Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Guardian Beast

WE HAD A MONTH until Asura Kingdom sent word that its king had fallen ill. In that time, I had to work with Ariel to convince Perugius to join her side. To that end, I needed to pump Sylphie for all the details I could. But she probably had her guard up thanks to Orsted’s curse, so I might not be able to persuade her to bring me into Ariel’s plans. I was torn about whether to trust her and tell her the whole truth, or to give up fighting Orsted’s curse and avoid mentioning him altogether.

But first, I had another objective to complete. Namely, the very reason why I’d agreed to work under Orsted to begin with—so I could protect my family. Now that I was his little errand boy, I’d be away from home more often. I needed someone—or something—to take my place.

Thus, my first order of business was summoning this Guardian Beast.

***

It was still morning when I gathered all the members of my household in the garden. That included Aisha, Lilia, and Zenith, who normally spent all their time inside, as well as Eris, who had newly joined the family. Roxy and Norn were present too, as were Dillo and Byt. Sylphie carried Lucie, who had just recently learned to stand while holding onto something.

“In a moment, I will be summoning the Guardian Beast that will serve our family. Feel free to clap.”

“Yay!”

Applause rang from the crowd. The audience’s fervor was hitting its peak. Tonight’s concert would be legendary!

Hold up, Dillo and Byt. Why aren’t the two of you clapping? This just won’t do. What? They’re pets so they can’t clap? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.

“As for exactly what I will be summoning, I am afraid I don’t know for sure. However, we can expect something particularly powerful. And this creature, whatever it is, will keep our family safe and secure.”

“Are you sure this will be okay? That this thing won’t eat us all while you’re gone?” Sylphie asked, worried.

That’s a terrifying thought.

That said, I did recall reading a story like that a long time ago. Something about someone calling forth a beast they couldn’t control and it killing everyone.

“I get you’re worried, but this was made by the meticulous hand of the Dragon God.”

“Which is precisely why I’m worried.”

Logically speaking, Orsted would never use such a roundabout way to get rid of us, but Sylphie probably wasn’t thinking straight thanks to his curse.

But wait, could this be his way of putting a leash on me in case I betray him? Like, if I turn my back on him, will he threaten me? “With a snap of my fingers, that beast residing at your house will devour your entire family.”

That really didn’t seem likely.

“In any case, I’m going to summon it now. If it seems dangerous, we’ll get rid of it together, and then I can give Orsted an earful.”

“Sounds good to me!” Eris declared in excitement. She pulled a sword from its scabbard with a majestic clang. She had two at her hip. On the right was Eminence, a magic blade the Sword God had gifted her. On her left was one she had grown attached to and used for a long time.

Isn’t it cumbersome, carrying both at the same time?

“When that happens, all of us will be able to fight Orsted together!” she declared.

We’re not going to fight. We’re just going to file a complaint, like a normal dissatisfied customer. If we tried to take him down, we’d be the ones kicking the bucket instead.

That said, she looked awfully happy. She wasn’t just looking for an excuse to pick a fight with him, was she?

“We won’t be fighting Orsted,” I said. “But we’ll have plenty of chances to fight together in the future. I hope you’ll save your strength until then.”

Her face sank, as if the idea bored her. It was fine if she wanted to fight other people, but Orsted was off limits. Never in my life did I want to fight another battle that hopeless if I could help it. I’d pee myself if I had to do it a second time.

“Still, are you really sure this magic circle is safe? Perhaps it might be a good idea to have someone like Lord Perugius look at it first?” said Roxy. Apparently, she was also leery of something Orsted had made.

That curse on him really is powerful.

As absurd as the whole curse nonsense seemed, the intensity of their reactions made its existence impossible to deny. That made my decision an easy one, though I did decide to take a second look at the scroll before I used it. I wouldn’t go so far as to have Perugius check it, but it couldn’t hurt to examine it once more myself.

“Hm.”

It seemed like a normal summoning circle. The part that restricted the conditions of the summoning had some symbols I wasn’t familiar with, but there was nothing too suspicious, as far as I could tell. Perhaps I could have Nanahoshi take a look? No, that would be rude. Orsted only made this for me because I didn’t know how to do it myself. What good did it do to be this distrustful?

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said.

“Well, if you say so. I believe you. But wait just a second while I get my staff.” Roxy, it seemed, was not entirely convinced. She said she trusted me, but still disappeared inside the house to retrieve her weapon in case things got ugly.

“I have no idea why everyone seems so on guard, but…you’re sure this isn’t dangerous, Big Brother?” Norn furrowed her brow.

Aisha clapped a hand on Norn’s shoulder. “Don’t be stupid. If it were that dangerous, he wouldn’t activate it with us around.”

Her trust felt like a dagger to the heart. Honestly, I hadn’t confirmed if this summoning circle was safe. Could I really just use it like this? Perhaps I should wait until I could get Perugius to check it, just to be sure? 

But if I did, Aisha’s affectionate gaze would turn to disappointment. And she’d only be suspicious of Orsted, after that.

“Should the worst come to pass, I will act as a shield for everyone. Please, do what you need,” said Lilia.

Well, that sounds ominous.

I didn’t think it would come to that, but everyone else was so jumpy that I was on edge. Were we really going to be okay?

No! I need to have faith in Orsted. He said he trusted me.

“All right then,” I said. “I’m going to use it.”

Everyone nodded.

I set the scroll down on a table I’d erected using my earth magic.

“Here goes.”

I steeled myself and placed my hands on the circle. I concentrated, letting the magic flow through my veins and gather in my fingertips. From there, I poured it into the circle. 

I kept pumping more and more of my mana in. This creature was supposed to be something that could protect my family. Even if I drained myself dry, it still wouldn’t be enough in my eyes. I’d gladly take every last bit of Orsted’s mana too, if I could. Using more mana didn’t necessarily guarantee a strong Guardian Beast, but I would still give this everything I had.

Orsted also said it was important to imagine what I wanted.

Something to protect my family…

That was awfully vague. 

I needed something incredibly powerful. Powerful enough that a normal opponent wouldn’t stand a chance. Something that was incredibly loyal and would never oppose me. And since they were supposed to be protecting my family, preferably not something crude and indecent. I definitely didn’t want some tentacle monster covered in mucus. That wouldn’t be good for my little sisters or Lucie. This Guardian Beast was going to be Lucie’s knight, so I needed something respectable.

That’s right. A creature of high moral character, who is loyal and strong. Okay, order up, let’s go!

“Come on out, Guardian Beast!”

The circle began emitting a bright light, not a pure white but a mix of blue, red, yellow, and green. It was a whole rainbow. But I felt as if the summoning had caught on something—as if there was something stopping it.

What could it be?

I ignored it and continued pouring in more mana. Whatever had been blocking the spell snapped.

“Aaaah!”

A voice groaned, though I couldn’t tell where the sound came from. Was it the Guardian Beast that would now be protecting my family? It sounded rather ominous, as if the creature was in pain. I simply increased my mana output, yanking whatever it was through the summoning circle.

“Aaaaah!” A voice rang out as the mana flow I’d been feeding into the circle was abruptly cut off. 

The light faded, and from within it appeared…

“Khh…”

A man in a yellow mask and white uniform, a large dagger hanging by his side. He was perched atop the earthen platform I had created, down on one knee with his arms wrapped around himself.

“How can this be… How could my contract with Lord Perugius be destroyed like this…?”

He remained in that pose as he lifted his head and looked around. The mask obscured his eyes, but I could swear he was staring straight at me.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” the masked man demanded. 

No, it was wrong to call him that. I knew exactly who this was.

Arumanfi the Bright.

The way he’s posed reminds me of a fallen angel. Not that I’m trying to make light of him, I swear. I’d never be able to hold a candle to his brightness. He’s way more lit than I am. Just kidd—

“I asked you, Rudeus Greyrat, what your intention is here?!” He leapt from the table and tried to seize me by the collar, only to freeze midway through, his entire body trembling.

Eris immediately moved into battle stance, but I held a hand up to stay her.

Bad girl. Go to your pen, Eris.

Seriously, what was going on? I had summoned the bright and noble Arumanfi, of all people. Was that even possible? Although—despite his human form, he was actually a spirit. Perhaps this wasn’t so surprising, after all. Not that that explained everything. Was this all a ploy by Orsted? Was he trying to provoke Perugius, to get him to kill me instead?

Oh, come on, if you’re going to go that far, then just do the job yourself.

“Uh, no, you see… This just kinda happened… I was activating a magic circle that Sir Orsted gave me, and it sort of…summoned you here by accident.”

“Orsted’s magic circle, you say? What precisely were you trying to summon?”

“A Guardian Beast to watch over my family.”

Arumanfi snatched up the scroll with the magic circle. He studied it before gaping. “These are some bothersome stipulations he’s placed on the summoned entity…”

“Um, what conditions are they?”

“The one this circle summons must be absolutely obedient to you, and they are to defend your family against any calamities that might befall them in perpetuity. In other words, they are to serve for eternity.”

Wow. So this magic circle was basically a slave contract? 

Well, the good news is that Orsted didn’t lie to me. Looks like he’s trustworthy after all!

“Anything else?” I asked.

“The summoner will be the one who determines precisely what is called forth.”

So basically, I could decide what Guardian Beast I received. Great.

“Then I’d like to make an exchange.”

“An exchange?”

“Yes, I didn’t mean to summon you, Mister Arumanfi. So I’d like to trade you out for someone else.”

“Then hurry up and dissolve your contract with me. I am Lord Perugius’s proud servant, not yours.”

“Uh, yeah. Right.”

Honestly, it wasn’t a terrible idea having Arumanfi to protect our family. He moved at the speed of light, so if anything unforeseen happened, he’d be the perfect person to relay a message to me.

Yeah, but Perugius values him too much. If I took him away, it might cause discord between us.

I furrowed my brow. “Um, so how do I go about doing that, exactly?”

“Order me to return to Lord Perugius’s side immediately. Dotbath of Destruction will be able to sever the contract.”

“All right.”

“Order me. Now.”

Due to the absolute obedience clause, he needed a direct order from me to leave.

“Okay, then by the power of this summoning circle, I command you to go to Lord Perugius and request advice from him as to how best to call forth a good Guardian Beast.”

Arumanfi kept the magic circle in his hands as he disappeared in a flash of light.

“Sorry everyone, looks like I screwed up,” I said as I glanced back at my family.

They were all staring at me, slack-jawed.

***

Arumanfi returned after a while. He delivered a message from Perugius before, hissing about how he’d let this transgression slide but it had better never happen again. Arumanfi was extremely proud of his status as Perugius’s servant, after all. I did feel genuinely guilty about stealing that from him, however temporarily.

The circle that Orsted had drawn me apparently lost its power when the contract was annulled, so Perugius made me a new one. It was hard to believe he’d show me such kindness after I so rudely swiped one of his servants. He really was as magnanimous as Sylvaril claimed.

The truly terrifying part of the whole ordeal was the level of power Orsted’s circle had commanded. Or maybe it was my own magic that was to blame? Perhaps both. Each was merely a spark on its own, but combined, they made a raging flame.

Since the previous summoning hadn’t depleted much of my mana, I decided to collect myself and try again immediately. According to Perugius, it was better not to imagine vague concepts like majestic, omniscient, or omnipotent, but rather, an animal.

If that was all, I wish Orsted had simply said so. But knowing him, he’d probably have told me to keep Arumanfi, as crazy as that idea sounded.

“Okay, let’s try this again.”

I surveyed the area before putting my hands on the magic circle once more. This time, I was going to keep a concrete image in my mind. I wanted a strong, proud animal.

A lion!

I had no idea if they existed here as I knew them, but the word existed in the language, so surely there was something similar. I wanted the king of beasts—the strongest creature this world had to offer. Although, if I wanted something loyal, I might be better served by a canine, rather than a feline.

Nah, that doesn’t matter. The magic circle requires absolute obedience, so I just need to focus on something that’s strong. I want the most noble beast that exists in this world.

I focused all the magic I had in every corner of my body into my right hand. For a few moments, I squeezed my eyes shut, but as the last drops of mana left my body and poured into the circle, I snapped them open again.

Come on! Bring home the bacon!

I sucked in a breath as the magic circle emitted a dazzling light. It was the same colorful rainbow I had seen earlier, but this time, I didn’t experience the sensation of the spell snagging on something. My mana flowed smoothly into the circle, and whatever was on the other end heeded my call. In fact, it felt as though a hand was being extended toward me, and all I had to do was take it and pull. I was confident that I would be successful this time.

“All right, come on out!” I hollered.

A faint howl echoed through the air.

“Awoooo!”

It grew louder and louder, ringing in my ears.

Is there something I should be saying right now as I’m summoning this thing? I guess it doesn’t matter…

As I debated that, the light disappeared. What stood before me was a white lion, over two meters tall. I assumed it was female since it had no mane. The way its snout extended, however, reminded me more of a dog than a cat.

Wait, this is no lion. It’s a dog. And judging by how short its legs are, it’s a pup at that.

In fact, upon closer inspection, I realized its fur wasn’t white, but silver. It looked like a baby Shiba Inu, but far more massive.

Hmm… Did I botch it again?

“It’s adorable!” Aisha exclaimed.

“But do you really think this thing can protect us?” Norn frowned.

“Well,” said Sylphie, “for a pup, it does look confident.”

Roxy nodded. “At the very least, it looks too innocent for anyone to suspect it’s a Guardian Beast.”

The two of them seemed approving enough.

“It does look intelligent,” Lilia commented. She had a perfect poker face so it was hard to tell what she was thinking, but she wasn’t knitting her brows or frowning at least. 

Zenith was expressionless as ever. I had no idea what Byt thought of our newest addition, but Dillo was already on his back, expressing submission toward our Guardian Beast. 

Not too bad as far as first impressions went.

Although, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this pup before.

“Hold on,” said Eris. “Isn’t this the Sacred Beast that was so attached to you back in Doldia Village, Rudeus?”

That’s right! I just remembered. Uh, what were the words in Beast God Tongue again…

I cleared my throat and said, “Are you perhaps the Sacred Beast from Doldia?”

“Woof.” The great dog bobbed its head in response before licking my face.

Ugh, it stinks. Dammit, what does this thing take me for? A piece of meat?

At least I finally knew exactly what I had summoned.

“I see.”

The Sacred Beast, huh? The same one the Doldia tribe treasured so much that they locked it away deep within their village…

Crap. If they found out that I summoned it to serve as my personal guardian, they would be absolutely livid, wouldn’t they? If they put me on their wanted list, it would only cause more problems. I already had enough on my plate.

Guess I gotta exchange this one too…

Although annulling the contract would cause more trouble for either Perugius or Orsted. And there was no guarantee I’d get anything better on the third try.

Hmm…

I spoke in Beast God Tongue. “O Sacred Beast, if I might humbly ask, do you possess the power to protect my family from any calamity that might befall them?”

“Woof!”

He seemed to be saying, “Leave everything to me!” He seemed motivated enough, but on the other hand, he had gotten himself kidnapped before. Could I really rely on him to protect them? Orsted assured me that the Man-God probably wouldn’t come after my family much anymore, so maybe I didn’t have anything to worry about, but…

“Arf?”

As I was lost in thought, the Sacred Beast leaped from the summoning table and pressed its body against me, licking at my face again.

Ahh, he’s so soft… They definitely have to be using some kinda conditioner on him. And if he’s our Guardian Beast, that means I’ll be able to enjoy his fluffy fur every single day.

“Yep, I’ve gotta be mistaken. This definitely isn’t the Sacred Beast.”

Nope. This was not the holy creature the beastfolk looked up to with such reverence. Definitely not. There was no way their protector god would show up here of all places. It had to be a look-alike.

That’s right. This thing is a…a lion, that’s it!

It was clearly a lion cub I had called here from one of an infinite number of alternate worlds. At least, that was the explanation I decided upon in my mind. It was good enough for me. Although that excuse probably wouldn’t hold water when it came to protecting me from the wrath of the Doldia.

Well, if things started going sideways, I could always ask Lord Perugius for a favor and swap this lion cub for something else. Until then, we’d have a trial period of sorts.

“All right. From today forth, your name is Leo!” I proclaimed, thrusting my hand into the air.

The Sacred Beast promptly licked my fingers before snorting in response. Then, suddenly, he lifted his head as if he had noticed something. His gaze turned toward Roxy. Leo trotted over to her before promptly shoving his face up her skirt.

“Ack! Hey! What are you doing?!” Roxy cried, bonking him with her staff.

Our perverted canine merely sniffed and licked at her leg before wrapping his enormous body around her.

“Um, Rudy… What am I supposed to do about this?” Nervously, she peered over at me.

I had no idea what was going on exactly, but it was clear that our new family member was attached to Roxy.

“Leo, now that I have summoned you here, you’re my servant,” I said in Beast God Tongue. “Your duty is to protect my family. Understood?”

“Woof!” he barked back cheerfully.

I had no idea how useful a pup would be for watching over everyone, but since this was what I had summoned, it was going to be our Guardian Beast henceforth.

Surely, he’ll prove his worth.

“Leo, allow me to explain a bit about what your employment here entails. I know you’re used to getting your way and having people spoil you, but that won’t fly here. You’re going to have to wear a collar and live in a dog house like a normal canine. If anyone suspicious appears, you bark at them, bite them, and render them powerless. If they’re too strong, you have my permission to kill them. You’ll have three meals a day here, and you’re free to take naps whenever you want. If you so desire, we’ll even take you for walks when you want. If you find these conditions acceptable, please bark once.”

“Woof!”

Great, that’s the kind of answer I like to hear. And one more thing…

“It goes without saying that if you dare do anything to hurt my family…”

“Arf…” His throat rumbled, as if he were offended by the mere idea.

“Great. Then our contract is sealed. Now let’s shake on it.” I held out my hand and he promptly offered up his paw.

And with that, our family had a new pet.