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Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 5




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Chapter 5:

Wedding Reception Preparations 

A WEEK HAD PASSED since the renovations were completed. Ariel had given Sylphie seven days off as a gesture of consideration, and I took full advantage of that time to have Sylphie pamper me, and I her in return. We spent romantic nights together, sweet as honey. 

…I wish. That wasn’t how it went at all. 

Now that I was the king of my own kingdom, there were things I needed to do. In this world, it was apparently the norm for newly married couples who’d just bought their own place to invite close friends over for a meal. It wasn’t just a housewarming thing, but something you did specifically if you were getting married and buying a new house. In other words, a wedding reception. 

Sylphie and I sat on one of the living room couches with our foreheads pressed close. Below us was the subject of our gazes: the list of people to whom we would be sending party invitations. There was also a chart to determine seating. 

“We really do have a diverse group of friends…” 

I would be inviting Elinalise, Zanoba, Julie, Cliff, Linia, Pursena, and Badigadi. Then I had to decide whether or not I would invite Jenius and Soldat. Sylphie would be inviting Ariel, Luke and two others. All together, there would be eleven people, give or take a few. I’d like to have Paul and my family there, but I couldn’t invite people who were a million miles away. I’d put a letter in the mail informing them of my marriage, but who knew how long it would take it to reach them? 

“We’ve got royalty, beastmen, a demon, a slave, an adventurer, and some of them can’t keep their mouths shut. I foresee trouble.” 

Linia and Pursena still bore Ariel a grudge, and I could very easily imagine sparks flying when they met face to face. If this were a marriage ceremony in my previous world, we could just seat them at opposite ends of the venue to keep them from meeting, but even the biggest rooms in this house were no ballrooms. 

“You think so? Princess Ariel wouldn’t cause a stir in a situation like this,” Sylphie said. 

“Still, I wouldn’t want her to go home in a sour mood because of something that happened at a party at our house. Perhaps it would be better if we split the party into two, separating the troublemakers.” 

“Hmm. But Princess Ariel really wants to meet the others, considering some of your friends will hold important positions in the future.” 

I pictured Ariel getting fired up and putting on her makeup, saying, “This is my chance! There’s a lot of sexy men at wedding receptions that you don’t normally get to see!” 

No, I knew that wasn’t what she was after. She wanted to make connections with the other special students. Ariel was calculating, after all. 

“All right, then let’s invite her with the understanding that she’s responsible for managing herself. Which just leaves the problem of seat order.” 

I didn’t think we could just let them sit wherever they wanted. It would be difficult to seat them in order of importance, though. What order could we choose that wouldn’t offend anyone? Badigadi was a reigning Demon King, so he had the most authority, but after that was Ariel, Zanoba, Linia and Pursena. A veritable crowd of royalty, or the equivalent thereof. Also, Cliff seemed the type who would complain if we put him at the end of the table. No, wait—despite his personality, he had been taught courtly etiquette. Surprisingly, he might be just fine with it. Plus, as long as we seated Elinalise with him, she would cover for us. 

Julie had the lowest status of them all, as a slave, so she’d be seated last. I didn’t want to separate her from Zanoba, though. She was still a child and not yet completely fluent in the language. Plus, she was my pupil as well. There had to be something I could do. 

“What sort of status do the Princess’ attendants have?” 

“Um, they’re mid-ranked nobility.” 

Based on what Sylphie had told me, I assumed they were both women. Figuring out where to seat them was proving difficult. The same could be said for Luke. It was probably best not to put him too far from the Princess. I didn’t think it was likely, since the guests were just my friends, but it would be bad if Ariel somehow wound up assassinated. 

“Hm? Haven’t we forgotten someone?” Sylphie asked as she studied the list. 

I looked over. Had we forgotten someone? Who could it be? I didn’t feel like we had. Unless she meant Miss Goliade? 

“Oh, that’s right! Miss Nanahoshi! We need to invite her too!” 

I checked the names and sure enough, Silent Sevenstar wasn’t among those listed. I’d genuinely forgotten about her. However… 

“I wonder if she’ll even come,” I said. 

“I’m sure she will.” 

“I guess we can invite her, at least.” I hadn’t intended to exclude her, but it did seem like she’d completely shut this world out. “After we’ve done all this preparation, what are we going to do if no one shows up?” 

The Christmas episode from a certain anime came to mind. A character had gone all out and made a cake for the occasion, but then lost it after no one showed up. It was a heartrending episode. 

“I can promise you that Princess Ariel and Zanoba will be there, at least. Princess Ariel would like to get to know you better, and Zanoba knows it would absolutely destroy your trust if he doesn’t come.” In a single breath, Sylphie managed to allay my anxiety. Of course Ariel would come with her three followers, and my two pupils, Zanoba and Julie, would also be there. Those six would definitely attend. Even if we didn’t invite Zanoba, he would probably prostrate himself in front of our gate on the day, begging us to let him take part. “I guess you do worry about these kinds of things after all, huh?” 

I-It’s not like they particularly bother me. I’m not the type who sweats small stuff like that. I’m a laid-back guy! 

“I’m sure Linia and Pursena will come too. Beastfolk aren’t the type to refuse an invitation from someone of superior status,” Sylphie remarked. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, and if they don’t come, we’ll just have to put them in their place again.” 

Sylphie said that was the way things were done in beastfolk custom. Now that I thought about it, Gyes might have prostrated himself in front of me because he thought Ruijerd might go berserk otherwise. He didn’t even complain when Eris kicked him, either. 

“I guess Cliff will definitely attend too, since he specifically asked for an invitation,” I said. 

“Personally, I’d like for Elinalise to come,” Sylphie murmured. 

Elinalise? I wondered why. I’d never really seen the two of them talk before. 

“There’s a little something I’d like to ask her,” Sylphie explained. “It’s not really a big deal or anything, though.” 

I wondered what it was. Maybe she wanted to ask if Elinalise and I had slept together? Well, there was nothing between the two of us, so it didn’t bother me if she wanted details. 

At any rate, we now had a plan going. With over ten guests attending, we’d need to serve up quite the meal, so we decided to go shopping. Together, we walked side-by-side toward the Commerce District. 

“Before we get groceries, I’d like to buy some new clothes for you, Rudy,” Sylphie proposed. 

I looked at what I was wearing. I was in my usual gray robe. There was no need for heavy coats to keep warm during the day. 

“Um, I do like how you look in your robe, but there are people who pay attention to those kinds of things, and if they saw you in something that tattered…um, well, you know? Or are you just really attached to that robe?” 

I didn’t really put much thought into my wardrobe. When I was an adventurer, I’d seen people who looked far more unkempt. It was true that it would call Sylphie’s character into question if I looked disheveled, though. I couldn’t shame her that way. 

“I guess so. It was the first robe I bought in the Demon Continent, so I’m attached to it, but it is tacky-looking.” 

The only other thing I had was a fur vest. It didn’t really fit the look of a magician, so I hadn’t worn it in a while. Plus, it was a bit too shabby to wear when I was with Sylphie. I’d just look like a bandit. 

“Then let’s go to a clothing store. Pick whatever outfit you like,” I said. 

“Thanks. Just leave it to me.” 

We headed for a ritzy shop, not a place I’d ever set foot in of my own accord. Sylphie had put on her sunglasses and returned to her Fitz persona. 

“Ah, Lord Fitz, good to see you. Thank you for your continued patronage.” The owner bowed deeply at Sylphie. It seemed she was a regular—in other words, it was Princess Ariel patronizing the place while disguised as Fitz. A place that catered to Asuran royalty. Could we afford it? This was anxiety-inducing. 

“Could you show me some robes for magicians?” 

“Certainly. This way, please.” 

Apparently, even fancy stores like this still had robes for magicians. I guess that made sense; magicians were everywhere, especially in Sharia. This was a city where even the children of nobility became magicians. 

We were guided to a section with dozens of resplendent garments made of expensive-looking materials. It seemed magician’s robes came in essentially the same shape and style regardless of the retailer, though these did have some delicate embroidery. 

“Excuse me, may I ask what elements you favor?” the owner asked. 

“Oh, yes. I guess those would be water and earth.” 

“In that case, how about this one here? It’s made from the hide of a rainforest lizard from the Great Forest and is quite water-resistant. The designer is Foglen. They design for Ranoa’s royal court magicians.” 

Hmm. If memory served me right, the rainforest lizard didn’t have particularly high resistance to water. We had fought them along our travels, but they’d frozen easily when I used my water magic on them. 

“If you prefer earth, this might suit you as well. Made from the hide of a great earthworm from the Begaritt Continent, it can weather even a sandstorm. The designer is the promising newcomer, Flone. They’re known for their highly creative use of colors. Plus, it’ll make it difficult for monsters to spot you.” He held up a desert camouflage-patterned robe as he spoke. I wondered if naming the designer was an essential aspect of these fancy stores. 

I didn’t dislike the camouflage, but something about it wasn’t quite right. If I was going to go with this kind of design, I’d prefer winter camouflage instead. 

“Syl—I mean, Master Fitz, which do you prefer?” 

“Let’s see…how about this one? It’s quite like the one you’re wearing right now,” she said, pulling out a robe that was an even darker shade of gray than the one I was wearing, almost black. What did they call this color again? Charcoal gray? It was more complicated than my current one, too. There were pockets and black buttons to fasten back the sleeves, and a cord that could be used in place of a belt. 

“That one is made from the hide of a lucky rat from the Demon Continent. The designer is Kazra. Known for their subdued designs, which tend to be popular with the slightly older crowd.” 

“A lucky mouse?” 

“No, no, a lucky rat, sir. A superior species to the mucky rat, and the equivalent of a D-class monster. Their coats are splendid, with a strong resistance to poison and acid.” 

Incidentally, I’d seen the latter creature while traveling the Demon Continent. The mucky rat was twenty inches tall, and the lucky rat was even bigger. I’d been horrified the first time I saw them. A horde of those enormous vermin had infested a warehouse, with a single lucky rat among them. I think I stood in the background, flabbergasted, while Ruijerd and Eris made short work of them. 

That aside, I did like the robe itself. My wife had good taste. What concerned me was the price tag—and now that I took a look at it, yes, it was expensive. You could buy a house on the Demon Continent with how much this cost. 

“Well, they do say that names represent nature,” I said. “If ‘lucky’ is in the name, maybe it’ll bring me good luck. I guess we’ll go with this.” 

“Names represent nature? Pardon my manners, but might I ask for your name?” 

“Oh, yes. My name is Rudeus Greyrat.” 

“Oh my, you’re a member of the Greyrat family? Forgive my rudeness. Master Luke is a treasured patron of our establishment, so I’ll give you a discount on your purchase this time.” 

Was this what I thought it was? A way to curry favor with Luke? No, that wasn’t it. Maybe he was just trying to encourage us to come here again for our next purchase. Whatever the case, I was glad of the discount. 

“Does Luke come here often?” Sylphie asked. 

“Surely you’re aware of that, Lord Fitz?” 

“Oh, yes. Um, I mean aside from when he comes with me.” 

“Yes, he’s always coming here with different women.” 

While Sylphie continued chatting with the owner, I was pulled aside by one of the shop’s staff to have my measurements taken. The robe we looked at had just been for display; they would tailor one to my size. The female staff member used a measuring tape to take my vital statistics, and I wondered if they sold those at a magical item shop. I wanted to try some role-play with Sylphie that involved measuring hers. 

“We have the materials on hand, so this will be finished within three days. If you’ll tell us your address, we can have it delivered.” 

Feeling happy and a bit embarrassed, we shared the address of our new home. 

After that, we went grocery shopping. First, we purchased spices. Then the non-perishables. Thanks to the distribution routes that Nanahoshi had developed, we were easily able to get our hands on cooking oil as well. We also snagged some some frozen fish and vegetables that would keep a while, then ordered some meat that we’d pick up at a later date. 

“Can you cook, Sylphie?” 

“Yeah. I learned from my mom and Miss Lilia. Oh, but I’m not sure if my cooking will suit your tastes.” 

“I’ll be sure to tell you it’s delicious, even if it’s half-burnt charcoal.” 

“Half-burnt charcoal? Come on, who do you think I worked so hard to learn to cook for?” 

A good fashion sense, and good at cooking. Come to think of it, she said she could do laundry and cleaning too. Contrary to her appearance, my wife was quite the capable woman. 

“Miss Sylphiette, you’re such an ideal wife that I can’t help feeling nervous that I’m not worthy of you,” I said. 

“You know you’re my ideal husband, too.” 

“W-well, if you there’s some part of me that isn’t so ideal, I’m all ears. I’ll work hard to match your expectations.” 

“In that case, be more assertive. You’re a bit too submissive sometimes.” 

More assertive? And what would happen to me if I did that. and my actions somehow soured the mood of some god passing by? There were people in this world that beat you to death for the crime of looking at them funny. 

Then again, would I want to be married to a man with no confidence who did nothing but sit hunched over in the living room, reading the paper? Nope. 

All right, then. I’ll act with more confidence from now, I guess. Starting today, I’ll be a smug asshole! 

“Hmph. Sylphie. Make sure to show how much you love me. Don’t slack off.” 

“Um, that’s not quite what I meant, but sure. I’ll do my best,” Sylphie said as she clenched her hand into a fist. 

Aww, my Sylphie is sooo cute! I just wanna smoochie-woochie with her! 

But I restrained myself. Sylphie wasn’t a fan of PDA on crowded streets. If I tried to touch her here, she’d definitely scold me. But she wouldn’t mind if I put my arm around her shoulder, right? No, maybe I should try holding her hand first? Of course, despite my internal debate, both my hands were currently occupied with shopping bags. Grrr. 

“We need to buy some large plates as well. Oh, guess you can just make them.” 

“As long as you’re okay with plates made out of stone,” I said. 

“The ones you make don’t look like they’re made out of stone, so it’s fine.” 

So it was a question of appearance, huh? Well, if she really wanted something pleasing to the eye, then I’d make one and polish it so spectacularly that she could see her reflection in it. The baked type of pottery that Japan was known for didn’t seem so popular here. Apparently, they preferred something more posh than the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic. Maybe I should really go all out and create something like porcelain? Though it would still be gray or brown, whatever I did. 

“Is there anything else we need?” I asked. 

“Um, some tea to serve our guests.” 

Black tea and teacups, huh? Okay, no problem. Maybe we should buy a rug while we were at it. Might be a good idea to prepare a guest room as well, just in case. 

“Shall we go ahead and buy a couple of things like a bed and a closet for guests?” 

“Ah, good idea.” 

Our house was so large that furnishing it was slowly but surely draining my funds. I was glad I hadn’t wasted any money on purchasing magical implements and the like. I still had some cash left, thanks to the discount I’d gotten on the house, but it was being depleted with each purchase. Maybe I should earn a little extra by hunting down some monsters? No, I couldn’t do that. How stupid would it be if I went and got killed on an elimination quest for that trivial a reason? 

Suddenly, I could kind of understand why Paul had returned to his position as a knight in order to get a steady paycheck. 

“Um, Rudy, don’t worry. I have money coming in from my work with Princess Ariel.” 

“Ugh, sorry.” 

I supposed that if the need ever arose, I could join Soldat’s party or someone else’s. Wait, no. Adventurers left their houses for days at a time for relatively little pay in return. Maybe I should start looking for a steady job myself. 

Marriage sure was complicated. 

*** 

That night, I invited Sylphie to join me in the bath, supposedly to teach her how to use it. My real motivation was to spend some quality time together in the bath. If this were a book, it might be narrated thusly: A pervert was poised to sink his fangs into an adorable young girl. 

I’m going to do it tonight. I’m going to do it! Just you watch, Father! 

Wait, “Father” would be Paul, right? Then I’d rather he not watch. 

“Now then,” I explained. “The etiquette for bathing in our house is a little different from that of the Asuran royal family.” 

First, we moved to the washing area, which doubled as a changing area. There, I told her, she was meant to take her clothes off and put them into one of the baskets. This time, I removed them myself, then folded them and tossed them into one of the baskets. 

Sylphie had a petite figure that lacked extra body fat, but she wasn’t all bones. While she was thin, she also had muscles. Though her breasts were small, they were still soft and shapely. My breathing turned erratic just looking at her. 

“Um, uh, is it necessary for you to undress me?” Sylphie asked. 

“Nope.” 

“And why are you breathing so heavily?” 

“Because I’m turned on.” 

“Um, and is getting turned on necessary for entering the bath?” 

“Nope.” 

I gave the appropriate answer to each question as I briskly undressed so we could enter the bathing area. There was no shower or mirror, but there was a bucket and a chair. Just for kicks, I’d inscribed “Kerorin” on the bucket, just like the aspirin ad you often saw printed on the buckets at public baths in Japan. 

“You’ll be pouring water over your shoulders before you get in the bath. So take a seat here and use this cloth and soap to wash your body.” 

“Hey Rudy, why is there a hole in the middle of this chair?” 

“To make it easier to wash your body, of course.” I moistened the cloth with warm water, sudsed it up, and started washing Sylphie’s body. I mainly focused on the back of her ears, the hollow of her collarbone, her back, and other areas that got dirty easily. I used my hand for the softer areas, ones that I couldn’t scrub with the cloth. That was why the hole was there. 

“Um, you haven’t been using the cloth for a while now, and you’re only focusing on those places. Plus, your thing is pressing up against me.” 

“Oops, my bad.” 

Apparently, my desires had gotten ahead of me. We couldn’t have that. This wasn’t a part of bathroom etiquette in our house. 

“Um, if you really can’t restrain yourself, um, well, we can go ahead and do it if you want?” 

“We’ll do that after the bath is finished.” 

The bath came first. We had to wash our bodies. 

“Once you’re done washing every corner of your body, next is your head. Now close your eyes.” 

“O-okay.” Sylphie squeezed her eyes shut. How cute. It made me want to kiss her and pull her toward me for some sexytimes, but I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. Letting my guard down even for an instant could be fatal. Phew, this whole washing thing sure was hell. 

“Once you’ve wet your hair with water, use the soap to lather it up. Not just on your head, but all the places hair grows on your body. You probably don’t have to wash your hair all that often.” I continued to shampoo her hair as I talked. It was short and easy to clean. “Once you’re done, make sure to rinse all of it out with warm water.” I used magic to conjure water and rinse out her hair. 

She giggled. “This kind of reminds me of when we first met.” 

Oh, yeah…I’d used warm water to rinse her off back then, too. That had been back in Buena Village, around the time I started being able to walk about the town. I’d found Sylphie sobbing as the neighborhood kids bullied her. She’d been delivering her father’s lunch when they accosted her and started throwing mud balls at her. So I saved her, then used warm water to wash her off and a warm breeze to dry her. She looked like a boy back then, in part because her hair was short. 

Ah, it really did bring back memories. I could never have dreamed that that little boy would become my adorable wife. Life sure took you to some unexpected places. 

“Once you’re done washing up, next is the bath. Be careful; it’s easy to slip.” 

Sylphie followed my instructions and slid herself in, sinking into the water. I kept the water gently warm so we could enjoy a long soak together. 

“Ah, I can feel the warmth seeping into my arms and legs. It feels good.” 

It seemed it was just right. Very nice. 

Once I was satisfied that Sylphie was enjoying the bath, I started to wash myself. Honestly, I kind of wished I could soap Sylphie up instead and use her body to wash mine, but I was holding off on that for today. There was no need to do everything at once. I was going to treat her carefully, gently. 

“…” 

Suddenly, I realized Sylphie was peeking over at me. I thought maybe she was watching to get an outside perspective of how to wash one’s body before getting in the bath, but that didn’t seem to be it. She must’ve been intrigued by the sight of that one body part I had and she didn’t. Curiosity, I assume. 

“Phew.” 

Once I was done washing, I sank into the bath, making sure to rest my hand towel on top of my head. When I submerged myself in the warm water, I could feel my bloodflow increase and expand to my chilled arms and legs. Ahh, baths were so nice. The very peak of human culture. I used to hate baths in my former life, back when I found washing myself to be a nuisance. Now, I enjoyed the sensation. Living in a snowbound country had taught me just how precious a bath was. 

“By the way, don’t put the cloth you washed yourself with into the bath,” I said. 

“Why not?” 

“It’ll get the water dirty.” 

Although, since we were family, it didn’t really matter. There were also no public baths in this world, so there was no need to follow that rule. As I considered those things, Sylphie nestled against me. She held my hand and rested her damp head on my shoulder. 

“How long are we supposed to stay in here?” 

“Until you can feel the warmth all the way in the marrow of your bones.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. When I did, she spun around and positioned her body as she if she were sitting on top of me. The two of us were pressed close, facing one another. Sylphie’s cherries were rubbing against my chest. 

Crap. I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to hold back anymore. Men were supposed to display endurance and women were supposed to display love. And by love, I didn’t mean love juices . 

“Hee hee, this is kind of fun,” Sylphie giggled. 

I looked down at her. I could see down her slender back all the way to her tiny butt, as well as her thin legs kicking at the water’s surface. There was movement around my chest and shoulders: Sylphie was clinging to me, burying herself in my neck. From that position, she caressed my body with her hands. 

Heh heh, go ahead and stroke me all you like. That’s what these muscles are for. 

A long time ago, I’d looked at Sylphie and thought she would someday be a beautiful man. Instead, she’d grown into an adorable and beautiful woman who surpassed my every expectation. Maybe I was just biased by my feelings for her, but still. This beautiful woman was naked and clinging to me right now. At this rate, we were going to end up doing something that would clog the drains in here. 

I stroked her back, then moved to her armpits, then to her sides. Mmm, she was so slender. 

“Rudy, that tickles,” Sylphie said, her body twisting. 

The symbol of my desire had been pressing against her for a bit now, but she didn’t voice any complaints. She got angry if I touched her when we were walking home, but she let her guard down in this setting. She was at my mercy. Whatever I did, she’d allow. 

Then she looked up into my eyes. I looked into hers. Our gazes naturally met. And suddenly Sylphie giggled, her expression splitting with a toothy grin. “Rudy, I love you,” she said as she planted a kiss on my cheek. 

Crap. 

“Agh!” 

I took her into my arms, princess-style, and lifted her out of the bath with a splash. I was still in the midst of instructing her on bathing etiquette, but I could always resume that once we finished. Still sopping wet, I made for the second floor and beelined to our bedroom. 



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