DISCLAIMER
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 16: Estranged
These days have been... enlightening. To a degree.
It's been roughly two weeks since the little meeting with the Milis' representatives, and we were meant to have another similar meeting by next month. The adventuring business was going as smoothly as usual, with the economic situation of the whole party finally getting to a point where we were all capable of entertaining new expansions for our house.
The place would take a while to be further improved, but the attention it was drawing was enough to do it. I mean, if you were to hire adventurers, why not those that were so confident of their survival rate that they could just afford buying a big house and live there rather than the local inn? Publicity was key to secure some unique jobs around the continent, and moving around proved to be as tedious as it sounded. And that was while also keeping up with Zenith, Ghislaine and... Elinalise.
The memories of what happened last week are still fresh in my mind, and I could tell Zenith and Ghis had been in it too from the calm looks they had when I brought this up to them. Who would have known Eli would have gotten this super-cautious before going for her plans and... It wasn't like I minded. Differently from how it sounded, she wasn't exactly staying at my bed every night, but she made a point of copying Zen's own schedule on the matter to a lesser degree.
Now, things weren't truly that perfect for us since we started to get some tougher jobs. We had gotten halfway to A-Rank in the guild, and we were soon to get to S-Rank. At this point, there were three options that would be available to us: 1) We continue being Guild-sanctioned Adventurers and thus subjected ourselves to the quota demanded by the Guild;
2) We retired. That option was not appreciated by most of the party, and I couldn't blame them since the party had been around for a 'short amount of time'. From what I could get out of the local culture in this regard, Parties were meant to last a decade at least. Thus, not truly an option;
3) We switched from a Dependent Contract to an Independent Contract, thus detaching ourselves by Guild's expectation to maintain our Rank and current income. In this case, it would also mean the Guild would rely less on us due to the lack of us having to pay the fee back to the Guild after each mission and having to 'prove' a client had signed the proper papers. We would be able to demand the money at that point since the new contract would establish a different 'loyalty system'. Also, it would allow us to easily semi-retire if needed for a reason or another, thus giving us the edge in case a situation led us to take that path before our planned retirement.
Since we were far from S-Rank, the proper paperwork couldn't be delivered just yet. As we had to go through the last dozen of A-Rank quests that were available for us. For a while things were going quite fine... until I returned back home with a new quest I had retrieved from the Guild and... And Ghislaine could tell it was something that was going to piss her from the grimace I was giving her.
The rest of the group had rallied in the living room as I placed down the papers. A quick look from everyone produced awkward looks as they could tell what was the main issue for us... but also the pressing problem for Ghislaine as the beast woman growled in unrestrained annoyance.
"I'm not going."
"I was actually planning to leave you behind," I remarked flatly, stunning the woman for a moment, but then giving her a serious look. "However the one who issued the quest mentioned that you were essential for this mission, and I am afraid that's not an option."
The mission was issued by the newly-appointed chief of the Dedoldia Tribe, Gyes Dedoldia. For those that don't know, that's Ghislaine's brother. Her father was still alive from how the paper was phrased as it mentioned it was going to reach her because of a favor the old man scored with one of the Guild's leaders. Ghislaine was visibly upset by this rejection, but I could see her understanding my point and nodding at it.
The next issue, which I could tell was in the mind of everyone else in the party was... how were we meant to make the trip to the literal other side of the world without wasting at least a month about it. And the answer to that was a 'shortcut of the sea-kind'. We would be moving by land into the Shirone Kingdom and then, after paying for a ship, we would cross the pond up to the Zanto Port. The destination was considered the 'edge of Millis and Mercy' because it was right on the border with the Demon Continent. From there we would delve into the Great Forest and reach the Dedoldia Tribe.
Sounds easy in theory, but the trip was actually going to be at least a full week of sea-sighting.
After making sure that the new seals used to preserve the food were going to last that long, we went through a trip at the local shops to prepare for the big trip and then departed for our first destination. Five days later, we were entering Shirone Kingdom with a bit of unease spread all over the group.
It was going to be the first time ever we made such a trip by boat and... not everyone was sure they could handle any potential sea-sickness. The ship we found through Captain Harnessus was big enough to host our group and make the journey without any issues. And Geese looked a bit pale at first as we stepped into the ship, but seemed to be more at ease as he went to rest by his cabin. A full day went by, and it was through those particularly peaceful hours where I noticed an issue I thought had been resolved.
Ghislaine was avoiding us as much as she could. And that didn't look like something avoidable from the unease she had before we departed. At first I tried to approach her calmly, but the young woman was just too stubborn in bailing from any potential interactions. I tried to speak to her during lunch and dinner, but she just diverted to another topic.
By the end of that day, I was quite worried and frustrated with Ghis. She wasn't usually this emotionally-upset, and I knew that normal approach wouldn't just do with her. No, I had to pick something else to approach her and... I kind of had the best idea about it.
Sorta.
"So, will Geese join us today for breakfast?"
Zenith offered a small smile. "He is incredibly stubborn. I think he is more paranoid than truly sick at this point."
"Well, I guess it's another serving delivered to his room," I remarked flatly. "I can ask Roxy or Eli this time around-"
"I think I will go," She hummed. "After all, I believe you have another business to entertain."
"Wouldn't it be better if you were the one asking?" I inquired back, but the woman huffed, clearly frustrated by this topic as much as I was.
"Ghislaine is avoiding me more than she does with you so... you should be the one trying to 'catch' her."
I nodded. "I may have the best plan to solve this mess altogether."
The blonde questioned what I had in mind, but I refused to elaborate as I merely moved back to the deck where the rest of the group was. Well, most of it. Elinalise was giggling while entertaining some sailors with flirting, keeping herself under control since the captain asked to not have anyone 'distracted for too long' during the job, while Roxy was sitting over a barrel and staring at the ocean while writing something in her journal.
Ghislaine was there too, and she was already looking at me as I entered her 'proximity'. Her body was tense, ready to bail at the first hint of trying to get her attention and... it was now a matter of quick actions and quick responses. I turned to the girl, she could see my lips parting to speak and she looked ready to rush away from my visive range.
"Ghis-" I muttered, squeezing hard on one of the wooden sticks I had retrieved from one of the nearby barrels. These piece of wood were used to fix broken broomsticks in case of a storm, and there were a lot of those available. After spending some time inquiring about those with the captain, I managed to buy two off him. And then, before she could outright escape, I struck. "Catch!"
Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was that she was listening to every word that came from my mouth, maybe it was both at the same time- but Ghislaine turned her head to look at me and caught the stick effortlessly. Confusion appeared on her face, and then surprise and understanding as I approached her with the other stick.
"Wanna spar?"
There was no opening to a dialogue, nor I planned to speak mid-fight. That wouldn't do- no, it wouldn't. Ghislaine knew this much too, hence why she was so quick to accept the offer. Holding the stick as if it was one of her swords, we both clashed with some restraint. We both knew we couldn't go all out as we would in some other spars and... it was felt the most by Ghislaine.
At first I thought it was just the limited space causing her to hold back in her hits, but there was something gnawing at her mind, something that was visible through her expression. Which means that it was quite serious if her stoic facade failed to keep up with that emotional distress. The clash was intense and lasted roughly ten minutes. Not much for a normal spar and definitely one of the shortest ones we had but... it wasn't something we had expected to begin with.
It wasn't a planned end to the brawl as the constant clashing between sticks seemed to do the trick and actually ended up breaking the one I was using and leaving the one Ghislaine had in a poor shape. The impact and the snap was so intense I actually tripped and fell on my butt, gritting my teeth in brief pain but complete frustration.
"Here."
She held a hand out for me. I took it without a fuss, but perked up as she spoke up again.
"I'm sorry."
I sighed. "The stick-"
"I meant for dodging you and Zenith."
":..Wanna talk about it?"
The beast woman hesitated, but we both ended up finding a spot in her cabin, resting on her back while cuddling. It was odd for her to be this mellow, but I could tell the spar had done more than usual since she was this tensed up.
"So, why are you angry at me?"
"I'm not-" She blurted out. "It's just... I don't like what is going on."
"Being invited to visit your old tribe-"
"The fact you accepted this so easily," Ghislaine interjected half-angrily, her fury lessening moments later. "I just... are you going to leave me there?"
"What? Of course not," I replied in shock. "Why would I do that?"
"You know that I don't have the best relationship with my family."
"I'm aware of that, yes."
"Then... Why did you accept it? Why do you want me to see my family again?"
I sighed. "Ghis, you may hate it and I can't blame you for thinking so, but you need closure just as much as they need it."
"...Closure?" She inquired quietly. "Do I really need that?"
"You have been avoiding Zenith and I for almost a few days now because you didn't want to talk about it. I am aware you are not happy with this decision, but I think you can tell how intense of a reaction this is."
"And? It's perfectly fine to be this upset at something like that."
...
"It is!" She pressed and I huffed, nuzzling a bit more.
"You understand that the point of this visit is for you to just say no to him and then leave?"
...
"What?" Ghislaine asked with pure confusion dripping from her words. "What do you mean just 'no'?"
"It's what it sounds like. The point of this trip is for you to stand in front of your brother, look him in his eyes and tell him what you feel about this, what you want this to end like, and be done about it once and for all."
"John?"
"Yes, Ghis?" I replied quizzically and she groaned.
"Did you just pay for me to only say 'no' to my brother on the other side of the known world?"
My lips twitched at it. "Money isn't that important."
"It was the party's money-"
"Money we are going to make up for thanks to the guild's reward," I shot back mirthfully and sighed as I brought her in a tighter hug. "And the party is with you on this one."
...
"W-What if he says he refuses?"
"Then you refuse him back," I answered curtly, getting a huff out of her. "It's not like he can do much about it."
"He can try to force us to stay."
"The keyword here is 'try', Ghis," I replied calmly, humming as I scratched one of her leonine ears. She shuddered at the touch, but managed to sigh contently at the treatment. "If he tries to do something like that, the party will leave one way or another. And you are part of the party."
She nodded, accepting this response but ending up falling asleep on me just as I finished saying that. Had she been sleep-deprived too during the sparring session? I dropped a quick peck on her forehead and closed my eyes a bit. The sparring had me drained a bit, but I think what took me out was how pleasant the waves were right now.
I had yet to see that things were more complicated than the mission presented them as...
AN
This is pretty much the 'Ghislaine Arc'. It will last a few chapters and explore the details regarding her background, family and her grasp on feelings. Prepare for some action, romance, and (of course) comedy of the gold kind!
P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
REVIEW Q&A!
Guest (Chapter 19): Roxy will join, yas. And the HGS fic was more of a 'can I do this without falling into the cringe?' sort of challenge. I will expand on it on QQ, but I doubt it will be posted anytime soon. If you check on QQ there are close to a 100 story concepts I have been saving up and I will possibly do some of those that are fun to write like 'Coins of a Conqueror' and 'Unwavering Riddle'.
TheSolarCommando757: Dunno.
Chad Thundercock: Once the Ghislaine Arc wraps up, Roxy will get pestered by Eli.
Raging Drake: That, I think, is because Roxy would want to check the noise, get aroused by it and then masturbate to the sight. Poor girl is old enough to bang but only a few would dare fighting the FBI for her.
Jubayersiam: Close to S.
Guest 2 (Chapter 19): There is going to be a member joining quite soon.