Care

As much as she enjoyed Paul's passionate ministrations, it was what came after that cemented Roxy's affection for him.

Since Roxy didn't have the remarkable convenience of an Elemental Seal, Paul couldn't help feeling a little guilty when he saw the petite blunette sprawled out across the bed, her body covered in more than just sweat.

With his stamina far outclassing Roxy's, Paul insisted that she focus on recovering while he used a warm wet towel to wipe her down. When he did, the vigor she had exhibited during their love-making was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she became increasingly embarrassed, her face turning a faint shade of crimson as she observed Paul's actions with the intensity of a hawk.

Waiting until he was just about finished up, Paul asked, "What's with the death stare? I told you I would care for you, didn't I?"

Feeling even more embarrassed, Roxy averted her head and eyes to the side, her response barely audible as she whispered, "I've never heard of a Noble like you..."

Exhibiting his practiced shamelessness, Paul adopted a cocky smile as he mused, "I mean, yeah, that's kind of the point. If I were any other Noble, I wouldn't have been exiled due to the First Prince's paranoia. We've never even met, and the man regards me like a snake in his chamberpot."

Turning to meet Paul's gaze, Roxy asked, "Was he right to be concerned? Even though I've agreed to follow you, you've never actually told me what your objective was. I'm still not entirely convinced you're not the leader of a cult..."

Maintaining his cocky look, Paul playfully retorted, "Yet you still gave me your virginity? I'm honored..."

Taking advantage of the fact he was cleaning Roxy's calves, Paul bent down to plant a kiss on her thigh. Roxy's face immediately turned a more vibrant shade of red, but she didn't look away as she replied, "I might not have if it wasn't for that girl. What was her name again? Barbara...?"

Seeing Paul nod his head, Roxy continued, "The greatest regret of my life was not being truthful and confronting my Master before she departed on her journey. Because of that, I spent years tracking her down, always one, maybe two steps behind. I endured numerous hardships, yet by the time I managed to catch up to her, she didn't even remember who I was..."

As she had already revealed much of her story to Paul, Roxy shook away her negative thoughts before adding, "When Barbara implied that I might regret missing out on the opportunity to be with you, my memories from that period promptly resurfaced. I'm honestly not sure if I made the right choice, but I'm positive I would never be able to stop thinking about it if I just allowed you to leave..."

"..."

Awed by the sincerity of Roxy's words, Paul found himself at a loss for his own. Fortunately, he had always been more of a man of action, so he only hesitated for a brief moment before squeezing her left hand and leaning forward to plant a kiss on her lips. Roxy was a little startled by his actions but offered no resistance as his tongue slipped into her mouth, slowly and deliberately tracing the line of her gums as she did her best to reciprocate his affections...

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Thanks to an ample application of Healing Magic, Roxy managed to avoid the awkward ordeal of being seen floundering around bowlegged when she and Paul finally emerged from the bedroom. Unfortunately, she had failed to consider that Amalie's residence wasn't just a business but one operating in the middle of a Beast Race community.

Seeing a crowd of people staring at her with smiles the moment she and Paul emerged from the upstairs corridor, Roxy's complexation alternated between being white as a sheet and red as a cherry. At the same time, her mind immediately reminded her of the reason she had wandered upstairs the previous night.

Just as Roxy was starting to regret leaving her oversized witch's cap back in her room, Paul placed his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it as he said, "No regrets, right?"

Though she had a sudden urge to stomp on Paul's foot, Roxy ultimately nodded her head before leaning closer to him and repeating, "No regrets."

Having been informed of Paul's actual objectives, including the reason for his looming return to the Asura Kingdom, Roxy felt a lot less apprehensive than she had a few hours prior. She was a little miffed to learn that he had inadvertently knocked someone up but was strangely relieved to discover it was none other than the Water God, Reida Reia. It was like her decision to sleep with Paul had been validated by the fact that even Gods were not immune to his charms...

While Roxy was momentarily lost in her thoughts, Paul guided her through the dining room by hand, casually greeting everyone they passed. He had memorized the names of nearly every permanent resident of the Western District, not because he had to, but because people were a lot less prone to violence when you could single them out.

Lesson thirty-three of being a proper Lord: Familiarity breeds compliance.

After making their way to the kitchen for some much-needed sustenance, even Roxy was pleasantly surprised to find just about everyone, sans Lisa, Rosaria, and Lynette, waiting for them. Even Fischl was present, smiling as she met eyes with the petite blunette and said, "Congratulations, Roxy." in an ostensibly sincere tone.

Before Roxy could respond, Barbara left her at a loss for words by openly inquiring, "How was it? I've never really experienced doing it with anyone else, but I've heard from a reliable source that Paul is very talented when it comes to pleasing women."

Smiling broadly at Barbara's 'unintentional' praise, Paul stood noticeably straighter as he replied, "It would be weirder if I weren't. I sure as hell get a lot of practice."

As if Paul's words were a perfect segue, Barbara adopted a playful smile of her own as she inquired, "Speaking of which, have you explained your 'unique' constitution to Roxy? Does she know you get stronger the more you have sex~?"

"..."

Unused to Barbara's brazenness, Paul found himself unable to respond. Instead, it was Roxy who inquisitively inquired, "Is that true? I've heard speculation regarding the existence of Mana within semen, but it isn't a subject that is openly discussed within the academic community, much less polite society."

Recovering a bit during Roxy's dialogue, Paul scratched the back of his head as he explained, "The truth has been lost to time, but it's believed that the predecessor of the Greyrat Houses was a remarkably powerful Succubus, potentially even Lilith herself. During the First Great Human-Demon War, she was rumored to be the companion of one of the Seven Heroes who defeated the Demon Empress. All I know for certain is that there is a growing faction backed by the Milis Church that blames her for the current state of the Asuran Nobility."

Noticing the contempt in Paul's expression and tone, Roxy decided not to suggest there might be some truth to such claims. Instead, she got back to the original subject, asking, "So you grow more powerful the more you have sex? That seems...exploitable...'

Answering in place of Paul, Barbara appeared somewhat giddy as she clarified, "It isn't just Paul. Though the effect is most prominent for those who possess Visions, his-"

Interrupting before her sister could finish, Jean shouted, "Barbara...!" in a stern, disproving tone. She knew that Barbara was just trying to get Roxy a bit more excited about being a part of their group, but there was a time and a place for everything. Talking about the benefits of having sex when 'outsiders' were present wasn't a good idea.

Following her sister's gaze, Barbara noticed that the group of women currently learning how to cook from Xiangling was paying more attention to them than their lessons. Xiangling also had an understandably helpless smile on her face, so Barbara immediately lost some of her vigor, lowering her head and pressing the tips of her fingers together as she said, "Sorry. I may have gotten a little too excited..."

Lightening the mood a little, Paul interrupted whatever Jean was about to say by insisting, "It's not that big a deal. Let's just keep bedroom topics in the bedroom from now on, okay? Right now, I'm fucking starving."

Furrowing her brows, Eula muttered, "Language." but Paul just adopted one of his usual smiles before grabbing a piece of lamb from Ghislaine's plate. She gave him a look that screamed betrayal, but he paid it no mind as he sat between her and Razor and subsequently invited Roxy to do the same.

With the trio from the Sword Sanctum returned and now Roxy, Paul knew he would need more than just his Dendro Vision to preserve his stamina...

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..

.

"Do you maybe think this is a bit much...?"

Hearing Paul's remark, Roxy furrowed her brows and said, "Quiet. It's hard enough to focus as is..."

After learning that Paul could effectively replenish her Mana, Roxy couldn't help wondering just how effective the process was. Thus, even though she was blushing up to her ears, she continued to slowly rock her hips back and forth, supported by Paul's hands as she channeled Healing Magic into a bottle of purified water. This was technically the process of creating Holy Water, but the Milis Church would probably lose their minds if they saw the method Roxy was using to maintain the supply of magical energy.

Though he felt a growing urge to push the focused blunette forward and pound her until she couldn't think straight, Paul compromised by reducing the strength in his hands ever so slightly. As a result, Roxy slipped further down his shaft, an action that sent a faint tremor up her spine and caused her entire body to tense.

Understanding what Paul was doing, Roxy said, "Please be patient..." in a shaky tone. She knew she wasn't exactly being fair to Paul right now, but she 'had' to know the limits of his ability to replenish Mana. Thus, for the past two and a half weeks, they had been performing this particular ritual at least three times a day.

Rolling his eyes, Paul dutifully supported Roxy's small yet incredibly soft butt without further teasing. She barely weighed 32kgs even when fully clothed, so it required minimal effort on his part. His only complaint was that Roxy's sensitivity meant she had to move painfully slow in order to maintain her focus. Paul was used to far more intense types of sex so, even though Roxy was inarguably the tightest among his current lovers, the slow grinding actually caused his penis to feel numb.

Fortunately, even with Paul's 'assistance,' Roxy's Mana reserves weren't exceptionally high. She was around the level of an average Saint-Ranked Magician, so she could only continue channeling Healing Magic for a few minutes before completely exhausting her reserves.

With the pale green light fading from her palms, Roxy exhaled a tired sigh before falling face-forward between Paul's legs and mumbling, "Do what you want..." in a weary tone. Mana deficiency caused similar symptoms as physical exhaustion, so she couldn't even maintain her posture when her tank was empty.

That's where Paul came in.

Rising to a seated position, Paul made sure that Roxy's hips wouldn't fall before reaching forward to hook his hands beneath her knees. He could feel her insides tense up like a vice, but that didn't stop him from forcing her to sit back up, her back against his chest and tongue protruding as he raised and lowered her body entire body along his shaft...

Though all of Paul's women were on the lighter side, excluding the 70kg Ghislaine, Roxy's size and weight made her particularly easy to handle. It had bothered her quite a bit near the beginning, but, as she couldn't move of her own accord while fatigued, Roxy had secretly come to enjoy being held up by Paul. There was something about being suspended and feeling helpless that made her heart race...

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(A/N: Remember that you can read up to Chapter 129 at Libraryofakasha dot com. Also, every single power stone helps~)