Mushoku Tensei Redundancy (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 6.3

Gyes

FOR DOLDIAS OF MY GENERATION, Ghislaine Dedoldia was an object of fear and scorn. She was abnormal beyond anything we’d ever seen. Children like her were traditionally called “beastlings,” but her? She was something else entirely—not even a person. 

It wasn’t just that words didn’t get through to her. Nothing we did to communicate with her worked, and we couldn’t tell what she wanted. She always smelled of anger and frustration, and if you so much as met her eyes, she’d attack. She nearly killed me countless times.

Every time she attempted it, she was stripped naked and doused in city water, then shut up in a barn, but nothing helped. That punishment was a surefire extinguisher of rage, and it calmed people down so quickly, you felt sorry for them. It worked on everyone. 

But not her. 

You could drench her in water or shut her up in the dark all day, but she only grew more furious, her rampages more intense. Nothing changed when our father made the decision to kill her, only to fail in the attempt. When she was taken away by an odd traveling swordsman, I felt overwhelming relief. She hadn’t died in Doldia Village, but I could rest easy. A creature like that wouldn’t live long, I thought. She’d die in some lonely ditch.

So when the name of “Sword King Ghislaine” came to us on the wind, I didn’t think anything of it. Ghislaine, swordswoman of the Doldia tribe? It wasn’t possible. I figured some idiot who knew Ghislaine’s name had stolen it to gild their reputation. 

With a mix of fear and horror, our generation stayed in denial. When the children heard the stories of Ghislaine, their eyes lit up. They didn’t know her, so to them, it must have sounded like someone who had left the village and made her fortune. In any case, I’d never imagined she’d make it to adulthood. There was no way a creature who left that much destruction in its wake would survive. Now that I was grown, I understood how pitiful she had been as a beastling, but still, the resentment was still lodged tightly in the depths of my heart. Every time I heard her name, I thought, Ghislaine, finding success out in the world? Like hell.

More than ten years ago, human children had brought a demon warrior to us. That was how I’d heard the story of Ghislaine’s unbelievable life. Ghislaine, teaching children how to fight with swords while she, in turn, learned how to read and do sums… Is this a joke? I thought. She’d eat children as soon as look at them. It’s in her nature.

But one of the children—Rudeus Greyrat—told me something. He said, “People can change.”

Impossible. I knew it had to be someone who had assumed the name. Or rather, I’d hoped as much.

Now, Ghislaine was in front of me.

With her were Master Rudeus and Miss Eris. My silly daughters had even come along too. When I asked why they had come, they said it was to discuss what would happen when Lara, Rudeus’s daughter and the sacred beast’s chosen savior, came of age. 

It was true that the Doldia tribe held a ceremony upon the birth of the savior, the sacred beast’s companion. The whole of the Great Forest would be swept up in the affair. It was a great undertaking requiring several years of preparation. Master Rudeus was another species, and I doubted he had especially profound knowledge of the Doldia tribe, but he offered his assistance. It was much appreciated. I supposed Linia and Pursena had brought him around. 

After they left the village to attend to the sacred beast, I had heard nothing of them, but they seemed to have done well for themselves. While they were there, they were even serving Master Rudeus as leaders of a pack called Ruquag’s Mercenary Band. As a parent, I was proud. It wouldn’t be enough to erase their mistakes from last time, but it was an achievement great enough to satisfy Minitona and Tersena, whose tensions over choosing the next chief were mounting. Minitona and Tersena were ambitious. They’d train even harder after seeing the girls’ success.

“When the savior… When Lara sets off on her journey with the Sacred Beast, all the tribes living in the Great Forest must consent to and be present at the ceremony. With all your connections, Master Rudeus, we would be most grateful for your assistance.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I thought you might tell me you would do it all yourselves and I’d have to shut up and hand her over.”

“Ha ha. I might have said as much to another human, but not to one who understands how much this ceremony means to the Doldia tribe.”

My talk with Rudeus was pleasant. Perhaps it was my imagination, but it seemed as though he was delicately avoiding the subject of Ghislaine. It smelled of that sort of thing.

“All right, I’ll notify all the tribes and you’ll handle the preparations. Is Lara’s outfit the only thing we need to get ready, then?”

“There is no need; there is traditional garb. Only…”

“What is it?”

“The monsters we use for the material live in the depths of the Great Forest. For generations, it has been the warrior chief who goes to hunt them. Now, well, the village has no warrior chief…”

“Ah…”

I shot a glance at my daughters. One looked the other way, as if she hadn’t heard. The other was sucking on a meaty bone she’d brought herself. Good-for-nothings.

“I have not yet determined the details, but in a few years’ time, I wish to send out a hunt for these monsters that will also serve as the selection ritual for the warrior chief.”

“That will be quite the headache.”

“You understand me, then?”

Master Rudeus gave a deep nod. I’d thought this the last time we met, but he’d grown. It was impossible to believe he was the same boy who had hidden in a wooden chest to spy on my daughters as they bathed. What a disgrace my daughters were by comparison. When I anticipated we’d have more dealings with the humans, I sent them to a far-off school so that they might also learn about society. This is how they’d squandered that education. But while they looked like good-for-nothings to me, in human society, they were the leader and second-in-command of a mercenary band—pack leaders. Perhaps I was the problem.

“You don’t mind doing it like that, Pursena?”

“Fine with me. I mean, I’d be happy to do it now. I’ll wipe the floor with Minitona and Tersena.”

“You seem confident.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Who do you think I train with?” She looked at Miss Eris… Had she looked at Ghislaine? Could it be that Ghislaine hadn’t just trained Eris, but Pursena as well…?

“I haven’t been in the Great Forest for a while, so it might take me a while to find the monsters. That won’t be too hard to get over.”

Beside Pursena, Linia nodded with a knowing smirk. In the past, when Pursena got like this, Linia would have immediately teased her or insisted that she was better. Now she just nodded quietly. They were that serious, then. I had my misgivings, but if they were preparing properly, I was pleased.

So there was a chance that Pursena would become warrior chief. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Then when the day is set, I will send word.”

“Gotcha. I’ll leave a magician from the mercenary band here as a liaison.”

Master Rudeus intended to leave a magical message tablet in the village, and I was meant to keep in touch that way. How very convenient that Linia and Pursena were in a position to make use of such things. The two of them had been away from Doldia Village for a long time, so their habits of thinking weren’t very natural to me, but new knowledge and goods could breathe new life into the village. That could not be a bad thing.

The conversation stalled. We had discussed the ceremony and the selection of the warrior chief. There was nothing left. I wanted to tell them to go have a meal and rest here for the night, but…

Ghislaine’s silent presence through all of this unsettled me. The Ghislaine I knew could never have sat quietly for such a long time—she would have gone wild halfway through. Someone would have gotten hurt. I wanted to question if this was really her, but there was no doubting her distinctive scent. It made the base of my tail itch. Long ago, I would have run away as soon as I caught a whiff of it approaching…

“Ghislaine.” Her name came to my lips unbidden. We would get nowhere sitting here in silence. I was the chief of the Doldia tribe now. My silence would have shamed me.

“What?” Ghislaine’s tail twitched, and she looked at me.

“How dare you show your face?”

A cold sweat broke out on my back as I spoke. The Ghislaine of old would have beat me half to death just for that. Clearly, she’d spent these years honing herself like a blade. If this were our first meeting, I would have thought she was someone I ought to respect. But if the Ghislaine from long ago wielded this strength, she would have used it to take my head. She might have murdered any one of the villagers. I ought to cast her out before she did any damage.

But Miss Eris had gone out of her way to bring Ghislaine here. I had to face her—as both someone who refused to forget what she was, and as the current chief.

Eris began to rise, her hand on her sword, but she thought better of it. She sat back down, her brow furrowed. Ghislaine had thrown her hand out to hold her back.

At length, Ghislaine spoke. “I trained at the Sword Sanctum and earned the title of Sword King. My strength is recognized. Now I serve the ruler of the Asura Kingdom. Look at my armor. It is a very good post. They treat me well… That is how I dare.” She spoke a little haltingly, but her face was impassive.

“I thought you’d bear a grudge against this village…”

“A grudge? Why?” Ghislaine cocked her head at me.

“Why? We drove you out. We tried to kill you. Remember?”

Ghislaine paused, then said, “What else would you do with a beast who couldn’t understand language? I can’t begrudge you that.” She went on matter-of-factly, “When I was granted the title of Sword King, my master told me something. He said, ‘You are Sword King Ghislaine of the Doldia tribe. Use that name with pride. Whenever you swear an oath, you swear it on the Doldias.’”

“Pride?”

“Yeah.”

Go to hell. You don’t get to call yourself a Doldia, I wanted to shout, but I couldn’t. Why? I didn’t know. Ghislaine’s words had been strangely comforting.

“The name of the Doldia tribe has helped me and never hindered me. I bear no grudge.” 

A memory of my youth, back before I became warrior chief, came back to me, way back when the rumors of Sword King Ghislaine had wafted into the village. The name had a degree of notoriety attached to it, but the stories were not shameful. On the contrary, most of them were glowing. One told of how she had conquered a challenging labyrinth. As an adventurer, that was a great honor. Ghislaine of the Doldia tribe had done it.

Like hell that could be true. It must be an imposter. I’d said it then, and the others of my generation had joined their voices with mine. But had I not felt just the slightest bit of pride? I was proud to be part of the Doldia tribe. Had I not been pleased to hear that one of our own was making a name for herself? Even if she had been cast out…

“If anything, I feel ashamed. I’m sorry I’m such a fool.” Ghislaine bowed her head. 

She apologized. Ghislaine had apologized.

“I… I see.” I shut my eyes. 

It was I who had been a fool. Ghislaine had only been suffering from the worst symptoms of being a beastling. Even our parents gave her up as a hopeless case, but beastlings take time. Now that she’d had it, Ghislaine had grown up into a fine woman. The village cast her out, but she’d gotten her sense and grew. Not only that, but she was proud to be a Doldia. She still announced her heritage now that she’d acquired fame. She held her head high. Today, on this day, she had come home. 

This was a good faith effort. I knew what to say to her.

“Sword King Ghislaine Dedoldia. I am glad to see you back in the Doldia village, and as its chief, Gyes Dedoldia, I welcome you.”

“You’re too kind.” Ghislaine stood up, then dropped to one knee and bowed her head. That was how the swordsmen of the Sword God Style greeted a person of higher rank. It was proper and a great honor for me—and from Ghislaine.

Ghislaine saw me as her superior…?

“Stay here tonight, and then on the morrow, tell me of your travels.”

“As you wish. I have many interesting tales.”

I welcomed her. I could not forget all that had happened between us, but it was time to step aside for the next generation. I couldn’t help but worry about my daughters, who were of that generation… But if Ghislaine could change, maybe they could as well. After all, my father and my grandfather before him would have had worries like mine, but they served their time as chief. My time had come, and theirs would, too…

That was how the homecoming of Ghislaine Dedoldia came to pass.