Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume SS - Chapter 38

Short Story:

A Parting Gift

“SOMETHING, THERE MUST be something…” Norn Greyrat was in a fix. The previous day, her big brother had announced that he was withdrawing from the Superd Village. He had told Norn, in particular, that she was to get home as soon as possible. There was still a lot left to sort out here, but the enemy was defeated, and the danger had passed. It was logical for the people who weren’t needed on the ground to gradually withdraw, and only natural that Norn, who had only been acting as a nurse in the village, should lead the way. She was reluctant to leave, but if she’d been the one in charge, she would have sent Norn Greyrat home quickly too. She accepted it. It was just how things were.

It was, however, undeniably a wrench to be parted from Ruijerd. Once she went home, she was sure it would be some time before she saw him again. Ruijerd had found his people and settled here, and she would return to the Magic City of Sharia and go back to her life.

She might be able to see him straight away if she wanted to. With teleportation circles, you could travel to far-off places in a literal instant. But the circles were forbidden: she wouldn’t be 

allowed to use them just because she missed Ruijerd. She might even go the rest of her life without seeing him again. That, Norn knew, was what parting meant. Indeed, back in Millis she had been parted from her father, who she had loved so much, and she had never seen him again. Some of her classmates from the University of Magic she had been close with had died, and she would never see them again.

Not being able to see people was just the way of the world. Norn would have liked to spend more time with those people, if she could, to see them all the time. But sometimes, you couldn’t. And that was just how things were.

Even Norn herself—who knew when she might die in some unexpected accident? And that wasn’t the only possibility. It seemed like Rudeus was being careful, but as the relative of someone involved in such intense battles, she might easily find herself ­targeted. Norn had no faith in her ability to survive an encounter with anyone who could seriously harm Rudeus and the others. Ruijerd, on the other hand, the legendary warrior, had far better odds of survival, and so Norn at least wanted him to remember. She wanted him to remember her.

When she and Ruijerd had last parted, he’d given her a figurine of himself. Norn had gotten through many a hard day by gazing at it and thinking back on the conversations they’d shared. That was how important Ruijerd was to her. She wanted to leave him with something to remind him she existed.

“…Ugggh!”

Norn, however, had never been quick on the draw. As a result of the many things she’d learned at the University of Magic, she’d learned to plan and prepare carefully, and, when it came to her everyday tasks, to do them as well as if not better than average. However, when she had to do something without any warning like this, it totally threw her.

“Norn, you aren’t ready yet? Aisha’s calling.” While she was floundering, her time ran out.

“Ruijerd…” He had come to get her. Norn looked at him miserably. If this had been her younger sister Aisha, she would have completed her objective in next to no time, maybe by some method Norn would never have thought of—using her position in the Ruquag Mercenary Company to have a present delivered later, for example.

“Are you looking for something?”

“No…um…” Rather than a thing, it was more accurate to say she was looking for an idea.

“What is it…?” Ruijerd asked kindly, but when Norn looked up at him, she only got tongue-tied. If Aisha had been here, she would have pressed her to spit it out already. But Ruijerd waited quietly for her.

Finally, Norn found her words.

“Ruijerd, I, um, wanted to give you something…”

“Me?”

“Y-yes.”

“Oh.” They fell silent. If Ruijerd had asked her “Why?” Norn might have been too embarrassed to say anything further. But Ruijerd waited for her. That was why Norn made herself continue.

“Ruijerd, I just, I don’t want you to forget me…”

Ruijerd reached out a hand to her. Norn thought he would stroke her hair like he always did, but contrary to her expectation, Ruijerd laid his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and saw him smiling as if to say she was just as silly as ever.

“I am not going to forget you,” he said.

“You…you aren’t?”

“No. Something about you reminds me of my lost wife. How could I forget?”

“I… Oh…” Norn nodded, her feelings confused. She could not have described what was occurring in her chest even if she had been ordered to. There was shock, as well as loneliness and resignation.

“Let’s meet again,” were Ruijerd’s parting words to her.

“Yes,” Norn somehow managed to reply. After that, she left him and returned to the Magic City of Sharia. Little did she know that a few months later, they would be reunited…