Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The Letter 

W HEN I WOKE in the morning, Sylphie was sleeping on my arm. I took in her white hair, the pale nape of her neck, her long lashes. Such an unbelievably cute girl was lying in bed in nothing but her panties, using my arm as a pillow. Her face as she slept looked so completely relaxed and vulnerable. 

When I folded back the blanket, her sakura petals came into view. There were small bruises on her skin just above them. In other words, hickeys. Ones I’d put on her last night. In my previous life, I hadn’t understood the appeal of hickeys on someone, but now I loved waking up and seeing the ones I’d left on Sylphie. It was something similar to what those terrible boyfriends who made their girlfriends get a piercing or tattoo must have felt, if not as vile: a sense of pride. Sylphie was mine. I wasn’t going to let anyone else have her. 

At that thought, my little man stood up for morning roll call. He sure was full of pep, considering how hard we’d gone at it yesterday. In my previous life, the only attention he’d gotten was from my hand, and he’d been a shut-in himself these past couple of years. Now that he had a place to stretch his legs, he was truly bursting with energy. 

Ah crap, I can’t start getting excited this early in the morning. Sylphie has work today . I would just have to divert that energy into exercise instead. So I extracted my arm from beneath Sylphie’s head and replaced it with a pillow. 

“Mm. Rudy, you’re not supposed to drink from that…” Sylphie stirred, curling up in a ball. Her sleeptalking was cute. I wondered what she was letting me drink from in her dreams? 

Somehow, I found myself stroking her chest. I’d wake her if I wasn’t careful, so I did so very gently. Like touching silken tofu. Very discreet. I had to be the happiest man in the world, getting to experience something this wonderful every morning. Was this what it felt like to be really, truly happy IRL? 

“Mm…Rudy…” Sylphie opened her eyes slightly and looked at me. Then she grabbed my hand and, still half-asleep, smiled and said, “Be safe.” 

“Will do.” 

Then I left the room. It would be another three days before we could sleep together again. I would wait anxiously for it. 

*** 

Life had been genuinely peaceful lately. The only event of note was Linia and Pursena introducing me to some boy. Apparently, he was a first-year delinquent who, in the span of two months, had fought and defeated all the other punks in his grade. Then he got so full of himself he wanted to try challenging the Boss’ group, but his first target—Zanoba—utterly annihilated him. After all that, he somehow became a part of my group. It was completely out of the blue. 

According to the rumors I’d heard of late, the university was apparently ruled by something similar to the Four Heavenly Kings, called the Demonic Circle of Six. Rumor had it that the Circle answered to me. If someone could beat my Circle of Six, then they earned the right to challenge me. Sounded like the setup for a shounen manga. They weren’t going to call it a Fistival (Fist Festival) or something like that, were they? 

Incidentally, those six people were Zanoba, Cliff, Linia, Pursena, Fitz, and Badigadi. If someone did actually defeat all of them, that meant I’d be facing someone who could defeat a Demon King. No thanks. In any case, the first challenger this year had already met a miserable defeat at the hands of the first person he targeted. By the time I met him, he was already hanging his head and acting meek, like a dog with its tail between its legs. 

Apparently, it had been a decent fight, thanks to the boy putting distance between himself and Zanoba so he could attack at range with his magic. But Zanoba had withstood all the attacks till his opponent was drained of mana, then closed the gap and sealed his victory with a single punch. It seemed ranged combat wasn’t Zanoba’s specialty. I would have to teach him the secret Chinese technique of taking a golf shot at your opponent with a rock. 

In any case, I’d somehow become the boss of the school without my knowledge. At least it made the delinquents listen to me. That was especially useful when I recently found some of them beating up a student behind the main school building. I intervened verbally, though I was prepared to fight them if necessary…and they just went pale and stopped. 

It was nice, being able to stop bullies with just a few words. Not bad at all, having power like that. As long as I lived, I wouldn’t allow others to harass the weak. Not even if the person being bullied was somehow to blame. 

Then, one day, it finally arrived: a letter from Paul. 

*** 

Dear Rudeus, 

I got your letter. So you’re enrolling in the University of Magic? Congratulations. I’m glad you’re walking your own path. I’m sure you’ve heard this from Elinalise already, but we’ve found Zenith’s location, thanks to Roxy, Talhand and Elinalise, and are on our way to retrieve her. Give Elinalise my regards. Of course, she’ll probably just look disgusted if you do. 

On to the real topic. We’re currently in East Port. We’re about to head to the Begaritt Continent next. I’ve never been there before, but it’s said to be one of the harshest places in the world, after the Demon Continent. 

I hesitated to take the children with me. Norn and Aisha are still only nine. That’s when the idea came up to send the two of them to where you are. Of course, it’s not like they could just go by themselves. Ginger volunteered to accompany them, but I wasn’t sure if that would be enough. 

Just then, I ran into someone. Someone you know. They offered to take on the task of escorting the children to you, and I agreed. I’m sure you’ll be surprised when you see them. They’re very reliable. 

Honestly, it was a painful decision. I kept thinking, what if something happens to them along the way? What if something horrible happens, and I’m not there? Much as I want them with me, I also want them to be safe. You as well. 

Once they get there, just find a place to live, no matter how small, and send them to school. I sent them along with enough money to cover their living and enrollment expenses. It’s quite a large sum. Don’t go using it to buy women, okay? 

I’m just teasing. Knowing you, you’ll do a good job, I’m sure. But, yeah, I get this is something I should be doing myself. Sorry for being a terrible father. I feel bad asking this of you, but please, do me this favor. 

Come to think of it, you’re already fifteen. Though I guess you may be sixteen or seventeen by the time this letter gets to you. Either way, you’re an adult. I feel bad we couldn’t celebrate your birthday together. I won’t be able to celebrate Norn or Aisha’s tenth birthdays, either. Ah, well. We can have one huge party when we all get back together—as a family. 

Leave finding your mother to me. The Fittoa Search and Rescue Corps have effectively disbanded, but I have plenty of firepower on my side. Between Lilia, Talhand, Roxy, Vierra, Sherra, and myself, we can make it to the Begaritt Continent and back. If things go smoothly, we should be able to join you in Ranoa in another year or two. 

I did consider sending Lilia along with the children, but apparently, she’s more worried about me than she is about them. What a mess. I feel pathetic. 

Anyhow, Lilia trusts Aisha. She’s basically taught the girl all she could. Aisha is a genius. I’m a bit scared by the power of my own genes, honestly, considering how you and Aisha both turned out. 

Norn, though, she’s a normal kid. She’s not like you and Aisha. You might get really frustrated with her, but try to be patient. I’m afraid I spoiled her, and it’s made her a bit selfish. She hates you, and she doesn’t get along well with Aisha, so she may feel isolated over there. As her older brother, please be kind to her. 

I also gave them a copy of this letter, just in case. I’m sure they’ll be fine, considering who’s looking after them, but if they don’t show up within six months of this letter’s arrival, I’d like you to go out and look for them. 

So, that’s the gist of it. I feel bad for leaving everything up to you. But thank you. 

—Paul Greyrat 

*** 

It was a letter full of guilt. Honestly, Paul. 

I was a bit nervous about Norn and Aisha coming here, but I supposed it was better than them being dragged along to the Begaritt Continent. Couldn’t he have left them with Zenith’s family? No, maybe that presented its own problems. Norn aside, Aisha wasn’t related to Zenith by blood. 

They’d probably be fine traveling here. Compared to the Demon Continent, the Central Continent was relatively safe. Kidnapping was so rampant in this world that it might be a concern, but the folks who did that generally targeted the vulnerable. If Norn and Aisha had two capable bodyguards around, they probably wouldn’t be an appealing target. 

Speaking of their bodyguards, Ginger was a knight and a former member of Zanoba’s imperial guard. I couldn’t remember how capable she was, but Shirone knights were trained in Water God Style, so that should prove useful for an escort mission. 

Then there was the other, whom Paul called reliable. Who could it be? Geese, maybe? There was no way it could be Eris. Who else was reliable that both Paul and I knew? Ah! Could it be who I was thinking of? They’d mentioned searching the Central Continent, but perhaps good fortune had allowed them to cross paths with Paul. If I was right, they could handle it. In fact, they wouldn’t even need Ginger’s help. 

I could tell how much Paul trusted me based off his letter. I had to make sure I lived up to his expectations. I was his oldest son, after all. I was also relieved that I’d made the right choice by marrying Sylphie and getting this house ready. Particularly the latter—we had plenty of rooms. We could welcome my sisters into our home once they got here. 

The biggest problem I could see was that both my sisters were still young. Our lovemaking sessions wouldn’t be very good for their education. But then again, I supposed we could just put them in rooms far from ours. I was looking forward to their arrival, actually. I wondered how soon it would be. Two months from now, perhaps? 

Wait, there was something I had to do before that. 

“This is exactly the kind of thing I need to consult Sylphie about first.” 

I went looking for her. Right about now she would be in the kitchen preparing breakfast. When I ventured in, I found her chopping vegetables. There was a rhythmic thunk each time the blade came down on the cutting board. She was so short, with tiny shoulders and a thin frame. Seeing her from this angle just heated me up. 

“Sylphie!” I threw my arms around her from behind. Then I slipped my hands in through the sleeves of her apron and groped at her soft breasts. 

“Ouch!” 

“Oh no!” 

When I looked, Sylphie had cut her finger. Crimson swelled from the wound and splattered across the top of her cutting board. She’d sliced herself open the moment I hugged her. 

“Eeeeeek!” I screamed. 

“That’s an exaggerated reaction, Rudy. But it’s dangerous to do that when I’m holding a knife.” Sylphie, in a rare display, responded reproachfully to my scream. She quickly healed the wound on her finger. The way she wordlessly cast the spell was so natural, almost like it was second nature to her. 

“I’m sorry. I won’t hug you when you’re cooking.” 

“Yes, just hold on a while. The food will be done in a moment.” 

I retreated from the kitchen and waited in the dining area, feeling restless and guilty. I sat in my chair and waited. Then, when Sylphie appeared from the kitchen, I lifted my head. “I deeply apologize for what happened just a moment ago.” 

“I’m not really that angry. You can just say you’re sorry like normal.” 

“Okay, sorry,” I corrected. 

“That’s better. Just be careful next time.” 

Sylphie sat down by me, and we began to eat. Lately I felt so loved—too loved—that I was scared of the recoil when her love for me ran out. 

“So then, what is it? It’s rare to see you that excited.” 

“Oh yes, the letter from my father arrived.” 

“What? From Mister Paul?!” 

I handed my surprised wife the letter. Her face was tense as she started reading it, but her expression soon turned to disappointment. “Oh. Our letter about getting married hasn’t arrived yet.” It seemed she’d wanted to know my family’s reaction to us getting married. As she read further, her expression turned serious. At the end she murmured, “I see.” Then finally she said, “That’s great, Rudy. I’m glad everyone’s safe.” 

“Yeah.” Come to think of it, I’d brought this up without a second thought, even though Sylphie had lost both of her parents. Maybe I was a bit lacking in tact. 

Sylphie looked at my face and smiled sadly. “Come on, Rudy; don’t make that face. It’s true that my mother and father are gone, but right now I have you and Elinalise. I’m not lonely.” She grasped my hand as she said that and giggled. 

She’d gotten even cuter lately. Her extremely short hair had grown out, and she was looking more and more feminine. Her adorable ears jutted out between smooth strands of white hair. This girl was my wife. It wasn’t a dream, was it? 

“Sylphie…” 

I wanted to create a new family with this cute girl. This desire came naturally bubbling to the surface, though Sylphie was the one who would struggle when it came to childbirth. She had an adorably tiny butt, but the narrowness of her hips might cause problems during birth. This world had healing magic, so death during childbirth was rare, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still be in a great deal of discomfort. 

More importantly, were we actually ready to raise a kid? Honestly, Sylphie and I still didn’t have much life experience. We had steady incomes and we were considered to be of age in this world, but could we actually be parents to another human being? 

It’s fine, I told myself. Every other living thing in the world managed just fine. I should be able to do it too. Even if I couldn’t, I had Sylphie with me. We just had to try our best. Paul would probably show up in another two years. Lilia was experienced in childrearing, and Zenith and Sylphie got along well. As for Paul, he’d probably just be excited to see his grandchildren. 

Wait, crap. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. 

“As you read in that letter, my sisters will be coming our way. I’m thinking about letting them live here with us, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with that,” I said. 

“Of course I am. The house will be a lot livelier,” she replied with a toothy grin. 

No problems, then. 

Once we finished eating dinner, we moved to the living area. It was time to study magic. I still couldn’t cast healing spells without their incantations, but I could make do by memorizing the words and studying the theory. Voiceless casting wasn’t the only technique out there. I did think I was talented, but far from the most talented in this world. Better to make sure my foundations were solid and that I maintained my current level of ability. 

“Nngh…!” 

Currently Sylphie was trying to use Disturb Magic to neutralize the water ball I’d created. She had the tip of her finger pointed at my hand, and her face was bright red as she grunted. I was using my mana to maintain the water ball so as to make sure she couldn’t neutralize it. 

If the undulating ball of liquid burst, she would be the winner. She would earn the right to do whatever she wanted to me in bed. Not that she really needed that right—all she had to do was say something and I’d go along with it. Meanwhile, if I could maintain the ball’s shape until the end, I would be the winner. Then I could shower her with my affections in bed as much as I wanted. Though I guess I could do that even if I didn’t win. 

Sylphie was currently Advanced-tier in all schools of offensive magic except fire magic. She also knew advanced healing and detoxification magic as well. In other words, her skill levels were as such: 

FIRE MAGIC: Intermediate 

WATER MAGIC: Advanced 

EARTH MAGIC: Advanced 

WIND MAGIC: Advanced 

HEALING MAGIC: Advanced 

DETOXIFICATION MAGIC: Advanced 

Extremely high stats. 

I only recently found this out, but those six types of magic are called the the Foundational Six, for the six most frequently used types. The university sought to have its students achieve beginner-level proficiency in all six types during their second and third years. Once they did that, they could pick a major and spend their remaining years elevating their mastery to the Advanced tier. 

If someone had no talent for magic, though, they’d stall out at the Intermediate level even if they devoted themselves to the study of just one type. Or their mana pool would be too small, or they would trip up on combined magic. There were almost no students who could reach the Advanced tier in multiple fields, let alone rise to Saint-level. Exceptional students like Sylphie and Cliff supposedly came by only once every ten years or so. 

Yet in recent years, there had been one such exceptional student at this school every single year. You could probably call them geniuses, but I honestly considered them ordinary, compared to the monsters that people referred to as gods. 

What about me, then? Based on what I’d heard from Badigadi and Kishirika, my mana capacity was God-level, but I got the feeling I’d never be God-level myself. I was basically like your average car with the fuel tank of a passenger plane. I could go whatever distance I wanted without running out of gas, but my speed was unremarkable. If you added a jet engine to match that fuel tank, the car would fall apart. As a design concept, I was junk. Although it was nice to never run out of gasoline, no matter how much I used. 

“By the way, Sylphie.” 

“Wh-what? I’m concentrating right now.” 

“Do you think our kids will have a talent for magic too?” 

“Wha—?!” Sylphie’s concentration broke. Her still-inchoate Disturb Magic spell fizzled and the previously undulating ball of water snapped back into a perfect sphere. I froze it and plopped it into the cup in front of me. 

Sylphie bashfully rubbed her thighs together, face bright red. “W-we won’t know until they’re born.” 

“And them being born is all dependent on, uh, my hard work as your husband, right?” I tried to laugh and play it off, but Sylphie started stroking my thigh. Her delicate hands tickled. I countered by rubbing between her shoulders. It felt kind of nice being able to touch her at this time of day. In seconds, the mood in our living room turned sexual. Sylphie buried her face in my neck as she wrapped her arms around me. So cute. 

Your hubby is about ready to start working hard right now, I thought. 

In any case, it was a bit hasty to talk about kids that hadn’t even been conceived yet, let alone born. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, or whatever the phrase was. First, we needed an egg. 

“Ah, but elf blood does run strong in me, so it may be difficult for me to… Um, I know you want to have kids, but it may take quite a few months or even years. My grandm—I mean, Miss Elinalise told me the same thing. So, um, there’s a high probability I won’t get pregnant right away.” Sylphie pulled away and hung her head, looking a bit anxious. 

Several months had passed since we got married. We had a healthy sex life. It was a bit crude to say this, but the moment I pulled the trigger on my magnum, I would shout phrases straight out of an eroge. Things like “get pregnant!” and the like. There wasn’t really a deep meaning behind the words; I just wanted to try saying them in real life instead of a video game. Sylphie might have actually taken the words to heart, though. 

“But um, well, if I’m not able to have kids, you can take a mistress if you want.” 

“I have no plans of doing that right now.” 

“But Rudy, you want children, don’t you?” 

I tried seeing it from Sylphie’s perspective. What if we discovered I was the infertile one? And Sylphie wanted to have children no matter what, so she found a different man to knock her up? I might kill myself if that happened. So I couldn’t put Sylphie through it. 

“Don’t be silly. It’s not that I want children. I just want a physical representation of our love for each other.” 

“Rudy…” 

“I love you, Sylphie. My princess.” Although I was the one saying it, the words were still cheesy enough they made my skin crawl. As for Sylphie…well, the people of this world were incredibly susceptible to such lines. Recently when I said, “Let us drink to the beauty in your eyes,” she went all red. It was extremely effective. But we couldn’t move on if she got embarrassed so easily. 

“I love you too.” Her eyes moistened as she clung to my arm. Embarrassed, she pursed her lips, cheeks colored bright. 

A+ communication. 

Since things had gotten so exciting, it was time to move to the second floor. I picked her up like a princess. Sylphie wrapped her arms around my neck and surrendered her body to me. It made my heart pound. I was glad she was still in the mood.