Mushoku Impact

"Ganoo no leave! Stay with Aria!"
Though she didn't have much of a reaction when Paul told her he would be leaving, Aria began to throw a bit of tantrum when she found out that Ghislaine and Ganyu would be going with him.
"Forgive me, Aria, but my place is at your father's side. He needs me just as I need him..."
"Nooooooo-! Ganoo stay...!"
Cupping her cheek, Ganyu muttered, "Oh, dear..." before looking toward Paul for guidance with a helpless expression on her face. Unfortunately, he was currently kneeling in front of Aiden and whispering something to the frowny-faced boy...
"We both know I'm placing a lot of trust in you. I don't mind if you decide to rebel or betray me in the future, just don't do anything that crosses the line. I see a lot of potential in you, Aiden; don't waste it..."
After ruffling his not-so-young son's head, Paul rose to his feet just as Aiden mumbled, "Just don't go getting yourself killed and thrown into a ditch. I'm not an avenger..."
As much as he envied Paul's looks, power, and harem, Aiden had slowly come to realize that his father may very well be his only kindred spirit in the world. Paul had also expressed a willingness to help him out if he was ever in need, so it was difficult to hate him just because he was another reincarnator.
Half-turning towards Aiden, a smile developed across Paul's face as he gave a thumbs up and said, "Leave it to me."
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With some intervention from Valentine and Flute, Ganyu was eventually able to free herself from Aria's clutches. As the group was preparing to set out, however, Lilia appeared with a resolute expression and a rather large suitcase in tow. She knew she would be a burden if the group ever came under siege, but she had always regretted not following Paul to the North.
Fortunately for Lilia, there was nothing like needing to beg or convince Paul to let her come along. He even joked around when she showed up, asking, "What took you so long?" in a playful tone. She really wanted to punch him at that moment but was ultimately able to suppress the urge thanks to her training as a Maid and Governess.
After mounting Ganyu, Paul made it up to the scarlet-haired, amethyst-eyed beauty by encouraging her to sit next to him. This placed him in a rather precarious position, as, despite appearing to be in her late teens, Lilia was only a few months older than him. From a purely objective point of view, there weren't any issues, but...
"Whatever..."
Hearing Paul's utterance, Lilia raised her head from his shoulder, asking, "Is something the matter...?" with a visibly pale face. She had never been afraid of heights when she was cleaning using ladders, but flying through the sky at hundreds of kilometers per hour had left her feeling somewhat paralyzed with fear.
Shaking his head, Paul answered, "It's nothing..." before turning to meet Lilia's gaze as he asked, "By the way...ever figure out what you wanted to do with your life? I have an idea of what you've decided, but I'm the type that likes to make sure of these things..."
Regaining a bit of her complexion, a red hue gradually began to spread through Lilia's cheeks as she returned her head to Paul's shoulder and replied, "I believe Master Paul will eventually become one of the most powerful and influential people in the world. You might think this a little selfish of me, but I believe I can become something 'more' if I grab hold of you and never let go..."
To emphasize her words, Lilia put more strength into the hold she had on Paul's arm as she, very intentionally, rubbed her right breast against him. She knew about his apprehensions against younger women, but she was actually the older of the two. Paul may have been able to make excuses in the past, but Lilia would bite his face if he said she was too young despite the fact he sired children at the age of ten..children she had spent the last two years helping to raise...
Before Paul could respond to Lilia's remark, Venti covered her mouth in mock surprise as she playfully mused, "Oh, my. How daring~!" in a sing-song tone.
Remembering there were other people present, the ruddy coloration of Lilia's face became more noticeable. Lilia knew she couldn't compare to most of the other girls surrounding Paul in terms of appearance, power, and disposition, but that wasn't going to deter her. Paul was the first to encourage her to follow a path of her choosing, so she intended to walk alongside him as far as her feet could carry...
Catching Lilia by surprise, Paul said, "Let's make a deal...if you can wait just a little longer, I will give you a Vision. After-"
"I refuse."
As enticing as the prospect of receiving her own Vision was, Lilia would rather remain weak if it meant having to bury her feelings and watch from the sidelines as others enjoyed the happiness she sought.&nbsp;
"..."
In an effort to support both parties, Jean decided to voice her opinion on the matter, stating, "I see no issues with accepting her. While the laws of the Kingdom could undoubtedly use some revision, they currently support such unions. Continuing to oppose them while doing little to change them is only going to give you a headache..."
Though she also felt Lilia was a little young, Jean had long acknowledged that the people of Mushoku Tensei matured faster than the people of her world. Humanity had been pushed to the brink of extinction twice, so they had adapted to grow and develop at an accelerated rate in order to thrive in a world filled with monsters, demons, and dragons. They may refer to themselves as humans, but the people of Mushoku Tensei may as well be a completely different species compared to the version of humanity from Paul's and Jean's previous worlds. There were certainly a few similarities, but their physiology, cultures, and traditions were fundamentally different.
Looking towards his beautiful and faithful Knight, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he asked, "Even you, Jean...?"
Feeling a little bashful, Jean crossed her arms and averted her eyes as she replied, "I don't enjoy seeing you stress out over things that no one in this world will blame you for. Lilia is mature in both form and mind, so you should just accept her. As it stands, you'll only be placing an unnecessary strain on your relationship by continuing to delay things..."
Nodding her head in approval, Xinyan chimed in to say, "As cheesy as this may sound, you should just follow your heart. Agonizing over what society might think when you know they don't give a damn is just senseless."
Seeing Venti about to chime in and say something as well, an incredulous look developed across Paul's face as he exhaled a huffy sigh and replied, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I just need to do it, right...?"
Though he had no intention of doing it then and there, Paul surprised Lilia by pulling her across his lap and bending down to kiss her on the lips. Her eyes briefly became as round as saucers, but she quickly closed them as her hands instinctually moved to grab his head. This wasn't the first time they had kissed, but it was significantly more assertive than the relatively chaste pecks they had exchanged in the past.
Surprising Lilia a second time, Paul pressed his fingers into the fabric of her dress, creating a crease between her thighs as he expertly targetted the most sensitive spot on her body. Her right hand immediately moved to grab his wrist, but she offered no actual resistance as her face became an almost luminous shade of red.&nbsp;
Not wanting to get Lilia riled up to a point she might feel as though he had left her hanging, Paul moved his hand to caress her thigh as he separated from her lips, gazed deep into her glistening, amethyst purple eyes, and whispered, "Tonight, you're mine..."
Though she felt like her brain was buzzing, Lilia managed to get one over on Paul by adopting a serious expression as she replied, "I've been yours for the past seven years...now, I can finally call you mine..."
"You..."
Before Paul could say anything further, Venti completely shattered the rising tensions by remarking, "That looks like a lot of fun. Kissing atop an Illuminated Beast as it races across the sky? If we're each getting a turn, I call next~."
Rolling his eyes, Paul helped Lilia to a seated position as he said, "There are no turns. Also, once we enter the Capital, everyone needs to be on their guard. If someone attempts to lay their hands on you or uses their status to try and intimidate you, don't be afraid to break their hands and legs. We're not here to play games with these asshats."
With the exceptions of Venti and Lilia, everyone nodded their heads in response to Paul's words. Venti, because she was a pacifist who would rather suffer a beating than injure another person, and Lilia because she doubted her abilities. She had continued training her swordsmanship, but her progress had slowed to a crawl after the birth of the twins. That was another reason she had chosen to accompany Paul; if things went well, she would be able to train at the Headquarters of the Water God School, the Citadel of Reidal.
While she didn't mind being protected, Lilia hadn't given up on becoming strong enough to both defend herself and support Paul...
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Though the straight-line distance between the Royal Capital of Ars and the Notos Estate was more than a thousand kilometers, less than two hours had passed before Paul and Party could see the outline of a giant castle on the horizon. The city surrounding it stretched out for nearly a hundred kilometers, but everything seemed inconsequential compared to the silvery palace that appeared to be built into a mountain.
Since they risked mobilizing the Capital's defenses if they flew too close, Ganyu chose to settle down in a nearby forest. They had \garnered quite a bit of attention from the sentries stationed throughout the territory, but Ganyu's flying speed far exceeded the rate at which they could rally their forces of send word to the Capital.
After touching down on the ground and sliding off of Ganyu's back, Paul turned to the group and said, "Okay, from here on, we'll travel by foot or carriage." before shifting his attention to the lovable Qilin and asking, "Are you sure you want to enter the Capital like that? People are going to stare regardless, but your outfit is like an open invitation for any Nobles looking to cause trouble..."
Though everyone else had changed into more sensible attire, Ganyu was wearing her original, extremely eye-catching outfit. When Paul had asked her about it, Ganyu admitted she didn't actually like wearing clothes. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind caressing her body and the warmth of the sun against her skin. The only reason she even bothered to wear clothes was to better fit into human society.
"Mmm...if Master is okay with it, I can revert to my Qilin form. I don't mind if people come to regard me as your mount or pet..."
Touching the bell dangling from her neck, the perennial smile on Ganyu's face became more prominent. Both it at the choker around her neck were gifted to her by Paul after her initial bell lost its clapper. Since then, it had been the most precious item in her possession.
Since he would rather people target Ganyu for the magnificence of her Qilin form than the raw sex appeal of her human form, Paul didn't have to consider long before saying, "We'll go with that. Unless we're indoors and amongst people we know we can trust, try not to reveal your human form in the Capital."
Nodding her head in both approval and understanding, Ganyu replied, "As you will, Master." before reverting to a lion-sized version of her Qilin form. It wasn't really big enough to ride, but her 'true' form would likely prevent her from being allowed into the city. After all, no matter how beautiful her Qilin form appeared, roaming the city streets in a form that towered over the average building was bound to make people nervous...
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As could be expected from a place like the Royal Capital of the largest and most powerful nation in the world, the line to get into it was incredibly long. Marked carriages and groups bearing special passes had a relatively easy time passing through, but people who were new to the city needed to get an id issued and pass through multiple security checkpoints.
Fortunately for Paul and Party, a Guild Card functioned as identification in just about every nation, both large and small. Unfortunately, the presence of Ganyu in her Qilin form required them to wait nearly three hours for a qualified Tamer to come by and evaluate her obedience. She managed to pass each of the tests with extreme ease, but the laws of the Capital still required her to be muzzled at all times. If she were found walking around without one, she would be treated as any other monster who had invaded the Capital.
Though Paul, personally, would have hated to be muzzled, Ganyu was never the type to complain about such things. Her only request was that Paul be the one to place it on and remove it.
With the matter of their entrance into the city resolved, Paul was finally able to enter and experience the largest and wealthiest city in the world. It spread out nearly a hundred kilometers from the coast and, much like the rest of the Kingdom, consisted of buildings presumably inspired by European and Victorian-Era architecture. This meant angular, dark brown, gable-style roofs, decorative windows, white walls, and lots of spires.
The thing that surprised Paul most about the Capital, at least initially, was that it was very clean. Mushoku Tensei was a world that still used buckets and bedpans in place of a proper waste disposal system, so it was a little surprising seeing how clean the paved, white-bricked streets were.
Ignoring the growing number of people gathering around to get a look at Ganyu, Paul turned to his group and said, "I doubt they'll let us enter the Inner City immediately. For now, we should check in with the Guild and find a place to stay. If I'm not mistaken, either Reida herself or someone from the palace should come to find us before long."
Though it could take hours, if not days, for an ordinary person to move about the Capital, people like Reida lived by their own rules. The moment she heard he was in the city, Paul could imagine the raven-haired woman leaping from building to building with a malicious smile on her face. Why a malicious smile?
Even Paul wasn't shameless enough to believe he could get away with knocking up the Water God without receiving a beating...
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As Paul and Party were looking for a place to stay, a raven-haired woman with windswept hair and cerulean eyes could be found smiling confidently as she casually deflected the attacks of three men and one woman. Each was at least a Saint-Ranked Swordsman, but they could barely get Reida to work up a sweat as her sword moved with the fluidity of water but the ferocity of lightning.
Before receiving her Electro Vision from Paul, Reida had been able to feel her body growing weaker. Her joints ached regularly, and though she did her best to suppress such negative thoughts, there were times when she would question whether or not she had wasted her time pursuing the path of swordsmanship.&nbsp;
Even to the people that had known her for decades, the current Reida was a far cry from her past self. Instead of growing old and frail, giving them a chance to usurp her position, she appeared to be growing more powerful, vigorous, and beautiful with each passing day.
"Come on, you bastards! Even if our swordsmanship isn't designed to attack, at least get me to breathe heavily! Hahahaha~!"
Demonstrating a nature that was better suited for the Sword God Style, Reida went on the offensive the moment her students faltered. For the briefest of moments, an Electro Purple hue emanated from the depths of her cerulean-blue eyes before she appeared to vanish.
Before most of the people observing the match could even blink, Reida appeared behind her students with a mischievous smile on her face. She had been using a wooden sword, but the very real blades of each of her sparring partners had been cut clean through as she looked back at them and said, "If that were a genuine Longsword of Light, you would be dead right now. Go back and work on your foundation."
Though the eldest of the four furrowed his brows into a deep grimace, the other three cupped their hands and bowed respectfully before picking up their shattered blades and excusing themselves along with the departing crowd. When they were gone, only Reida and a handsome, auburn-haired man with features similar to her own remained.
With her sword resting on her shoulder and a raised brow, Reida asked, "Something you wanted to say, Vuldar? I'm pretty sure I just told you to go back and work on your foundation."
Balling his hands into fists, Vuldar asserted, "You were supposed to be getting ready for retirement. Why are you working so hard to improve all of a sudden?"
Snorting through her nose, Reida retorted, "Stinking brat. Are you that eager to see me put in the ground?"
Shaking his head, Vuldar insisted, "No, it isn't that...it's just...I don't want to see you get hurt. Your abilities are undeniable, but women shouldn't be swordsmen. At your age, you should be spending your days watching over and taking care of your grandchildren, not swinging your sword around like someone half your age..."
Instead of humoring Vuldar's, her eldest son's words, Reida adopted a broad, challenging smile as she said, "Then make me." before pointing her wooden sword at his face and adding, "You don't reach the top by asking those at the summit to move aside. You push them off or drag them down. As for your little remark about how women shouldn't be swordsmen? Who the fuck decided that?"
Furrowing his brows, Vuldar wanted to say more but was interrupted as a young woman with long, sleek black hair and sleepy, cerulean-blue eyes entered the training area. When she saw the two people present within, a faint smile graced her naturally alluring face as she said, "Mother, brother, it's good to see you."
"Uote..."(A/N: Pronounced Yo-tei.)
Adopting a cheeky smile, Reida retracted her sword from Vuldar's face as she teased, "Well, would you look at that, another woman that's stronger than you. Oh? And what's this? She's nearly ten years your junior? Maybe I really am going senile...either that or your statement about how women shouldn't be swordsmen is complete bullshit."
With a darkening expression, Vuldar stared intently into his mother's eyes as if he wanted to say something. Instead, he turned around in a huff, his path setting him on a collision course with Uote, forcing her to step out of the way to avoid him.
Seeing Vuldar storm off like a child throwing a tantrum, Reida couldn't help shaking her head in disproval as she muttered, "Good riddance..." with a cold expression on her face. Vuldar was one of the children that had been forced onto her, so even though she acknowledged him as her son, Reida disdained him nearly as much as his father.
Fortunately, while Uote had also been born out of a less than consensual relationship, she was a lot more pleasant to be around. She had also just recently given birth to a young daughter named Isolte, so Reida had been spending more time with her as of late.
"What brings you here, Uote? Shouldn't you be spending time with little Isolte right now...?"
Adopting a smile that had conquered the hearts of countless men, Uote replied, "Isolte is spending the day with her father. As for what brings me here, I heard an interesting tidbit of information that is spreading through the Capital like wildfire."
Raising her brows, Reida remarked, "Oh? Do tell." She generally disdained people who gossiped, but that didn't prevent her from engaging in a bit of harmless babble herself.
Anticipating her mother's reaction, a squinty-eyed smile adorned Uote's face as she revealed, "Paul Greyrat and his Party, Einherjar, have recently entered the Capital with a mysterious, horned creature."
Instead of reacting how Uote expected, Reida narrowed her eyes as she calmly replied, "Is that so...?" In actuality, she wanted nothing more than to charge over and give Paul a taste of her fist, but very few people knew of their relationship. If she were to cause a scene, people were bound to spread rumors and ask questions.
Since it wouldn't be proper for someone of her status to actively seek out Paul and his Party, Reida adopted a mischievous smile as she stared at her second-eldest daughter and questioned, "You mentioned that Isolte was with her father, right? Then you must have a lot of free time on your hands..."
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After getting registered with the surprisingly small Guild, Paul and Party checked into a high-quality Inn located just a few blocks away from the massive wall separating the Inner City from the Outer City. Nobles didn't like sharing space with peasants, so the Capital had been divided into a series of Upper-Noble, Lesser-Noble, and Commoner Districts.
Had he visited in his youth, Paul would have been allowed free passage into the innermost parts of the city. Now, he would need a sponsor just to enter the Inner City, the sub-division of the Capital where the wealthiest merchants, Unlanded Nobles, and the majority of the Kingdom's military took up residence.
Fortunately for Paul, he had something even better than a sponsor, an official summons from the King. Had he used it at the entrance of the city, they likely would have prepared a carriage to escort him to the very heart of the city. Instead, Paul intended to familiarize himself with the Capital's layout before meeting with the King. More pressingly, he had a promise to keep with Lilia, so, after reserving nearly every room on the third floor of an Inn, he ignored the blushing beauty's petition to take a bath first as he pulled her into his bedroom and made up for seven years of lost time...
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Shortly after Paul and his Party had checked in with the Adventurer's Guild, word of his arrival reached the ear of an inordinately tall man with golden-blonde hair, vaguely reminiscent of a lion's man, and striking blue eyes. The man had been lounging about in the Concubine's Palace, but, even while half-naked, he exuded an aura of regality that made it difficult for the average person to look him in the eye.
"You're certain it was him...?"
Bowing as low and respectfully as his ornate armor allowed, the Knight that had come to inform the man, none other than King Ansalem Anemoi Asura, replied, "Yes, my Liege. His appearance and the appearance of his companions match our reports. Shall we send someone to retrieve him...?"
"Hmmm...I think not..."
As he was currently spending time with his favorite consort, King Ansalem didn't feel like taking a bath, donning his royal vestments, and returning to the palace. It was already late in the day, and, more importantly, he had given Paul until the end of the year to present himself. There were still five full months until then, so the King was in no hurry to force their encounter ahead of time.
"Go, and have some of your men keep an eye on them. If the First Prince or any of his supporters attempt to cause trouble, do your best to prevent things from getting out of hand."
Lowering his head even further, the ornately armored Knight replied, "Your will be done!" before backing out of the room without rising. Following his departure, the King returned his attention to a markedly younger woman, who, at the present moment, was bound and suspended above a canopy bed with a gag in her mouth...
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After confirming his suspicions about Aiden being a reincarnator, the relationship between him and Paul appeared to, at least on the surface, improve. Before, there had always been an awkward tension between them as Paul didn't really know how to be a parent, and Aiden typically just did his own thing. Now, though he was more than a little upset by his inability to continue playing innocent around the girls from the IOF, Aiden and Paul could speak with one another without issue.
"Stinking father, how much longer are you going to keep showing off? Are you trying to make me jealous, huh? Well, it's working...!"
Seeing Paul enjoying a lap pillow from Ei after an intense sword exhibition, a tiny vein appeared on Aiden's left temple. A few days prior, he had been able to guilt the violet-haired woman into letting him sit in her lap and hug her. She had grimaced when he nestled his face between her breasts and rubbed his cheeks against them, but she hadn't chastised or tried to stop him.
"Calm down, brat. Unless you go out of your way to ruin your body, you're bound to be just as attractive as your mother and me when you grow up. Stop coveting what others have and focus on making yourself worthy of the things you want to obtain..."
Rising to a seated position, Paul softly thanked Ei for letting him use her thighs before turning to meet Aiden's slightly resentful gaze as he added, "You've seen how loose the morals of this world are. With your talent and looks, countless women will want a piece of you. Just remember that not everyone has good intentions. If you become the Princess' Guardian, for example, you can be sure that many of the women who approach you will be assassins. Now, pick up your sword..."
"Tch..."
Though he clicked his tongue, Aiden still listened to Paul and raised his wooden sword. He initially didn't have an interest in swordsmanship, but Paul had shown him the Water God Style's ability to cut through and even deflect Magic back at the caster. It was also a purely defensive style, so Aiden was willing to learn a bit if it meant he could improve his physique and protect himself...
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Having inherited her father's keen eyesight, Aria silently observed the stance training between Paul and Aiden through a window on the third floor of the Estate. She would ordinarily be told to stay away from the windows of the second and above floors, but things were different now that she had trusty companions.
While Ghislaine hovered nearby, Aria sat atop the transformed Ganyu as she assumed a form roughly the size of a large dog. Paul had asked all of the girls to keep Aria safe, but she didn't really like Jean, Venti, Xinyan, Ei, or Eula. As a result, it had fallen upon Ganyu and Ghislaine to babysit and keep her company.
Feeling a little excluded, Aria looked towards Ghislaine with a slight pout on her face as she asked, "Father and Onii-chan no like Aria...?"
Shaking her head, Ghislaine's maintained her usual deadpan despite mimicking Aria's way of speaking as she answered, "Paul and Aiden boys. Aiden becomes strong to protect Aria."
Scrunching up her face, Aria countered, "Aria strong. Onii-chan weak but smart."
Instead of denying Aria's claim, Ghislaine nodded her head before stating, "Aria too strong. Need delicacy and control. Then you become strongest."
"..."
Though she puffed out her cheeks, Aria didn't refute Ghislaine's words. Instead, she returned her attention to the scene outside, her eyes barely blinking as she burned the image of each stance into her mind...
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"How much longer do you intend to stay? I understand your desire to be with your children, but tensions are already beginning to increase in the Capital."
Before answering his Father's question, Paul took a moment to savor the taste of the whiskey in his mouth. Diona's cocktails were the best, but he was far fonder of whiskey's fiery and rich kick than the tart, almost rotten taste of wine.
Exhaling a contented sigh, Paul enjoyed the sensation of warmth filling his body before replying, "We'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to give Aria the chance to spend more time with Ghislaine and Ganyu..."
Though it was only for a brief moment, a flicker of desire flashed across Amarant's eyes as he suggested, "You could always have them stay and look after her. That girl with the horns has always gotten along well with Valentine. As for that beast woman..."
"Father..."
Without needing to release his bloodlust, Paul was able to quell Amarant's nonsense with a sidelong gaze. In response, the man adopted a wry smile as he averted his eyes and stated, "They are remarkably beautiful women. Once you reach the Capital, you'll need to be very careful..."
Nodding his head, Paul muttered, "I am well aware..." before finishing off the contents of his glass. When he was finished, he placed it on the table next to him and revealed, "I am considering marrying Reida..."
Blinking in surprise, a look of faint disbelief marred Amarant's expression as he advised, "You should reconsider. As things stand, you still have the option of being adopted into one of the other Houses via marriage. If you marry the Water God, that path would no longer be open to you. There is also the matter of her other children. I cannot recall his exact age, but her eldest son should be around twenty years your senior. I can't imagine him being too pleased about having his inheritance robbed from him by a man young enough to be his son..."
"That's...a very fair point..."
With his Father's reminder, Paul recalled that Reida had basically lived an entire life before their fateful encounter. The Vision he had gifted her had all but halted her aging process, but it didn't change the fact that she was well into her forties. There was a literal two-generation gap between them as she was already a grandmother by the time he had inadvertently, albeit with tremendous effort, knocked her up...
Seeing his son fall silent, Amarant decided to give him a bit of advice, not as Paul's Father, but the Lord of the Milbots Region. It kept him awake at night knowing that his proud and capable first son had been reduced to the status of a peasant, so, after a moment of deliberation, he suggested, "Once you've reached the Capital and had your audience with the King, you should seek out Philip Boreas Greyrat. His eldest brother, James, the Heir Apparent of House Boreas, has been unable to produce an heir even after taking in three mistresses. The odds of a succession battle occurring once Philip graduates from the Royal Academy are extremely high."
Though his upbringing allowed him to guess where the conversation was headed, Paul furrowed his brows as he asked, "And? What does that have anything to do with me...?"
Understanding that his son was playing dumb, a moderately exasperated sigh escaped Amarant's throat before he went on to say, "If you intend to support the Princess' ascent to the throne, you will need the backing of at least three of the Great Houses. House Eurus has all but publicly declared its intentions to support the First Prince's claim, so you will need to secure the favor of the other two if you want to clear a path for Princess Ariel and your children..."
"Old man..."
Ignoring the faint bloodlust radiating from his son, Amarant narrowed his eyes as he said, "Philip has always been a clever boy. If you help him in the succession battle, he would readily invite you into House Boreas once his wife births a daughter."
"..."
Though he had accurately anticipated his Father's words, Paul was still left speechless. The man was, quite literally, suggesting a marriage between him and a girl that hadn't even been born yet. Paul knew there was a very good chance that said girl would be Eris, his favorite heroine from the series, but that was only a small consolation. After all, even if he liked the original Eris, there would be a seventeen-year age gap between them in terms of age. Such gaps weren't particularly uncommon, even in his previous world, but Paul still found it unbelievably fucked up...
Understanding his Father was just trying to help, Paul eventually shook his head and muttered, "I'm just going to pretend this conversation never happened..."
Adopting a serious expression, Amarant insisted, "You should consider it. I know that woman of yours is cooking something up in the East, but the Asura Kingdom is still your motherland. The plans you've suggested have you intrinsically interconnected with the politics of this Kingdom. Without roots of some kind, the King's trust in you is bound to wane. In the 'worst case' scenario, he may even pressure you into marrying the Princess..."
As he had come up with the idea of marrying Reida to avoid such an outcome, a beyond-exasperated sigh emanated from Paul's throat before he muttered, "I fucking hate politics..."
Though he grunted in approval, Amarant wasn't done trying to convince Paul, stating, "Despite your physical appearance, everyone that matters knows you're just a thirteen-year-old boy. If your information is correct, Princess Ariel will be born around the time you turn fifteen. The current Queen Consort is roughly twenty-three years younger than the King, so he is unlikely to view the gap between your and the Princess's age as an issue. Rather, if it means securing a powerful ally and strengthening the bloodline of the Royal Family..."
Forcing a smile, Paul countered, "Isn't that what Aiden is for? He has already agreed to become the Princess' Guardian, so there is a good chance they will produce offspring at some point..."
Shaking his head, Amarant's tone became firm as he said, "You know as well as I do that things are rarely so cut and dry. Aiden might be just as prodigious as you, but he has yet to prove himself. If your timeline of the Princess' birth is correct, Aiden will be, at most, five years old at the time. If you were a King looking to secure the future, who would you choose to control. The successor to the Water God and the youngest Sword Saint in history, or a child just beginning his studies...?"
"..."
Before Paul could respond, Amarant offered the correct answer, stating, "If the circumstances allowed, you would choose both." in a firm tone. He didn't mean Paul, specifically, but anyone in the King's position.
Unable to refute his Father's words, Paul reached for the nearly full bottle of whiskey at his side, inadvertently snapping off the top as he attempted to pop the cork with his thumb. He ended up getting a pretty nasty cut on his finger, but it was already beginning to regenerate as he muttered, "So you're telling me my options are to marry girls that are even younger than my literal children...?"
Snorting through his nose, Amarant grabbed his own glass as he retorted, "Remind me, son, who was it that recently proposed the idea of marrying the Water God? That woman just turned 47 around three months ago. She is 34 years your senior, yet you didn't so much as flinch as you suggested marrying her..."
"That's..."
"It isn't different if you view the situation objectively. You only see it that way because you consider yourself a mature person capable of making responsible decisions. While I can understand your apprehensions about being engaged to a girl much younger than yourself, it is only a matter of time until they mature. By then, issues such as an age gap won't matter in the slightest. Also..."
Adopting a serious expression, Amarant gazed directly into Paul's eyes as he added, "If Philip didn't agree to marry his daughter to you, he would invariably agree to marry her to someone else. In that regard, would she not be better off marrying someone who genuinely cares about her well-being rather than a Noble who only views her as an outlet for their sexual desires...?"
Hearing his Father's words, the image of Darius, one of the most infamous and disgusting villains from the original series, entered Paul's mind. If not for the timely intervention of Ghislaine, the then nine-year-old Eris would have been kidnapped and forced to become his sex slave. With Ghislaine currently following him around like a loyal pup, the chances of her coming into the employ of House Boreas were near zero percent...
"Fuck my life..."
...
..
.

Chapter 127: MI127: Wane