Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 23 - Chapter 7.2

Rudeus

THE VASTNESS OF THE Sword Sanctum surpassed my imagination.

“Whoa. This place is huge.”

The buildings were constructed of stone and wood, and somehow bore a close resemblance to a Japanese martial arts arena. The state of the complex suggested its construction was more ancient than the nearby town. The view at the front entrance was hardly adequate enough to get a sense of the place’s size, but I could tell there were quite a few buildings. It’d likely been expanded and altered over the years, culminating in the sprawling structure we saw today.

“Oh.”

I spotted my first resident of the place near the gate: a young man clad in a simple uniform. He carried a shovel, which he was using to clear the snow. A student here, I assumed. He looked chilled to the bone. I had to wonder if the rules forbade him from wearing a coat.

I glanced at Eris. “He looks like he’s going to freeze.”

“He does? Seems normal to me.”

Her answer confirmed my fears that there really was such a rule here. This place was practically the athletic capital of the world. If someone complained, they’d probably say, “It only feels cold because you lack the necessary willpower.”

“Um, excuse me,” I called over to the man.

“Yes, what is it?” He glanced up, and the moment his eyes landed on Eris, he gasped. The shovel fell from his hand, and he scrambled inside of the training hall.

I gave Eris a look. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything?”

“I trained with him a number of times.”

Oof. Poor guy. I bet he’s still traumatized. I could empathize. Back when we lived in the Citadel of Roa, I trained with Eris daily, and she beat me to a bloody pulp each time. Back then she hadn’t known the meaning of holding back; I could only imagine how much fiercer she was now. Dauntless about improving her skills, she was more powerful than ever. The guy was lucky to still have all of his teeth. I knew it wasn’t right to apologize since whatever had happened between them was during training, but I still worried for him.

While I was lost in thought, Eris started making her way inside the training hall.

“Hey, hold up a sec,” I said.

“Why?”

“Is it really okay for us to just…waltz right in?”

“Yes,” she shot back, exasperated, as she briskly strode in. 

I had no choice but to follow close at her heel if I didn’t want to be left behind. Besides, I had to remind myself that she was one of the Sword God’s apprentices. Surely that gave her a free pass to enter, right? Though personally, I’d hoped a guide would escort us to a reception room, where I’d fidget anxiously until the Sword God came to receive us. I’d put on my best salesman smile and launch into diplomatic conversation. That would have been way preferable to this. We were barging in like we owned the place.

A flurry of footsteps came echoing down the corridor toward us. Several men in training uniforms were headed our way, and what they held in their hands were not wooden swords. They were the real deal.

Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap! I knew it! They think we’re intruders!

“Eris?!” one of them gasped in surprise.

Oops. That’s no man. The threatening atmosphere around her had thrown me off, but one of them was indeed a woman. She had slightly dark skin, navy-blue hair, and sharp, menacing eyes. There was no mistaking it. She was a swordsman—or, uh, swordswoman. Her movements were sharp and well-practiced, leaving not a single opening. I was a real amateur at swordplay, but even I could tell she was tough. Those thugs we glimpsed in the town couldn’t begin to compare to her.

Hold up a sec. I’ve met this girl before. Pretty sure she showed up for Ariel’s coronation. It was then that her name finally came back to me: Nina. She was indeed a formidable fighter who could go toe-to-toe with Eris. From what I remembered back then, she had promised to aid us whenever we needed. Talk is cheap, though; there’s no guarantee she’ll follow through.

“Nina. It’s been a while,” Eris greeted her.

“Yes, it has. Why are you here?”

Eris jerked her shoulder in my direction. “Rudeus wants to talk to him.”

I flashed my best businessman smile and said, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Rudeus Greyrat. I have come to—”

“‘Him’?” Nina didn’t so much as spare me a glance. Apparently, my salesman charms weren’t working on her.

“The Sword God,” Eris said.

Nina’s face hardened. No, worse than that—a sudden aura of venomous hostility came pouring out of her. That did little to cow Eris—she stood firm. My legs were like jelly beneath me, quivering and shaking, but it was less fear than confusion that overcame me. We’re just here to meet with him. There’s no reason for you to act like you’re ready to murder us.

“Gall Falion,” Eris reiterated. “Is he not here?”

Nina’s expression softened into a look of guarded suspicion before she finally relaxed. “You should at least call him Master.”

“No way. Ghislaine is the only Master I have,” Eris said obstinately.

“Yeah? Well, whatever.” Nina breathed a deep sigh. I could tell she’d dealt with Eris’s petulant refusal to adhere to norms many times before now. “The rest of you, go on ahead. I’ll explain things to Eris.”

“But Lady Nina, now isn’t the time to—”

“This is Berserker Sword King Eris we’re talking about.”

Startled, the men stared at Eris. I had no idea what mayhem she had been up to during her stay here, but her name alone convinced them to back down.

“Very well.”

The men bowed their heads respectfully and rushed back down the hall, deeper into the complex. This time I heard no footfall. They hardly made a sound, and their posture was impeccable. None of them seemed particularly memorable, almost like background characters in a video game—NPCs—and yet from the way they held themselves, I could guess they were Sword Saints or higher.

That’s terrifying, I thought. Those were the exact people I did not want to start stuff with.

“All right, this way.” Nina motioned with her chin, and Eris followed after her. I obediently fell in line.

***

We were guided to one of the complex’s main training buildings, apparently called the drill hall. The room had wooden flooring with a number of wooden swords hung up on the wall. It reminded me of a Japanese kendo hall. Curiously, I noted a speckled pattern all over the floor. They were stains, which raised the question: what had they been spilling here? Ahaha, I tittered awkwardly in my head the moment it clicked. This is blood.

Nina strode forward until she arrived at the middle of the room, where she suddenly plopped down. Eris followed suit. They each sat with their left leg folded and their right knee raised. I thought it was a bit of an inappropriate posture for a girl to take, but on reflection, Ghislaine had taught me to sit the same way. The posture made it easy for a swordsman to get back to their feet and draw their weapon. This meant that, if the urge struck Nina, she could take off my head in an instant with the dangerously real blade at her side.

“Nina,” Eris said, “Rudeus can’t sit this close. It would put him in the range of your blade.”

“Really? Your husband is a coward.”

“He’s a mage. He’s practical.”

The atmosphere around us was tense.

Well, uh, maybe I should just pluck up my courage and sit close anyway. I did come here to meet the Sword God, so I’m resolved to take some risks.

“Excuse me, I meant no disrespect. I was merely overwhelmed by the air in this place,” I said as I took a seat beside Eris. I activated my Eye of Foresight to be on the safe side.

Nina finally rested her gaze on me. “So. Why have you come?”

“There’s a certain individual I will be going into battle with, and I was hoping to enlist the Sword God’s aid.”

Her eyebrows knit in confusion. “I thought you weren’t going to need help with any battles for several more decades?”

“Oh, I see you remember our conversation in the Kingdom of Asura. Thank you for that,” I said, genuinely impressed.

She sniffed. “Of course I remember. I’m not Eris.”

The hard and fast rule for communicating with Sword God Style practitioners was to keep things frank and easy to understand. They weren’t as erratic as Atofe, but they did have a tendency to whip out their sword the moment their mood began to sour. Even someone with delicate features like Nina was no exception—or so it was safe to assume.

“What I said back then hasn’t changed, but I am here about a different matter. I will be fighting a man named Geese, see…”

“Hmm…”

I continued, “I’m sure the Sword God must be very busy indeed, but if you could kindly put me in contact with him…?”

Nina pulled a face. I assumed that she didn’t want someone she didn’t trust—like me—to meet the man.

“Anyway, I also brought a gift to present to the Sword God—something I am sure he will like.” It wasn’t a magic sword I had prepared for the occasion. Nothing like that. I’d brought a minor blade forged by the master smith Kuelkin a hundred years ago.

According to Orsted, the Sword God was a sword connoisseur who had collected no small number of blades. This one in particular was special to him because it was one he had desperately longed for as a youth to no avail. Over several decades, this blade had been passed around to new owners until finally landing in the hands of a middling nobleman in Asura Kingdom. This nobleman lived a life that never required him to use a sword. It may have remained there forever, decorating the man’s parlor, had no one taken notice of it. Tragically (for him), I had used Ariel’s name to cozy up to the man. I visited his house and peppered him with compliments for his good taste in his parlor decorations. In exchange for some favors, he relinquished the blade to me. All I had to do now was hand it over to the Sword God, and negotiations would hopefully go smoothly.

“Let me clarify one last time. The person you want to meet is Gall Falion, correct?” Nina asked.

Puzzled, I knitted my brows. “Huh? Well, yes. That’s right.” She phrased it as if there was another Sword God around here besides Gall Falion.

“Then he’s not here.”

“Oh, I see…” I nodded thoughtfully. “So, where has he gone? And when might I expect him to return?”

Nina shrugged. “Who knows. I doubt he ever will.”

“Hm?” My voice hitched in surprise. Something was definitely off. I glanced at Eris, who narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“What do you mean?” she demanded.

Nina’s expression sobered as she returned Eris’s stare. She opened her mouth to speak, but her brow furrowed and no words would come out. Whatever was going on, she found it difficult to speak about it.

What, is he off to Asura to get hemorrhoid surgery or something?

“Sword God Gall Falion…lost in combat,” Nina said.

Eris’s lips thinned. “Against who?”

“Gino Britz.”

Eris’s eyes shot wide open.

Gino Britz, as far as I could remember, was a Sword Saint whose strength paled in comparison to Eris and Nina. According to Orsted, the man had talent, but whether anything ever came of it was highly contingent on factors that had little to do with the man himself.

Hold up a sec. Gino Britz actually beat Sword God Gall Falion? But that would mean…

“What you mean,” I said, trying to clarify, “is that the current Sword God is Mister Gino Britz?”

“Yes. My father—no, I mean, Sword God Gall Falion left the Sword Sanctum the day he lost.” Nina added that she had no idea of his current whereabouts.

I was at a loss. Moreover, I felt sorry for making her discuss something that had to be so difficult for her. Nina was bound to hold her father in high regard, so his loss to a much younger swordsman had to have come as a shock. This wasn’t merely a change in leadership—Nina herself had been surpassed by someone who was supposed to be inferior to her.

“He fled in embarrassment,” Eris muttered under her breath.

Yes, thanks, Eris. Let’s antagonize the scary sword lady. A chill ran down my spine, and all the hair on my body stood on end as I contemplated the possible repercussions of her thoughtless statement. I pictured it: any second now, Nina would leap to her feet and draw her blade on Eris. Fortunately, that was just my imagination. My Eye of Foresight informed me that Nina would remain calmly seated.

“Yeah,” Nina agreed. “I figure that’s true. Gino always was inexperienced and unskilled compared to the rest of us.”

Eris was quiet for a moment before saying, “But he’s not now?”

“No, not anymore. Gino is stronger than anyone else out there. Of that much I’m certain.” A mixture of emotions played across Nina’s face as she spoke of him, some part fear and the rest admiration. Gino’s strength had to be the real thing for her to react like that.

My target had shifted. Perhaps it was rude of me to give up on Falion so readily, but maybe allying with Gino Britz was the better option at present. The only issue with that was Orsted hadn’t given me any data on him. Nor did I have a gift which might bring him around. It would be great if he’d accept this sword, but I doubted it would bring him much joy. It only held personal significance to Falion. Otherwise, it wasn’t all that impressive.

Hmm. What to do? If he’s strong enough to climb his way to the top and claim the title of Sword God, I can bet he’s got a violent disposition. Considering that negotiations might fail, it’d probably be safest to pull back for now… On the other hand, we’ve come all the way here.

It seemed best to at least meet and speak with him. I had no idea whether he’d like the gift, but at least I did have one. Nobody hates a present, right?

“Eris, do you feel like fighting Gino?” Nina asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, you could become Sword God if you beat him.”

Eris shrugged. “Not interested.”

Nina breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. Yeah, right. I figured. That’s good to hear.”

Come to think of it, I had heard something from Orsted before. He said that there were people who became Sword God only to disappear as time marched on, lost to the annals of history. It wasn’t a system of hereditary succession, after all. Sword God was a title bestowed upon the strongest of the style’s practitioners. That was why the moment the reigning Sword God lost a battle, they lost their position as well. For most, defeat spelled death. It wasn’t just a loss of status but of life.

All you had to do to become Sword God was beat the previous one in battle. If the Sword God fell to someone outside the Sword God Style, his strongest pupil would take his place. Whatever the case, there were a number of Sword Emperors and subsequently Sword Kings who were no less skilled than their higher-ranked counterparts. That made it easy to guess what a regime change like that would lead to—chaos within Sword Sanctum.

The same had happened when Gall Falion succeeded the title. Those of roughly equivalent strength from Sword Emperors to Sword Kings decided to challenge the newly appointed Sword God in hopes of stealing the title for themselves. There were Sword Gods who only stood for a single day before being stripped of the title and falling into obscurity.

This same thing could easily happen to Gino Britz.

“What about you, Nina? Not going to try for Sword God?” Eris asked.

“I…can’t even consider that as an option,” Nina said, stroking her belly.

She’s acting kinda cagey about it. Could she be on her period or something? Is that it? Nah, not like women only rub their bellies because they’re on their period. It’s not good to make assumptions. I bet she’s constipated.

I glanced at Eris. She looked shocked by Nina’s answer. Apparently, it had caught her off guard.

“Oh…” Eris’s face fell, giving way to disappointment and despondency.

I didn’t know too much about the relationship between these two, save for the fact that they were the same age, and that there weren’t many who could stand as Eris’s equal and befriend her. Their connection to one another seemed decidedly different from the one Linia and Pursena shared. I had no idea how Eris felt toward the woman.

There was, however, one thing I could tell: Nina was Gino Britz’s ally. She had become a Sword King before Gino had and was older than him, but that hadn’t stopped her from recognizing his strength and legitimacy as the new Sword God. The way she had spoken showed that, until she heard Eris’s answer, she was worried that Eris was yet another who had come to challenge Gino for the title. Had that been Eris’s intention, Nina might have wanted to challenge her to a duel first.

It was only now that we had established Eris had no interest in the position that Nina lowered her right knee, tucking both legs under her.

“Would it be possible for us to pay our respects to the new Sword God?” I inquired hopefully.

Nina shook her head. “Not right now. He already has his hands full.”

“I had a feeling you would say that.”

No doubt there were swordsmen from all over the world flooding into the Sword Sanctum right now. I had no idea how many were Sword Emperors and Sword Kings, but on top of that, there were likely those from other denominations who made the trip under the impression that they had a shot at taking him down. Nina and the rest of those here who had accepted Gino as Sword God were playing the role of weeding out the unworthy.

Eris seems a little advanced for Nina to be weeding out, I thought, but I figured that probably wasn’t the reason for this private meeting. She’d just wanted to lay out the situation privately.

Although, she seemed to know Eris pretty well. Perhaps she thought that if she left Eris to her own devices, our Berserker Sword King might well charge right into the depths of the Sanctum and pick a fight with Gino. Still, Miss Nina, I will have you know that our Eris is far more mature than she once was.

“If you want to talk to Gino, hm…” Nina paused, contemplating. “Things should calm down here in a little while. You can come back then.”

I nodded. “All right then. Oh, but just in case, I’d like to ask something. A man named Geese hasn’t come by here, has he? He’s a demon with a face like a monkey.”

“Demonfolk? Here? Most likely not, no.”

“Have you had any dreams about a man who insists he is a god and tries to pass on a divine message?”

She quirked a brow at me, confused. “No.” She shot Eris a look, silently demanding to know what this was all about.

Eris glared back, annoyed that Nina would expect her to explain.

Yeah, um…sorry for the weird question there.

“If not, then nothing to worry about. The two I mentioned are infamous scammers, so if they ever do show up, be very careful.”

“Got it.”

Guess the Sword Sanctum is a big flop then. I planned to look into Gall Falion’s whereabouts later, but for the moment, we could do nothing but excuse ourselves.

“In that case, I’ve done all I came here to do.” I glanced at Eris. “What about you? Would you like to look around some more? This place must bring back memories for you.”

“No need.”

Oof, that’s cold.

Nina seemed relieved. The atmosphere around the Sanctum was grim already. Imagine Eris, taking a little stroll, whipping out her sword at passersby. She had matured, but not enough that she was willing to back down if someone picked a fight.

“Well, we’ll come here again later then, Nina,” said Eris.

“Sounds good, Eris. Come back once things have settled down a little more.”

Their voices grew gentle as they bid their brief farewells.

***

We left the training hall to hear a cacophony of noises from deeper within the complex. Either Gino was battling other practitioners of the Sword God Style, or his sympathizers were doing their best to take down any would-be challengers.

Eris paused for a moment and glanced back over her shoulder. She folded her arms. Her legs were spread at shoulder-width as always, and her lips were pursed.

Did I do something to upset her? I wondered. She wasn’t even looking at me, though. Her eyes were glued to the training hall.

“What’s the matter?” I asked finally.

“It’s like I don’t even know this place anymore.” Her expression clouded with indescribable sorrow. It was rare to see this much emotion from her. Even when she gazed upon the desolated Fittoa Region, she’d remained undaunted.

Yeah, but she was prepared to see that, I reminded myself. This time she had returned to her old, familiar stomping grounds, certain that nothing would be different than before…and it was.

It had to be like graduating from high school only to return later on as an alumnus. You pop in to see your old club and of course the members and the adviser are different, but the atmosphere and the goals they’re striving toward have all changed, too. It’s then you get hit with the feeling that there’s no place here for you anymore.

Admittedly, I never took part in any clubs, so my knowledge about them comes from manga.

“Hm?” When I looked up, I noticed a man carrying two wooden swords, hurrying toward us from the inside of the training hall.

A challenger fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs, I presume? I soon realized he was wearing a uniform. He was a student here. Closer inspection further revealed that he was the same person I had called out to earlier, the guy who was shoveling the snow at the entrance.

“Miss Eris!” 

He tossed one of the wooden swords at her. It came zooming toward her at an incredible speed, but she snatched it out of the air easily—a loud clap echoed as it smacked against her palm. He was back to settle a score. I knew it. She did do something here, didn’t she?

“Would you mind having a practice round with me?” he asked, instantly proving I’d been way off the mark.

Without missing a beat, Eris answered, “Sure. Come get some.”

I backed off of them so I could observe their match. I was honestly having a little trouble following what was going on. Conversation between Sword God Style practitioners were barely a series of grunts, and the actions that followed them were physical and abrupt.

Silence fell between the two as they each took up a stance with their wooden swords. Eris held her sword high while the student held his sword close to his center. I prayed that Eris wouldn’t go overboard.

“Shhk!” 

In the next moment, a sharp inhale broke through the still air. The student’s form blurred. Eris chose that simultaneous instant to make her move. A metallic clang echoed. Before I knew what was happening, the student was on one knee, his wooden sword spinning through the air. In the space he’d occupied scant seconds earlier, a puff of air curled—his lingering breath—which disappeared as his sword came crashing down, stabbing into the snow.

It all happened in a flash. I was only able to follow what happened thanks to my Eye of Foresight. The student had unleashed his Sword of Light and Eris had returned the technique in kind.

The really scary thing here is that this young guy who was shoveling snow moments earlier suddenly came at her with a technique like the Sword of Light. I’m still here, right? My head’s still connected to my neck? It’s not like they lopped off my head when I was walking down the corridor inside the complex and I’m just having some crazy dying dream…right?

“Your grip with your left hand is weak at the end of your swing,” Eris said.

“Wha?!”

“That’s why your sword went flying.”

There were a few seconds of silence before he said, “Incredible! Thank you very much!” He had already picked himself out of the snow, but upon receiving her feedback, he lowered to his knee and bowed his head.

“Hmph.” Eris grunted at him and tossed her wooden sword to the ground before starting toward me. “What?” She pursed her lips and glared at me when she noticed me looking at her.

“Oh, nothing.”

A significant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her expression said what she would not: Yeah. This is how this place is supposed to be.

“The place is in a bit of disarray with everything that’s going on. I’m sure when it all dies down, it’ll be exactly how you remembered it,” I said.

“Whatever. I don’t care.”

In spite of her protests, she looked relieved to hear it.

We’ll be back again. Provided we live through our battle with Geese, of course.

Our visit to the Sword Sanctum came to a close. It was a bit of a dud, but such was life. Even if Gall Falion was no longer the Sword God, he would still make a formidable ally in battle. I would leave tracking him down to my mercenary band and preoccupy myself with locating someone else. Next up: North God Kalman the Third.