Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The First Mission

LET ME BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE everything that’s happened so far. 

After discovering the Man-God had been deceiving me this entire time, I hit rock bottom. A series of events followed, culminating in a face-off between me and Orsted, which ultimately resulted in me becoming his subordinate. 

That’s right, I found myself an employer! 

As if that weren’t shocking enough, I also reunited with Eris and married her.

Ah, it’s like the warm rays of spring sunlight are pouring over me! As if my life has hit its peak!

Spring was the season of new beginnings, and with my marriage to Eris, I was bursting with renewed vigor. It might be summer right now, but it was still spring in my heart of hearts!

I was floating on cloud nine as I headed in to work—my workplace being where Orsted currently resided. This time, I was alone, as a man is supposed to be when he commutes. To be fair, it was pretty normal in our household for the women to work, too, so there was nothing wrong with bringing someone along. But Orsted’s curse meant they’d just feel hostile toward him, so it was best for me to make the trip by myself.

“Hm?”

As I arrived at the cottage, I spotted someone collapsed on the ground. Who in the world would keel over here?

“Ah?!”

Zanoba… It’s Zanoba! He’s dead!

He was slumped against a three-meter-tall hunk of metal, lying on his back.

“This can’t be happening…” I raced over to him and clapped my hands over his shoulders, shaking him. “Come on, this can’t be real. Zanoba, speak to me!”

There was a pulse. His pupils were moving, and…he was breathing. His body was still warm, too. Okay, yes, he was definitely still alive!

Guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion. He’s not dead. He was only sleeping.

“You had me scared to death…”

Scared enough I’d almost shouted “Jesus” at the top of my lungs. Anyway, what was he doing sleeping here? He was royalty. Shouldn’t he be in a nice soft bed or something? He was too old to be slumming it out here.

As I breathed a sigh of relief, the door to the cottage cracked open and Orsted stepped out.

“Rudeus… So you’ve arrived.”

“Oh, uh, yes. I have.”

He stared at us. “Last night, Zanoba Shirone carried that thing here.”

“What thing?”

“That armor you used earlier in battle.” He gazed at the lump of metal Zanoba was leaning against. 

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was indeed my Magic Armor. I hadn’t recognized it because it was in pieces. Come to think of it, I’d mentioned that it was destroyed in battle and that I’d left it behind, as well as needing to go retrieve it soon.

“And you two happened to run into each other in the process, and you fought?” I asked.

“Indeed.”

Zanoba had probably never dreamed Orsted would be here, of all places. I should have told him earlier, but just hadn’t had the chance. It didn’t look like he had any real injuries, at least. Orsted must have gone easy on him.

“At the end of our battle, he swore he wouldn’t let me get my hands on this armor. Said he had to make sure to deliver it to you. That’s why he crawled the rest of the way to it. He certainly has taken a liking to you.”

“Oh, Zanoba!” I immediately leaned over him and used my healing magic. Since he had no external injuries, it wasn’t much good, but I wanted him to sleep peacefully, at least.

Actually, now that I think about it, Orsted just left him out here in the open after he collapsed? Maybe he’s more merciless than I gave him credit for.

“Uh, so he will wake up eventually, right?”

“I put him to sleep using hypnosis magic passed down through the Nuka Tribe. He should awaken in a few hours.”

Ah, so that’s what he used on Zanoba. I wonder exactly what kind of magic that is… Very intriguing. Could this hypnosis magic also allow the user to manipulate a person’s actions? Like, if I used it on Sylphie and commanded her to lift up her skirt, would she do it?

I don’t need hypnosis magic for that, though. She’d do it if I asked.

In fact, if that was what I wanted, I needed to get her a skirt. A miniskirt would be best. One of those frilly, fairy-like ones would suit her best, surely.

Besides, if hypnosis magic was that powerful, Orsted would probably be using it a lot more. Putting someone to sleep was probably the extent of its usefulness.

“Come inside. Let’s resume our discussion from yesterday,” said Orsted as he disappeared back into the cottage.

I slipped off my jacket and draped it over Zanoba. Then, I used my magic to conjure an earthen roof to protect him before following after Orsted. Once I was finished here, I would collect Zanoba and take him back to Ginger.

***

“Allow me to cut to the chase,” said Orsted as we settled in our seats. He took my diary from his pocket and slapped it down on the table between us. “Quite a fascinating read. I have some interest in this magic regarding time travel that your future self spoke of, but since we lack the information to duplicate it ourselves, we’ll leave that aside for now.”

“All right.”

“There were a number of things that caught my interest, but before we discuss the contents of this journal, I would like to know what you and the Man-God have spoken about in the past. Tell me everything. Spare no details.”

“Yes, of course.”

I recounted everything I could remember. Our first encounter happened immediately after the Displacement Incident. After that, I saw him again in Rikarisu City, then in Wind Port, East Port, and then right after Orsted nearly killed me. Following that, I saw him again when I enrolled in the Magic Academy, then right before I went to Begaritt, then immediately before my future self came to visit and again immediately after. We also met while I was preparing to face off with Orsted. Ten times in total.

I gave Orsted as much detail as I could remember from each conversation, including what the Man-God commanded me to do and how his instructions played out. 

After the Displacement Incident, he’d told me to rely on Ruijerd. I became an adventurer as a result. In Rikarisu City, he instructed me to take on a request to search for someone’s lost pet. That led me to becoming acquainted with Jalil and Vizquel and ended with us being driven from the city. In Wind Port, he told me to carry some food and traverse the back alleys. That was how I found the Great Empress of the Demon World and received one of her Demon Eyes. 

In East Port, he showed me a premonition and ordered me to go to Shirone. There, I met Zanoba and saved Aisha and Lilia. He gave me no real advice following the incident where Orsted nearly killed me. However, he told me to enroll in the academy and look into the Displacement Incident. Thanks to that, I was reunited with Sylphie and the two of us got married.

The Man-God had warned me not to go to Begaritt. I ignored him, which led to Paul’s death and Zenith becoming a mostly empty husk, but at least it wasn’t all negative—I did get married to Roxy as a result. Though the Man-God claimed that Paul would have lived if I hadn’t gone.

The Man-God spoke with me again, prior to my future self coming to visit, and told me to check on my basement. The moment I got out of my chair to follow his advice, my future self appeared and told me everything that was about to happen. And, as he warned, there was indeed a rat down there. 

After I dealt with all that, the Man-God reappeared, displeased. That was when he told me to kill Orsted. With no other option to protect my family, I obeyed and began to prepare for our battle. It was during that process that he visited again to give me all sorts of advice. It was thanks to him that we’d managed to finish the Magic Armor this quickly.

Orsted listened quietly as I spoke. He didn’t even bother grunting or nodding, nor did he voice any questions. He stayed completely silent until I was finished.

“That’s all,” I said. “Did you get anything from all of that?”

“Yes. I now understand exactly how he was using you.”

Oh, seriously? Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—this is Orsted I’m talking to.

“He used you to change the course of history,” said Orsted.

“History, you say?”

“Yes. Ordinarily, the hand of fate is so strong that certain things should be immutable, but he found a way to circumvent that, using you.”

“Because my own fate is so strong?”

“Precisely.”

Wow. So my destiny is so powerful it can change the course of history?

“But, Sir Orsted, surely you could do the same thing if you wanted to?”

“I could.” He nodded, slapping the top of the journal. “But I fail to see his goal in altering history this much.”

“Isn’t it to avoid being killed?” I asked.

“Don’t take his words at face value.”

“Ah, right.”

Guess there is a possibility he was lying about all that.

“At any rate, there is one thing I do know for certain,” said Orsted.

“What’s that?”

“Whatever lies at the end of this altered course of history is something that stands to benefit him.”

“Makes sense.”

After a brief pause, Orsted continued. “In order to direct the future toward a course more beneficial to me, you will alter its current trajectory.”

He wants me to “alter” it, not “correct” it, huh? Guess that makes sense. Strictly speaking, it’s not history yet, since it technically hasn’t happened. History is whatever you make it, being in the past.

“You’re being awfully roundabout,” I said.

“I am already laying plans for a hundred years into the future. Everything that has happened so far— and that will happen from here—is all groundwork. But thanks to you and Nanahoshi, much of it has gone off track.”

A hundred years into the future? Well, I guess he’s been setting things up for a while, so he can’t really change his plans now.

“Just to clarify, the two of us can’t just go wherever the Man-God is and kick his butt, I guess?”

Orsted shook his head. “Until we have collected the hidden treasures, we won’t be able to reach the place he’s in.”

“And I’m guessing we can’t just gather them up real quick?”

“Four are easy to obtain, but Laplace holds the final piece. He won’t revive for another eighty years. I will be the one gathering these treasures. You had best not act on your own, understood?”

Act on my own? I had no idea where these treasures were located to begin with. My diary did mention that they were held by the Five Dragon Generals, but I only knew the whereabouts of one, Perugius.

Wait a sec. Chaos—the Maniacal Dragon King—is dead, right? Isn’t that a bit of a problem?

“I heard that Lord Chaos has passed away. How are you going to deal with that?”

“I have already acquired the treasure he held.”

Oh, okay. So he’s already dealt with that.

“But hold up,” I said. “What if the Man-God has already foreseen that I’ll try to change the future?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, what if I’ll just be digging our graves by taking action? Or mine, at the very least?”

“No. In addition to his powers of foresight, I believe it’s also highly likely he has a special trait that makes all the living creatures of this world trust him unconditionally. That has left him ill-equipped to deal with irregularities.”

Huh, I never realized. I guess you could say the Man-God has a curse of his own.

Hold on. Saying people trusted him unconditionally was a stretch. I never trusted him, for one.

But then again, Orsted’s curse doesn’t work on me. Maybe that means the Man-God’s curse doesn’t, either. It did feel like he had a hard time trying to deal with me and my constant skepticism. Although I did end up trusting him in the end…

Perhaps his curse wasn’t entirely ineffective after all. And who knows—my resistance to Orsted’s curse might wear off eventually and I’d start fearing him too.

No, there’s no guarantee Orsted’s information is reliable. His assumptions about the nature of the Man-God’s curse might not be entirely correct.

As soon as I started contemplating that possibility, I started doubting everything. Best just to drop this whole thing, I decided.

“I’m not good at the whole ‘guessing what my opponent has planned’ thing,” I said. “Do you really think we can win this?”

“I do,” he said confidently. “Our enemy isn’t invincible. I am only one step away from ending him.”

It sounded like he was reassuring himself instead of me. Either way, he was intent on winning. He was determined to claim victory in the end, even if we were the underdogs along the way. That part, I did find promising.

“So, we will change the course of the near future,” said Orsted.

“The near future?”

“Yes.” He paused before continuing, “We will make Second Princess Arielle Anemoi Asura the king of the Asura Kingdom.”

“Okay.”

So we were going to throw our weight behind her then? Awesome. I’d actually been thinking about how I wanted to help her out. If this was my first mission, it was a welcome one.

I made a good call taking a job at this company!

“Depending on the circumstances, I can use her as a puppet.”

I blinked. “Uh…?”

A puppet? Well, that certainly sounded a bit ominous. Rather than backing her, it seemed like we’d be pulling her strings. Yep, definitely more than a bit ominous.

Guess the company I signed up for is actually super shady.

“I have to wonder if someone like Princess Arielle would really be so easily manipulated,” I murmured.

“I say puppet, but I won’t do something as extreme as manipulating her. As long as we can establish ties to Asura Kingdom in the future, that will be enough.”

“All right then.”

He was probably thinking a hundred years into the future. Each small step we took would add up, altering the course of history in the process. As a result, the world would be very different in another century. For instance, we could persuade the princess to focus more on magical research or strengthening the military. We could even lay the groundwork necessary to erode the entire kingdom, if we wanted.

“Uh, are you sure it’s okay to do that?” I asked, disturbed by my last thought.

“Of course. The history as I know it had Arielle as king to begin with.”

“Oh? I would love to hear more about this history, if you don’t mind.”

“Very well.” He nodded. “Originally, Arielle Anemoi Asura was to become king. Her course was protected by a strong destiny, as if it were predetermined.”

“A bit difficult for me to believe that, seeing the way she is now,” I said.

“I am sure that’s true.”

Ariel’s position had only worsened lately. From where I was standing, it seemed very likely that she would completely strike out with Perugius. That was why Sylphie was constantly busy running here, there, and everywhere. They were trying their best, but it was an uphill battle.

“In order for her to become king, Ariel requires the backing of three people,” Orsted explained. “The first among them is the guardian mage Derrick Redbat.”

As I recalled, that was the name of the man who’d served as Arielle’s bodyguard before Sylphie. I was pretty sure he’d passed away during the Displacement Incident.

“Derrick was highly intelligent, and ambitious, too. Even without the Displacement Incident, Ariel was destined to someday meet Perugius. And it was Derrick who convinced Perugius to join her side.”

So basically, if Derrick were alive, she wouldn’t be in the terrible position she is now.

“Derrick continued to counsel her after that, eventually leading to him taking up the position of prime minister.”

Prime minister, huh? Well now, that is a pretty important position.

I shook my head. “And you’re saying the Displacement Incident claimed the life of someone so pivotal?”

“Indeed. He was supposed to be protected by his own strong destiny…but he died.”

Which meant that one’s destiny wasn’t absolute. I supposedly had fate on my side protecting me from death as well, but if Derrick’s bloody end was any indication, I’d better not let it go to my head.

“So what you’re trying to say is, we have to find someone to replace him, right?” I asked.

“No. If we are to make her our puppet, a prime minister would only get in our way. We don’t need that.”

“Are you sure she’ll be able to run the country without one?”

“Coming to the Magic City of Sharia helped her grow and change as a person. It won’t be an issue.”

If you say so.

I was afraid it’d come back to bite us in the butt if we played too fast and loose. At least he wasn’t telling me to take over and become prime minister. I was no brainiac like Derrick.

“The other key person is Eris Boreas Greyrat.”

“Eris?” My eyes widened. What did she have to do with any of this? Sure, she was part of the Asuran nobility, but she had no connection to Arielle as far as I knew.

“Originally, the Asuran guard selected her for her skill with the sword. She joined their ranks, which was how she met Luke. The two were supposed to marry.”

Something twinged in my chest.

“I can’t really picture the two of them marrying,” I mumbled.

“It was love at first sight for him.”

“Seriously?”

What was Luke supposed to be? The descendant of some hero or something? Although I could totally see him falling for Eris. She had a beautiful face and huge breasts. I couldn’t fault anyone for being deceived by her appearance.

Orsted continued, “No matter how many times she punched him, he continued to pursue her, and that softened her heart. After the two married, they were extremely affectionate with one another.”

An affectionate couple, huh? Hm… Well, it is true that once you wiggle your way into her heart, she does start to show her cuter side. But this whole conversation makes me feel like I got cuckolded somehow. That does it. When I get back home, I’ll have to sneak up on Eris from behind and grope her. I’m sure she’ll punch me for it, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay. If it means getting to touch her chest, I’m fine with being her punching bag.

“Well, it’s a tale I am sure you find no humor in,” said Orsted.

“To be honest, no, I don’t.”

“Very well, I’ll keep my summary brief then.”

I couldn’t care less how history might have played out differently. In this timeline, Luke and Eris weren’t together.

I’m the only one our fair lady deigns to bestow her affection on! Lady Eris belongs to me and me alone!

“The Eris Boreas Greyrat I knew was a skilled swordsman—though less so than her current self—but she still eventually reached the rank of Saint. Despite her beautiful appearance and impressive status, her fiery personality earned her the epithet Red Lion.”

Red Lion, huh? A long time ago, people had likened her to a wild ape. A lion was a huge step up in comparison. Currently, she was known as the Mad Dog.

Guess she’s still a beast in the end.

“Eris and Luke worked together to shield Ariel from assassination numerous times, protecting her on her path to kinghood.”

“In other words, Sylphie’s assumed the role that was originally supposed to be Eris’s.”

“Correct.”

“What happened to Sylphie in this alternate timeline?” While I knew it likely had nothing to do with the main topic, I couldn’t help asking.

“Sylphiette became Roxy Migurdia’s apprentice and later went on to become an adventurer. People tended to hate her for her green hair, but in the end, she conquered several notable labyrinths and made a name for herself as one of the world’s foremost dungeon explorers.”

“Wow.”

Impressive, Sylphie! I would expect no less from my wife. I’d have to give her ear a good tonguing once I got home.

“And? Who did she end up hooking up with?”

“I am not having this conversation with you simply to satisfy your curiosity,” Orsted grumbled.

Oops. Sorry about that. My shoulders slumped.

Orsted sighed before continuing, clearly exasperated. “As far as I know, neither Sylphiette nor Roxy Migurdia married anyone. They lived out the entirety of their lives as single women.”

“Interesting. Thank you for telling me.”

Huh, so that’s how things went. Roxy and Sylphie never got with anyone else. Guess that means the two of them really do belong to me and me alone. That really warms my heart. Especially after hearing about how Eris married Luke. Guess this is what they mean when they talk about a guy being possessive. Those two girls are mine! I won’t let anyone else have them.

“Would you like to hear about the rest of your family as well?”

“No, let’s return to the topic,” I said. 

As much as I wanted to ask, the timeline he spoke of was one in which I never existed. Knowing what happened there would change nothing about the present. It was better to stick to necessary information. I’d heard enough to sate my curiosity.

“Okay, so since Sylphie has taken over Eris’s position, there’s no problem there, right?”

“Indeed. The fact that Ariel is still alive is proof of that. Although having Eris by her side also meant that Ariel had the support of Philip Boreas Greyrat and Sauros Boreas Greyrat.”

They were also casualties of the Displacement Incident. Their absence made our situation even more dire.

“Okay, but you said there were three people. Who is the last one?”

“Tristina Purplehorse.”

Tristina Purpa-what? That certainly wasn’t a name I’d heard before.

“She is the daughter of high-ranking nobility—the house of Purplehorse. She was kidnapped when she was eight. High Minister Darius Silva Ganius has been keeping her as his sex slave.”

That name rang a bell. If I remembered right, he was enjoying increased support and momentum in the kingdom right now. I was pretty sure he was throwing his weight behind the first prince. But an eight-year-old sex slave, huh? What a creep.

“Tristina was going to be secretly disposed of, but fortunately, Ariel happened to save her. Even with his status, Darius could not escape reproach for having confined a daughter of the Purplehorse house for years. He lost his position as a result of the scandal, which also marked the downfall of First Prince Grabel.”

So the first prince’s name is Grabel. Okay, got it!

“Okay,” I said. “So where is this Tristina person in this timeline?”

“Missing.”

“And you’re sure she’s not dead?”

“I am not. Darius has a habit of immediately scouring everything around him whenever an incident occurs. That includes disposing of slaves, so there’s a high probability she’s already dead.”

“In that case, I guess we’re better off assuming she’s no longer among us.”

“Well, the one who trains and oversees these slaves for Darius typically sells off any that are marked for disposal in order to profit from them. Assuming the same happened to Tristina, she is likely still a slave, just with a new master. Or perhaps, if she’s still young enough, she’s learned enough skills to become a thief on the streets.” Orsted patted my journal on the table. “This female thief named ‘Triss’ who was mentioned in your journal comes to mind.”

Triss… That’s right, there was a female thief who helped my future self sneak into Asura Kingdom. There weren’t very many details about her, though.

“Yeah,” I said, “but the name ‘Triss’ isn’t exactly rare in Asura.” Asurans seemed to have a preoccupation with names that had ‘ris’ in them, whether it was Eris or Triss.

“True, but as far as I know, there were no female thieves named Triss in that area. Plus, Tristina has a number of unique features that match up with the woman described in your diary.”

Ah, that makes sense.

Since Orsted knew what the timeline was originally supposed to be, he naturally took note when someone out of place appeared in my journal, and with a similar name to boot. Perhaps they really were the same person. But would someone named Tristina really shorten her name to Triss? I was getting Spirited Away vibes from this.

“Okay, so you’re saying that as long as we get our hands on her, we can take down the high minister.”

“Yes, because she’s a living witness to his crimes.”

In other words, if we were going to have any success in making Ariel king, we needed to find this Triss person.

“Why doesn’t she just go back home?” I asked.

“The kidnapping was a cover story. In truth, her family sold her off.”

“So even though her family purposefully sold her, you still think the news that she was kept as a sex slave would make Darius lose his position?”

“I do. As far as the public knows, she really was kidnapped. Besides, the truth is merely a pretense for taking Darius down.”

I get it.

Darius had a number of enemies, and they didn’t care about the details of his scandal. All they wanted was an excuse to get rid of him. As long as they could tell the public that he’d forcefully abducted a high-ranking aristocrat’s daughter, that would be enough to strip him of his status.

“Ugh, this country is a huge pain in the butt,” I groused.

“Agreed. However, it is precisely because such devious people reside there that Asura holds the most power in the world. It would be that way even if the land they lived on wasn’t so plentiful.”

That made sense. In my estimation, those who quarreled among themselves like that tended to develop better negotiation skills, which benefited them when the need for diplomacy arose. But maybe my views were a bit biased.

“Regardless,” he continued, “we’ll be able to remove High Minister Darius so long as we have Tristina. With him gone, we won’t have any trouble with the rest of the opposition.”

“Is he really that powerful of a figure?”

Orsted nodded. “He is. It’s no exaggeration to say that the current king could not hold onto his throne without Darius.”

Wow, he’s that important? Guess he’s like a kingmaker—someone who gathers up gold and lays down all the groundwork.

“If Ariel somehow fails to have him removed from his current office, then it will be up to you to kill him.”

“What?” I gaped. “You want me to do it?”

“Yes. You have a strong destiny of your own. It should be a simple matter for you to dispose of him.”

Did my destiny really have anything to do with being able to kill someone or not? Come to think of it, the Man-God did say something about how I might be able to kill Orsted where others would have failed.

After a long pause, I finally said, “All right. I understand.”

I didn’t like the idea of killing someone, but if it meant protecting the lives of my family, I would certainly do my best. My target was an evil minister, anyway. Surely I could do away with someone like that. If my opponent was that insidious—basically like a Zaku Gundam—then he wasn’t even human to begin with.

“But from everything I’ve heard, isn’t there supposed to be a second prince and his group of followers? You sure we don’t have to deal with them?”

“You refer to Second Prince Halfaust? He never had a chance of becoming king. He doesn’t have it in him, and moreover, there are few who honestly think him capable of sitting on the throne.”

Aha, so Halfaust is the name of the second prince. I have no idea what he looks like or what kind of person he is, but I assume he has to be at least somewhat capable to be considered a candidate for the throne. Seems better to be safe than sorry—you never know what might happen.

“There is nothing to worry about,” Orsted assured me. “Even if we fail, there is always next time.”

“Next? As in our next move?”

“Ah… Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”

“And what will happen to Ariel if we fail?”

“She will die, I’m sure.”

Perhaps two thousand years of life had desensitized him to failure. A plan that many years in the making would have its share of pitfalls. You couldn’t always get what you wanted, and if he was playing the long game, a whole century in advance, then it was probably inconsequential to him if there were a couple of missteps along the way.

But still…

“Let’s not take chances. Speaking that flippantly will only bring a smile to the Man-God’s face.” 

Orsted’s cheeks colored with rage, which terrified me. 

I hastily continued. “There may be other failures awaiting us if we don’t commit ourselves now. Those failures add up. They might affect whether you’re ultimately victorious or not.”

I didn’t mind that he was more focused on winning than the path to getting there, but if Ariel died, there was a good chance Sylphie might get caught up in it too. I had also promised to introduce Ghislaine to Ariel. If those close to me suffered, I would too. And I certainly didn’t want to suffer.

“Instead, we should plan each step carefully. Let’s keep our guard up and make sure we’re victorious every time we face off against him.”

“That goes without saying.” Orsted still scowled menacingly, but he nodded in agreement.

“Now,” I said, “with that out of the way, our first order of business will be to put Princess Ariel on the throne. You’ll issue your orders, and I’ll carry them out. Does that sound good?”

“Yes.”

It was like I’d earned myself a sponsor. Like I now had Sir Orsted of the renowned Dragon God Society backing me! The only downside was the work he forced on me, which was kind of a pain.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s come up with a plan to deal with the Second Prince Halfaust then!”

“I can handle that myself. I need only overthrow the main nobles supporting him. Since he has no desire for the throne to begin with, that will be more than enough to dissuade him from fighting for it.”

A realization hit me as I listened to Orsted. From his point of view, it probably didn’t matter who became king. Even if Halfaust did somehow take the throne, he could simply have me infiltrate his inner circle.

“In about a month, word should arrive that the current king has fallen ill. There is something we need to do before then,” said Orsted.

“What’s that?” I asked.

His expression was grim, making it clear he wouldn’t permit mistakes. Well, that’s terrifying. He probably always looked like that when he was being serious, but that didn’t make it any less intimidating. If looks could kill, I’d be on the floor right now.

“We need to bring Perugius Dola over to Arielle’s side. His support will be critical if she is to take the throne.”

Despite how much anxiety his words caused, I sort of saw that coming. Derrick Redbat had been destined to persuade Perugius to join Ariel, but he wasn’t here. Perugius, however, was still a necessary asset. I would have to take on Derrick’s role and find some way to win him over.

“So basically, I’ll need to spend the next month getting closer to Ariel and Luke while also trying to talk Perugius into joining her. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“All right then.”

At least we’d made a concrete plan to address our current conundrum. We were going to change the present in hope of altering the course of the future a hundred years from now. To that end, we needed to make Ariel king.

This should be good enough for our first strategy meeting.

As I thought that, Orsted said, “Take this.” He pulled something from his pocket—a scroll—and handed it to me. I unfurled it to discover that a magic circle had been drawn on it.

“What’s this?”

“A Guardian Beast summoning circle,” he said.

“Ooh!”

This was the very same thing he’d mentioned to me yesterday! I was impressed he’d kept his promise so soon after he’d made it. I figured it would take a while, since he would probably prioritize reading my journal first.

“Pour your mana into it and picture something in your mind that will protect your family. It can even be a word. That should be enough to beckon forth that which you require.”

“Will a picture that vague really be enough?” I asked.

“Your mana pool is enormous. You will gain a better partner this way than if you tried to specifically summon something.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but if he said so, it was worth giving it a shot.

“I just hope I don’t wind up summoning anything weird. You know, like a childlike girl whose title starts with Demon and ends with Empress.”

“What you call forth depends entirely on you. That said, Kishirika Kishirisu possesses an enormous amount of power. A summoning circle this small would not be able to bring her to you.”

So the size is the only problem? Does that mean if we made a bigger summoning circle, I could theoretically call her here? 

Not that I actually wanted to do so. She was too obnoxious. “At any rate,” I said, “I will be sure to summon this Guardian Beast tomorrow.”

“Very well.”

My heart was pounding with excitement. What kind of creature might I summon? A badass one, I hoped. With it standing beside me, I would look twice as awesome as I did now, enough to make Sylphie and Roxy fall for me all over again.

Oh, that’s right. There’s one more important matter I forgot to ask him about.

“That’s right. Supposedly, one of my descendants is going to help you in the future. Does that mean I should have a bunch of kids just to be on the safe side? Or does that pose the potential danger of one of them later giving birth to Laplace?”

He stared at me silently before finally saying, “None of your children will give birth to Laplace. Do as you like.”

“Understood. I will do just that, then.”

That means I’m free to pump out the babies! Surely Orsted would be pleased to have a large number of companions as well.

“In that case, allow me to excuse myself. I need to see how this summoning circle you gave me works out.”

“All right.”

“I’ll see you again in a few days. If anything happens in the meantime, please be sure to send a letter to my house again.” As I started to get up, I remembered one more thing. “By the way, milord, did you already go visit Nanahoshi?”

“No, not yet.”

“I know it’s not really my place to say this, but if you’re bothered by her helping me to lay a trap for you, I hope you’ll have it in your heart to forgive her. I basically blackmailed her into complying.”

He said nothing, his lips a thin, narrow line. I didn’t want them to have a falling out because of me.

“Nanahoshi was always against me fighting you,” I continued. “She said you had done a lot for her.”

Orsted kept silent.

“In fact, it seems she still feels guilty about agreeing to help me. If you can find it within you to forgive her, I hope you may arrange to meet her and give her the chance to apologize, at least.”

“Very well. I will do as you suggest. Nanahoshi is…for all her faults, a useful woman.”

That’s right! She definitely is. Very useful!

“Ah, there is one other thing,” said Orsted. “While I am able to contact you at my leisure, it would be inconvenient if there was an emergency and you had no way to contact me. Take this with you.” He slipped a ring out of his breast pocket and set it on the table.

I had seen something like this before, and very recently at that. In fact, this was a ring Nanahoshi had once possessed—the very one she’d used to lure Orsted into my trap.

“Should the need arise, use this to call for me.”

When in use, the ring would emit a magical power that allowed it to act like a lodestone, leading its partner ring to its location. If it were a magical implement, we might be able to turn it into something like a radar, but alas, it was incredibly difficult to replicate the effect of magic items. There were nearly no such duplicates in existence.

Orsted returning this to me spoke to his confidence that he could put me down should I launch another secret attack on him. Or maybe it was proof that he trusted me not to try it again.

I choose to believe the latter.

Orsted surely had no desire to unleash his real power a second or third time, thereby depleting his precious mana once again. If he was trusting me with this, it was up to me not to disappoint him.

“All right. We’ll meet again later.” I pocketed the ring and set off for home. Of course, I didn’t forget to collect Zanoba as I left.