Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Turning Point (Part 4)

THE DAYS FLEW BY after that. Once Sylphie had sufficiently recovered, we returned to Sharia. The sun was setting by the time we arrived at the house. I felt strangely nostalgic standing in front of our estate, even though only a few days had passed since I saw it last.

“We’re home!”

“Yeah, yeah. Welcome home—hey wait, Big Brother?”

The moment we burst in through the front door, Aisha came scrambling into the front room. She looked utterly dumbfounded, which wasn’t surprising after the speech I gave about possibly being away from home for a long time.

“Are you done already? Did you save Miss Nanahoshi? Or…was it hopeless?” Aisha asked anxiously.

I reached over and ruffled her hair.

“Whoa, hey!” Aisha gasped, sounding like a bad actor reading a line from a script. She didn’t look the least bit displeased by my display of affection. “What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. Nanahoshi is fine now. I’ll explain in a minute. Is Roxy already home? What about Norn?”

“Norn is still at school. Miss Roxy is in her room, I think. As for my mo…” She paused and corrected herself. “Mom—Miss Lilia, I mean—is doing the laundry. Mother—Lady Zenith—is resting now.”

“All right, so Norn is still at school. Sorry to add more to your plate, but could you fetch Roxy?”

“Aye aye, cap’n!”

A few minutes later, Roxy came down the stairs. She must have been nodding off at her desk because her hair was a disheveled mess and there was a red imprint on her cheek. “Welcome home, Rudy. How did it go?”

“I’m about to explain that. But before I do…” I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her, wrapping her tightly in my embrace. We did promise that I would do this when I came home.

“Wah! Um…” Although initially caught off guard, Roxy gingerly looped her arms around me and returned the hug. “Welcome home.”

“I’m glad to be back.”

After that whirlwind adventure, I was finally home.

***

“And that’s what happened.”

I recounted everything to them; it was a lot. I didn’t go into thorough detail, but I did include everything pertinent. I took particular time in relaying everything I learned in relation to Zenith’s curse. We would need to keep a careful eye on her.

“I’ll continue staying at the floating fortress for now, but I’ll come home at least once every three days,” I said.

Ariel and Sylphie were also going to stay at the fortress until their efforts came to fruition. Sylphie also intended to return home every few days. None of us would be able to attend school, but…well, as long as we showed up for homeroom, surely it would be fine. I hadn’t taken any classes lately anyway.

“Very well, Lord Rudeus. I shall take proper care of the house and Zenith in your absence, so you need not worry,” Lilia assured me. I had put quite the burden on her shoulders.

Anyway, that was the end of my report. Our family meeting was adjourned.

“Phew, I’m completely pooped,” said Sylphie. “I think I’m going to rest. What about you, Rudy?”

“I’m going to hit the sack after taking a bath.”

“Um…should I wait in bed for you?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it today.”

“All right.”

And with that, I left Sylphie to rest.

I realized I’d had nothing but cold baths for the past few days. I missed soaking in warm water. I headed straight for the bath and used my magic to warm the liquid in it. Manual Water Warming Robot Roombaus: Activate!

I really should rinse myself off before I hop in, but…oh, well.

I peeled off my clothes and slid into the bath.

“Phew.”

The steamy hot water enveloped me, and I could feel the fatigue drain from my body. I hadn’t fully realized how much these past ten days had taken out of me.

Still, ten days. It’s hard to believe it’s only been that long since we went to Perugius’s castle.

So much had happened in that short span of time. Nanahoshi fainted, then we went to the Demon Continent, met Kishirika, and royally pissed off Atofe… 

Atofe sure was strong. I got the feeling I could never defeat her. It was foolish to even consider besting an opponent of her level. I was surprised my electricity magic had actually worked against her. Perhaps I had a chance as long as my opponent let their guard down…

Maybe it would be worth doing more research to hone my magic. At least so that even if I was surrounded by water, I wouldn’t get hit with the effects of my own spell. At the moment, I had no idea how I could avoid that. 

What if I covered my body in rubber? Like Stretch Man from that kid’s TV show.

Atofe’s subordinate, Moore, was pretty tough too. No matter what spell I threw at him, he always seemed to have a counter. It was like he knew of all the magic that existed and how to defend against it. Up till now, the only other strong mage I knew was Roxy, but she was more of an expert in facing monsters. This was the first time I had ever seen someone who was an expert at fighting other human opponents.

Maybe as long as I had Disturb Magic and my prosthetic arm, I could find a way to deal with an enemy like that. There really wasn’t a given strategy for facing strong opponents like him.

Regardless, if there were people that powerful all around the world, I really needed to work on getting stronger. I never thought I’d be matched against opponents like that, but I’d really been running into them every few years.

There was just one issue: how was I supposed to get stronger? I apparently wasn’t able to use Battle Aura, so there was a limit to how much I could train myself physically. Still, it didn’t matter if I was physically weak, as long as I could triumph over my opponent. In that case, maybe I was heading in the right direction by learning summoning magic from Perugius.

If I kept switching gears without deciding on a solid path, I would wind up being a lackluster jack of all trades. I knew that firsthand from my previous life. Although there was so much going on in this world and so many possibilities that it was actually beneficial to pick up a wide range of skills. I preferred this to how it was Japan, where you had to pick a single profession and stick to it your whole life.

Oh, yeah, I’d also like to learn how to draw teleportation circles. That way, if anything like this happens again, I can get away quickly. 

The magic itself might be prohibited and I did think teleportation was quite terrifying, but fear wasn’t going to help me learn anything. Knowledge is power, after all. Having a way to communicate long distance would also be nice. Ariel lent us her rings, but we didn’t end up using them. Perhaps we could enhance them so they could send simple messages back and forth. While they probably wouldn’t work everywhere in the world, they could at least be something like a pager.

Let’s see, what else was there… I was pretty sure something else came to mind when I went to the Demon Continent.

“Ah, this always happens,” I grumbled. 

I was always forgetting things. I would come up with an idea, swear to myself I would do it later, and then come up with something else and completely forget the other plans I’d had in my head. I wanted to think I had a pretty good memory, but it sure was failing me a lot.

Crap. If I keep going like this, I might end up making the same mistakes again and again.

I was lucky that things had turned out well this time, but I might not be so fortunate the next. If I couldn’t remember what I needed to work on, I wouldn’t be able to address my weaknesses before the next unforeseen incident.

Okay, but what should I do, then? Hmm… 

After a long moment of thinking, it struck me. 

That’s it! I remember someone telling me you should write things down if you want to remember them.

“All right, guess I should start a diary then.”

The idea sounded even better after I said it out loud. I could record the details of what happened, what I’d learned, what I needed to work on, and anything else I needed. Then I could come up with a solution, decide what to prioritize first, make a clear goal, and select my next objective. By doing so, I would no longer have to rely on luck and I could reflect upon any screw-ups so they didn’t happen again. This would decrease my chances of repeating past mistakes. That would lead to less serious blunders in the long term as well. Admittedly, keeping a diary wasn’t a guarantee that everything would go perfectly, but it wasn’t a bad place to start.

Yeah, I think this will work great. Well then, let’s get writing. Right now!

With that thought in mind, I leaped out of the bath.

“Although, they don’t actually sell diaries here.”

I toweled myself off before heading to my study. I sank down in my chair and extracted a sheaf of papers from the bottom of my shelf. While it might not be a bound diary, I could still write on them just the same. Recording things was the most important part.

But just writing on some loose-leaf papers is a bit depressing. Let’s make a little project out of this.

Not that starting in style was the be-all and end-all, but it couldn’t hurt to dress up the appearance of my new diary.

I gathered up the loose papers and placed them on my desk. I used magic to punch holes through the edge. Then, I used my earth magic to create rings to insert through them. Next, I needed three boards and a hinge. I could throw them all together in book form, so they could open with my sheets of bound paper inside. 

And with that, my binder-style diary was complete. How much do you think it cost me? Nothing, completely DIY! Okay, well, the paper did cost money.

Wonder if anyone here would buy a hole puncher if I made one for sale. It was worth writing down at least. If I didn’t note all my ideas, I’d eventually forget about them.

So, how do you go about constructing a hole puncher? Uhh…

No. I had more important things to write down first.

“Hm, where should I start…”

How long had it been since I last kept a diary? When I was a shut-in in my previous life, I tried one of those text websites, but I didn’t keep up with it for very long. I might go down that same path if I wasn’t conscientious about this. Fortunately, this body of mine was pretty receptive to routines, so I would probably do it automatically as long as I made it a habit.

Okay, I should probably stop that. It sounds weird to talk about this body in the third person, as if it’s not my own.

What I should have said was: I’m the type who does things diligently as long as I make them a habit, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Much better.

As I had that inward back and forth, I started scribbling down the events from the past ten days. I was yawning by the time I finished. Before I knew it, I was overcome with drowsiness.

***

The area around me was all white. There was nothing but an utter lack of color. I knew this place well. I had seen it when Perugius used his teleportation magic to warp me through space.

But where exactly was I? I had never given it much thought before, but I started to wonder if this was an actual place somewhere in this world.

That aside, I wish I wouldn’t return to this form every time I come here. 

I was back in the body I had before I reincarnated—back to when I was a hopeless, overweight shut-in. I had no intention of avoiding the truth that this was once my life, but it still disgusted me. I didn’t look like this while Perugius was transporting me.

“Heya.”

All of a sudden, he was there. His blank white face had a thin smile on it, a mosaic layered over him. In the instant I saw him, it was like the memory of what he looked like was wiped from my mind.

It was the Man God.

“Been a while.”

Yeah, sure brings back memories. Guess it’s been two years, huh?

“Has it been that long?”

The last time I got your advice was before I headed off to the Begaritt Continent. So yeah, two years.

“That’s not that long, though.”

When I was an adventurer, you didn’t show your face once in three years. Now there’s some nostalgia… I was quite the degenerate back then.

“Yeah. You seem to be doing comparatively well for yourself now.”

Guess so. I got married, and I’m getting along well with my family. Definitely enjoying my life way more this time around.

“And you got to know Perugius as well, I see.”

Perugius, huh? He sure is amazing. In my previous life, I would have never dreamed I’d someday meet someone like him. And he took a liking to me, too. You know, he said he’d buy a figure off me if I made a good one. I never got close to a level where I could sell my stuff before I reincarnated here.

“Atofe also took a liking to you.”

Uh, yeah, that one I’m much less happy about. Although I guess my training has paid off if she was that interested in me. I’ve worked on my physical strength and my magical skills. If Roxy had never taught me King-tier water magic, I would have been in some serious trouble this time. My Electric spell was pretty effective against Atofe and her guard.

“It sure was. That magic you used was incredible. I’m sure you could even use that against Orsted.”

Against Orsted?

“There isn’t much magic out there in the world that can ignore Battle Aura and paralyze a person’s body.”

That makes sense. I guess people here don’t have a way to defend against electric shocks. But still, this is Orsted we’re talking about. He’ll just use Disturb Magic to render my magic ineffective.

“Even if your power doesn’t outmatch your opponent, that doesn’t mean you can’t still claim victory.”

You have a point… Wait, no. Impossible. Me being able to use a bit of strange magic does not change the fact that Orsted would flatten me like a pancake. Besides, I have no interest in fighting him. I have nothing against the guy.

“Oh, really?”

Anyway, you really helped me back during the whole Begaritt ordeal. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any regrets, but it wasn’t all bad. Although I didn’t end up following your advice.

“Well, that was your choice.”

Just out of curiosity, what would have happened if I didn’t go?

“If you didn’t go, your father would have found some way to save your mother, and he wouldn’t have died. On top of that, you would have had two beastfolk princesses to yourself and lived happily ever after.”

…What the hell? So you’re saying he only died because I went?

“That’s right. Because you were there, he was determined to show off in front of you, and that’s what screwed everything up.”

Okay, but still, that can’t…

“If you had left things alone, he would have gathered his comrades to save your mother. Roxy, too, of course.”

So…what? You’re saying everything I did was pointless? And hey, when I got to her, Roxy was almost at death’s door. I find it hard to believe she would have been fine without my involvement.

“She really would have been fine without you. She was fated to survive, after all.”

What do you mean by that? What is this fate crap? Explain yourself.

“Remember that merchant you saved? If you hadn’t been there, his delivery would have been greatly delayed. The day he arrived, a certain adventurer went walking around the marketplace and bought his merchandise—magic stones. However, if the merchant hadn’t arrived, that man would have bought something else.”

Such as what?

“Such as a map of the Teleportation Labyrinth.”

Oh, come on, why are they even selling something that conspicuously convenient?

“After failing to entice people to join him at the guild, Geese would have come up with a scheme to bolster their numbers so they could conquer the labyrinth. In the process, he’d sell a map of the Teleportation Labyrinth for cheap.”

Now I get it. You’re saying he’d sell the map he made. It’s true that there are few people who would want to go in with Paul and the others, but there might be some who would think they could navigate it themselves. So you’re saying the guy who bought the map would gather up his comrades, go into the labyrinth, and save Roxy?

“Precisely. He would run into your father there at the entrance, and they would all go in together. As luck would have it, they would find Roxy, too.”

And you’re saying that because they would have more people with them, it would make it easier for them to get through the labyrinth, and they would be able to rescue my mother?

“Correct. Although it would have taken them much longer than it did you. About two years, to be precise. Since it’s been about that long since you went, it’d be right about now that they’d be getting her out of there.”

That’s kind of hard for me to believe. It all seems way too convenient.

“Maybe, but such is the way of fate.”

All right. I guess you have a point. They do say truth is stranger than fiction. I guess that means it would have been better if I hadn’t been there. Dammit, that’s depressing. Although if that happened, I guess I wouldn’t have been able to marry Roxy.

“True. She would have fallen for the man who rescued her instead. Although he would have turned her down.”

Well, it doesn’t seem so bad when you think of it that way. I do love Roxy, after all. Though it did result in Paul’s death. It makes me feel pretty conflicted to think I had to lose him so I could get married to Roxy. It’s not like I regret our marriage… Just that, if I had a similar relationship with Linia and Pursena, I imagine I would have been happy with that outcome, too. Not that I’m fine with being partners with just anyone, but if I had gone down that route, I probably wouldn’t have known any better—wouldn’t have known that I could have been with Roxy instead. Ah, dammit…

“It’s in the past now.”

Yeah, you’re right. Regrets won’t do me any good. I decided to go to Begaritt and that’s it. Right now, I am happy. The choice I made might have been a mistake, but that doesn’t change how things are now. I have regrets, but I don’t think it was all bad.

“You sure are optimistic.”

Anyway, what’s the reason for your visit today? Something else troubling coming my way?

“No, nothing too big. It’s less advice and more like a favor.”

A favor? From you? Now that’s unusual. You’ve never asked me for anything before.

“Even I sometimes need to call in a favor.”

Hmm. Okay, then. Whatever it is, say it. Doesn’t seem like it would be bad to listen to what you have to say and follow your advice every now and then. I think I’ve been a little too distrusting of you.

“Oh, really? It pleases me to hear you say that.”

Well, you have gone to great lengths to help me. In fact, I feel bad for doubting you so much before. I just thought you were getting your kicks from watching me suffer, that’s why I acted that way.

“You wound me. Given my name, you should realize I’m a god, after all. True, I do get bored and want to watch when something entertaining is going down, but I’m not in the habit of leading people astray just to take pleasure from their misery.”

Yeah, I thought so. There aren’t many people like that.

“Agreed.”

So? What is it you want me to do?

“Nothing too important. I just want you to go down to your basement when you wake up. Check and make sure nothing odd is down there. If you don’t see anything, then don’t worry about it.”

Anything odd? Why would… Nah, never mind. I got it. I won’t question you this time, I’ll just do it.

“Hehe, all right, then. You have my thanks.”

As my consciousness began to fade out, a sickening smile split across the Man God’s face.

***

My eyes cracked open. A candle flickered at the edge of my vision. I glanced through the skylight and saw the moon in the sky. There were no other sounds. The house was silent. I had fallen asleep in the midst of writing my diary. A bit of drool had dribbled down my chin and onto the half-written page.

Guess I’ll be rewriting this.

I ripped the page out and left it on the corner of my desk. I’d copy what I had written on a new sheet later.

Wonder how long I was asleep for. My body feels so sluggish, it’s like I’ve been out for days.

As I got up, something fell from my shoulders—a blanket. Sylphie or Roxy must have draped it over me. Whoever it was, I appreciated the gesture.

“All right, then…”

I still remembered the contents of my dream. The Man God had told me to go check out the basement.

Kinda weird advice.

Regardless, I felt there was nothing wrong with going along with it. He had never steered me wrong in the past, so I was compelled to fulfill his wishes occasionally. It would benefit of both of us. Plus, the Man God must be tired of me mouthing off every time he tried to give me advice. Even if our relationship was the give-and-take sort, it would behoove me to get along with him in case I ever needed his help.

As I made to head for the basement, I let out a huge sneeze. “Achoo! Phew, sure is cold…”

The spring was still far off and snow continued to blanket the ground, so it was chilly. I shouldn’t have let myself doze off here. I needed to hurry up and get to bed so I could cuddle under a warm blanket.

I grabbed my robe off a hook on the wall, where it had been hanging, and pulled it over my arms.

Wonder what time it is right now.

It had to be around midnight, considering I didn’t hear any other sounds in the house. If I sneaked into either Roxy or Sylphie’s bedroom and slid under the covers with them, they would probably cry out in surprise. I didn’t mind if we didn’t have sex; I just wanted some warmth. In fact, I just felt really lonely right now. It was probably thanks to the Man God. I should never have asked him what would have happened if I hadn’t gone to Begaritt.

No, I’m the one who asked. It’s my fault. And if all of the blame lies with me, I should just sleep alone.

I was preoccupied with those thoughts as I nudged the door open.

“Hm?”

I suddenly sensed a presence behind me and whipped around. All I saw was the empty chair I’d left behind. No one was there.

Of course not.

“Must have been my imagination.”

The only things in the room were a desk, a chair, and a bookshelf. There was nowhere for anyone to hide. There was a window, but it wasn’t large enough for someone to sneak in and out of. The only entrance was the door I was standing in front of. The room was small enough that one candle was enough to illuminate every nook and cranny. The only person who could possibly be in here was me.

Then why did I think someone else was here, even though it’s practically impossible?

Despite my skepticism, I continued to sense a presence in the room. It was odd. Maybe there was a bug under my bookshelf or something?

“…?”

Something about it was off-putting. My heart beat erratically. Was it anxiety? What was it I was feeling anxious about?

“Well, whatever. I’ll just hurry to the basement and take a look…” I pulled the door open the rest of the way and started out. And then I instantly spun back around and exclaimed, “Aha, now I’ve got you!” 

There was no logic to my actions; I’d just done it on a whim. I was only trying to reassure myself that no one was there. Yet—lo and behold, someone was there.

“Huh…?”

A man in a tattered old robe sat in my chair—the only chair in the room. He was aged, wrinkles lining his face, hair white as snow. The beginnings of a beard covered his chin, giving the impression that he didn’t invest much in his appearance. He had the air of a seasoned veteran, but there was something rough and unrefined about him, like he had come out of a long, long battle. The light in his eyes was sharp, and the color of his right and left pupil differed from one another.

His lips trembled in surprise. “So…I succeeded?” He glanced around, eyes narrowing as his expression filled with emotion. However, he then looked down at his hand, touched his stomach, and flinched. His smile turned self-deprecating. “Nah, this is a failure. Guess there was no hope of me succeeding…”

I felt like I had seen him somewhere before, but I had no recollection of him. There was something familiar, though, as if he resembled someone. Who could it be? Paul, maybe? No, not him. Sauros then? But he didn’t exude the same level of boldness as Sauros. This old man seemed much more timid.

“Wh-who are you? Um, are you the Man God perhaps?”

The moment I said that name, his eyes turned toward me and went wide.

I recognized that reaction. Orsted had the same overexaggerated response when I said that name. They were the same. Yet this man looked nothing like Orsted.

“No.” He slowly shook his head, staring straight into my eyes. There was strength in his gaze. He refused to look away. It was like I was being sucked in, almost like I was staring into a mirror.

The old man gazed at the door behind me and frowned. He pointed a gnarled, bony finger at it, and the door slammed shut. I jumped at the sound it made. 

How did he do that? 

Confused, I turned toward him. There was a glint in his eyes as he glared back at me.

“Don’t go down to the basement. You’re being deceived by the Man God.”

“What?” Deceived? What was he talking about? I didn’t understand. “Hold on a second here. Who the heck are you? And how did you get in here?”

“I am…” He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly closed it. After a moment of contemplation, he finally said: “I am _____.”

That name gave me a shock the likes of which I had never felt before. I was the only person in this world who knew that name. It was one I would take to the grave without ever sharing it with anything else, one I wanted to forget, one that shouldn’t exist in this world.

My name from my previous life.

“I came from the future,” he said.