Mushoku Impact

After spending ten days in the wilderness, Paul finally gave the order to return. Ghislaine and Eula had managed to hunt down a relatively rare B-Rank monster known as a Sun Bear, so he wanted to pawn off the parts to the Guild before they could spoil.
Fortunately, as the land to the East was commonly used by Adventurers, there were significantly fewer bandits and slavers. The Adventurer's Guild would deploy A or even S-Ranked Parties to annihilate groups that hunted or enslaved its members, so, unless they had a very powerful backing, the average bandit or slaver group avoided areas frequented by Adventurers.
In the end, it wasn't a group of bandits or slavers that Paul and his Party had to worry about; it was other Adventurers. Wagons weren't exactly all-terrain vehicles, so they needed to travel along established paths to avoid having their wheels or axels give out on them.&nbsp;
Under normal circumstances, a group of Adventurers wouldn't even bat an eye towards a covered wagon. They might offer their services if the wagon was traveling in the same direction as them, but, more often than not, Adventurers avoided Merchants.
The thing that made Paul and his Party an exception, excluding the fact the majority of their members were beautiful women, was that they were traveling without a horse or another means to pull their wagon. Instead, it was drawn along by none other than Paul himself, his body appearing to release steam as he pulled the overburdened wagon without a shirt on.
Seeing Paul pulling the covered wagon while Ghislaine and Eula walked alongside him, a Party of Adventurers consisting of three human males, a fully armored Dwarf, a bookish-looking girl with slightly pointed ears, and a dog-like woman from the Beast Race.
Seemingly representing the group, a relatively handsome man with red hair and matching red eyes stepped forward to ask, "Did your horse run off or something...?"
Unlike most people, who fell into the role of swordsman or Mage, the red-headed ikeman had a sizeable crossbow strapped to his lower back and a red, expensive-looking longbow. There were only five arrows in his quiver, but the runic pattern engraved into their shafts made it clear they were no ordinary arrows.
Since he had already ceased pulling the wagon once the group began their approach, Paul was able to manage a relatively casual smile as he answered, "You don't become strong by skipping out on training."
Though it probably didn't earn him any favor from the men in the group, Paul punctuated his statement by flexing his right arm and winking at the bookish-looking girl in a stereotypical Mage outfit. A lifetime of dedicated training had given him a body that appeared to be carved from marble, so he couldn't help showing it off. He was pretty proud of it.
Believing Paul had caught her staring at his chiseled abs, the relatively youthful-looking Mage pulled down the brim of her hat to cover the beet-red face. Noticing this, the black-haired youth standing next to her, a kid with messy hair, padded winter clothing, thick leather gloves, and a fang-like shortsword strapped to his lower back, furrowed his brows and asked, "How do we know you didn't rob a huntsman and steal their wagon? Only an idiot would roam around the countryside pulling a carriage."
"Timothy...!"
After barking at the black-haired youth, the red-headed archer adopted an apologetic expression as he turned back to Paul, rubbing the back of his head as he said, "Sorry about that. Though, it is pretty suspicious of you to be pulling a wagon full of furs and preserved meats this far away from the city. Your clothes don't exactly look like they belong to a group of Hunters, so I can only assume you're Adventurers...?"
Pulling out his own Guild Card, the red-headed archer revealed that he was a B-Rank Adventurer. More importantly, his card was engraved with the seal of the Adventurer's Guild itself.
"The names Rolan. I'm the Leader of the B-Rank Party known as Lion's Head. I'm also a Surveyor with the Guild, so I'd appreciate it if you could answer some of my questions."
Showing no particular concern in his expression or body language, Paul shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Ask away." before immediately turning to Eula and adding, "Mind grabbing me something to wear? Now that I'm no longer moving, my body is starting to cool down."
Nodding her head, Eula answered, "Of course." before walking around to the back of the wagon. This caused Rolan to squint his eyes, but before he could say anything or order his companions to check the wagon, Paul interrupted, stating, "You have ten questions. After that, we'll be on our way. I've read the Guild's bylaws, and your status as a Surveyor doesn't grant you the right to interrogate or search people."
Furrowing his brows, Rolan was about to ask why Paul would bother to read the Guild's bylaws when his final human companion, a bearded man with short brown air, blue eyes, and a rather fierce-looking scar running across his left cheek stated, "I'd be careful with my words if I were you. Out here in the wild, people get lost and go missing all the time. It would be a shame if that mouth of yours got you and your lasses into trouble..."
Showing no signs of being intimidated, Paul maintained a smile as he gave the roguish-looking man a once-over. He had three dagger-like swords of varying lengths strapped to his waist and an almost excessive number of pouches near his hip, lower back, and thighs.&nbsp;
"Are you a practitioner of the North God Style...?"
Resting his left hand on the pommel of his longest blade, the man asked, "And if I am...?"
Adopting a slightly more serious expression, Paul stated, "I'm only going to say this once. Everyone in my Party is at least Saint-Ranked. The next time you try to threaten or pressure us, you only have yourselves to blame for what happens next."
Not believing Paul's words for a moment, the roguish-looking man snorted through his nose while the black-haired swordsman adopted a scowl and said, "Hogwash. You're full of crap." before placing his hand on the sheath of his sword and adding, "Rolan...these people are obviously bandits...just give me the order..."
Instead of giving the order to attack, Rolan raised his hand in a stopping gesture, barking, "That's enough! Even if they were bandits, we don't just attack people! Now, let me do my job...!"
Finished with his outburst, Rolan took a deep breath to compose himself. Paul's words had reminded him of something, so, after calming down, he looked back and asked, "Are you Paul Greyrat, the Leader of the Einherjar Party?"
Confirming Rolan's suspicions, Paul nodded his head, answering, "That's me." in a matter-of-factly tone.
Resisting the urge to curse under his breath, Rolan suddenly brought his hands together, bowing as he shouted, "Please forgive my comrades for their imprudence! We did not mean to offend the apprentice of the Sword and Water Gods...!"
Surprised by Rolan's spontaneous apology, the members of Lion's Head didn't immediately process his words. When they did, the roguish-looking man became a little pale as he raised his hands away from his blades as if they had suddenly become scalding hot. Then, noticing Timothy was still ready to strike, he smacked the glowering, black-haired youth in the back of the head, shouting, "Do you have a death wish!?"
Not expecting his friend to smack him, Timothy shouted, "What the hell, Jace!? Why did you hit me...!?" while rubbing the back of his head. At the same time, the petite yet discernibly buxom Mage stepped in front of him, a nervous smile on her face as she stared at Paul and said, "Please don't be mad...Timothy has always been a little slow in the head..."
"Lei-!?"
Before Timothy could finish speaking, the brown-haired Magus, known to her friends as Leilah, smacked him over the head with her club-like staff, shouting, "That's Paul Greyrat, the person everyone was talking about a year ago! You know, the youngest Sword Saint in history...!"
Rubbing the top of his head, Timothy refuted Leilah's claim, shouting, "Are you an idiot, or just blind!? Sword Saint Paul should only be around twelve or thirteen years old! That guy is clearly in his twenties...!"
Without taking his eyes off of Paul, Rolan attempted to alleviate Timothy's confusion by stating, "It's because he gave up the latter half of his life to awaken his Touki forcibly. I can also confirm that the Sword Saint recently came to Sharia, so the odds of this being the real deal are very high..."
Though he was a little annoyed that his name and position had apparently been exposed, Paul wasn't too surprised. Most of the people living within the world of Mushoku Tensei lived extraordinarily mundane lives. Famous Adventurers, Swordsmen, and Mages were the closest things they had to idols, so it wasn't too weird that his name had started to circulate in areas with heavy traffic and diverse populations...
Accepting the fur-lined coat that Eula had brought out for him, Paul wore it but didn't bother to close it up as he asked, "So? Are we done here, or did you still have questions?"
Rubbing the back of his head, Rolan answered, "If possible, I would like to check your Guild Card. After that, my companions and I will be sure to apologize for our behavior..."
"Yeah, yeah...here..."
Pulling out his Guild Card, Paul tossed it towards Rolan with an almost bored expression on his face. He didn't enjoy killing, but he was a little disappointed that things were wrapping up without a fight. At the very least, he felt like he owed the scarred man a solid punch to the face...
Confirming Paul was who he said he was, Rolan found himself swallowing a knot in his throat as he handed back the metallic card and said, "We've inconvenienced you..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul accepted the card and said, "Just be careful who you insult, heckle, or harass in the future." Then, looking towards the scarred man, Jace, he added, "It would be a real shame if your words and actions came back to bite you in the ass..."
Understanding how close he had come to relinquishing his life, a nervous chuckle emanated from Jace's throat as he kept his hands raised. He was fairly confident in skills as an assassin and a scout, but he was only at the Intermediate Rank of the Sword and North God Styles. He could probably hold his own against an Advanced Rank Swordsman, but Paul was a Saint known to apprentice under two different Gods. Squaring off against him in a fair fight was practically suicide.
"Listen...I-"
Before Jace could apologize, Timothy earned aghast looks from nearly every one of his comrades as he shouted, "Sword Saint Paul Greyrat! My name is Timothy M. Britts, Advanced Rank Swordsman of the Sword God Style! I challenge you to a match...!"
Recognizing the name from the original series, Paul's expression revealed a fair amount of surprise as he asked, "How old are you...?"
Thinking Paul was looking down on him due to his age, Timothy's already serious expression became grave as he answered, "Older than you..." in a nearly growling tone.
"Right..."
Realizing he was standing in front of one of Sword God's future disciples, a boy with the potential to become a Sword Emperor, Paul became a little more serious. In the original series, Timothy had gone on to sire the next generation Sword God, Jino Britts, so it wasn't much of an exaggeration to say talent flowed through his veins.
"Very well, Timothy. I, Sword Saint Paul Greyrat, accept your challenge...!"
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With their respective allies forming a loose encirclement around them, obviously prepared to intervene if shit hit the fan, Paul asked, "Just how far do you intend to take this? First to be disarmed, first to give up, or..."
Lowering himself into a reverse drawing stance, Timothy maintained a look of conviction as he declared, "I just want to measure the distance between you and me..."
Punctuating his words, Timothy launched himself forward with enough momentum to kick up a swirl of snow and ice. The essence of the Sword God School was to strike first and end the battle as quickly as possible. Some might consider it cheating to strike in the middle of a conversation, but history was a mouthpiece for the victor. Most people didn't care how a fight was concluded, only who won.
"Little shit..."
Catching Timothy by surprise, Paul didn't immediately draw his sword. Instead, he stepped just outside of Timothy's attack range, the tip of the latter's blade nearly a fine line through his jacket.
"Wha-"
Taking advantage of Timothy's confusion, Paul decked the little kid in the side of the face. To his credit, Timothy managed to react by reversing his grip and swiping towards Paul's wrist, but it ultimately didn't matter. Paul was nowhere near the level of Gal, but he could still use Touki. Something Timothy had yet to grasp fully.
As Timothy was sent reeling by his punch, Paul took a moment to stare at the shallow cut along his forearm. It was a lot slower than when he used his Lesser Regeneration, but he could see the gash slowly mending itself.
Bounding to his feet much sooner than Paul expected, Timothy's speed suddenly increased as he shot forward, shouting, "Draw your sword...!" as he swung his own.
Noticing a faint shimmer along the edge of Timothy's blade, Paul couldn't help muttering, "Little monster." as he dodged backward and released the clasp of his reforged, custom broadsword.
Feeling a chill spread through his body, Timothy sliced upward just as his sweeping lung missed its mark. Doing so allowed him to intercept Paul's sword, but it wasn't enough. Even without using Touki to strengthen his cutting power, Paul was a paragon pushing the limits of the human body. There was also a nearly 30cm difference in their height, so the moment Paul's blade impacted Timothy's, the latter was forced to a knee.
Though surprised, Timothy was undaunted by the difference between his and Paul's strength. The moment his knee hit the ground, he grit his teeth and attempted to sweep towards his opponent's legs. Unfortunately, Paul had anticipated this, sending his sword flying with a parry that resembled a one-handed golf swing.
"Let the great protection of fire arrive at the place thou seekest. I call forth the heat of a torch here and now. Fireball...!"
Worried for her friend's life, Leilah raised her staff and launched a Fireball at Paul. The rest of Party Lion's Head looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but they still leaped into action to try and save their friend's life.
Before things could get too out of hand, Paul cut down the Fireball and shouted, "Stand down...!" in an authoritative tone. The Lion's Head Party believed this was directed at them, pausing in place, but the truth of the matter was that Paul was ordering Ei and Ghislaine not to kill them.
With everyone freezing in place, Paul exhaled a tired sigh before kicking the befuddled Timothy towards his Party and complaining, "Seriously, you people must have a death wish or something. I never intended to kill your friend, so why the fuck are you overreacting?"
Shaking his head, Paul didn't wait for Rolan and the rest to respond before appending, "Forget it. Just grab your stuff and get the hell out of here. I'm tired of looking at your suicidal asses."
Though he had initially intended to offer Timothy some friendly words of advice, Paul's mood was ruined by Leilah's surprise attack. Not because the Fireball was even remotely a threat, but because it had nearly gotten her entire Party wiped out.
Realizing she had made a mistake, Leilah lowered her head with the intent to apologize. However, before she could find the words to do so, Timothy pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the tense atmosphere as he glared at Paul and said, "This isn't over...now that I've experienced your strength, I can tell you're not much faster than me. The next time we fight-"
"Shut the fuck up, kid. Stop acting like I'm some great antagonist or villain for you to overcome. If you want to become a powerful swordsman, that's on you. I have literally done nothing to merit your dumb ass trying to track me down and murder me. Stop acting like a self-righteous little twat."
Taken aback by Paul's words, Timothy opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to argue. He expected a swordsman like Paul to look forward to a future challenge. Instead, the latter's words made it sound as though he was being wronged and inconvenienced for no reason...
What Timothy didn't know was that Paul's desire to become strong was simply that. He wanted to be strong, not so he could harvest people's lives like wheat, but so he could enjoy his life without being suppressed and taken advantage of by others. The last thing he needed was a future Sword Emperor tracking him down and potentially targetting the people he cared about just to prove which of them was the strongest.
Taking advantage of Timothy's stunned silence, Paul added, "Seriously, just think about your actions till now. You accuse me of being a bandit for no fucking reason, attempt to pressure your Party into attacking mine just because you're butthurt, and then try to cripple me during a match where it's evident to everyone I'm going easy on you. It's pretty fucking obvious which one of us is the villain here..."
"..."
Hanging his head, a wave of shame washed over Timothy for maybe the second time in his entire life. He wanted to refute Paul's words, but there wasn't much he could say. Everything Paul said, while brazen and harsh, was the truth. Paul hadn't committed any crimes. He had even gone out of his way to deescalate the situation multiple times. The only thing Timothy could fault him for winking at Leilah, but that wasn't exactly a crime...even if it annoyed him...
Realizing that he had attempted to goad his Party into killing or arresting someone just because they had flirted with his childhood friend, another wave of shame washed over Timothy's mind. He and Leilah weren't even in a relationship. He had confessed to her when they were both children, but she had refused because she wanted to travel around and become a Mage, not waste away in their village. After that, he had trained hard just so he could accompany her, eventually following her to Sharia and joining the Adventurer's Guild to help pay her tuition...
Looking toward Leilah, Timothy's mood diminished even further when he found her staring at Paul with a pensive look on her face. She had come to his aid and even treated his injuries with Healing Magic, but now that things had calmed down, she seemed more concerned about finding the words to apologize to Paul than supporting him.
Returning his gaze to the front, Timothy looked past Paul at the bevy of beautiful women standing behind him. Two of them were so remarkably attractive he couldn't even find the words to describe them. They were looking forward and staring at him, but, a stark contrast to how Leilah was looking at Paul, they didn't seem particularly concerned about him or his Party mates. They were just ready to act the moment things escalated...
Inhaling a deep breath, Timothy attempted to suppress his negative thoughts before meeting Paul's gaze and calmly stating, "I will become stronger...not for anyone else, but to prove to myself I have what it takes to become strong..."
Following his words, Timothy turned away with the intent to go and pick up his fractured sword. Paul's parry had caused nearly a third of the blade to shatter, but it was still usable and could be reforged.
"Hey, kid..."
Catching Timothy and pretty much every member of his Lion's Head by surprise, Paul tossed over a small coin purse, adding, "I'm pretty famous for having a discerning eye. This may sound a little ridiculous after the other things I've said, but I can tell you have a monstrous talent. If you were to travel to the Sword Sanctum and train seriously, I bet you could become a Sword Emperor before you're 25. That should help you prepare for the journey and then some."
Peeling open the coin purse, Timothy was stunned to find ten Asura Gold Coins within. It wasn't exactly a fortune, but it was more than enough to cover Leilah's tuition and upgrade his equipment. His current sword and outfit had only cost him around six Asura Silver Coins, ten of which made a single Asura Gold Coin.
Clenching his fist around the bag of coins, a resolute expression appeared on Timothy's youthful face as he said, "I will never forget the lessons you have taught me this day..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul said, "I'll be happy so long as you don't go around causing trouble for myself and others. If you do manage to reach the Rank of Sword Emperor, feel free to seek me out. I have no intention of fighting you to the death, but I can at least buy you a drink."
Realizing he had severely misjudged Paul's character, a frustratingly sour feeling began to spread through Timothy's nose. Fortunately, it was well below freezing, so pretty much everyone's eyes were watering...
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"Was that boy someone you recognized...?"
After refusing Lion's Head's offer for an escort, Paul returned to pulling his overburdened cart while Eula and Ei walked alongside him. Ghislaine was keeping an eye on Lion's Head, so Paul had no qualms about responding to Eula's question, explaining, "Yeah. Unless something drastic happens in the interim, Timothy is fated to become the father of the next Sword God, Jino Britts. I doubt he'll become an ally in the future, but investing 10AGC to prevent him from becoming an enemy seemed like a smart decision..."
Understanding that Paul didn't have the heart to kill people he 'knew', Eula just nodded her head before asking, "And what of the girl? What part does she play in all of this...?"
Shrugging his shoulders despite the burden his arms were supporting, Paul answered, "No clue. I can't recall anyone named Leilah, and unless I'm misremembering things, I'm relatively certain that Timothy ends up with the current Sword God's younger sister. I don't know her name, but I doubt the younger sister of the Sword God is a relatively average Mage."&nbsp;
"Mmm...I see...I thought you may have been flirting with her because she was someone important..."
Slowing his pace a bit, Paul looked towards Eula with a slightly amused look on his face as he asked, "Could my little thigh goddess be jealous...?"
Furrowing her brows, Eula stated, "You know I don't like it when you call me that. Also, what reason could I have to be jealous? I'm just concerned about everyone else, that's all..."
Having learned to speak Eula's language, Paul maintained his moderately cheeky smile as he said, "I was just teasing her since I caught her staring at my abs. Besides, with amazing women like you around, I'm not exactly hurting for companionship. There are bound to be a few exceptions, sure, but I'm ultimately loyal to our cause...in fact, if it bothers you that much, I don't mind swearing off women outside the IOF..."
Exhaling a sigh, Eula replied with a terse, "That's unnecessary..." before shifting her eyes skyward and muttering, "How you choose to live is up to you. We're already being selfish by thrusting the fate of our world on your shoulders...I dare not-"
"I've said this before, but I'll repeat it a thousand times if I have to. I've already made my decision, Eula. I'm not just living for myself, but for all of us. If you're not happy about something, you have every right to express it. I may not be able to change immediately, but you've all seen how much of an effort I'm willing to make..."
Though he would be lying if he said he didn't want to bed certain women, most of the people Paul was interested in from the original series weren't even born yet. Since he wasn't a pedo, that meant most of them were off-limits. More importantly, even Ghislaine couldn't hold a candle to the girls he had summoned from the IOF, so if someone as dutiful as Eula were to put her foot down, Paul wouldn't mind forgoing sexual relations with other women. He was already one of the luckiest people in the world just being able to use her thighs and ass as a pillow...
Seeing the sincerity in Paul's eyes, a rare smile developed across Eula's face as she softly replied, "I'll keep that in mind..."
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After picking up their brand new wagon, Paul and company made their way out the Eastern gate of Sharia. There were more forests to the West, but that was also the location of the Wyrm's Whiskers.&nbsp;
As much as he would like to eliminate a few, if not all, the bandit camps in the region, Paul knew it would only draw unwanted attention. It would be okay if he intended to settle in the territories of the Magic Triumvirate and support one of the existing political factions, but that was pretty much the antithesis of what Paul was tiring to do at the present moment.&nbsp;
The thing about political affiliation and forming alliances was that they didn't hold up when one party was constantly traveling. Paul could act as much as he wanted in the shadows, but the moment he joined hands with any person, group, or nation, they effectively became an anchor tying him down. If his enemies wanted to get to him, all they would need to do was target the people he was obligated to protect.
Though he had spent the last seven and a half years convincing himself he needed to prioritize his life over the lives of pretty much everyone else, Paul wasn't a heartless bastard. He wasn't the type of person that would feel nothing as the people he cared about were slaughtered to get to him. Would he let them die? Probably. He didn't really have a choice. However, whoever forced him into that position would experience regret far greater than his own...
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"This is kind of boring..."
Though he had sharp senses and incredible kinetic vision, Paul wasn't a particularly skilled hunter. He could fend off multiple monsters and move at nearly a hundred meters a second over short distances, but neither of those things prepared him for chasing animals through thorny underbrush and hunting in perenially snowy forests.
Understanding he would be in the way, Paul was charged with protecting the wagon and watching over their camp alongside Xiangling and Ei while Ghislaine and Eula teamed up to hunt. The former was doing most of the actual hunting, but Eula's agility and imperviousness to cold made her an excellent support. She was also the Captain of the Knights of Favonius's Reconnaissance Company, complete with an almost superhuman sense of direction and exceptional cartography skills.
"Would you like me to entertain you? Perhaps with a bit of poetry...?"
"Mmm...maybe later...you're already doing enough as is..."
Bringing his left hand up, Paul gave Ei's thigh and knee a caress as he continued lying his head across her lap. They could be training, but the odds of drawing unwanted attention were pretty high. They were only a few kilometers outside of town, so any stray Adventurer or Hunter could track them down if Ei began releasing thunder and lightning everywhere.
"Master..."
Thinking Paul was in the mood, Ei could feel her excitement beginning to build. The first few times they shared the same bed as man and woman, she felt ashamed enough to want to die. Now, she still felt embarrassed, but the ardor and intensity of Paul's lovemaking had been carved deeply into her heart and body.&nbsp;
Interrupting Ei's train of thought, a violet purple blob with rabbit-like ears wigged its way out of her rather ample cleavage. Ei tried to catch it, but it managed to slip through her fingers like a liquid, several parts of it briefly detaching before catching up and refusing with the main body.
"Holy shitballs...!"
With Ei failing to stop it, Paul was jolted to a seated position as the purple, slime-like spirit nestled against his face. The core at the center of its body was comprised entirely of Electro Energy, so its affectionate cuddles were like snuggling up to an electric fence.
Seeing the nebulous spirit rolling around in the air, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he recovered from his shock and said, "Well, hello to you too..."
Using Touki to cover his hands, Paul extended his hand so that the tiny spirit, better known as an Electric Seelie, could nestle in his palms. With adequate protection, touching it was like holding a glass sphere filled with plasma. The actual sensation was closer to holding a warm water balloon in the palm of his hand, but its body glowered wherever his skin met with its nebulous mass.
While rubbing his finger between the Seelie's ear-like protrusions, Paul turned to Ei and asked, "Couldn't let it go...?"
Exhaling a subdued sigh, Ei's expression became faintly but noticeably apologetic as she answered, "I had initially intended to give it to Razor or Lisa, but it completely slipped my mind. I beg Mas-"
"Relax. I wasn't criticizing you or anything. I'm just worried you're getting a little too attached. If you can't part with the first, you're going to have a lot of difficulties parting with the rest...not that I can blame you. They are pretty cute, aren't they...?"
Seemingly understanding Paul's words, the violet Seelie gave the tip of his finger a playful shock.
Shaking his hand, Paul issued a soft chuckle as he supplanted, "Cheeky, but cute..."
Returning the adorable little blob to Ei, Paul rose to his feet and said, "I'm going to head out and stretch my legs. Look after Xiangling and our stuff. And don't worry, I won't be traveling out of earshot."
Though she was tempted to insist that Paul allow her to accompany him, Ei only hesitated for a brief moment before nodding her head. She had a pretty good understanding of his character at this point, so she knew he wouldn't take any overt or unnecessary risks. At the very least, he would generally call for backup before doing something that jeopardized his life.
"Okay, then. Good luck, Master."
Raising his hand in response to Ei's words, Paul made his way out of the cave they had commandeered before giving their covered wagon a quick once over. Finding nothing amiss, both inside and underneath, he shifted his attention to the small mountain they were encamped beneath before tensing the muscles in his legs and leaping more than twenty meters in a single bound.
Though he ended up sliding for a bit due to the snow covering the side of the mountain, Paul couldn't help smiling as he looked back to see just how much distance he had covered. He still had a very long way to go to reach the pinnacle, but he already possessed a limited form of superspeed and strength. Since he had experienced what it was like to be 'normal,' being able to leap tens of meters in a single bound was enough to send shivers up his spine and adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"It may be filled with rotten asshats, but I fucking love this world..."
Punctuating his words, Paul continued leaping up the roughly 40-degree slope until he reached the peak of the mountain. It didn't provide him the vantage he expected, primarily due to the fact there were trees and snow as far as the eye could see, but it was still a breathtakingly beautiful sight to behold...
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Though most people would have to pass through the Red Dragon's Upper or Lower Jaws, Gal was fairly confident he could pass through one of the narrower regions of the Red Dragon Mountains, specifically those located to the East of the Milbots Region. Before attempting the trek, however, he had a few stops to make along the way.
"So this is where that little monster grew up? It seems pretty ordinary to me..."
While it was much larger than any estate he had seen outside the Royal Capital, Gal didn't notice anything immediately notable about the Notos Estate. There was a lingering smell of fruit and wine carried by the wind, but that didn't really explain how Paul had been able to form such strong convictions at such a tender age.
"Well, whatever...let's see what the parents have to say..."
Since he had timed his arrival with Amarant's return, it wasn't long before Gal found himself standing before Paul's father. This left him feeling even more confused, as, even at a glance, he could tell Amarant was 'weak.'
"Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of the Sword God's visit? I would assume it has something to do with my former son. However, if that's the case, I'm afraid you've wasted your time. I haven't heard so much as a pip from that boy in more than two years."
Though he couldn't discern any deceitfulness from Amarant's words, Gal also didn't sense any antagonism or resentment when he mentioned Paul. Nobles were excessively arrogant and prideful creatures who valued face above familial ties. When most Nobles talked about the exiled members of their families, there would generally be a hint of disdain or disgust in their tone. While Amarant was able to put up a steely front, Gal didn't sense so much as an iota of hatred in his tone...if anything, there was a bit of pride.
"Paul has recently become the youngest Sword Saint in history. Not just in my Sword God Style, but the Water God Style as well. My reason for being here is simple; I wished to see what kind of environment that boy grew up in to have such a fiercely determined character..."
Releasing a bit of his Touki, Gal squinted his fierce blue eyes as he stared into Amarant's leafy greens and said, "Truth be told...I expected more. As far as I can tell, this place lacks the means to rear such a prodigy. Even if you have the resources, there is nothing here that can drive such a young boy to such extremes..."
Though he could feel every muscle in his body tensing, Amarant managed a glower of his own as he said, "Sword God Gal Farion...do not mistake my courtesy as obeisance. You're out of line..."
Squinting his eyes, Gal suppressed his sudden urge to cut Amarant down as he said, "At least I know where the kid got his backbone from..." before following it up by saying, "During my brief stay in the Capital, I heard tale that your other children are nearly as talented as their monster of an older brother. I'd like to meet them, maybe give them a few tips."
Understanding that Gal was likely acting as an agent of the King, Amarant only hesitated for a brief moment before nodding his head and answering, "Very well. However, while they are both very talented, I'm afraid they are nowhere near the level of their banished brother. Their talents lay more in the magical arts than swordsmanship."
Furrowing his brows, Gal asked, "Really? Their brother managed to claw his way to the Rank of Saint without any natural talent, yet they pursued the mystical arts? Were the three of them not close...?"
Snorting through his nose, Amarant declared, "The affairs of House Notos are our own. I will allow you to meet with my sons, but they are not yours to question. Do I make myself clear?"
Inhaling a deep breath, Gal began to systematically pop the fingers of his left hand as he answered, "Yeah, I hear you. Don't worry; I'm only here to satisfy my curiosity. Once I have, I'll be on my way..."
"Hmm...very well. I'll send someone to fetch the boys. Around this time of day, they should be in the Library reading books."
Though he frowned upon hearing that Philemon and Aubert were in the Library, Gal didn't say anything. His expectations had diminished quite a bit, but he had traveled thousands of kilometers from the North to reach the Notos Estate. It would be remiss of him to leave without confirming whether or not Paul's brothers had talent. If they were anything like their older brother, it might not even matter...
...
..
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Chapter 72: MI72: Chance or Fate?