the Kingdom of Gjallarhorn back then was brushed off as a happy accident and convenient coincidence, even the pink hair that she is not so proud of is ignored. Only the eye on her forehead and the two pairs on her neck and shoulders respectively are the interesting parts of these uncultured swines.

Honestly, if she didn't want to gather at least a minuscule amount of  information about Sophia, she would have turned off her mind-reading skill already

_No, more importantly, Mayor Agilus even explicitly warned them in front of me that I can read minds, but even then, they did not even bother to hide from me!_

The part that enrages Momoiro the most is the fact that even the lady called Sipnayan who served her the skewer underestimating her and even reveals her identity to Momoiro, apparently, not only is she the prime candidate for the Royal Cook, but she is even a prime candidate to be the deputy general of the military and is known for her contribution in the defense of the home base of their kind when they are yet to establish an official sovereign.

Not only one time did Saru, the general of the armed forces of the city visit her to recruit her into the ranks, but she remained resolute to stay away from martial matters, of course until it was necessary to defend the land that is carefully cultivated by their queen.

Momoiro wanted to blast Sipnayan out of existence when she told her life story in her mind just so that Sipnayan could brag that Momoiro was not being feared in this place. However, her main objective remained as her main priority over her pride, and as someone who has a rather stiff face gave her the greatly appreciated ability to conceal her emotions.

Thus, with a blank face, she waited for the relatively popular Queen of the Queendom who suddenly appeared in the great forest, little did she know that a figure a little taller than her appeared behind her bench, the figure had white hair and was particularly keen on the bare shoulders of Momoiro, Sophia then, the one Momoiro is waiting for tapped her shoulder and placed her face beside Momoiro's.

The shudder that came from the core of Momoiro's body was evident, she froze on the spot and her stiff face slowly turned to the left side which was the hand Sophia was holding and to the right side which the androgynous face of Sophia could be seen, both of their eyes peered at each other, but Sophia's eyes oozed of unbearable amount of confidence whilst Momoiro's looked like her mind is about to break.

"Esteemed guest of my city, what may your intent in visiting be that you choose to wait for me on a bench and not in the mayor's guest house?"

Momoiro registered what Sophia just said, however, she was still frozen to the ground.

_WHY CAN'T I READ HER MIND!?_

Ridiculous! NO! Impossible! Utterly impossible! 

How can a new hero block the prided ability of the Dodomekis if even Urduja, Momoiro's mother herself cannot do so!?

_Did she anticipate my arrival!?_

Momoiro immediately stood up and jumped a few meters away, all of her eyes glowed dimly and did not escape the eyes of Sophia, though she turned a blind eye and just raised her hands.

"Oh? Sorry, it seems like I have startled you with my touchiness, I just felt like it was necessary to break your rather stiff face, though it did break, and showed fear, forgive me, let me introduce myself, I am the first Queen of Kamatayan, Sophia Demiurge I, how about you?"

Sophia smiled and Momoiro finally realized the rudeness of her behavior, she turned off the gathering powers on her eyes and sighed, her face becoming stoic again, however, her heart was still raging with the question of her inability to read the newbie hero's mind.

Many speculations stormed her brain, she even assumed that Sophia was half dodomeki and thus of set her powers somehow, or she anticipated the little bad situation that Momoiro attempted to create (that failed horribly). However, she is still in the dark as she cannot find any kind of conclusion.

However, she rejected the most straightforward notion that can be thought of because it's just impossible to create something that can block her esper powers that even her race cannot do.

_For now, I have to convey my non-hostile intention._

After a sigh, Momoiro fixed her disheveled Kimono that started to show her cleavage parts, she tightened the obi (belt) and when she made sure that nothing of her "soul" could be peaked at, she knelt whilst her right hand was placed in her left chest.

"Forgive my rather hostile display, I am Momoiro Dodomeki, one of the adopted daughters of Urduja Tawalisi, I am here because my mother has instructed me to give you an invitation, and for my sister."

[Sophia's POV]

_Stupid bitch lol._

I cannot help but laugh a little at the misfortune of the person in front of me as she knelt, I wonder why it felt so good when I crush someone for something they excel from, it's very satisfying somehow, however, we are not here in Bulawan to talk about my fetishes or laugh at someone who got her prided ability countered, I am here to find any fault on this esper's action and see if Urduja wanted anything to me other than inviting me to a party.

Though I will accept it regardless so that I can beat the hell out of my mother, I still need to know what kind of measures are necessary when I go there.

[Oh, so it's part of your plan to touch the soft skin of Momoiro's shoulders, nice.]

Tsk, saying whatever he wanted because he knew I could not respond, just you wait when I cancel this spell out. Though that is true that I made a flirty introduction so that people will continue to have misconceptions about me, such misconceptions are very convenient, I'm telling you all.

"Invitation? What kind of invitation?"

I saw Agilus in my peripherals go out of the mayor's hall, he is temporarily  giving up his hall to me, oh speaking of misconceptions, my people seem to have one to me too, Momoiro started to look uncomfortable because the people all around us started to gather, I bet they are thinking something like: "Oh, so the dodomeki is her majesty's second wife!" 

Or something like that, and as someone who is enveloping herself with such a persona, I immediately offered my hand to her.

"My people seem to start their wild imagination, how about we go to the City Hall, for now, and give me a rundown on this invitation you are giving me."

Momoiro looked at my hand for a moment and then looked at me whilst she grabbed it ever so softly, I smiled a little when she finally stood up, and she nodded a little signifying her gratitude, I then let go of her hand and then walked with her side by side.

[I wonder when will you two link shoulders.]

For the last fucking time, shut up.