Wane

"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.

"..."

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.

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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