Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Bad Omens

AS I RETURNED HOME, I decided to tell my family that I’d be leaving for Shirone. I had recently been keeping the details of my “business trips” to myself, but this one might turn into a lengthy job. I wanted them to know where I was at least.

The first problem was that our “office” didn’t have any direct teleports into Shirone itself. If we started our journey there, we’d have to buy a carriage in the King Dragon Realm and make our way to Shirone by road. The last time I made that trip, it took me a solid four months. Of course, we’d spent some time poking around in the cities we’d come by. A more hurried journey might get us there in about two months. Which meant four months, in total, just there and back. Eris was due in three months… If we took this route, I was definitely going to miss the birth of my child.

There was always the option of asking Perugius to bring us directly to Shirone. That would be quicker, without a doubt. And the two of us were on quite friendly terms these days, so he probably wouldn’t turn me down if I asked nicely.

Still, even if I shaved down our traveling time to less than a month, there’d be no guarantee I’d be back any time soon. It was impossible to know how long I’d have to spend in Shirone before I could convince Zanoba to return. I wasn’t even sure exactly what I’d be doing there. If I knew who my target was, it would be easy enough to estimate how long it would take for me to track them down. But our enemy was most likely Pax, and I wasn’t allowed to hurt him. There was a good chance this would turn into a complicated, drawn-out mission.

“…In other words, I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be back.”

I explained all of this as best I could after dinner. Norn wasn’t around today, but I’d gathered everyone else with the exception of Zenith. I also described the situation in detail. The one point I chose not to mention was the possibility that I was walking into the Man-God’s trap. It was only a possibility at this point, and I didn’t want Eris deciding that she was coming with me whether I liked it or not. Granted, this was kind of a cowardly move on my part. But it did work. No one objected to the plan itself.

After a moment of silence, Sylphie spoke up hesitantly. “Well, I’ll be fine, but…”

All eyes turned in unison toward Eris.

She folded her arms above her swollen belly in her signature pose and nodded. “Got it. Guess that’s the way it goes.”

The woman sounded pretty casual about the whole thing. Sylphie actually flinched in shock. “Come on, Eris! Shouldn’t you be a bit more upset?”

“Why? I don’t need Rudeus around to have the baby.”

“Giving birth isn’t exactly easy, you know?”

“Yeah, sure. But what’s he gonna do to help, other than hold my hand?”

“I mean, a little handholding means a lot when you’re in labor…”

Sylphie trailed off and fell silent. Across the table, Roxy was squeezing her own hands together with a faint smile. Apparently, those who’d gone through this experience felt that my hand played an important role in the childbirth process.

“I don’t need Rudeus around,” replied Eris firmly, pouting somewhat.

It made me a bit sad to hear she didn’t think my presence was required, but at the end of the day, she had Lilia and Aisha to take care of her. I wasn’t strictly necessary, when it came down to it.

“When he gets back home, he can thank me for giving him a nice, big, healthy son. That’s all I need from him.”

Eris was being very stoic about this whole thing, I had to say. She was probably trying to make it a little easier for me. Surprisingly considerate of her. I did feel grateful, but also a little sad. Maybe this was how women felt when their husbands said You can manage giving birth without my help and went off on some business trip? I mean…not that I was the pregnant woman in this scenario…

“That reminds me, Eris. You already chose a name, didn’t you?”

“Yep. It’s a real good one, too. You’ve got something to look forward to!”

She’d only chosen one name, though, and it was a boy’s. What if she gave birth to a little girl while I was off in Shirone? Would she use the name anyway, and try to raise her as a boy?

“Hey…if it turns out to be a girl, why don’t we name her Hilda? You know, after your mom?”

“No way! I’m not giving my kid an old lady name!”

Ouch. Poor Mrs. Greyrat was probably turning in her grave…

“Okay, everyone,” interjected Aisha, “why don’t we leave it at that? Eris seems okay with this. And like Sylphie always says, she’s here to support Rudeus from behind the scenes. I think we’ll be fine.”

That seemed to sum things up nicely, so we all nodded.

Sylphie was apparently in the habit of telling everyone that she was trying to “support me” in her own way. I had to say, it was nice having such a reliable woman as the senior wife in my household. I was still a bit worried about leaving Eris here on her own, but there were plenty of caring, determined people here to look after her for me. Everything was going to be fine. I just had to trust them, the way they trusted me.

“Wish I could come along, though! You never know what trouble Rudeus might get into on his own!”

Hm. Apparently Eris was worried about me. That felt a little backward…

Then again, this was an unusually risky job. Especially since I might be jumping right into the Man-God’s trap. Maybe she was right to be concerned.

Great, now I’m starting to feel a little nervous. Am I even going to make it back alive this time…?

Well, there was no point dwelling on what might go wrong. I had to do what was necessary. If my enemies came for me, I’d hit them with everything I had. I had to play this one by ear. There was no other option.

“You seem a bit anxious, Rudy,” said Roxy quietly, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked over at her. Lara was nestled in her usual spot against her mother’s chest, and her eyes were as sleepy as ever—but they were fixed steadily on me.

“Well, yeah. There’s a chance I might get mixed up in a war this time, so…”

My vague attempt to deflect her comment seemed to backfire, as her expression only grew more serious. “To be honest, I think I bear some of the blame for this situation myself.”

“What? But why?”

“Because I taught Prince Pax personally in his youth.”

Right, of course. She’d spent years as a royal tutor in Shirone, hadn’t she?

“I’m sure he had plenty of other teachers, though. It’s not like you made him into the man he is all by yourself…”

“That’s true. But it was during my time there that his personality took a sharp turn for the worse.”

Well, that obviously wasn’t Roxy’s fault. She was a splendid educator, and her lessons couldn’t possibly have a bad effect on someone’s character. I said that with confidence as one of her former students.

Then again…I really didn’t know that much about Pax, did I? From what Orsted told me, he had the potential to become an important monarch. Maybe Roxy’s methods didn’t click for him, and he turned out a bit more foolish than he otherwise might have been…

Nah, that can’t be right.

A few months of Roxy’s lessons transformed a pathetic scumbag into a halfway-decent human being. It wasn’t possible that Pax turned out that way because of her. There had to be some other explanation.

“That obviously wasn’t your fault, Miss Roxy.”

“…You know, Rudy, I wish you wouldn’t leer at me like that every time you call me miss.”

Hm? Was I leering? Surely not! I only referred to her as miss as a token of my undying respect for her as an educator. To be sure, we had engaged in a bit of mutually fulfilling student-teacher roleplaying in the bedroom not too long ago, but that was purely to add a bit of spice to the proceedings. It wasn’t like I had a fetish or anything. No sir.

“Honestly, I have some regrets about what happened with Pax…but I suppose it might be counterproductive for me to come along…”

As she spoke, Roxy glanced down at Lara. The girl was staring sleepily up at me. It almost looked like she had something to say.

I could tell Roxy was feeling a bit conflicted. If it wasn’t for our daughter and her job at the University, she’d probably be offering to come along with me.

“Seriously, Roxy, I don’t think anything you did contributed to this.”

I honestly did feel fairly confident of that. It was hard to say whether Roxy tutored Pax in the timelines where I didn’t exist. But it seemed like he was more or less destined to start a coup d’état and seize the throne, regardless of what else was going on.

On top of that, there was a good chance the Man-God was controlling him like a puppet this time. Even if his education had differed somewhat because of Roxy’s presence, it was hard to imagine it was a major factor in how things turned out. There were too many other variables involved.

In other words, the current situation was definitely not her fault. In any way.

“It seems like Pax is probably being manipulated by the Man-God.”

“Perhaps, but… Never mind. I suppose you’re right.”

Roxy dropped the issue, but didn’t seem entirely convinced. I couldn’t blame her for being bothered by the situation. It had to be tough knowing that one of your former students was up to no good.

I glanced in Sylphie’s direction. She was never my student, exactly, but I was the one who’d taught her the fundamentals of magic, along with a number of other things. What if she’d ended up on her own after the Teleportation Incident, and started using the spells I taught her to kill and rob people? Maybe I would have felt guilty when I found out. Maybe I would have wanted to stop her, or to lecture her on the error of her ways.

“Uhm, what’s the matter, Rudy?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how you used to do anything I told you to do, back in the day.”

“Where did that come from? I still do what you tell me. Remember the other night? I told you I was too embarrassed, but you insisted, so I—”

“Let’s not talk about that in front of the children, dear.”

“Oh. Right.”

Lucie, seated at her mother’s side, looked from Sylphie’s face to mine with a curious expression. Very cute. It was definitely too early for her to be learning about our nighttime wrestling matches.

In any case, now that we’d all said our piece, it seemed like a good time to wrap up this little family conference. “Okay, everyone. I think that about it covers it, so let’s—”

“Waaah! Waaaaah!”

To my surprise, I was cut off mid-sentence by a furious cry of protest. Looking over, I found Lara wailing loudly in Roxy’s arms. The kid almost never cried, but right now she was bawling…and stretching out her stubby little arms toward me.

“Bwaaah! Aaaaah!”

“What’s wrong, Lara? It’s okay, it’s okay…”

Roxy tried her best to comfort our daughter, but the girl refused to stop. This was the first time I’d ever seen her cry this loudly. Maybe she’d picked up on the tension in the air or something? She really seemed to be looking at me specifically, though. And reaching out for me.

“Rudy…”

“Sure.”

I took my daughter from Roxy and gently pulled her to me. In that instant, she stopped crying. Grabbing at my shoulder with her little hands, she clung to me like a cicada on a tree.

Had she realized I was going off somewhere? Was that why she’d gotten so upset? The thought nearly brought a tear to my eye, but I’d gone off on business trips before, and never once had she reacted like this. Maybe she sensed there was something different about this one.

“Don’t worry, Lara. Daddy will be back soon, okay? You be a good girl while I’m gone.”

In any case, at least she’d calmed down for now. After patting her gently on the back, I gingerly handed her back to Roxy…or tried to, at least.

Lara wouldn’t let me go. She was grabbing stubbornly onto my robe with all the strength her little hands could muster. Was this a baby girl or a rhinoceros beetle?

“Naaaaah! Aaaah!”

I tried to gently pry Lara off me, but she yelped loudly in protest. She seemed really determined to stay with Daddy. What a sweet widdle girl she was. I’d have to take a nice long bath with her once I made it back home…

“Okay, Roxy. Can you take it from here?”

“Hm? Uh, okay…”

For all her determination, Lara only had the strength of an ordinary infant. It was easy enough to pull her off me and hand her back to Roxy.

“Aaaah! Gyaaaah!”

But the instant she was back with her mother, Lara began to shriek bloody murder. The girl was screaming as loudly as Eris at this point, and this wasn’t anything like the way she usually cried. I was starting to feel rather unsettled here. It felt like I was torturing my own child somehow.

“Uhm, so…while I’m gone, I guess…”

“Naaaaaah! Daaaaaa! Waaaaa!”

It almost sounded like she was shouting No, Dad! Wait! or something. Man, this wasn’t making it easy for me to leave.

I didn’t have any choice in the matter, though. I needed to go. My best friend’s life was in danger.

“Byaaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah!”

I glanced down at Lara. Tears ran down her crumpled little face, and she was reaching out for me with what looked like genuine desperation.

I’d never seen her like this before. The others were staring at her as well, equally taken aback.

“There, there, it’s all right,” murmured Roxy. “I don’t understand what’s got her so upset. This has never happened before… Lilia, do you have any ideas?”

“No. I’ve never seen anything like this myself…”

Roxy was trying her best to soothe the baby, but it wasn’t having any effect.

I was starting to get seriously worried at this point. This wasn’t…normal, was it? Should I really just walk out the door like this? Lara was supposed to be some sort of messiah, chosen by the Sacred Beast Leo. There was no telling what that meant exactly, but maybe she’d been born with special powers of some kind.

Like…the gift of prophecy. Or an ability to sense death approaching.

Uh, wait. Was I going to die in Shirone?

“Aaaaah, byaaaaa!”

Lara’s bitter, miserable cries echoed through the air once again. Prophet or not, she was starting to frighten me a little.

“All right, Lara, I understand.”

But as the rest of us looked on, frozen, one woman took action. Raising Lara until their eyes were level with each other, Roxy spoke directly to her.

“I’ll go with Daddy and keep him safe.”

It was just a few simple words. But as she spoke them, my goddess seemed as radiant as the sun. 

Lara immediately stopped crying.

***

Roxy was coming with me.

I tried to stop her, of course. I told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t coming and laid out my arguments. She didn’t flinch at a single one.

First, I tried emphasizing the danger, relaying to her that there was a very good chance the Man-God had a trap ready and waiting; in a battle, I reasoned, Roxy would only slow me down.

She responded, “Ah, so it’s a trap? That would explain why Lara was so upset. Mind explaining why you didn’t mention that little detail previously? And while I might not be much use in a fight, I think I’ll be helpful in other ways.”

Since that blew up in my face, I made my next point—that Perugius refused to let any demonfolk enter his floating fortress.

“If Perugius refuses me entrance to the fortress, I can head for Shirone on another route by myself.”

Well, more importantly, I reasoned, she might lose her dream job as an instructor at the university.

“Yes,” she said, “I always wanted to be an instructor. But I wouldn’t trade my husband’s life for a satisfying career.”

With nothing else left in my arsenal, I had to resort to arguing that this wasn’t the sort of decision you made simply because your baby cried at you.

“Isn’t it my duty as a mother to comfort my child?”

Within a few minutes, all my arguments lay in tatters, and I had nothing else I could say. It didn’t help that the rest of my family was basically on Roxy’s side. It wasn’t that they were eager to put her in danger or anything. But when I mentioned the possibility of a trap, the general reaction was more “Ah-hah!” than “Oh, no.” 

After they chewed me out for hiding the truth, Eris insisted that she was coming along. Sylphie managed to talk her down, but then said she wanted to join me, too. I think we’d all been a little unnerved by Lara’s strange, desperate behavior.

“Should we really let Rudy go by himself? Can he manage this one alone? This feels like such a bad omen. What if something happens to him out there?”

In the end, it was Roxy who managed to calm everyone down and bring them to a consensus. She did this by firmly asserting that she’d accompany me as a representative for the others. And her reassurances convinced Sylphie and Eris to back down. 

The woman really knew her way around an argument. But of course, that wasn’t working entirely to my advantage here. I had a bunch of considerably mixed feelings about this idea. I preferred to have everything and everyone I loved as safe as possible at any given moment. Roxy was my treasure, and a part of me wanted to keep her locked up in a nice, secure box.

But of course, Roxy was a determined woman with a will of her own. She could be downright stubborn at times, in fact. If I outright tried to refuse her, I had a bad feeling she really would just head for Shirone on her own. In that case, it would be better to bring her with me. Having her nearby would make it easier to protect her.

And on top of that…I was a bit nervous about this mission myself, honestly. Orsted wasn’t going to be hanging around to save me from any ambushes I blundered into. I didn’t have a clear idea of how I’d convince Zanoba to come back home with me. I was stumbling into a foggy swamp full of potential dangers.

But now I was going to have Roxy there to help me navigate the situation: the woman I respected more than anyone else in the entire world. That was genuinely reassuring.

The next day, we began our preparations for the trip to Shirone. This involved gathering the usual traveling gear and provisions, of course, but I’ll skip most of the details there.

The first thing I wanted to address was Zanoba’s equipment. I wanted to keep myself alive above all else, but I wasn’t about to let him die, either. So I took some time to rummage through the little armory in Orsted’s offices, looking for weapons and armor that could work for Zanoba.

First of all, I settled on a heavy suit of armor that I’d dismissed as too bulky for my own use. It was a magic item that granted complete invulnerability to fire magic. Perfect for Zanoba, since he had a natural weakness to that element.

…It might sound a bit odd to describe him that way, I guess. Most people don’t do well with being set on fire. This was just one area where he wasn’t an exception to the norm.

Next, I needed to find him a weapon.

From what Orsted told me, there simply weren’t any capable of enduring the raw physical strength of a Blessed Child like Zanoba. In his hands, even the sturdiest of enchanted swords was the equivalent of a twig; it would bend or break after a few battles at most.

With that in mind, I settled on making Zanoba a customized club. It was basically a massive stone bat in terms of design, but I reinforced it repeatedly with my magic to enhance its strength and durability.

At a glance, the thing looked too big for an average man to even lift off the ground, but Zanoba could hold it easily with his fingers and swing it around like a toy. For the most part, anything he actually hit with it was going to die instantly. I’d transformed my buddy into your classic club-wielding ogre.

Despite his awesome physical strength, however, Zanoba was a bit…clumsy. And slow on his feet. So I also found him a supplementary item to help address those weaknesses. Specifically, a magic item called the Ravenous Fisher’s Throw Net. I didn’t know how it worked, but when you hurled this thing at someone, it would lock on to the target and hunt it down until it had them helplessly wrapped up. At that point, it was easy enough for Zanoba to drag them down to the ground and pull them into punching range.

These three items seemed like a decent toolkit to enhance Zanoba’s combat capabilities. He wasn’t too happy about how he looked in his big, clunky suit of armor, but apart from that, he sounded quite satisfied with my suggestions.

I took some time to improve Roxy’s equipment, too. Obviously, I wasn’t going to let her die either. I wanted something sturdy for her defensive gear. A part of me wanted to seal her inside a big suit of plate mail like Zanoba, but that wasn’t a practical option in her case. For one thing, she was an experienced adventurer with her own combat style; putting her in totally unfamiliar equipment was more likely to backfire by throwing her off her game.

Given those restrictions, I picked out two lightweight magical items: a ring that would automatically deploy a defensive barrier in response to physical attacks, and a necklace that would absorb a single fatal blow for its bearer before shattering. It seemed best to leave her robe and her staff as they were. 

I was still worried about her, of course. I’d have to make sure I stayed on top of things if we found ourselves in battle. There was no telling what kind of trap we’d be walking into, but I’d trained myself rigorously to deal with anything the Man-God might throw at me.

We also informed the University of our plans. Zanoba would be withdrawing as a student, while Roxy would be taking an indefinite leave of absence. I didn’t want them firing her over this, so I had Zanoba write them a letter explaining that he’d be taking her to Shirone to serve as a court magician on a permanent basis.

The University objected to this plan, and Zanoba and Roxy had a lengthy sit-down with the Principal himself to discuss the matter. They must have been seriously reluctant to let such a talented instructor out of their grasp. I would have done the same thing in the old man’s shoes, I’m sure.

Zanoba started things off in an overbearing tone, using his status to full effect: “Miss Roxy was appointed as a court magician of Shirone many years ago. She resigned her post due to certain political developments, but her worthiness as a mage was never in doubt. We’re quite determined to bring her back to her rightful place.”

In contrast, Roxy protested in a careful, indirect way that she didn’t really want to become a court magician. The Principal seized on this immediately, insisting that she was an official member of the University faculty, and therefore under its protection.

After an hour of carefully orchestrated debate, Zanoba finally “folded,” backing off his initial demands. He would take Roxy with him to help address the current situation, given her familiarity with the new king; but once matters were settled, he would graciously permit her to return to the University.

It was a simple enough tactic, really. We’d started off with an absurd demand and negotiated him into giving us exactly what we wanted.

At least Roxy wouldn’t be sacrificing her career over this. That was a relief.

Naturally, I also took some time to review my own equipment. Compared to Roxy and Zanoba, I had no real need to change things up. As always, I’d be bringing the Magic Armor Version One, the Magic Armor Version Two, and my Gatling gun.

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I’d last used my old buddy Aqua Heartia. I felt bad about letting a present from Eris gather dust, but she herself had no issue with me using the best gear I possibly could. That girl wasn’t exactly sentimental, you know? It made me kind of sad sometimes. I still got all misty-eyed thinking about that night…the way it felt when I touched her chest… 

Ahem. In any case, my old staff was currently resting in a place of honor on my bedroom wall.

I had considered maybe formally handing it down to Sylphie. Unlike Eris, who was always ready to replace her swords, she’d been using the same beginner’s rod that I’d gifted her for many years now.

I wasn’t sure how she’d react if I gave her Aqua Heartia as a present, though. Would she be overjoyed? Or annoyed? It had been a present from another woman, after all… Then again, it was Roxy who’d originally given me that rod, too.

In any case, I planned to do most of my fighting in the Magic Armor Version Two, which was more mobile and practical for daily use. If we ran into a particularly deadly enemy, I’d break out the Version One and hit them with my full strength. It was the same strategy I always used.

Everything was going to be fine. I’d trained myself to go toe to toe with even the strongest of opponents. I could handle this.

The Magic Armor Version One was a bulky piece of equipment, and unlike the Version Two, I couldn’t wear it around all day long. We’d be transporting it in pieces to our destination, then reassembling it once we got there. It would make packing much easier, plus, the Man-God knew about the armor’s existence; it couldn’t hurt to be a bit less obvious about the fact that I was bringing it along.

We’d sorted out our party’s equipment. Now we had to figure out how we were getting to Shirone.

Thus, Zanoba and I headed off to grovel at Perugius’s feet.

***

Upon our arrival at the floating fortress, the two of us were ushered into a luxuriantly appointed room. It was one I’d never seen before, actually—some kind of art gallery, from the look of things. The walls were lined with paintings, and the shelves were occupied by a collection of palm-sized sculptures.

Somehow, the artwork here felt different from anything else I’d seen in this castle. The paintings in Perugius’s hallways and reception rooms tended to look more valuable, while the work in here was more on the striking or interesting side of things. They might have fetched less at auction, but that didn’t make them inferior works of art.

“This is a pretty nice room, isn’t it?” I murmured to Zanoba.

“Oh? Is this your first time here, Master?” he replied, sounding a bit surprised.

“Yeah. I guess we usually talk in the reception rooms, or the gardens…”

“Lord Perugius only invites his most valued confidants to this particular room,” said Sylvaril from her place by the door.

Unless I was very much mistaken, she was implying that Perugius had never fully trusted me up until now. Sometimes I got the feeling this woman didn’t like me very much. But to be fair, it was probably my boss she wasn’t too fond of.

“Please, Miss Sylvaril,” said Zanoba chidingly. “It’s rather rude of you to imply that Master Rudeus is inferior to myself in any way.”

Just for the record, Zanoba… It’s also kind of rude to talk to someone without even turning in their direction…

“It’s simply a fact that Lord Perugius has always instructed me to bring you to this room, Lord Zanoba, and not your companion. Although it seems he’s made something of an exception today, for some reason…”

Sylvaril’s tone was calm, but her words seemed to bother Zanoba. Enough that he snapped his head around to face her, at least. “I suppose that Master Rudeus had all but stopped making figurines by the time he met Lord Perugius, so I can hardly blame you for underestimating his worthiness. But let me assure you, his skills as a craftsman put my academic expertise to shame. I’d never presume to call myself his equal.”

“However, Lord Perugius seems to think—”

“Rudeus Greyrat is my master. I’ll grant you that he lacks the depth of artistic knowledge that Lord Perugius and I possess. But if it weren’t for his guidance, I never would have become a man worthy of the great Perugius’s regard.”

Sylvaril fell silent for a moment. I had a feeling she was scowling, although it was hard to tell with that mask.

By this point I was used to Zanoba showering me with praise, but for some reason, this latest bout left me feeling kind of touched. Of course, my “talent” as an artist was mainly due to the fact that I’d brought some knowledge about figurines with me from my previous life, so I wouldn’t let it go to my head.

“I see. My apologies, Lord Zanoba.”

As Sylvaril bowed in our general direction, Zanoba accepted her apology with a lordly “That’s quite all right.”

I didn’t really care if she treated me with respect or not, but this probably wasn’t the time to bring it up.

“Ah, Zanoba. Good of you to come!”

Mere moments later, the door at the back of the room burst open, and Perugius strode through. However, he paused after a few steps to study Zanoba and Sylvaril in turn. Perhaps he’d sensed a lingering hint of awkwardness in the air.

“…What’s the matter? Did Sylvaril displease you somehow?”

“Not at all,” replied Zanoba with a smile. “We were merely discussing the fact that Master Rudeus had never set foot in this room before today.”

Nice of him not to tattle to the boss. Zanoba really was a good guy at heart.

“Ah, yes… I suppose I never found an opportune moment before. Well, Rudeus? What do you think of my little collection?”

“I was just admiring it, actually. Compared to the work you have hanging in your hallways, everything in here has a really…distinctive style.”

“Oh?”

I couldn’t explain what it was exactly that I found appealing about the art here, so my praise came out sounding kind of vague. Perugius seemed quite pleased, though, so I decided to elaborate a little.

“The art you have on display elsewhere is clearly high-quality stuff, in a way that appeals to almost anyone. But I think you chose the works in here to suit your personal tastes, perhaps.”

“Exactly right.”

With a broad smile, Perugius lowered himself into a chair at the central table.

Wow, I actually got that right? Guess I’m not a totally tasteless barbarian after all! Haha, Sylvaril looks so surprised…I think. Hard to tell for sure, you know? What with the mask.

Zanoba and I joined Perugius at the table at his invitation. We sat next to each other across the table from our host. It felt a bit like a parent-teacher conference or something.

“Now then,” said Perugius, his voice warm with pleasure. “What can I do for you today? Perhaps you’ve brought me another intriguingly unusual figurine, hmm?”

Zanoba smiled happily, but shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Lord Perugius. I’ve come to inform you that I will be returning to my homeland shortly, and to bid you my farewells.”

“Hrm…”

Perugius furrowed his brow uncertainly and studied Zanoba’s face. And as his gaze lingered, his expression quickly began to darken.

Despite Perugius’s silent stare, Zanoba smoothly proceeded to describe the letter he’d received from Shirone, and the circumstances there as he understood them. Perugius didn’t so much as nod at any point during this recitation; he kept staring at Zanoba’s face and nothing more.

“…So as I’m sure you can appreciate, I will be returning to Shirone at once.”

For a few seconds after Zanoba stopped talking, Perugius didn’t say anything at all. He seemed to be thinking things over. But then he looked his friend in the eyes and spoke. 

“You intend to die, then.”

Zanoba stared back at Perugius with a blank expression. “What makes you think so, if I might ask?”

“It’s written on your face,” said Perugius gruffly. “I’ve seen that look on far too many faces in my time.”

That seemed like a bit of a reach, but I wasn’t about to stop the man from trying to talk Zanoba out of this. It would be the best-case scenario for everyone involved if he chose to stay put. I wasn’t looking to hop into a trap for the fun of it, you know?

“Let’s say you’re right, for the sake of argument,” said Zanoba, his face still blank and unreadable. “What would you propose I do about it?”

Perugius grinned at that. “I’d lend you my aid, if you’re looking to fight. I value our discussions on art greatly, after all. I wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who threatened to disrupt them…such as a certain pretender-king, perhaps.”

“I’m afraid I must decline that offer.”

“Hah! Yes, I supposed you would.”

At this point, Perugius’s eyes flashed in my direction. It felt like a signal, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. Did he want me to say something?

Before I could make up my mind, though, he’d turned his focus back to Zanoba.

“Tell me, Zanoba… Did this man give his blessing for your suicide attempt?”

“Not exactly, but he did offer to accompany me…”

“Oh? And you accepted that offer?”

“I don’t believe I had much choice. It was within Master Rudeus’s power to keep me from leaving by force, if he so chose.”

Oh. Was that why he hadn’t tried to argue when I told him I was coming too? He figured I wouldn’t take no for an answer?

He wasn’t wrong. The man knew me too well.

“I see. Well, I expect that Rudeus would sacrifice his own life to protect you, if it comes to that.”

“Haha! Don’t be absurd, Lord Perugius,” said Zanoba. He laughed loudly, but it came out strangely hollow. “Master Rudeus is a married man with children, and a mission he must fulfill. I’m quite certain he will prioritize his own safety if it becomes necessary.”

“Are you the pupil of a man who would abandon his own friend on the battlefield, Zanoba?”

“Certainly not! However, Master Rudeus is a man of astonishing talents. Surely, he will find a way to both protect me and ensure his safety!”

Uh, I’m not superhuman, Zanoba…

Sometimes it was hard to tell if my friend legitimately thought that I was made of steel. But putting that aside for the moment…he was brushing off Perugius’s references to his death in a weirdly casual way. It was pretty clear that the option of not going to Shirone never once registered in his thoughts.

Perugius seemed to realize this as well. Apparently losing interest in the conversation, he propped his face against his fist and heaved a heavy sigh. “Very well, then. I imagine you didn’t come here just to say goodbye. Is there something you wish to ask of me?”

Zanoba nodded. “We would like to request access to a teleportation circle to the Kingdom of Shirone, permission to bring the Magic Armor inside your castle…and safe passage through its halls for Roxy Migurdia, who is the wife of Master Rudeus and a demon by birth.”

“I’ll ready the circle for you at once. You may bring the Magic Armor through my halls, as well. But I cannot permit a demon to set foot within my castle.”

Perugius visibly grimaced at the very thought. I wasn’t surprised, honestly. His familiar Arumanfi had already turned Roxy away from his gates once, and his hatred of all demonkind was clearly deep.

“You would truly refuse her entrance, Lord Perugius?” said Zanoba slowly. “Even at the personal entreaty of Zanoba Shirone?”

“Tell me this,” replied Perugius. “Who is Zanoba Shirone to me, that I should be so pliable to his whims?”

“A fellow connoisseur of the arts, with tastes not unlike your own—and your good friend, I hope.”

“You’d name yourself a friend of the Armored Dragon King? You, the mere princeling of some minor desert nation?”

“With the greatest possible respect, Lord Perugius…in matters of friendship, neither rank nor race are particularly relevant.”

Perugius glared at Zanoba fiercely. Zanoba held his gaze without flinching. From across the room, Sylvaril was also staring intently at Zanoba. In other words, I was the only one in the room whose eyes were darting around uncomfortably. The atmosphere in here was heavy. If I were in Zanoba’s shoes, I would have broken down and started apologizing by now.

And then, with a quick upward jerk of his chin, Perugius let out a bark of laughter. “Very well then. I will permit the demon passage through my halls.”

“My sincerest thanks for your kindness.”

“However, I must insist on certain conditions.”

Perugius laid out three rules we’d have to follow. Once she was inside the castle walls, Roxy wouldn’t be allowed to speak a word, touch anything at all, or see Perugius himself—none of which presented much issue, since we’d only be passing through. Zanoba and I agreed on the spot.

“Very well then… Sylvaril, see to the preparation of the teleportation circle.”

“Yes, my lord!”

As his familiar hurried off into the hall, Perugius paused one last time to study Zanoba from across the table with a small frown of displeasure.

“Zanoba Shirone…” 

“Yes?”

“I shall miss our conversations.”

Perugius and Zanoba rose from their seats simultaneously. And as Perugius strode away, Zanoba bowed to him without a word.

Perugius walked as steadily as ever, but I thought I could see a hint of sadness in the way he held his shoulders.

After disassembling the Magic Armor Version One into its component pieces, we first took a trip to the Kingdom of Shirone to stash it safely at our destination. A friend of Ginger’s who belonged to a woodcutter’s guild helped us disguise the pieces as blocks of stone, and arranged to have them carried to a warehouse close to the capital. I had no time to accompany it, but Ginger went along ahead of us. I’d asked her to spend a few days gathering information on the situation in Shirone. My hope was that the supposed invasion from the north might turn out to be a complete fabrication. It was our last chance to convince Zanoba to stay in Sharia after all.

But as far as Ginger could tell, the Kingdom of Bista really was gathering their forces along the border. All of Shirone was primed and ready for war; the streets were full of mercenaries and scruffy-looking thugs itching for a fight.

She’d picked up a few other details, as well: “It seems King Pax was entrusted with ten of the King Dragon Realm’s most skilled knights. It was they who butchered his enemies after the coup.”

A mere ten knights might not sound like much support, but it seemed these knights were seriously formidable. Pax and those ten hadn’t been the only ones to launch the coup, but it had succeeded due to their efforts. I couldn’t discount that the Man-God’s plan involved them somehow.

“Did you happen to learn the names of those ten knights, Ginger?”

“Unfortunately, no. But I did hear rumors that a man with a gaunt, skeletal face accompanies King Pax everywhere he goes. Some say he’s the Death God, one of the Seven Great Powers.”

“Ah. I see.”

I grimaced at the thought, although I doubted the rumor could be true. It was hard to imagine the King Dragon Realm would dispatch one of the seven most powerful people in the world for Pax’s private use. Still, I needed to tell Orsted about this, just in case.

A man with a “skeletal” face, though? What did that even mean?

When I reported Ginger’s findings to Zanoba, his only comment was “Hrm. They’re already poised to invade, then? I suppose we’ll have to make haste.”

His tone was as calm as ever, but I saw a glimmer of anxiety in his eyes. I’d run out of ways to try and talk him out of this, so we agreed to leave within a few days. We’d be a party of four this time: me, Zanoba, Ginger, and Roxy. Julie would stay with my family until the danger was past.