Author's Notes:
Thanks to LugawAlchemist for the Beta work. Check out their fanfic "Mushoku Tensei: Reclaiming My Birthright in Another World" for an interesting MT AU.
Also, special thanks to Quidopher from "Mushoku Tensei: Lumina Greyrat" for helping me on this chapter, even though our omake would get moved to the next chapter.
Sorry, there is no Tanya Norn goodness in this chapter, but you'll see how Tanya Norn impacted Rudeus and Sylphie, too.
Grammarly went haywire with its latest update, so I hope I didn't overlook some random changes.
One more chapter before Vol 1 is complete.
Chapter 7: Hastily Made Commitments
K 417, Roa, Fittoa (One day before the Displacement incident)
Rudeus Greyrat
Hilda leaned over and kissed me goodbye before going back to her quarters. The maids cleared the last of the food with sleepy looks on their faces.
Sauros was pretty drunk and went off to another room, pulling along two maids for what promised to be a loud night.
Philip and I were left behind. Philip was drinking wine slowly as he pulled a few letters from his inner coat. He placed them on the table and then sighed.
Philip didn't talk to me much during the party; in between his efforts to stop Sauros from starting a war with the Notos Greyrats and Hilda's attempts to help her Father-in-law make it possible,
"I lost the battle to become head of the family. Right now, Eris is my only child." Philip let the words flow from his mouth.
Ah, a serious conversation. I shook off my fatigue and looked at him intently.
"Don't you wonder why Eris has no brothers and sisters? Or why Hilda looked at you so badly before?" Philip said.
I nodded quietly; I was curious.
"A little," I said cautiously.
"The truth is, she has an older brother and a younger brother. In fact, her younger brother is about the same age as you." Philip explained as he continued sipping from his wine glass.
Rudeus failed to notice that Philip was barely drinking.
"Was he killed in the battle to become head of the family?" I asked directly.
Philip was shocked, crap, did I ask the wrong question.
"No, of course not. He's not dead. My elder brother took my sons to the imperial capital as soon as they were born."
"Taken? What do you mean?" I pressed my luck.
"On the surface, my sons are adopted and taught in the capital. However, there is a tradition, I suppose."
Philip explained the Boreas family tradition and the battle to become the head of the family.
Sauros had ten legitimate sons, his daughters were out of the running since they were married out of the house. Only three sons were exceptional: Philip, Gordon, and James. I thought of a child's series related to locomotives.
The three of them competed against each other, and James won. He would be the next head of the family once Sauros passed away and Philip and Gordon lost.
James was cunning and manipulated Gordon to marry a daughter of the Euros Greyrat family. At the time, Gordon had no idea about the origin of his girlfriend, and by the time he knew, he was too focused on romance to care about the implications of his decision to marry into the Euros household.
Philip and James were evenly matched in the second half of the struggle, manipulating people behind the scenes.
However, James won the battle; he had an insurmountable six-year advantage over Philip and had more connections in the capital. Once James became head of the Boreas Greyrat household, he made Philip the mayor of Roa. At that point, James consolidated too much power in the capital, making it impossible for him to resist James' demand for his first son.
"Isn't that a bit tyrannical of him to take all your sons?"
"No, unfortunately, that is our tradition."
Philip continued to explain that all the sons born into the family were raised under the head of the household. It kept those who lost in previous struggles from joining new ones.
It was a common problem: power struggles all over Asuran nobility. While the masses lived comfortable and safe lives, the nobles had vicious power struggles and different traditions. The Euros family had a different tradition. When Gordon married into the family, his sons would be subject to their means of eliminating competition.
The Notos Greyrats apparently sent the losing sons off on long journeys, preferably as knight bodyguards to the Asuran Royalty or a mercenary commander away from Milbots, where they led other landless sons and raised money and glory in the conflict region. Pilemon and Paul were spared those fates because Pilemon was the only acknowledged son of Amarant.
He also went off-tangent and explained what kind of person James was.
James was ten years older than Paul and supposedly bullied him a lot whenever they met.
Paul and Philip were close cousins since Paul's mother, my grandmother Valentina, was Sauros' youngest and favorite sister. She was barely fifteen when she gave birth to Paul, but she was happily attached to Sauros' best friend, Amarant Notos Greyrat.
Sauros intended to make his heir close to the future Notos Greyrat heir, only for that plan to be dashed when James disliked Paul and actively sabotaged his reputation around Asura. It also didn't help that Paul was too tired of hearing all those nasty rumors about himself, especially one where he was blamed for my grandmother's death and ran away from the Notos Greyrat family in Senos. It was also how his much younger brother, Pilemon, was ruling Milbots instead.
Philip went back and talked about how Hilda felt.
Unlike the Greyrat houses, Hilda was a minor noble, and her house was possessive of its sons; they didn't need any extreme measures to prevent succession struggles since there wasn't much to struggle for. Philip chose her for her beauty and… assets, which I would easily agree with.
Having her newborn taken away from her right after giving birth made her depressed. Eris' birth made her feel better, but when her younger brother was also taken away, she became unstable again.
"She hated you. She saw her lost sons whenever you went around the palace with Eris."
I figured that part out, at least her hating me. Philip explained the reason for it.
"Plus, our only remaining child, Eris, turned out to be a tomboy instead of a lady. I was about to lose all hope." Philip swirled his glass as I replied.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"It would be difficult to use Eris to overthrow James." Philip looked at me as he explained this.
By overthrow, did he mean that he wanted to be the head of the family?
"But lately, after seeing you. I've started to feel more hope."
"Huh? I tried to feign cluelessness, even though I suspected what would happen next.
"Your acting is good enough to deceive even Hilda and my father," Philip smirked.
He noticed I put on a show for my birthday. Although the word "deceive" didn't ring well with me. I just did my best to keep things from becoming unpleasant.
Philip continued, "You understand the importance of money, and you know how to be diplomatic. You don't worry about the necessity of putting yourself in harm's way to win over people's hearts." He was probably referring to the kidnapping incident three years ago. Or the fact that I stuck around even though Eris was punching me all the time.
"Your actions have even left a lasting impact on your lady friend and your sisters. Look, here are the letters Tanya and your parents sent." He gestured for me to read those short letters, and I noticed how far Sylphie and Tanya had gone in their magical abilities. Even Aisha could cast chantless magic, and Tanya was crediting Sylphie.
I feel like a proud teacher, I hope you're proud of me, Master Roxy.
They learned things even I couldn't do properly if the tales of Sylphie and Tanya flying were true. Philip mentioned that a few weeks ago.
"But most of all, Eris has grown tremendously under your supervision." Philip sounded like he never could imagine this. He had heard how exceptional I was from Paul, but as the son of someone who spent all his time flipping skirts at my age, he probably thought I would be the same type of delinquent. He figured something interesting might happen by pitting his unruly daughter against me, like observing a stone thrown into a lake filled with crocodiles. Apparently, that was about as far as he'd imagined it.
Heh, despite the feeling that Philip is up to something, I was proud yet a little intimidated by the achievements my students have attained.
"I can still remember the day when Paul came running here crying," Philip muttered to himself.
I asked Philip to explain, who said Paul came crying because he was going to get married but didn't have the money to afford a place and needed a stable job.
Yet, at the same time, Paul didn't want to return to his noble family. Apparently, he got on his knees for my sake, something he didn't do even when the incident with Lilia happened. Well, that was in the past, anyway.
How desperate would I be for my family?
"Wouldn't Eris have found a way even without me here?" I asked, curious about how much I had changed her life.
"Found a way? Of course not. Even I thought Eris was hopeless. I thought she had no future as a member of a noble family. That was why I hired Ghislaine to teach her swordplay so that she might at least become an adventurer." After he said that, Philip recounted several of his past episodes with Eris, every single one painful to listen to. He then started showing me just how important I was to his family and how he owed me a large debt for improving his only remaining child.
"So, how about it? Will you marry Eris and help me seize control of the Boreas family? If so, I'll tie her hands and put her in your bed right now." Philip asked with teary eyes.
It was a tantalizing offer… I imagined a pop-up screen similar to video game dialogs in my mind. "Are you sure you want to dispose of (your virginity)? Once it's gone, it will be gone forever!"
No, no, wait, wait. This isn't a joke. What did Philip just say? Seize control of the Boreas family?
"What are you trying to make me do? I'm ten!" I snapped out of my imagination.
"You're also Paul's child, and your three-year-old sister is just as talented as you are. Unfortunately, she isn't as protected as you are." Philip calmly reminded me, although it sounded like a threat.
"I'm not talking about that. Hey! Are you threatening my sister?!" I wouldn't forgive the Boreas family if they did anything against my family at home.
"No! It's not that your sister, and even one of the women you fantasize about, a certain Sylphiette, have garnered the attention of too many passersby; while it is only rumored around Roa, all it takes is for it to reach the wrong ears in Ars, and then they would be targeted by kidnappers looking for powerful girls to bend to their will. Even my brother might be tempted to do that if he took these reports seriously." Philip saw my shocked face and continued.
"I will be the one to seize control of the Boreas family; all I need is for you to take the Notos seat. You are currently protected from Pilemon's increasing paranoia and attempts to eliminate Paul, but your family in Buena is not under the direct care of the Boreas in Roa. If you want Sylphiette as a mistress, you can have her; you could even have that other young girl, the Water-King Roxy, if you fancy her instead, as long as you marry Eris; if you don't, James will eventually make Eris become a concubine to Pilemon Notos Greyrat or even Minister Darius. Sauros won't live forever." Philip explained to me. What a morbid thought.
I had serious doubts about my ability to participate in a noble struggle, however, I need to take some responsibility for my actions.
I trained Eris and even Sylphie too well. If I didn't get into a position to protect them, who will? Philip implied he was close to finally giving up on the struggle and Eris would get sold off to my slimy uncle or the disgusting minister who arranged to get Eris kidnapped years ago.
Philip was a bit more forthcoming with those kinds of information today.
"I swear, once I take over the Boreas house, I will help you and Paul retake the Notos house and secure a peaceful future for our families. It was exactly the thing Sauros, Valentina, and Amarant wanted years ago." Philip said, pulling my heartstrings with the grandparents I never got to meet. Even in my first life, I barely remembered my first grandparents. I tried to forget how my previous family treated me after my parents died. I wouldn't want to be that kind of brother to my sisters.
Philip informed me a little about Notos Greyrat's history earlier at the party when Sauros ran off trying to declare war on them.
"So, how about it? Would you help me protect my family and yours?" Philip extended his hand to me.
When you say it that way, it appears I had no choice. I liked Eris, and I need to protect my loved ones, too. I want to be the best big brother ever.
"I might regret this, but I have to take responsibility. I will help you, but you need to help me, too." I said, shaking Philip's hand.
"You won't regret this; let's talk about this in the morning. Enjoy your gift!" Philip winked as he left a wine bottle for me.
And so ended the birthday party Eris… my future wife had staged for me.
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When I returned to my room and set the wine Philip left behind beside my bed, then I saw Eris sitting on my bed.
Philip must have set this up, oh well. I might as well take what was given to me.
"Oh, w-welcome back!" Eris said, showing her extremely sexy red negligee.
I don't think I ever saw her wear something like that before. Did Hilda prepare Eris in case I agreed to Philip's proposal? Or to get her to sway me if I refused her father's proposal?
"What are you doing here at this hour?" I asked.
Eris' cheeks burned red. "I-I thought you'd be alone by yourself, so I was going to sleep with you tonight."
While Eris might be concerned about my parents and family leaving me alone on my birthday.
This smelled like a plot from Hilda and Philip. Maybe Hilda woke Eris up, forced her to change into this sexy appearance, and sent her here.
However, I took another hard look at Eris. Her body was starting to mature, her arms and legs were well-toned from her sword practice. She was taller than the average girl too, so her negligee made her look more grown-up than usual.
My body was still immature as well; I had only turned ten. Am I to blame for being attracted to Eris even before I could do anything to pop her cherry? Master Roxy, when she trained me all those years ago, barely looked older than Eris is today.
I felt like a thirty-four-year-old, homeless, jobless pervert again. I imagined my disgusting self taking advantage of Eris.
I snapped back to my senses. Philip already promised Eris to be my wife; if I played my cards right, she wouldn't even try to beat me to death if she found out her father promised her to me as a negotiation tool, or the fact that Philip promised I could have multiple mistresses before we even married.
Eris hated my occasional sexual harassment, and it would make a poor marriage if I forced myself too badly on her.
Maybe I can still get something out of this.
After all, Eris would owe me for helping her family and reuniting her with her brothers.
Should I push my chances tonight? Philip told me he'd tie Eris up and give her to me if I wanted to.
"You know, Eris, I'm feeling pretty lonely right now, and after getting your father's blessing, I might do something perverted to you!" I wonder how far Eris was likely to hold her end of the deal.
"Y-you can do it. J-just a little b-bit!" Eris said timidly; maybe Hilda already prepared her for this.
Seriously?!
How is a degenerate NEET like myself supposed to control my urges around you? An old man who never had such feminine touches in the four decades he's experienced life.
I sat beside her, making a small creak on my bed. I wasn't thinking that much anymore. Philip gave me his blessing and Eris consented. I should be a happy man at the age of ten!
I petted her head; her hair was so smooth. Even though she was from a high noble family, she was always out getting herself dirty over swordplay and other activities.
She must have cleaned up today for me.
"You look so cute," I whispered to her ears.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Eris turned away as she spoke that. Her face was as red as her hair, I used this opportunity to wrap my arms around her shoulders and decided to kiss her on the lips.
"Hmmmpph!" Eris spat out
"Noooo! I told you just a little, didn't I? You moron!" Eris stood up, attempting to leave, but I stopped her with a question.
"But Philip told me that we're marrying each other." After I said that, Eris clammed up, looked at me, and ran out the door.
.
.
.
Eris saved me from a potentially worse situation, as much as I would appreciate having someone like her as a wife, I wouldn't want to marry her and get caught in the Boreas Greyrat problems for at least a few more years.
If I had my way earlier, I might have made her pregnant, and we would've been married faster than you can say, "Greyrat!"
After all, my uncle Pilemon had a child at ten! And I thought Paul and Zenith were awfully young to be a couple.
Philip and Hilda might have hoped for that, baiting me into action even sooner than the promise I made, Philip.
I wouldn't discount Eris' feelings too, she spent considerable time and effort to make a party for me. She was happy for me and cared for me genuinely, and now she was sold off as my wife.
I was a piece of crap, just like Paul was. I had no right to judge the man when I just bought a girl in exchange for an alliance.
"Ah!" I shouted, realizing that Eris was standing in the doorway. She was peeking out from behind the frame.
I panicked and tried to sit up, but I was shocked by Eris' sudden reaction.
Eris took a fistful of her long, red hair into each hand. She made a tail on either side of her temples; instant twin tails. Then, just like that, she winked at me. "Please forgive me, mew ✩"
Was I dreaming? I blacked out for a minute there. It felt like I'd just had a really awful dream.
Eris apologizing to me? I was the one who took advantage of her.
"I didn't know you would be my husband, mew ✩"
She didn't look like she would beat me up either; she looked genuinely submissive and embarrassed rather than murderous.
She even stuck her hips out to be more appealing. This was so much cuter than the last time I remembered her doing this.
"Please take good care of me, mew ✩"
She scurried closer to me and I smelled a strange scent, similar to the wine Philip gave me. Did he get Eris drunk?
"But, it's still too early for us to do that. Let's save it for when we marry! Then I'll let you mumble mumble… but for now, please hold it in." Eris stopped mewing but instead showed teary eyes.
Did she really think I'd ravish her so suddenly?
It was a rude wake-up call; if she didn't know I was going to marry her and had her Father's blessing, I might have been knocked unconscious until next week.
Eris ran away from the room, looking utterly embarrassed.
I could wait until we married.
Looking at my Lolita fiancee is good, but touching her right now is bad.
Wait, Philip told me I was allowed to get mistresses, too, as long as I married Eris first.
Images of Sylphie and Roxy filled my mind.
I woke up with crusty underwear the next morning.
I asked the beast maid collecting laundry to keep quiet about it, and she giggled with a look of amusement in her eyes. It was a little embarrassing.
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We went to a hill on the outskirts of the Citadel of Roa.
I promised Ghislaine to show what Saint-tier magic looked like while Eris tagged along. All of a sudden, Philip and Hilda also appeared at the city gates and wanted to watch. We got a little delayed waiting for them to catch up with a small retinue of bodyguards, although Sauros was too busy "sorting letters," which I hope wasn't a declaration of war against the Notos Greyrats.
Philip took away the cloth I wrapped around the Aqua Heartia, telling me that no one would dare to steal that staff from someone directly under his protection in his own city.
"Come show us how powerful your magic can be!" Philip said with an encouraging grin.
I was supposed to practice my waterball, but I might as well go for gold.
I signed a contract with a man who gave away Eris just so he could use my powers and abilities, and Eris might kill me for what I did to her last night if I failed this demonstration.
"All right then, I, Rudeus Greyrat, will show you my great, all-powerful hidden technique!" I declared to the small group in front of me.
I had to make a good show to impress my future in-laws.
"Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Yadayadayada—Cumulonimbus!" I knew how to do it chantlessly but tried to make a show, only to realize I had forgotten the rest of the incantation, whoops.
A violent storm surged in the sky, howling winds and an explosion far more powerful than the last time I cast the spell.
Did my staff multiply my magical power by that much? Or…
A bright beam of light came from behind; Eris grabbed me and
"Look out!" Ghislaine shouted.
I saw a strange man who tried to approach me but.
We all disappeared into the blinding light…
K 417, Near the Migurd Settlement, Biegoya region, Demon continent
Rudeus Notos Greyrat
I was dreaming. In this dream, I was soaring through the air, holding Eris in my arms. My mind was hazy, but somehow I knew that I was flying. I had no idea how Sylphie and even Tanya could do it so easily, but now I was flying far longer than my last attempts.
The world around me was a constantly changing blur of shapes and colors. I rocketed through the air like a quantum wave or whatever that term was, my body randomly bouncing in different directions. I didn't know why this was happening. But I was certain of one thing: no matter what I tried, I was going to lose speed eventually and plunge to the ground.
So I concentrated. I looked at the ever-shifting scenery below us, trying to find a relatively safe place to land. Sylphie wouldn't have any problems dealing with this. Something inside me was just screaming that I had to if I wanted to survive.
I needed to fly, not just push air around me and hope I wouldn't die upon landing, but fly well enough to not crash into the ground. I tried to control my descent by pumping a lot of air from my extremities, similar to what I remember from some Western superhero movies I watched shortly before I died in my past life.
Still, we were going way too fast. It was like staring into the window of a bullet train, except everything was moving much, much faster.
Focusing more intently, I gathered magical energy into my eyes…and for just a moment, we suddenly slowed down.
Oh crap.
We're gonna fall.
Panic welled in my chest, but I could now clearly see the land below me. I needed to find a field. Falling into the sea or smashing into a mountain wouldn't be good. Forests were obviously dangerous, but if I managed to aim for a field…
I forced myself downward, hoping for the best. We slowed rapidly as I plunged toward a reddish-brown stretch of earth. An instant later, I lost consciousness.
*** I found myself in a pure white void when I opened my eyes. I immediately knew this wasn't real. It had to be some sort of lucid dream. Yet, for some reason, my body felt oddly heavy. "…Huh?" I looked down at myself, and my eyes went wide. I was back in the old, familiar form I'd spent thirty-four years in.
At the sight of it, memories of my previous life came flooding back. I was the same bitter, vile, insecure, and selfish piece of trash I'd always been. The ten years I spent as Rudeus suddenly felt like nothing more than a dream. A crushing wave of disappointment washed over me. I'd reverted to my pathetic former self, and I found that fact all too easy to accept. So it really was just a dream, huh…?
As dreams go, it lasted an awfully long time. But at the end of the day, it was too good to be true. I'd been born into a loving family and managed to get friendly with some very cute girls. I even had an apprentice I was proud of and a talented sister I would never meet again. Not a bad ten years by any means. I'd wanted to enjoy that life a little more, though. Oh well. Guess it's over now. I could feel the memories of my time as Rudeus beginning to fade. Once you've woken up, even the best of dreams disappear quickly.
Had I really expected anything different? Please. A smooth, happy life like that was never in the cards for a guy like me.
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(AN: normal text are inner Rudeus thoughts, italicized are surface thoughts Rudeus has that Hitogami can read)
Eventually, I noticed that a weirdo had appeared in front of me. The individual in question had a blank, white face marked only by a big, wide grin. Maybe blank wasn't the right word. I just couldn't make out any distinguishing features. When I looked at any specific part of that face, it slipped instantly out of my memory; my mind refused to form an image of the larger whole. It almost felt as if this…person was being blurred out by a pixelated mosaic.
They looked like the male counterparts in eroge content I played with; no man would like to look at another naked man.
Still, I somehow sensed that I was dealing with someone calm and patient.
"Hey there. Nice to meet you, Rudeus."
Hm. I'd been so busy feeling sorry for myself, and now I had some weird, censored-porno guy chatting me up. Actually, that voice was pretty ambiguous.
Could be a guy or a girl. Let's go with a girl! That would make the pixelated thing feel kind of sexy, right?
"Hello? Can you hear me?" The pixelated being asked me.
Oh. Yeah. Sure. Hi there, nice to meet you.
"Excellent. Nice to see you're so polite."
I didn't actually speak out loud, but it seems like my friend here heard my thoughts just fine. Might as well keep communicating this way.
"Wow. Nothing fazes you, does it?" Said the oddly trustworthy voice.
That's not true at all.
"Ehehe. Don't be so modest!"
So anyway. You're…who or what, exactly?
"Can't you see that much for yourself?"
I can't see much of anything with that mosaic. Uh, are you the Mighty Sperman or something? Or maybe a cute goddess willing to send me to another world? Do I need to do another quest
"The Mighty Sperman? Who's that? Does he look like me?"
Oh, totally. He's a big blurry mess of pixels, just like you.
"Hmm. So there's someone like me in your world too, although it's weird being associated with a man…"
Well, no. Not really. I guess you're a woman?
"What? Okay, let's just move on. I'm a goddess, a cute goddess. The Woman-God, specifically."
The blurry, pixelated figure paused for a moment, and the mosaic shifted a little bit.
A NAKED PIXELATED WOMAN? What obscene game world did I go to? I have to act calm and pretend not to be perverted, or else I'll be sent to hell or reincarnated as a cockroach.
Uh-huh. The Woman-God. Right.
"You don't sound too impressed, I have to say. I'll ignore those other stray thoughts of yours for the moment."
Rudeus sagged in relief.
Uhm…just wondering why a goddess would be wasting time chatting with me, I guess. Isn't it a little late for you to be showing up anyway? Isn't the goddess supposed to make her appearance way back in the first chapter, right? Giving me special powers and a harem? Maybe even some OP cheat item?
"The first chapter… OP Cheat item? What do you mean? Is it that game you're talking about?"
Never mind, it's nothing. Please, go right on ahead.
"All right. Anyway, I've been keeping an eye on you for some time now. You've been living quite an interesting life!"
Peeping's always lots of fun, isn't it? Too bad I can't peep on you.
"Oh, it's been a joy. And that's why I decided to take care of you. And who knows, if you're a good boy, I'll let you take a peek at me."
You're taking care of me? Gee, thanks. Talk about condescending… I won't say yes to the first woman I see just because she offered to flash me.
"Come now, there's no need to be so hostile! I'm only talking to you because I saw you were in some real trouble."
Well, that's a red flag. Any woman who pops up offering to fix all my problems when you're struggling just wants to take your money and run away with it. Especially a disappointing person like me.
On the other hand, "women" who are too nice to men often pack something else down under. I remember one of my brothers complaining about it when he went to the wrong district in a tropical country.
A famous sci-fi character once said, "IT'S A TRAP!"
"No, no. I'm on your side, friend. I'm not a trap, and I'm not packing anything like that down under."
Hah! Now we're friends? Don't make me laugh. I met a few girls like you in my old life, buddy. People who slithered up to me and said, "Just try your best," or, "I'll look out for you." They were all liars. They didn't really give a damn. They assumed everything would automatically work out once they used me and lured me out of my comfort zone.
Everything you say reminds me of them. I'll never trust you.
"Goodness, that's a problem. Hmm… Why don't I just offer you a little advice then?"
The pixelated Goddess scratched their cheek, or at least looked like it, behind the blurry mosaic. A naked woman talking to me so blatantly is just so distracting.
Advice, huh…?
"That's right. Feel free to ignore it completely if you want."
Right. Got it. So that's your angle. I had plenty of that last time as well. People loved giving me advice. Getting optimistic only sets me up for more pain down the line. What would that advice do anyway?
I mean, this right here's a case in point! Why even let me dream, damn it? Alternate reality my ass! I got all into this second chance at life, then you just pull the carpet out from under me? Did you have to be so damn sadistic?!
"Wait a second. I think you're misunderstanding things. I want to help you with your current life, not your old one."
…Hm? Why do I look like this then?
"That's your astral form. It's distinct from your actual body."
My…astral form…?
"Right. You're perfectly fine physically, of course."
So, this is only a dream? When I wake up, I won't find myself back in this crappy body?
"Exactly; since you're dreaming at the moment, you'll be back to normal once you wake up. Do you feel better now?"
Having a naked pixelated goddess dancing around so strangely around me is unsettling, but I've had weirder dreams.
Phew. Okay. So this is all just some weird dream…
"Well, it's not just a dream. I'm speaking directly into your mind right now. It's hard to believe your mental image of yourself is so different from your body…"
Telepathy, huh? Well, all right. But what do you actually want with me? Do you plan to send me back to my old world? Since I don't belong here or whatever? Or am I going to pay for crimes against women?
"Don't be ridiculous. I couldn't send you anywhere outside the Six-Faced World, obviously. And I don't judge what people do outside of what I ask them to do."
At least I'm not being judged for whatever I did to women…
Hmph. Maybe that's obvious to you, but I'm totally in the dark here.
"A very reasonable point."
Wait a minute, though. If you can't send me back… you can't be the one who reincarnated me in this world, right?
"True. Reincarnation isn't my department, anyway. That's the specialty of a certain wicked Dragon God."
Hmmm. We've got an evil dragon fighting this strange goddess?
"Anyway, do you want my advice or not?"
…No thanks.
"Huh?! Why not?"
Did the strange goddess pout behind the mosaic? It's hard to tell with the strange blur.
I don't know what's going on here, but you're obviously a shady character. That means I'm better off ignoring you completely.
"Aw. Do I really seem that shady?"
Oh, hell yes. You couldn't act more like a scammer if you tried. You remind me of those scammers I used to run into playing MMOs. Denying the fact that you said you don't scam usually means you intend to scam someone.
"Come oooon! Trust me!"
That perverted naked goddess went uncomfortably close to me as she said that.
You're awfully whiny for a deity. Look. It's not like I even worship you, whoever you are. The only god I care about is the one who actually made the miracle of my reincarnation happen. Why would I trust some other being who pops into my head and says all sorts of weird crap? Oh, and people who talk about "trust" are always liars. Words of wisdom from one of my favorite books.
"C'mon, don't be so stubborn. Just give me one little chance."
Now you just sound like a loser ex-girlfriend trying to get back with the guy who dumped her. Look, buddy. How many prayers do you think I said in my former life? You never came to the rescue back then. Not even once, right up until the day I died. Why offer me advice now?
"I'm not from your old world, remember? I'm a goddess of this world, and I'm saying that I'll help you out from now on."
Right. And I'm saying I can't trust you. Talk is cheap. If you want me to believe you, show me a miracle or something.
"This doesn't count as a miracle? How many people do you know can communicate with you through your dreams?"
What's so special about a little communication? Anybody can do that. You just write a letter or whatever. My old master, Roxy, even told me that her race communicates telepathically. Are you the goddess of Migurds or something?
"No, I'm not the goddess of Migurds; they aren't humans. It's true that anyone can do a little communication, but is that really a good reason for you to ignore me? At this rate, you're going to die."
…I am? Why?
"The Demon Continent is a rather harsh place. For one, there isn't much of anything to eat; for another reason, it's absolutely swarming with monsters, especially compared to the Central Continent. And I know you can speak the language, but things work rather differently here. Are you really confident you can survive?"
The Demon Continent? What? Hold on, you mean that huge lump of land way out on the edge of the world? Why would I be way the heck out there?
"You got caught up in a huge magical disaster. You ended up being teleported here."
A magical disaster…? Are you talking about that light I saw?
"That's right."
So that was some sort of teleportation spell. Hmm. …Wait, I'm not the only one who got hit by that thing. I wonder if everyone else back in Fittoa is all right. Buena Village is pretty far away from Roa, so it's probably fine… but I'm still worried about my family. …You have any insight on that, buddy?
"Would you really believe my answer either way? You don't even want to listen to my advice."
Good point. You'd probably lie just for the fun of it.
"All I'm going to say is that almost everyone's praying for your safety. They all want you to make it back alive."
Well…sure. Of course, they would. Wait, almost everyone?
"Hmmm. Do you really believe that? Isn't there a part of you that thinks…they might be glad to have seen the last of you? Perhaps one or two of them haven't prayed to me for your safety"
…Yeah, I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind. By the end of my last life, nobody cared if I lived or died. And I've still got some self-esteem issues stemming from that. I bet it's Paul, he found me as annoying competition, or perhaps Eris since I forced her into marrying me.
"Well, people care about you in this world. You'd better make it back to them in one piece. Don't go pointing fingers so fast."
Yep. You're right. I shouldn't judge people so quickly. I mean, Eris was just in my arms before I lost consciousness.
"I won't make any guarantees, but I think you'll stand a very good chance of getting back alive if you do follow my advice."
Wait. Before we get to that, I want to know why you're doing this. Why do you care so much about me? Am I some sort of protagonist in a Shonen series?
"Heavens, you're persistent… I don't know what a Shonen series is, but you are a protagonist? Is that not good enough? You're the goddess' chosen messenger"
Am I supposed to spread your religion now? What's next? Would I go around in a white shirt a name tag, and spread the book of Megami(AN: Woman-God)?
"Not really; while I do have followers around the world, there aren't many who would publicly admit my presence. Particularly since other people claim to be gods through sheer strength."
Why would they be ashamed of admitting they follow you? Aren't you supposed to get as many followers as you can? What do you want to do with me?
It was disconcerting looking at how the pixelated goddess kept floating around me like a feather in the wind. Don't they care about flashing a middle-aged man?
"Hmm. While I would enjoy having followers, the evil Dragon God would kill them whenever they talk about me. And as for you, you're fun to watch; I can't deny that."
I was the one who secretly watched women… was this how my niece would've felt if she knew what I did to her?
So this "evil Dragon God" exterminates your followers, so you have to secretly show up in dreams and recruit people? And what could possibly be so "fun" about watching me anyway? Women wouldn't want to look at ugly old me.
"Yes, you would do well to avoid him, although I doubt you'd see him anytime soon. You're very…interesting, that's all. I hardly ever get the chance to see someone from an entirely different world! I'd like to help you meet all sorts of people and see what comes of it. A goddess can only look at the mortal realm and see the same kind of things again and again."
Great. So I avoid the Dragon God while I'm your pet monkey, and you're giving me some vague instructions to see if I can reach my goal. That sounds about right. Just another woman trying to use me.
The pixelated goddess shook her head and looked at me again.
"Sigh… Look here; you haven't forgotten my original question, have you?"
What original question?
"Let me repeat myself then. Are you confident you can survive here? Stranded in a dangerous, unfamiliar land?"
…No. Not really.
"Then maybe you'd be better off hearing me out. Like I said before, it's up to you if you want to follow my suggestions."
All right. Fine. I get it. Go ahead, give me advice if you really want to. What was the point of this whole long-winded conversation anyway? You could've just told me what to do and saved us both a headache.
"Yes, yes. Now listen carefully, young Rudeus. Soon after you awake, you'll see a man. Rely on him, and do what you can to help him."
As these brief and final words echoed through the void, the obscene blurred-out goddess abruptly disappeared.
.
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When I woke up, it was already night.
A black sky full of stars stretched above me. Lights in the skies that dragged along with tails dotted my view, too many to be simple shooting stars and too few for it to be a meteor shower. Shadows cast by a flame danced across the ground. I could hear the crackling of burning wood. It seemed I was sleeping next to a bonfire, although I didn't remember making one or even setting off on a camping trip.
The last thing I did remember…was the sky abruptly changing colors and a wave of white light sweeping over us. Oh, and then there was that dream. Not a very pleasant one…
Who would've thought that a dream with a naked woman would not end up as a pleasant one?
"Gah!" A jolt of fear ran through me, and I looked down at my body.
Fortunately, it wasn't the slow, useless lump of flesh I used to inhabit. I was back in the young but strong form of Rudeus. Seeing that, my memories of the past began fading slightly, and a wave of pure relief washed over me.
To hell with that Woman-Goddess. For a minute there, I felt like I was back in the bad old days. I didn't need any useless or sketchy goddess in my life.
I would rather worship the holy relic over a pixelated goddess.
Seemed like I was going to get a bit more time in this world after all. Thank goodness. I had a ton of things I still wanted to do here. Like cast aside my "Wizard" status, for one thing.
When I sat up, my back hurt; I'd been asleep on the bare ground. My immediate surroundings were a stretch of dry, cracked earth. From what I could see, there was barely any vegetation at all.
This was a quiet, eerie place; anything I made would've been eaten up in the emptiness around me.
Asura was covered in grass and vegetation, the bright light, did it do this?
No, wait. According to the Megami, I'd been teleported and this was the Demon Continent.
Wait, what about Ghislaine, Eris, and even Philip and Hilda?
I was about to jump to my feet and look around for them, but I noticed a girl sleeping beside me, one hand clutching my shirt.
It was Eris! Eris Boreas Greyrat — The girl I'd been tutoring back in Fittoa.
I'll skip the background story but for now, she was to be my future wife.
While I gained her respect and trust, out here in the middle of nowhere, I fear what she would do to me if she's away from Philip too long.
For some reason, Eris had some sort of cloak draped over her. I was merely laid out in my clothes, but I guess the principle of "ladies first" likely applied here.
The Aqua Heartia was lying on the ground behind her.
And I was relieved that she didn't have any external injuries.
Where's Ghislaine, though? And Eris' parents? I should get used to calling them my in-laws.
Ghislaine would be useful in a survival situation like this, while Philip and Hilda's noble upbringing might be detrimental in the Demon continent. On the other hand, their noble connections might get us somewhere good, considering how well Philip can talk himself out of trouble.
I turned away from Eris and towards the campfire.
I didn't see Ghislaine, Philip, or Hilda.
I saw a man.
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-OxOxOxOxOxOxOxOOxOxOxOxOxOxOxOOxOxOxOxOxOxOxOOxOxOxOxOxOxOxOOxOxOxOxOxOxOxO-
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Displacement day, K 417, Ars, Asura Kingdom
Sylphiette
The last thing I remembered was holding my mom because she was going to give me a surprise.
"Huh?!" Why am I in the air? I felt disoriented and dazed, but my instinctive training with Tanya snapped in. I owe her a lot.
"Waaaaaah!" I heard a voice below me. It took me a moment to realize it was my mother.
"Mother!" I dived down to grab her from the sky.
It was a close call, I managed to keep her from smashing into the ground, but her arm was injured. I focused on doing my silent intermediate healing.
"Run, Princess Ariel!" An unfamiliar voice shouted behind me. My mom pushed me away.
"Ghaaahhg!"
A large terminate boar rammed its horns through my mother and sent her flying half a dozen meters away.
"Noooo!" I sent my most powerful spells at the terminate boar, tearing it apart in a single blast.
I needed to heal my mom.
She had a hole in her torso, and intermediate healing wasn't enough.
I wish Lady Zenith wasn't so bitter and selfish about her lack of chantless magic; she didn't want to teach me her advanced spell until she could cast chantless magic.
I had no choice but to pour as much mana as I could into my mother; please make it work.
Her wounds were slowly closing, but she wasn't healing fast enough; too much blood was flowing out.
"Sylphie, I'm dying, but don't forget… I love you…"
There were other people around me, I ignored them as I tried to keep my mother alive.
I kept on pouring more and more mana.
"Mama, please, don't give up, I'll keep healing you! Mama!"
I was getting dizzy from the mana exhaustion, but it looked like her wounds were slowly closing.
I felt nothing.
One week later
K 417, Ars, Asura Kingdom
Princess Ariel's chambers
"Waaah!" a girl with a strange hair color shouted as she jerked out of bed. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of white and green hair; apparently, her hair color had shifted.
"Ah, huh? Where am I? Who are you?" The girl asked.
"We would like to ask you the same thing too?" A finely dressed boy comes in front of her, speaking for a young woman who seems superior to him.
Sylphie panicked as she looked around; this wasn't her bed or room. It wasn't even at Lord Paul's house.
Instincts drilled in her head after constant training with Tanya and Aisha emerged.
"Pardon me." Sylphie weakly attempted to stand but was too nauseous to get up. The nobles in front of her signaled that she could stay on her bed.
"I am Sylphiette, of Buena, my Lord and Lady. I have no idea how I got here since I was just at home with my parents when I was suddenly in the sky." Sylphie's face colored after remembering something.
"Where's my mother!?" Sylphie frantically asked. The boy in front of her, who looked vaguely familiar, shook his head at the faux pas, but the girl in front of her waved him off.
"Your mother is in poor condition. The best healers have taken care of her in another wing. However, your manner and greeting have confirmed our suspicions." A young man said from the side, holding some documents.
"I am Princess Ariel Anemoi Asura, and this is Luke Notos Greyrat and this man at the corner is Derrick Redbat. Trespassers to the palace are often dealt with harshly, no matter the excuse. However, you unwittingly saved my life and the lives of my companions. Therefore, we would spare you from said punishments." Princess Ariel, now identified, went closer to the now nervous Sylphie.
"However, how sure are we that you aren't here on orders from the Boreas Greyrats. Walls have ears here in the palace and even we've heard of the Flying Greyrat. Tales of an illegitimate descendant of Sauros who taught the monkey princess how to act like a better person. Sure, the stories talked about a male greyrat, but some merchants swore they saw a girl fly around. It seems like they were right." Ariel continued to talk to a dumbfounded Sylphie.
"B-but!" Sylphie tried to speak
"Silence! Listen to the princess first." Luke gestured to her.
"Now it makes sense; your mother clearly has beastwoman features, the kind Lord Sauros would like in a woman, and she even had a marking on her neck, which illegitimate part beast children of the reigning Boreas had when they were given a small inheritance far away from Roa," Derrick spoke to her.
Sylphie had no idea where this was going, her mother never talked about her history aside from how she met her father, who was a wandering low-level adventurer in the central continent at the time.
"Now spies, when they get caught, are often taken to the dungeons where they get interrogated until they tell the truth about their employer, but your case couldn't be obvious enough. And then they get killed." Luke played the bad cop (not that he knew what the word meant)
"B-but I'm not a Boreas Greyrat or a spy. I swear I just found myself falling into the palace." Sylphie panics as she defends herself, her sheets getting damp from her nervousness. Sweat, perhaps.
"I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you see, I need tangible proof that you wouldn't betray us to the Boreas Greyrats. You saved my life; we have an excuse to add you as one of my guardian mages. God knows I need more protection if I save your life after disregarding palace protocol. I think I could trust you, regardless of your origins. After all, I spent quite some money to hire a saint-ranked healer to take care of your mother. Whatever spell you cast barely kept her alive. Besides, we received reports that a tragedy occurred in the Fittoa region, a bright flash of light a week ago, and reports of multiple dead bodies found littered around the streets of Ars; none of them had the power of flight you had. Some survived with less severe injuries, but they're currently camped outside the Boreas Greyrat mansion." Ariel played the carrot to the stick.
"A week? I've been unconscious for a week?" Sylphie panicked again but controlled her reaction after glancing at the princess. "Pardon me, Princess, but why wouldn't you just send me and my mother over to the Boreas Greyrat mansion? Since you know about this incident."
"Because, you see, James Boreas Greyrat has no interest in other beastwomen or their spawn. In fact, he wouldn't have spent the money needed to heal your mother on time, and since Duke Sauros isn't around yet, I wouldn't be able to ransom you or your mother."
"But I'm not a Boreas Greyrat; why would they pay me for this? We're nothing but average villagers. I have no way I can repay my debt to you." Sylphie said as she fell for the bait.
"I don't need your money; I doubt you can repay all the gold coins I spent to heal your mother and the favors I used to keep you and your mother away from the dungeons. My noble supporters were crying for your blood. However, If you swear service for me for five years, I would wave all your other debts and obligations. You could choose to work with me after said five years, and I would pay you handsomely for your abilities, but you could choose to leave on your own choice." Ariel offered.
Ariel was playing a dangerous game technically; she had no business holding over a known Boreas Greyrat, even if it was for a flimsy excuse of espionage, which would be disproven due to the disaster around Fittoa, but Sylphie looked too honest and trusting, and in her moment of vulnerability, would be able to promise a deal that would get her a powerful guardian. She needed one after Derrick pointed out the incoming assassination attempts. She even started showing interest in ruling the kingdom someday out of fear for her own safety.
"I-If I join you, would my mother be safe?" Sylphie asked timidly.
"Of course, even if you said no, I would've continued to get your mother treated, although I would have to charge Duke Sauros, and he would then be the one to demand payment from you and your mother. And judging by the Boreas Greyrat taste, you may have a new younger sibling soon after." Ariel suggestively winked at the last part, to Sylphie's growing horror.
"You have a deal." Sylphie shook the princess' offered hand.
Seven weeks after the displacement incident
K 417, Ars, Asura Kingdom
Palace Chambers
There was a stir over Princess Ariel's mysterious new guardian, Sylphiette, or the Flying Dragon as her common moniker was.
She demonstrated the ability to fly using magic, a feat that astounded people around the palace, and advanced magic without any incantations. She demonstrated it dramatically by casting a massive exodus flame spell while flying around the palace.
And she was only ten years of age.
She was also trained in the ways of a high-class Asuran guardian, which made the nobles suspect she was an illegitimate child of some noble house. However, her strange hair color, which was a cross between white and green, made some nobles spread nasty rumors.
"How did her noble parent mate with a Superd!" although those were quickly quashed by other, more interesting rumors when they saw her with her mother, who recovered from serious injuries a week ago. Some disgruntled members of Ariel's faction spoke up against their patron's choice of guardian.
"A beastwoman… No way! Why is an illegitimate Boreas Greyrat working for the Second Princess? The Boreas house supports the First Prince!" Those rumors were slowly growing, but they hadn't reached Sylphie's ears yet.
Until…
A grand council of nobles was called to judge the actions of the inter-house ducal war between the Notos and Boreas Greyrats.
Sylphie was standing behind Princess Ariel, silently standing watch beside Luke. Her mother was standing behind her, fidgeting nervously as she was called in at the last minute.
Lord Pilemon, one of Ariel's most influential supporters, launched a series of accusations that Lord Sauros unfairly prepared for war and attacked his lands right after the declaration was sent. Saying there was no way communications from when Lord Sauros declared war a month ago reached the mercenaries invading his lands could have all been done on the legal timeframe for the house war.
It was impossible for Sauros to make Markien mercenaries appear on the east portion of the Notos lands without even crossing the East Ars fort. Unless Sauros prepared for this strike before the displacement.
Lord Sauros stood up and started shouting insults at the manhood of Pilemon, saying that maybe his soldiers were just as limp and inexperienced as Pilemon was, which was why they couldn't communicate as fast as the Boreas mercenaries.
The discussion quickly devolved into insults, accusations, and shouting, as neither side had conclusive evidence of whatever they accused each other of.
However, there was one that got the attention of Sylphie.
"You claim to fight for Paul Notos Greyrat, the legitimate heir of the Notos house, but where is he? He's been gone for over a decade now, lost in the conflict zone, and you think we nobles would easily fall for whatever random mercenary claims to be him? And your absurd mission promising massive rewards for finding and rescuing your granddaughter, Paul "Notos" Greyrat's supposed family, even promising that so-called Rudeus Greyrat an equal bounty to your granddaughter and even announcing their marriage, and even a random elf-girl named Sylphiette? As a consort?" Luke's older brother spoke up.
"C-consort? M-me?" Sylphie's carefully crafted image of stoicism in public crashed as she tripped forward toward Princess Ariel in shock.
"I'm gonna marry Rudeus Greyrat!" Sylphie was so happy she forgot where she was, but the rest of the chamber heard it. The crowd immediately smothered her squeal and jump for joy.
"You gave me your word to serve me for five years." Princess Ariel said just as loudly.
A whole new round of arguments and agreements were made that day.
Author's Notes:
Paul Gaiden showed that James tried to keep Philip away from Paul and implied that James bullied Paul. Of course, after around twenty years, Philip's memories of the incidents have been affected by his current feelings for James. Or does he just want to manipulate Rudeus?
Of course, Philip's approach to recruiting Rudeus differs slightly from canon; he has more cards to play and a desperate desire to get Rudeus, Tanya, Sylphie, and the more powerful Paul to join him.
Almanfi may have remembered Rudeus casting the spell, but with no one to defend Rudy's reputation and with the conversation cut short by the displacement, interesting changes will happen in the future once they have the chance to see each other again.
Hitogami is Hitogami. Rudeus' stray thought just changed Hitogami's approach, and Hitogami is enjoying the trolling this would lead to. Hitogam is still MAN-GOD to everyone else, and Rudeus will eventually find that out.
There isn't much difference in Rudy's dialogue with Ruijerd in LN 3 at the start.
With all the flight training Sylphie has, she's not gonna have an issue falling; in fact, her flight could've been so easily controlled that she could've saved Derrick with no problems; what complicated this scenario is that her mother came along.
Which brings me to a headcanon I've been promoting lately. Sylphie is descended from Boreas Greyrats through her mother's side. It's pretty obvious where half-beast people come from since there's only one real source in Fittoa, and with Sauros being the only Boreas Greyrat his generation around, he's the most likely candidate to be her maternal grandfather.
I know I saved Laws, Derrick, and Sylphie's mom, so is it a happier world?
Philip's rumors about stories of a Flying Greyrat from Fittoa got mixed up with an illegitimate Boreas Spawn (Rudeus) and more. Sylphie still hits all these possible rumors, and is much harder to hide this time.
Sauros and Tanya meet up two weeks after the Displacement incident; he also sent his declaration of war around that time, so Sylphie's time skips into a month after the war started.
Yes, I kicked Canon in the balls.
Excerpts From
Rifujin na Magonote Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation LN 2
Rifujin na Magonote Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation LN 3
Rifujin na Magonote Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation LN 4