Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation: Succubus Sword God? I don't recognize it!

Chapter 582 Family Letters and Debts

For a moment, anger flashed across Paul's face, but after glancing at Lilia behind him, he reluctantly buttoned up his shirt.

Aisha, who was behind Lilia, patted her on the shoulder, indicating that she shouldn't worry.

Lilia withdrew, and Aisha naturally took the tea set from Lil's hand and came in to pour tea for Philip and Vance.

Philip smiled and waved his hand, indicating that Aisha didn't need to do everything herself.

The housekeeper and advisor personally selected by the daughter-in-law of the Boreas family could not possibly do this kind of work.
Aisha just smiled.

Paul looked at Philip, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He coughed lightly, putting the absurd suggestion he had made the night before behind him, and walked to Vans' side, performing a rather clumsy Nottos family greeting based on his memory.

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

Fan Si took a sip of tea, held it, and remained silent.

Aisha looked at his teacup with a smile, and suddenly said, "Milpots is a whole month's carriage ride from here, and Father returned three days ago. According to the timeline, you should not have known we were coming back when you set off."

Fan Si glanced at Aisha in surprise, his expression clearly showing that he didn't know how Paul could have such a big daughter. But when he thought of Paul's glorious history of flirting with women at the royal aristocratic school and being complained about by the cuckolded master, he suddenly realized and then chuckled.

Illegitimate children? That's quite common.

He slammed down his teacup with a thud and glanced sideways at Paul:

"Our family has summoned you back to Milpotts Territory time and again to discuss important family matters, but you abandoned your family to start some kind of disaster relief team."

Pilemon is imprisoned, and you, lacking any sense of responsibility, refuse to return to Milpotz. The family is left without protection and has experienced many hardships.

Even Paul, with his thick skin, looked embarrassed after saying that.

As a father and head of the family, he believed he had not wasted the past two years, but as the head of the Notos family, he had indeed been far too irresponsible.
Fan Si squinted at the expression on his face, a mocking glint in his eyes:
“Some people coveted the position of family head and wanted to seize power, but my brother Angs supported you to become the family head and killed your brother against all odds.”

The family was plunged into a prolonged and difficult period, filled with fear and chaos, as the mischievous kids, each with their own agendas, huddled together plotting clumsy and obscure schemes.

Paul paused for a moment at this point.

Owens, as the elder brother of his deceased father, did not have James's ambition. He prioritized family harmony, was not competitive, and was kind-hearted. Years ago, he voluntarily relinquished his position as head of the family to his father.

So, while he was ostensibly his uncle, he was actually his father's secretary in charge of the Milpotts territory. It was said that whenever Pilemon came to the capital, he was always entrusted with managing all matters, big and small, on behalf of the head of the family.

the most important is.

In her memory, he treated her very well and doted on her.

Even when he was young and foolish, he came to comfort him as he ran away from home, saying things like, "Paul, just go and apologize to your father. You're both angry and proud, so it's inevitable that a conflict will break out. But once you calm down, you're still family. He's your father, and you were wrong this time too, weren't you? What's shameful about apologizing to him first? Don't go, Paul."

Oh, I remember now, he has a beard similar to Uncle Fan Si's; I remember pulling it a lot when I was a kid.
In my memory, the image of a kind old man emerges.

Paul couldn't help but show a hint of nostalgia.

Uncle Anse, it would be good to go back and see him. I've never been a father before, but now that I am, I vaguely empathize with my father back then.
If Rudy were like I was back then, I'd definitely fly into a rage at him, and might even grab a sword and beat him up.
Father
Ah, Father.
If he were still here, that would be wonderful. If
“I killed Ans and a group of the younger generation who were plotting rebellion, which restored peace to Milpotts.”

Vans' next words pierced Paul's ears, shattering his swirling, melancholy thoughts into dust.

Paul was taken aback; the image of Anse that had just surfaced in his mind shattered abruptly. He stared wide-eyed at Fans, his expression one of utter bewilderment and panic.
"What?"

Philip was drinking tea when he glanced at Vans.

Fan Si looked up at the ceiling of Boreas, a look of reminiscence on his face, but no remorse whatsoever, only indifference:

"Indecisiveness and hoping to quell the trouble by killing a ringleader will ultimately be futile. The position of head of the family is so tempting. How can one control the younger generation like this? Although Pilemon is mediocre, his cold-blooded nature is suitable for the position of head of the family."

Paul was speechless for a long time, his temples throbbing.

Fan Si suddenly laughed:
"The temporary stability of Milpotz territory is of no use. If we want the territory to be peaceful in the long term, we need a mature leader."

"To be honest, Paul, a month ago, I gave up waiting for your return. I planned to act decisively, taking advantage of your absence from the capital, to meet directly with His Majesty the King and persuade Prince Gravel to set things right in Notos and remove you from your position as head of the family."

Philip's eyes narrowed to slits, and his smile was devoid of warmth.

As if oblivious to Philip's change in expression, Fan Si continued, looking at Paul, who wore a bewildered expression and seemed unsure of what to do:
"Before last night, I thought of many ways to persuade Prince Gravel and how to meet His Majesty the King, who is bedridden. I wanted to convey my thoughts to him properly."

For example, you simply lack the ability, talent, and shrewdness to be the head of the family; Notos will inevitably decline under your rule. For example, someone who abandoned his family at a young age knows nothing about the power, nobility, and industries of Milpotts; how can he possibly be fit to be the head of the family? Your adventurer experiences have only given you brute force.”

He shook his head again, a smile playing on his lips, as if finding it absurd: "Brute force? It doesn't even qualify as brute force. What kind of brute force can a superior swordsman have? A piece of trash who's not even at the Saint level. He has neither talent nor martial prowess, and all he knows is how to play with women and engage in childish games with adventurers."
Just like your good-for-nothing son. Speaking of him, haha, before I came here I thought you had really given birth to a genius. He actually established the Sailunte Chamber of Commerce in a short period of time. He does have some skill.

But all I saw at your residence was that scene of debauchery. I then realized that I had ultimately held too many unrealistic expectations of you.
His Majesty the Left and Right Kings passed away three days ago, and it wouldn't be good to cause trouble for His Majesty Gravel upon his ascension to the throne. So I'll get straight to the point, Paul, you…”

A sudden gust of wind!
Paul, his fist brimming with fighting spirit, swung it fiercely toward Fan Si's face!
boom! !

Philip and Vans' clothes fluttered in the wind, the former looking at the latter with surprise.

Fan Si stretched out his palm, which was wrapped in fighting spirit, and firmly grasped Paul's fist.

"Still the same, Paul. You haven't improved at all over the years."

—Fans is also a high-level swordsman, but he belongs to the Northern God School. Even so, he is already a master in Notos, just like Fan Si.

The Notos family indeed lacked any talent for swordsmanship.

Paul stared at his clenched fist, his emotions still running high from the hangover, his joy and anger written all over his face.

The two were locked in a brief standoff.

Unlike Philip, Aisha didn't look at where their fists met. Instead, she turned her head to look at Fan Si's neck, her thumb unconsciously rubbing the pad of her index finger.

next moment.

Fan Si suppressed his fighting spirit, pushed Paul's fist away, and waved his hand:
“I’ve come to tell you, Paul, that the patriarchal game is over. Relinquish your position as patriarch, vacate the Nottos Mansion, and return the family connections, money, and businesses you’ve used to build the search and rescue team. I’m returning to Milpotts Territory now. We’re both fed up with each other, so let’s never see each other again.”

Paul stared intently at Fan Si, furious at his "good uncle."

His immediate thought was to retort, "Old man, do you think I wanted to be the head of the Nottos family?"

But when she caught a glimpse of Philip giving her a dismissive look, she forced herself to hold back.

Philip had helped him a lot during this time. His position as head of the Nottos family had nothing to do with him personally. All the power and businesses in the capital were brought under Philip's control, which greatly helped in establishing the search and rescue team.

The Boreas family intends to form an alliance with Nottos, which would be beneficial for both sides.

And this is probably the situation Allen wanted to see.

Allen was still preoccupied with how to cure Senis, not wanting their efforts to be in vain. Paul, calm down. Calm down.
Vans didn't even look at Paul; he turned to look at Philip.

The latter lowered his eyes and touched the teacup in his hand, his face expressionless, as if he was weighing something.

Fan Si leaned forward, holding onto the scepter:

"Philip, do you want to kill me?"

Philip remained silent, picked up his teacup and drank, seemingly unconcerned that Van Si might suddenly attack him from this distance.

Fan Si's fingertips caressed the gemstone set at the top of the scepter:
“Indeed, killing me right now would be the simplest way to solve the problem, but unfortunately, it won’t work. I know that you and your overly talented son have put a lot of effort into Paul’s position as head of the family, but he can’t win people’s hearts.”

When I left Milpotts territory, this conclusion was the consensus of all members of my family.

Philip nodded, deeply agreeing: "Since you can reverse the 'consensus' of the Notos people in Milpotts territory, we can naturally correct this erroneous 'consensus' after your death. Uncle Vanse, you still look down on the current situation in the capital."

Fan Si watched Philip's composed demeanor quietly for a moment, then burst into laughter:

“Philip, do you really believe that whoever is stronger has the right to speak? Do you really understand what the legitimacy of a noble succession means? Legitimacy, legitimacy, lies in ‘rightness’! Paul’s inability to become the head of the family is the legitimacy of Notos!”

Philip found it somewhat absurd: "Paul is the eldest son of the third generation of Notos, the legitimate heir? Excuse my bluntness."

Before he could finish speaking, Fan Si's smile vanished as if his expression had changed. He pulled a letter from his pocket and slammed it onto the table.

The envelope was yellowed and looked very old. A line of text was written on it in aristocratic cursive script. The ink had dried long ago, giving it a mottled look of age.

—To my son Paul.

Philip looked over and frowned.

Paul looked over as well, his anger vanishing in an instant, replaced by utter astonishment.

Fan Si glanced at Paul's expression, his face full of mockery:

“I know that Ans once brought you a letter, but it was written by himself. That old man was always thinking about how to protect you, and he only said the nice things, saying that your father regretted arguing with you and always hoped that you would return to Nottos. Haha, what a scene of fatherly love and filial piety.”

"I'm telling you, Notos owes you nothing. It's you, Paul Notos Greirat, who are sorry."

Philip suddenly spoke up: "Make your move."

Buzz.
The air vibrated, passing right under Fan Si's eyelids. A clear look of astonishment appeared in his eyes, and he raised his arm, about to make a move.

The next instant, a cold blade stopped at the side of his neck.

Fan Si lowered his eyes to look at the reflection of his face on the blade, and let out a 'gulp' sound.

With a thud, his head twisted and he fell off his neck.

Blood gushed from the smooth cut, yet the corpse remained seated motionless in the chair, a testament to the speed of the cut.

Philip immediately raised his hand to shield the letter from blood splatter, but in doing so, the blood ended up all over his face. He wiped the blood from his face and gave Girenau, who had suddenly appeared beside him, a reproachful look.

"Who taught him how to behead someone? Blood splattered everywhere!"

Seeing the bewildered expressions on the faces of the men Vans had brought, who were now facing this sudden turn of events, Kyrie Irvine drew his sword and walked over.

"Alan said this is the fastest way."

Philip: "Knock me out."

After saying that, he smeared the blood on the tablecloth with his hand and then went to pick up the letter on the table.

But Paul grabbed it in his hand.

He almost trembled as he tore open the letter and pulled out the yellowed paper inside.

Seeing this, Philip quickly said:
"The letter looks old, so it's very likely genuine. If it contains any information that could be detrimental to your ascension to the position of family head, it will be very troublesome."

Therefore, this letter cannot be genuine.

The Notos people in Milpotts territory have probably all seen this; it's impossible to change their perceptions overnight. A complete overhaul is needed, otherwise, even if you secure the position of family head, the consequences will be dire.
In essence, the right of succession among nobles still comes down to who has the strongest fist. However, this is no match for the industries and influence controlled by the clan members. If they all oppose you, they will inevitably unite.

The words trailed off at that point.

Philip looked at Paul for a long time, then sighed.

In my sight, Paul was holding the letter, his hand trembling violently, his expression dazed as if he were dreaming.
-
Paul.

I know in my heart that my days are numbered.

I wonder how you will react when you see this letter?
Is it the disdain of youth, the sigh after experiencing reality, or the regret I often feel for the arguments that happened back then, like I do?

Ah, perhaps I'm the only one who feels regret.

I felt sleepy while writing, and I fell asleep twice while writing just a few lines.

I've been thinking about that argument for so many years, so when I put it down, I found myself talking about it unconsciously.

I'm sure you wouldn't like to hear that.

If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say it.
How have you been lately?

I've heard that you made a name for yourself among adventurers a few years ago.

Black Wolf Fang, what a good name. It's even reached S-rank, not bad.

I later heard that you had some disagreements with your teammates, and it seems that you are going to settle down and start a family with a young lady from the Holy Empire of Milis.

You little rascal, how could any girl possibly be willing to be with someone as charming as you, and how could you possibly settle down?

It was so unexpected.

Bouyena village is a good place, and Philippe is a decent guy.

I inquired around and found out that the village was located near the foothills of the upper jaw of the Chilong Mountains. I had been there before; in winter, the forest canopy was covered with a thick layer of snow, it was cold, and the mountains were steep.

From a distance, the mountain appears aloof and cold, clearly keeping people at arm's length.

but
The scenery is very good.

There should be some monsters, but that shouldn't be a problem for you, after all, you're the captain of an S-rank adventurer team, hehe.
As he wrote, he began to sigh and mutter, "It's all so stale."

Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, but I always find myself reminiscing about the past.

To be honest, Paul, I sometimes have the thought that one day you might change your mind and return to Nothos.

But in the end, I never got to see you.

But I, an old man, have dragged this on for so many years, until my life was exhausted and I could no longer delay.

Paul
Paul
You've been clamoring for freedom since you were a child.

Now, you are finally completely free.

However, what I regret is that it wasn't that I let you go free, but that you broke free from my side and were able to soar into the sky.

Since you do not wish to be bound by your family, after I die, the Notos family will have no further connection with you.

May you soar like an eagle over the Crimson Dragon and Azure Blue Mountains.

Always soar high, spread your wings.

Forever free, unrestrained.

There's no need to feel guilty.

I've always been fine.

Ah.
Freedom.
You little brat.
He's clearly still a child.
-
(End of this chapter)