Chapter 79: Compromise

Similar to when he was having sex with Yui back in the cave, the excess Yang Elemental Energy in Nobu's body allowed his bones to mend in a ridiculously short period of time. The most awkward part was having them set and the events that directly followed.

Feeling somewhat apologetic about the incident, Inami swallowed her pride and allowed Nobu to, as he would describe it, pound her from behind. The simplest way to avoid accidentally injuring him was to let Nobu take charge, so, with bluish-green casts on his arms, Nobu railed into the petite fox girl for the better part of four hours.

Though he was a little confused that no one had come to check in with him, Nobu believed the fox girl when she told him that none of his kunoichi had been harmed. She had just given each of them suggestions that made them believe other people were on duty. Thus, until it was time for the usual change in shift, they didn't have to worry about being interrupted.

Taking advantage of this fact, Nobu released a lot of his pent-up frustrations on the unnamed fox girl. As for why he hadn't asked her name, well, he wasn't a complete idiot. The only other person he had seen with an aura similar to hers was Hitomi. This meant she was, at the very least, a Mithril Lord. If she really wanted, she could kill everyone in the estate without breaking a sweat. Thus, for the sake of himself and everyone he was growing to care about, Nobu suppressed all unnecessary thoughts as he focused on fucking the fox girl like a beast in heat.

To her credit, Inami realized what Nobu was doing shortly after she had inadvertently broken his arms. She just didn't say anything about it because it was somewhat understandable that he would be a little 'shaken' after having his arms snapped like twigs.

Of course, the main reason she remained silent was that it was surprisingly pleasant to be on the receiving end of someone else's passion. It had been several hundred years since the last time she had sex. Even then, it was primarily for ritualistic purposes, and, more often than not, resulted in the death of her partner.

Knowing that the man behind her was her future Lord, the father of her child, and the prophesied unifier of all Nian, Inami felt an emotion she could only describe as placation. She would normally feel disdain or outright disgust towards her partners. Nobu's 'compassion' and 'understanding' had left a deep impression on her, so, even after the seal on her womb had activated, Inami allowed him to continue ravishing her without complaint. Rather, she quite enjoyed it...

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After firing what felt like his twentieth load, Nobu's body trembled violently as the last few drops of Yang Elemental Energy were squeezed out of his balls. He was honestly becoming addicted to this sensation of absorbing Yin Elemental Energy from his partner was almost like being hooked up to an IV filled with adrenaline. It not only healed his broken arms in record time, but, even though he had been going to town for several hours, Nobu felt like he could run up and down the mountain without needing to rest.

"Your pussy is insane..."

Succumbing to the afterglow of his own ejaculation, Nobu wasn't thinking clearly as he gave Inami's bottom a light smack. This caused her tails to flicker, but, instead of lashing out at him for daring to strike her, she just trembled lightly before turning her body sideways and allowing his penis to free itself from her furnace-like insides.

Exhaling a hot sigh, Inami observed the contented look on Nobu's face with a conflicted look in her eyes. She honestly didn't know what to do at the moment as this was the first time in thousands of years she hadn't killed her partner outright. It was also the first time in her entire life she had let her partner take the lead, much less slap her bottom. Thus, for a brief moment, she was at a complete loss until Nobu asked, "Are you okay? I doubt I actually hurt you, but it would be pretty dickish of me not to ask..."

Though her ears twitched atop her head, Inami snorted in response to Nobu's words before looking away and saying, "I'm fine. If someone at your level was able to injure me, I'd be the laughing stock of everyone in Nian..."

"Right..."

Scratching the back of his head, Nobu looked around his room for a moment before saying, "Well, I guess you should be going? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with whoever you report to. Next time, try not to make such a big mess out of things. If it turns out you injured any of my people...I'll never forgive you..."

Furrowing her brows, Inami turned to face Nobu before asking, "Why do you care about those girls so much? They are kunoichi. Tools used for killing and gathering information. If this situation were repeated with any other Noble, it wouldn't be strange for someone to need to apologize with their life. Why are you acting so nonchalant about everything?"

Adopting a frown of his own, Nobu ignored the fox girl's line of questioning and asked, "Did you have a choice in coming here?"

Tilting her head to the side, an action that caused her ears to flop in an unintentionally adorable manner, Inami asked, "What...?"

Repeating himself, Nobu's voice became firmer as he said, "I'm asking if you had a choice. Were you told to come here or did you choose to do so of your own accord?"

Though she didn't appreciate Nobu's tone in the slightest, a look of conviction gradually developed across Inami's face as she asserted, "I didn't have a choice." in a growling tone.

Shrugging his shoulders, Nobu asserted, "Then it doesn't really matter, does it? In the end, none of us really had a say in how this event played out. Why should anyone be punished if the end result is something beyond their control? That would be like razing a village to the ground because you hit your toe on a rock in the forest. It's nonsense."

Shaking his head, Nobu left Inami feeling even more at a loss for words as he leaned back onto his now healed arms and added, "Besides, with the exception of Yui, you're inarguably one of the best lays I've ever had. So long as you don't drop a bombshell like telling me you're actually fifteen years old, I'm not going to complain. If you weren't clearly trying to keep this a secret, I might have been tempted to talk to the Matriarch about letting you become a member of my staff."

Though he was lying when he said he wasn't going to complain, Nobu got the impression that the fox girl in front of him wasn't simple. Unless he was sure of his and everyone else's safety, he wasn't going to antagonize her. He was even willing to keep what happened today a secret so long as she didn't try pulling a similar stunt in the future. As for sentiments like revenge, that could wait until he was much, much stronger.

With her ears drooping slightly and her tails splaying out on the ground, Inami's expression became noticeably less tense as she asked, "You're not going to tell anyone about what happened today? It may sound odd coming from me, but do you believe that to be wise?"

Surprising Inami quite a bit, Nobu nodded his head before casually answering, "I mean, yeah? What kind of idiot would go around advertising they were basically raped? Besides, those girls would lose their shit if they learned they failed to this extent. I would rather avoid seeing them beat themselves up over something they had no control over. I also don't need you lashing out or trying to eliminate witnesses and shit. So yeah, I'd say it's a pretty wise fucking decision."

While she didn't completely agree with everything he had said, Inami was marginally impressed by Nobu's paradoxically brash level-headedness. A normal Noble might be haunted by this incident for the rest of their lives. They would do virtually everything in their power to regain their honor, even if it meant bastardizing their beliefs and committing irredeemable atrocities.

A stark contrast to the typical Nianese Noble, Nobu seemed largely unaffected by the events that had transpired. There was a chance he was just trying to deceive her, but, based on his pulse, facial expression, and body language, that didn't seem to be the case. It was like he was completely used to things like this happening. Thus, instead of taking it to heart, he just pressed forward as if it was no big deal...

("Perhaps this is one of the qualities required to unify the provinces? The ability to accept failure in stride and continue moving forward...hmmm...")

Though she was in deep thought, Inami's expression remained relatively unperturbed as she stared at Nobu with her pale pink eyes. She had lived for more than six thousand years yet she had never encountered anyone even remotely similar to him. Since there was a very high probability she was now carrying his child, Inami couldn't help wanting to know more about him.

Unfortunately, fate had never been kind to Inami. Without Inari's protection, there was a very high chance she would be executed the moment her crimes were brought to light. Truth be told, she was looking forward to this as she had long grown tired of acting as Inari's vessel. Now, however, a very small part of her wanted to continue living. She wanted to see how far Nobu could go, and, even if he never loved their child, she could still take some small pride in the fact she would be bearing his first...

As that thought crossed her mind, a glimmer of conviction appeared in the depths of Inami's eyes as she suggested, "If you're serious about keeping this a secret, I can pull a few strings to make sure I'm among the members of your staff. As you've no doubt guessed, my status within the Clan is not low. Out of respect for your character, I will do my best to train your entourage so incidents like this never occur. Also..."

Since he might not accept her terms directly, Inami tapped into knowledge she hadn't made use of in several hundred years. Her face immediately became beet red, and, though she pretended it was an involuntary reaction, she forced her ears and tails to fidget nervously as she swallowed audibly and said, "I wouldn't mind if we continued...you were a lot more...talented than I expected..."

Though he was gradually becoming more cautious, Nobu, like most men, was still susceptible to having his ego stroked. Quite a number of men had performance anxiety so it was always a boost to their confidence to hear someone profess they were good at sex. It was a hell of a lot better than hearing they were shit at it, that's for sure.

With an awkward smile developing across his face, Nobu scratched the back of his head as the age-old adage "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" briefly crossed his mind. He knew that the inordinately petite woman sitting in front of him was remarkably powerful. She may even be on the level of someone like Hitomi, so, while there were considerable dangers involved, there was also a tremendous amount of merit to having someone like her on his side.

Understanding this was a chance to learn more about the woman without inadvertently triggering her suspicion and ire, Nobu only hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "Uh...sure? I don't really have a problem with it. I even reached an agreement with Suzune to have her daughter work for me. If someone as powerful as you is offering to help out, I would have to be an idiot to refuse."

Despite sensing there was something amiss with Nobu's statement, Inami didn't call him out on it. This was one of the only ways she could reasonably conceive his child without drawing too much suspicion from the Elders. If she played her cards right, Nobu might even take her side when it was discovered she was pregnant. He had an abrasive nature, but, at the same time, he showed genuine concern for the people around him. If he believed he knocked her up of his own accord, that would eliminate a lot of future problems. Thus, with a seductive glimmer in her eyes, Inami crawled toward with a practiced yet sincere smile on her face as she teased, "Wise choice..."

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(A/N: Did Nobu grow a brain in the last ten chapters...?)