A.N. (11/26/21) - It's been ten months since I've last updated this, sorry for the hiatus.

Early Days (3) - Planning Ahead

The Fittoa region to which Elliot had been tasked to visit was not that far away from the capital. Located in the northeastern part of the continent, it was a distance that normally would have taken around two weeks to travel by foot. Such a duration could be shortened even further with the use of transportation, turning that same two-week duration from a one-way trip to the length of its round trip instead.

Using his unique method of traveling, which far outpaced even the fastest of carriages not empowered by magic, the covered distance covered by the duo was simply mindblowing compared to the common sense of the people.

Unfortunately, being carried within someone's arms was far from a comfortable experience. Every now and then, the two would eventually have to land to either allow Lilia's muscles to relax or for Elliot to recover his magical energy. After all, despite the accomplishment of long distance flight, said process consumed huge amounts of his mana reserves. In the long run, it was only feasible for quick travels that didn't take into account the need for using magic once said journey ended.

We hardly needed to go through the trouble of rushing, Elliot thought. Watching Lilia's legs shaking like a newborn chick every time they stopped got less amusing after the third time. Healing magic only got rid of the muscle aches, and didn't help much with the mental fatigue.

Guard-maids, it should be said, were not simply maids that knew a bit of self-defense. They were trained individuals that were capable of matching the average common soldier, meaning that their fitness was usually on part with them as well. Despite that, even Lilia found this unique travel method exhausting after a few days passed, especially given her worsened state caused by her injury.

"Your severance pay should help you last for the next month or so until you find a job," Elliot said. "If you want me to write you a recommendation letter, I'll do it. But I'm sure you've already gathered your own form of credentials."

"No, that will help greatly." Lilia gave him a grateful smile. "Although, I'm not sure exactly what I'll do next. For now, I'll see if anyone is looking to hire a housekeeper or live-in maid. Most likely, my clientele will consist of the administrating nobles stationed here."

"Don't think your options are that limited," Elliot commented. "I'm sure a few low-class knights are willing to hire you to look after their kids."

Such as a certain Greyrat…

"What will you be doing?" Lilia asked. "You said that you had an errand here…"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you," he muttered to himself. "Well, I'm looking for my replacement."

Lilia blinked, a look of confusion on her face.

He began to explain. "I'm only a temporary guardian knight, despite what the nobles wish for. While my retirement won't be for at least another few years, training a proper successor will take a while. Better to get started now so that I can guide their hand in growing strong enough to protect the princess."

Really, being stuck under the employ of the Asura Kingdom was not his ideal situation. He was only supposed to stay here for a few years gathering funds so that he could travel the world. Yet somehow, he was caught up in all of the political squabbles of the royal family despite his wish to live the next few years in peace.

"Anyway, this won't be the only time I'll visit here." He held his arms upward in a 'what can I say' gesture. "The person I'm thinking of bringing in is still a bit young, so I'll mostly be coming out here to oversee his training, at least for the first few months. Once he's grown enough that he can travel, I'll take him back to the capital where he'll live for the next decade or so."

Luke Notos Greyrat wasn't noted as being particularly strong in the story, but Elliot wanted to make sure he was at least capable of matching someone like Sylphy if necessary. Really, it was the loyalty aspect that he prioritized in cultivating, something necessary in a protector of royalty.

Hah, this entire thing was troublesome.

}-{

Elliot spent the next few days talking with the head of the Greyrat family about matters regarding Luke's employment. Since this was a matter that has been in the works for quite some time now, the meeting was only a formality to finalize matters and discuss any minor things that needed addressing.

When he returned to the palace after being gone for two weeks, a frazzled Derrick greeted him with the news.

"T-This is bad! A powerful monster has appeared!"

Surrounding the north and east of the Asura kingdom were the Red Dragon Mountain Range, named after the famed creatures that roamed the areas.

The strongest monster that exists on the Central Continent.

Red Dragon.

Elliot had a bad feeling when Derrik gave him a horrified look, and soon, he realized why.

By the decree of his majesty of the Asura Kingdom, Elliot was tasked with dealing with the rampaging monster attacking their kingdom in order to prove his mettle as a powerful magician. Not only that but he was ordered to do so without the assistance of anyone else.

It was suicide. They were practically asking him to kill himself. It was well known that multiple parties of A-rank adventurers were needed for dragon exterminations. Even then, such raid groups rarely went without casualties. Only a minimum of seven such groups could guarantee that everyone involved would make it out of the experience alive.

"I'll do it."

"Oi! Oi! It's a Red Dragon you know?" Derrick gave him a look as if he had gone mad. "There's no way anyone can kill that by themselves. Just wait and we'll try to figure something else. Maybe we can beg his majesty to change his mind."

Elliot shook his head. This was a royal decree, something he couldn't argue against unless he wanted to lose his life. Even if what Derrick proposed worked, there must have been a reason why he was sent out in the first place. If this was due to the political manipulations of other nobles, they likely had a countermeasure set up in place to prevent him from backing out so easily.

For the king to go along with this insanity, they must have done something even he couldn't easily overlook.

"Derrick, protect the princess while I'm gone. There's no doubt they're going to try something while I'm going to be busy. You're the only one I can trust to look after her during this mess."

"B-But what about you?!"

"Didn't you say so yourself?" Elliot gave a cocky grin. "I'm going to go out and slay a dragon."

Yet inwardly, his thoughts were completely the opposite of how he looked.

GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Oh hell, he was so dead.

It's been a while since I've updated this. I thought with the introduction of the anime, there'd be more fanfics popping up related to this fandom. Where are all the good stories I've been hoping for?! Why is the number of stories on this site still in the two digits?! I want to read good Mushoku Tensei fanfics!

Readers, I order any writers out there to write me something entertaining. I want the number of Mushoku Tensei fics to at least reach the three digits by the end of this year.