Mushoku Impact

(A/N: Short chapter, but I felt like I would ruin the ending if the scene abruptly changed. Hope everyone enjoys it.)
"You okay...?"
"Be quiet...I'm trying to think..."
"Mmm...well, don't hurt yourself..."
"You..."
Though she didn't put any strength into it, Reida rewarded Paul's cheeky comment with a kick to the side of his face. What she didn't expect was for Paul to grab her ankle, playfully musing, "Don't mind if I do..." before gently biting down on her pinky toe.
"..."
As Paul began to pepper to foot with kisses, Reida rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion, remarking, "You're helpless..." with a faint smile on her face.&nbsp;
Adopting an even cheekier smile, Paul countered, "I told you at the start, didn't I? There isn't a single spot on your body that is profane. Though I'd rather avoid eating your ass, I intend to love every inch of you..."
Feeling a pang in her heart and a sour feeling spreading through her nose, Reida closed her eyes and turned her head away from Paul. They had just concluded the most tender and passionate session of lovemaking she had ever experienced, but, before that, she had given Paul a cursory account of her past.
Though she currently held the title Water God, making her one of the most powerful and well-respected people in the world, Reida's rise to the top hadn't been easy. She was born a simple peasant to an ailing mother who worked in the Red-Light District of a city known as Roa. Rather than her father, the first adult male she could recollect was a man who nearly killed her. From there, things only got progressively worse until she was eventually tossed out into the streets and left for dead.
Were it not for the 'kindness' of a complete stranger, treating her body with Advanced Healing Magic and delivering her to an orphanage, the woman everyone revered as the Water God would have died before she had the chance to pick up a sword.
Unfortunately, Reida quickly learned that genuine kindness was a rarity in the society she had been born into. The orphanage she was dropped off at turned out to be a facility where children were selected to be groomed into 'pets.' Their humanity was gradually stripped away from them as they were taught to think and behave like animals.
Though she had repressed the memories from that time in her life, Reida would periodically remember being dragged around naked on a leash, being forced to eat from a bowl, and suffering severe beatings whenever she broke character or tried to resist. And those were the more 'pleasant' memories.
Upon realizing that she couldn't be trained easily due to her aggressive nature, Reida went from being a pet to a 'fighting dog.' She was forced to fight in a small, circular pit where people would gamble on the outcome of matches. Unlike the majority of fighting dogs, however, Reida was part of a small number of fairly attractive girls that were used to entertain guests in between higher profile matches. They would be dragged into the arena completely naked and pitted against grown men that completely dwarfed them in size, the crowd cheering as they were forced to endure countless indignities.
What the organizers never expected was for Reida, barely even six years old at the time, to actually put up a fair amount of resistance against her assailants. She would invariably lose, suffering a fate even worse than the other girls, but regulars at the gambling pit could see she was improving with each successive match.
Against all expectations, Reida gradually became a crowd favorite, so much so that a betting pool opened to determine when she would get her first win. Over time, people had even started to boo her opponents until, one fateful day, someone tossed a wooden sword into the pit as Reida was on the verge of a loss.
Though she had never wielded a sword before, Reida was able to turn the tables on her opponent with fierce attacks rivaling those of a wild animal. Her victory was ultimately declared null and void due to interference from the crowd, but that singular taste of victory was enough to turn Reida into a completely different person. Hearing people cheer at her triumph rather than jeering at her shame had awoken something slumbering deep within her, a desire to become the strongest.
Shortly after her victory in the underground fight pit, Reida found herself dolled up, bound, and muzzled before being introduced to the man that would become her adoptive father, captor, and swordsmanship instructor. The indignities she suffered at his hand were carved deep into her body, but, even now, Reida still respected him as, no matter how he treated her behind closed doors, he took her education and training very seriously.
In the span of five years, Reida went from a feral girl who could barely speak to one of the few who could read and write. She also learned how to carry herself with dignity and respect, even if she was still used as an outlet for sexual desires. By then, that aspect of Reida's life had become completely normalized, so much so that she didn't even bat an eye when her adoptive father would ask her to entertain his 'friends.'
What brought Reida's world crashing down was when her father sold her to one of those very 'friends' after an incident where she had offended a group of Nobles who were envious of her strength and skill. If not for the timely intervention of another Noble, a righteous young man who became Reida's first love, she would have had both her hands and feet cut off.
After being forced to leave her home, Reida soon found herself passing through the gates of the wealthiest and most prosperous city in the entire world, the Capital of the Asura Kingdom, Ars. There, quite a lot happened, but the most important events were her enrollment in the Royal Academy, her brief captivity at the hands of Gal Farion, the birth of her children, and her prolonged tenure as a 'relief girl' for the social elite.
Though there were countless roadblocks on her path to the top, including several attempts to force her into wedlock, Reida managed to persist until she ultimately found herself in the coveted position of Water God. Shortly after that, the details of her past began to fade into obscurity as nobody in their right minds could believe the daughter of a prostitute could climb to the position of Water God. More importantly, the only person Reida was beholden to at that point was the King, so, for the first time in her life, she was free from the machinations and desires of others, free to choose who she gave her body to rather than having it claimed by others.
Unfortunately, as was often the case for female swordswomen entering into their forties, Reida's condition had already begun its gradual decline. She could no longer push her body beyond its limits. Instead, she had no choice but to refine her skill, tirelessly sharpening her techniques against others in a vain attempt to compensate for her waning strength...
And then she met Paul...one of only three people who had ever managed to touch her heart. Unlike the other two, however, Paul seemed relentless in his efforts to penetrate the walls of her heart and fill the void that had existed there since Reida was a child...
Interrupting Paul's gradual progress up her left thigh, Reida's voice was barely a whisper as she muttered, "I'm not sure I can ever love someone else...I've spent every meaningful moment of my life in pursuit of a single goal. After all this time, I-"
"See? This is what I was talking about. People like you&mdash;no&mdash;people like us aren't good at thinking, Reida. The harder we try to figure things out, the more we hurt ourselves in the process. Instead of focusing on things neither of us could ever fully understand, we should focus on the things that actually matter. This exact moment, and each moment we share from here on..."
Punctuating his words, Paul planted a kiss on Reida's lower abdomen. He would have kissed her lips, but his position didn't allow it. This ended up being for the best as tears began to build in Reida's eyes as she covered them with her forearm. Her emotions were in complete and utter turmoil, but the two most prominent among them were relief and happiness...
It had taken the better part of forty-six years, but Reida had finally found someone she could bare more than just her body. The void in her heart, something Reida once thought impossible to fill, suddenly seemed a lot smaller...
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&nbsp;

Though she was supposed to oversee a class early that morning, Reida ended up sleeping in a lot later than usual. When she finally awoke, she felt more refreshed than she had in a very long time, not just because of the burdens she had unloaded the previous night but because Paul was still there when she opened her eyes.
Catching Reida staring at him, a smile developed across Paul's face as he said, "Good morning, bedhead. Enjoy your rest...?"
Coming to her senses, Reida pushed herself to a seated position, asking, "What do you intend to do from now on?" as she attempted to fix her hair. She ordinarily didn't bother with such things, but hearing Paul refer to her as 'bedhead' made her think her hair was a mess.
"Mmm...I'll probably meet with the King and see what he has to say. After that, there's someone I want to meet up with at the Royal Academy. Think you can arrange a meeting...?"
Snorting through her nose, Reida retorted, "I'm the Water God, not your Secretary." before eventually asking, "Who is it? Another woman?" a few seconds later.
Shaking his head, Paul explained, "It's Philip Boreas Greyrat. The Lord of the Milbots Region advised me to lend him a hand if I got the chance..."
"Hmmm..."
As she had spent the last seventeen months in the Capital, Reida had a basic understanding of the circumstances surrounding Philip and his older brother, James. The latter had been unable to produce an heir, so he was trying to make use of an ancient law that would allow him to claim Philip's first two sons as his own. It was a law that was generally only enforced if the Lord's children died during a campaign, but that didn't prevent James from making promises and lobbying to have the Royal Court take his side.
After collecting her thoughts, Reida remarked, "I'm surprised. Based on your past comments about Nobles and politics, I figured you would try to avoid getting entangled with the affairs of others."
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul retorted, "What can I do? Back then, I only had to worry about keeping myself alive and growing stronger. Now, I've got kids, people who rely on me, and all sorts of things to worry about..."
Hearing Paul mention their children ahead of his other concerns, Reida's expression softened ever so slightly. She had been, and still was, a pretty terrible mother. Since most of her kids were forced on her, she never truly saw them as her own. Her children with Paul were also an accident, but at least she had a choice.
"How were they? I couldn't stay long after their birth, and I haven't seen them since I left them in the care of your parents."
Though he was a little surprised to learn that Reida hadn't at least tried to check on the twins, Paul chose not to question her as he answered, "Aria is a Blessed Child. We're not sure which Blessing she has received, but it grants her tremendous strength. As for Aiden...he possesses a remarkable intellect. As ridiculous as this may sound, I can see him becoming a Saint-Ranked Mage within the next three to five years..."
Adopting a slightly skeptical look, Reida asked, "Are you serious? I don't know much about the Magical Community, but you won't find more than a twenty or so Saint-Ranked Magicians in the entire Kingdom. You're telling me our son has the potential to reach such a Rank, and as a child...?"
With all signs pointing toward Aiden being the same otaku who incarnated as Rudeus in the original series, Paul nodded his head, explaining, "I know how ridiculous it sounds, but he was able to learn Beginner-Ranked Water, Earth, and Fire Magic without a teacher. His reserves are also several tens of time that of an average person, and he hasn't even begun puberty..."
Though most of her children possessed inordinately strong physiques, allowing them to excel in swordsmanship, this was the first time Reida was hearing about one of her children excelling in Magic. She knew Paul wasn't the type to embellish things like this, so a toothy grin developed across her face as she said, "Well, I'll be damned. I knew you were a little monster, but I didn't think I'd pop out two more after sleeping with you. I guess we have good compatibility, huh...?"
Without waiting for Paul to respond, Reida moved to rise from the bed, a faint yet still discernible rosy hue coloring her cheeks that compelled her to face away as she added, "Anyways...so long as you're in the Citadel, it will be easy to arrange a meeting between you and Philip. Swordsmanship is compulsory for Nobles until graduation, and you're pretty famous as the youngest Sword and Water Saint in history. Getting you in as an assistant or guest lecturer should be pretty easy."
Since Paul had courteously washed her body before she fell asleep, Reida grabbed her clothes and began donning them. She could feel Paul's eyes roaming her body, primarily focused on her ass, but didn't mind it in the slightest. Rather, knowing he was looking, she took her time pulling up her snug, extremely form-fitting black pants before saying, "For now, we should head over to the Silver Palace and arrange a meeting between you and the King. I'm assuming you received a summons, but I should be able to secure you a private audience using my position as the Water God. Just don't do anything that would require me to kill you, okay...?"
Though her words may have sounded casual, Reida's expression revealed how serious she was. If the King ordered it, she would have no choice but to cut down Paul on the spot. As unlikely as such an event was to occur, it was still a possibility.
Seeing Reida concerned for him, Paul's expression softened into a tender smile as he said, "Relax. I said it before, right? I'm not actually an enemy of the Kingdom. If the First Prince wasn't such a massive cunt, the entire Asura Kingdom would have benefitted from the changes Ningguang and I intended to introduce. We want to make this world a better place, not flip it upside down or fuck it sideways."
Sensing no falsehoods in Paul's words, the majority of Reida's concerns were alleviated. She had followed Ningguang's advice to a tee, but nearly two years had passed since then. There was no way of knowing just how much things had changed since her last encounter with the white-haired vixen...
"Good. As for those lasses you brought along with you, it's better if they stay here for the time being. I don't need to tell you what kind of people the Nobles in the Silver Palace are. Even the King might be tempted if he caught a glimpse of that woman with purple hair..."
With Reida having completed her reverse strip-tease, Paul had already risen from the bed and started to get dressed. In response to her words, he just nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I wasn't planning to bring them along. If something did happen, Ei would probably slaughter everyone in the palace. At her current level, even you wouldn't be able to stop her..."
Since she had sensed the blade-like aura emanating from Ei's body, Reida didn't immediately challenge Paul's assertion. She knew Ei and the others weren't ordinary girls, but for the sake of keeping at least a few of Paul's secrets, she had never inquired about the specifics. She knew they had a connection to the Elemental Visions, but had no idea Ei was the source of her own Vision's power.
"I'll have to confirm that for myself later. For now, go and say whatever you need to say to those girls. When you're ready, I'll be waiting for you at the Hall of Memories, the place where I gave you a good beating."
Though he had healed mere minutes after Reida's beating, Paul made a show of rubbing his face as he teased, "You should go easier on me next time. You wouldn't want your man to have a face like a pig, would you...?"
Snorting through her nose, Reida was tempted to say it would better match his character, but, in all honesty, she found Paul to be one of the kindest and most considerate people she had ever met. He was a huge pervert, but he showed genuine consideration for his partners. After last night, that truth was now firmly ingrained into both her mind and body...
Leaving Paul at a momentary loss for words, Reida muttered, "Whatever..." before fastening her sword to her belt and adding, "Outward appearances aren't the only thing that matters. So long as you were still you..."
Though he could hear her say something, Paul couldn't make out the final few words of Reida's statement. Immediately after she was finished, she departed the room with determined steps. As a result, he wasn't able to see the surprisingly maidenly look on her face, a brilliant red hue coloring her cheeks as her final few words echoed in her mind...
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After meeting with the girls and having Ei promise she wouldn't go full nuclear if something happened to him during his visit to the Silver Palace, Paul made his way towards the Hall of Memories. However, before he even reached it, he heard the sound of a man shouting, followed by the deep and dignified voice of Reida saying something in response.
"The fuck...?"
Making his way toward the disturbance, Paul found Reida standing with a deadpan expression on her face as a fairly tall man with auburn hair and greenish-blue eyes towered over her, shouting, "At least pretend to have some dignity left! How can you-"
Seeing Paul enter the chamber out of the corner of his eyes, the man's eyes blazed with fury as he said, "You...!" in a venomous tone. Before he could speak further, however, Reida promptly punched him in the gut with enough force to send him crashing into the wall, a 'Guk!' sound emanating from his throat as he hunched over and held his stomach.
"I'm tired of your shit, Vuldar. You're nearly thirty years old, but get your ass kicked by your younger sister. Stop acting like you have any leeway to represent the interest of the Citadel. You're just a brat riding my coattails."
With an expression that looked like he had swallowed a giant turd, Vuldar glared back at both Reida and Paul. In response, she stepped on his pride even further by promptly pulling Paul's collar and planting a big, wet kiss on his lips. Paul was briefly surprised by this, but that didn't stop him from grabbing her ass as Vuldar stared daggers at him.
Though she held the kiss for several seconds, Reida eventually gave Paul a firm push, saying, "Don't get carried away..." in a severe tone. She didn't particularly mind him grabbing her ass, but she didn't want him doing it in front of her sons. They had some pretty extreme mommy issues, so there was a good chance Vuldar would try to kill Paul the first chance he got.
Turning back to her son, Reida narrowed her eyes as she declared, "I've said it a thousand times before, and I'll say it a thousand times more. The only way I'm stepping down from this position is if someone defeats me. I have no interest in you or your father. If he's that desperate for a mistress that matches his standing, he'd have more success greasing the palms of a pig farmer. Now, get the fuck out of my sight."
With tears building in the corners of his eyes, Vuldar grunted, "You...you'll regret this..." before pushing himself to his feet and hobbling off. Since he was going in the direction they were about to head, Reida pulled Paul off to the side for an impromptu makeout session. The sounds they produced caused Vuldar's eyes to turn red with fury, but Reida was more concerned with easing her frustrations than worrying about her man-child of a son...
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.&nbsp;

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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Chapter 131: MI131: Laid Bare