MI25: Compromise (Patreon)

Following Lilia, Paul and his group found themselves within a small dojo filled with wooden mannequins and a variety of different swords, shields, and faux armor. The room's dimensions were around 15x15m, with a floor covered in varnished wooden planks and walls constructed from a lower grade version of the magic bricks found at Milbots Academy. There were crates lined up on one side of the room, and, likely due to the presence of weapons inside, the windows were covered in thick iron bars reminiscent of a prison cell.

"This is my father's dojo. Please don't mind the mess..."

Though she didn't know Paul's official rank or title, Lilia recognized the name Notos as belonging to one of the four most powerful families in the Asura Kingdom, maybe even the world. Her experiences with Nobles had been less than pleasant thus far, so she was afraid he would lash out or try to grope her.

Noticing Lilia's nervousness, Paul wanted to tell her not to worry, but he knew there was a very high probability that their parents were discussing the topic of hiring her as an attendant. He could try to oppose it, but the truth of the matter was that Lilia would probably be a lot happier serving House Notos than any other family. The question was whether or not her absence from the Palace of Concubines would jeopardize the life of the future 2nd Princess, Ariel Anemoi Asura...

As suspect as it sounded, Paul had a lot of plans for the future Princess. In the original series, she was the driving force behind numerous positive changes in the Kingdom and the surrounding countries. She was sadistic and a massive pervert, but she was basically a Saintess compared to the other member of the Royal Family.

In the timeline Paul was familiar with, Lilia would eventually be 'invited' to serve in the Palace of Concubines. There, she would experience some of the worst parts of Asuran Noble society, but she would also be present to save Princess Ariel from an assassination attempt. If that happened, most of Paul's plans for his twenties would be set back years, if not decades. In the worst-case scenario, his desire to fix some of the Kingdom's systemic issues could lead to war...

"Sir Paul...?"

Seeing the grim expression on Paul's face, Lilia barely summoned up the courage to call out to him. In the very next moment, she was left feeling at a complete loss as a 'friendly' smile developed across Paul's handsome face as he replied, "Sorry about that. It's just...your name reminds me of someone...someone very important..."

Though she believed Paul was trying to flirt with her, Lilia couldn't prevent a faint blush from coloring her cheeks. He was a lot more 'subtle' about it than the other Nobles she had met.

Dumbfound by Lilia's timid reaction, Paul briefly found himself at a loss for before he shook his head free of thoughts and said, "Let me introduce you to my companions. The girls wearing the Maid outfits are my current Head Maid and Secretary, Zhongli, and Xingqiu. The girl wearing the pants and tunic is my Knight, Jean."

While calling Jean his Knight before she was given the title was a little dangerous, Paul honestly didn't care. He had no intention of taking her to a member of the Royal Family only to have her subsequently requisitioned from him. Fortunately, so long as she could attain the Rank of Saint in the Sword or Water God Styles, she would receive the status of an Honorary Knight automatically.

Observing how fancily dressed Zhongli, Jean, and Xingqiu were, Lilia felt compelled to lower her head to the trio as she stated, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Speaking at the group's representative, Zhongli adopted a faint smile as she remarked, "My, what a polite young lady. Your parents, or perhaps I should say your mother? Either way, they taught you well."

Nodding her head in agreement, Xingqiu chimed in with her smooth and melodic voice, stating, "Indeed." before offering a polite bow of her own and adding, "And the pleasure is mine."

Assuming it was her turn, Jean emulated a Noble's genuflection with her hand over her heart, politely bowing as she parroted, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Lilia."

Surprised by the trio's responses, Lilia was stuck between the options of telling them their courtesy was unnecessary and thanking them. Before she could make up her mind, Paul left her feeling even more confused by suddenly asking, "Do you have any dreams? Like, dreams outside of what your parents want you to do...?"

Opening her mouth, Lilia tried to respond but found herself unable to find the words. Fortunately, her training in the Water God Style allowed her to recover quickly, her expression gaining a touch of impassiveness as she replied, "I wanted to become a swordsman like my father, but my reaction time is much slower than the boys. I still train, but I've spent most of the last year learning etiquette and how to perform chores. My mother says they'll be helpful when I go to work at the Lord's Estate..."

Seeing Paul's expression gradually morph into a furrowed pout, Lilia was afraid she had somehow offended him. She thought to apologize, but Paul preempted her addendum, stating, "That isn't what I meant. I mean, the whole wanting to become a swordsman thing is good and all, but haven't you ever dreamed of something...more? Like traveling around the world or becoming a great chef?"

Confused by Paul's words, Lilia's expression also formed into a pout as she asked, "Why would I want to do that? Traveling is dangerous, and there are countless people more skilled than me when it comes to things like cooking. All I want is to avoid causing trouble for my parents...if I can do that, I'll be happy..."

Though her expression implied otherwise, Lilia was convinced that her happiness was directly tied to her family. Like many children her age, she viewed the world through the filter of her parents' expectations. She once dreamed of becoming a princess or ascending to the Rank of Water God, but her parents had made it 'very' clear that such dreams were a waste of time. Princesses were born into their position, and becoming a Water God required incredible talent. In other words, there was nothing she could do to attain either.

Exhaling a sigh, Paul combed his fingers through his hair to try and calm himself. Various thoughts were racing through his mind, but none of them were particularly pertinent to the current situation. As was often the case, there was nothing he could do except go with the flow.

As that thought crossed Paul's mind, so too did a sudden realization. He had nearly forgotten about it, but the Lilia from the anime wore glasses, something the girl before him distinctly lacked.

"Do you know how to read...?"

Though she was more than a little surprised by the continuous changes in Paul's expression and tone, Lilia managed to answer, "No. Mother bought me a book to practice, but I'm still learning how to read it..."

Since Lilia's response didn't help clarify things, Paul thought for a moment before pulling out a small ledger from his breast pocket. Unfortunately, he didn't have a writing utensil on hand as quills weren't exactly the type of thing most people-

Interrupting Paul's reverie, Zhongli promptly proferred forth a quill and an ink well from her magical satchel. When he saw this, Paul's thoughts and expression momentarily blanked before he accepted them and muttered, "Thanks..." with a wry smile on his face.

Returning a smile of her own, Zhongli replied, "Your words are too kind, Master Paul. It is my duty as Head Maid to always be prepared. Please, reserve your gratitude for those more deserving..."

Punctuating her words with a courteous bow, Zhongli promptly returned to her original position. She still had a smile on her face, but her posture and demeanor were impeccable. 

Suppressing his feelings of awkwardness, Paul took a moment to prepare the ink before wetting the quill and writing out a few of the most visually alike characters of the alphabet. The written Human Language, strangely enough, was basically just a substitute cipher for English. When Paul first learned this, he had been utterly gobsmacked as the spoken language, as far as he could tell, was similar to Japanese. It was for this reason he had taken more than three years to learn how to read and write. The grammar rules and syntax were just completely different...

Finished with his task, Paul held up his ledger and asked, "Can you tell me the differences between these three lines of characters?"

Though she suspected Paul was trying to make a fool out of her, Lilia only hesitated for a moment before answering, "I can try..." Then, somewhat confirming Paul's suspicions, she squinted her eyes and moved her face closer to the page. She managed to read the first line, but the remaining two were written with such fine handwriting that she suspected Paul had simply drawn squiggles. 

"I think I know why your reaction time is slower than the other students..."

Rising to her full height, Lilia's face contorted into a glower as she asked, "What do you mean? Reading and swordsmanship have nothing to do with each other."

With an 'oh really' kind of expression on his face, Paul asked, "Then tell me, who would win in a fight between two equally skilled swordsmen if one of them was blind?"

Demonstrating she was as sharp as her father had attested, realization donned on Lilia's face as her complexion paled. She hadn't thought about it before due to always seeing the world in such a way, but the notion that others simply had better eyesight than her explained a lot. Unfortunately for her, while corrective lenses had already been invented, they were rare and 'very' expensive.

Seeing through Lilia's thoughts, Paul's expression became somewhat wry as he said, "While this might not sound very comforting, there is one thing I can promise you. If our parents arrange for you to come and work at the Notos Estate, I'll have a specialist test your vision. If my suspicions prove correct, you'll be able to train seriously once we commission you a pair of glasses..."

Though her expression dimmed at the potentiality of her being purchased, Lilia managed a strained smile as she said, "Thank you. If not for Sir Paul, I might not have realized my deficiency for many years..."

Offering a sad smile of his own, Paul wanted to say something to try and ease Lilia's concerns, but he wasn't exactly in a position to do so. If their parents managed to reach an accord, the only thing he could do for her was treat her with dignity and respect. At the very least, that was more than she would ever receive from other Nobles...

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"500 Asura Gold Coins and a promise she will not be seriously injured or harmed in the execution of her duties."

Since the 'going rate' for ten years of service was 20 Asura Gold Coins, even Augusta was taken aback by Amarant's offer. Even the sons and daughters of Noble families would only receive around 100-200 Gold for twenty years of service, so Augusta couldn't help asking, "Why so much? That's enough to purchase a small manor or support a large family for the rest of their lives. Is the Milbots Region so prosperous that you can afford to throw around hundreds of gold without batting an eye?"

Understanding Augusta's confusion, Amarant explained, "A man of your skill level should have noticed it, but the attendants who accompany my son are all remarkably skilled. I trust my son's discernment, so if he sees something special in your daughter, I am compelled to believe she is no ordinary lass."

Though he didn't know if his son had actually noticed anything special in Lilia, Paul's outburst was more than enough evidence for Amarant. His son wasn't the sort to speak out of turn, much less lose his composure. As far as Amarant was concerned, Lilia was worth her weight in gold if she could elicit such a response from his son...

Since he had initially intended to cow Amarant by asking for 200 Asura Gold Coins, Augusta found himself in an awkward situation. Even his wife had a conflicted expression on her face as 500 Asura Gold Coins was far too much for an unskilled child. Flute loved her daughter, but there was no way Lilia was worth such an absurd amount. After all, even she would only fetch around 10 Gold Pieces at an auction...

"1000 Gold..."

Though he immediately regretted it the moment the words left his lips, a wolfish grin developed across Augusta's face as he watched Amarant's expression form into a frown. What he didn't expect was for Amarant to almost immediately reply, "I will agree on the condition you relocate to the Milbots Region and allow your wife to serve within the Notos Estate for a period of five years..."

Tensing as if he had suddenly crossed paths with the Sword God on a bad day, Augusta looked to his wife with a silent plea in his eyes. In response, she briefly closed her own before answering, "Very well. Though the final decision is my husband's to make, I am willing to devote myself to House Notos for the next five years..."

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Augusta turned his attention to Amarant, saying, "It's settled then. I will relocate to the Milbots Region and open a school to help train soldiers for House Notos. I trust that was your intention...?"

Though the truth of the matter was that he simply wanted to have sex with Augusta's wife, Amarant nodded his head and said, "Since you will be doing a service for the Region, House Notos will provide the funds for construction and upkeep. However, should you fail to produce at least a single Saint-Ranked Swordsman within the next five years..."

Snorting through his nose, Augusta said, "So long as you don't send me complete rabble, it won't be an issue."

Nodding his head in approval, Amarant rose to his feet before reaching into his breast pocket to remove an envelope filled with enchanted paper notes. Carrying around a thousand gold was impractical, so high-ranking Nobles issued promissory notes that could only be redeemed within their respective regions. In other words, Augusta would have no choice but to travel to the Milbots Region if he wanted his money. As for Flute and Lilia, they effectively belonged to House Notos the moment the agreement was made.

"Retrieve your daughter. We leave in five minutes."

Anticipating the reason for Amarant's haste, Flute suppressed a sigh as she closed her eyes, offered a courteous bow, and answered, "By your will, my Lord." Then, without sparing her husband a glance, she carried herself with the dignity expected of a high-ranking Maid as she went to carry out her Master's orders...

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