Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Emergency Family Meeting 

Zenith had learned she was pregnant. I was going to have a little brother or sister. Our family was growing. Oh, Rudy, you lucky guy! 

For a few years now, Zenith had been worried about her inability to conceive another child. I’d heard her mutter and sigh on occasion about how maybe she couldn’t bear children anymore, but about a month earlier, there was a shift in her food cravings, along with nausea, vomiting, and a general sense of fatigue—in other words, symptoms of classic morning sickness. The feelings were familiar, and a trip to the doctor confirmed that her self-diagnosis was almost certainly correct. 

The Greyrat household was abuzz at the announcement. What will we name the baby if it’s a boy? What will we name it if it’s a girl? We still have rooms, right? Oh, we can use Rudy’s old clothes and hand-me-downs. There was no end to the topics to be discussed. 

It was a day of bubbling joy and countless smiles. I was honestly very happy, hoping that I’d wind up with a little sister. A younger brother might break all of my precious things (with a baseball bat). 

The problems didn’t arise until about a month later. 

*** 

Our maid, Lilia, had discovered that she was pregnant, as well. 

“I’m so sorry,” she announced matter-of-factly to the family as we sat at the table. “I’m pregnant.” 

In that instant, the Greyrat family froze. Who was the father? But given the circumstances, nobody could bring themselves to ask. 

Everyone had realized it on some level at least. Lilia was our maid. She sent almost all of her pay back home to her family. Unlike Paul, who frequently headed into town to help settle problems, or Zenith, who helped out at the local clinic at certain times, Lilia almost never left the house unless it was on work-related duties, and nobody had heard rumors about her developing an especially close relationship with anyone. Perhaps it had been a casual fling? 

I knew the truth, though. 

Ever since Zenith had gotten pregnant, Paul had been forced to go without sex. And he’d been sneaking into Lilia’s room in the middle of the night. If I’d been an actual kid, I would have thought they were just playing cards or something. 

Unfortunately, I knew all too well what was really going on. They weren’t playing any game of Old Maid; there was playing around, and there was a maid involved, but this was no mere round of cards. 

Still, I wish they’d been more careful. Which is probably what both of them were thinking, too. 

Hello, boys and girls! The phrase of the day is “You can do it!” Today we’ll be learning all about the importance of contraception! 

Part of me wanted to say that to Paul with a completely deadpan face, but I wasn’t sure if the concept of contraception was even a thing in this world. And obviously it wasn’t like I wanted to tear the whole family apart by spilling the beans. Also, if I messed with the maid, I was pretty sure she’d never forgive me. 

At the same time, however, Zenith shot a look right over at Paul, her shocked assumption plain on her face. 

Conveniently enough, our gazes both fell upon Paul as one, bearing down on him. 

“Uh, sorry,” he blurted. “This child is, uh…probably mine.” 

Good grief. Really? Well, no; I suppose I should commend the man for being honest. I suppose that, since he constantly told me to “be honest” and “be a real man” and “be sure to protect women” and “never impugn your sense of honor” and other high-and-mighty stuff like that day in and day out, the least he could do was practice what he preached. 

Well, whatever. I couldn’t say I hated him for it. 

Anyway, this really was the worst-case scenario. That sentiment solidified as I watched Zenith draw herself up to her full height, her face livid, her hand rising into the air. 

And thus was convened an emergency family meeting, with Lilia included. 

*** 

It was Zenith who first broke the silence. She had the authority in this meeting. “So, what are we going to do?” 

From what I could see, Zenith was as calm as anything; instead of going into a fit of hysterics over how her husband had cheated on her, she’d contented herself with a single smack. A red mark like a maple leaf spread across Paul’s cheek. 

“After I’ve assisted with the lady of the house’s birth,” Lilia said, “I assume I would take my leave from your home.” She seemed rather level as well. Maybe this was a common occurrence in this world? 

Paul was all huddled up in a corner. So much for paternal dignity. 

“What about the child?” Zenith asked. 

“I was thinking I would give birth here in Fittoa, and then raise the baby back in my hometown,” Lilia replied. 

“You’re originally from the south, yes?” 

“That’s right.” 

“You’re going to be physically exhausted after the birth,” Zenith said. “You’ll be in no condition to make a long journey.” 

“Perhaps so, but I have nowhere else to turn.” 

The Fittoa Region was in the northeastern part of the Asura Kingdom. Based on my understanding, to reach what was considered “the south” in this context took close to a month and required switching between multiple stagecoaches. Still, that was a month traveling through safe lands with good weather, and riding in stagecoaches wasn’t terribly arduous. 

That, however, was for a typical traveler. Lilia had no money. She couldn’t afford to ride on stagecoaches, and would have go on foot. Even if the Greyrats paid for her travel expenses, that didn’t make it any less risky. She’d be a woman, traveling by herself, having recently given birth. If I were a bad guy and spotted her, what would I do? 

I would attack her. She was an obvious sitting duck, practically begging for someone to take a shot at her. Take the child hostage, keep the mother distracted with empty promises. Meanwhile, take all her money and possessions. I’d gathered that slavery was a thing in this world, so in the end, I’d sell off both mother and child, and that would be that. 

Even if people said that the Asura Kingdom was the safest nation in the world, that didn’t mean it was completely devoid of evildoers. I bet there was still a high likelihood of being attacked. 

And like Zenith had said, there was also the physical aspect to consider. Even if Lilia did have the stamina to make it, what about the child? Could a newborn handle a month-long journey like that? Probably not. 

Of course, if Lilia didn’t survive the journey, neither would the child. Even if she simply fell ill, if she didn’t have money to see a doctor, she was done for. I suddenly had the mental image of Lilia lying dead in the midst of a blizzard, baby cradled in her arms. I, for one, didn’t want to see her suffer that sort of fate. 

“Dear,” Paul started to say, “surely she could just sta—” 

“You keep your mouth shut!” Zenith snapped, cutting him off. He shrank like a scolded child. This was definitely one instance where he had no right to speak. Paul was useless here. 

Zenith chewed on her nails with a look of consternation. She was clearly conflicted as well. She didn’t want Lilia to suffer; on the contrary, the two were quite good friends. Considering how they’d spent the last six years running this household together, it was probably fair to say they were best friends. 

Well, except for the part about how Lilia was now carrying Paul’s child. 

If Lilia had gotten pregnant under any other circumstances, Zenith would have unquestionably sheltered her, and allowed her to—no, she would have insisted she raise the child in our home. 

Based on the conversation, I surmised that abortion wasn’t easily accessible in this world. 

Zenith appeared to be grappling with two separate emotions: her fondness for Lilia and her feelings of betrayal. Considering the circumstances, I thought Zenith was pretty incredible for being able to set aside her emotions about the latter. If I were her, I’d have given in to jealousy. 

The fact that Zenith was able to keep her cool seemed connected to Lilia’s own attitude; she hadn’t tried to talk her way out of anything, and had taken full responsibility for betraying a household she’d served for so long. 

If you asked me, though, it was Paul who ought to be taking responsibility here. It was weird to lay the blame solely on Lilia. Very, very weird. 

I couldn’t allow us to part on such weird terms. 

I decided that I was going to help Lilia. 

I was indebted to her. We didn’t do very much together, and she hardly ever talked to me, but she’d always been there, helping out. She set aside a towel for me to wipe away the sweat when I was practicing my swordsmanship; she drew me a bath when I got caught in the rain; she fetched me blankets on chilly nights; she rearranged the shelves when I put a book back in the wrong space. 

But most importantly, more than anything else— 

She knew about my treasured panties and had kept silent about it. 

Yes, Lilia knew about those. This happened back when I still thought Sylphie was a boy. It had been raining, and so I was up in my room reading and reviewing my botanical encyclopedia when Lilia came in and started to clean up. I was so engrossed in reading that I didn’t notice when her cleaning took her close to my secret hiding place on the shelf. By the time I did realize, it was too late; Lilia already had my precious panties in her hand. 

I’d been so stupid. For nearly twenty years I’d been a complete shut-in, leaving my stuff scattered around, unconcerned about anyone else stumbling across it. I even had my folder for porn right on my desktop. Maybe my skill for hiding things had gotten rusty because of that, but I hadn’t expected my stuff would be found this easily. I’d actually done a pretty decent job of hiding it, too! Was this a superpower that maids had? 

Deep inside myself, I’d felt something start to crumble, and I could hear the blood beginning to drain from my head. 

The questioning began. 

Lilia asked, “What are these?” 

I replied, “Yeah, what are those? Ahahahahahah.” 

Lilia said, “They smell.” 

I replied, “Y-yeah, I think it’s maybe like sesame oil or something like that maybe, yeah?” 

Lilia asked, “Whose are these?” 

I replied, “I’m sorry…they’re Roxy’s.” 

Lilia asked, “Shouldn’t you have them laundered?” 

I replied, “Oh, no, don’t wash them!” 

Lilia wordlessly returned my prized panties back to their sacred hiding place. Then, as I quivered in fear, she left the room. 

That evening, I braced myself for the inevitable family meeting—except it never came. I spent the long night shuddering fearfully in my futon, but even when morning came, there was nothing. She hadn’t told anyone. 

I owed it to her to repay that debt. 

“Mother?” I asked, keeping my tone as childlike as I could. “How come everyone’s acting so glum about how I’m going to have two new siblings at once?” 

I wanted to give off the naïve impression of: Hey, if Lilia’s pregnant, that means our family’s getting even bigger! Hooray! Why’s everyone so upset about that? 

“Because your father and Lilia did something they shouldn’t have,” Zenith said with a sigh, an unfathomable rage mixed in with those words. But it wasn’t directed at Lilia; Zenith knew full well who bore the brunt of the blame here. 

“Oh, I see,” I said. “But is Lilia allowed to go against Father’s wishes?” 

“What do you mean by that?” Zenith asked. 

It was time for Paul to reap what he’d sown. 

“Well, I know that Father has some leverage over her.” 

“What? Is this true?” Zenith said, looking over at Lilia in surprise. 

Lilia was as stone-faced as ever, though she did raise a curious eyebrow, as if my assertion had been on the mark. I had my opening here. “A while ago, I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and as I was passing by Lilia’s room, I heard Father say something like… ‘Spread your legs!’” 

“Huh?!” Paul blurted. “Dammit, Rudy, what the hell are—” 

“You shut up!” Zenith snapped, putting him in check. “Lilia, is this true?” 

Lilia’s gaze wandered. “Um, so, well, actually…” Was she playing along? 

“Ah, I see,” Zenith replied, seeming to come to an understanding of things. “You can’t bring yourself to say it out loud.” 

Paul’s eyes blinked over and over, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly like a goldfish’s, no words coming out. 

Perfect. Time to wrap this all up. “Mother, I don’t think Lilia is to blame.” 

“I suppose not.” 

“I think Father is to blame.” 

“I suppose so.” 

“It isn’t right that Lilia is in such a hard position because of something that was Father’s fault.” 

“Mmm. I suppose.” 

My mother’s responses were more noncommittal than I’d hoped. I just needed to push a little further. “I have fun playing with Sylphie every day, so I think it’ll be really nice that my little brother or sister will have someone the same age to be friends with!” 

“I…suppose, yes.” 

“And besides, Mother, they’d both be little brothers or sisters to me!” 

“All right, Rudy. I get it. You win.” Zenith let out a heavy sigh. 

Jeez, way to give me a hard time about it, Mom. 

“Lilia, I insist you stay with us,” Zenith pronounced. “You’re family at this point! I am not letting you do something as foolish as leave!” 

And that seemed to be the final word on the matter. Paul’s eyes went wide; Lilia brought her hand to her mouth, holding back her tears.

All right, then. That was all done and settled. 

*** 

And so, with all of the responsibility laid squarely on Paul, we got through things without further issue. By the end, Zenith was looking at him with the cold dispassion of someone who was about to slaughter a pig. My balls tensed up in anticipation of what punishment she might unleash upon him. With that look still in her eyes, though, Zenith simply returned to her room. 

Lilia was crying, her face blank and expressionless, but tears streamed from her eyes. Paul looked conflicted about whether he should put his arms around her or not. For the time being, I was going to let the playboy do his thing. 

I followed after Zenith. If this situation wound up with her and Paul getting divorced, that would create its own host of problems. 

I knocked on the bedroom door, and Zenith poked her head out. “Mother,” I said, deciding to just cut right to the chase, “the stuff I said earlier was a lie I just made up. Please don’t hate Father.” 

For a moment, Zenith was taken aback, but then she grimaced and gently patted my head. “I know, sweetie. I would never have fallen in love with a man who was that terrible,” she said. “Your father’s got a weakness for women, so I’d prepared myself for the day something like this might happen.” 

“Father has a weakness for women?” I asked, playing ignorant. 

“Yes. Not as much in more recent times, but back in the day he was pretty indiscriminate. You might have older brothers and sisters out there that we don’t know about, Rudy.” She then exerted a bit more pressure with the hand that was ruffling my hair. “Make sure you don’t grow up to be someone like that, okay, Rudy?” She rubbed—no, gripped the top of my head even more firmly. “Make sure you treat Sylphie real nice, okay, Rudy?” 

“Ah, ow! Of course, Mother! Th-that hurts!” It almost felt like she’d nailed down what I was going to go on to do in the future. 

Things would be all right if they stayed like this. Where they went from here—that was all on Paul now. 

Still, it was tough knowing that my dad was such a damn hedonist. No more second chances from me, señor. 

The day after that, sword practice was exceedingly rough. 

I was able to keep pace with him and all; I just wished he wouldn’t take it out on me like that. 

Lilia 

I’ll just come outand say it: I was the one who seduced Paul. 

I had no intention of doing such a thing when I first came to this house. But to hear them moaning night after night, to clean a room that smelled of a man and woman who were very satisfied—I had my needs, and they were building up. 

At first, I was able to deal with those needs on my own. Watching Paul practicing swordsmanship in the yard every morning, however, stoked the fire inside me that had never completely died. 

Watching him practicing swordsmanship reminded me of our first time. 

We were still so young, back when he was staying at the training hall where we practiced. Paul snuck into my room at night, and that was that. I didn’t dislike him, but I certainly didn’t love him back. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic encounter. 

The next person who made advances toward me, though, was that bald, fat minister. That certainly put into perspective how much better things with Paul had been. 

Also, when I heard that Paul was hiring a maid, I figured I could use what had happened back then as leverage in my negotiations. 

Paul was a much manlier fellow than he’d been back then; any trace of boyishness had disappeared, replaced with the look of a man who’d refined himself both physically and mentally. At the sight of him, one of the first thoughts to cross my mind was that the past six years had certainly been kind to him. 

At first, Paul didn’t try to make any moves on me. Every so often, though, he’d flirt just a little, and that worked me up all the more. I was able to resist, but I was fully aware that I was walking a very thin line. 

All of that came crashing down when Zenith got pregnant. 

Knowing that Paul had an abundance of libido, I got it in my head that this was my opportunity. I saw my chance, and I invited Paul into my room. So, this really was partly my own fault. 

But I was forgiven. Rudeus forgave me. That clever child, he managed to correctly deduce what had happened, lead the conversation precisely where it needed to go, and even brought things to an elegant compromise. He was so level and calculating about it, as if he had some similar prior experience to go on. 

It was an unsettling—no, best to quit while I was still ahead. 

Rudeus weirded me out, and so I made a point to avoid him as much as I could. The boy was smart; he probably realized I was avoiding him. Even so, he had saved me. I couldn’t imagine that felt good for him, but he chose me and my child over his own feelings. 

I would owe him for that for the rest of my life. He was someone who deserved my respect. 

Yes, he did deserve it. I would owe him a debt for as long as I lived. So, once the child in my belly was safely born, and once they were grown up, I would see that they made their way into young Master Rudeus’s service. 

Rudeus 

Several months passed without anything especially major happening. 

Sylphie was growing remarkably fast. She was now able to cast Intermediate-level spells without incantations, and she was reaching the point where she could pull off some pretty subtle effects. In comparison, my skill with the sword was relatively unchanged. I’d gotten decent, but I hadn’t managed to win a single round against Paul so far, so it was difficult to get too excited about my progress. 

Lilia’s attitude had softened as well. Previously, she’d always been on her guard around me—but since I’d been messing around with magic since I was a little kid, that was only natural. 

While nothing had really changed about her lack of overt emotion, I felt her words and her mannerisms now bore an overwhelming sense of reverence for me. I got that she was happy about my help, but I wished she’d tone it down. 

If nothing else, ever since that incident, Lilia had begun to talk to me a little—mostly old stories about Paul. Apparently, they had both studied swordsmanship at the same training hall many years back. She told me things, like how Paul had been very talented back then, but hated to practice. Or how Paul would skip training in order to gallivant around town. Or how Paul had snuck into her room in the middle of the night and taken away her virtue. Or how Paul had eventually fled the training hall. 

Bit by bit, Lilia opened up to me about all that. The more she told me about the past, the more my opinion of Paul dropped. He was a cheater and a womanizer. He was trash. 

It wasn’t like he was rotten to the core, just weak. He was childish, irresponsible, and something about that seemed to tickle women’s maternal instincts. He tried to be a good, strict father to me, but he wasn’t good at keeping up that facade; when he set his mind to it, he mostly just came across as frank and straightforward, and I knew for sure he wasn’t a bad guy through and through. 

“C’mon, look at me,” Paul said, pulling me out of my daze. We were in the middle of sword practice. “Don’t you want to grow up to be a cool guy like your dad?” 

The nerve of this guy, honestly. “Is it cool to be a guy who cheats on his wife and risks tearing his family apart?” 

“Ngh…” Paul grimaced. At the look on his face, I resolved to be a bit more careful. I was supposed to be young and oblivious. 

“Look,” I said, “if that bothers you so much to hear, could you please keep your hands off of anyone who isn’t Mother?” 

“O-other than Lilia, right?” 

This man had learned nothing. 

“Next time, Mother might move back in with her family without saying a word, you know.” 

“Guh.” 

Was this guy hoping to build himself a harem? To have some secret retirement out in the sticks, where he had a beautiful wife, a maid he could get handsy with whenever he wanted, and a son to train in the way of the sword? Huh. That was probably the best ending from his perspective. It’d be like winding up with both Louise and Siesta at the end of that one light novel series. 

But it wasn’t for me. I remembered the look in Zenith’s eyes when that family meeting of ours came to a close. Did I want someone to give me that look? One wife would be plenty, thanks. 

“I mean, you’re a guy,” Paul said. “You know how it is.” He was still refusing to back down. 

I knew what he meant, but that didn’t mean I agreed with him. “What would a six-year-old boy know?” 

“Well, take Sylphie; you’re into her, aren’t you? She’s going to be gorgeous when she grows up.” 

Well, I sure couldn’t disagree with him there. “I guess you’re right. Though I think she’s pretty cute right now.” 

“So then you do understand.” 

“I guess.” 

“Heheheh…” 

I looked to see Paul grinning and chuckling. His gaze wasn’t directed at me, but rather behind me. I turned around and saw Sylphie standing there. It was rare of her to come to our house. 

On closer inspection, she was blushing ever so slightly, her hands fidgeting. She must have overheard me. 

“Go on, repeat what you just said for her,” Paul said. 

I let out a tiny snort. I didn’t understand this guy at all. Guess Paul still had a ways to go. 

Even heartfelt words eventually lost their impact if you heard them so often you got used to them. Repeating those words now was a no-go. So I just flashed Sylphie a wordless grin and offered her a wave instead. Besides, Sylphie was only six years old; it was a decade too early for that sort of conversation. 

“Um, I mean… I… I think you’re cool, too, Rudy.” 

“Oh, yeah? Thanks, Sylphie!” I grinned wide, hoping that my white teeth might shine with a dazzling gleam (though, of course, they didn’t). 

Sylphie was excellent at being polite; I nearly mistook that look in her upturned eyes for sincerity. I’d certainly meant it when I’d said she was cute, but there were no romantic feelings behind that. 

Not right now, anyway. 

“All right, Father. We’re going to head out,” I said. 

“Don’t go rolling around in the hay out there, okay?” 

Oh, come on! As if I would! This is me we’re talking about, not you. 

“Mother!” I started to call. “Father is—” 

“Gah! No, stop!” 

And so, today our house would be a peaceful one yet again. 

*** 

Soon after that, Zenith gave birth. 

It was a rough experience, a breech birth. With Lilia gravid as she was, she called for a midwife from the village, an older woman, but even she said the situation was hopeless. That’s how bad it was. 

The birth took quite some time, with both mother and child at risk. Lilia put all of her combined knowledge to work, and I assisted by continually casting Healing spells, even though I wasn’t great at them. 

All told, our efforts worked, and the birth was a success. The baby came safely into this world, letting out its first, healthy cries. 

It was a girl. I had a little sister. I was glad it wasn’t a little brother. 

Our relief was short-lived, however, as Lilia went into labor as well. We were all already exhausted, our guards down. The words “premature birth” flittered through my mind. 

This time, however, the midwife was able to play her part. While she might not have been good with breech births, premature births were something she claimed to have experience in. Age really did bring wisdom, sometimes. 

I did as the midwife instructed, kicking Paul in the butt to snap him out of his daze and have him bring Lilia to my room. While he was taking care of that, I used magic to prepare a new bath for the soon-to-be newborn, gathered up all the clean cloths and towels we had, and went back to the midwife. 

I let her handle things from there. 

The moment the baby was born, Lilia boldly cried out Paul’s name. He was at her side, dripping with sweetness, clutching her hand. 

The baby was smaller than Zenith’s, but let out the same kind of healthy cries all the same. This one was a girl as well. Two daughters. Two little sisters. Paul chuckled sheepishly to himself even as he mused about both of his new children being girls. For the second time that day, I got to see the big, dumb grin of a new parent on his face. 

Paul was in an unenviable position, however. The women in our household had now doubled in number. Who was going to wind up on the bottom of the totem pole in that situation? Probably the guy who cheated with the maid and knocked her up. 

I was hoping to establish myself as the cool older brother; no way was Paul getting any respect. 

Zenith’s daughter was named Norn. Lilia’s daughter was named Aisha.