Revocation

"Damn brat...you trying to knock me up...?"

Despite the harshness of her tone and words, Reida couldn't help smiling as she stared up at the ceiling of her guest room in a contented daze. She didn't remember exactly, but her youngest daughter should be around six or seven years old. She had only had sex a few times since then, but even men twice his age couldn't compare to the little rascal that just played her body like a fiddle.

Instead of responding to Reida's words, Paul continued to silently enjoy the feeling of her breasts cushioning his face. He had yet to pull out of her, so he still had a semi pressed up to its hilt within her firm and warm depths. She may have experienced many men throughout her life, but a mixture of intense physical conditioning and Healing Magic gave Reida a firmness comparable to young women a third her age.

Exhaling a steamy sigh, Reida reached up to comb her fingers through Paul's hair as she said, "Thanks for that, kiddo. This might sound like lip service, but I don't think I've ever experienced pleasure like that. At the very least, not when any single man was involved...you're still a little wet behind the ears, but you've got a pretty terrifying talent there..."

Finished with her praise, Reida grabbed a handful of Paul's hair, pulling his face from her breasts with a predatory smile on her face as she said, "You little shit...just who do you think it is you're trying to conquer?"

Without waiting for Paul's response, Reida flung him in a way that caused him to crash upside down into the wall. The Water God School might not place a focus on power, but the muscular resiliency required to move at supersonic speeds made Reida one of the strongest people in the world, even without using Touki.

Though he managed to cushion his fall with his hands, Paul still ended up falling and landing on his head with a thump. Fortunately, Reida wasn't as angry as she was pretending to be. If anything, she was actually amused by how passionate and intense Paul had been during their intercourse. It was nice to feel wanted, even if the person desiring her nearly thirty-four years her junior.

While Paul was busy picking himself up, Reida gave herself a firm smack on her lower abdomen. The impact was fierce enough to produce a small shockwave, but, more importantly, it was enough to force out the almost ludicrous amount of semen Paul had pumped into her. He ended up firing off a total of eleven shots, three on the bed, seven inside of her, and one on her back. The last one kind of pissed Reida off, so she scooped up an entire palmful of semen from the bed and sent it sailing across the room, smacking Paul in the back of his head.

"What the fuck?"

Reaching up to wipe the back of his head, Paul's expression turned grim as he realized what the viscous substance was. In response, Reida said, "I told you not to get your semen on me. Shooting it inside is bad enough, but I'd rather you release it there than on my body. Now I need to take a bath, or I'm going to smell like sex and piss all day."

Resisting the urge to point out that Reida had squirted all her own, Paul spent a few moments trying to clean his hair before asking, "Want to take a bath? With how long we've been going at it and how into it you were at the end, I doubt there's a single person in the Estate who doesn't know we're fucking."

"..."

Though she had heard about and experienced Paul's maturity, Reida was a little taken aback by how casual he had suddenly become. Most Nobles would freak out if they were thrown into a wall or had a handful of semen hurled at them. Paul just took it in stride.

"You're not a normal kid. Your intelligence, skill level, maturity, and those Visions. You're a little monster in the making, Paul Notos Greyrat..."

Shaking his head, Paul refuted Reida's claim, stating, "I just want enough strength to uphold my ideals and protect the things I care about. If that makes me a monster, I imagine all humans are monsters..."

Smiling at the sentiment, Reida leaned against the headboard of her bed, hands behind her head as she stared at nothing in particular, musing, "You ain't wrong, kiddo..."

Recalling how terrible her life had been before she managed to become a Sword King, there were few things Reida wouldn't give to go back in time and just slaughter everyone who made her life a waking nightmare. All but her youngest daughter had been forced on her by circumstances beyond her control, and, even though she was the Water God, she was little more than a tool for the Asuran King.

Seeing Reida stare off into space with a wistful yet somehow terrifying look on her face, Paul hesitated for a moment before asking, "Want to talk about it...?"

Blinking in surprise, Reida lowered her arms as she looked toward Paul and asked, "Are you, a knave who can't even break out of the Advanced Rank, worrying about me, a God...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul answered, "If the Gods were faultless and without worry, the world wouldn't be such a messed up place. I might not be able to do anything, but I can at least hear you out if you want to vent."

"Huh..."

Sensing genuine concern and a bit of embarrassment exuding from Paul, Reida's impression of him improved quite a bit. She couldn't help thinking he was a little soft and naive, but it was kind of nice to meet a Noble who cared about more than just themselves.

"Tell you what, kid. If you stop holding back and reach the Saint Rank before 15, not only will I bare my heart to you, but I'll groom you as my successor. Until then, focus on your own problems."

Though she appreciated Paul's concerns, Reida could tell he was the type to let other people's problems weigh him down. Since he had kept his end of the deal by providing her with a powerful weapon and a Vision, she was determined to help him grow stronger. Sex was a method swordsmen and women used to keep their apprentices, particularly those of the opposite sex, motivated and without enmity. Training could get extremely harsh at times, so by letting Paul have sex with her, Reida was letting him release his pent-up frustrations while simultaneously scratching her itch.

Since Paul clearly had a bit of a hero complex, Reida knew that confiding in him would increase his anger and frustration toward the world. She didn't want to have to cut him down if he became a mad dog who bared his teeth towards the Royal Family, so, until he had the strength to back up his bark, she would rather regard him as an adorable little puppy than a potential dragon...

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Nearly three weeks after the death of the Duke, the Royal Coroner, his team, and nearly a hundred Knights arrived at the Notos Estate. When Amarant saw the latter, his expression turned especially grim as it was clear to him what the King had in mind.

Fortunately, while Ningguang's network was nowhere near the level she wanted it to be at, it was more than enough to keep her apprised of large-scale movements. Convoys of soldiers were slow to move, and they had to resupply at several villages along the way. During their stay, both the soldiers and caravaners would stop at various pubs and brothels. By the time the 'Royal Inquisition' had reached the Notos Estate, Ningguang had transferred most of her core personnel and supplies through underground tunnels that were both constructed and subsequently sealed by Zhongli.

Since the Inquisition had appeared at the Estate carrying a Royal Decree, Amarant had no choice but to allow them to search the premises from top to bottom. This included the East Wing and the warehouse at the back of the Estate, a refurbished storehouse repurposed for the production of silk and polyethylene products.

To Amarant's immense surprise and the Inquisition's chagrin, a search of both locations turned up very little. None of the people they were asked to investigate were present, and there was no evidence of House Notos planning a rebellion. At the very least, nothing on the property, not even Amarant's private journal, revealed anything. The only thing of note they discovered were comprehensive plans to coordinate with the Royal Family and further develop the Region's infrastructure.

Dissatisfied with the results of their search, the Inquisition's next plan of action was to interview every single person within the Notos Estate. They even brought along a powerful lie detection artifact, but due to his status as the Lord of House Notos, Amarant was spared its use. As for Valentine and Paul, the former didn't know anything, and the latter had his father's support. Amarant didn't allow them to ask Paul any leading questions that could be misconstrued as a confession of guilt. The only thing he allowed the Chief Inquisitor to ask were questions related to Paul's intentions and whether or not he was acting against the interests of the Asura Kingdom or the Royal Family.

Fortunately for Paul, he genuinely didn't give a damn about either. Would he overthrow them if the situation presented itself? Sure. Did he have any plans to do so? Quite the opposite. He was actually waiting for Princess Ariel to be born so he could support her claim to the throne. Thus, when the Chief Inquisitor asked, Paul wasn't lying when he said he was acting in the interests of the Royal Family and the Asura Kingdom as a whole.

Making things even harder for the Inquisition, Reida decided to speak out on Paul's behalf. As the Water God, Reida was the personal bodyguard of the King when he traveled abroad. Her loyalty was even guaranteed by a powerful magical contract, so her testimony carried a tremendous amount of weight.

Unfortunately, even though the Inquisition fully exonerated House Notos of any wrongdoing, it never really mattered. The Coroner had been given a message to pass directly to Amarant, a confidential missive that laid out the terms for House Notos' absolution. In other words, even though there was no evidence of any wrongdoing, they would still be held accountable unless the Royal Court's demands were kept.

First and foremost, the Kingdom would be deploying officials to conduct a land survey and redraw the borders of the Milbots Region. They made no mention of seizing land, but it was stated that they would be coordinating with Boreas and Eurus Houses to clarify which land belonged to whom. In layman's terms, they had colluded with the Royal Family to help suppress House Notos in exchange for land. All because the Royal Court was afraid that the Milbots Region was growing 'too prosperous.'

Though the redistribution of land and various resources made up the bulk of the King's 'proposal,' Amarant knew it was the smaller items they really cared about. Their territory and mines could always be redeemed through various deals. It was simply a means for the Royal Family to force House Notos to redistribute their wealth to sustain the balance between the Four Regions. The last two items, however, were things that could not be taken back unless the King issued a Royal Decree...

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Instead of having Paul come to his study, Amarant visited his son's room for the first time in more than five years. There, he found Water God Reida waiting patiently outside with her arms crossed while Paul could be heard shuffling about in the room's interior.

After exchanging glances and curt nods with the beautiful woman that he could covet but never obtain, Amarant entered his son's room to find Paul in the middle of packing a large rucksack. The already grim expression on his face became even more so as he asked, "You already know...?"

Hearing his father's words, Paul tossed his rucksack off to the side before looking back, surprising Amarant with a calm smile as he said, "Ningguang is very capable..."

Exhaling a tired sigh, it was Amarant's turn to surprise Paul by wrapping his arms around his son and whispering, "I believe in you...no matter what path you walk, no matter where you go, never forget that you are a Notos. No matter what anyone else says, you will forever be my son..."

Feeling the trembling of his father's body, a sour feeling spread through Paul's nose as he returned the man's embrace and muttered, "Take care of mother, Flute, and the boys for me...I don't have the heart to see them before I go, so tell them I love each of them very much...and...no matter what, know that I'm proud to have been born your son...I love you, dad..."

Fearing that Paul would rise up to become a threat, the Royal Court had decreed that his status as both the Heir of House Notos and a Noble be revoked. He could obtain the rank of a Baronet if he traveled to the Royal Capital, but that was no different from being a commoner with the right to refer to themselves as Sir. In other words, Paul was now a peasant...

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