Mushoku Tensei Redundancy (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 4.3

Chapter 3:

Roxy’s Duty

I WAS SITTING IN A CHAIR in the garden reading a book. From the corner of my eye I could see Eris and Sieg practicing their sword swings together, even though we’d come here for a holiday. Arus had been with them for a while, but then Rudy’s aunt, Therese, had asked him to go somewhere, and off he went. Perhaps he was in her room right now and she was giving him sweets or something. That boy… Put a woman with large breasts in front of him and he was smitten. Women would be trouble for him down the line.

Lara, meanwhile, was loafing around with Leo in the garden. I suspected she was scheming something again. Lately, everything that girl did had me tearing my hair out!

If Arus, Sieg, and Lara all stayed home and behaved themselves, it ought to be an uneventful day. Sylphie and Norn had taken Lucie and Clive to visit the Adventurers’ Guild. They invited me to join them, but I declined. I didn’t want young adventurers to come up to me in front of the children saying, “Think you’ll lure some new party members with your assets, huh?” 

Anyway, here in Millishion, a demon out and about was bound to get strange looks. Also, I’d wanted to spend some time with Lily and Chris. Now that they were down for their naps, I found myself with nothing to do, leaving me able to relax for the first time in a long time. I was going to enjoy my book by myself. 

Fortunately, I’d found a rather intriguing book in the Latria’s family library. It was called The Origins of Divine Magic. Its description of necromancy was particularly interesting. 

In the Great Human-Demon War, the demons terrorized the people of Millis with the genus of magic known as necromancy: the forbidden art that raises the dead and turns them into servants. Even now, its traces remain in monsters, such as skeletons, wraiths, and moving armor. Divine magic was created to defeat necromancy. In the middle period of the first Great Human-Demon War, the relationship between humans with their divine magic and demons with their necromancy developed into a kind of arms race. Following the end of the war, necromancy was forbidden, and the art was lost. Divine magic has declined from its height but is still in use to the present day.

The book did not go into detail about magic circles or incantations, and I wasn’t planning on experimenting with necromancy, but it did tickle my curiosity as I read. It was epic, this battle of magic from ages past.

“Miss Roxy?” Someone behind me called my name.

“Yes?” I looked up from my book and saw one of the Latrias’ maids standing there.

“Her ladyship…that is, Lady Claire would like to see you.”

Claire Latria. Technically, she was my grandmother-in-law and so above me in rank, despite us being more or less the same age. She hadn’t given me a single unpleasant look so far, but she was a demon expulsionist, so I doubted she was happy to see me. What would she say? In all honesty, I wanted to worm out of it.

As I thought this, I glanced over at Eris. 

“Come on, tighten up your form! Pull your chin in!” She was as fired up today about teaching sword fighting as ever. If Claire had something to say about my being a demon, fine, but what if it were something else? What if, for example, she had opinions about how we raised the children? Then she might have words for Eris. Eris had trouble talking about complicated subjects, and she couldn’t bite her tongue. If Claire said something nasty to her, she’d respond with her fists. That was just the kind of woman she was.

I could rebut whatever Claire said, but it could easily devolve into an argument.

“Very well,” I told the maid. This, I supposed, was another of my duties as Rudy’s wife.

***

Despite my attempt to steel myself for the challenge, I found myself sitting in Claire’s room as she quietly sipped her tea, unable to so much as open my mouth in front of her. I just sat there. For some reason, Lilia and Zenith were there too; Lilia was in a similar frozen state to me, and Zenith was as quiet as she ever was.

Honestly, it was agonizing. I couldn’t even reach out for the sweets next to the tea. Sweets were my favorite, but I felt like Claire would scold me. “You’ll spoil your dinner” or something. Actually, that was something I often said to Lara.

It couldn’t be a coincidence that she’d summoned both Lilia and me. We had different husbands, but we both might be perceived (with some truth) as concubines. The Millis faith did not accept concubines. Whatever! I was ready. I’d been a little precious with myself lately, but I was prepared for whatever harsh words people might throw at me.

I glanced at Lilia as I thought this, our eyes meeting. It appeared she felt the same way that I did. Indeed, perhaps she’d anticipated this far longer than I had. The silver lining to all this was that Claire had not summoned Eris. I didn’t think she could have handled this with the necessary grace.

“Rudeus has gone out, I believe,” Claire said suddenly. It was the first thing anyone had said since I’d entered the room.

“He went to deliver a gift to Cliff.”

“Work, then. He’s supposed to be on holiday with his family. He’s exactly like Carlisle in that regard.”

Early that morning, Rudy had gone with Elinalise to deliver “the doll” to Cliff. I wasn’t sure if that was precisely work. The doll in question was an automaton he’d built to take care of Cliff. I’d heard about Ann and didn’t have any opinion one way or the other about her, but I had to say, this new one was a little creepy. Apart from its short, human-like ears, it looked exactly like Elinalise, right down to its body language and tone of voice. 

Apparently, that had been Elinalise’s idea. Cliff had risen in the world lately, and his popularity with the ladies had risen too. He’d been inundated with people encouraging him to get married. She was leaving him with the doll, in part, as a deterrent against such pests. The scheme was meant to send the message that this was the sort of person Cliff was going to marry, while keeping the fact that she was an elf under wraps. Elinalise had spent months teaching the doll her speech patterns and body language. That being said, Elinalise probably had a less political use in mind for the doll. 

Either way, she still seemed dissatisfied with it, saying it lacked a key something. It didn’t look exactly like her when you looked closely, but at a glance it was so similar it was eerie.

Rudy had once made a figurine of me too, but I hadn’t given permission for him to animate it. If he ever asked, I intended to decline. Even Rudy wouldn’t do such a thing without permission. He didn’t need a doll of me; he could have the real thing whenever he pleased. I wasn’t Sylphie, but I wouldn’t say no to an occasional request from Rudy—though I preferred that he didn’t ask me to do anything too perverted.

I wasn’t terribly close with Cliff, but I did wonder how happy the devout followers of Millis would be about such a thing. Rudeus said it was a surprise. I thought he might end up with Cliff angry at him instead, but it wasn’t my place to comment.

“I wouldn’t call it work,” I said to Claire. “Cliff is a particularly close friend of his.”

“I see. If it were me, I would have one of the servants deliver it rather than going to the trouble myself, unless of course I did not wish others to see it. I suppose that is a difference of custom.”

Oh no, she was right. He did not want other people to see it. Besides, Cliff probably wouldn’t accept the doll unless it was accompanied by Rudy and Elinalise’s explanation.

“By the way, Lilia, what is Aisha doing today?” she asked.

“Aisha went out this morning to visit the mercenary band. She said she’ll be back in the afternoon.”

Aisha had made the decision to spend the day with the mercenaries suddenly, only after she’d heard that Arus would be at the house all day. Did she not want to be in the house? Now that I thought about it, Norn had also abruptly decided to join Sylphie, Lucie, and the others when she heard they were going out. Of course, Lucie had also begged Norn to go with them.

“I imagine those girls aren’t fond of this house,” Claire said with a sigh. She took a sip of her tea but frowned, as though the taste offended her. Her brow still furrowed, she turned to Lilia. “Lilia, when you were here last, I was quite harsh with you.”

“No…” Lilia replied hesitantly. “Not at all, Ma’am.”

“I wish to apologize. A man from who-knows-where claiming to be Zenith’s husband arrived on my doorstep asking for help, then, just when Zenith was found, a woman appeared claiming to be his other wife with a daughter in tow. It did not put me in good humor.”

“I understand, madam. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Aisha still bears ill feelings,” Claire said.

The air almost seemed to crackle. I was getting a stomachache.

“Contrary to my fears, you have served the Greyrat family well. When Zenith became afflicted like this, you could have claimed greater influence, but you stayed in the background and cared for her.”

“You give me too much credit. I had no such power.”

“You may think so, but what Zenith said yesterday through the Blessed Child made it clear that the Greyrat family is grateful to you.”

Lilia was silent.

She had a point. Rudy might not have been aware of it, but he did try to treat Lilia the same as Zenith. Zenith was her equal, but Zenith’s condition meant she couldn’t properly speak for herself. If Lilia had been so inclined, she could have doffed her maid uniform for the position of his mother and lady of the house. If she had, our family harmony would be strained, and Zenith would be treated differently too. But Lilia hadn’t abused her charms; she had kept to the background, and that was why the Greyrat family was what it was today. Claire was absolutely right.

“The same is true for you, Roxy.”

“Huh?” I looked up, surprised to suddenly hear my name, but Claire wasn’t looking at me. Her eyes moved from her own hands to Zenith. She then proceeded to look out the window.

“For the past few days, I have been watching the children. They are all happy and healthy. Lara takes her pranks a little far, but she isn’t too abnormal.”

“Did, erm, Lara do something?”

“Yesterday, she was kind enough to gift me a frog.”

I felt a wave of dizziness. What in the world was wrong with that girl? “I-I’m terribly sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s no need to apologize. By way of thanks, I had the frog grilled and fed it to her for her afternoon snack.”

The dizziness returned. Now that she mentioned it, Lara had been eating something on a stick yesterday. When I asked her what it was, she only said, “It’s a secret.”

“Naturally, my cooks prepared it properly,” Claire continued. “I am not partial to frog myself, but people do eat it in these parts.”

The Millis Continent, which was very rainy, had a lot of cuisine made from frogs and lizards. I myself had been sustained by such food when I was an adventurer. Back before I knew how to use antidote magic, I’d also almost died after eating a poisonous specimen. I was certain the cooks had inspected their ingredients, so they wouldn’t have fed anything dangerous to Lara.

I was surprised. From what Rudy had told me, I had imagined Claire as extremely strict—hardly the sort of person who would do what she’d described.

“This morning, she told me that she loved her snack and would be sure to thank me. I can only imagine what form her thanks will take,” Claire said.

Was she blaming me? Her tone was as acerbic as ever and there wasn’t a hint of a smile on her face, so she probably was. Then, she let out a little sigh. Was she finally going to tell us why we were here?

“I don’t know why you are so tense, but just so you know, Rudeus has told me very firmly that I am not to interfere in your family affairs. There are things I would like to say, but I will keep my promise.”

It came out like a sharp rebuke, but—if she said so.

“The reason I called the two of you here today,” Claire went on, “is because, compared to the others, you are the most adult. Sylphiette is still young and Eris immature. I can’t say what Zenith was like before this happened to her, but in her current condition, she isn’t capable of looking after anyone. It seems to me that the two of you are able to take a step back and see the larger picture. And so…khh, ahem…” 

She broke off coughing, and the maids rushed to her side. I jumped up and went toward her, ready to cast an antidote spell. Claire waved the maids away as though nothing had happened, then drank the rest of her tea.

“I’m quite all right, I only choked a little. Oh—what’s this?” Claire looked up at Zenith. Until a moment ago, Zenith had been staring into space, acting as though she were in another world. But when Claire had coughed, she’d gotten up without Lilia’s help and was now gazing at her with her vacant eyes.

“Perhaps you ought to rest.” It was Lilia who spoke, but it almost sounded like the words were Zenith’s.

“For goodness’s sake, so much fuss over a little cough, and the looks of shock I get from everyone when they see my cane… I might have a bad back, but my lungs are quite all right. Zenith, stop looking at me like that and sit down.”

When Claire said “stop looking at me like that” I glanced at Zenith again, but her face was as blank as ever. I looked quizzically at Claire, who also seemed surprised. I returned to my chair, and Lilia took Zenith’s hand and helped her down again too.

For a while, we sat in silence. The shock gradually faded from Claire’s face, but it seemed her feelings wouldn’t settle so quickly.

“It was her first time out in society,” she said abruptly. “At the first noble party Zenith attended, I tripped and fell on the stairs on the way home.” She sounded almost fond. I realized she had lowered her eyes, and that another note had entered her voice, like a hidden sob.

“I was not seriously injured, and healing magic fixed me up right away. But it’s strange. Just now, I felt as though Zenith was looking at me the same way that she did that day.”

There was a pitter-patter of something falling from Claire’s downturned face. She picked up a nearby handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

“Zenith was much admired. I was proud to call her my daughter. I didn’t…I thought I had brought her up…well…” Claire’s shoulders shook.

Unsure what to say to her, all I could do was watch. A thought hit me. Had I ever given real thought to my children’s futures? I’d married Rudy, given birth to Lara and Lily, then left them in the care of the family while I went off to teach at the magic university. Sylphie and Lilia looked after the children at home, and I looked after the children at school. This was fulfilling to me, so I’d never questioned how we raised the children. 

It did worry me a little that Lara, my own daughter, was less diligent and more prone to mischief than Lucie. I’d wondered if it was because I was a demon or because she was half-human. While I worried, the years passed, and Lara got older. She fit in with the other children and was close with Arus and Sieg. I was sure she’d settle down once she grew up a little more. That’s the extent I had thought about it. Well, mostly.

What I hadn’t really thought about was what came next. Supposedly, Lara was a savior, which sounded like a heavy responsibility. I couldn’t know exactly what it would entail. Presumably, she would take part in the battle against the Man-God. And what about after that? Even after battle, life went on.

In truth, I was well aware that worrying about the future wouldn’t do any good.

“I beg your pardon,” said Claire. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“Not at all,” I said.

“One is so easily moved to tears at my age.”

Claire’s eyes were red as she laid the handkerchief back down on the table. She’d cried yesterday at the cathedral too, when the Blessed Child relayed Zenith’s words.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “Here in the Holy Country of Millis, it is said that twisted families raise twisted children. I share that view.” She fixed us with a piercing look. “The Greyrat children seem healthy and not at all twisted. Zenith certainly wasn’t twisted either. Nevertheless, I entreat you to take care. In the event that something goes awry, it will be you two, observing from the proper distance you’ve maintained, who notice first.”

Something going awry—like when Zenith ran away from home. The possibility was there, of course. With Lara in particular, I had no idea what she was on her mind. Then again, it might not be Lara. The children who seemed the most well-adjusted might be the ones at risk. Lucie, for example, was a model student at school, but would I really notice if something was about to go wrong? 

Ugh. The weight of the expectations on me made my stomach clench.

“That was the message I intended to relay to you,” Claire finished, then sank back in her chair.

Lilia and I glanced at one another. In contrast to my confusion, Lilia turned to Claire with an air of determination.

“Understood, madam,” she said. “I will see that I do.” She sounded like a soldier who’d been given a crucial mission. It must have been her confidence from raising Norn and Aisha talking—Rudy too, come to think of it.

“I will too,” I added. “As best I can.” I wasn’t as confident. After all, as a teacher, I’d come to watch over many different people, but I still wasn’t convinced I was any good at teaching. Regardless, even if it were just offering an alternative for the children who needed a different education than Sylphie and Eris could offer, I was sure I could manage that. I had to. 

Something else heartened me. Despite misgivings I was sure Claire had, she treated me as an equal. A demon expulsionist couldn’t help but have a distaste for demons, and I was what I was. Claire was compromising for me, and I felt I should live up to her expectations.

“Hm?” Just then, the door opened, and a white dog shuffled into the room. Naturally, Lara was on his back. For some reason she was covered in mud: her shoes, clothes, everything. How many times had I told her to wipe the mud off her shoes before coming inside?!

“Lara, you aren’t to ride Leo inside the house,” I said, just to say something.

Lara made a face, but she got off Leo. Even at school, she was climbing on him the moment my back was turned. It was exasperating.

After getting down, Lara slowly went up to Claire.

“Great-Grandma, I found something cool,” Lara said.

“What might that be?” Claire asked.

“This.”

Lara took something round and gold from her pocket. From where I was seated, I couldn’t see it properly, but it looked like a pendant or something similar. When Claire saw it, her eyes went wide.

“Where did you find that?” she asked.

“On the ground in the garden. You were looking for it, right, Great-Grandma?”

“Why yes, I’ve been looking for a very long time…but how?”

“Yesterday, Grandma said that you always wore it, so you must have dropped it somewhere, then hurt your back looking for it.” As she said this, Lara looked at Zenith. That hadn’t come up in what the Blessed Child’s powers had revealed of Zenith’s thoughts…which meant Lara must have heard it herself.

“You went looking for it?” Claire asked.

“I wanted to thank you for my snack yesterday.”

Claire was silent.

“It was tasty, but I’d rather have those for my snack,” Lara added, looking at the table where the sweets that came with the tea were resting.

“You are welcome to them,” Claire said.

“Thank you!” Lara grabbed a biscuit and popped it into her mouth. Another followed, then another, and in the blink of an eye, she had gobbled up everything on the table. I was about to tell her to at least wash her hands first when I realized she’d eaten mine.

“Hey.” I grumbled to myself, even though it wasn’t really a big deal. I only had to ask Rudy, and I could have as many sweets as I liked. I wasn’t about to get angry at my child for taking my food. But, you know, my treats…

“Mmm!” Lara, her cheeks full to bursting, chewed contentedly before giving a big gulp. 

Leo gave her an incredulous look that said, “What about mine?” I probably had a similar expression.

“Way better than frog!” Lara declared.

“Then you shall have them again tomorrow,” said Claire.

“Sick.” With that, she jumped on Leo’s back and the two of them left the room. I was so stunned that I watched her go without telling her off for riding on Leo inside.

“I, uh, I’m sorry,” I said, flustered. “She doesn’t know her manners.”

Lucky for me, Claire was transfixed by the item Lara had brought her. Leaning forward, I saw it was a golden locket with a portrait of a young man inside it.

“Carlisle gave me this right before we were married,” Claire said. When I was silent, she went on in a nostalgic tone. “Such an expensive gift was far beyond his means at the time, but he scraped together the money and bought it for me. He said, ‘Once we’re married, I’ll be a Latria, and I’ll never be able to buy you a present with my own money again.’ I lost it around a year ago, and I’ve been crouching down searching for it ever since. It’s how I hurt my back. I’d given up on finding it…”

Even the maids seemed surprised by this. Had she not even told the servants that she’d lost it?

“Roxy,” said Claire.

“Yes?”

“Manners are no more than showing consideration for others—there’s no need to rest on formality, is there?”

“Well, I suppose not.”

“Lara is a good girl with excellent manners. I was mistaken.”

Mm, I was pretty sure Lara was not that sort of girl, but who was I to disagree? I’d misunderstood Claire. After seeing Rudy’s frowns and Aisha’s open dislike, I’d put my guard up, but she wasn’t at all what I’d expected. Meeting Rudy might have changed her too. It was hard not to be changed by him.

In any case, I felt like this lady and I could get along. Even if she might not live very much longer. Once this visit was over, I might never see her again.

“Keep her on the straight path,” said Claire.

“Yes, madam,” I agreed.