Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

A Speedy Resolution 

Before I talk about how things resolved themselves, there’s one factor I’d like to discuss. There was a child born into this world with an abnormality. The word abnormality probably makes you think of a physical condition, but most children like this looked normal by all accounts. The opposite was in fact true: the only thing normal about him was his appearance. 

This child possessed a unique ability when he was born. You see, there were children who could run abnormally fast, had superhuman strength, had enhanced hearing, had a body lighter than a feather or were conversely incredibly heavy, could freeze anything they touched, could breathe fire, had poison-tipped fingers, could teleport short distances, could shoot laser beams from their eyes, could nullify any and every poison, could spend an entire day awake without feeling tired, or could have sex with hundreds of women at the same time without going soft… Such a child, who was possessed of superhuman abilities when they were born, was called a Blessed Child. If they possessed an ability that wasn’t particularly useful, or even unfavorable, then they were deemed a Cursed Child, but we’ll leave that aside for now. 

Now that we have taken into account the existence of Blessed Children, let’s talk about the Shirone Royal Palace. Currently, there were seven princes in the palace. The oldest was thirty-two, and the youngest was…well, the youngest didn’t really matter. 

In this country, when a prince was born, he was put in command of a number of imperial guards. The guards under a prince’s command would be his eyes and ears, so to speak, and would teach him how to influence people. If he played his cards right, the numbers of his guards would increase, and if he did something bad, they would decrease. When a king passed away, the prince with the most guards under his command would inherit the throne. That was the tradition in this country. The more guards you had under your command, the more power you wielded. 

Under this system, the person with the most guards under his command was the First Prince. He was aware of his position as the oldest, and while he was a bit arrogant, he still conducted himself in a way that was appropriate for a member of the royal family. As a result, he had nearly thirty guards under his command. 

So who was it that had the fewest under their command, then? Was it the one scorned by the soldiers, the Seventh Prince Pax Shirone? It was true that he had few guards under his command. At the moment, he only had three. At one point, this number had dwindled to just one, but Pax acquired a contact in the lawless area where the slave market was held, and increased that number by one. I’ll get to the third member in a moment. 

Pax didn’t have many guards, but there was someone who had even fewer than him. That was the Third Prince Zanoba Shirone. He had exactly zero people under his command. He didn’t even have a single guard. Just a few years prior, he’d had Ginger—the twelfth strongest knight in the kingdom—under his command. But even she, the last of his guards, was traded away to Pax for a certain figurine. Ginger had tried to submit her resignation, but Pax took her family hostage in a panic, forcing her to grudgingly become the third member of his guard. 

Now then, about the Third Prince Zanoba Shirone. He was actually a Blessed Child, born with a superhuman ability which made him unusually strong. Although his power was not a terribly exceptional one, the king still rejoiced when he was born, for this Blessed Child would be of great help to his country in the future. Considering the Conflict Zone just north of the kingdom, the birth of anyone whose strength could be used in battle called for people to throw their hands up in celebration. Zanoba’s birth mother was a concubine, but his birth came as a joy to her, an assurance that she’d fulfilled her role. 

The day when the hands raised in joy came falling down was just three years after Zanoba’s birth, when the Fourth Prince was born. Fourth numerically, but the first born to the crowned queen. The child was treated like a precious jewel, eliciting joy from all as a party was thrown in celebration. 

In the midst of that party, the three-year-old Zanoba shuffled up to where his brother was sprawled out in his bed. He reached out, touched his brother, and said, “How cute,” and “You’re just like a doll.” Everyone smiled as they listened. Zanoba was very fond of dolls, so it warmed their hearts that he likened his little brother to his favorite thing. 

But then Zanoba tore off his little brother’s head as if he were a doll, and the party erupted in a pandemonium of screams. 

The king and his queen were driven mad, condemning Zanoba’s mother to exile. Zanoba remained in the country—in part because he was still young, but also because he was a Blessed Child. That was just how important Blessed Children were in this world. But as a result of that incident, Zanoba’s guards dwindled from eight to just three. On top of that, the king ordered that he was not allowed to have more than that number. 

The next incident occurred when he was fifteen. Although Zanoba still was a doll fanatic, he was now at an age where he could now distinguish between human and doll. That was why he was paired with a wife, the daughter of a powerful family that had withstood countless attacks from the country of Vista in the Conflict Zone. It seemed the king intended to put Zanoba on the front lines in the event of a war with Vista. 

The wedding ceremony concluded seamlessly—but that was the only thing that was seamless, because the day after their first night together, his bride was discovered in his bed with her head missing. Zanoba had pulled it off. The bride’s family, mad with anger that their daughter had been murdered, rose in rebellion, only to be suppressed. The king took two people from Zanoba’s guard and confined him to the inside of the castle. Then he tried to take Zanoba’s favorite doll from him, but each of the soldiers who tried to carry out that duty had their heads ripped off. 

After that incident, Zanoba became known as the Head-Ripping Prince. Everything he had done could not be overlooked, even as a Blessed Child. He was a madman who had killed the kingdom’s legitimate heir and his own wife. The king even began to consider execution. 

But as long as Zanoba had a doll, everything was fine. As long as he was periodically gifted a doll, he caused no harm. So, with time, the king began to see him as a dangerous weapon that just happened to have the shape of a human. After that, Zanoba was treated with exceptional caution. And that brings us to the present day. 

I’m telling the story with bravado now, but I only found all of this out after it was all over. At the time, I didn’t know that Zanoba was the strongest military power the Shirone Kingdom possessed. 

*** 

Several hours passed after Zanoba told me to leave everything to him and strode off. He came back with his lips spread in a huge grin. In comparison, my lips were probably stretched taut in a line. 

Zanoba just beamed at me as he held something in his hand. “Master, how about this? Now will you make me your pupil?” 

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!! Stop it! Please, elder brother, stop!” 

“Shut it, Pax!” Zanoba hissed back. 

“Aaaaagaaaaah!” 

The person he’d dragged in with him was his brother, Pax Shirone. I could see blood dripping from where Zanoba grasped his head. It wasn’t Pax’s blood, though. It was Zanoba’s body which was entirely drenched in red. 

I lost the ability to speak. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought we’d had a light-hearted conversation about him being my pupil or something, but somewhere along the line it had become a gorefest. A smiling, blood-covered face only had appeal when it was that of a beautiful woman. The expression just looked bizarre when it was being worn by a gangly, nerdy-looking older brother character. 

A number of people filed in behind Zanoba, as if they’d been following him. The first was Ginger, with her sword unsheathed. Three more knights in similar attire crowded in after her. 

“Stop it, Zanoba! Take your hands off of him!” 

“Th-that’s right, Zanoba, please get ahold of yourself…!” 

Hidden behind the knights were two princes dressed in expensive-looking clothing. Although I called them both princes, one was a bit too old to really fit the title. Regardless, there were nine of us (myself included) crammed into the tight little space that was this narrow room. 

“Elder brother, did you know that Pax took the soldiers’ families hostages so he could force them to do his bidding?” 

“N-no…” 

“And I do mean soldiers, the ones under the command of our father, not his own personal guard.” Zanoba was grinning, mouth stretched wide as he spoke. “It seems he took Ginger’s family hostage as well.” 

“Is that true?” 

“Yes, sir,” Ginger answered, her sword still held aloft. 

The smile remained on Zanoba’s face. “Elder brothers, do you remember Roxy?” 

“Y-yes. She was Pax’s tutor…” 

“A King-tier Water Magician, who taught our country’s soldiers the secrets to facing a magician in battle, a person to whom we owe a great debt. Didn’t our father try to officially invite her to stay at the royal palace? And was it not Pax’s foolish actions that sabotaged and destroyed our relationship with her?” 

“W-well yes…that’s true, Pax was in the wrong, but still, you—” 

“And yet despite this…see for yourselves. Her pupil, my mas—I mean, Lord Rudeus—is being insulted like this. By Pax’s doing. The very pupil that Master Roxy said had even more talent than herself. Lord Rudeus, a true genius.” Zanoba’s smile never once faltered. 

“Y-you always looked so bored when you attended parliament, but you were actually listening? As your brother, this brings me great relief. I was sure that you didn’t care at all about what happened to our country.” 

“Elder brother, I’m only interested in dolls. All I’m doing now is revealing the truth of Pax’s unlawful behavior. And there’s only one reason why I’m doing that,” Zanoba declared, lifting Pax into the air. 

“Oooow!” 

“Lord Rudeus is a wonderfully skilled, unsurpassable figurine maker. I cannot forgive someone like that being used as a pawn in Pax’s revenge scheme!” 

“Aaaaah! My head’s gonna split open! It’s gonna split! Gonna spliiiit!” Pax’s wail of pain reverberated throughout the room. 

“Elder brother, if you decide to take Pax’s side in this, I will act out.” 

The three knights and two princes went deathly pale. I wanted to jump in and say, “You’re already doing the ‘acting out’ part just fine!” but the chill in the air told me that his definition of “act out” was on another level from what he’d already done. 

“I’m not asking for anything difficult,” Zanoba said. “I just want to save this figurine maker and Pax’s bad behavior is inhibiting my ability to do that.” 

“But without Pax, the slave market is—” 

“Elder brother, please don’t make me say it again. Your younger brother’s head is about to be torn off.” Zanoba wasn’t smiling anymore. 

I had no idea what was going on. I was just confused, wondering if the words “torn off” were a metaphor. The one thing I did know was that the person in command of this situation was Zanoba. Go on, my pupil, you can do it! Even though you’re still scary as hell! 

“Nooooo, no! Stop it! Let go! Gingerrr! Save me! Don’t you care what—what happens to your family!” 

“My family? They were all saved by Master Ruijerd last night,” she answered. 

“Whaat?!” Pax struggled in his brother’s grasp as Ginger coolly refused him. 

Ruijerd had saved someone? Well, he was always saving people. I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like things had been proceeding behind the scenes. 

“Now you see where things stand, elder brothers. I have the least authority among us princes, and that is why I’ve come to enlist your help. If you should refuse, I will act out with every last ounce of strength I possess. From this distance, I could take one or perhaps both of your heads and rip them off. Though I’m sure the court magicians would burn me alive afterwards.” 

With this, one of the two (whom I assumed were the First and Second Princes) finally broke. “O-okay, fine! We’ll do what you ask!” 

“Be sure you look into this thoroughly, yes? Also, that girl who created all that fuss two years ago, Lilia, is being held captive somewhere in this castle. I’d like you to secure her as well.” 

“Yes, of course. I’ll be sure to let Father know, too.” 

At that time, I didn’t know that Zanoba was a Blessed Child. I just thought he had a ridiculous amount of confidence for someone so gangly. It’s dangerous to overestimate your own strength like that , I thought, though it struck me as seriously odd how the two princes seemed so intent on defending Pax. 

But as it turned out, I was mistaken. They were just terrified of Zanoba, the kind of terror you felt when faced with a bomb that was seconds from exploding. Even as I was released from the barrier, I still didn’t understand. Dumbstruck, I watched as Pax was carried off, Lilia was released, and the whole issue came to a close. 

*** 

Several days passed before I finally learned everything that had happened. Let’s start with how Lilia wound up being detained in the first place. 

At the time, she was suspected of being a spy from a foreign power. When she was interrogated, she invoked Paul’s and Roxy’s names, which managed to keep her out of prison, but didn’t completely dispel their suspicions. Instead, she was confined to the palace. When information about the Displacement Incident finally reached the Shirone Kingdom and it seemed like she might be released, Pax interfered and began manipulating the flow of information, which meant Lilia and Aisha were forced to remain inside the castle. 

When Roxy fled, Pax established contacts in the slave market. Through them, he hired his own private army, then took some of his father’s soldiers’ families hostage to force their obedience. Those soldiers searched the slums in secret, and found where the hostages were being kept, but rescuing them proved difficult because they were heavily guarded. Frustratingly, they had to wait, and the days slipped by. 

It was during that time that Aisha made her escape and the prince gave orders to pursue her. Reluctantly, the soldiers did as they were told and managed to track her down. That was when I appeared and made a magnificent show of carrying her off. Once the soldiers saw how I was trying to help Aisha, plus how I could cast spells without chanting, they realized I was Roxy’s pupil. That was when they began to devise their plan. 

First, they started a fight in the slave market to throw it into chaos. Then, they used the fact that Aisha had been kidnapped by a mysterious man to get Pax’s private army moving. After that, they’d planned to explain their circumstances to me and ask for my assistance in rescuing the hostages. I would help them attack the place where the hostages were being held now that its security was weakened, and in return, they would find a way to save Lilia for me. 

But before any of that could happen, I sent my letter to the palace, mistakenly thinking Roxy was still in the country, and was then lured in and confined by Pax. If I had just waited another day before sending my letter, I could have listened to the soldiers’ story and been the one to lure Pax into a trap, instead. Perhaps the Man-God had intended for me to save Aisha and then write my letter, not the other way around. 

My capture should have been a setback for the soldiers, but when they went to the inn to find me, they found Ruijerd instead. He listened to what they had to say, got all riled up, and soon enough, he’d rescued all the hostages. Once the hostages were safely returned to their families, Ruijerd intended to charge the castle. The soldiers tried to tell him they would do it themselves, but he wouldn’t listen. 

Ginger, meanwhile, wasn’t made aware of any of this. The soldiers had left her out of it because they worried it would be dangerous to involve someone under Pax’s command. Poor thing. However, when the hostages were released, Ginger’s family was spotted among them, so the soldiers took them into protective custody as well. 

Ginger, thinking this was a good opportunity for her to make a move, passed on my Ruijerd figurine to Zanoba—the man with the most brute strength in this country. She’d calculated that he he might see me as a valuable source of information and ally himself with me, but was also motivated by the fact that she’d sworn allegiance to Zanoba. Why would someone like Ginger remain loyal to someone who had traded her off in exchange for a figurine? There had to be a story there. 

Anyway, the very next day, Zanoba killed two of Pax’s imperial guards before taking Pax hostage. With that, the soldiers never got to carry out the last step of their plan. Instead, the incident came to a surprising close. 

After all of that came to light, the king handed down his orders. First, Pax was to be banished from the country. It was unfortunate that this meant the loss of his contacts in the slave market, but it set a terrible precedent that he’d not only taken his soldiers’ families captive, but the family of one of his imperial guards as well. On top of that, instead of gently coaxing a magician such as myself to join the royal family, he took me captive and tried to use me as bait to lure Roxy so he could assault and kill her. 

In the interest of maintaining appearances, they claimed Pax was being sent off to study abroad. In reality, they sent him to the King Dragon Realm to be kept as a hostage—one whose death would be inconsequential. 

As for Zanoba, he was also banished from the country. Again, they officially claimed he was studying abroad. His banishment was proposed by the first and second princes, who claimed the situation was partially his fault. In all honesty, they were probably just terrified of having such a nuclear warhead nearby, not knowing when he would explode or if they would be caught in the blast. The king seemed reluctant to let Zanoba go, but it seemed that dolls could no longer reliably rein him in, and he was tired of all the problems Zanoba had caused thus far. 

Lilia was released, although some still claimed that she was a spy for another country. To curry favor with Pax, she’d apparently been gathering information for him behind the scenes. It just went to show how amazing our Lilia was, that she could do something like that even in captivity. 

In order to silence those claims, she was to be escorted all the way to Paul. Not to the Asura Kingdom, but to Paul. It did make sense, given that even if they did send her off to the Asura Kingdom, no one there could verify her identity. Paul currently had stronger ties to the Holy Country of Millis, and it was probably better to stay there than arouse unnecessary suspicion by returning home. 

I was worried they might kill her on the way to keep her from talking, but Ginger volunteered to go along with her for protection. Zanoba had apparently commanded her to protect his master’s family. Some of the soldiers whom Ruijerd had saved also offered to accompany them, so that put my mind at ease. 

As for myself, the king personally invited me to stay in the region, offering to prepare a place for me as a court magician. Given his tone of voice and the way he sighed as he spoke, I could tell he knew he was asking the impossible. And of course, I refused. When I did, the king sighed again and told me I could leave. 

That was all. There was no apology. The offenders were a royal family, after all. They weren’t the type to apologize. The beastfolk had been more honorable, in that respect. 

Once everything was over and I tried to leave the royal palace, Zanoba clung to me in tears. 

“Maaaster! Are you truly going to leave? Are you truly going to leave your pupil behind?!” 

“I’m sorry, but I have to hurry along on my journey.” 

“Then could you at least make me a figurine before you go?!” 

“Those take a lot of time to make, so I’m afraid I can’t.” 

“Nooo!” The fact that I wouldn’t make a figurine for Zanoba made him so sad that he clung to me and wailed in anguish. 

By now, I’d heard that he was a Blessed Child. I knew he was the prince who had massacred people by ripping their heads off, and I was on edge, wondering if he would suddenly decide to take my head off as well. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful. But that didn’t change the fact that he was terrifying. 

“If we happen to meet again, I’ll teach you how to make one of my figurines from scratch,” I said. 

“What?!” he exclaimed. “No, but I—I mean, are you sure? Isn’t that a top-secret skill of your trade?” 

“What kind of pupil would you be if I didn’t teach you anything?” 

“Waaaaaaah, Maaaaster!” he wailed, and threw me in the air. 

I slammed against the ceiling. 

“O-oh noooo!” Zanoba screeched. “Ginger! Healing magic!!” 

“Yes, sir!” Ginger chanted a healing spell and my wounds closed. Zanoba, who had nearly killed me, was now pale and flustered. He looked relieved when I rose back up, healthy again. I seriously considered excommunicating him right then and there, then reconsidered quickly. I didn’t want him to rip my head off. 

“All right, Master. Stay safe! I don’t know where I’ll be shipped off to, but I have a feeling I’ll eventually run into you again!” 

“ Cough… yeah, you too.” 

Zanoba continued sobbing as he nodded, watching me go. Ginger watched the two of us with tears running down her cheeks as well. 

And that was how matters in the Shirone Kingdom came to a close. Lilia and Aisha had been saved and sent off to Paul. Pax was banished from the country. I gained a pupil in the form of Zanoba. Some parts didn’t go as smoothly as they could have, since I didn’t follow the Man-God’s advice perfectly. Still, everything ended in the best way possible. 

It still felt like I was dancing right into the palm of the god’s hand. It felt like I was watching a terrible play unfold. 

And yet, everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Lilia and Aisha were both in good health. I didn’t know what to think about Zanoba, but at least he didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward me. I was sure Pax still hated me, but he’d been booted out of the country without any pawns to manipulate. 

Leaving the ugly details aside, everything had turned out in a way beneficial to me. Come to think of it, none of the paths the Man-God had directed me on had led to disadvantageous results. Perhaps it was best to put more trust in him? No—a con artist only started duping people after they’d proven themselves successful once. I needed to exercise caution until I could be certain he was trustworthy. 

That said, a promise was a promise. I wouldn’t take a hostile attitude with him the next time.