23 Accompaniment

With little else to do with the time his father had given him, Paul split his time between training, practicing with his newly acquired Vision, reading the texts in his library, and speaking with his mother.

As tempted as he was to take the week off, Paul reasoned he wouldn't have much time to train while traveling with his father. With that in mind, he focused purely on swordsmanship between the hours of 3 and 7 AM. After that, he would eat before spending the period between breakfast and lunch reading or conversing with his summons.

Though Zhongli had continued to reinforce the notion that he didn't need to be actively involved with the lives of everyone he summoned, Paul felt it was his duty to at least try. It might not matter to some of them, but for girls like Xiangling, Paul could tell his efforts meant a lot to her.

Once lunch had finished, Paul would spend the first half of his afternoon conversing with his mother. He was trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with her, but, as far as he could tell from the tidbits she gave here and there, it was a sickness that had plagued her since childhood. Even if he knew the exact name of her condition, there was very little he could do about it at the present moment.

Fortunately, though their interactions often left Paul feeling as though he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, Valentine seemed to enjoy spending time with Jean, Ei, and anyone else he brought by. She had initially taken an interest in their beautiful and exotic appearances, but, upon getting to know them better, she quickly realized the actual dynamic between Paul and his summons. Since then, Paul had 'suffered' quite a bit as a result of his mother's teasing.

With his mother having more people to converse and spend time with, Valentine's health improved drastically. She was far from healthy, but it was clear to everyone within the estate that she was happier, healthier, and far more energetic. So much so that Paul's father ended up delaying their trip a few days so he could spend more 'quality time' with his wife...

...

..

.

"Still can't look directly at me...?"

After another hard day of training and self-study, Xinyan was helping Paul clean himself in the bath. It was a little excessive, but Paul would take up to three 'baths' per day. His status as a member of House Notos meant he had an actual bath, but, more often than not, he just suffered in silence as the girls wiped him down in his bedroom or his family's sauna.

Answering in Paul's stead, Ei cooly asserted, "Master Paul is a man of high morals. You should not test him so..."

Since they were prohibited from using the bath on their own, most of the girls in Paul's entourage would take turns attending him. Most had enough sense to cover themselves with thick towels, but Xinyan had always been a free-spirited girl. Since they would be spending the next twenty, thirty, or even more years together, she didn't see any reason to act bashfully in Paul's presence.

Ignoring Ei's remark, Xinyan continued scrubbing Paul's back without so much as a single covering. Her bronzed skin glistened in the low light of the humid chamber, but Paul was largely unaware of this. As a matter of principle, he spent nearly the entire bath with his eyes closed.

"While I don't exactly agree with a lot of what Zhongli puts out, I do think you're a little too sensitive. If me being naked makes you uncomfortable, you should just come out and say it. You don't need to sit here and silently accept everything, you know?"

Exhaling a sigh, Paul kept his eyes closed as he softly replied, "You're all going through a lot as is. The destruction of your world, the existence of a contract that forces you to obey someone you've never met, and a set of circumstances that forced you to effectively reincarnate as children. I just don't want to cause you any additional stress..."

Adopting a faint blush, Xinyan muttered, "Ei wasn't wrong...you really are a good person, Paul..."

Punctuating her words, Xinyan gave Paul a light smack on his back before rising to her feet and saying, "This place is starting to get a little too stuffy for my tastes. I'll leave the rest to you three."

Though they had been sitting in relative silence, Jean, Xiangling, and even Yaoyao were present within the bath. In response to Xinyan's words, Jean answered, "Leave it to me." before rising from her wooden bath stool and retrieving a fresh towel. Xiangling and Yaoyao looked like they wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent as they had been helping Ei clean herself.

As skillful as she was with the sword, Ei was fundamentally incapable of doing much else...

...

..

.

"Do you not intend to take the others...?"

Seeing only Xingqiu, Jean, and Zhongli accompanying his son, Amarant couldn't help wondering where the rest of Paul's 'Familiars' were.

"Traveling with a large entourage will only draw unnecessary attention to myself. While I have no intentions of lying low, I know better than to stick my neck out and show my hand."

"Mmm...very good."

Nodding his head in approval, Amarant was more sure than ever that Paul was the best heir he could have hoped for. He was only a few weeks from his sixth birthday, but he already had the disposition of an adult. It was a little jarring at times, but Amarant was exceedingly satisfied with his son's growth...

...

..

.

As Paul had expected, traveling alongside his father was an exceptionally mundane affair. His father had insisted they ride in the same carriage, but instead of using it as an opportunity to confer his wisdom, Amarant would spend most of the trip sitting in silence or sleeping. Paul had tried to make conversation initially, but the only interests he and his father shared were their general preferences in women.

Fortunately, while the carriage rides were almost unbearable, things got a little easier once Paul and Amarant reached their destination. The families they visited spared no expense to welcome and accommodate them. Paul was inconvenienced by having to entertain their children, but his standing and maturity compelled even the more profligate members of the younger generation to be on their best behavior when he was around.

If there was one thing Paul could complain about, it was the unconcealed interest every single House had in Zhongli, Jean, and Xingqiu. After a visit with one of the more affluent households in the region, his father revealed they had offered a startling 10,000 Asura Gold Pieces to purchase Zhongli and Jean. That was the equivalent of purchasing two Saint-Ranked Mages or five Saint-Ranked Swordsmen that had sold themselves into slavery to pay their debts.

Increasing Paul's feelings of frustration, Amarant speculated that it was very likely the 10,000 Gold had been set aside to purchase Zhongli alone. In other words, the family had simply lumped Jean into the exchange at the last moment. She had yet to gain a reputation for herself, but even a fool could tell she would mature into a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Fortunately, the standing of House Notos placed them in a situation to dictate the terms of virtually any agreement. Amarant used the family's attempt to procure Jean as a 'bonus' to accuse them of disrespecting a Greater Noble House. He didn't pursue the matter, but the allegation was more than enough to compel the other family to both withdraw their offer and provide compensation.

Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the Notos Family was, they were still subordinate to the Royal Family. Amarant warned Paul that rumors of Zhongli's prowess had long since reached the ears of people in the Silver Palace. They were unlikely to take proactive measures to secure her, but Paul would need to be cautious if he visited the Capital. Due to Zhongli's perceived status as a servant, members of the Royal Family could simply requisition her on the grounds that any servant of their affiliate was also a servant of the Royal Family.

Though Paul had no intention of visiting the Royal Capital, it was only a matter of time before he received a summons. Zhongli's results may have exceeded his, but it was still 'common knowledge' that the Heir of House Notos was a prodigy. Unless he spontaneously started acting his age and performing poorly, the King would eventually want to meet and commend him. There was no way the Royal Family would simply ignore the presence of a genius 'lurking' about in the frontier regions...

...

..

.

After nearly four weeks of traveling, Paul and his father had reached the southernmost territory of the Milbots Region, a neutral commerce town jointly governed by Houses Notos and Eurus.

As a town bordering two regions, the Free City of Roak was one of the most prosperous townships in the Asura Kingdom. It was home to many merchant guilds, sword schools, and, more importantly, the fourth-largest Adventurer's Guild in the entire world.

Though many of the towns they had passed through had smaller Guild offices, the Adventurer's Guild in Roak was nearly the size of the Local Lord's Estate. Roak's status as a Free City meant they were responsible for providing their own security, so the Adventurer's Guild looked more like a small fortress than a large tavern.

Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, people needed to be at least ten years of age to join the Adventurer's Guild. Paul was tempted to check it out but ultimately decided against it since it would only draw attention to himself, Jean, Zhongli, and Xingqiu. Instead, he just loitered around the Local Lord's Estate as he and his father awaited the arrival of the Wishiru Region's Lord Eurus. At the very least, that's what Paul intended to do.

"You shouldn't stay cooped up inside all day. I understand your desire to train and expand your knowledge, but there are some things only life can teach you."

Suppressing a sigh, Paul met his father's gaze and explained, "It's not that I don't want to explore; I simply wish to avoid placing myself in precarious situations before I have the strength to protect myself..."

Making no effort to suppress his own sigh, Amarant pinched the bridge of his nose as he said, "Be that as it may, there are some things you can only experience during childhood. After observing you these past few weeks, I have begun to doubt whether or not you possess friends outside the girls you've summoned..."

"..."

Seeing his son avert his eyes, a second sigh escaped Amarant's throat as he muttered, "I suspected as much..."

Rising to his feet, Amarant's expression and tone became stern as he said, "Come with me. There is a famous Water God Dojo located nearby. If the rumors are to be believed, the head instructor is a man who apprenticed under the previous Water God. He should have some students capable of giving you and your aspiring Knight a challenge..."

Shifting his attention to Jean, Amarant offered an approving nod when the perpetually stoic swordswoman supplied a shallow yet courteous bow. He had absolutely no complaints about Jean's disposition or character. Were it not for the fact she was a Summoned Familiar, Amarant wouldn't object even if Paul asked for support to take Jean as his wife. Instead, the young swordswoman appeared determined to become his Knight...

Realizing his father's mind was already made up, Paul offered a courteous bow of his own, answering, "I understand..." in an exhausted tone. He was actually looking forward to seeing the capabilities of a former Water God's apprentice. What bothered him was the remarkably high probability of him and Jean being forced to fight progressively stronger opponents. In other words, it was only a matter of time before he was left beaten and fatigued on the sidelines while Jean fought opponents he wouldn't even be able to touch at his current level. If Zhongli and Xingqiu got involved, Paul would be shown up by all three of his subordinates...

...

..

.