Mushoku Impact

Just as things were beginning to heat up between him and Lilia, Paul was interrupted by the sound of a knock at his door.
"Seriously...?"
Extricating himself from the scarlet-haired beauty writhing about beneath him, Paul pulled the covers over Lilia's body before hastily donning a pair of pants and making his way over to discover Jean standing outside.
"Jean? What's up...?"
With a visibly troubled expression on her face, Jean replied, "Sorry to disturb you, but an employee o the Inn came to inform us someone is requesting your presence in the lobby."
"Damn. They really don't waste time, do they...?"
Assuming it was a messenger of the King or someone from the Citadel of Reidal, Paul apologized to a secretly relieved Lilia before donning the rest of his gear and asking Jean to look after her. By then, everyone else was waiting in the hallway, so Paul asked Venti and Xinyan to stay back as he, Ei, Eula, and Ghislaine descended to the first floor.
Noticing Paul's group, a fairly handsome young man with pale, windswept blonde hair, muted green eyes, and an outfit that clearly distinguished him as a Noble asked, "You're the owner of that beast outside?"
Before Paul could answer, the youth's eyes widened noticeably as he got a good look at Ei and Eula. Ghislaine was also present, but most human Nobles, sans the members of House Boreas, considered members of the Beast Race unworthy of their attention.
"Hooo? You've quite the collection of beautiful women..."
Unamused by the youth's behavior, Paul briefly scanned the trio of guards blocking the entrance to the Inn before warning, "You should choose your following words very carefully."
"Oh...?"
Raising his hand to stop his guards from attacking, a challenging smile appeared on the youth's face as he stated, "You clearly have no idea who you're-"
Having memorized the crests of nearly every Noble family during his days at the Milbots Academy, Paul's expression morphed into a deadpan as he stated, "Your coat bears the crest of House Fawkes, a Barony in service of House Redbat. However, your lack of lapels means you aren't the First Son. Even then, you have no political power or authority. So go ahead, try something. Let's see how that pans out for you, brat."
"You...you..."
Not expecting a peasant from the Outer City to recognize his family crest, the blonde-haired youth found himself at a loss for words. He was initially planning to pressure Paul into parting with Ganyu at a discount or gifting her to him in exchange for his family's favor. Instead, he ended up getting exposed and insulted before negotiations could begin.
Coming to his Master's aid, one of the three bodyguards, a gruff-looking man with several scars on his face, stepped forward to say, "Besmirching a Noble House is a crime punishable by death. House Fawkes might be a Barony, but it's still a proper Noble House. Bow your head and apologize."
Just as a smile developed across the blonde-haired youth's face, Paul rolled his eyes and said, "You're right. However, death is the maximum sentence and can only be imposed at the discretion of a Tribunal. Know what else is punishable by death? Misrepresenting tenets of the judicial system in an effort to compel or pressure others."
"..." x4
Taking advantage of the group's silence, Paul shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Look, we both have better things to do than this. If you get caught causing trouble here, you're only going to make things difficult for yourself and your family. Return to the Inner City, or wherever else it was you crawled out from, and focus on making yourself a better fit for whatever position you're aiming for in the future."
Finished with what he had to say, Paul was prepared to return and spend more time with Lilia. Instead, an exasperated sigh escaped his throat as the youth suddenly shouted, "S-Seize them...!"
With Ei looking toward him for confirmation, Paul shook his head as the Dendro Vision embedded into the pommel of his sword pulsed to life. In the next moment, he half-turned his body, casually side-stepped a thrust from the gruff-looking swordsman as he asked, "Seriously? What are you, an Intermediate-Ranked Swordsman...?"
Leaving no room for the man to reply, Paul chopped him in the throat with a blurred knife hand. He held back a considerable amount, but the man's throat was nearly crushed as he collapsed like a ragdoll.
Before the man could fall face-first into the ground, Paul grabbed his hair and flung him back at his companions. He immediately regretted this, not because he had strained himself or anything, but because the man's hair had been excessively greasy.
"Ugh..."
While Paul was busy looking for something to wipe off his hand, the youth from House Fawkes was staring at his bodyguards in disbelief. They were members of a private mercenary group that protected young Nobles who wanted to venture out into the Outer City but lacked bodyguards to keep them safe. The trio he had hired might be some of the weakest members of the group, but they still possessed skills on par with Knights...
Seeing the blonde-haired youth tense to the point it looked like he was about to piss himself, Paul shook his head a second time and said, "Just go. Based on your reaction, you're smart enough to understand how this would have gone down if I were less forgiving. In the future, try not to go swaggering about unless you have genuine power and authority to back it up."
Though he could probably get away with killing such a low-ranking Noble, Paul doubted the boy was any older than 14-15 years old. That made him an adult in the world of Mushoku Tensei, but Paul didn't particularly enjoy killing. He would if he had to, but the grievances made against him by this little shit didn't warrant such an extreme form of retaliation.
Not needing to be told thrice, the blonde-haired youth practically bolted from the lobby. His guards followed after him, carrying their unconscious comrade, but the trouble apparently wasn't over as the innkeeper, a portly fellow with a gleaming bald spot atop his head, rushed over to say, "You and your group need to vacate your rooms and leave as soon as possible. I understand you were just defending yourself, but I can't afford to shelter people who willingly antagonize Nobles. Please be understanding."
Unsurprised by the man's words, Paul replied, "Yeah, yeah, just make sure to return my deposit. You can keep half as an apology, but you're touched in the head if you believe I'll let you keep the full amount when we haven't even stayed a single night."
Though his face became red when he heard Paul's words, the innkeeper didn't argue with him. There was no way of knowing what anyone foolish enough to stand up to the Nobility would do, so he begrudgingly returned half of Paul's deposit before kicking out his group and asking them never to return...
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Seeing Paul's group leaving the Inn, one of the undercover Knights tasked to observe them, a handsome woman with vermillion hair, turned to their leader and asked, "Should we apprehend that knave from House Fawkes? Even if he wasn't aware of it, he tried to accost someone with a summons from the King. Impeding a summons is a Class-A Offense."
"Hmmm..."
After a moment of deliberation, the leading Knight eventually shook his head and said, "We'll let his family handle him. Send someone to apprise his father of the situation and ensure he is placed under house arrest for no less than 180 days."
Resisting the almost instinctual urge to stand at attention and salute, the vermillion-haired woman replied, "Yes, Captain." before turning to one of her subordinates and parroting the order she had just received.
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After retrieving Ganyu from the stables and ensuring her she wasn't at fault for them getting kicked out of the Inn, Paul and his Party made their way through the darkening city streets of the Capital. There were lanterns powered by magic crystals lining the paved streets, but the visibility was still pretty low as a mist rolled in from the coast.
Unable to contain herself, an anticipatory smile developed across Venti's face as she mused, "Ominous~." in a sing-song tone. Paul rolled his eyes at this, but he still increased his level of alertness as Eula and Jean moved a little closer to Lilia.
Fortunately, as eerie as the atmosphere had become, nothing leaped out from the alleys to attack Paul's Party. Several people eyed them as they passed, but the presence of Ganyu was enough to cause most people to give them a wide berth.&nbsp;
After traversing several city blocks without incident, Paul's group finally found a decent-looking Inn with the Guild logo attached to its sign. It lacked a stable, but Paul no longer had any intention of letting Ganyu stay outside. Instead, he had her shrink down as much as she could, roughly the size of a house cat, before concealing her in his tunic. He could feel her wet and slightly chilly nose sniffing at his body, but Paul ignored it as he procured a large bedroom reserved for Parties. The interior had a total of seven beds lined up along a single wall, mannequins for armors, racks for weapons, and three large chests for personal items and belongings.
Though it was significantly less lavish than their previous Inn, businesses operating with the Guild's logo were some of the safest places you could stay if you wanted to avoid harassment from Nobles. Their soundproofing and privacy left a lot to be desired, but Paul wasn't an animal incapable of restraining his urges. Lilia said she was already satisfied, so everyone just pushed their beds together and cuddled up for the night...
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"Paul..."
"Yeah, I know..."
Having noticed Ghislaine's ears perking up, Paul rose to a seated position just as a knock echoed through the room. It hadn't even been half an hour since everyone settled in and made themselves comfortable, so Paul's expression darkened as he groaned, "We're camping out in the forest from now on..."
Since everyone was pretty much fully clothed, having only removed their shoes and equipment, Paul only had to throw on an undertunic before he was decent enough to answer the door. When he did, the woman on the other side briefly tensed as the dark interior of the room, combined with the look on Paul's face, caused chills to run up her spine.
Before the woman could run off or think to apologize, Paul's expression softened ever so slightly as he asked, "What is it...?" in a hushed tone.
Feeling considerably less pressure, the woman exhaled a sigh before explaining, "Someone from the Citadel of Reidal has come searching for you by name. She introduced herself as Water King Uote."
Recognizing the name pretty much immediately, Paul remarked, "One of Reida's kids, huh...?" before shaking his head, adopting a wry smile, and adding, "Tell her I'll be down in a moment."
Though she gave Paul a slightly incredulous look when he referred to Reida in such a casual manner, the Inn employee offered a polite bow before scurrying off to deliver his message to Uote.
After briefly following the woman's departure, Paul closed and secured the door before turning to face the others as he said, "Looks like Reida sent someone over. I'm not sure she came to invite us to the Citadel, but there's a fairly solid chance that's the case. Ei and I will head down first to confirm."
"Understood."
Hearing Paul's words, Ei rose to her feet and promptly joined him at his side. She was ready to leave then and there, but Paul took a moment to help fix her clothing before they left. As much as he enjoyed seeing her walking around in a loose kimono, he didn't want others doing the same...
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With nothing better to do while she waited, Uote elected to make herself comfortable in the Inn's tavern area, ordering several tall glasses of mead before downing the first in a single go.
"Ahhhhh~! That hits the spot~."
Since it was against the law to consume alcohol during pregnancy, Uote had been dry for nearly a full year. Tonight was one of the few nights she had been able to get out of the house, so she figured she might as well enjoy herself before heading back to the relative rigidity of her life back in the Inner City.
"I'm assuming you're Uote?"
Though she had sensed Paul's and Reida's approach, Uote waited until they were right behind her before turning around to reveal a playful smile as she said, "Most of the time."
Raising his right brow, Paul resisted the urge to ask what Uote meant as he tapped the counter, sat a seat away from her, and asked, "Did Reida send you...?"
Before answering Paul, Uote directed a squinty-eyed smile toward the bartender. The man felt as though the tip of a blade was pressed to each of his nerve endings, so he left behind an unopened bottle of wine before promptly excusing himself to the back room.
Once they were alone, disregarding Ei, Uote gave Paul a sideline glance as she replied, "You shouldn't get in the habit of addressing my mother by name. How you refer to her in private is your business, but a certain level of decorum is expected in public. Please keep that in mind."
"Mmm..."
Reaching for the bottle of wine, Paul's face scrunched up when he read the label. His desire to drink immediately waned, so he said, "If you've nothing to discuss, I have a bevy of beautiful women awaiting my return. See ya around, Uote."
With a smile reminiscent of Gin from Bleach, Uote attempted to release a probatory amount of bloodlust. Before she could ramp it up to a level that might have caused Paul to sweat, however, a blade promptly appeared at her throat as Ei coldly repeated, "A certain level of decorum is expected in public..."
Opening her eyes ever-so-slightly, the smile on Uote's face became more than a little strained as she flatly declared, "You're fast..."
As she was actually most powerful while drunk, earning herself the title of Drunken King, Uote couldn't fathom how Ei had managed to get a blade at her throat without triggering her body's autonomic response.
While gesturing for Ei to stand down, a smile developed across Paul's face as he stated, "You'll have to forgive my companions. I appreciate it quite a bit, but they can be pretty protective at times..."
Forcing a smile of her own, Uote replied, "I can see that." while repressing the urge to get into a proper stance. She felt compelled to try and counter at least one of Ei's attacks, but that wasn't the reason her mother sent her over. Besides, if she caused a scene in a Guild-sponsored facility, it would cause a lot of problems for a lot of people.
Alighting from her barstool, Uote's smile became a little less strained as she revealed, "My mother asked me to deliver a message. Its contents are as follows: "Don't bother coming over unless you're willing to accept responsibility for your actions.""
Raising her right fist, Uote's smile regained a bit of its playfulness as she added, "She also told me to get you a few good punches, but I don't see that being an option right now."
Opening her left eye just a bit, Uote found Ei staring at her with glowing purple eyes and a rather intense expression on her face. The amount of bloodlust she was releasing was unlike anything Uote had experienced, so, even though she 'really' wanted to punch Paul's face, she held herself back. It was a shame, really, as Paul's toothy grin was basically asking to be struck...
Understanding that Uote's message was Reida's way of giving him a way out, a snort escaped Paul's nose. Even if Reida didn't have enormous tits and a perfectly toned ass, there was no way he would just let her fall into the hands of another. He also had absolutely no intention of abandoning his children. Sure, Aria might be a little standoffish, and there was a pretty good chance his son was a fat and disgusting Otaku in a previous life, but they were still his kids. Abandoning them went against the principle policy Paul lived by: not becoming a complete piece of shit.
"Go back. And when you see your mother again-no, scratch that. I'll tell her myself."
Though he could probably wait until tomorrow, if not days later, knowing Reida was close enough to send messengers made Paul want to see her. Did he love her? He wasn't entirely sure. However, she was the mother of his children and someone that had warmed his bed for several months. If he didn't love her, he sure as hell loved her body...
Adopting an approving smile, Uote replied, "Good answer." before turning to depart the Inn as she added, "There's a carriage waiting outside. It will depart in ten minutes, so hurry and gather your things."
Nodding his head, Paul resisted the urge to eye Uote's retreating figure as he and Ei made their way upstairs. The others were already well prepared to depart, so he just needed to grab the rest of his equipment before they made their way outside to board a large, two-compartment carriage...
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Though the distance between the Inn and the Citadel of Reidal was only 23km, it took nearly two and a half hours to reach it via the carriage Uote had prepared. Very little thought had gone into Ars' layout, so, as Nobles purchased up land and competed to have the most prominent estates, the roads became increasingly more complex. Your destination could be just a few hundred meters away if you passed through someone's property, but it could take well over half an hour to reach it as carriages were forced to go around and take numerous detours due to certain roads simply closing at specific times of the day.
"So this is the Citadel of Reidal? Talk about excessive..."
Staring up at the white-bricked, fortress-like structure that exuded a pale glow even in the middle of the night, Paul couldn't help being reminded of the White House from his previous life. It was a lot more angular in design and structure, but the well-maintained grounds and immaculate condition of the anti-magic bricks gave the five-story building a certain majesty.
Understanding that Paul had spent time at the Sword Sanctum, Uote took it upon herself to explain, "The Citadel of Reidal shares grounds with the Royal Academy. Those seeking to become Royal Knights and serve within the Silver Palace must complete seven years of compulsory education and spend three years within the Citadel of Reidal before being allowed to participate in the Royal Knight Selection Trials."
"Mmm...makes sense..."
Since this wasn't a novel, where 7-10-year-olds could miraculously earn the qualifications of a Royal Knight based purely on aptitude, Paul wasn't surprised by Uote's words. Children and teens could be temperamental, so making them wait until they were twenty before entrusting them with the lives of the highest-ranking Nobles made sense...
With Uote leading the way, Paul and Party were escorted through the unsurprisingly silent halls of the Citadel of Reidal. The sun had already long set over the horizon, so, while there were quite a number of people on guard, most were passed out after a long day of training. A day in the Citadel of Reidal started around 4:30 AM, so things quieted down quite a bit by sunset.
After passing through multiple checkpoints, each requiring them to write down their name and the time they passed through, Paul and Party found themselves in a large, circular chamber that split off into a total of eleven additional corridors. According to Uote, the corridors led to the individual rooms of the students staying in the Citadel, but the thing Paul was most interested in were the statues forming a spiral around the hall. There were well over a hundred present, each depicting a 2:1 scale model of each and every Water God since the first, Water God Reidal.
Noticing Reida's statue at the very center of the room, Paul was about to ask where the raven-haired vixen was at when all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. In the next moment, a shadow descended on him from above in the form of a remarkably beautiful and voluptuous woman with cerulean blue eyes and windswept black hair.
Having already cautioned Ei and the others against attacking unless his life was in immediate danger, Paul was left to fend for himself as he rolled to the side just in time to evade Reida's sneak attack. As he bounded back to his feet, he briefly raised his gaze to the dome-shaped ceiling, asking, "Were you seriously clinging to the roof and waiting for me to arrive...?"
Instead of denying it, Reida replied, "Yeah, and...?" as she flashed forward like a phantom to try and grab Paul's collar. She was moving a hell of a lot faster than when they used to train together, but Paul had improved quite a bit since then. Not enough to dodge a serious Reida, but she was clearly just testing him. At least, that's what he believed...
Seeing Paul step back and slap her wrist, a rather vicious smile developed across Reida's face as she effortlessly thwarted his attempt to backpedal by thrusting her palm into his chest as she placed her foot in the path of his own. Paul immediately lost his balance, but before he could even think to roll backward and spring back to his feet, Reida pushed him further and promptly mounted his abdomen.
"Grit your teeth, brat."
Without waiting for Paul's response, Reida slammed her right fist into his cheek with enough force to make the stone beneath him crack. She knew Paul could use Touki now, so she used just enough strength to overwhelm his defenses and loosen a few of his teeth.
"That one was for Aiden. Now, turn the other cheek..."
Though her original intention was to beat Paul until his face looked like a pig's, Reida's intentions changed when she witnessed just how much he had matured. She kind of preferred his more youthful appearance, but the current Paul wasn't without his charms. His physique, in particular, caused Reida's heart to flutter more than she would ever admit...
Earning a toothy-grin from the buxom Goddess, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he gritted his teeth and presented his other cheek. He already knew he would receive a beating, so he figured he might as well get it over with. Of course, not without receiving a few benefits...
As Reida continued to pound and pummel him with decreasing strength, Paul shamelessly grabbed and squeezed her ass. Reida immediately noticed this but only smiled wider as Paul's shamelessness had always been something she appreciated about him. If anyone else were to do such a thing, she would probably break each of their fingers, one by one. When Paul did it, however, it felt completely natural...
Satisfied after around twenty punches, Reida demonstrated a bit of her own shamelessness by adjusting her position from Paul's abdomen to his hips. Something warm, firm, and huge began to take shape beneath her, but she pretended not to notice as she stared into Paul's slightly swollen eyes and asked, "I suppose this means you intend to take responsibility?"
Revealing rows of bloodied teeth, Paul managed a painful yet cheeky grin as he replied, "You said it yourself. If I reached Saint Rank before 15, you would bare your heart to me. Well, get to baring..."
"..."
Though she expected Paul to say something cheeky, Reida didn't expect him to return the words she had used to casually dismiss him in the past. A sudden urge to continue punching him swelled within her heart, but she would be lying if she said it hadn't skipped a beat...
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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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Chapter 129: MI129: Disturbance