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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Rifujin na Magonote, Shirotaka, Shosetsuka ni Naro, Media Factory, and Studio Bind.

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Chapter 7: It ain't Lupus

Dear Diary, a new month has passed and... things sure got a fair bit interesting through this time.

Starting from the last page's issue, we had a bit of a 'cheeky infiltration' attempt in our hands. Paul was being stubborn and keeping on being a pest? Not a surprise. Definitely not. Yet, his stubbornness was nothing more than just a nuisance at this point. Missions distracted him and made him unable to be an utter pest about it, and we had long grown accustomed to his moods. He didn't dare to be too blunt with his comments about Zenith and Ghislaine, not when the prospect of getting his ass kicked again stung deep in his ego. All in all, nothing to worry about. And definitely not to the point of having to think of him as a new party-member. That just wasn't in my mind for good reasons.

No, what really got most of my attention was training once more, this time related to a recent development tied to an old issue we dealt with. The Demon problem I mentioned a while ago? They finally dealt with it. And yes, we didn't have a hand on it. What? Why would we need to stumble on that mess when we could hardly match in terms of 'firepower' the current threats a Demon Lord caused. Turns out it was a small fry that got through detection by disguising himself as a meek merchant and got in the 'right spot' to start assembling a secret Empire.

The S-Rank adventurers eventually did track the bastard down, fought him, then killed him and eventually broke the means of this jerk from actually keeping on recruiting people to his cause and getting quick money out of it. All in all, that sounds good if one wants to ignore the fact the minions were still around and causing trouble. Hence why we had some rough weeks trying to keep this whole mess under check. And boy, do I have to mention how tough some monsters tended to be?

Goblins were easy to kill in the open, but Orcs were something else. Thicker skin, our swords had to be reinforced for some damage to be done. Even at maximum speed, Ghislaine noticed how her blades just didn't get to cut into that skin as nicely as she wanted. The blade would get duller with each strike, the resistance against each strike pressuring onto the metal and slightly bending it. The upgrade wasn't expensive, but I decided to use this opportunity to get a new sword. The blade itself was based on a standard Japanese Katana, a Tachi to be more specific on the details, but had a slight difference which left the blacksmith scratching the back of his head in confusion, mostly because he didn't get my point about the precise request.

The alloy used was a special quality one which was attuned with the electric runes applied to it, except it had a minor change compared to the standard 'thunder sword'. First thing first, the electricity, generated by the user's mana, was meant to remain within a thin layer over the sword. This function didn't make sense to the mind of some, with Zenith being confused over the fact why Ghislaine looked so surprised by this choice.

As we went to train and test out the new blades as the modified swords had different weights from the ones we previously had so they we had to grow accustomed to them once more, I finally had the chance to test out my new blade and... it was amazing. Just as expected, the runes drained from my reserves at a worrying rate, making it a 'temporary boost' compared to what I had wanted... but it was so friggin good! I went to pick the biggest stone I could find and set it by one of the chopped trunk of tree where we would normally sit down at the end of the sessions, and then proceeded to use the blade against it.

Normally, I would need more time and strength to cut the thing in half, but the electrified blade sharply breached into the thick material with ease, its resistance nullifying by the effect I managed to get out of the blade. I admit I got inspired by Ghislaine's Hiranume in that regard, but the main source of inspiration was actually something else. The HF blade, which I knew I wasn't going to be able to get this quickly and so soon, could be replicated within time and experiments. Not the same version of Raiden's sword from Metal Gear Rising, but something close enough to mimic its main feature: its capacity to 'channel thunder' and turning in an unblockable sword when enough power was put into it.

The first step in a big project, but a good step nonetheless. And one that helped on a few occasions during the 'Demon Lord Suppression Campaign' as the Guild called it. Rough weeks, I think I already mentioned that but there have been quite a few close calls worthy of note: First, Zenith tripped on some faulty grounds that landed her in hot water as it led to some big underground cave packed with a few disorganized groups. She broke her leg, but Ghislaine and I were already there to make sure she was fine. Nothing to worry about in that regard; then it was the turn for me to actually 'trip' into something, this case being me stumbling on an Orc trying to hide away from us, hiding himself as a rock. Clever move, but rocks didn't twitch like living beings. I think. I believe I heard of 'living rocks' or stuff like that, a myth of sorts but... back to the story. Ghislaine was the one that faced the largest groups. She just had an advantage against those which was her incredible speed. Plus, Orcs weren't clever enough to cover for their weaknesses and flaws, which made her precise attacks even more effective than normal.

By the end of that campaign, we were all solid B-Rankers, and the Guild decided to give us an interesting honor considering our extensive contribution: they wanted to place a silver plaque on their 'hall of fame' wall to 'remember us'. In case things went wrong in the future and our deeds were remembered beyond that tragic point. As awkward as that sounded, it was a reality with people dying in surprising circumstances. There was only an issue about it: we didn't have an official name. And that was where a certain beast woman 'shined' by bluntly offering her suggestion.

"Fangs of the Wolf."

"That's... taken," The receptionist admitted nervously, with Ghislaine's head bowing in shame at that unexpected humiliation.

But instead of letting this derail into another senseless brainstorming which both Zen and I were struggling against, we decided it was best to work on Ghislaine's suggestion and try out various combinations. Until eventually the silliest change actually got a positive response.

"Fangs of the Black Wolf is not being used. It would work."

"We take it," I bluntly stated, vocalizing the shared thought that this process had gone for way too long after two hours of thinking about it.

So, the 'Fangs of the Black Wolf' was now a thing and... we could now handle the next step of my economic plan. With enough money in our pockets, I saw fit to finally start the 'renovation' of an old house I bought by the outskirts of town and make it so that it would get an extra floor through some more coins. The foundations were strong enough to at least fit four floors with the ground floor included, but I optimally decided to not completely burn away our budget on it since things could happen and we might need the money to either pay for medical treatments in case Zenith couldn't heal some wounds, or maybe pay some sudden tax coming out of nowhere. Within a time period like this one, new crazy taxes coming out of wild reasons or greedy nobles wanting fatter coffers wasn't a novelty.

So, with that project underway, we were all enjoying the last few days at the inn and... then Ghislaine's first mating season happened. I will spare words in that regard since I'm quite sure I have already written something on the subject, but I will retain the aftermath of it. Cuddling was a 'team-bonding' experience after that. Ghislaine just started to be more open and quite huggy towards Zenith and I. She behaved nervously once the worst was over, but all in all appreciated the way and approach we handled it. The beast woman was just 'happier' about the party's cohesion, with Zenith being... quite quiet about the whole affair, trying to hide away that she sure showed an odd behavior about it but having no trouble finding the entire ordeal 'the furthest thing from regretful'.

Despite all efforts made to keep quiet on the matter, people at the guild could see how 'touchy' Ghislaine would get. Not to the point they would know exactly what happened, but it was clear something had unraveled and had made the swordswoman a happier individual around us and more at ease with those within that building. Of course, that was all roses and sunshine until a curious day happened and... a new individual entered the situation. First, her entrance was filled with people spreading rumors about her behavior, about her exploits and deeds.

The girl didn't seem to mind, only modestly upset when the voices got loud enough to aim insults at her. Walking with a degree of composure not many would have when handling that kind of treatment, the sandy-blond-haired elf that joined town just a week ago was able to maintain a politeness that felt impressive despite the many accusations of her debauchery. I had the chance of being told what was going on, of her behaviors when she lingered in a place for too long and... got too close to some individuals in town. Married individuals.

Which became the reason why she didn't stay in a settlement for too long. Right now, her motivation was to find a quick way to get some 'adventuring' done and nothing else. Obviously, no one believed it and... obviously, everyone was right. I had no reason to directly approach this individual, but I could tell a few men were eyeing their friends with distrust and upset after a few days of the girl being around, while those 'targets' looked quite embarrassed for themselves. The elf had struck 'mercilessly' as some bravely described despite the 'outcast' treatment they were getting from the others, and I could see how that was going to end poorly if I wasn't careful enough.

Turns out that my gut feeling was right and I was soon approached by the elf herself.

"Is this seat available?" The question turned my attention away from my soup as I glanced to the side to see the smiling woman.

It was a 'rest day' as the party had decided to dub it. Since the income we were getting was enough to take a slower pace to rest but also fix things that would require most of the time of the day but also most of our attention in town, we just took days 'off from adventuring' to deal with them. And today was one of those days where Zenith wanted to buy some new clothes for Ghislaine. The blonde wasn't exactly trained to handle the unusual style of the beast woman, but Ghislaine trusted the healer to help her in this regard since... some of the clothes were getting holes in some spots that attracted attention.

So, I was quite alone at the inn during lunchtime, and the elf saw it as a chance to finally 'meet me'.

"I heard a lot about you. How brave and caring you are," She replied, happily sitting by the chair beside me and leaning close to me. Not too creepily, but enough to draw attention from me to her. "John Bukharin, quite an interesting name too."

"Yours is Elinalise, right?"

"Elinalise Dragonroad and... I'm surprised you have got my name. Have you been watching me?"

My polite smile deflated. "Apologies, but I believe we both know why I might have heard your name around."

To her credit, she didn't flinch at the indirect jab and seemed to own that reputation to a degree from the way she nodded.

"I'm a woman of wide horizons," She summarized cheekily. "But yes, I guess that's a way to learn from me."

"I'm sorry if it comes out as too blunt for a conversation-"

"It is not. In fact, I like honesty in men. Especially about the chances of them being married," The elf interrupted quietly, her smile turning faint at that topic. "But in the end, men are men."

"And women are women. I see no reason to make that distinction on how people behave. It's just a matter of circumstances that you saw the worst of men," I argued and she nodded.

"Yes, women can be as bad at times... but do I count as that kind of person?" Elinalise asked with a fascinated tone. "The more we talk, the more I believe you don't like that type of woman, so I wish to know what you think of me, John."

Much to her surprise, I actually smiled at that passive-aggressive attempt. She was going for a 'make or break' move which would either make her approach bolder or force her to bail the conversation by yes or no respectively. What I had in mind wasn't either of those two options.

"I see an interesting individual that is blamed for things she is willingly doing but for reasons that go against one's natural needs."

The elf was surprised, but she really shouldn't be. People were so bigoted to ignore some clues on her pattern of seduction that went beyond the normal story of a nymphomaniac. Elinalise was a pervert, that I had no reason to doubt, but I could tell that within her pace in engaging with men she was restrained and sometimes methodical about it. At first I saw it as some form of OCD tied to past traumas, but then I realized that magic was also an element to take into account... especially when she would end up selling strange crystals to stores in town whenever she was done with those affairs. The bigger the affair, the more crystals she would end up bringing back to the store. I was not fully certain on what was going on, but I had a fairly good guess I was keen to accept as a legitimate possibility: Elinalise had some form of magical limitation that forced her to behave like this.

"What do you mean?"

"While I'm not unfamiliar with people being quite attached to being 'touchy' with others, I know for a fact that the way you engage in those circumstances are too 'well-scheduled' for those to be driven by mere instinct alone," I elaborated calmly. "Plus, the shopkeepers you tend to sell your crystals to told me that the mana crystals are things you produce. They can spot your mana in them."

She tensed up at the news, rightfully so. A thin blush appeared on her paler face. But as the conversation continued, I discovered a few things since Elinalise decided to confess to the situation: She had been cursed a couple of centuries ago, her memory was mostly sealed about that matter, and she had been living with the 'Curse of Promiscuity' up to present times. She was still stuck with this kind of issue, and I could tell that her perversion came from an addiction caused by the combination of this curse, satisfying it and spending so long doing the same thing. In a way, I couldn't help but feel genuinely sad for her. This was literally the Taimanin treatment, except applied for centuries rather than just a few years.

And the more we talked, the more her flirtatious mood dropped to a genuine depressed one. She admitted to wanting to be freed from this curse, but that no magician was able to get a cure for her condition. Truth be told, it didn't seem like a simple matter. The curse itself seemed to revolve around crystals that grew inside her and that were released through sexual activity. I was no expert on curses, but I could tell that the crystals were the problem. Removing those would be problematic with current technology... but would it be feasible with a modern surgery?

Not truly. From the looks of it, it was a difficult operation that would have left her barren in any circumstance. I was morbidly intrigued by the topic, being reminded of my hobby of watching medical operations at times to match what was done right in TV shows and real life, with this case having been one of those fews where there are too many unknown factors to determine what was going on. The solution?

Zenith wasn't completely happy with this idea, but she decided to give faith to my words as she gave Elinalise a long check-up. The healer frowned a few times during this process, eventually confirming what we already knew, but also providing some insight on a detail not even the elf knew about: the curse had moments of 'weakness', or planned 'dormancy', where it would be inactive. There was no clear reason for it at first, but Elinalise brought up only now that it explained why she managed to have a healthy son despite the curse. So yes, despite the curse meant to damn her to be unable to find peace from promiscuity, it seemed to have limitations tied to pregnancies.

So, it was possible to 'tinker' with this effect and do something about it, but such a phenomenon would take time. And that meant prolonged interactions with Elinalise despite the discomfort shown by Zenith. I could tell she just didn't like her and... Ghislaine eyed her oddly. Despite that, I could tell that the elf meant it to tone down her flirting around me in exchange for behaving as usual until we found a cure. Nothing wrong with that, but I could already tell this was only going to cause the first of the many big frictions this group was going to face in the next few years.

Which is quite ironic considering that the elf would have joined the party in due time...

AN

Despite all the memes, let's admit one thing: Elinalise is a female bard in this context, one with greater experience than Paul in the Art of Barding. Jokes aside, her condition wasn't exactly explored much in regard to how Lars came to be despite the conditions his mother was in. I do believe the author of the series was a bit negligent in this regard and that it should have expanded to a degree beyond 'oh, she is always into sex because of a curse'. The way it is detailed shows that there should have been more to it and it could have been fleshed out some more to explain a few doubts about it.

Nonetheless, Eli will be a fun character by the next chapter. Paul isn't ready to be hit back with the vigor and intensity only someone like Elinalise can muster... especially after he ends up insulting her best shot to a normal life.

REVIEW Q&A!

Ramzera: You'll find an unhealthy amount of those in Questionable Questing. I'm not saying they are bad, but a lot of them are 'SI replaces Rudy' kind of deal and it was one of the reasons why I was worried about this not gaining traction since… lots of SI in QQ. I was a bit surprised to see that the same doesn't go with FFN.