Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Things to Prepare Before Marriage

(Part 1) 

M ARRIAGE. A domain unexplored in my previous life. The prospect made me anxious. As important as this was to me, could I really go off and get married without resolving things with my family? They’d probably forgive me if marriage was the reason for my delay, though. Besides, I was looking forward to all that a marriage would entail. Just thinking about sinking my fangs into that sweet young girl made my mouth start watering…though I would let Sylphie set the pace, of course. 

There was just one problem. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know how marriage worked in this world. I’d never seen a wedding ceremony before. Paul didn’t have one when he married Lilia, just a celebratory party to which the whole village had been invited. The nobles probably threw similar parties when an engagement was announced, but I’d never seen an actual wedding ceremony. 

What did “marriage” even mean? What was a married man supposed to do? I’d spent sixteen years in this world, and still didn’t know something so basic. 

No, wait. It was fine that I didn’t know. I could learn. If I didn’t know the answers myself, I could just ask. 

I started by asking Zanoba—twenty-six years old and already divorced—about it during dinner in the cafeteria. 

“Marriage, huh? When I got married, I sent a gift of livestock, troops, and food to my partner’s household,” Zanoba said. It was customary in the Shirone Kingdom for the man to send celebratory gifts to the bride’s family. 

“But you’re a prince. Shouldn’t you be the one receiving gifts?” 

“Hm? Whether you’re royalty or not makes no difference. The man is obviously the one who should be sending gifts.” 

That was when Cliff stuck his nose in. “It’s the opposite in Millis. The woman is given a dowry to provide to her husband.” 

He’d been eating dinner with us pretty often of late. He didn’t have many friends, so he was probably lonely. 

“Hmm,” I said. “Isn’t the girl’s family losing out on quite a lot, then?” 

“In exchange, the man is bound to provide assistance should his wife’s family ever require it.” 

“So that’s how it works.” Both Millis and Shirone seemed to emphasize a strong connection between the families. 

“But marriage customs vary by race,” Cliff continued. 

“What about elves?” I asked. 

“I have yet to marry Lise, so I don’t know. I promised to wait until I remove her curse. She’s not like most elves, though, so I doubt she’ll be too fussy about maintaining tradition.” He had a long wait ahead of him, then. 

All this discussion, and still no mention of a ceremony. I was starting to think the concept didn’t exist in this world. “So, if I were to get married to someone, what would I need?” 

“Let’s see… First off, a house, right?” Cliff suggested. 

“Indeed.” Zanoba nodded in agreement. 

“What? A house, right off the bat?” I asked, a bit incredulous. 

“Duh. Why are you getting married if you don’t even have a house?” 

A glance at Zanoba, who nodded along to Cliff’s words, told me he felt the same. Come to think of it, Paul had moved to Buena Village when he got married. Until that point, he’d been an adventurer living in an inn, and had to enlist Philip’s help to obtain a house and steady work. 

“Besides, girls can’t go into the boys’ dorm. Normally, couples marry and leave the dorms, or hold off until graduation to get married.” 

Now that he mentioned it, it was true that I hadn’t heard of any married couples living in the dormitories. There wasn’t a special dormitory for married couples either. 

“It’s a different story if your partner is a girl of high standing with her own place, otherwise it’s dependent on the man to provide housing,” Cliff added. Sounded a bit unfair, but that might just be what was considered the norm in this world. In that case, it was only logical for me to be the provider. In fact, my partner might be disappointed if I wasn’t. 

“Got it. So, a house first.” 

Cliff got a suspicious look on his face when I said that. “Hold up. Rudeus, are you getting married?” 

“Well, yeah.” 

“To whom?” Was it okay for me to say Sylphie’s name here? Naturally her identity would eventually be discovered, but I decided to keep it hidden for the moment. “To the person who cured my illness.” 

“…Ah, I see. And their name?” 

“Um, I have to keep that a secret for the moment.” 

“Okay. Well, if they happen to be a follower of Millis, let me know. I’m acquainted with the city’s bishop, so we could have a ceremony, as long as you’re okay with it being informal.” 

So the Millis faith did have something like a wedding ceremony, then! I wasn’t a follower of Millis, though, and I was sure Sylphie wasn’t, either. 

“Master, if you lack the funds, shall I assist?” Zanoba offered. 

“No, no. I’d feel super lame about relying on you for that.” Though I put on a brave face by saying that, I had no idea what the housing market was like around here. I hoped my savings would be enough. “At any rate, I’ll go have a look at houses in the city tomorrow. If it looks like I can’t do it myself, I may ask for your help.” 

“Of course. I can afford to buy even the biggest house in this city, so you have no need to worry,” said Zanoba with a smile. 

Royals, even ones from small countries, were on a completely different level from us normies. 

*** 

The following day, I went to the real estate agency. The liege lord of a region was generally the one who offered home loans to residents, but there was no clear regional lord in Sharia. Instead, the Three Magic Nations and the Magicians’ Guild jointly administered the territory through the establishment of a real estate agency that would resolve any problems that arose. As for what those “problems” might be, I had no idea. 

I referred to it as a real estate agency as a matter of convenience, but its official name was the Land Management Office. They dealt with the buying and selling of vacant houses, as well as granting permits for people to build on empty land. When I told the receptionist there that I wanted a house, I was handed a list. Information about available houses was catalogued on each page: addresses, plot sizes, house sizes, the number of rooms, and the cost. There was quite the variety—from small, single-room affairs to veritable mansions. 

“Hmm…” 

To be honest, I had no idea how big a house I should buy. Something with a garden and room for a big dog might be best…or maybe a townhouse apartment? I didn’t mind living somewhere small, but Sylphie was the Princess’ bodyguard, and her good friend on top of that. That meant the Princess would come see her on occasion, and we couldn’t be living in a shabby apartment if royalty came visiting. That said, my current savings wouldn’t cover the cost of a posh residence of the kind designed for nobility. Maybe I should accept Zanoba’s help? No, I’d feel awkward using him as my wallet. I could buy a decent house with what I had, after all. 

Maybe I should’ve brought Sylphie with me. Shouldn’t large purchases like this be discussed with one’s partner? But in this world, it was apparently the man who bought the house and welcomed the woman into it. Sylphie might think me pathetic if I couldn’t do this on my own. I had to show her I was dependable, at least. 

“So a cheap, large house with lots of rooms.” I searched the list for a match. “Hm?” 

A listing at the very bottom of the stack caught my eye. A worn-out, discolored page advertised what looked like a manor of some kind. It was located in a corner of the Residential District, which meant it wasn’t too far from the university. For the price it was going, I could buy it and still have some money left over. The only downside was its age. 

“What about this one? Why’s it so cheap?” 

The employee I asked gave me a troubled smile. “To be honest, that manor is cursed.” 

“Cursed, you say?” 

“It’s said you can hear a creaking sound in the middle of the night, but if you search for the source, you’ll find nothing. The previous owner passed it off as the house just rattling because of the wind…and then the next day, they were brutally murdered.” 

Seriously? Then again, tales about cursed manors haunted by evil spirits were a dime a dozen. “You didn’t perform an exorcism?” 

“We did put in a request with the Adventurers’ Guild, but…the first people to take it up were brutally murdered, too. No one’s wanted to take the quest ever since.” 

He went on to mention that the request they’d submitted was E-ranked. They’d wanted to raise its rank, but hadn’t been granted the necessary funds. Add in the existence of some discord between them and the Adventurers’ Guild, and it seemed there were a lot of complicated factors at play. 

“What about the Magicians’ Guild?” 

“They said real estate isn’t their jurisdiction, so we should figure it out ourselves.” 

“What if I were able to successfully cleanse the place? Would you give it to me free of charge?” 

The employee gave me a look as if to ask, What the hell are you smoking? 

“Sorry,” I said. “How about a provisional contract, then? I’ll check out the place myself in the next couple of days. If I decide I like it, then we’ll make the sale official. Will that work?” 

“Please write your name here, then.” 

I’d failed in my attempt to haggle, but pressed on anyway, signing my name where I was told. There was a place where you could list a guarantor, and I went ahead and put down Princess Ariel’s and Badigadi’s names. Then I submitted it. 

After taking a look, the employee went pale and retreated to the back. Almost immediately someone who looked like the manager appeared, rubbing their hands. I must be pretty famous to get this kind of treatment just from listing my name. Wait, maybe this was actually the effect of using Princess Ariel’s and Badigadi’s names? Or maybe a combination of all three? 

After a bit of discussion, I successfully reduced the asking price by half. Apparently, I’d turned into a fussy VIP customer despite having no intention of being anything of the sort. 

*** 

A few days later, I arrived at the manor in question. It had been built over a century ago, but the building itself looked solid. Mana was infused in all kinds of things in this world, so perhaps there was some in the structure that protected it from decay? 

The manor’s frame was constructed of mud and stone, with wooden flooring. Moss and ivy grew along the walls, but aside from that it was beautiful. I’d imagined something more dilapidated. 

“Shall we go in, Mister Zanoba? Mister Cliff?” 

I might be an A-ranked adventurer, but I wasn’t cocksure enough to waltz alone into an unfamiliar and possibly haunted place. I’d asked Zanoba to accompany me and act as my trusty shield. If a knife-wielding, red-haired doll popped out of nowhere to attack us, he’d put a quick stop to it. Cliff had gotten this look in his eyes like he wanted to come along, so I invited him to join us, too. He was a genius in Advanced-tier divine magic, so if we really were up against evil spirit-type monsters, he would definitely come in handy. 

“A respectable house. It seems a bit small, but I suppose this size is appropriate,” Zanoba commented. 

Cliff disagreed. “Don’t you think this is way too big for just two people? You know you can buy something small to begin with, and save up to move when it becomes too cramped for you?” 

If I split the difference, that meant this place was the perfect size. “Thanks to its special circumstances, this place wasn’t that expensive. Now, let’s go in.” 

“If you’re okay with this place, Master, then I have nothing more to say about it,” Zanoba said as he bravely led the way forward. He was holding a club, a weapon I’d prepared for him. I figured we didn’t want to go in unarmed, but as Zanoba himself admitted, his superhuman strength meant he’d break any weapon placed in his hands. So, I I used my magic to make him a club. If he broke it, at least it had been free. 

Cliff was in the center. He had an expensive-looking staff held tightly in his hands as he whipped his head back and forth, surveying the area. He was probably trying to be vigilant, but to me it just looked like he was terrified. 

Finally, I took up the rear, providing offensive abilities from the back. In this party, the most important thing was to protect Cliff, as he was our healer and could provide some firepower as well. As the most experienced member of our team, it was safest to have me watching our backs. 

We walked down the cracked stone pathway and arrived at the entrance. The wooden doors were cracked and the hinge on one side was broken. That would need repairing. 

“I don’t think we’re in danger of stepping into any traps, but still, exercise extreme caution,” I urged, activating my Eye of Foresight. 

“Yes, Master.” 

Zanoba put his hand on the knob, then ripped it right off the frame. Without hesitation. 

“Okay, don’t just start breaking things,” I chided. 

“My apologies. The door was bent and wouldn’t open. I am sure you would need to repair it anyway.” 

“Well, give me a heads-up next time, okay?” 

“Yes, Master,” Zanoba replied. At least he had his good manners going for him. 

We finally entered the house. The first room was the lobby. Before us, a staircase led to the next floor, with doors to the left and right. Hallways led deeper into the house on either side of the staircase. There wasn’t much dust, so the real estate agency must have been periodically cleaning the place. It might look like a haunted house from the outside, but now that we were inside, I could see it had excellent natural lighting. This was a nice place. 

“Master, how shall we go about this?” 

“We’ll start with the right side of the first floor. We’ll look through each and every room. I don’t think there are any traps, but it’s possible that either the floor or ceiling are rotted, so watch your head and feet.” 

“Understood.” Zanoba nodded. 

Cliff looked back over his shoulder at me. “Y-you sure are going all out.” 

“Well, I am an A-ranked adventurer,” I said. 

“Y-yeah, that’s right, isn’t it?” Cliff seemed to be nervous about something. Come to think of it, he’d gone off on an enjoyable adventure with Elinalise the other day, hadn’t he? I wondered how it went. 

“Oh yes, so how was that adventure you went on the other day?” 

“…They completely ripped into me.” 

“Well, they are S-ranked after all.” 

The members of Stepped Leader probably hadn’t been that harsh on him. After all, they’d known they were dealing with a rookie. How the person receiving that criticism decided to interpret it was a different matter. Cliff was a self-proclaimed genius. He’d probably never had anyone point out his flaws before. 

“What should I be doing?” 

“If we run into an enemy, use basic-level divine magic to attack them.” 

“G-got it. But what if they’re not a spirit?” he asked. 

“In that case, just stay back. Either Zanoba or I will handle it.” Cliff looked a bit indignant the moment I said that, so I knew I’d better follow up with something. “Your magic is so strong that you might damage the house.” 

He seemed satisfied with that explanation, thankfully. It was best to have a beginner like him focus on one thing at a time. 

“Zanoba, there’s a possibility—however slim—that there’s a monster lurking here that can use magic. Keep your guard up.” 

“Just leave everything to me.” To my surprise, Zanoba was completely unafraid. He had a warrior’s spirit, which was heartening. 

The door on the right led to a spacious room with a floor area over twenty tatami mats wide. There was lots of sunlight, and a large fireplace. It could either be a dining or living room. 

The fireplace was what grabbed my attention. “Master Cliff, is this fireplace a magical implement?” 

“N-not sure. I’ll take a look.” Cliff tried to peek inside. 

“Wait. There might be something in there.” I stopped him, examining the fireplace myself. Something was off, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. “Hm.” 

The frigid winters here made a fireplace essential. If this one was magical, it could heat the entire house. If it wasn’t, I’d consider remodeling it. Although I had a hard time giving up on the idea of Sylphie and I holding each other’s naked bodies for heat… 

“I’ll blow some air through it. If there is a monster inside, it might come flying out at us, so stay alert.” Having put the two of them on their guard, I conjured magic into the fireplace’s chimney, scouring it with a strong gust of wind. 

Nothing happened. I strained my ears, but I could sense no movement. Some soot fell down, but that was it. I could send some fire up the chimney too, but if it was damaged in any way, the house might catch fire. For the moment, I stuck my head in and looked up the chimney. I could see the sky, albeit distantly. 

Just to be safe, I used fire to illuminate my immediate vicinity. I didn’t sense anything lurking within. It was probably safe. 

“I leave it to you then, Master Cliff.” 

“Got it.” He searched the inside of the fireplace and immediately came upon a magic circle. No surprise, given that he’d been busily researching magical implements and curses recently. 

“Does it look usable?” I asked. 

“I can’t say for sure until you light a fire in it, but it seems intact,” Cliff assessed. 

Good. “All right. Thank you.” 

I nodded, and we were off to the next room, the innermost one to the right of the entrance. It had stone floors and something like a kiln, so this was most likely the kitchen. There was a torn piece of cloth lying on the floor next to said kiln. When I picked it up, I discovered it was a ragged apron. Maybe Sylphie would cook for me in here, naked except for an apron covering her. That gave me something to be excited about. 

No, forget that, I told myself. We were here to weed out the evil spirit—or whatever it was that haunted this place. This was no time for me to be pitching a tent in my pants. 

I searched the kiln and every other place where a living thing might be hiding. “Okay, nothing amiss here. Next.” 

We discovered a door leading to the basement behind the staircase, but we decided to save that for later. We moved counterclockwise through each room on the first floor and found no abnormalities. There were some places where dust had built up, but the house was in such good condition that you wouldn’t think it’d been built over a century ago. Perhaps the previous owner had made some repairs to it or something. 

“So this is the last one, huh?” 

We were done investigating the entire first floor. From the layout, I knew both sides of this manor mirrored each other identically, save for the fact that the room corresponding to the kitchen in the left wing didn’t have a kiln. Maybe it was used for some purpose other than cooking, such as laundry. At any rate, we called it a kitchen for now. 

Two kitchens, two large rooms, four small rooms, two toilets. It was almost as if two houses had been connected into one building. The only staircase was in the lobby. 

“Which seems the more likely host for evil spirits? The basement or the second floor?” 

“The basement, I would think,” said Zanoba. 

“I’d bet on the basement,” said Cliff. 

Since we were in agreement, I decided to head to the basement first. The door, located behind the stairs leading to the second floor, led to another flight of stairs heading downward. I lit the lamps we had and passed them to Zanoba and Cliff. 

“I’ll keep a lookout from the middle with my demon eye. Do not drop your lamp, even if you think we’re in danger. I can’t provide backup in the dark.” 

“Ha ha ha, I’m a Blessed Child! There’s nothing to fear,” Zanoba declared as we headed down the stairs. What a guaranteed death flag. 

Be more cautious, I inwardly chided him. You never know if an arrow will come flying out when you open a door or not. Although, knowing Zanoba, it’d probably ricochet right off his body with a noisy clink . 

We reached a door that led further into the basement. 

“Hm. Nothing here.” 

There were several empty wooden shelves, but it otherwise looked like an unused storage area. I shone my light around a bit, but I didn’t sense anything skulking about. There was kind of a stain on the wall, but it wasn’t human-shaped at all. The edges of the wallboard had rotted a bit, but that was it. I’d have to replace them later. 

No monsters. It was a bit anti-climactic. 

“Okay, the second floor it is then.” 

We left the basement and returned to the entrance. From there, we headed up the flight of stairs to the second floor. The wood beneath our feet didn’t even so much as creak. 

The second floor was also completely symmetrical. At either end of the two wings was a room connected to an inner bedroom. Apart from that, there were also a number of extra bedrooms, each about six tatami mats in size. That made six room in totals: four of those smaller rooms, and two medium-sized rooms which were about twelve tatami mats in size. The latter two were connected to the inner bedrooms. Finally, there was also a balcony. 

“Hmm…” 

Let’s put a big bed in this bedroom, I decided. One with more than enough room for three people to lie in. Two normal beds pushed together might be good, too. No, wait—if the bed were small, we’d have to huddle close to sleep, which wouldn’t be a bad thing. Then, when I awoke, I’d have her warmth right beside me. And her small breasts would be constantly within groping distance. Nope, not bad at all. 

At any rate, the bed was important. We’d be using it every day, after all—and no, I didn’t mean just for sex. People had to sleep, you know. 

“Master Cliff.” 

“Wh-what? Did you find something?” 

“Do you think a larger bed would be best for a married couple?” 

“Huh?” Cliff went quiet for a few seconds as he thought about it. Then he sucked in a breath. Finally, he sighed. “Oh, you. Yes, that’s an important aspect of a relationship. But you’re not doing your partner justice if that’s the only thing you’re focusing on.” 

“Oh. Well, yes, I suppose you’re right.” 

For some reason, his words were compelling—probably because he was speaking from experience. I could very easily imagine Elinalise lunging at him, eyes full of lust, the moment the two of them were alone together. 

I’d take what he said to heart, then. Guess I’ll go with a bigger bed. 

“Phew, nothing here, huh?” I said, heaving a breath after we surveyed the final room. 

“I assume we’ll be staying the night here, then. Just as we planned,” Zanoba said. 

“Yes. I’m counting on you.” 

I’d wanted to search the house ahead of time just to be sure, but hadn’t really expected anything to come of it. According to the stories, the spirit only showed itself at night, accompanied by a creaking noise. Creepy. Probably just a monster that was squatting here, though what kind, I didn’t know. I didn’t think it could be too powerful, considering we were in the middle of a city. Then again, low-ranking adventurers sent to clear out the house had been brutally murdered. We couldn’t let our guard down. 

Perhaps the truth was actually simple: bandits using the house as a hideout, for instance. The creaking sound could be caused by them picking the lock to the front door. No—the front door was broken. Then maybe the back door? But there were no signs of anyone living here at all. 

Yeah, I was stumped. Maybe I should have brought Elinalise and the others along, too. She’d seen a lot in her long life; she might’ve been able to help us. Though, now that my little man was back in action, I wasn’t confident being around her wouldn’t turn me on. I could just imagine it—I’d be keeping watch in the middle of the night, and a shadow would come creeping up to me, whispering temptations into my ear. But Cliff is sleeping right beside us, I’d say. And she’d respond, So what? 

“Stay alert,” I declared as we stood in the second-floor bedroom area. “The spirit might not show itself right away, so we’ll be spending the night.” 

“Hm. I’m worried about Julie.” 

“I’m worried about Elinalise.” 

Julie was a clever kid. She knew her status as a slave, and she wasn’t going to rashly provoke anyone—not when she was living in a section of the dorm primarily occupied by nobles. Zanoba had no reason to worry about her. Elinalise, on the other hand, was both popular and capricious. She might well use Cliff’s absence to have an affair. 

My thoughts went to Sylphie, who was probably serving as the Princess’ bodyguard again, just as she always did. There was nothing to worry about. Wait, I did tell her that I was going out today, but I hadn’t mentioned I’d be staying the night. What if she came to my room to talk to me before bed, and I wasn’t there? She might hover in that cold hall, waiting for me, mumbling to herself, “Rudy sure is late.” 

“The sun’s about to set,” Zanoba interjected. 

I could see the evening sun reflecting off the bedroom window. If I left now, it would be nightfall by the time I made it back to campus. Sylphie would probably already be back at the girls’ dorm. Even if I didn’t say anything to her directly, I should at least leave a note on my door, saying that I wouldn’t be there tonight. Right? 

All right, let’s do it. Let’s go right now. 

No, wait. What if these two got themselves killed while I was gone? That wouldn’t do. I was, after all, the leader of this party. 

Just calm down, I told myself. It wasn’t a big deal. As long as I explained everything afterward, Sylphie would understand. Although…wait. I’d heard something about this a long time ago. That all the instances in a relationship where you found yourself saying, “Just this once” tended to accumulate, ultimately leading to a rift between you and your partner. Crap. Now I had a bad feeling about this. 

The solution was obvious: intentionally raise my own death flag. “Zanoba.” 

“Yes? What is it?” 

“I’m getting married once we finish this mission.” 

“Indeed. Let’s finish it quickly so we can have a grand celebration here,” Zanoba said, his head slightly cocked as he nodded. 

Wait. Now that I’d actually said it, my uneasy feeling had gotten even worse. If I said something like, “A celebration, yes! That’s exactly what we need!” in reply, I had a feeling I wouldn’t survive long enough to get married. Maybe I should put something hard in my chest pocket for now. Except I didn’t have a chest pocket. If a bullet from a .357 Magnum suddenly came flying at me, I’d have no way to stop it. 

Cliff inserted himself into the conversation again. “Make sure you invite me and Lise.” 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t you be invited?” 

“Just making sure. It’s one thing if I’m left out, but I’d be sad to see it happen to her.” 

Cliff really couldn’t read the room…which was probably why he was always left out of those kinds of gatherings. I’d be sure to invite him, though, and Elinalise too, of course. Anyway, I was tired of this sausage fest. I wanted to hurry up, finish this, and go home to Sylphie and her breasts— No, focus . I could touch her as much as I wanted to later. 

Day turned to night as I busied myself with those thoughts. 

Meanwhile, back at the girls’ dorm, Sylphie had already caught wind of the fact that Rudeus had gone house-shopping. She was currently in her bed, arms snug around her pillow, rolling around as she fantasized the possibilities.