Mushoku Impact

After opening the Intersection of Fate, Paul, more so out of curiosity than anything else, turned back to ask Lilia, "What do you see...?"
Confused by Paul's words, Lilia didn't immediately respond. Instead, she just stared at him for several seconds before asking, "Is there something out in the hallway...?"
"Right..."
Though he had already been informed that others could neither see nor interact with the Intersection of Fate, Paul was still a little surprised by Lilia's reaction. He could see the entrance perfectly fine, and, if he looked closely, there was even a reflection of the interior within her eyes.
Deciding he would worry about such things later, Paul said, "Wait here. We'll be back in a few minutes." before stepping through the door. From Lilia's perception, his body had abruptly vanished the moment he crossed over the threshold. From Paul's, he could look back and see her staring at the entryway with a completely bewildered look on her face.
Just as Paul was about to ask if Lilia could see him, a voice from behind caught his attention as Xinyan asked, "Did you forget something?"
Turning around, Paul noticed Xinyan, Xiangling, Yaoyao, Kaeya, and Ei waiting on the center platform. He had seen them when he first looked inside, but they had been frozen in time, much like the rest of the world around them. Now that he was inside, time began flowing at the same rate as the outside world.
"No. We just got back earlier this afternoon. Nearly eight weeks have passed since I asked everyone to stay here."
Though she knew time was supposed to stop while Paul was away, Xinyan was still surprised by his words, asking, "Eight weeks?" before giving herself a quick once-over. It wasn't that noticeable, but she did feel a little taller than before.
Before Paul could ask what Xinyan was thinking, Ei took the initiative to bow, saying, "Welcome back, Master." At the same time, Zhongli and Jean stepped through the portal-like door behind Paul, leaving only Xingqiu to keep Lilia company.
With people on both sides of him, Paul became keenly aware that he was standing on a sky bridge without handrails.
Resisting the urge to peer over the edge, Paul made his way over to the comparably less dangerous central platform before nodding towards Ei and saying, "Thanks. It's great to see everyone in good health."
"I wouldn't say that..."
Shifting his attention to Kaeya, Paul's expression revealed a mixture of concern and confusion as he asked, "What do you mean...?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Kaeya adopted a teasing smile as she mused, "I was holding it in before we came inside, so I've basically needed to poop for like eight weeks. Mind if we hurry this along?"
Closing his eyes, Paul inhaled a deep breath before exhaling through his nose and saying, "If you need to go, then go. Now that we're back, you don't need to stay in here."
"Sounds good to me."
Without waiting around, Kaeya slipped past Zhongli and Jean, giggling as the latter sent her an unamused glower. In truth, she didn't actually need to poop; she just wanted to mess with Paul. He was too serious, so Kaeya couldn't help teasing both him and Jean. It helped that they were almost always together...
Waiting until Kaeya had exited the Intersection of Fate completely, Paul exhaled a sigh before turning to the group and explaining, "I'll be leaving for school in a few days, so I wanted to try my luck at summoning before I go. My goal is to summon Ningguang, so I'm going to keep pulling until I obtain either her or Albedo."
Raising her hand, Xinyan asked the question on hers and several other people's minds, specifically, "What's your deal with Ningguang? Plannin' to use her to increase your fortunes, eh?"
Without any hesitation, Paul nodded his head, explaining, "I'm doing my best, but I don't think I have what it takes to govern the Milbots Region properly. I hate dealing with Nobles, and that's bound to affect my ability to make deals. And don't even get me started on our finances..."
Though he had taken a few economics classes during high school, Paul didn't need to be a financial expert to understand that removing hundreds of thousands of gold from circulation would have an adverse effect on the economy. After all, the entire Milbots Region, the most prosperous of the four major regions, only had around 3,750,000AGC in circulation.
Since she was more curious than anything else, Xinyan responded to Paul's words with a simple, "Cool." before adopting a cheeky smile and asking, "Want a kiss for good luck?"
Furrowing his brows, Paul was going to mention it was unnecessary when Xinyan held up her hands, adding, "Hey, now. It was just a joke. You don't need to take everything people say seriously, Paul. Lighten up a little..."
"..."
Lowering his eyes towards the ground, Paul took a moment to consider if Xinyan was right. Well, he knew she was, but it was hard not to be serious when the fate of two worlds was on the line...
Shaking his head, Paul offered a faint, "Sorry..." before looking towards the summoning circle and supplanting, "Who knows? Maybe a good luck kiss really would help..." in a muted tone.
As those words left his lips, Paul bent down and began slotting 100AGC into the groove for currency. It was a slow and monotonous process, but Paul could feel his excitement compounding each time an Acquaint Fate manifested into existence.
When all ten Fates had appeared, Paul took a moment to rub his hands together, muttering, "Come on, Ningguang..." before bending down and placing his hands into the oversized handprints. He knew the RNG Gods rarely rewarded those that coveted specific draws within a Gacha, but it wasn't like he could conceal his desire for Ningguang. Even as far back as his first pull, Paul had considered Ningguang to be the best possible pull...
"Confirm...!"
Gaining a hit of fervity in his eyes, Paul immediately shifted his attention to the blue meteor that had appeared high in the sky. He knew it would have no effect, but, for a very brief moment, Paul attempted to 'will' it to change colors. Instead, his expression gradually formed into a deadpan as the meteor maintained its blue hue even after splitting into ten.
"I should have accepted the kiss..."
Since his words were more of a joking complaint than anything else, Paul was a little surprised when Xinyan squat next to him, arms resting on her knees as she remarked, "It isn't too late, ya know?"
Rolling his eyes, Paul managed a snarky smile as he tapped his left cheek and droned, "Sure. Go ahead and plant one on me. If it works, I'll worship you as my lucky goddess from this moment onward..."
Rewarding Paul's words with a light shove, Xinyan adopted a cheeky smile and suggested, "How about this. If I kiss you and it goes well, you have to stop acting so bashfully when we're in the bath together. I can't explain it all that well, but it makes me feel really weird when you won't even look at me."
Furrowing his brows, Paul considered refusing, but Xinyan preempted him by grabbing his head and planting a long and unnecessarily loud kiss on his cheek. Then, with a faint red hue coloring her cheeks, she pretended to ignore him and began slotting gold coins into the summoning circle on his behalf.
"..."
Figuring nothing would come of it, Paul ultimately remained silent and just began helping Xinyan slot gold into the tiny, coin-sized notch. If her good luck charm really did net him Ningguang, he wouldn't complain even if her condition had been to meticulously wash every inch of her body. It would have been incredibly awkward but ultimately worth it if he could preserve his funds. After all, even Ningguang would find it difficult to turn an empty coffer into the mountain of gold he would need to obtain everything from the gacha...
"Want another...?"
"Huh...?"
Looking to his side, Paul found Xinyan staring directly at him with a far more prominent shade of red coloring her cheeks. He didn't think it was possible, but he couldn't help asking, "Do you like me...?"
Instead of responding to Paul's words with her own, Xinyan gave him a much stronger push than the playful shove from before. As a result, Paul ended up being knocked onto his side as Xinyan stood up and returned to her original position in an apparent huff. When she noticed him staring at her, however, she adopted one of her characteristically playful smiles and just stuck her tongue out at him...
("Did I fucking miss something...?")
Looking to Jean as if she would somehow be able to explain things, Paul was left feeling at an utter loss as she pointed to herself and asked, "Did you want a kiss from me as well...?"
"Oh, gods..."
Covering his forehead and eyes, Paul did his best to suppress his growing feelings of exasperation. Then, even though it made him feel like a bit of an asshat, Paul ignored Jean's inquiry and focused all of his attention on the summoning circle, whispering, "Please just come out..." before taking a deep breath and shouting, "Confirm...!"
Following Paul's outburst, the sky in the distance split open as a vibrant blue meteor appeared from within the void. When Paul saw its color shift to purple, equal parts excitement and trepidation washed over him as he asked, "There's no way, right...?"
Demonstrating that Xinyan really might be his lucky star, the blindingly purple meteor split into three purple and seven blue comets. This was enough to cause even Zhongli to mutter a soft, "Oh my..." as everyone else became nearly as excited as Paul usually was.
Though two of the purple lights turned out to be weapons, one bow, and one catalyst, Paul's jaw nearly hit the floor when the person that emerged from the center was a young girl with white hair bound into a very stylish hairdo. She was wearing an Maid outfit not all that dissimilar to Zhongli's, but the thing that stood out the most was the reddish-orange tassel that dangled between her neatly parted bangs.
"No fucking way..."
Crossing her arms, the elegant-looking girl brought one of her fingers up to the side of her lips as she remarked, "That's quite the peculiar thing to say to someone you just met. Are you disappointed by my arrival...?"
Though she could tell Paul was the furthest thing from disappointed, the white-haired girl couldn't help teasing him. She was a little concerned by the youthful state of her body, but she found Paul's youthful stupefaction rather endearing.
Breaking Paul from his reverie and taking the white-haired girl by surprise, Xinyan burst into a laughter so jubilant she eventually keeled over, falling onto her butt before lying down and holding her stomach. As for everyone else, they were nearly as bewildered as Paul. The only exception was the ever-stoic Zhongli, who asserted, "Welcome, Ningguang. Our Master has been awaiting you for some time."
"Oh...?"
Hearing Zhongli's words, the white-haired girl, none other than the famed Tianquan of Liyue, Ningguang herself, adopted a faint smile as she looked to Paul and mused, "That makes things a little easier..."
Before Paul could ask what Ningguang meant, the latter took a few steps forward before kneeling down so that their faces and eyes were less than 20cm apart. Then, with a half-smiling expression that exuded equal parts confidence and severity, she inquired, "Paul Notos Greyrat...what are your thoughts on marriage?"
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Before completely recovering from his stupor, Paul remarked, "I think I'm going to have another aneurysm..."
Surprised by Paul's words, Ningguang's eyes briefly widened before the smile on her face revealed a hint of amusement.
"I see our presence here hasn't provided you the satisfaction and peace of mind it was intended to. Please forgive me if my question was a little too forward..."
After blinking in surprise, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he asked, "Peace of mind? Satisfaction? You're kidding me, right...?"
"Hmm..."
Rising to her feet, Ningguang briefly cast a glance towards Zhongli before turning her wine-red eyes to Paul and saying, "With your consent, I would like to confer with Lady Zhongli. I feel I am lacking too much context and do not wish to offend you further."
Confused by Ningguang's words, Paul parroted, "Offend me...?" before promptly shaking his head and saying, "You're mistaken. I'm just a little shaken by your sudden appearance. As for my opinion on marriage...I'm not entirely sure what you mean?"
Though he had an idea, Xinyan's behavior left Paul unwilling to jump to conclusions. Trying to figure out women was like trying to solve a Rubix Cube without colored vision. You could eventually work it out, but it took a combination of luck, perseverance, and, more often than not, external assistance.
"I see..."
Adopting her characteristic cross-armed stance, Ningguang brought the back of her left index finger to her lips, a pensive expression on her face as she considered the simplest way to explain things. When she believed she had, a faint smile developed across her face as she said, "Simply put, I wish to become the Lady of House Notos. According to the knowledge I have received, the Lady and Chamberlain of the House are the ones who manage the affairs of the Estate. While I am fairly confident I could work something out if granted autonomy, a union with you would save decades of effort."
Seeing Paul's helplessly dumbfounded expression, Ningguang couldn't help squinting her eyes as the smile on her face became marginally more prominent. She was half tempted to reach forward and caress Paul's chin. Instead, she placed her hand over her chest and said, "To put it another way, I desire everything you possess...in exchange, I offer you my heart, not just my body..."
With Ningguang confirming his suspicions, Paul momentarily deflated. If the mature form of Ningguang had asked him such a question, he might not have hesitated in the slightest. However, because she and everyone currently resembled children, Paul couldn't help feeling a combination of exasperation and anger...
Feeling something 'snap' within his mind, Paul's expression morphed into an angry yet resolute expression as he threw up his hands and said, "You know what? Fuck it. You want to get married? Sure, why not? I genuinely don't care at this point."
"Paul...?"
Worried that Paul may have 'broken', Jean tentatively approached with a concerned expression on her face. The anger in Paul's briefly waned, but only for a brief moment before he furrowed his brows and asked, "What? Did you want to get married as well?"
Instead of immediately responding to Paul's words, Jean sat down next to him, a deeply concerned look on her face as she gently grasped his hand and whispered, "It's going to be okay..."
"..."
Averting his eyes from Jean's, a profound wave of guilt washed over Paul. Unfortunately, while it caused his anger to wane, it did little to counteract the frustration that seemed to permeate his entire being. He couldn't help feeling as though the Intersection of Fate and the Gods that governed the boundaries were fucking with him...
Worried that Paul might do something he would regret, Jean suggested, "Maybe we should end things here for today? It's getting late, and we just returned from a long journey. You need to rest..."
Shaking his head, a touch of resolution returned to Paul's face as he said, "No. I need to obtain someone that can heal or at least help take care of my mother. I'm also only seven rolls away from Pity. Each 5-Star summon is a powerful weapon, ally, or Archon. For you and everyone to be able to use your Visions, we need to obtain each of the Seven..."
Before he had finished speaking, Paul began slotting gold coins into the groove above the oversized handprints. Jean still had a worried look on her face, but instead of trying to convince him to rest, she joined him in sacrificing gold to the summoning circle.
Realizing she may be in the way, Ningguang gave Jean a calculative look before stepping out of the summoning circle, kneeling on the other side of Paul, and saying, "Pardon me..." as she grabbed a stack of gold coins and began feeding them into the platform. This caused Paul's brows to furrow, but he was honestly too fed up to care, much less complain. He was tired of being the only one that seemed to give a shit...
With ten Acquaint Fates appearing around the summoning platform, Paul surprised Xinyan by looking back and asking, "Round two?" in a level tone.
"Uh...sure?"
Though it felt incredibly awkward with Jean and Ningguang flanking him, Xinyan made her way over and planted a kiss on Paul's cheek. When she pulled away, even the tips of her ears were glowing a faint shade of red as she forced a smile and asked, rather than saying, "Good luck...?"
Chuckling dryly, Paul placed his palms on the summoning dais and said, "Confirm..." in a calmer than usual tone. He wasn't really feeling it at the moment, but that changed pretty quickly when he saw the meteor gain a vibrant shade of purple.
"Holy shit, Xinyan. You really might be my lucky goddess..."
With Ningguang directing a curious look towards her, an awkward laugh emanated from Xinyan's throat. She had never been good at accepting compliments, so it made her feel all kinds of discombobulated hearing Paul continually referring to her as a goddess.
Observing the meteor split and crash into the summoning platform, Paul's eyes widened as the illusory and very naked figure of Xiangling appeared from within the purple light. Then, before anyone could make sense of the situation, she locked eyes with her far more corporeal counterpart. At that exact moment, her body burst into motes of ruby-red light that sped past Paul and the others before sinking into the original Xiangling's body.
Though she was more than a little surprised by the strange phenomenon, Xiangling's panic dissipated almost immediately as she placed her hand over her heart and said, "I just got a lot stronger...I can feel it..."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Zhongli explained, "That was the Stella Fortuna, the Manifested Essence of a Constellation. Each time you obtain one, your physical parameters, mana capacity, and inherent talents will strengthen by around 15%. Congratulations on being the first to obtain a Constellation, Xiangling."
Feeling a little sheepish, a self-deprecating smile marred Xiangling's face as she rubbed the back of her head and said, "Too bad it wasn't someone with more power...hahaha..."
"Xiangling..."
Worried about her friend and 'senior', Yaoyao gave Xiangling's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she added, "You deserve it..."
Before Xiangling could refute the chestnut-haired girl's words, Paul spoke out, asserting, "Yaoyao's right, Xiangling. You've been working hard since the moment we first met. Now that you've obtained a Constellation, I've no doubt you'll work even harder."
Though she still felt the Constellation was wasted on someone who spent most of the day cooking or lost in their own thoughts, Xiangling managed a sincere smile as she replied, "Thank you, Paul. That means a lot coming from you..."
Raising his brows, Paul was tempted to ask what she meant but quickly decided against it. Instead, he adopted a smile of his own before turning his attention back to the summoning circle and loudly saying, "Right. Let's get on with the next summon." in a marginally more enthused tone.
With the help of Ningguang and Jean, it took less than a minute for Paul to fill each of the hemispherical slots reserved for Fates. Then, without him needing to ask, Xinyan subsequently grabbed his hand and planted a wet kiss on his cheek, saying, "Good luck..." with an awkward smile on her face.
Feeling his own cheeks beginning to tinge, Paul replied with a subdued, "Right..." before placing his hands on the summoning dais and shouting, "Confirm...!" with renewed enthusiasm.
Shifting his gaze skyward, an enthused yet mildly incredulous laugh emanated from Paul's throat as the meteor shifted from blue to purple. When Xinyan witnessed this, even she couldn't quite believe Paul's luck, muttering, "Are you serious...?" to no one in particular.
Hearing Xinyan's utterance, Paul was briefly tempted to respond with a teasing remark. Instead, he followed the meteor until it split into a series of nine blue, one purple, comets. He was curious to see what would come out, never in his wildest dreams expecting it to be another illusory version of Xiangling.
"Seriously...?"
Without responding to Paul's words, the illusory Xiangling zeroed in on her corporeal counterpart before repeating the same actions as her previous incarnation.
Though she felt even more powerful, so much so that she was seized by a sudden and intense urge to move around, Xiangling lowered her head and muttered, "Sorry..." before following it with an even softer, "And thanks..."
Voicing the thought that had just crossed Paul's mind, Xinyan humorously replied, "Are you sure Xiangling isn't your lucky star? There are were like a hundred of us in the Intersection of Fate, yet you've summoned her three times? If that isn't luck, I don't know what is..."
Raising his brows, Paul was tempted to ask for the identities of everyone in the Intersection of Fate but ultimately decided against it. Some things were better off not knowing.
"Right. Let's speed things along a bit. There are a lot of things we need to talk about, and I don't want to be here all night."
Making things much easier for Paul, Jean and Ningguang had already started slotting in gold coins immediately following the second illusory Xiangling's appearance. By the time his interplay with Xiangling and Xinyan had ended, they had already managed to manifest nine Fates.
Instead of thanking the two girls, Paul just smiled awkwardly before turning to face Xinyan. In response, she adopted a smile of her own, but instead of planting a kiss on his cheek, she grabbed the sides of his face and gave him a chaste yet lingering kiss on the lips before pulling away, averting her eyes, and muttering, "For extra luck..."
"..."
Without saying anything, Paul mechanically shifted his attention to the stone dais before placing his palms against its surface and muttering, "Confirm..."
Leaving Paul even more muddleheaded, the meteor in the sky shifted from blue to purple for the fourth consecutive time in a row. He didn't know what the actual odds of this were, but it wasn't an exaggeration to say he had been abnormally fortunate since Xinyan started kissing him...
Breaking Paul from his reverie, the purple comet impacted the center of the platform before dissipating to reveal an adorable girl with pink hair, teardrop eyebrows, and luminous aquamarine eyes. However, her most notable features were undoubtedly her calico-like tail and ears.
"Diona...?"
Hearing Paul say her name, a fretful expression developed across Diona's face as she asked, "Are you the person who's supposed to be my Master? But you're just a little kid..."
Furrowing his brows, Paul was about to point out the fact that Diona was much younger than him, but she beat him to the punch, exhaling a sigh as she touched her fingers to her large forehead and muttered, "Whatever...I just need to do my job, and you'll help restore our world, right? Just don't go getting handsy if you get drunk. It's one thing if your sober, but I hate, hate, hate people who treat alcohol as if it gives them a license to act like perverted idiots!"
Though he was a little annoyed by Diona's insinuation, Paul did his best not to let it bother him. Even Diona's original self was only around 12-13 years old, so he wasn't going to let her fluster him. Instead, he adopted what he hoped to be a friendly smile as he replied, "Sure thing." before gesturing toward Xiangling and Yaoyo, adding, "Mind waiting over there for a bit? We're in the middle of performing a mass summoning."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Diona briefly exchanged glances with Jean before 'prancing' over to Xiangling and Yaoyao. She had a lot more bounce to her step than the average person; a point made all the clearer by her long and surprisingly thick cat tail. It curled upwards in a snaking manner, but it bobbed each time she took a springy step forward.
"Where are you looking...?"
Tilting her head to obscure Paul's vision, Xinyan had a curious and slightly 'threatening' look on her face. In response, Paul lightly furrowed his brows before plainly stating, "I was just staring at her tail. It's different from the Beast People in this world, so I was worried she might stand out. Why...?"
Raising her brows, Xinyan adopted her characteristically playful smile as she asked, "Remember what I said about taking everything seriously? If it wasn't obvious, I was messing with you. Man, you really are helpless, you know that...?"
Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Paul resisted the almost overwhelming urge to tell Xinyan to fuck off. Instead, he tiredly replied, "There is a time and a place for everything..." before shaking his head and adding, "Forget it. I'm just a little stressed out."
Seemingly empathizing with Paul's words, Xinyan gave him a support pat on the back. Paul smiled in response to this, but it quickly cramped when Xinyan suddenly asked, "Want another kiss? Or maybe a hug...?"
Exhaling a sigh, Paul hung his head for a moment. Xinyan immediately felt regret upon seeing this, but before she could find the words to apologize, Paul surprised her by answering, "A hug would be nice..."
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Just as things were beginning to get uncomfortable within the dojo, Flute arrived, shocking both Paul and her daughter as she bowed towards the former and said, "Your Lord Father wishes to depart. Please make way to the entrance, Young Master."
"Mother...?"
Raising her head, Flute responded to Lilia without looking at her, adding, "You will be accompanying the Young Master from this point onward, Lilia. Make sure you listen and serve him well."
Though it had yet to be established that Lilia would be Paul's attendant, it was the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, though they would be living and working within the same estate, Flute and Lilia served wholly separate Masters. Lilia was not yet aware of this, but it was frowned upon for servants to acknowledge one another unless their duties compelled it. Thus, with her new Master's orders conveyed, Flute offered another polite bow towards Paul before promptly turning around and departing the dojo.
While Lilia was understandably confused, Paul quickly realized what must have happened, mumbling, "That damned father of mine...how can he be such a good father and a piece of shit at the same time?"
Though he knew he was the true outlier in this scenario, Paul couldn't help feeling annoyed. How was he meant to get Lilia to trust him when they both knew her mother was probably getting harassed and plowed daily by his pervert of a father? Even if he never laid a hand on her, she would always wonder when it was her turn to endure similar treatment...
("I swear to God...it's like this world is doing everything in its power to turn me into a degenerate...")
Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Paul did his best to form a relaxed, disarming smile as he turned to meet Lilia's gaze. When he did, his body briefly tensed as all the emotion had vanished from her face. There was nothing like anger or sadness visible within her amethyst eyes, only calm and disquieting resignation.
"Lilia..."
Before Lilia or Paul could say anything else, Zhongli chimed in to advise, "Master Paul, it would not do to keep your father waiting. We can discuss the specifics of Miss Lilia's circumstances once we have returned."
Exhaling a sigh, Paul muttered, "You're right..." before shaking his head for the umpteenth time, looking towards Lilia, and stating, "Let's go..." in what he hoped to be a kind-sounding tone. Whether or not it came across that way was difficult to ascertain as Lilia simply returned a polite bow, stating, "As you will, Master Paul..." in a calm monotone.
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After returning to the Local Lord's Estate, Paul asked his father about the specifics of Lilia's and Flute's servitude. There were actually a number of laws that prohibited children younger than the age of ten from serving in a Lord's Estate. Exceptions were made for slaves, but Lilia was obviously not a slave.
In response to his son's questioning, Amarant revealed that Lilia's duties would not officially begin until her tenth birthday. In the simplest possible terms, she would be apprenticing within the Notos Estate before formally beginning her servitude at the age of ten. This was made possible due to a number of exceptions written into law to account for female attendants and Maids who ended up getting pregnant in the execution of their duties.
By contracting Flute to serve in the Notos Estate for five years, Amarant had effectively killed three birds with one stone. He obtained a beautiful and experienced young woman to 'accompany' him for the remainder of their journey, acquired a new servant for his son, and gained a powerful asset in the form of a Sword King willing to train his soldiers. All in all, at least from Amarant's perspective, he had made a great deal...
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With Paul's guest room located next to his father's, his face had become an expressionless mask comparable to Lilia's as the not-so-distant sound of pounding and loud moans penetrated the wall separating them.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Zhongli's expression formed into a wry smile as she remarked, "Your father certainly is...vigorous..."
Shifting his deadpan stare to the petite brunette, Paul droned, "Seriously, Zhongli? At least pretend to show some consideration for Lilia..."
Since he didn't trust the servants and attendants of the Nobles he and his father had been visiting, Paul had been having Zhongli, Jean, and Xingqiu share his quarters. He didn't want to hurt Lilia's feelings by having her be the only exception, so, even though he had anticipated something like this happening, Paul had the stoic girl stay with them.
What Paul hadn't anticipated was his father ostensibly going to town on Flute for the better part of four and a half hours. He knew descendants of the Greyrat houses were supposed to be prodigious in the bedroom, but that was just ridiculous...
Hearing Paul speak out of consideration for her, Lilia, seemingly with the intent to allay his concerns, shook her head and stated, "Thank you for your concern, Master Paul, but I'm fine...this isn't..."
Though she was about to say this wasn't the first time she had heard her mother crying out and moaning, Lilia's words gradually trailed off. While it was true that she had listened to her parents having sex, it typically only lasted for fifteen to twenty minutes before things cooled down. Whatever was happening next door had to be drastically different from what her parents did together...the intensity of her mother's voice made that very clear...
Seeing Lilia enter a momentary daze, a soft yet exasperated sigh escaped Paul's throat. He was half-tempted to walk over and tell his father to calm the fuck down. Unfortunately, while trust between them was fairly stable, Paul knew it would fracture pretty quickly if he tried preaching to Amarant and telling the man how to live. After all, in Amarant's and potentially even Flute's mind, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he was doing. Nothing at all...
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Roughly six days after Paul and his father's arrival, the Lord of the Wishiru Region, Marcos Eurus Greyrat, finally entered the city. Paul was given the opportunity to meet the man and his fourteen-year-old son, but that was about it. He was still a little too young to participate in private discussions between two Lords, so Paul was effectively kicked out of the room shortly after his introduction. Later that same day, Paul's father informed him they would be setting out the following morning.
Though Paul was a little annoyed that they had waited for nearly a week just so his father and Marcos could chat for a few hours, he wasn't going to complain about it. He had been looking forward to returning home ever since their initial departure, so, as far as Paul was concerned, the sooner they could leave, the better.
Fortunately, though they had to stop at many estates along the way, the return trip was far less stressful than the outset. Amarant had permitted him to ride in his own coach for the return trip, so he didn't have to worry about spending 6-8 hours a day sitting in silence. More importantly, it was an excellent opportunity for Lilia to open up to the others as it was pretty difficult not to when you spent the better part of three weeks confined to a small space.
By the time they had reached the Notos Estate, Lilia had shed much of her initial worries and discomfort. Children were remarkably adaptable, so while she was dispirited by the fact her mother was basically ignoring her, she did her best not to let it show. She could tell everyone was making an effort to be friendly and inclusive, so she didn't want to worry them.
What Paul didn't know was that Zhongli had discreetly approached Lilia during the first evening of her stay with the group. She didn't reveal any sensitive information, but she gave the surprisingly sensible young girl a basic explanation of their circumstances and Paul's character. She also promised to teach Lilia everything she would need to know to become a proper Maid, so the two of them had become surprisingly close by the time of their arrival at the Notos Estate.
Though Paul suspected 'foul play' of some kind, he elected not to pry too much into things. He was happy so long as Lilia was happy, so, seeing her smiling more with each passing day, he trusted that whatever Zhongli had done had been for the best. The only downside was that, with the gradual loss of her apprehensions, Lilia began trying to emulate Jean. She viewed the latter as her idol, so, with Jean constantly 'doting' on him, Paul quickly found himself at the mercy of the two inordinately 'dutiful' young girls...
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"This entire wing belongs to Master Paul...?"
After being given a quick tour of Paul's relatively isolated section of the Notos Estate, Lilia couldn't help paling. She didn't know exactly how many rooms there were, but there was no way she and the others could keep them clean with just her and Zhongli.
Answering in Paul's stead, Zhongli explained, "Worry not, Miss Lilia. We are not the extent of Master Paul's servants. There are five others, and, depending on our Master's decisions, several more may be joining us in the near future."
Since he hadn't even mentioned summoning more people, Paul's face formed into a frown as he met the petite Archon's gaze and asked, "How did you know...?"
Adopting a faint smile, Zhongli answered, "I didn't. However, until you manage to acquire the Tiangquan and obtain a cure for your mother's chronic illness, I presumed you would be accessing the Intersection of Fate fairly frequently."
Opening his eyes as round as saucers, a wave of panic washed over Paul as he grabbed Zhongli's hand, dragged her to the side, and asked, "What the hell are you thinking!?" in a hushed exclamation.
Without lowering her voice, Zhongli flatly asked, "Did you intend to keep it a secret these next fourteen years...?"
"..."
Releasing Zhongli's wrist, Paul's expression became hesitant as he looked toward Lilia. He didn't know if it was because of her relationship with the original Paul or because she had given birth to one of his favorite support characters in the Light Novel. Either way, it felt wrong to even think about excluding her...
Just as Paul was about to reveal the version of the truth he had prepared for his father, Lilia took the wind out of his sails by calmly revealing, "The Head Maid has already explained the situation. For the sake of the future, I will never reveal any information related to Master Paul and his abilities."
Feeling his right eye beginning to twitch, Paul looked towards Zhongli to find the latter staring back at him with a faint smile. He could guess why the latter had taken the initiative to explain things, but he hated the idea of her going behind his back. She could have at least brought it up so he wouldn't end up feeling like an ass...
Taking a few deep breaths, Paul suppressed the urge to lash out and forbid Zhongli from taking action without his consent. If he made it into an order, she would have no choice but to obey. However, now that Lilia was here, Paul felt even less willing to make use of his 'authority.' He might not view himself as a good person, but he didn't want to become a complete piece of shit...
Exhaling one of his deep breaths, Paul regained enough of his composure to calmly reply, "I see..." before walking over and placing his palm against the surface of his door and adding, "Let's hope fate's on my side today..."
...
..
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Chapter 27: MI27: Tempting Fate