Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Reasons for Respect 

I had not left home since I’d come to this world. After a point, that became intentional on my part. 

I was afraid. 

When I stepped into the yard and looked at the world beyond, memories came flooding back to me: memories of that day. The ache in my side. The chill of the rain. Regret. Despair. The pain of being hit by that truck. 

It was as vivid as if it had been yesterday. My legs trembled. 

I was able to look out the window. I was able to step into our yard. But I could not bring myself to go farther. And I knew why. 

This serene pastoral landscape that stretched out before me could turn into hell in an instant. As peaceful as the scenery looked, it would never accept me. 

In my past life, while sitting around the house, frustrated and horny, I’d fantasize about Japan suddenly getting caught up in a war. And then some hot girl showing up one day needing a place to stay. I knew that if that happened, I’d rise to the challenge. 

That fantasy was my escape from reality. I’d dreamt it so many times. In those dreams, I wasn’t larger than life or anything—just a normal guy. Just a normal guy, doing normal things, living a normal life for himself. 

But then, I’d wake up from that dream. I feared that if I took one step away from my home now, I’d wake up from this dream, too. I’d wake up, and find myself right back in that moment of crushing despair, battered by the waves of my many regrets. 

No. This was no dream. It felt far too real. Maybe if you’d told me it was a VRMMORPG, but—no. This is reality, I told myself. I knew it was. Reality, and not a dream. 

And yet, I still couldn’t bring myself to take that one step away from home. 

No matter how I tried to reassure myself, no matter how much I promised myself aloud, my body would not obey. 

I wanted to cry. 

*** 

The graduation ceremony was to take place outside the village, Roxy informed me. 

I protested meekly. “Outside?” 

“Yes, just outside the village. I’ve already got the horse prepared.” 

“Can’t we do it inside the house?” 

“No, we can’t.” 

“We can’t, huh?” I was at a loss. Intellectually, I knew that someday I’d need to venture into the world beyond. My body refused to comply, though. It still remembered too much from before. 

It remembered my old life. Getting beaten up by punks. Being laughed at uproariously. Experiencing tremendous heartbreak. Having no choice but to become a shut-in. 

“Why, what’s the matter?” Roxy asked. 

“Um, well, it’s just… there might be monsters or something out there.” 

“Oh, we certainly won’t run into any of them around these parts, long as we don’t get too close to the forests. Even if we do, they’ll be weak enough that I can take care of them. Heck, you could probably handle them yourself.” Roxy frowned dubiously at all my hemming and hawing about not wanting to leave. “Ah, that’s right, I remember hearing that… You’ve never left home, have you, Rudy?” 

“Er… no.” 

“Is it because you’re afraid of the horse?” 

“N-no, I’m…not that scared of horses.” I actually liked horses, really. I’d played Derby Stallion and everything. 

“Hehe. Ah, so that’s all it is,” Roxy said. “Sometimes I guess you do act your own age.” 

She totally had the wrong idea, but I couldn’t tell her I was afraid of leaving the house. That’d be even more humiliating than saying I was afraid of horses. And I still had my sense of pride—my minuscule, out-of-touch-with-reality sense of pride. 

Really, all I wanted was to not have a girl as cool as her make fun of me. 

I still didn’t move. “Guess I don’t have any other choice, then,” Roxy said. “Hyup!” With that, she picked me up and slung me right over her shoulder. 

“Bwuh?!” I balked. 

“Once you get on the horse, your fears will all go away, I promise.” 

I didn’t struggle. Part of me was conflicted about what was happening, but another part of me felt like I should just accept being bodily whisked away. 

Roxy hoisted me atop the horse and clambered up behind me. She took the reins, tugged at them, and the horse cantered off, leaving the house behind. 

*** 

This was the first time I’d gone farther than my own yard. Roxy slowly guided us through the village. From time to time, villagers would shoot sharp, unabashed stares in my direction. 

Oh, please, no, I thought. Those looks were as scary as ever—especially that glint of sneering superiority I knew too well. Surely they wouldn’t come up and address me with a snide, condescending tone…right? They didn’t even know me. How could they? The only people who knew me in this entire world were the ones in that tiny little house. 

So why were they looking at me? Quit staring at me, I grumbled inwardly. Get back to work. 

But—no. It wasn’t me they were staring at. 

It was Roxy. 

And some of the townsfolk, I noticed, were bowing to her. And then it hit me: Roxy had made a name for herself in the village, even with the sizeable prejudice against demons in this kingdom. And we were out in the countryside, so those attitudes were even more pronounced. In the span of two years, Roxy had become someone that people here were willing to bow to. 

With that realization, I sensed the trustworthy presence Roxy had become. She knew the way, and clearly knew the people we were passing by. If anyone did try saying something to me, I was sure she’d step in. 

Man, how did the girl who spied on my parents’ bedroom antics manage to become someone of such high esteem? The tension ebbed from my body at that thought. 

“Caravaggio’s in a good mood,” Roxy said. “He seems happy to have you riding him, Rudy.” 

Caravaggio was the horse’s name. I had no idea how to read a horse’s mood, though. “Oh, okay,” I said vaguely, resting against Roxy, her modest chest pressing against the back of my head. It felt nice. 

Just what had I been so afraid of? Why would anyone in this quiet village want to mock me for anything? 

Roxy’s voice broke me out of my headspace. “Are you still afraid?” 

I shook my head. The looks from the villagers no longer frightened me at all. “No, I’m okay.” 

“See? What did I tell you?” 

Now that I’d found some composure, I could fully take in of my surroundings. Fields spread out as far as I could see, with houses dotted here and there. It definitely had the feel of a farming village. 

Much farther in the distance were quite a few more houses. If they’d been more closely packed together, I’d think it was a town. All it needed was a windmill for it to look like Switzerland or something. 

Actually, didn’t they have water mills, too? 

Now that I’d relaxed, I noticed how quiet things were. Things were never this quiet when Roxy and I were together. But then, we’d never really been alone like this together, either. The silence wasn’t bad, really; it was just a tad awkward. 

So, I decided to break it. “Miss Roxy, what do they harvest from these fields?” 

“It’s mostly Asuran wheat, which is used to make bread. Probably some Vatirus flowers and some vegetables as well. In the capital, Vatirus flowers are processed into perfume. The rest is the sort of stuff you’re used to seeing on your table at meals.” 

“Oh, yeah, I see some peppers! You can’t eat those, can you, Miss Roxy?” 

“It’s not that I can’t eat them, I’m just not terribly fond of them.” 

I continued asking questions like that. Today, Roxy said, would be my final exam—which would mean the end of her role as my tutor. And knowing how impatient Roxy could be, she might leave my home as early as tomorrow. If that was the case, today was our last chance to spend time together. I figured I should talk to her while I still could. 

Sadly, I couldn’t find the right topic of conversation, so I ended up just asking more questions about my village. 

According to Roxy, we lived in Buena Village, which was located in the Fittoa Region, in the northeastern part of the Asura Kingdom. At present, there were over thirty households here, working the farmland. My father, Paul, was a knight who had been deployed to the village. His job was to watch over the townsfolk to ensure they were carrying out their work properly, adjudicate any disputes, and protect the village from monster attacks. In short, he was basically a publicly sanctioned bodyguard. 

That being said, the young men in the village also took turns guarding it, so Paul spent most of his afternoons at home after he made his morning rounds. Ours was a pretty peaceful village, leaving him with little work to do. 

As Roxy filled me in on these details, the wheat fields grew scant. I stopped asking her questions, and the silence resumed for a while. The rest of our journey would take roughly another hour. 

Soon, the fields of wheat were completely gone, leaving us to travel through empty grassland. 

*** 

We continued our way across the plains, bound for the flat horizon. 

No—faintly, in the distance, I could see mountains. If nothing else, this was something you couldn’t see in Japan. It reminded me of a picture of the Mongolian steppes in a geography textbook or something. 

“Right here should do nicely,” Roxy said, bringing the horse to a stop next to a solitary tree. She dismounted and tied the reins to the tree. 

Then, she picked me up and helped me down, putting us face to face. “I’m going to cast the Water Saint-level attack spell Cumulonimbus,” she said. “It creates thunder, and causes torrential rain to come down in a large area.” 

“All right.” 

“Please follow what I do and attempt to cast the spell yourself.” 

I was going to be using Water Saint-level magic. Now I got it: This was my final examination. Roxy was going to use the most powerful spell she had in her repertoire, and if I was able to use it as well, that would mean she’d taught me all she could. 

“For demonstration purposes, I’m going to dismiss the spell after a minute. If you can keep the rain falling for…at least one hour, let’s say, I’ll consider that a pass.” 

“Did we come out here where there aren’t any people because this involves secret teachings?” I asked. 

“No, we came here because the spell might hurt people or cause damage to the crops.” 

Wow. Rain so powerful it could damage crops? This sounded incredible. 

“Now then.” Roxy raised both her hands skyward. “Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Grant me my wish, bless me with thy savagery, and reveal to this insignificant servant a glimpse of thy power! Let fear strike the heart of man as thy divine hammer strikes its anvil and cover the land with water! Come, oh rain, and wash everything away in thy flood of destruction—Cumulonimbus!” 

She chanted steadily, slowly, and purposefully. It took her just over a minute to complete her incantation. 

A moment later, our surroundings grew dark. For several seconds, there was nothing—then, a pelting rain began to fall. A terrific wind roared, accompanied by black clouds that flickered with lightning. Amidst the pouring sheets of rain, the sky began to rumble, and purple light shot through the clouds. With each new flash, the lightning increased in power. It was almost as if the light itself was taking on a palpable weight, growing with a swell and ready to come right— 

—down. 

The lightning struck the tree next to us. My eardrums rang, and my vision went painfully white. 

Roxy let out a yelp of alarm at the near miss. A mere moment later, the clouds scattered, the rain and thunder promptly letting up. “Oh, no,” Roxy muttered as she rushed over to the tree, her face pale. 

When my vision returned, I saw that the horse had collapsed, smoke rising from its body. Roxy set her hands on the horse’s body and quickly began to chant. “Oh, goddess of motherly affection, close up this one’s wounds and restore the vigor to his body—X-Healing!” 

Roxy’s chant had been flustered, but before long, the horse came to. It couldn’t have been that close to death, then: An Intermediate-level Healing spell like that couldn’t restore the dead to life. 

The horse looked alarmed, and sweat had beaded on Roxy’s forehead. “Whew! That was a close one!” 

Yeah, I’d say it was a close one, all right. That was my family’s only horse! Paul dutifully tended to it every day and would occasionally take it out on long rides, a bright smile on his face. It didn’t have a particularly strong pedigree or anything, but Paul and that horse had been through a lot over the years. It wasn’t a stretch to say that, after Zenith, Paul loved that horse more than anything. That’s how important it was. 

Of course, having spent the last two years living with us, Roxy was well aware of that, too. I’d seen her more than once with her face entranced as she spied on Paul and the horse, only to then shrink away. 

“Could we, ah, could we please keep this a secret?” Roxy said, tears in her eyes. 

She was a klutz. Near misses and scrapes like this were a common occurrence with her. Still, she gave things her all. I knew she stayed up late every night to plan lessons for me, and I knew that she tried her hardest to put on an air of dignity so people wouldn’t write her off for her age. 

I liked that about her. If it weren’t for our age difference, I’d want to marry her. 

“You don’t need to worry,” I said. “I won’t tell my father.” 

Her lip quivered. “Please don’t.” 

Despite being on the edge of tears, Roxy quickly shook her head, slapped her own cheeks, and regained her composure. “All right, Rudy. Go ahead and give it a try. I’ll be sure to keep Caravaggio safe.” 

The horse still looked frightened, ready to bolt at any moment, but Roxy stepped in front of him, blocking his path with her tiny body. She certainly couldn’t physically overpower a horse, but bit by bit, the nervous creature grew more docile. Roxy held her position and muttered an incantation under her breath. 

Both of them were engulfed by a wall of earth, which proceeded to grow into an earthen dome not unlike an igloo. This was the Advanced-level earth spell Earth Fortress. That ought to suffice to keep them safe from the thunderstorm. 

All right. It was my time to do this. I was gonna be so amazing that it’d blow Roxy’s mind. 

How did the incantation go again? Ah, yes. “Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Grant me my wish, bless me with thy savagery, and reveal to this insignificant servant a glimpse of thy power! Let fear strike the heart of man as thy divine hammer strikes its anvil and cover the land with water! Come, oh rain, and wash everything away in thy flood of destruction—Cumulonimbus!” 

I got the words out in a single breath, and the clouds began to billow and swell. 

Now I understood the nature of the Cumulonimbus spell: In addition to conjuring clouds overhead, you simultaneously had to handle a complex series of motions to turn them into thunderclouds—or something to that effect. You had to continually funnel magic into the spell or the clouds would stop moving and dissipate. Leaving the magic aside, it was going to suck having to stand here with both hands raised for over an hour. 

Wait, no. Hold on. Magicians were creative. They wouldn’t need to hold a pose like this for an hour to pull things off. I had to remember: This was a test. I wasn’t supposed to stand still for an hour; after creating the clouds, I needed to use some form of Combined Magic to keep the spell maintained. 

This was the moment of truth. I needed to call upon all I’d learned. “Okay, I think I remember seeing this on TV once. So, when clouds are still in the process of forming…” 

Some of the clouds Roxy had created earlier still lingered. If I remembered right, I could conjure a horizontal whirlwind of air and warm the air beneath it to create an updraft. And then, if I cooled the air above the updraft, it would pick up speed and… 

In doing all that, I wound up burning through half my magical reserves. I’d done what I could, though. Now I just had to see if it would last an hour. Satisfied, I headed back to the dome Roxy had created, rain pouring down on me as thunder rumbled in the skies above. 

Roxy sat against one side of the dome, the horse’s reins clutched in her hands. Upon seeing me, she gave a little nod. “This dome will disappear in about an hour,” she said, “so we’ll be fine, assuming it doesn’t go away before then.” 

“Okay.” 

“Don’t worry. Caravaggio will be fine.” 

“Okay.” 

“Well, if everything’s ‘okay’ then get back out there. You need to control those thunderclouds for an hour, remember.” 

Huh? “Control them?” 

“Hmm? Well, yes. What’s so strange about that?” Roxy asked. 

“Just… I need to control them?” 

“Of course. This is a Water Saint-level magic spell, and if you don’t keep your spell fueled with magic, your clouds are going to dissipate.” 

“But I already took steps to make sure they wouldn’t,” I said. 

“Huh? Oh!” Roxy began rushing out of the dome as if she’d suddenly realized something. At this, the dome began to crumble. 

Hey now, remember to control your magic or you’ll bury the horse alive. 

“Whoops!” Roxy hurriedly regained control of her spell, then stepped outside. She looked into the sky, astonished. “I see! You created a diagonal whirlwind in order to push the clouds up!” The cumulonimbus clouds I’d created were still growing, seemingly without limit. 

Not bad, if I said so myself. 

A long time ago, I’d caught some TV special that went into the science behind supercell formation. I didn’t remember the exact details, but I’d retained a vague visual impression of the process. Going off that, I’d managed to create something similar enough. 

“Rudy,” Roxy said, “you pass.” 

“Huh? But it hasn’t been an hour yet.” 

“There’s no need. If you can do that, you’re more than competent enough,” she replied. “Now then, can you make it go away?” 

“Er, sure. It’ll take a little while, though.” I cooled the ground over a wide area, then warmed the air above in order to create a downward current, ultimately using some wind magic to scatter the clouds. 

Once I was done, Roxy and I stood there, the two of us drenched to the bone. “Congratulations,” Roxy said. “You are now a Water Saint.” She looked stunning, her hand brushing aside her wet bangs, an all-too-rare grin on her face. 

I hadn’t achieved anything in my past life. But I’d done something now. As soon as I realized that, a curious sensation welled up from within me. And I knew what it was. 

A sense of accomplishment. 

For the first time since coming to this world, I felt like I’d truly taken my first step. 

*** 

The following day, Roxy stood in the entryway to our house in her traveling gear, the spitting image of the person who had arrived two years prior. My mother and father didn’t look much different, either. About the only thing that had changed was that I was taller. 

“Roxy,” Zenith said, “you’re more than welcome to stay. I still have plenty of recipes that I could teach you.” 

Paul followed up. “Right. Your role as a home tutor may have come to an end, but we’re in your debt for your help with the drought last year. I’m sure the villagers would be happy to have you stick around.” 

Here were my parents, trying to keep Roxy from leaving. Unbeknownst to me, they’d apparently become good friends. Which made sense; her afternoons had been a huge swath of free time, and I guess she’d spent it broadening her social circle. She wasn’t just a love interest in a video game, whose circumstances only changed when the main character did something. 

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I can’t accept,” Roxy replied. “Teaching your son has made me realize how powerless I truly am, so I’m going to head out and travel the world for a while to hone my magic.” 

She had to be a little shocked that I’d reached the same rank as her. And she’d said previously that having a pupil who exceeded her skills made her uncomfortable. 

“I see,” said Paul. “I suppose it is what it is. I’m sorry that our son caused you to lose confidence in yourself.” 

Hey! You didn’t have to put it like that, Dad! 

“Oh, no,” Roxy said. “I’m grateful to be shown how conceited I’ve been.” 

“I’d hardly call you conceited when you’re able to use Water Saint-level magic,” Paul countered. 

“Even if I couldn’t, your son’s ingenuity has shown me that I can be capable of even stronger magic.” With a small grimace, Roxy put her hand on my head. “Rudy, I wanted to do my best for you, but I didn’t have what it takes to teach you.” 

“That isn’t true. You taught me all sorts of things, Miss Roxy.” 

“I’m happy to hear that,” Roxy said. “Oh, and that reminds me!” She reached into the folds of her robe, fumbled around, and pulled out a pendant strung with a leather cord. It was made of a metal that shone with a green luster, fashioned in the shape of three interlocking spears. “This is to commemorate your graduation. I didn’t have much time to prepare it, but hopefully this will suffice.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s a Migurd amulet. If you happen to run into any demons who give you a hard time, show them this and mention my name, and they should ease up on you a bit… probably.” 

“I’ll be sure to take good care of it.” 

“Remember, it’s not a guarantee. Don’t be overconfident.” 

Then, at the very, very end, Roxy flashed a little smile, and departed. 

Before I knew it, I was crying. 

She really had given me so much: wisdom, experience, technique… If I’d never met her, I’d probably still be doing what I was before, fumbling my way through with A Textbook of Magic in one hand. 

More than anything, though, she took me outside. 

She took me outside. That was it. Such a simple thing. It was Roxy who’d done that for me. And that meant something. Roxy, who’d come to this village not even two years ago. Roxy, who looked like someone who’d never get along well with strangers. Roxy, a demon whom the villagers should have considered beneath their notice. 

Not Paul. Not Zenith. Roxy was the one who took me to the outside world, and that meant something. 

I say that she took me to the outside world, when really, all she did was take me across town. Still, the prospect of leaving home had definitely been a traumatic one for me, and she’d cured me of that—just by taking me through the village. That had been enough to lift my spirits. She hadn’t been trying to rehabilitate me, but I’d still had a breakthrough because of her. 

Yesterday, after we’d gotten back home, soaking wet, I’d turned to look at the front gate and taken just one step beyond it. And right there was the ground. Just the ground, and nothing more. My anxieties had left me. 

Now, I was capable of walking outside on my own. 

She’d managed to do something for me that no one else ever had, not even my parents or siblings from my past life. She was the one who’d done it for me. I’d been given not irresponsible words, but a responsible sense of courage. 

That hadn’t been her aim: I knew that. She’d done it for herself, and I knew that, too. But I respected her. Young as she was, I respected her. 

I promised myself I wouldn’t look away until Roxy disappeared from view. In my hands, I clutched the wand and the pendant she’d given me. I still had all the things she’d taught me. 

Then I realized: Up in my room I still had a pair of her panties that I’d stolen a few months ago. 

Sorry about that, Roxy.