Paimon, this little guy who had been with Lumine from the very beginning, his existence had never really been on Durandal's mind.
Because… how to put it? He was too innocent, just like a Children. What interested him was food and Mora. He didn't seem like someone who would scheme.
Durandal had once truly considered him Lumine's emergency food, but through their subsequent interactions, she came to regard him as a noisy friend.
Things she hadn't paid attention to before were now brought to her attention by Lumine, and she became somewhat curious about Paimon's true nature.
Although this little guy didn't display many abilities normally, they weren't things one could easily master, such as his ability to suddenly disappear, and the special constellation-like patterns that occasionally appeared on him, all indicating that he was not ordinary.
Taking this opportunity, she would see what other aspects Paimon possessed.
If he really had something, he could also help in the future; otherwise, always just cheering from the side wasn't appropriate.
"Wait… wait a minute, Durandal. You're not really going to believe the Traveler's words and think Paimon has some special power, are you? After all this time together, do you still think I'm the kind of person who would have hidden abilities?"
Paimon struggled incessantly. Even though he knew Durandal wouldn't do anything to him, he instinctively didn't want this to happen, though he wasn't sure why.
"Just a slight attempt. Maybe it can even slightly improve your peculiar physique, allowing you to eat a little less."
"What?! You want to deprive me of the joy of eating, Durandal! I never thought you'd be such a person!"
Hearing that Durandal wanted to improve his physique to make him eat less, Paimon's struggles became even more intense.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with eating so much now. On the contrary, what he looked forward to most was always being able to feast and eat everything he wanted.
If Durandal really succeeded in improving his physique, making him unable to eat as much as he did now, or making him gain weight easily, then a huge joy of his would be stripped away, and that was absolutely unacceptable.
But no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape Lumine's grasp, and could only watch helplessly as Durandal got closer and closer, finally placing her hand on his forehead.
"It's over."
Paimon despairingly closed his eyes, awaiting the fate of his body being transformed by Durandal.
But after a while, he felt nothing, which made him open his eyes in confusion, seeing Durandal staring at her own hand, deep in thought.
"How is it, Durandal? Is there anything special? Can you transform Paimon into Super Paimon?"
What was Super Paimon? Durandal looked at the rambling Lumine with a hint of helplessness and shook her head.
"I tried to inject power into Paimon's body, but after searching for a while, I couldn't find any place that could be enhanced. Even his physique is the same; his existence… strictly speaking, is 'perfect'."
Because of this 'perfection,' there was no such thing as 'improving his physique.' Her power merely circulated within Paimon's body once and then returned to her own body.
"'Perfect'? You're not mistaken, are you? Paimon, in his current state, can be called 'perfect'?"
Even Lumine, who trusted Durandal, showed strong doubt upon hearing this evaluation.
This little guy, who only knew how to eat, could be called 'perfect'? Could he be some kind of 'ultimate life form'?
"Hey (#`O′)! What do you mean by that, Traveler? Didn't you hear Durandal already give such an evaluation? You have to believe in authority, believe in authority!"
Unexpectedly receiving such an evaluation, Paimon, realizing what was said, proudly puffed out his chest, looking all 'I'm amazing,' making Lumine unable to resist poking his cheek with her index finger.
"No matter what, I won't believe such an evaluation. You, 'perfect'? Then I'm 'ultimate'."
"What's 'ultimate'? Don't say things that people can't understand."
Lumine and Paimon started bickering. Durandal ignored them, recalling the sensation of her power entering Paimon's body, and her gaze towards Paimon became unusually unreadable.
She didn't lie; Paimon's body, being close to 'perfect,' couldn't be modified. But... why would such a 'perfect' existence manifest in front of them in this form?
It wasn't that Durandal looked down on Paimon, but rather that Paimon's past behavior made it impossible to imagine her having such a physique. Durandal could also understand why Lumine reacted the way she did.
"It seems... this little one's existence isn't so simple after all."
Durandal looked at Paimon with a complex expression. If it were during the time they first met, upon discovering this anomaly, she would definitely do something to guard against Paimon.
But they were already companions. Durandal considered Paimon trustworthy, and she really didn't want to face him with a suspicious gaze.
"I hope... you don't disappoint me, little one."
— — — — — — — — — —
Upon returning to the villa, everyone was thoroughly complained to by the Adeptus within the Serenitea Pot, who told them not to make such a big commotion inside the Serenitea Pot next time, as it was bad for its heart.
During dinner, Paimon ate with exceptional vigor, perhaps due to the fright he had just experienced. To confirm that his body had not been modified by Durandal, he ate with extreme seriousness, to the point where Lumine could barely watch.
Finally, under Lumine's lecturing, Paimon finally settled down and obediently returned to his usual eating habits... just a little slower, there wasn't much difference.
After tidying up and showering, everyone returned to their own rooms... Hmm, their own rooms.
"If this continues, I'll revert to my old habit of not sleeping, Lumine."
Looking at Lumine lying on her bed, Durandal said coldly, "I can give you a few minutes. You can go back to your room and change into a more normal set of pajamas before coming back. Otherwise, get out. I will personally sing you a 'lullaby' to help you sleep."
A 'lullaby,' huh? It sounded nice, but a 'lullaby' spoken with that expression, no matter how one thought about it, couldn't be associated with gentleness.
Not wanting to be annihilated by Durandal, Lumine immediately got up and left the room, leaving Durandal with a fleeting glimpse of a sheer figure.
"What... exactly does this person want to do?"
Shaking her head helplessly, she had been doing such strange things lately. Although that outfit could technically be considered pajamas, it definitely couldn't be categorized as normal.
No matter what, such pajamas should not be worn. To prevent Lumine from developing any strange interests, it was better to forcefully put an end to such matters.
Taking advantage of this rare personal time, Durandal began her daily research. The special task she wanted to undertake this time was to integrate Humus Power and her own life force into cells.
A strange idea, right? As an Apostle, Durandal's various abilities were extremely powerful; if she wished, her eyesight could reach an exaggerated degree.
She could even see some cells within the human body. When she learned that these cells were used by the body to fight against viruses and protect the body, this idea occurred to her.
Many elderly people's cells are no longer as active as they once were. If their cells could be revitalized, could it make them as young as they once were?
To achieve this goal, she specifically sought out relevant books and consulted some Scholars for related knowledge.
Although some Scholars' knowledge was even inferior to Durandal's, and it even evolved into a situation where they were asking Durandal questions later on, there were still scattered answers that gave Durandal what she wanted.
This knowledge made Durandal's progress smoother and smoother, but recently she realized a problem: if she truly succeeded in revitalizing cells that were meant to die of old age, would that mean she was extending the lifespan of those people?
Although her treatment of people suffering from cancer, strictly speaking, also extended their lives, a person's life is but a few decades, and this fact would not change.
But if cells were strengthened, then life would not be as simple as a few decades; it might even add a zero, or even more.
This was unacceptable. If one truly altered a person's lifespan, it would lead to very serious consequences. Not only the Heavenly Principles, but probably even the Seven Archons would not allow such a situation to occur.
Fortunately, while this could not be applied to most people, a few individuals posed no problem, such as Shenhe.
Today, she had worried about the lifespan issue. The reason she dared to say such things to Shenhe was also because she was conducting research in this area.
In addition to strengthening the vitality of cells, Durandal had another idea: to give life to cells, allowing them to live like humans in the large society of the human body.
Durandal had not precisely calculated how many cells are in the human body, but a slight sensation told her it was an extremely exaggerated number.
This was a long-term project, but it did not dampen Durandal's enthusiasm, because she didn't dislike such long-term projects; after all, what she had most of was time.
"Click."
"Durandal, I'm coming in."
It was Shenhe's voice. She had been coming to find Durandal frequently lately, and Durandal had grown used to it.
However, why did her voice sound a little shy? What was wrong with him?
Durandal turned to look at Shenhe, noticing the pajamas he was wearing, and her entire face darkened.
She took Shenhe's hand, made him sit on the bed, wrapped his body tightly with the quilt, and after confirming there were no issues, summoned her two large claws and rushed out of the room.
"Lumine! Get over here right now!"
That Lumine dared to lend that kind of pajamas to Shenhe; today, she would definitely make him realize her power!
Tonight, Durandal joined the hunt.
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